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[He does not say, "am I interrupting?" though he is sorely tempted to. Instead, he unfurls his fingers and holds up Azem's crystal for them to see.]

As much as Hades wishes to claim full credit for the misdirection, I also have my reasons for it.

[His smile is a little wry as he closes his fingers over the crystal.]

The last time I spoke truth to one from so far in the past, no one knew the chain of events it would spark.

[ Azem pauses short of Rhea'li as they take in the stone. They're not familiar with it but they know the symbol, that is theirs. They look between Rhea'li and Hades and back again. ]

One of you better explain or I'll dive into your memories and rip it out myself.

[ Hades tenses and grits his teeth. Where to begin? How do you even begin to explain this? It makes him realise how difficult it must have been for Rhea'li to do the same for himself, Hythlodaeus, and Venat all those millennia ago. ]

...Our star... Our people, they're gone, Dionysos.

[Rhea'li nods, confirming, expression sombre.]

In my time, there are are none of you left. A great calamity came upon Etheirys, eventually leading to the star and its people being sundered into one and thirteen.

[There were MANY details between that, but... ultimately, that was the end result. His brow draws together slightly.]

The people of my time... we were born of the fragments from yours.

[ Azem turns back to Hades with an expression of both horror and confusion. ]

Wha-- [ Rhea'li's explanation only raises more questions. They stand in silence for a moment, trying to sort out their thoughts before speaking again. ]

A calamity that sunders Etheirys? What do you mean by that? [ A pause. ] No, no, I mean what sort of calamity?

[ They're truly thinking of following through with diving into memories just to make things simple. ]

At the time, we did not know how or why it happened. It began with a sound, 'twas said. On the heels of that sound, monstrous creatures would appear and slaughter or devour all around them. At first, 'twas isolated in small, far-flung corners of the star. But as the phenomenon spread and grew worse, we realised that it would occur where the aetherial currents of our star were weakest.

[ He pauses, still unable to look directly at Azem. There is helpless resignation in the slump of his shoulders. ]

When it finally came to Amaurot... 'Twas far worse than we could have imagined. The sky rained fire. The earth yawned wide. The winds stilled and the seas roiled red with blood. And as panic spread, our fears were made manifest in the forms of those hideous creatures we had thus far only heard about.

[Though he knows most of the details of what happened, it is not the same as having experienced it himself. By contrast, Rhea'li looks directly at Azem.]

And so the Convocation devised a plan. A plan to create a being named Zodiark that would strengthen the aetherial currents. But for such a being to exist, it would need an offering of lives. Though most were in accord to thus save the star, not all saw this as the answer. For half the lives of the star were sacrificed to create Zodiark, and then half again to restore that which was lost.

[And somewhere, Azem was not there. Gone, and whatever they had tried, it had not worked.]

But there was one who was armed with knowledge that none else of the time knew. And she knew because of a certain traveller from the future that the calamity was not truly over. And thus was another being created, Hydaelyn, who would sunder the star and enact a plan that would take twelve thousand years to come to fruition.

[Sometimes, he wonders what would have happened if he had not been sent hurtling into the past. What decisions would Venat have made instead? Would the situation with Hermes escalated so?]

[ Azem's heart sinks as the two of them explain what happened. A calamity that weakened the aether of the star? Created monsters that would slaughter and devour any in their path? What could possibly be the cause of something so horrific?

And then Rhea'li mentions Zodiark and Azem's expression hardens, turning to Hades once more. ]

Zodiark. [ Azem can't say if Hades lied about Zodiark or not but he certainly didn't tell Azem everything. ] Half of all lives on the star? That's... [ They hate how that makes them feel, the way their stomach turns as they look away from Hades. They feel too disgusted to look at him right now.

Their attention turns back to Rhea'li. ] And that traveler was you, was it not? The one pretended to be my familiar? The one I foresaw and told Themis to meet in Elpis?

[ Although he expects the rejection, it still hurts. And there's no justification he can offer other than it being an act of desperation to save what remained of their star.

Hades hasn't heard about Rhea'li's involvement with Themis yet however, and so he lifts his head to stare at the miqo'te as well. ]

[Rhea'li blinks, suddenly aware of the attention placed on him as if he knows what is going on when he doesn't. Just like when he's asked a question when he's at one of the Alliance meetings that he's only barely paying attention to...]

I... have not met Themis.

[Unless... His brows draw together as he thinks that through. He'd forgotten all a small comment from Elidibus before he'd finally faded away. A comment that sounded like, mayhaps, that he had met Elidibus in the past. And yet, he had not seen hide nor hair of Elidibus in his time in Elpis. Was this something that lay in his future?]

But aye, that traveler was me, and I did indeed pretend to be your familiar in the time I was in Elpis.

An adventure yet to come, then. Much like my death and the destruction of our Star. [ Azem's tone is flat as they look once more between Rhea'li and Hades. ]

Is there anything else I need know before I take my leave?

[ There are a hundred different things he could say. But in the end, looking at Azem, looking at Rhea'li standing just beyond them and seeing two identical souls, all he has to say in their defence dies on his tongue. Except for this: ]

Rhea'li is more than your 'familiar', [ he says quietly. ] Rhea'li is you. He is the piece of you that was sundered all those thousands of years ago. Eight parts rejoined out of fourteen.

[ He looks away. ] 'Twould have been nine...had he not stopped me.

[Rhea'li's smile is grim. Yet again, must he bear the news of the tragic future to those yet to know of it. Is there anything else they need to know? How long is a piece of string?

Knowing that those words from Hades would surely raise even more questions, he says--]

The rest... can come another time.

[He turns his gaze to the park, dusted over by snow, rolling the crystal over in his hand before closing his fingers around it once again, sharp edges digging into his palm.]

[ Azem opens their mouth and then closes it again. ]

Fine, another time.

[ Without another word they turn, kicking up a bunch of snow as they teleport away. If either of them tries to get in contact with Azem after this they'll find themselves being ignored. On the bright side, Azem doesn't sever their connection with Hades. ]

[ As soon as Azem disappears, Hades turns away and crosses his arms tightly over his chest. His composure cracks, fracturing beneath the pressure, but he manages to resist sinking down into the snow to hug his knees. He's waiting for the moment when his bond with Azem snaps. But it doesn't come.

A heavy silence lingers. ]

Edited 2023-02-05 14:29 (UTC)

[It is quiet, but Rhea'li moves to stand beside Hades, allowing the silence to stretch for a long moment as they both absorb the gravity of the situation.

The illusion is shattered and the halcyon days here are over. Hades' pain is now his, aching, and Rhea'li recalls quite vividly the monument to his loss that Hades had created at the bottom of the sea. An Azem shaped hole, excised so thoroughly from the recreated Amaurot that their importance was all the more apparent.

Not again.]

They will [not come around, exactly, but] not leave you behind. Not this time.

[Not again.

And he believes that, with all his heart. These are not the desperate times of the Final Days. He might not be Azem, not exactly, but... he is certain they will return. And from there, with the burdens of the past and future upon them will they move forward.]

You will not be alone.

You don't know that for certain, [ he hisses between his teeth. ] We have only told them the beginning, and Azem left me - left all of us - over the initial sacrifice alone. I cannot imagine them returning after they learn about what I've done in the years since.

[ He starts trudging through the snow. He has no destination in mind. Even after the decades spent in Ilsabard's frigid north, the cold here still seeps through his feet and chills him to the bone. Maybe if he walks far enough then he can finally find some peace. ]

Now if you'll excuse me... I should like to be left alone. Again.

[No, he doesn't know that for certain. But the Azem of the past did not have time the way they do now. The Azem of the past could not learn the full story. The Azem of the past did not know the full weight of the tragic events. The Azem of the past... did not have many paths available to them.

And while they are different people -- just as Ardbert and himself lived different lives, had opposite and contrasting personalities -- somehow... somehow he thinks Azem, no, Dionysos, will choose to move forward.

Despite Hades' words, Rhea'li falls into step beside him. In the past, perhaps he would leave well alone. But with the pain leaking through their bond, all he can think of is how much it hurts to be alone. It might annoy Hades to not have his wishes followed in this instance, but Rhea'li silently but doggedly walks beside him.]

[ It does annoy him that Rhea'li isn't leaving him to his misery. But he doesn't have the heart to snap at them to leave him. So he pointedly ignores Rhea'li for a while as they traipse through the snow. He doesn't know where he's going. He just wants to lose himself in the cold. Maybe fold in on himself somewhere until he freezes. Maybe yell into the void.

Eventually, after they lose sight of town, he finds a large rock and sits down heavily. ]

...What else could I have done then? [ he mutters tonelessly. ] Should I have let the star die? Perhaps that was what we deserved.

[Rhea'li sits himself down on the rock also, next to him but looking away.]

You made the best decision you could with the information you had.

[That was what made the tale of the ancients so tragic. Everyone had been acting in the interests of saving the star -- "We did everything right, everything that was asked of us, and still–still, it came to this!" Ardbert's words resonate deep within him -- and in doing so created suffering hitherto unimaginable.

Rhea'li lets out a long breath, the cold making it a puff of white.]

Even when we were in opposition, I was never angry at you.

[Not when he learnt the extent of what Hades had wrought, not even as he was in the process of transforming into a monster as a direct result of Hades' actions.]

Well, aren't you forgiving! [ he snaps irritably. ] Far more than Azem is. Since you are always so keen on reminding me: your forgiving me doesn't mean Azem will. I may be lucky to even be spoken to.

[Rhea'li hums. It is true that he has insisted on his own personhood, his individuality separate from Dionysos. But their points of commonality... mayhaps it is the pain that he has endured that makes it easier to bear the news.]

Is your bond with them broken?

[ More silence. Then: ]

No.

[ Sarcastically: ]

Not yet.

[His reply comes calmly and evenly.]

Then accept that Azem still wishes to return.

Just because they haven't done so yet, that does not mean they won't change their mind. Azem loved Eitherys more than most. So much so that it is almost a prerequisite for the seat! And what have I done in the millennia since? I've not only destroyed entire civilisations - the Rejoinings laid waste to their beloved star seven times over! How could they love someone like that?

[ He glowers at the snow in disgust. ] 'Twas nice while it lasted, Rhea'li. But I do not want your sympathy nor your pity.

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