Ｉｃａｒu ｓ: ~Philza AU~

𝕬𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕱𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝕱𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖘

He leaped over river bends and logs, tramping like a fawn through the forest. He raised his arms and sped down a hill covered with golden wheat, sparkling in the summer sun. He let out a long, hearty yell as he ran, letting the wind carry him off the ground slightly. The tips of his leather-bound feet grazed the ground as his wings caught air. Feathers floated around his rising figure. The sun beat down as he continued up, and he pulled his hat down to shield his eyes. 

The clouds moved sluggishly against a light blue sky. He let his fingers brush the fluffy mass. Years of farming and sun had turned his still young skin tan and calloused, sprinkled with freckles and the occasional sunspot. His short, hay-colored braid swayed loosely behind him as he continued on his way. He was on a journey, though, even he wasn't sure of where he was going.

Tonight was the Red Moon Festival. Once a year his entire village would celebrate the goddess Kristin, the creator of the night and love. Her story was his favorite out of all of the gods. 

Dreamexodus created and ruled over the sun, but also chaos. After eons of peril and catastrophe on earth, Fate knew that they had to create a deity to balance the scale. So Fate took a vale and pulled it over the sun, causing darkness to spread across the land. The people of earth were left in fear and trembling, and Dreamexodus was left dumbfounded. Taking droplets of rain from the clouds, and a diamond from the earth, Fate created the night and hung it in the sky for the world to see. The people were in awe, but chaos still rained, so the fighting wasn't over. But Fate wasn't done just yet. Using the same ingredients as before, but now taking the heart of the crow, he created a new diety. A mountain moved, and so awoke the beloved Kristin. Her first command was rest. So, the people slept. She then noticed the hate and bloodshed the ravished her new home, and she wept. Her tears fell as waterfalls yet her sorrow was heard by none. When Dreamexodus pulled the sun back into the sky once more, the people awoke, ready for battle, but they were thirsty from their long sleep. They saw the great pools of water that had now accumulated on the ground and drank. The sadness that Kristin the goddess had felt seeped into the bones of mankind, and they wept also. A new emotion was then created, and that emotion was love. They embraced one another with tears of woe and forgiveness. They kissed and celebrated, finally achieving the peace they had never been able to feel before. That night, Kristin saw that mankind had made peace with each other and rejoiced. Because of this, she let them stay awake and continue the celebration. She saw the happiness that the humans felt and she wished to join them as well. She begged and pleaded for Fate to let her join them, if only for a night, and they let her, but Fate told her that she had to send them a message, letting them know she had left. So, she kissed the moon, temporarily dying it red, and joined the humans in their form, dancing and singing all night long. Dreamexodus soon became jealous and sent a curse upon Kristin. He made it so that whenever she became human, she would lose all of her power. No one has ever seen her since then. Not among humans or gods. But rumor says that she still can be seen in the distance, by the great mountains, waterfalls pouring from her eyes.

As a child, Philza begged his parents to tell him this legend repeatedly, and now he could recite the story by heart. He had always longed to see the renowned goddess, and perhaps wipe away her long, foreboding tears. Alas, throughout all of his flights across the great mountains, he had never come across the mighty deity. 

Opening a small satchel, he pulled out a map of the mountains. He huffed as he looked over the countless 'x' marks that littered the paper. 

There was only one spot he hadn't looked, and that was the farthest. "Alright wings, don't fail me now," his heavy accent cut through the vowels of each word. 

Whenever he flew, he always followed the crows for aways, hoping they would be going to the goddess that held the heart of the crows. Because of this, he began to recognize certain birds and flocks. He would feed them leftovers of his lunch now and again, and before he knew it they had begun to follow him around. What began as him following the crows had ended when the crows began following him. They were useless to him, but he found that he enjoyed the company. In a family where he was the only one with wings, he found comfort in the feathers of the aves. 

He didn't know why he was different, but he always wondered. Wondered if it was a gift, a curse, or an accident. He daydreamed of the stories of men with wings, like the great Philzarious, a man with the legs of an eagle and the wings of one also. With his talons, he slayed many beasts that plagued the lands of his village. He wanted to be just like him as a boy, but now he was becoming a man. He had to write his own story, he just prayed it would have a happy ending. 

The crows cried, awakening Philza from his ponderings. "What do you want? You little fiends," he chuckled, patting one of the birds on the head. They continued to caw and he noticed where they were going. The breath left the deepest pit of his lungs as he saw what was before him. 

As tall as a mountain, as beautiful as the sunset, and as secret as a wish, the mystery of his dreams was before him. 

Her voice broke through the silence, as strong as thunder, yet as soft as rain, "My loves, you've come to visit me once again, have you?" She laughed and his heart grew warm at the sound.

A woman, covered in a dark vale that shimmered like stars stood before him. His wings faltered for an instance, and he began to fall. Before he could catch himself, she did. Opening his eyes cautiously, he saw he was in the hands of the goddess of love and night, and he wept for joy. 

"I found you!" he bawled. The goddess's heart was touched, and she cried as well.