A Crown Made of Air

Part 2, Chapter 20

Moonlight

 "What do you mean? How is The Wind God like a brother to you?" Moonlight asked, utterly confused.

"I don't remember my family or anything from before... My first memories are of me here- in Spindly Pinnacle- with The Wind God. He was the one to take care of me, to give me a home and all I needed. He is like a big brother to me. More than family, really. He is all I have left." Akio sighed ruefully without taking his eyes off Moonlight.

Moonlight opened her mouth but found she didn't quite know what to say. She couldn't imagine The Wind God as capable of loving anyone except himself. She was trapped here because of him, after all. And Destiny had been fleeing for three long years.

Akio sensed her discomfort and continued. "Maybe it seems hard to believe. I know that The Wind God, at first sight, is not the most welcoming god on The Heavens. But deep inside he is not all bad. Just... misunderstood. He sees our world differently than anyone else. That doesn't mean he is wrong."

"But..." Moonlight tried to order her thoughts. "The Wind God has lived for centuries. That would make you-"

"Immortal, yes. From what I deduced all angels are immortals. We are simply born like this. It is the only reason that makes any sense to me. I have always loathed my brother's methods to remain young forever. Thankfully, I have never needed them." Akio gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. "That is one matter we strongly disagree on."

"How does The Wind God immortal?" Moonlight couldn't contain her curiosity, even when Akio scowled at her. She quirked a brow. "I thought you said you would explain yourself to me. With no more lies..."

"You don't want to know. Trust me. Besides, you don't have to worry about that. I won't let it happen to you." Akio kept moving quickly, tugging at Moonlight's arm for her to match his stride.

But Moonlight stalled. Bile rose to her throat. She felt disgusted. Could it be? It had to be. "I've been on the room with the glass conservatory. The Wind God took me there as a warning. There were these black eyes on display. I didn't understand it at first but..."

"I'm so sorry you've seen it. If I had arrived earlier, you wouldn't have." Akio grunted, giving her an apologetic smile. "The Wind God drains all energy from other gods with magic. He has been doing so for centuries which grants him immortality. After he is done with them, the other gods are a bleak resemblance of what they once were. They are the living corpses that populate the palace."

"The servants. They all act like marionets controlled by The Wind God." Moonlight gasped. "And you agree with him? You just let him keep doing it?" Her voice trembled with outrage. She felt heat scalding her skin, her blood pumping furiously.

"I don't agree with him! I never have. I just..." Akio raked his fingers through his spiky hair. Moonlight took a step back, releasing her arm from his hold. "Have you never felt helpless? Like, it doesn't matter how hard you try, your fate was already written for you?"

His black eyes shone like black pearls, with such intensity Moonlight couldn't pull away. She recognized that sad glimmer. "You feel like a prisoner."

"I can get out of Spindly Pinnacle now but... There was a time when I couldn't. I've spent all my life stuck in this floating island. Don't get me wrong- this is a paradise filled with the rarest and most spectacular plants and flowers." He motioned to the orange moss, the yellow leaves and the trees with trunks twisted at the most impossible angles. "But I just... I have never felt like I belonged here, you know? It was like there was a golden string tugging at my heart, begging me to get out of here. I have always thought I was born for more than just waiting on the sidelines. So I have tried to escape this place multiple times, only to be caught midway and brought back."