The Becoming of Lune

Chapter Seventeen

The water surrounding Cerast's limbs trickled carelessly around him, ripples extending off his body and sending waterfalls over the edge of the basin.

It had taken a long time for him to drag the tub into his clearing, even longer to fill it with water from the nearby river.

The water was frigid and near ice like, but only seemed slightly cold while Cerast submerged himself and scrubbed the dirt from his skin. It had only been a couple of days, yet still his body felt soiled after the events of the day.

The moon had grown more and therefore helped Cerast even more with regulating the constant thrumming in the back of his mind. It kept him calm when all he wanted to do was cry and break things, scream into the night and then sob himself to sleep.

"Your hair is frozen, Cerast."

Valen approached the tub silently, pulling his chair towards Cerast and sitting with a soft sigh.

"Hm, I know." Cerast hummed and rested his head against the edge of the basin, sending another cascade of water into the thin layer of snow.

It was true he could feel how his hair had gone stiff. His black curls frozen in time until he returned home and let the ice melt and then dry.

"You do not feel the cold?" Valen asked, his own skin being covered with plain clothes and a thick black cloak. It looked soft.

"I do. Though not as much as others. My body knows the moon is only out when the warmth of the sun is gone. It adapted." Cerast bent his knees up higher and hoped that the darkness hid his body well enough beneath the surface of the water.

"I think I would freeze in that water. I have grown accustomed to warm baths and warmer blankets." Valen smiled and reached out a hand, barely skimming the surface of Cerast's bath.

Cerast watched the god curiously and then felt what he was doing. The water had begun to heat. From the focal point of Valen's hand, the water swirled and tepid waves danced across Cerast's body. Though his bath was fine, perhaps it being warm did help him relax some.

"Where do you live?" Cerast questioned quietly, now enjoying the heat Valen's hand gave off.

"Merionn. Though I have appointed Slalifor as its overseer, it is where I created the gods and I have lived there for eons. When the souls of the dead pass through Othia or Essian, they gather in Merionn." Valen took a hesitant breath yet continued to let his fingers float in the water. "One of the few duties I have not extended to another is making sure the souls return to the world. Making sure their energy is put back to its rightful place."

"You keep the balance."

"Yes. All mortal beings die, yet it has always been my obligation to continue the cycle. I ensure Kelana has a life to grant and Drexan a life to lead away."

Cerast shut his eyes tightly and willed the feeling of sorrow to pass. Knowing now that Lira would be cared for even when her soul was nothing more than cosmic dust, it comforted him. Yet, Lira, the woman she had been and the life she had led, it would be no more.

"I have upset you. I am sorry."

There were tears running tracks down his cheeks and Cerast shook his head gently, blinking away the remaining wetness.

"No." He whispered, "You have given me solace. A woman who I have known her entire life is asking me to provide her with means to kill herself. I will not deny her, but her choice is not one I agree with."

"You care for her." Valen met the quiet with his words, hushed tones almost swept away with the breeze.

"I care for everyone in Raevor. Seeing them pass is always a day I yearn to never see. Yet I see it; every death whether old or young." Cerast exhaled shakily.