The Underworld's Sunshine (SakuAtsu Godly AU)

A Voice Of Enchantment

When Kiyoomi heard the voice for the first time, it was like his whole world had stopped and had come crashing down on him.

He had been doing his daily rounds, observing the different subdivisions of the Underworld. He started at Erebos, noticing, with a furrowed brow, that his loyal hell-hound, Cerberus, was not at his post at the gates of Erebos again. Ignoring this, he went to the Fields of Asphodel, then the Fields of Punishment, then to Elysium. After he was finished with the main areas, he went to make sure that nothing had escaped the fiery pits of Tartarus.

He then walked along the River of Lamentation, the Cocytus, and he could sense the pure misery that resonated from the glittering black liquid. He made his way to the fiery waters of the Phlegethon that cut through the valley like a roaring blaze of pure destruction, sending sprays of searing water onto the banks - the River of Healing, it was sometimes ironically called. He walked along the banks of the Acheron, the River of Sorrow, and Kiyoomi could feel the river's pull on his doubts and woes.

(Song at the top: Can't Help Falling In Love by Tommee Profitt ft. brooke)

He found himself walking along the River Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness, on his way to the River Styx, the River of Loathing. He was nearly at the river that acted as the border between the Underworld and the surface world, when he heard it.

An alluring voice, sweet and smooth like flowing honey, but heavy with sadness, met his ears and he stopped in his tracks to listen.

Wise men say...
Only fools rush in...
But I can't help...
Falling in love with you...

The sound was so eery, yet captivating, and the words were so pleasant, yet it was heartbreaking to listen to.

Wise men say...
Only fools rush in...
But I can't help...
Falling in love with you...

Kiyoomi had never heard such a beautiful sound in his two thousand years of life. At first he thought he was being drawn in by a Siren, but it occurred to him that there were no Sirens in the underworld.

I can't help falling in love with you...!

Kiyoomi crumbled under the weight of the song, his eyes tearing. What was this power? To hold such power within a voice alone... Not even the muse of music had this much power. It was no wonder why so many mortals had been led to their deaths.

Ohiya~
Aha~
Ah~

Kiyoomi could feel the longing in the voice, and he knew who its owner was, though the sound was cold and desolate, like what Motoya had described when he spoke of the surface world.

Ahiya~

This was the power of the heartbreak of the god of summer, born of two primordial gods and cast away from the world he loved most.

His voice resonated throughout the valley and chilled Kiyoomi to the bone in no way a child of the sun's voice should. This power was of the primordial gods themselves - the intense pain and longing to be released of the god of summer fuelled by the prayers and offerings made by the mortals to save them from their eternal winter.

The sound haunted Kiyoomi's thoughts, such a beautiful voice with such an uncharacteristically cold meaning. It was missing the brightness and warmth of the sun as legends told.

Once the voice that brought warmth and smiles to mortals and gods alike, now brought those who heard it to their deaths from the pure despair laced in between the words, like it was twisting the thin strands of Fate itself.

Kiyoomi often forgot that the twins were primordials due to their primordial lineage. The twins were older than the gods themselves, and far more powerful. He began to wonder why Atsumu didn't just leave the Underworld on his own since the gods couldn't keep him trapped down there by force.

Just as it had began, the singing had stopped, and Kiyoomi had felt like he could stand once again. He completed his rounds, waving at Issei who was ferrying more lost souls across the River Styx to Erebos before he went back to his palace. Cerberus was still nowhere to be found, and Kiyoomi merely shook his head, wondering where his four-metre three-headed Rottweiler had gone off to.

Kiyoomi walked through his palace gates, and took a seat on his ebony and ivory throne. The onyx bramble crown weighed heavy on his head and he stared at the glittering obsidian floor of the throne room, imagining it to be the flowing waters of the River Cocytus.

He let his eyes flutter closed as the captivating voice of the god of summer echoed and bounced off the walls of his thoughts. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep until the dreams started.

At first, it was just the voice, but then the image formed. Kiyoomi was standing not too far from the River Lethe, it's silvery white waters glowing feintly in the gloom of the Underworld's darkness as it flowed down the valley.

He gazed across the river, and spotted a familiar shape in the distance. It was Cerberus, he was lying on the shore, wagging his tail slowly. Kiyoomi quickly realized that the source of the voice was coming from near Cerberus. He edged closer until he could see the slow rise and fall of Cerberus' chest as he slept calmly. As Kiyoomi approached the hell hound, the voice became clearer and stronger.

For some reason, Kiyoomi felt the urge to look down, and his eyes widened as he registered the dark mauve grass growing beneath his feet. Midnight blue coneflowers, blood red zinnias, and pale yellow sunflowers dotted the grass, creating a beautiful yet eery picture.

The singing suddenly stopped, and Kiyoomi looked up. For the first time, he noticed the golden glow against Cerberus' dark fur. He couldn't see the source of the light, but he knew what it was when the voice began again, but, this time, instead of singing, it was weeping.

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My Greek mythology nerd ass is fangirling over here

Anygays, byeee!
-CrackshotReaper

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