Interlunary Solus (FNaF DCA Fanfiction)

Chapter Four: A Day in the Life of Death

To be the incarnation of death itself was a busy job. It was also very emotionally draining. However, it also entailed a whole lot of spying on other gods, which wasn't something many expected to be part of the job description.

Moondrop, the God of Death and the Moon, looked at one of their reapers expectantly. Their four arms were crossed, the eyes that dotted along the upper pair not focused on anything in particular. "Well, A? Do you have anything to report, or did you come here for no reason? That's more of B's thing, you know."

"Life is being monitored, there is nothing of concern occurring. They're doing well, actually, better than anticipated. Reincarnation is still missing, but Anteres claims to be 'on his scent'... whatever that means. It's up to you to decide whether that's worth following up on," the reaper said, adjusting their black star mask slightly. "However... there is the issue of Afterlife."

"What is Solar up to?" Moon asked, raising an eyebrow. There was no hiding the concern on their face from Sirius A, it was the reaper's job to read people. Sirius A and Sirius B were Moon's best spies, watching over the others in the so called 'Circle of Life Quartet', whether they were aware of it or not.

"That's the problem. He's planning something, but they're going about it in such a way that nobody else can figure it out. She's always been the most difficult to gather information from, given the nature of his realm, but it has somehow become worse. Which leads me to suspect that they are actively trying to hide something from potential surveillers..."

"... of which I am the #1 most likely to spy on her, and he knows it. So the chances are that they are planning something she doen't want me to know about." Moon leaned their head into one of their hands, closing their eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Here I thought I was the troublemaker."

"Your trouble is harmless fun; uncalled for in uncertain times such as this. You know better than to cause problems now when there is serious trouble being made."

"Flattery, A? That's so unlike you. It seems Annul is rubbing off on you," Moon noted, a hint of amusement in their voice. They stood up straight and stretched, their tail swishing behind them. The bell on one of the two ends gave a jingle, while the crescent moon on the other simply gave a gentle glow. "I've ought to get to work, and you should take time to relax before your next shift. You've been busier than usual, and I have a feeling that's only going to get worse... enjoy your free time while you have it. For my peace of mind, if nothing else."

"You're one to talk." Moon ignored Sirius A's comment as they walked past the reaper, down one of the many halls, lit dimly by candles. The dark stained black cherry wood walls had intricate paintings hung upon it. Most of them were of Moon and Sun, along with two fellows that resembled them. One was like Sun, but mostly black with orange accents and no tattoos, as well as many more mouths all along their body. Solar Eclipse, God of the Afterlife. The other resembled Moon, but without an extra pair of shadow arms covered in eyes, and overall lighter and colour. Lunar Eclipse, God of Reincarnation, and also the youngest of the four.

There were also portraits of other various deities, such as the wolf-like God of the Hunt or bear-like God of Family. Moon wasn't close to many of the others outside the Quartet, but respected their roles nonetheless.

They reached the end of the hall and stepped outside, and the entire world around them seemed to shift. Rather than being outside of a large gothic mansion, they were in the middle of a dark basement. A light bulb flickered on and off, and paint in ancient runes was along the walls and floors. Moon would have been amused by the translation errors, if it wasn't obvious that this was a cult sacrifice...

Dedicated to them.

Blood formed a pool on the floor, but the corpse seemed to have been removed. Moon turned to look towards the sound of sobbing; in the corner sat a little boy. Blood stained his clothes and dropped from his body, but before it could touch the ground it vanished. Moon made their extra arms and eyes disappear, taking up a more child friendly form. Their crimson glowing eyes became soft blue ones, and they walked over to the boy. No older than nine years old, that was for certain.

"Hey there," Moon said, kneeling down in front of him. They held their hand out to him, slowly so as to not scare him. Their claws were sheathed as well, also to avoid frightening the kid to the best of their ability.

He trembled and scooted back, staring at Moon with terror. Moon didn't take it personally; this was a perfectly normal response when dealing with the dead. Especially children and murder victims - in this case, it was both. The poor kid was a victim, a sacrifice Moon didn't want. They took their hand away and didn't move any closer.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Do you like music, little one?" Moon asked, attempting to get the child to open up at least a little bit. They couldn't take a person back to the afterlife this upset... Well, they could, but they wouldn't. Despite their bad reputation among the living, they were far from cruel. They knew just how difficult dying could be for a mortal, after working so long with them.

The boy gave a slight nod, fear still in his eyes.

"Why don't I sing you a song..? Would you like that?" The child responded in the affirmative once more, and Moon gave a gentle smile. Music usually did the trick in aiding people to sleep. They thought for a moment; something along the lines of a lullaby should do best.

"Days seem sometimes as if they'll never end

Sun digs its heels to taunt you

But after sunlit days, one thing stays the same

Rises the moon.

"Days fade into a watercolour blur

Memories swim and haunt you

But look into the lake, shimmering like smoke

Rises the moon

"Oh-oh, close your weary eyes

I promise you that soon the autumn comes

To darken fading summer skies

Breathe, breathe, breathe."

They managed to rest their hand on the child's shoulder. He flinched, but didn't move away.

"Days pull you down just like a sinking ship

Floating is getting harder

But tread the water, child, and know that meanwhile

Rises the moon

"Days pull you up just like a daffodil

Uprooted from its garden

They'll tell you what you owe, but know even so

Rises the moon

"You'll be visited by sleep

I promise you that soon the autumn comes

To steal away each dream you keep

Breathe, breathe, breathe."

By the end of the song, the boy was weeping into Moon's hoodie. The God of Death held him there for a while, the lyrics long since ended, but they remained humming to the poor kid, rubbing his back.

"My name is Moon... I'm here to help take you somewhere safe. I'll bring you to a friend of mine, and he'll take care of you from there. However... if you're not ready to go, I'll stay here with you as long as you need me to."

"Mm... my name... is Ajax..." The boy murmured between sniffles, voice hardly audible. He began to mess with the stars on the end of Moon's hoodie strings.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Not yet..."

"Okay. Take your time."