Ennead || Unseen

Never knew i could feel like this

He knows.

He knows he's not in the air, he's below. Far far down below.

But sometimes, when the smoke hits the sunlight in such a way, he can envision him above him...

Silver hair curling around him.

He closes his eyes and the phantom sensations come back.

Sun on his back as his feet trek through his land... only for the heavenly arc to reach the distant west and for the moon to take over. Light breeze flows around him, cooling. And then he's there...

He'd turn and there he was, shadowing the luminaries, feathers settling on the sand. He'd stretch out his hand and... and...

There's nothing but smoke between his fingers.

And it would be like that... for years. Sometimes he wonders why he continues to torture himself like this. Other times, he knows exactly why.

It's been a while since Nephthys had... fallen.

Since his son no longer had faith in him.

Since... since he lost both his brothers in one night.

His numb fingers fumble around, trying to find the bottle once more. He finds it though it's empty and spilt around him. He couldn't tell between the alcohol and blood pooling at his fingers. A stray tear escapes him as his hazy mind relives it all again.

He clawed at the ice, screaming, pounding at it. He had to keep the desert from filling in and covering where they'd sunken in. He doesn't remember how long he tried but eventually he knew there was no point.

He had marched all the way to the sun god's temple, demanding to be taken onto the ark and to travel down into the depths as she did every night, in front of her and all the gods still hovering around that haggard crone of a former king.

She looked at him and laughed, refusing, not even asking why.

Word spread fast about the dead king. When he returned to his temple, his eldest sister demanded to know why he killed them both.

It enraged him so much, he threw her into the maze. He wouldn't know his own wife would defy him and help her escape. That she'd believe that he killed the other two males of their family.

In a way... he did, didn't he?

He just couldn't stop hurting everyone apparently as he jailed her. And then three days later, she fell into a coma in her imprisonment. His son began to turn on him after that.

And then he searched and searched for his sister...

And now... he's here. In this rotting palace, surrounded by rotting humans, marinating in this rotten body. He's become so delusional... sometimes he envisions flowers growing from his abdomen.

Who would ever want to be king?

The rare times he's sober, he watches his humans try to please him and massacre women in case they're his sister. Even the thought of her makes his eyes narrow and his hands tighten against the throne, cracking it.

Sharp nails on sharp fingers trailed down his shoulder, connected to familiar pale arms.

"Hello little brother~" she purred.

"...Sekhmet" he muttered in a half groan, half sigh. Yes he called her here but... He huffs, concealing his grimace as he crossed his arms and she chuckled. Besides him, his child was fanning him quite more distracted than usual. He takes a glance at him before turning his head towards his great aunt.

"...tell me about Nu."

"Oh, you want a bedtime story~? Once upon a time-"

"No, just... tell me everything you know."

"Hmph, no class. L."

He whipped his head around so fast, his neck practically cracked. His mouth twitched, tempted to snarl. She knows how to talk like him. She smirked before talking.

"Well, Mother has always said that they were a wild one but... I've never seen it. In fact, they always were so...."

Serene.

The face of this stranger was.

Their face was average, like if you saw just faces in a crowd, you'd never be able to pick out who it was. Yet the peacefulness of their slumber was sickening... desirable. The want to lay down forever. It was disgusting. She raised her claws-

Only for her wrist to be grabbed.

"Nah ah ah, my child. Your slaughter is for humanity"

"...but mother, this is the one who hurt you. This is the one who made you cry!"

"...and the one who makes me sing. The one who makes me shine, who brings me back to life in the morning..."

She reaches with her other hand, gently caressing their face.

"My Khemphri..."

She pulls the veil back on her before turning back to her daughter with a smirk.

"Come along now, pet. You have work to do."

As she was pushed out of the holy resting place of Nu, all she could do was look back at them...

Laying prettily as a corpse yet still mother's most beloved...

She grit her teeth before following.

"...but when you four were born, boy did they prove me wrong! What a harbinger of chaos and destruction! Such an amazing vessel of irony..."

She cackled before hugging his neck, smirking.

"Someone who tried so hard to protect what they love... that they're destroying it~"

Seth was silent.

Anubis looked up at him.

———

His hands had stuck in her hair as he tried to pet her, gently untangling his fingers after a moment before trying again. She was laying on his lap, eyes closed and face soft for once. It was amazing.

When she was napping she just looked... normal.

She frequently was either looking like a ravenous beast or a lost child. Something to fear, something to pity but in the rare instance of sleep... she looked like anyone else.

He smiled.... And then frowned.

She can't stay here forever. He doesn't know how his father would react. She's lucky she prefers to be out of the temple during the day but... what if something happened? Would he have to chose between the two?

He shook his head and kept petting. He should just enjoy this while he can. He pet her gently as she grimaced in her sleep, a tear rolling down her face.