Roots | ONC 2024

XVII : Atone

By the time Umirin brings the Divine Heart back to the Elders, it truly sinks in that he committed murder.

He snuffed out a life. Everything that priest had been, everything he would have been, wiped out with a single nasty blow.

It unnerves Umirin slightly how little he is unnerved about that.

He merely walks into the large chamber the Elders spend time in, and catches Shani into his embrace when his husband runs to him.

He limps slightly, his hips angled in a slant with how one of his legs bends differently now, making him unevenly postured. Umirin embraces him tightly, his only hopes left now being those for Shani's well-being. He prays the awkward stance won't cause his beloved any pain in the long term, in the case this state of him does not reverse after the ritual.

"Did it go well?" Shani asks as he cradles Umirin close, his voice laced with concern.

Umirin hesitates to answer. Would Shani hate him? They've both gone in far too radical extremes in their own ways, but...

Shani still never went so far as to kill an innocent person.

His silence betrays him however, as Shani draws back to look upon him closer, the human side of his face furrowing up with concern, the other side seemingly unable to shift much by means of expression, "What happened, little one?" he asks, somber and worried, eyes studying Umirin's face intensely.

Umirin swallows a heavy lump, shuddering as the searching gaze washes over him. His voice trembles when he confesses aloud what he'd done, "I killed someone," he admits.

Heart save him, he killed someone. It feels so impossible to say aloud, despite how little upset he feels about it overall.

Shani doesn't react for a moment when he takes in what Umirin had said, merely keeps gazing upon him. Usually, Shani's expressions are fairly easy to read, he feels fairly openly, but in this moment, Umirin finds it so hard to tell, not only from the puzzling play of his features, but also the fact half of his face is gone.

"I had to," Umirin starts talking, far too nervous from the fact he doesn't know what Shani is thinking to stop himself from rambling, "he caught me taking the heart and there were so many guards around that he would've yelled for and-" his voice grows more frantic as he explains and over-explains, but Shani places his taloned hand over his mouth, presses it shut and interrupts his rant.

Umirin breathes heavily as he stands there, still clutching the chest in his hands, and just stares back at Shani in silence. The Elders watch them from the back of the room, laying around the body of the fawn.

"It's okay, Umi," Shani says, and nods, his puzzling expression clearing up as he seems to settle on his final feelings, "you did what you had to do," he leans down and presses a kiss to Umirin's forehead.

Umirin shudders, his eyes falling shut as his body goes a little slack. Shani doesn't hate him. Good.

Shani is truly all he has left, there's no going back to the Wezrin Sah after this. Murder is the worst crime they know of, and he would never be forgiven.

He just sags forth a bit with relief, his face falling against Shani's chest. His husband holds him close, moving his hand from Umirin's face to wrap it around him instead.

"I'm so sorry about all of this," he mumbles, his heart heavy with woe about Shani getting implicated despite how hard Umirin tried to prevent it. About everything else that transpired, too.

"Me too," Shani mutters in response, his voice small.

Umirin lets out a long sigh, but before he can say anything else, one of the Elders plows toward them, those soft rumbling noises emanating from its maw as it comes up.