Aftermath [malexmale]

Chapter One

Chapter One

*Note: This is part of a series! Read "Inferi" first!

Atlantis.

A city cloaked in mystery to those who'd never experienced its precious gifts. A wide green valley that seemed to stretch on for miles upon miles before riding up the side of steep tree cloaked mountains. The sound of music flitting through the air, riding the west winds of the god Xelius, brother to the king of the Atlantean pantheon, Atlan, and his wife, Xanius. Birds of every shade of the rainbow sailed through the air like shooting stars, raining down to take their place on the perches of trees and balcony windows.

A city that stretched high into the sky, the realm of Atlan, the sun of Atlia glinting off the sides of prestine white buildings and gold adorned doors. Ancient scriptures running the length of all the buildings, words of protection and beauty and love. The sound of children squealing with laughter as they chased each other on the street with the sacred dogs of the Khalian god Trilius. Street performers, mostly the famous Atlantean belly dancers, twirled and clapped their bare feet against the cobble stone paths, bodies moving and flexing like they were several creatures intertwined into one. Women singing and men swallowing swords or spitting fire into the skies, vendors lining the streets with trinkets and goodies.

A city once so powerful and so great. An army that was nearly the size of that of Rome. Men trained from the moment they reached age six and onwards, bodies honed to perfection and rippling with muscles. Women muscular and voluptuous. Skin warmed by the kiss of the sun to a tender shade of olive, hair as dark as the soil from which they farmed. Eyes naturally a very pale blue, like the clear skies of a summer's morning.

A people of strength, magick, and wonder. Beauty and perfection.

"This is our land," Atlan had told my siblings and I one sunny hot afternoon with only the gentle breeze of Xelius to cool us down, "These are our people. It is our duty to them to keep them strong, to keep them safe and so for the rest of eternity, you will watch men, women, and children die, but you will also watch them be reborn. That is your job, Xenon." His silver eyes turned to me then, outlined with the black kohl we had traded for with the Egyptian pantheon.

"You are more than a Khalian. You are the god of rebirth. The god of dawning life."

Those words resonated with me. Even as a child, I understood what my purpose was. Without even meeting these mortals who worshipped me, I loved them and cherished each and every one of them. Down to every last man, woman, and child. Down to the dogs that barked in the plaza, to the birds that held their perches, to the trees that rustled in the winds.

This was my world.

Or rather.... It was my world.

In the blink of an eye, everything was destroyed. One battle lost, one betrayal, one great powerful city lay as dust at the bottom of the Mediterranean. The loss of my city, my people, my pantheon, left a great gaping cold void in my chest that nothing will ever be able to fill again. Not even the blood of the betrayer, who continued to walk about freely, adorned in jewels and affection.

Thinking about it just made sleeping all the more difficult.

I laid in bed, tangled amongst red and gold sheets and blankets. I could feel the warmth of the sun bleeding through my black curtains and cutting across my back, spilling through red and black streaked hair and laying against my cheek like the gentle hand of a lover. I sighed heavily, screwing my eyes shut in another attempt to sleep, but there were too many voices whispering in my ear. The sounds of children crying, women screaming, and men wailing. The yelps and squeals of animals in pain, birds shrieking. Waves crashing onto rocky shores, the earth trembling.