The God and His Moon

12 ~ The Pool Of The Sky

Thank you ISwearImAWriter for the fanart. I stumbled across it on Instagram. I means a lot to me. A great rendition of Io and Amory. AmorIo forever!
___________________

"Shit, Io, I don't think I've seen anyone fight so badly in about two centuries." Pan snapped, shoving Io's chest, with little to no effort.

Io skidded back across the dead leaves, breathless. His arms were bruised terribly, knuckles bleeding. He had a little knick over his eye from Pan's right hook.

"Why can I not just learn to use my powers?" He panted. "I have them, but you are not teaching me to use them! Why must I fight like a human?"

Pan straightened, raising an eyebrow. He crackles his knuckles, then rolled his neck.

"Because you have to know the basics of combat before you can use anything to better combat skills. Which you have none of, by the way." He bounced up and down on his feet to keep himself warmed up. His skin was slick with sweat, gleaming in the dusk. His dark hair matted down to his forehead, and his eyes were bright with adrenaline. His white tank top stuck to him. He'd long ago cast aside his leather jacket, for fear of it being damaged. "We have to keep trying. Remember, offense and defense."

Io puffed some snowy hair out of his eyes, and pursed his lips.

He watched the way Pan bounces back and forth. He payed attention to his core. He knew that no matter how many times Pan faked a move, his hips and core would follow his true path.

Pan lunged his left foot forward, and twitched his right fist. Io almost dodged it, but caught Pan's left fist moving out of the corner of his eye.

He ducked backward quickly, bracing himself with his right foot. Seeing as Pan was leaning all his weight on his own left foot, Io kicked it, sweeping his ankle.

Pan fell to the ground with a grunt.

Angela clapped. "Good job, Io!"

Io smiled and moved to help the man up.

~

That night, while Pan and Angela sat by a camp fire keeping warm, Io slipped down the mountainside a bit until he came to the small lake, in a plateau of pine-tree covered land.

Something was calling him to it. Maybe it was the way the stars reflected on its calm, cooking surface, or maybe the way the snow fell onto it and became one with the water.

Whatever it was... Io slipped his shirt off over his head, and then his pants, and sank down into the freezing water, up to his waist.

The cold didn't bother him. He was of the night, and the night was cold. It... was almost a comforting ambiance.

Something was troubling Io. People kept talking about him doing the same thing, monthly. Journeying to find out who he was, only to forget again. Amory protecting him from the host.

According to Pan, this particular route had never been taken. The Host had never so diligently pursued him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands drifting by him in the water. He splashed some up onto his face, as if the cold liquid would help him remember.

He missed Amory's heartbeat. Through all of this... he could remember that the best.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

Even. Steady. Constant. Unlike Io's slow, random heartbeats.

It was like his heart had not quite learned how to be a heart yet.

Io cupped some of the water in his hands, looking at his reflection. He could see his own eyes reflecting the moonlight and stars, like rainbows in his retinas. He could see his own pale skin, almost glowing in the night. His hair, silvery.

He had long given up trying to piece everything together. None of it made sense to him. He knew nothing about a curse and nothing much about the Host. He just knew he was a wanted Greater, to be replaced, because his lack of ability to control himself.

It would not have bothered him, but now Amory had been dragged into the picture.

Moments of silence passed. Maybe hours. He wasn't sure. He watched the water trickle from between his fingers as a frozen breeze blew snowflakes toward him, catching in his hair and eyelashes.

Remember.

The voice of the wind spoke without form. Io smiled faintly.

Remember, Io... remember.

Suddenly his mind's eye opened. He saw around him spirits. People. Each of them ghost, hovering over the water. Smiling to him, almost sadly. Lights flickered all around them, like stars. Hazy. Blue and white.

Remember us.

A few of them raised their hands toward him.

Remember yourself.

Io's eyes widened with wonder. He looked down at the amulet on his bare chest. It had lifted, floating about by the chord on his neck. Glowing like the moonlight itself.

He looked back to the figures, all smiling at him. Men. Women. Children.

Suddenly it came to him.

These were the people in his life that he had touched. Through so many years... through so many ages, these people had known him. He had known them. They made differences in his life, no matter how big or small, and had gone on before him, people of every era.

Find the pool of the sky. They whispered to him. Find yourself. Then find the one you love.

Io sank down to his knees, and a cool, relaxing breeze blew away the figures of moonlight. His cold amulet sank down to his chest again.

He knew what he was to do. He could see it in his mind's eye. He could almost feel Amory's warm arms around him, pulling him to his feet, telling him to be strong. Telling him to push on.

The Pool Of The Sky was waiting for him.

~

"The pool of the sky, huh..." Pan murmured, running his hands through his hair. "That just might work. I hadn't thought of that before."

"What would it change?" Io asked, blinking at him. "They told me... but I do not know what it means..."

"There's a human legend that pools that reflect the stars have the ability to hold memories." Pan crossed his arms, leaning forward on the log he was sitting on, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared into the flames. "Supposedly if you sink into the waters, spirits will show you all of your past lives. It's hit or miss. Has a lot to do with the concept of 'fate'."

Angela frowned. She pulled her silk jacket tighter, to keep from the cold. It seemed to be cutting right through her. Her freckles across her nose gleamed like the stars she represented.

"What if it doesn't work?" She asked.

Io looked down at his hands. Wasn't it worth the risk? Perhaps he could remember how to control himself...

Pan sighed.

"If we can help Io remember everything at least until the next new moon, we might be able to get Amory back more quickly. We might be able to end this."

"Only to complete a wholly knew cycle." Angela muttered, frowning. "He can't keep doing th-"

"I will do it." Io murmured. "They told me to. So I will do it. It is better than nothing."

Pan shrugged.

"Well, then it's decided."