"The whole thing is simple. It is divided in two: the realm of all the Ruling Gods and all the other universes where humans live. The God's realm is called The Never ending Night."
"I know this! My mum has told me about the Gods and Stars!"
I gave him a small grin, fork halfway to my mouth. "You might know a little, Yona. But you don't know everything. Probably your mum told you just the basics." I scooped another bite of the cake, letting the sweetness melt on my tongue before going on.
"Like I said, the God's realm is called The Never ending Night. Humans in this world call the Gods Stars as well, because they are part of the Night and people have higher chance to hear their voices or see their shadows during the late hours. There are different Stars, some shine brighter, some less, depending on how strong and how far away are from this world. Every world exists in paralel with the others, some Stars are more interested of this universe for example, some tend to stay oberving other stories."
"You mean other countries?"
"No, no, Yona," I said, shaking my fork for emphasis before scooping up another bit of cake. "I mean completely different worlds. With completely different continents and kingdoms. Different lifeforms etcetera."
Yona's eyes opened like two bright lanterns in the dark, wide and gleaming with wonder. "Whole other worlds?" he whispered, as if saying it too loud might make them vanish.
I chuckled, swallowing the last of the bite. "Exactly. Places you can't even imagine. Some with skies that never turn dark, others where the oceans float above the land, like rivers in the air."
His legs stopped swinging for just a second before starting up again, even harder this time. "That's… that's real? Not a fairytale??"
I leaned closer, lowering my voice as though sharing a secret. "As real as the cake I just ate."
For a few seconds I didn't say anything, just chewed slowly, staring at the crumbs of it left behind. I wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and I looked back at him. The pause had lingered just enough to make Yona even more impatient, so I chose that moment to continue the story.
"There are three exceptions among the Gods: the God of Time and the God of Space, the only two Stars visible from every world at the same distance. They are so powerful that they can observe every one of the countless universes, and every life within them. And the third God is the Never ending Night itself, the God of Death. This is the only divine force which doesn't have a Star, as it is the one who is part of everyone and everything else."
"What God are you?"
I gave a quiet laugh at his question, though there was no humor in it.
"Can you take a guess?" I stretched out my hand, rays of light shimmered between my fingers, flickering like dawn spilling across a horizon. The light continued to the fountain surface and its pieces started dancing on the water.
"Are you the Sun?!" He gasped. His eyes were trying to follow both my face's expression and the light around us. "How there is light in the sky if you are here?!"
"There are still some small particles left in the sky from the Sun. They shine bright, but don't bring warm."
"Is this why it is always cold?"
"Maybe. The Sun God is another example of an interesting God. The unique thing about it is that in every universe there is one Sun God, one very close Star to bright people's lifes. In this world, I am the Sun God who is there to guide your lifes and protect you from the darkness."
"But wasn't the Night also a God? Is it a bad God?"
" Darkness and the Night are not the same. Darkness is an endless abyss, it is a place which you do not wish to see. The Night is part of your soul's cicle, Death walks in silence, a shadow at the edge of every world. I give light and hope, it offers rest. We are not enemies, but somehow opposites woven into the same design. In some sense we are even the same."
"How so?"
"We both protect people's peace. I guide until their last breath, and Death supports them after it."
I lowered my hand and the last glimmers of light settled on the fountain's surface, rippling like fading embers.
"Have you ever met this God?"
My gaze drifted upward, toward the glass cover staring beyond it, to the night above us. I exhaled slowly, the shimmer around my fingers fading into nothingness. "No," I admitted. "I don't remember my life as a God before coming down to this world."
His brows furrowed. "But… you are a God. How can you forget!?"
"Perhaps walking among humans made me forget everything I once was." I said softly. " Your grandfather, the late king, yearned for my power and summoned me here, in this gray land. And by doing so, I lost part of myself. My past is hidden in the Never Ending Night, and I only carry a speck of my powers, some pieces of light I was given to protect myself with."
I had my own suspicions about why my memories were missing. At times, I caught faint echoes of the other Stars, soft voices, murmuring to one another as though I were never meant to listen.
The boy shivered, though no wind stirred the air. "Aren't you afraid?"
"Of what?"
"Because you don't remember anything..."
A faint smile touched my lips. "Afraid? I was perhaps once. But I learned that fear was something human. Gods have nothing to fear. So that time was the first and the last."
There was a brief silence. The fountain's ripples were the only sound, scattering faint reflections of starlight across our faces. An image of a person appeared in the quiet of my mind, blurry, but the colors were visible enough. It somehow reminded me of the warrior curently sleeping in one of the temple's gest rooms. But at the same time it wasn't him. Aahh, I wish I could speak with him more today, but this idiot Erzion was keeping me occupied during the whole day!
"If you could, would you meet this God of Night?" Suddenly Yona broke the silence.
"You used all your question tickets long ago young master, now go bed."
"Pleasee! I promise, I will bring two pieces of cake tomorrow and I won't ask any questions!"
I could swear I felt those disgusting cold drops around my eyes, but I didn't let them drop down my cheeks. Of course I will feel emotional when someone finally wanted to listen to me, the silence was killing me and being able to tell the story not only to you but to someone else around me was trully giving me peace. So maybe that's why I broke:
"Probably I would. Not in the way you meet a friend, or speak to a stranger. Perhaps I even have met the God of Death already, it is always there - watching, waiting, never cruel, never kind. Just simple, taking its time."
Another silent moment, but this time it didn't take long for Yona to talk: " The day after tomorrow I will ask you the other questions then! I will come prepared! And bring you two pieces tomorrow!" he sounded quite determined. I smiled slightly and patted him on the head, his hair was soft and smelled like chamomile and honey, probably one of the many shampoos his mother was using. Sweet smell, reminding me somehow of a child I have met long ago, in some other life.
***
Morning light brushed over Alet's face, pulling him from sleep. His eyes blinked open, narrowing the moment he noticed me sitting there again, silent and watchful. He let out a low groan and pushed himself up on one elbow.
"Vila," he muttered, voice rough from sleep, "what the fuck?"
"Shhh! Don't slur!" I giggled, leaning forward with my chin resting in my hands. "You're supposed to answer me nicely this time."
He gave me a hard stare, though his hair was sticking up in every direction, ruining the effect. "Answer what?"
I tilted my head. "Who you are."
"I will go take a shower now."
"Okey, I will wait here."
Alet sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "You're shameless."
"Mmhm." I kicked my shoes against the chair leg, refusing to look away.
"I will come down to breakfast like yesterday."
"No! There is a chance to be interrupted again. Let's talk here!"
"Get out!" He raised his voice standing up from his bed.
For a moment I just blinked at him, startled by the sudden sharpness in his tone. "I will wait for you in front of the room. Is that alright?" I asked softly.
He clenched his jaw, then released a heavy breath. "Yes."
I stepped out into the hallway, pressing my back to the wall opposite his door. The stone felt warm beneath my palms, live laugh love the amazing inner heating system. A few minutes later, the door opened. He didn't look at me as he stepped out, but I fell into stride beside him anyway.
"So," I began, carefully. "Why are you always so angry in the morning?"
He shot me a sideways glance, lips twitching like he almost wanted to smile but couldn't quite commit. "Says the creep who watches me sleep and wonders why I wake up like this."
"I am quite curious about you, that's all!" I replied quickly.
We reached the end of the corridor. He stopped, finally turning toward me. His eyes narrowed as though measuring how serious I was. Then, unexpectedly, he said, "If you want answers, ask the right questions."
"Will you answer them if I do?"
"Probably. Perhaps for a... a cake."
I blinked. "A cake?"
"Yes." His mouth curved, just slightly. "A nice piece of chocolate cake."
My eyes widened. "Wait, you were spying on me the other night??"
He gave a low chuckle. "Spying is a strong word. Let's just say I overheard you trying to bribe a kid that way."
"That's ridiculous," I muttered, but in that sense I can't be mad-mad, because I was also getting into his 'personal space'.
"Ridiculous or not," he said, already moving again, "those are the rules."
I trailed after him, still half-scandalized, half-curious. "So what, now you're going to hold chocolate cake over my head forever?"
He glanced back, eyes glinting. "If it works. The girls working here make me take care of some of the heavier chores, but I don't believe you kept me only for that."
I folded my arms. "You're so not cool. No cake for you, and sooner or later you will tell me everything I want anyway!."
"Yes ma'am," he said lightly, in a gentle tone rather than what a soldier would do.
The words landed in me like a pebble tossed into deep water—small, but sending out ripples. Something about the way he said it, the cadence, the ease, brushed against a place in my memory. I frowned, almost forgetting to keep walking.
That felt… very familiar. The words. The voice.
We walked in silence down the stone corridor, the morning light spilling across the walls in soft streaks. The smell of baked bread and roasting coffee floated faintly from the dining hall ahead, making me dream about all the sweets the chef left this time on the table for me.
Alet entered the hall before me and went straight to the chair he was sitting yesterday. Onet was not here yet, or probably had breakfast outside as she sometimes loves eating in the cold early mornings at the open garden.
I slid into the chair across from him, stretching my arms lazily. "I will sit here for now then since Onet is not here," I said, smirking.
He glanced at me, expression unreadable, then shrugged. "Alright."
I rolled my eyes, already scanning the table for anything sweet. The smell of fresh pastries was too tempting to resist. "I will find you something more... productive, to do here."
He started eating almost imideatelly. "Maybe you will."
For a few quiet minutes, we ate in companionable silence, the hum of the dining hall wrapping around us. I kept myself distracted with the latest events, filling the dull stretches of my day by storytelling with Yona and observing Alet, but what about him himself? I had to come up with a task for him and get him to talk more... And just as always, the idea that came to me made me hesitate because it would mean asking someone I really didn't want to ask for favours.