As the deity of water, Suho had seen his fair share of storms. He basked in torrents of rain that flooded the earth, washing away ancient landmarks and entire villages. He gazed at bolts of lightning that reached down from clouds as black as ink, observing the way they illuminated the darkened land when the sun’s rays couldn’t penetrate the storm. He watched rivers and lakes overflow their boundaries and remain swollen for days after the squall.

As the deity of water, Suho remained unfazed despite the howling tempests and rumbling thunder, standing in the shelter of a pagoda and feeling water douse the bottom of his clothes while people ran to secure their belongings and seek shelter from the pounding rain.

As the deity of water, Suho found a second home in storms, until a stranger came strolling into the Divine Palace with lightning crackling at his hands and feet.

From his seat, Suho watched the lightning man walk through the hall, taking note of the carefree smile and light steps that the older deities had long since grown out of. The man must have just Ascended if he did not yet carry himself with the elegance and dignity that the deities valued like lustrous pearls.

The new deity stopped a few feet before the Great Deity’s throne, raised his arms, and clasped his hands together, angling his head in a small bow. “I, Kim Jongdae, greet the Great Deity Leeteuk.”

Leeteuk smiled and returned the gesture and bow. Around him, the deities sat up a little straighter, anticipating the new name that Leeteuk would bestow upon the newest addition to their ranks. However, everyone froze and held their breaths when the deity of lightning interrupted Leeteuk and asked to name himself.

Whispers broke out amongst the deities upon seeing the look of shock on Leeteuk’s face. Suho stared into his cup of white wine, sensing Minho shift restlessly beside him. During his time as a deity, Suho had never witnessed another deity request to name themselves. It was the duty of the Great Deity to name the newly-Ascended deities. Rejecting the proffered name was unheard of and silently looked down upon, yet this deity of lightning was still standing before Leeteuk with a shameless smile as though he had done nothing wrong.

Luckily for the new deity, Leeteuk was far too kind to say anything. Instead, the Great Deity clasped his hands behind his back and inquired, “Do you already have a name in mind?”

The deity of lightning nodded. “I heard that one’s deity name should hold some significance to the deity and should be representative of the deity’s personality and merits. Since I lord over lightning, then I think my deity name should be short and easily rolls off the tongue. What does the Great Deity think of the name Chen?”

There was a brief silence, and then Suho started as Minho spoke. “A good name!” Minho said loud enough to grab everyone’s attention. “Great Deity Leeteuk, I approve of this name.”

Upon hearing Minho’s words, a few other deities became bold enough to offer their agreement in the form of nodding heads. However, most deities remained impassive and some continued to look on in disapproval of the newcomer’s desire to name himself.

Leeteuk cleared his throat and lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile. “Very well. Since I, too, believe Chen is a good name, then from today onwards, you shall be known as Chen.”

Now that Leeteuk had approved the name, Suho picked up his cup of wine, cupping it with both hands as he held it in the air like the other deities did. He saw Onew pass a cup to the deity of lightning, who raised it to Leeteuk. Leeteuk copied the gesture with his own cup of wine before tipping his head back and downing the drink with one gulp.

The hall was soon filled with muffled sighs of satisfaction as the other deities drank their own shares of wine. Suho placed his empty cup back onto the table before him, his lips to soothe the bitter burning of the wine. He glanced at Minho, who was struggling to conceal a grimace. Meanwhile, the deity of lightning looked unbothered by the strong taste of the alcohol, merely handing the cup back to Onew with a smile.

Leeteuk held out an arm, gesturing to an empty seat on the left side of the room. “Please.”

Once again, Chen folded his hands together and bowed. “Many thanks to Great Deity Leeteuk.”

As the newest deity, Chen’s seat was in the very back, closer to the edge of the room and right beneath a window. Suho couldn’t help but feel a hint of relief that Chen had been sent to the opposite side of the room. He wasn’t sure what to think of the deity of lightning just yet. On one hand, Chen’s mannerisms weren’t bad as he was polite enough to properly greet and thank Leeteuk, but on the other hand, he had broken one of their oldest traditions and given himself a deity name rather than accepting one from the Great Deity. Suho had a nagging feeling that Chen would end up being a walking manifestation of trouble in the future.

Now that the ceremony was done, the deities could finally begin the feast, but any prospects Suho had of a quiet dinner was ruined when Minho jabbed him in the waist with a chopstick.

“So?” the deity of shadows prompted, “Any thoughts on the new one?”

Suho didn’t respond immediately, so Minho continued to talk, “I heard that he’s the youngest person to Ascend, even younger than Amber. He’s still got that boyish air about him, doesn’t he? Ah, but it won’t take long before he’s walking around with hunched shoulders and somber eyes like the rest of us old men.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Suho hoped that the day would come soon.

Suddenly, Minho gave him another harsh nudge in the ribs. “He is looking this way. At least acknowledge him.”

Despite his reluctance, Suho lifted his head and saw Chen bowing in their direction. Out of the corner of his eye, Suho saw Minho return the gesture. Then, he and Chen made eye contact, and the latter smiled before inclining his head in greeting. Suho copied the motion and resolutely turned his attention back to his food.

Since their interaction had been brief and not particularly memorable, Suho didn’t expect to see much of Chen in the future. However, he didn’t anticipate that Chen would think differently.

The Divine Palace housed several courtyards, and Suho’s quarters – the Water Realm – was built right next to one of them. When Suho had first Ascended, the courtyard was bare, except the white lion statues and gray mosaic path. As a human, Suho had never held an interest in gardening, but he took it up in an effort to make the bland courtyard more colorful. He even asked the deity of earth to help him dig up one corner of the courtyard so he could turn it into a small pond and plant some lotus seeds.

Now that the flowers had bloomed, the courtyard had become a sea of pink, blue, yellow, and red. Suho visited his flowers in the mornings and evenings, sprinkling them with some water and examining them for signs of weeds and insects. In fact, he had been in the middle of giving his flowers a light shower when someone spoke behind him.

“Wow, there are so many flowers!”

The water in Suho’s hand sputtered as the deity of water turned around with a sinking stomach. He recognized that voice and honestly hoped he would never hear it while he was in his courtyard. Perhaps that had been too much to wish for.

Chen was bending over the lotus flowers with an expression of childish awe. “These are lotus flowers, right? I saw them once in a while in my village, but this is the first time I’m seeing them grow in an actual pond!”

Suho stood in the middle of his flowers, unaware that he had been watering the same spot for quite a while as he tried to come up with a way to get Chen to leave. Meanwhile, Chen straightened up and scanned the courtyard before offering Suho a smile.

“You grew all of this by yourself, didn’t you? It looks amazing. All the other courtyards I’ve visited don’t look anywhere near as good as this. You’re very good at gardening.”

As much as Suho didn’t like Chen, he was never one to be rude. “Thank you,” he muttered stiffly and turned back to watering his flowers, hoping Chen would get the hint and leave.

Unfortunately, Chen either didn’t notice or didn’t care because Suho could hear footsteps drawing closer to him. Then, Chen was speaking again. "Woah, so you use your power to water the flowers? That’s pretty impressive. I wish I could use my lightning to do everyday things, but all I can do is get places quickly.”

Suddenly, Suho felt something brush his arm. Out of instinct, he jumped and glanced over to see that Chen was now standing right beside him. Scowling at the younger deity, Suho opened his mouth to tell Chen to back off, but Chen was too busy admiring the flowers and interrupted him.

“How long have you been doing this?” Chen asked. “You must’ve been doing this for a few years at least, right? Did you garden back when you were still just Junmyeon?”

Upon hearing his birth name, Suho froze. Then, his irritation flared, and he snapped, “Where did you hear that name?”

Chen faltered, finally realizing that Suho was angry before he started talking again. “The deity Minho mentioned it. I was talking to him, and he said your birth name. I didn’t know it was you at first, so I asked him about it, and he said you two were good friends.”

Suho exhaled. Minho was most certainly Suho’s good friend. Best friend, in fact, and that was why Minho had the liberty to use Suho’s birth name as he pleased. Chen, however, was a complete stranger whom Suho seemed to dislike more and more with every passing second. The deity of lightning had no business using Suho’s birth name so casually.

Suho tried to tell Chen this, but just like all the other times, Chen spoke before Suho could utter a word. “Could I call you Junmyeon, too? You can call me Jongdae in return. I don’t mind,” he offered with a playful lilt, eyes narrowing as one corner of his mouth lifted in a mischievous smirk.

“No, thank you,” Suho stated and was about to turn away, but his gaze fell on the flowers beneath Chen’s feet. Broken stems and crushed petals stared back at him mournfully, and Suho could feel his opinion of Chen dropping even lower than he thought was possible.

Chen must have noticed Suho’s aggravation because the deity of lightning looked down as well and immediately moved one of his feet. “Oh, crap. Um, sorry about this. I didn’t realize…”

Perhaps it was because of Suho’s bias against Chen that the apologies that spewed forth from Chen’s mouth all sounded insincere. After all, Chen seemed hellbent on making Suho as uncomfortable and irritable as possible, so Suho thought it was fair that he found it difficult to accept Chen’s apology and move on.

In fact, Chen was only making the situation worse as he said, “Are you listening? Junmyeon, I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to step on your flowers.”

That was the last straw for Suho. The deity of water lashed out with one arm, sending the water in his hand flying towards Chen in an arc. “Get out!” he snapped.

Chen’s reaction was swift as he jumped back to avoid the stream of water. Holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, Chen said, “Okay, okay, I’ll get out. I’m the best at getting out, you know? See you later, Junmyeon!”

Suho would very much prefer to never see Chen again, and for a week, he basked in that reprieve until the day Leeteuk asked him to transcribe some of the aging texts in the library onto fresh sheets of paper. Many deities often found this job tedious and boring, but Suho never minded sitting in the library all day, surrounded by the smell of old parchment and fresh ink as he copied the texts. He found it meditative as he moved his hand carefully, letting the brush flow from one to the next.

Unfortunately, a wayward storm came barreling into the library shortly after he began transcribing, shattering the tranquil atmosphere. An ugly splotch of ink manifested on the paper, and Suho stared at it in disbelief before raising his head to shoot Chen an irate glare.

Chen smiled back, completely unbothered. “Here you are, Junmyeon! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Suho wanted to tell Chen to leave, but the deity of lightning walked up to Suho’s desk. At that moment, Suho noticed that Chen was carrying a jar under one arm.

Suho’s scowl deepened. “Drinks are not permitted in the library,” he pointed out.

“Hm?” Chen glanced down at the jar before placing it on Suho’s desk, making the liquid inside slosh about. “This is for you though.”

Suho most certainly did not recall asking Chen to get him a jar of raspberry wine.

“I heard that you like raspberry wine the most, so I went out and bought a jar as an apology for stepping on your flowers last week,” Chen explained, “Wanna have a drink together?”

Suho would rather die than spend time with Chen. However, instead of voicing that thought, he merely gritted his teeth and said, “Drinks are still not permitted in the library.”

Chen whined, “I’ll be extra careful not to spill any! Promise!”

Suho didn’t bother gracing Chen with a response as he threw away the ruined transcription and restarted on a new sheet of paper.

He heard a dull thump and glanced up to see Chen sitting on a cushion a couple feet away. The deity of lightning pouted and held the wine jar up, swinging it a little in a final effort to persuade Suho.

“If you won’t drink it, then I’m going to drink it all myself.”

Suho ignored Chen and turned his attention back to the texts. Chen grumbled something under his breath before he took off the cloth covering and brought the mouth of the jar to his lips to take a large gulp of the wine.

Surprisingly, Suho did not have to deflect any attempts at conversation for the next hour as he finished transcribing the book. As he laid the papers out for the ink to dry, Suho snuck a glance over at Chen, thinking that the deity of lightning had probably fallen asleep. On the contrary, Chen was wide awake and had been watching him. When their gazes met, Chen’s mouth stretched into a wide grin as he hugged the empty jar to his chest.

Slowly, Suho placed his brush on the table. “Are you drunk?”

“Mm, no,” Chen drawled, flashing Suho another tipsy smile. “It’ll take more than one jar to get me drunk.”

“If you are not drunk, then leave,” Suho said flatly, “Drinking in the library is against the rules.”

“Call me Jongdae and I’ll leave,” Chen retorted, hugging the jar even tighter.

In the end, Chen didn’t leave the library or even attempt to hide the wine jar. It didn’t take long before another deity came along, saw the incriminating evidence, and dragged both Chen and Suho before Leeteuk for punishment.

The Great Deity turned a disappointed gaze on Suho. “Is it true that you allowed Chen to drink in the library?”

Suho bowed his head and murmured, “Yes.” While he had repeatedly told Chen that drinks were forbidden in the library, he had made no move to enforce the rule. That was the same as allowing Chen to break the rules.

However, Chen spoke up from where he knelt beside Suho. “Wait, Great Deity Leeteuk!”

Leeteuk and Suho looked at him, one with intrigue and the other with dread.

“I confess to bringing a jar of raspberry wine into the library. I trampled some of Suho’s flowers the other day and wanted to apologize to him. He told me three times that drinks were forbidden in the library. I’m the one who brushed him off and continued violating the rule. After all, Suho couldn’t physically throw me out because there is a rule that no violence is allowed in the library,” Chen said, “Also, I’m the only one who drank the wine. Suho didn’t ask for a single drop, even though raspberry wine is his favorite! If you wish to hand out punishment, then could you consider only punishing me instead?”

Leeteuk regarded Chen for a long moment before asking, “Is that so?”

“It is,” Chen replied without missing a beat.

Leeteuk smiled. “I appreciate your honesty, but enforcing the rules is a duty that every deity must take. Unfortunately, I will still have to issue some sort of punishment for Suho because he failed to enforce that drinks are not permitted in the library.”

This time, Suho cut in before Chen could respond. The water deity bowed low until his forehead touched the cold stone floor. “I will accept whatever punishment the Great Deity deems fitting.”

“In that case, I believe house arrest would be a suitable punishment,” Leeteuk said, “Suho will stay in the Water Pavilion for one day, and Chen will stay in the Thunderspire for three days.”

At Leeteuk’s side, the deity of illusions – Onew – raised his head in protest. “This punishment seems rather light, Great Deity. They should not get off easily for breaking a rule.”

Despite Onew’s disagreement, Leeteuk smiled serenely and said, “It was just one rule, and no harm came of it. I think it’s okay to let them off easy this time.”

Onew didn’t look convinced but ceased his protests all the same. Suho bowed his head once more before rising to his feet. With a swish of his robes, he turned away and left the room, pointedly avoiding Chen’s gaze.

Once their punishment was over, Suho suspected that Chen must have gotten the message that Suho didn’t want anything to do with him. His life returned to its previous state of tranquility as Suho finished transcribing the books in the library and continued tending to his garden. Occasionally, he would hear Chen’s name come from the mouths of other deities, but the deity himself was nowhere to be seen.

Suho didn’t bother dwelling on it, especially not after Leeteuk summoned him again, this time for a request rather than for punishment.

“How long has it been since you last visited Lady’s Wrath, Suho?” Leeteuk asked from his throne, gaze ever so serene as he looked at Suho.

As the deity of water, it was a given that Suho would travel to Lady’s Wrath on occasion. It was the fastest-flowing river in the land with churning waters that greedily claimed the lives of anyone unlucky enough to fall into it. The souls of those who perish in it would stew in their indignance and wail at the injustice of their death until their resentment overcame them and transformed them into water ghouls. Then, the ghouls reached out to the banks with fingers that were gnarled like twigs and stank of rotting flesh, hoping to drag others down to meet a similar fate.

If Leeteuk was bringing up Lady’s Wrath, then it must mean that the river had become infested with ghouls again, and Suho needed to clear them out.

Leeteuk smiled and leaned back. “Take some of the younger deities with you so they can get experience. Travel safely.”

The junior deities were already waiting for Suho at the entrance of the Divine Palace, so they left without delay. Swords unsheathed, the group flew to the northern mountain range and landed at the foot of the mountains where the waters of Lady’s Wrath ran the fastest.

Suho turned to address the group. “Do not get close to the water. Let the ghouls come to you.”

“Understood!”

They split off, spreading out on the banks of the river. Suho moved first, letting his sword fly from his hand and pierce the tumultuous waves in a streak of blue light. Nothing happened at first, then the river seemed to convulse and explode, showering the deities with a spray of cold water. Suho’s sword returned from the river and flew back into the deity’s hand, where it quivered and hummed with steady energy.

The first ghoul appeared several feet downstream, spindly fingers grasping at the rocks and grass to pull itself out of the water. A black tar-like substance leaked from its gaping mouth, staining its tattered clothes as it continued to crawl. Its head swiveled back and forth, and although it lacked eyes, it seemed to know exactly where each deity was standing. With a grating shriek, it sped towards the nearest deity like a spider scuttling across its web.

Suho saw the young deity raise a trembling sword, but a similar howl to his left made him turn away. More ghouls were surfacing and making their way to the other deities. One of them came lunging at Suho, who raised his sword and bisected the creature with one clean . The two halves of the ghoul fell to the ground with a wet plop and crumbled away like ash in the wind.

Things continued this way for a while. Suho slashed and hacked at any ghoul that accosted him. Whenever one of his juniors let out a shout for help, Suho would immediately turn and save them from a vicious ghoul. As Suho cut down a particularly persistent ghoul, he heard a shrill cry pierce the air. The dread that filled his body made him freeze for a millisecond. Luckily, the ghouls around him were preoccupied with the juniors or Suho could have been injured.

Suho turned around and the beginnings of a despairing keen almost escaped his throat. A few feet down the bank, Chen wrenched his sword from the chest of a water ghoul and kicked the monster into another, sending them both careening into the grass.

Suho wanted the waters of Lady’s Wrath to rise from the riverbed and drown him. He was certain Chen had not been a part of the group when they departed from the Divine Palace, so when had the deity of lightning started tagging along?

He didn’t have time to dwell over it because Chen saw him looking and shouted over the chaos. “Junmyeon!”

It’s Suho, Suho corrected bitterly, watching as Chen slipped through the sea of moving bodies towards him. He turned his back on the other and cut down a ghoul that had been trying to sneak up on him, putting the force of his frustration behind the blow. The ghoul screeched and fell back, where a junior deity finished it off.

He sensed Chen’s presence behind him. The hairs on Suho’s nape rose as the two of them stood in the middle of the carnage, backs not quite touching. If Suho glanced over his shoulder, he could see the faint violet light emanating from Chen’s sword. His own blade glowed a gentle blue as it hummed in response to the resentful energy of the ghouls.

“Long time no see, Junmyeon!” Chen called, “You look like you’re doing well.”

“When did you sneak into the group?” Suho asked, ignoring Chen’s greeting.

He heard a screech of a water ghoul behind him and turned to see Chen behead the creature. “I wouldn’t call it sneaking, you know,” Chen replied with his usual cheek, “The juniors clearly saw me tag along as you all flew over the Acharon Desert. You’re the only one who didn’t notice.”

Suho silently gnashed his teeth. Another ghoul fell to the brunt of Suho’s irritation with Chen.

Meanwhile, Chen continued to blabber, “Are you still mad at me about the wine, Junmyeon? I’m sorry about that, okay? If it makes you feel better, you can call me Jongdae instead of Chen.” Suho saw Chen glance at him and pointedly turned his back.

Even after the remains of the last ghouls crumbled away, Suho made sure to ignore Chen. Instead, he directed his attention to the juniors who were gathered around him, waiting for further instructions as they nursed wounds of varying degrees. They would have to stop by the nearby village to get the worst of the injuries treated before returning to the Divine Palace.

The group had just walked into the village when a trio of men approached them. They stopped in front of Suho, wringing their hands and tugging at their sleeves. Suho recognized the leader, whom he had spoken to the last time he came to clear out the ghouls of Lady’s Wrath.

The leader clasped his hands before him and bowed his head. “Suho-nim, it is good to see you again.”

Suho nodded, “Likewise, Minjun. Are you the ones who sent the prayers to Leeteuk?”

“Yes, the people here have prayed quite a bit for someone to clear out the ghouls at Lady’s Wrath. They were starting to interfere with our hunters who went to the mountains for deer.”

Suho confirmed, “Lady’s Wrath has been cleansed. You need not worry anymore.”

“We are eternally grateful to you, Suho-nim,” Minjun said, “but there is something else we hope you could help us with. It’s…it’s urgent.”

Suho furrowed his eyebrows. Leeteuk hadn’t mentioned anything else besides the ghouls of Lady’s Wrath, but he supposed that there was no harm in asking what else was wrong. Suho glanced at the juniors huddled behind him. “I will be glad to sit down and hear what you have to say. However, in the meantime, I ask that my companions be looked after and their wounds treated.”

Minjun looked relieved, but Suho caught the two villagers behind him exchanging a look. “Of course! Of course!” Minjun agreed immediately, not noticing his companions’ reaction, “Our doctor’s house is this way.”

Once the injured were settled in the doctor’s house, Suho followed Minjun to his house. Chen tagged along, humming an upbeat tune as he sat uncomfortably close on the wooden bench.

Minjun sat down across from them. “I sincerely apologize for springing this upon you out of the blue, Suho-nim and…uh…” He trailed off as he looked at Chen.

Unfazed, Chen smiled, “I’m the deity of lightning Chen. Or you could call me Jongdae.”

Suho’s finger twitched, but before he could reprimand Chen for breaking tradition, Minjun bowed his head to Chen and said, “Chen-nim. It is an honor to finally meet you. I heard that you frequent the south and the east.”

“Yes, yes!” Chen grinned so widely that the corners of his eyes crinkled. “In the past few years, I’ve found that it’s easier for me to fight during a storm. My sword loves the lightning.” He patted the weapon at his waist, which sparked a couple times as though responding. “So what is this urgent issue you wanted to talk about?”

“Ah, about that…” Minjun fidgeted in his seat, “Suho-nim knows this already, but the Angorian River flows past the village. It’s our main source of water.”

Suho nodded.

“Well, recently the Angorian River has dwindled to a trickle, so I took some men and followed it to see what happened. We tracked it into the side of the mountain and found a cave that led underground,” Minjun explained, “There was a lake underground, which is probably the river’s source, but when my men and I approached it, a monster came out of the water!”

One of Chen’s eyebrows quirked up. “What kind of monster?”

Minjun’s voice shook. “It was a monster with nine heads…a Hydra! One of the heads ate two of my men in one bite!”

Upon hearing that it was a Hydra, Suho’s hands clenched into fists, squeezing until his knuckles turned white. The scars on his right side tingled as though reminding him of his first and only encounter with a Hydra. Minho, who had been with him that day, had almost lost an arm, and if Suho had been mortal, he would have lost his life.

Unfortunately, Chen had never encountered a Hydra before and didn’t hold the same reservations and fear. Instead, the deity of lightning hummed in curiosity, “Hmm, a Hydra, you said?”

“Yes,” Minjun peeked at Suho, checking for a reaction, “Suho-nim, I know I am asking a lot from you, but please do something about the Hydra. The Angorian River continues to shrink every day, and we do not know where to go if we cannot live here any longer.”

“I understand,” Suho replied. As a deity, it was his duty to deal with creatures beyond the capabilities of a human. “But we cannot do anything now. There are injured deities in our group, and we do not have enough deities with adequate experience and strength to deal with the Hydra. I will return to the Divine Palace and request reinforcements.”

“Yes, yes, that sounds good!” Minjun looked as though he would have agreed to any plan Suho offered as long as the deity of water promised to help, “Thank you so–!”

“Are you serious?” A voice piped up in a flat tone.

The three turned to see someone leaning against the doorframe of Minjun’s house. Suho recognized the newcomer as one of Minjun’s companions earlier. The young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, straightened up and strode into the room, glaring at Suho.

“You’re going to go back and get reinforcements? Aren’t you two deities?” He jabbed a finger at Suho and Chen. “You’re already immortal and have power that the rest of us can only dream of having, but you’re saying this Hydra is more than a match for you?”

“Jiseok!” Minjun said sharply, “Watch how you speak! These are deities who offer us aid and protection; treat them with respect!”

“’Offer us aid and protection?’” Jiseok repeated, “It sounds like they’re trying to run away to me! You told me that deities are humans who Ascend in order to protect the ones who stay mortal. In that case, they should hurry up and get on with killing the Hydra! Do you realize how long it’s been since I’ve had a bath?”

Minjun’s face reddened and he shot up from his seat, seizing Jiseok’s ear in one hand and pulling him out of the room. “I’m very sorry about him, Suho-nim and Chen-nim. Please make all the preparations you need in order to deal with the Hydra!”

“Some deities they are. I bet everyone will be really happy to know that the deities are just a bunch of cowards,” Jiseok’s resentful hiss came from outside, fading as Minjun dragged him away from the house.

Once they could no longer hear the shuffling steps of the villagers, Chen snorted quietly before turning to Suho. “Want to check on the others?”

Suho silently got up, mulling over Jiseok’s words. A Hydra truly was nothing to be trifled with, but malicious rumors would also severely damage the deities’ reputation and morale. Somehow, Suho wouldn’t trust Jiseok to back down. He needed to think of a way to de-escalate the situation. A way to keep the villagers satisfied while protecting himself from being torn apart by the Hydra.

As he scanned the junior deities in the doctor’s house, Suho realized that he could simply send Chen and the juniors back to the Divine Palace with a request for Leeteuk to send reinforcements while he traveled to the mountain. This way, the villagers would get the impression that something was being done while Suho would get the reinforcements he needed quickly.

Suho relayed the instructions to a junior, making sure the younger deity understood before setting off. To his dismay, Jiseok and a few other villagers were waiting for him, eyeing him with mistrust as they declared that they were going to follow him to make sure he did his job.

Cornered, Suho could only make his way up the mountain, following the remaining trickle of the Angorian River with the villagers at his heels. They had just begun to trek up the mountainside when a familiar voice shouted behind them.

“Hey, Junmyeon!”

Suho stopped, closing his eyes and exhaling through his nose. Behind him, Chen pushed his way past the villagers and stepped in front of Suho with a scowl.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The deity of lightning demanded, “You didn’t wait for me or even bother telling me you were going to fight the Hydra.”

“Go back,” Suho said, staring Chen down. Even though he didn’t like Chen, Suho never wanted to subject the other deity to the mercy of the Hydra. The beast would turn Chen into a chew-toy, tearing Chen limb from limb faster than a starved dog could rip apart a carcass.

“No,” Chen said, as stubborn as ever.

“Go back,” Suho repeated more urgently.

“I’m going with you,” Chen decided. Turning his back on Suho, he continued to walk up the mountain.

Stunned, Suho stared after him for a moment before quickening his pace to catch up. “You need to go back,” he urged.

“Call me Jongdae and I will,” Chen argued without missing a beat.

Angry and irritated with Chen’s stubbornness, Suho fell silent. They hiked up the rest of the path this way: Chen in front, Suho behind him, and Jiseok’s group of villagers trailing not far behind. The walk was far too short because they seemed to arrive at the entrance to the underground lake in no time at all.

Suho shot Chen an aggravated glance. “Return to the Divine Palace.”

Chen gave him a look before stepping into the darkness.

The tunnel soon became as black as a moonlit night, barely illuminated by the lightning that ran down Chen’s sword, but the darkness soon gave way to a spacious cavern. A split in the cavern wall allowed sunlight to shine through, providing enough light for Suho to see his surroundings clearly.

The underground lake took up half of the cavern floor, surface undisturbed as the group filed out of the tunnel and into the chamber. Suho watched the water, using his abilities as a deity to probe through the depths. Sure enough, something large was settled at the bottom, currently undisturbed.

Under the watchful eyes of the villagers, Suho unsheathed his sword. “Stay back,” he ordered Chen, who obeyed for once. The deity of water moved closer to the lake’s edge with careful steps, ready to react the moment there was any sign of movement.

He was a couple feet from the water when it happened. The water shifted and rippled, and Suho sprang back as a reptilian head burst from the lake. A mouth full of jagged teeth stared him in the face. Out of instinct, Suho swung his sword, feeling the tip of the blade catch something. He retreated a few paces away and looked up to see one of the Hydra’s heads writhing about, blood flowing from its gums and upper lip as it hissed furiously.

To Suho’s right, Chen rolled out of range of a second head as he yelled, “!” The Hydra failed to catch Chen, but it turned its attention to the villagers who were currently making their escape back out the tunnel.

Chen made a slashing motion with his sword, and a bolt of lightning flew at the Hydra head, hitting it in the lower jaw as the Hydra’s mouth snapped shut on the rock that made the entrance of the tunnel. When the head retreated, Suho saw that the crumbling stones had blocked the entrance. If they wanted to escape, they would have to go through the crack in the cavern wall.

He turned to tell Chen, but the Hydra took the opportunity to strike when Chen was distracted. Suho reacted quickly, calling up a stream of water from the lake to fly at Chen and knock the deity of lightning right off his feet. Chen landed a few feet away, safely out of reach of the beast’s jaws.

However, a burning pain seared Suho’s right calf and shot up his leg, making him gasp in agony. The Hydra seemed to grin as it lifted its head, teeth still embedded deep in Suho’s flesh as it swung him in the air. Suho lashed out with his sword, trying to make the Hydra let go, but his blade merely glanced off the Hydra’s fangs.

Violet light flashed in Suho’s vision, and suddenly, blood gushed from the Hydra’s cheeks. Its lower jaw dropped as it hissed violently at having its jaw muscles cut. No longer caught in the Hydra’s grasp, Suho fell. He braced himself for the impact of hitting the water, but instead found an arm wrapped around his waist and sparks of lightning dancing across his skin as the distance between him and the Hydra grew.

“I got you!” Chen shouted, shrill voice piercing Suho’s eardrum.

They landed a considerable distance from the edge of the lake, and Suho grunted as his leg jostled at the impact but didn’t complain as Chen dragged him behind a boulder large enough to shield them from the Hydra’s sight. Only then did Suho slowly sit down, careful not to put any weight on his injured leg. He was pretty sure the bone was broken judging by how the leg seemed slightly crooked at the wounded site.

Meanwhile, Chen knelt beside Suho’s outstretched leg. “That looks like a deep one,” Chen murmured as he grabbed the torn edges of Suho’s pants where the Hydra’s fangs had pierced and ripped the hole wider until Suho’s calf was visible. Sure enough, the injured area was swelling, and Suho could see the faint darkening of a bruise beginning to form.

Hissing at the sight of such a nasty wound, Chen reached into the folds of his clothes and pulled out a black pouch the size of Suho’s fist. He untied the string and took out a small jar, which he uncorked to reveal a poultice that barely filled one-third of the jar. Nevertheless, the medicine released a pungent smell, one that invaded Suho’s nostrils and made him wrinkle his nose.

“I don’t have anything to use for a splint,” Chen said as he dipped his finger into the jar to scoop out the poultice, “but this poultice should protect the wound from being infected.” He lightly dabbed the medicine onto Suho’s injury, taking care not to apply too much pressure.

Chen fell silent as he worked, spreading the poultice until it completely covered Suho’s wound. Suho watched him work, noting the slight hunch in Chen’s shoulders and the downwards turn of Chen’s mouth. The deity of lightning had something on his mind, so Suho waited for him to say it.

It wasn’t until after Chen tore off the sleeve of his robe and wrapped it around Suho’s calf that Suho heard the soft and sincere words.

“Thank you. For saving me back there.” Chen glanced up. When he saw Suho looking at him, his lips curled up into a smile devoid of his usual playfulness and mischief. “I will repay the debt someday.”

Their gazes met, and Suho looked away. “I saved you, and you saved me. There is no debt to repay.”

Chen didn’t say anything as he finished tying the makeshift bandage around Suho’s leg, but Suho thought he saw a faint pink color stain the shell of Chen’s ear. Thinking that Chen may be feeling unwell, Suho remembered why the Hydra had nearly caught Chen in the first place.

“The only escape route is through the fissure in the wall,” Suho said. He couldn’t see the opening, but Chen’s gaze slid past him, no doubt eyeing the split in the stone. “You are fast enough to get out before the Hydra gets you.”

He didn’t understand why Chen looked doubtful until the latter said, “I don’t know if I can move fast enough while carrying you.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Suho said, “I cannot die from a wound like this. Go and urge Leeteuk to send reinforcements.”

Chen shook his head and shifted to sit more comfortably. “The junior deities are already on their way to request reinforcements. I’ll stay and keep you company.”

If this exchange was anything like their previous interactions, Suho would scowl and scold Chen, but as he listened to the sound of the Hydra moving in the lake and felt the waves of pain coursing through his leg, Suho found that he was too tired to do anything except sigh in resignation.

Perhaps Chen could sense Suho’s discomfort because the deity of lightning stayed quiet, scratching at the rock with one fingernail with a thoughtful look on his face. Occasionally, Chen’s eyes would flick over to Suho’s injury, and a frown would overtake his features.

The sound of moving water grew louder, and the sudden scrape of teeth on rock made Suho and Chen tense. Chen got up and peered around their hiding spot. “Junmyeon, I think the Hydra is moving towards us.”

Suho’s stomach dropped. The Hydra’s body would dry up within a few minutes after leaving the water, but as long as its body remained submerged in the lake, then it could move around to better reach its prey. While Chen was treating Suho’s wound, the Hydra must have closed some of the distance between them.

Chen dropped down beside Suho. “Junmyeon, how do we fight a Hydra?”

Suho stared at Chen, thinking that the deity of lightning had lost his mind. “We’re not going to fight it. You need to escape while you still can.”

“And leave you to the mercy of the Hydra?”

“Yes!” Suho hissed. “There is no point in both of us being torn apart.”

Chen snorted. “Well, I’m not going anywhere without you, so I guess we’re going to be torn apart together.” With that, Chen crossed his legs, leaned back against the boulder, and closed his eyes.

“You’re impossible,” Suho muttered, flinching as he heard the Hydra’s teeth scrape rock again. His sword trembled and glowed blue as he tightened his grip on the handle. Suho’s mind raced, trying to come up with a plan to get out of this situation.

Finally, he turned to Chen. “The Hydra’s real head is the only one that blinks.”

Chen opened his eyes and sat up straight. “Really?”

“The Hydra only has one head,” Suho explained, “The other eight are not heads. They’re tails.”

Chen nodded slowly. “So the eight tails only look and act like heads in order to hide the real head, but the tails never developed real eyes. They have fake eyes, and since they’re fake, the tails don’t blink.” Upon seeing Suho nod in confirmation, Chen got up and grabbed Suho’s elbow. “Junmyeon, I think we can do this.”

Suho waited to hear Chen’s idea.

“We can do this,” Chen repeated, “It all depends on how long we can last against the Hydra. If I distract it, then you can look for the blinking head.” He looked at Suho and quickly added, “I’m fast enough to avoid its attacks as long as I stay alert. And besides, I know you’ll watch out for me.”

With Chen’s help, Suho clambered to his feet, ignoring the agonizing protests of his leg. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

Chen laughed. “Of course. Just point out the real head to me, and I’ll cut it off faster than you can blink.”

Then, the two of them were under the Hydra’s watchful eye once again. Suho inhaled sharply at how close the Hydra was to their hiding place. Several scrapes littered the floor a few feet before the boulder where the Hydra’s teeth had struck earlier.

Nine pairs of eyes glared down at Suho and Chen as the two deities stepped out. Suho leaned against the rock as Chen raised his sword. A violet bolt of lightning shot from the blade as Chen swung. The Hydra’s heads swayed to the sides, avoiding the attack entirely, but the attack wasn’t wasted. The Hydra’s attention was now focused solely on Chen.

As Chen dodged the attacks, using the cavern walls and the Hydra itself to fly through the air, Suho watched the Hydra intensely, searching for the head that blinked. Keeping track of nine heads proved to be challenging, and as time dragged on, Suho became more desperate.

However, he noticed that while there were eight heads that were continuously lunging at Chen, there was one head that never struck. Instead, it hovered in the back, watching the deity of lightning flit about the room with a hungry gaze. Suho watched it with equal intensity, and, as Chen made an abrupt turn to avoid an attack, Suho saw the head jerk and blink.

Immediately, Suho sent his sword flying forward in a streak of blue, intent on slicing off the true head in one blow. However, the Hydra noticed, and one of the tails came forward to block the attack, taking the hit instead. With a loud splash, the fake head fell into the lake, leaving behind a thrashing and bleeding stump that squirmed and gurgled as it began to regenerate.

At that moment, a flash of purple lit up the cavern. The crackle of lightning split the air. Suho heard Chen yell in triumph, and then the Hydra’s true head was sailing through the air. Chen flew after it, sword still raised in front of him. A thin stream of the Hydra’s blood followed the blade before falling into the lake, vanishing just as quickly as the relief that flooded Suho’s body.

This time, Chen’s blood showered through the air as two of the Hydra’s tails sank their teeth into his arm and leg. Chen’s pained cry was cut short as the dead Hydra sank beneath the lake’s surface, dragging Chen into the depths with it.

“Jongdae!” Suho shouted as he watched the deity of lightning disappear into the water. With short gasps of agony, Suho hobbled to the edge of the lake and practically threw himself in. The cold enveloped him, and his body screamed at him to get out, but Suho forced himself to swim deeper. As the deity of water, he could stay underwater as long as he wanted, but Chen couldn’t.

He could see Chen’s struggling figure a meter or so below him, so Suho pushed himself forward, ignoring the stabs of pain shooting through his calf. Once he reached Chen, he could see that the two tails of the dead Hydra were still grasping Chen in their jaws. Chen’s leg was caught between the teeth of one tail and had avoided serious injury. Unfortunately, a fang of the second tail had pierced through Chen’s arm, and removing it would leave a gaping hole.

Suho went to the tail that had Chen’s leg first. With the help of the water, he managed to pry open the tail’s mouth, letting a cloud of blood ooze from the scrapes on Chen’s thigh. The tail fell away deeper into the water as Suho turned to the one with its fang embedded in Chen’s arm.

He grabbed Chen’s arm in one hand and the fang in the other and shot a brief look at Chen, who stared back at him with an expression contorted in pain. Without hesitation, Suho pulled the fang out of Chen’s arm before grabbing the deity of lightning and swimming back to the surface.

The sound of Chen coughing and gagging greeted Suho the moment their heads broke through the surface. They stumbled their way to shore, nearly falling when both of them put weight on their injured legs at the same time. Once they reached the boulder, Suho helped Chen sit down, carefully rearranging Chen’s arm before he half-knelt beside the deity of lightning.

“Damn. You were right, Junmyeon,” Chen murmured, hissing as Suho peeled away the ruined clothes to take a closer look at the wounds. “The Hydra is a bastard to fight.”

“Quiet,” Suho commanded as he examined the injuries, “Save your energy. Where is the poultice?”

Chen pouted at being told to stop talking, but he retrieved the jar of medicine from the folds of his clothes, passing it to Suho. The deity of water took the jar and opened it, frowning at how little of the poultice remained. Nevertheless, he dipped his fingers into the medicine and dabbed it onto Chen’s bleeding wounds, starting at the two gashes on either side of Chen’s thigh.

Chen hissed but didn’t flinch away, likely too drained of energy. “Where’s my sword?” he asked, “I think I dropped it when the Hydra bit me, but I can’t summon it to me. Too tired.”

Suho was pretty sure that his sword was in the lake alongside Chen’s. “I will get it for you after your wounds are treated.”

The corner of Chen’s mouth quirked up in a weak smile. “Junmyeon, you’re the best. You haven’t even scolded me for using your birth name yet.”

Suho pursed his lips at that. He didn’t have the right to berate Chen for calling him Junmyeon anymore. Not after he had seen the Hydra drag Chen underwater and shouted Chen’s birth name. Now that Chen brought it up, Suho wondered why Chen wasn’t calling him out for it.

There wasn’t enough poultice to cover the gaping wound in Chen’s arm, but Suho spread the remaining medicine as well as he could. Then, he tore up the sleeve of his robes into strips, balling up a couple ribbons to stuff into the wound before using the rest of the strips to bandage it securely. Chen released a heavy sigh as Suho gently lowered the injured arm.

Suho sealed the empty jar, calling out to his sword as he did so. There was a splash from the lake, and his weapon flew from the water and landed in his hand. At Suho’s command, a tendril of water rose from the lake, bringing forth Chen’s sword. It deposited the sword in Suho’s other hand and returned to the lake, sending ripples across the surface.

Suho had just placed Chen’s sword on the ground when Chen himself slumped over. Suho caught him just in time and pushed him upright again.

Chen let out a whine. “Tired. Wanna lay down.”

Suho exhaled silently as he watched Chen’s eyes flutter closed. The deity of lightning hadn’t suffered a concussion, so it must be alright to let him sleep. With an immense effort, Suho maneuvered them so that his back was to the rock and Chen’s head was resting on his thigh. He rearranged Chen’s limbs, eyeing the wound on Chen’s arm that was still oozing blood. Suho hoped that Chen would sleep through the pain and that the reinforcements would arrive soon.

Sleep weighed on Suho’s eyelids, forcing them closed. The deity of water drowsed, knowing that he was dozing but also remaining aware of his surroundings. When Suho jerked awake later, it felt as though he had slept for only a few minutes but the light streaming in from the fissure had already turned orange. The reinforcements still hadn’t arrived.

His gaze fell on Chen, who was still sleeping. However, Chen’s expression was now contorted slightly, and sweat beaded his brow. When Suho placed a hand on Chen’s forehead, he noted that it felt far too hot for someone who had been lying in the darkness of the cavern for hours. He took Chen’s arm and unwrapped the bandages, eyebrows furrowing when he noticed the swelling around the wound. As he feared, the poultice hadn’t been enough to protect the wound from infection, and there was nothing more that Suho could do besides wash the wound and rewrap it with fresh bandages made from the other sleeve of his robe. Then, he picked up a few spare strips and wet them with water that he called from the lake, using them to wipe away the sweat on Chen’s face and neck. With nothing else to do, Suho found himself counting the time between each pat of the cloth, praying that the reinforcements would arrive soon.

His body must have been unable to stave off the exhaustion because Suho could have sworn that he only closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, it was to the familiar white ceiling of the Restful Hall, home to the deity of life. Suho looked around, noticing that his leg had been properly treated. He expected to see Chen lying on a bed like him, but to his surprise, he was the only person in the room.

When the deity of life came around to check on him, Suho asked her about what happened.

“Minho’s group found you and Chen in the cavern and brought you back,” she replied, “Chen’s infection was easy to treat, and he was up and running about in barely a day. You, however, have a broken leg, so I expect you to stay for a while longer.”

Leeteuk came to visit after the deity of life left. The Great Deity smiled upon seeing Suho awake and sat beside the bed. “I’m glad to see you recovering. The Hydra must have been a nightmare to deal with.”

Suho tried not to grimace as he thought of the Hydra’s teeth sinking into his leg.

“You and Chen did exceptionally well to slay it by yourselves,” Leeteuk continued to say as he smoothed out Suho’s blankets, “Not every deity can boast the same.”

“Jongdae killed it,” Suho corrected, “I merely pointed out which head to cut.”

Leeteuk raised an eyebrow at the use of Chen’s birth name but didn’t comment on it, instead choosing to say, “Either way, it is still an accomplishment. You and Chen will be the talk of the Divine Palace for months to come.” The Great Deity stood up and inclined his head. “I must return to my quarters now. Rest well, Suho.”

Leeteuk must have talked about his exchange with Suho because a few hours later, Minho came in. With a smile that shone with relief and mischief, the deity of shadows sat in the seat that had been Leeteuk’s. “It’s good to see you awake and in one piece.”

Suho hummed and nodded once in agreement.

“I must say that we received quite a shock when we arrived at the cave and found the Hydra dead,” Minho continued, “That Chen must be really something if the two of you could kill the Hydra and not get torn to pieces in the process.”

“He is skilled, yes,” Suho agreed.

Minho’s expression morphed into one of absolute astonishment and delight. “So Leeteuk was telling the truth,” he said, “You and Chen get along now.” He chuckled at Suho’s stricken look. “Come on, Suho, Chen isn’t as bad as you initially thought he was, right?”

The glare Suho gave him sent Minho into another round of laughter.

Thankfully, Suho’s leg healed quickly under the care of the deity of life, so he didn’t have to stay at the mercy of Minho’s teasing for long. Within a week, he was back in his courtyard at the Water Realm, sending a gentle sprinkle over the blooming flowers.

He was tending to his plants one afternoon when the sound of footsteps reached his ears.

“Junmyeon!”

Suho halted the stream of water and turned to see Chen hurrying towards him with a toothy smile on his face and a potted plant in his arms.

“Ah, I found you!” Chen said, so excited that he was almost shouting, “I went to the Restful Hall first, but they told me that you were discharged a few days ago. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here or in the library, but I’m glad I checked here first.”

Before Suho could say anything, Chen held up the potted plant. “So while you were still bedridden, I wanted to get you a ‘get well’ gift. I figured that a flower would be nice since you have a whole courtyard of them, but I wanted to get you one that you didn’t already have.”

The flower in Chen’s hands was certainly one that Suho didn’t have yet. Unlike the ones that already decorated the courtyard, this flower was a vibrant purple, swaying slightly in the breeze.

“It’s a twilight courier,” Chen said, “The merchant said it doesn’t bloom easily, so he only had a couple in stock. I managed to get the last one. Do you…like it?” He peered at Suho’s expression, smile becoming uncertain as he waited for Suho’s reaction.

Chen didn’t need to worry at all. Suho lifted both hands and accepted the twilight courier, carefully cradling the flower to his chest as he admired the smooth petals. Then, he met Chen’s gaze and murmured, “Thank you.”

For a few long seconds, Chen stared back with wide eyes and a slack jaw, hands still half-raised from handing over the twilight courier. Concerned with the other’s unresponsiveness, Suho furrowed his eyebrows. “Jongdae?”

“Yes!” Chen answered, jolting as though he had electrocuted himself. He blinked furiously, stuttering as he tried to formulate a sentence under Suho’s searching stare. “I-well, it’s…um…I’m glad you like it!”

The uncharacteristic fumbling confused Suho, but Chen didn’t look as though he wanted to explain, so Suho didn’t inquire. Instead, the deity of water lowered his gaze to Chen’s arm and asked, “How are your injuries?”

Chen tugged at one of his sleeves. “They’re fine now,” he said, “My leg healed quickly, so they let me out as long as I promised not to go around sword-fighting until my arm was fully-healed as well.”

“Is it better now?”

“Pretty much!” Chen made a show of flexing his fingers. “There’s just a scar left, and when I killed a couple spirits on my way back, it only ached a little.”

Disapproval of Chen’s recklessness bubbled up in Suho’s chest, and it must have showed on his face because Chen’s triumphant expression turned into a pout.

“Junmyeon, don’t look at me like that,” Chen whined as he reached out and grasped Suho’s elbow, swaying back and forth like a petulant child. “I was careful, I promise. I did some practice swinging before I fought the spirits!”

However, Suho was only half-listening. The other half of his attention was focused on Chen’s hands. Chen’s fingers were crumpling the elbow of Suho’s robes, causing creases and wrinkles, yet Suho felt no annoyance towards the deity of lightning. Defeating the Hydra with Chen must have increased Suho’s tolerance of the other.

Then, the hands were gone, and Suho glanced up at Chen. The latter’s pout had disappeared, replaced with a winning smile.

“If you don’t believe me,” Chen said, “then we could have a duel.”

Suho blinked. “A duel? Why?”

“Because you don’t believe me when I say that my arm is perfectly fine!” Chen complained, “So I need to make you see it with your own eyes, and what better way than through a duel? So? What do you say?”

Suho considered it. There really was no harm in dueling with Chen. The younger deity seemed eager for a duel as well judging by the way he bounced on the balls of his feet. Suho was about to agree and say that he would put the twilight courier away first when another voice rang through the courtyard.

“Junmyeon!”

Suho and Chen turned to see Minho rush into the courtyard. Upon seeing Chen present, Minho froze and then resumed walking at a more unhurried pace. “Ah, my apologies. I didn’t realize you had company.”

“What happened?” Junmyeon asked.

Minho shot Chen a strained smile and said, “I hope you don’t mind me stealing Junmyeon for a bit.”

Chen seemed disappointed but replied, “No, no. We just finished our conversation, so I should return to the Thunderspire.” He bowed his head in farewell. “I will see you around, Minho. Junmyeon.”

He cast one last glance at Suho before he turned and left the courtyard.

Now that they were alone, Minho seemed far more unsettled. He gestured to the closed doors of the Water Pavilion and asked, “Can we talk inside?”

Once they were settled on opposites sides of the table with steaming cups of tea, Minho took a deep breath. “Apologies. I’m still wound up.”

“Take your time,” Suho answered, content to observe the twilight courier while Minho gathered his thoughts.

A few moments passed. Then, Minho said, “Do you remember that time a few months ago when Key came back to the Divine Palace seething with rage?”

Suho couldn’t forget. Key had stormed into the Divine Palace, fists clenched so tightly that blood seeped from between his fingers. He had stomped off to his quarters and slammed the doors shut, and for a long while, Leeteuk and Onew were the only ones who could enter without being told to scram.

“I remember.”

“And you know why Key was so angry, right?”

“A village asked him to help clear out malicious spirits. Key refused because he had suffered injuries from a previous encounter with a beast. The villagers did not take it well and insulted him,” Suho replied, having heard the story from other deities.

Minho nodded slowly. “Yesterday, Key and I found out that the villagers have slandered his name.”

Suho blinked, silently asking for elaboration.

“There are rumors floating around that Key is selfish and cowardly,” Minho continued, “Some people have even begun to question whether every deity is a cold-hearted bastard. They think that since we can’t die like they can, then we should be willing to sacrifice ourselves to protect them from a threat.”

Jiseok’s contemptuous sneer resurfaced in Suho’s memories. The deity of water could still hear the man’s mockery ringing in his ears alongside the hisses of the Hydra, and he couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Chen hadn’t been as quick on his feet.

“Suho,” Minho said, suddenly fixing Suho with a piercing stare. “Do you think we’re cowards?” His fingers curled into fists. “Do you think we’re selfish for still caring about our wellbeing even though the only way we can die is at the hands of another deity?”

Suho lowered his gaze. “No.”

Minho grunted in response. Silence fell between the two, broken when Minho said, “The Great Deity already knows about the rumors regarding Key. I am hoping that he will decide to isolate us from the entitled mortals.”

Suho couldn’t agree with that. “What about the people who are innocent?”

Minho waved a hand in dismissal. “Most deities are too angry to care. We just want out, and it’s too much extra work to separate the ones who appreciate us from the ones who don’t.”

Falling silent, Suho considered the idea, but Minho wasn’t done speaking. “Speaking of which, Chen worries me. I’ve never seen him turn down a plea for help, even when he was already injured. He has also broken many rules since his Ascension, and he seems like the type to do whatever he wants. Do you think he would obey an order to stop meddling in mortal affairs?”

Suho thought back to Chen’s naming ceremony and the incident in the library, and he found that he didn’t have high hopes.

Minho scoffed.

While he didn’t completely agree, Suho understood Minho’s concerns, especially when he and Chen met in the corridor outside the throne room. The deity of lightning was sporting dirt smudges and a bruise on his face, and one sleeve of his robes was tattered like a dog had chewed on it.

Yet, Chen still greeted him with a blinding smile and a wave. “Junmyeon!”

They closed the distance until there was only an arm’s length between them. Minho’s words heavy on his mind, Suho said, “You fought with malicious spirits.”

Chen laughed and tugged on his clothes, trying to smooth out the creases. “Yeah, there was a ghost bride who was terrorizing bachelors because her betrothed left her at the altar. It was easy.” Chen finished grooming himself and asked, “So how about our duel?”

“After you heal.”

“You said it!” Chen replied, looking like an eager puppy who had just been promised treats. “Don’t try and go back on your word later.”

Suho almost rolled his eyes. “I won’t.”

Chen beamed at the reassurance, and the two of them entered the Great Hall with the other deities. Leeteuk and Onew already stood at the center of the room as the others sat around them. Suho and Chen joined the circle, waiting for Leeteuk to begin the meeting.

Leeteuk scanned the crowd a couple times, making sure that all deities were present before clearing his throat and saying, “Since everyone is here, let’s start the meeting.”

The muted conversations died into complete silence.

“I’m sure most of you already know about the incidents of humans pressuring deities into fighting malicious beasts and spirits, and when the deities refused, the humans would insult and slander them.” A quiet murmur of agreement swept through the other deities. “Several of us are frustrated with this development, and I have heard many of us express concern over this issue.”

The anticipation in the Great Hall was palpable. Every deity hung onto Leeteuk’s words, waiting for the verdict with bated breath.

“As the Great Deity, in order to protect the pride and worth of the deities, I issue a decree,” Leeteuk declared, “Starting today, the deities shall withdraw from the affairs of mortals. We will no longer involve ourselves with them and will resolve to live peacefully in the Divine Palace so that our existence may fade into history.”

Voices of approval surfaced almost as soon as Leeteuk finished speaking. However, Chen’s voice sounded above the chatter. “What about the people who haven’t insulted or slandered us?”

The tense silence that followed was as sharp as the crack of a whip. Every deity turned to stare at Chen with expressions ranging from disbelief to irritation. To his credit, Chen didn’t falter at all.

“Who cares about them! I’m sick of being spat on whenever I try to reason with a mortal!” someone complained.

“Just because they didn’t say it doesn’t mean they weren’t thinking it. You can never trust a mortal to be honest with their thoughts.”

“What are you playing at, Chen? You’ve only been a deity for how many years? Sit down and let the older deities handle this!”

Voices came from all directions. Deities shouted at Chen, lecturing him on the evils of mortals and telling him to shut his mouth and accept Leeteuk’s decree. In the midst of it all, Suho saw Chen becoming more and more flustered, so he called out, “Jongdae.”

Chen whipped around and stared at Suho. Panic, frustration, and a third unreadable emotion swam in his eyes as he met Suho’s gaze, and for the longest time, the two of them sat and looked at each other, neither one saying a word.

Once the other deities stopped yelling, the panic in Chen’s gradually faded, but the other feelings remained, even after Leeteuk dismissed the meeting.

As everyone else filed out of the Great Hall, Suho snuck a glance at Chen. The look in Chen’s eyes had morphed into one of defiance, and with a quiet sigh of resignation, Suho knew that Chen had no intention of obeying Leeteuk’s decree.

True to Suho’s predictions, Chen continued to leave the Divine Palace to help humans kill the foul creatures that threatened them. Suho never caught Chen in the act, but he often heard the other deities gossiping and condemning Chen. Once, Suho even heard a pair of deities complain about how Chen was refusing to listen to reason. Suho quickly deduced that the two must have approached Chen and tried to harass the young deity into obeying, but before Suho could say anything, the deities turned the corner and vanished.

However, Suho didn’t need to ask anyone else about Chen when the deity of lightning appeared in his courtyard one morning, demanding his attention with a smile that didn’t seem as wide as his previous ones.

“Junmyeon!” Chen greeted, raising his arm to show off the basket he held in his hand, “Are you hungry?”

A few minutes later, Suho and Chen sat across from each other in the Water Pavilion. Chen uncovered the basket and pulled out plates of food, placing them on the table. “I bet you haven’t eaten these in a while, right? We mostly have fish and chicken up here in the Divine Palace, but no pork or beef.”

Suho eyed the platters of pork and beef. “Did you buy these?”

Chen pointed at one of the beef dishes. “I bought that one, but these villagers gave me the other two for killing a demon wolf that had been terrorizing them for a while.”

With that, Suho remembered all the rumors and whispers that circled the Divine Palace these days. He was certain that Chen was being affected as well judging by how the deity of lightning seemed more subdue than usual.

Even though Suho never voiced it, he supported Chen’s desire to continue helping those who didn’t have the power to help themselves, but at the same time, he was worried about how the pressure from the other deities would affect Chen in the long run.

He contemplated his next move, rubbing circles into the fabric of his robes with his thumb. As Chen chewed on a slice of beef, Suho said, “You are…still opposing Leeteuk’s decree?”

“Of course,” Chen replied around a mouthful of food, “His decree is unjust. I won’t follow it.”

“What about the other deities?” Suho pressed, “How have they been treating you?”

Chen quirked an eyebrow at that. “Junmyeon, why are you asking so many questions all of a sudden? Did someone say something?”

Suho dropped his gaze, unsure of how to put his concerns into words, but Chen was still watching and waiting for an answer.

Finally, Suho raised his head and said, “Jongdae, stay in the Divine Palace.”

Chen lowered his chopsticks. “Stay…in the Divine Palace?”

In the blink of an eye, the air turned cold. Suho swallowed, hands curling into fists beneath the table.

“Are you saying that I should stop heading down to help the mortals, Junmyeon?” Chen asked.

Suho didn’t know what to say. He could see Chen’s expression shutting down and sensed the atmosphere go from cold to icy.

“That’s not what I mean,” Suho tried to explain, hoping Chen wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

Unfortunately, it was too late. “Then what did you mean?” Chen snapped, voice harsh and cutting like a lightning bolt splitting a storm cloud. Even the birds outside had fallen silent. “Aren’t you going to lecture me about my disobedience? Tell me that I need to stop getting ahead of myself and follow the examples that my seniors set?” Chen spat out those words as though they were bitter medicine, holding his chopsticks so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

A sense of panic rose in Suho, scrambling his thoughts and freezing his tongue. He needed to explain himself, but he couldn’t draw breath to speak.

Chen set down his chopsticks with a sharp clack. “Whatever,” he muttered as he stood from the table, “I’m leaving.”

Before Suho could react, the door to the Water Pavilion slid open and shut, and Chen’s footsteps faded in the distance. The ensuing silence mocked Suho as he sat with his head turned towards the door and lips parted, wanting to ask Chen to wait but unable to do so. The sour taste in his mouth destroyed his appetite, so Suho quietly put away the food that had been barely touched, hoping that Chen would come back after calming down.

However, even after the food had long cooled to room temperature, Chen never returned, and Suho’s mood only became gloomier as days passed with still no sign of Chen. The rumors that continued to circulate didn’t help, and even Minho, who had once had a positive opinion of Chen, stopped by the Water Pavilion to condemn Chen for having no sense of loyalty to the rest of the deities and to Leeteuk.

A constant tension had taken up residence in the Divine Palace, so delicate that it could snap if someone so much as breathed a little too heavily. Therefore, when Leeteuk’s Ascension celebration rolled around, Suho walked into the Great Hall with an uneasy stomach and stiff shoulders. He glanced around as he took his seat beside Minho and saw that Chen’s seat was still vacant.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed. Deities were exchanging looks of disapproval, shaking their heads, and tittering at Chen’s absence, but no one gave voice to their thoughts, and the dinner proceeded without a hitch. Suho picked at his food, forcing himself to eat a few bites here and there so that nobody would ask him too many questions.

Suddenly, the sound of merry chatter died. The creaking of the doors and the rhythmic tapping of footsteps replaced it as Chen strode into the Great Hall, clearly having just returned from another excursion outside the Divine Palace.

Almost immediately, a deity stood up and pointed an accusatory finger. “Chen! Your arrogance really knows no bounds! Do you not realize what day it is?”

Chen, who had opened his mouth to speak, stopped and turned to face the other. “Thank you for your concern,” he said curtly, “but I think I am perfectly aware of what day it is.”

“Is that so?” the deity retorted, “Then would I be correct in assuming that you purposefully arrived late to the celebration of the Great Deity’s Ascension?”

Whispers broke out amongst the spectators, only to die when Chen spoke again.

“That’s right,” Chen answered boldly, “The basilisk I was pursuing proved to be more slippery than I thought, so I had to work out a new plan to trap and kill it. Therefore, I arrived late.”

The smug expression on the other deity’s face twisted into one of disgust. “So you are late because you were out there disobeying the Great Deity’s decree, and not only do you refuse to apologize but you openly admit it. Absolutely shameless!”

Murmurs of agreement crawled through the room, but Chen ignored them and said, “Who said that I refuse to apologize? If you hadn’t jumped into your accusations the moment I walked in, then I would have finished offering my apology by now. Or what? Did you expect me to talk to two people at once?”

Nobody said anything after that, although the deity who accosted Chen swelled in anger. Chen merely shot him an indifferent glance before facing Leeteuk and clasping his hands together.

“I sincerely apologize for my tardiness to the Great Deity’s Ascension celebration and hope that the Great Deity may offer his forgiveness.”

Chen bowed his head, and Leeteuk had just prepared to speak when the deity spoke up again.

“And?”

Ever so slowly, Chen looked at him and asked, “And what?”

The deity looked visibly agitated now, and around him, other deities shifted in their seats in a similar restlessness. “You apologize for being late but not for going against the Great Deity’s decree? Hurry up and repent for your disobedience!”

For a moment, irritation crossed Chen’s face. Then, the deity of lightning smoothed his expression and said, “I’ve already said this many times, but I do not regret opposing the decree. Therefore, I do not intend to offer an insincere apology for it.”

At this point, Onew cut in. “You really are arrogant to the core, committing a wrongful act yet continuing to declare yourself so righteous.”

Chen replied, “It is not wrong to help those who need help. Those who stand by and do nothing while someone suffers are the ones in the wrong.”

“So you want us to put in our time and effort, to take on bruises and wounds for those who would spit on us and tell us to sacrifice more? For the ones who willfully stay ignorant of the fact that we also hurt and suffer like them?”

Chen didn’t answer, so Onew continued, “Chen, you have only been a deity for barely a decade. You are still young and do not understand how the world works. We want you to follow the examples your seniors set so that you can learn. If you refuse to cooperate with us…then perhaps it would be better if you never became a deity in the first place.”

At that, all eyes darted to Onew. His words shocked many deities since it was the first time anyone has ever insinuated that a deity’s Ascension had been a mistake. Feeling that Onew had gone too far, Suho tried to speak but Minho seized his arm, telling him not to interfere.

Again, Leeteuk moved as though to say something, but Chen’s mirthless laugh cut him off. “Is that so?”

Without hesitation, Chen’s fingers wrapped around the silver charm hanging off his scabbard. There was a sharp crackle of purple lightning, and when Chen let go, pieces of silver fell from his hand. They dropped to the ground with a series of loud clatters.

“If I am unsuited to the life of a deity, then I will no longer be a deity,” Chen announced. With that, he turned and walked out of the Great Hall. Behind him, the doors shut with a clang that echoed hollowly throughout the room.

The deities were speechless. The silver charm was something every deity carried to symbolize their ties and loyalty to each other and to the Great Deity, yet Chen destroyed it without blinking an eye.

Finally, one of the deities spoke up, “Did everyone see that? He crushed the charm just like that; it’s obvious Chen had no regard for us in the first place! Him leaving is good riddance, if you ask me.”

Several deities cried out in agreement while others nodded to each other. More insults flew around, growing louder and louder with every passing moment. Each deity was too riled up to settle back into the meal.

Leeteuk stood from his seat and called for attention. “Since the mood has soured,” he said, “let’s not drag out this celebration and retire to our quarters. My apologies for this evening.”

The deities bid Leeteuk farewell and slowly filed out of the Great Hall, many still grumbling about Chen. Seeing no point in staying, Suho also made to follow, but Leeteuk called out to him and asked him to wait.

Suho obeyed, approaching the Great Deity in the center of the room. This time, Leeteuk did not smile at him before speaking.

“Suho, what do you think of Chen’s behavior?”

Suho didn’t know how to respond, but Leeteuk wasn’t looking for an answer.

The Great Deity restlessly rubbed at the ring around his finger. “As you know, I issued the decree in order to protect our pride as deities. I hoped that we would eventually fade in history if we cut off contact with the humans completely, but the way Chen is acting now will only be a hindrance. I know you didn’t like him when he first joined our ranks, but you might be the only one he’ll listen to.”

Suho remembered how Chen stormed out of the Water Pavilion when Suho tried to convince him to obey Leeteuk’s decree and didn’t think that Chen would be any more willing to listen now.

Leeteuk went on, “A deity can only die at the sword of another deity. I pray that it will not come to this, but if Chen continues to behave so recklessly, then we may have no choice but to execute him. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial that you bring him back.”

Suho’s mouth went dry, but he bowed his head and said, “Understood.”

After several days of tracking Chen’s actions, Suho found himself standing in the middle of a muddy path in the midst of a heavy thunderstorm. The incessant thudding of fat raindrops hitting the parasol in Suho’s hand matched the harsh thumping of his heart as he waited.

He saw Chen heading his way at the same time a bolt of lightning flew across the sky, lighting up the rain that fell in an unrelenting torrent. Chen must have seen him, too, because Suho saw Chen pull on the horse’s reins, and the animal cantered to a stop a few feet away. More figures on horses stopped behind Chen, and even in the darkness, Suho knew that they were villagers whom the rain had displaced.

Another flash of lightning lit up the area and illuminated Chen’s furrowed eyebrows and taut mouth. Whatever words that Suho planned to say fled, leaving Suho balking as an unfamiliar sensation gnawed at his stomach.

Seeing that Suho remained silent, Chen spoke, voice cutting through the sound of the pounding rain. “Junmyeon, even you are opposing me now?”

The devastation in those words stabbed far deeper than Suho could ever have anticipated. He lowered his eyes for a moment, unable to handle the pained look on Chen’s face, before steeling his resolution and looking back up. “Jongdae, return to the Divine Palace with me.”

“I’m not a deity anymore, Junmyeon.”

“You are,” Suho answered desperately, “and if you don’t come back, Leeteuk will have to brand you as a traitor for breaking the rules and defying authority.”

“’Breaking the rules?’” Chen repeated, “’Defying authority?’ You mean those rules that only serve to keep us locked up in the sky and the authority that is only interested in preserving its own pride?”

Suho had expected Chen to respond as such, but it didn’t help the bitter pang of disappointment that pierced his chest.

However, Chen wasn’t done. “Junmyeon, I know that the hierarchy and traditions are important to you, and that’s fine. I understand. I won’t ask you to defy the rules for me. But if obedience means leaving people to die for offenses that they didn’t commit…”

Ever so slowly, Chen raised his arm. His sword crackled in its scabbard, sparks of electricity popping incessantly in their own little thunderstorm.

“…then you and I stand on opposite sides.”

They stood in silence, each observing the other. Another bolt of lightning jumped across the sky, followed by the loud rumble of thunder. The rain fell harder, cascading onto Suho’s parasol, water drops driving into the thick paper as though they were bullets. Behind Chen, the group of villagers fidgeted and huddled close together, seeking any warmth that could be gleaned in their miserable condition.

“I’m sorry that I can’t be a respectable deity like you,” Chen said, voice trembling, “So if I am to die here today, then I would be honored to die by your hand.”

Suho tightened his grip on the parasol until his fingers became as pale as snow. He was suddenly hyperaware of his own sword hanging at his waist. His blade called to him, crying for Suho to answer the challenge. Suho’s hand twitched toward the weapon, but he didn’t touch it. Not yet.

Perhaps it was the memories Suho shared with Chen – the ones he was grudgingly fond of – that made him hesitate to draw his sword. Perhaps it was the resignation on Chen’s face when Suho looked up, one of such miserable defeat like that of a man who had just lost his beloved spouse, that made Suho reluctant to rise to the challenge. He would definitely win since Chen had spent barely a decade as a deity while Suho had almost a century, but Chen’s spirit was staunchly rooted in his acts of altruism. Suho had seen Chen’s devotion for himself, and the last thing Suho wanted to do was smother that part of Chen by forcing him back to the Divine Palace.

However, if Suho allowed Chen to leave with the villagers, then Leeteuk would officially label Chen as a traitor to those in the Divine Palace. The deities would rally for Chen’s execution, and no matter how hard Chen fought, the hunt would end with his death. As the situation hadn’t escalated so far yet, imprisonment was the worst punishment Leeteuk would give. If Suho dragged Chen back now, then even though Chen’s spirit would be crushed, his life would be preserved.

Somehow, Suho didn’t find the choice a difficult one to make.

“Junmyeon,” Chen called over the sound of the storm, sword trembling in his hand. “How do you want to settle this?”

There was a silent plea in his question, and once upon a time, Chen would have had to use all sorts of antics to get Suho to do him even the smallest of favors. However, Suho didn’t know when things had changed. Without a word, Suho turned and stepped to the side, leaving the path open for Chen’s group. He kept his eyes planted firmly on the ground, listening as Chen let out a sharp yell and the horses thundered forward, hooves splashing water everywhere. Suho only dared to lift his gaze after the last horse ran past, and by then, he couldn’t even see Chen’s back through the unforgiving storm.

He returned to the Divine Palace alone and accepted the punishment for his failure. Locked in the Isolation Cell, Suho listened to the sound of hurried footsteps as the other deities prepared to pursue Chen.

He didn’t expect anyone to visit him, so it was a surprise when Minho showed up at his door. Kneeling on the stone floor, Suho waited for Minho to speak first.

“In hindsight, I suppose I’m not surprised you let Chen go.”

Minho’s words were careful and calculated and not what Suho expected him to say. He looked at Minho, silently asking for an elaboration.

Minho snorted. “Don’t look at me like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ve been your friend since you Ascended. You think I wouldn’t notice the way you look at Chen these days?”

Still confused, Suho asked, “How do I look at him?”

Minho ignored him and continued, “Anyway, I’m sure you know that the deities are rallying to chase him. Leeteuk wants to give Chen one last chance to come back. If he doesn’t take it, then…”

Suho already knew. He had made his decision and accepted the dull ache that had already taken up residence in his chest. Now, all that was left to do was wait for the news.

After being freed from confinement, the first thing Suho heard was that Leeteuk had called a feast. Suho didn’t need to be a genius to know what it was for, and he briefly wondered if he could get away with not attending.

He was just walking past the entrance to the Great Hall when he heard the other deities gossiping.

“We really owe this victory to Minho. I didn’t think there was a way to make Chen give up so easily.”

“But if you think about it, it’s not much of a surprise. Chen always stuck to Suho, and I heard that even now, Suho still refuses to acknowledge that Chen is a traitor. I guess when you’re fond of someone, their faults really do become invisible.”

“Minho is a commendable deity. Who would have thought to trick Chen into thinking that Suho was dead? That bastard practically let us kill him after that.”

“We can’t be sure that he’s dead though. We never found his body.”

“He was stabbed in the chest by thirteen swords, fell off a cliff, and landed in Lady’s Wrath. You know how rapid those waters flow and how strong the currents are. There is no way he survived. Come, come, have another drink. Tonight is for celebrating, so stop worrying and just relax.”

If Suho thought he would be able to handle the pain before, then he realized he was sorely mistaken. Quickening his steps, he hurried to the Water Realm, not caring who saw him on the way. Once he was back in the safety of his quarters, Suho shut the doors and leaned against them, drawing a shaky breath. He could feel his legs losing strength and made a beeline for the Water Pavilion, wanting to make it inside before he collapsed.

However, something purple caught his eye, and he paused. The twilight courier waved at him from its place in Suho’s flower garden, a lone violet standing out from a background of lighter colors. Suho changed his course, hurrying over and dropping to kneel before the twilight courier. He didn’t know how long he stayed in that position, unable to find the energy to move even after his legs went numb and his vision blurred with unbidden tears, smearing the colors of the courtyard into an indiscernible mess.

For a moment, he wondered if Chen would come back if he gave up his flowers.

The memories of Chen in the courtyard soon became too strong. Unable to handle them, Suho fled, slipping out of the Divine Palace and flying down to the mortal world.

He didn’t want to speak to anyone, so he headed for a smaller town - one where he wouldn't be recognized. There were barely any people in the tavern when Suho slipped inside, and few of them gave him a second glance, most likely already drunk.

The tavern keeper hurried up to him with a smile. “Good evening, young master,” he greeted, “Here for a drink?”

Suho scanned the rows of wine on display against the walls of the tavern. “Do you have raspberry wine?”

“We do!” the man answered enthusiastically, “Would you like a jar?”

Suho nodded and handed over a piece of silver. The man accepted it eagerly and ushered Suho to a seat in an empty corner of the tavern. Once Suho was settled, he scampered away and returned a few seconds later with a jar of raspberry wine and a cup. He placed them on the table and said, “If you would like anything else, please let me know.”

He left Suho alone after that, so the deity of water opened the jar and poured himself a cup. Part of him wanted to down the alcohol, but he forced himself to take slow sips, trying to uphold some semblance of dignity and discipline.

The jar was half empty when someone burst into the tavern. Out of instinct, Suho’s hand flew to his sword, but he didn’t unsheathe it just yet.

The newcomer doubled over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Sweat drenched his brow, which he wiped with a rag that the tavern keeper offered him.

“Bad…” the man gasped, “Bad news! The deity of lightning has been killed!”

Suho froze as the other patrons crowded around the man, asking question after question.

The man waved his hand impatiently, bracing himself on the back of a chair and waiting for the small crowd to fall silent before he took a deep breath and rasped, “I heard…from the village near the Angorian River. They said lightning split the sky…and someone saw Chen fighting with a bunch of other deities!”

Murmurs swept through the crowd, and a woman asked, “What? Why were they fighting? What happened?”

“Who knows why?” the man paused for breath, “But the person told me that Chen was fighting hard. Like a cornered dog! And then Minho said something to him, and then…and then, Chen just dropped his sword!”

Cries of shock sounded from the listeners, and someone grabbed the man by the elbow as though to shake the answers out of him. “What did Minho say?”

Having recovered his breath, the man batted the other person away. “Ah, how would I know? I asked the same question, but the witness said that he couldn’t hear. He just saw the deities attack Chen, and thought Chen would try to dodge, but the deity of lightning just stood there and let the others stab him.”

Suho flinched at the same time the woman gasped, “But I thought deities were immortal! Is Chen really dead?”

Another voice chimed in. “I heard that a deity can only die at the sword of another deity, so Chen is probably dead.”

There were some more indiscernible whispers, and someone said, “It’s such a shame if he is dead. I spoke to Chen once and he told me that he really wanted to become a deity because a deity saved his village from a flood when he was young. He wanted to become a reputable deity just like his idol.”

There was an awestruck murmur. “Which deity did he look up to?”

“He didn’t tell me the name, but he said the deity is a quiet and dignified person who likes to grow flowers. He also said that he didn’t think the deity liked him much and then he asked me what he should do to make his idol like him a little more.”

The person said something else, but Suho didn’t hear it. He felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. It couldn’t be…Chen had looked up to him this entire time? Was it possible that he had misheard?

An indignant noise drew him back to the conversation. “Chen is such a respectable person. How could anyone not like him?”

“Right?” The people nodded to each other in agreement.

“I wonder if Chen’s idol knows he’s dead,” another muttered, “And how did they react?”

The person who spoke about Chen’s idol let out a contemptuous snort. “From what I see, Chen’s idol was probably one of the ones who killed him. He didn’t like Chen, so he was probably eager to kill him!”

I didn’t, Suho wanted to protest, but the burning in the back of his eyes killed any words that wanted to leave his mouth. He placed his cup on the table, terrified that he might squeeze it so hard that it would shatter in his hand.

The group was silent until the woman sniffled. “I’m sorry, it’s just–can you imagine how much it must have hurt for Chen? Being–being killed by the person he respected the most?”

The conversation faded away after that. Suho didn’t know if the people moved on to something else or if they became too preoccupied with drinking. His jar of raspberry wine felt heavy in his hand. His head was spinning, and he couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol or from his inability to breathe. Fumbling with his drink, Suho forewent the cup and took a swig straight from the jar. He wanted to forget, but the more he drank, the more he thought of Chen. He needed to drink until he couldn’t think.

Suho passed the tavern keeper another piece of silver and accepted the second jar of raspberry wine, picking it up and leaving the tavern in search of a more isolated place to drink. He found a spot in the woods nearby and sat down on a slab of stone to down large gulps of the wine.

A long time ago, there was someone who would have drank with him, but now, the only company he had was the cold silence.

The wine burned his throat as it went down, and the world began to warp around him. Suho’s consciousness seemed to fade in and out as he continued to drink until he woke up at the bottom of a lake.

He laid in the water, gazing up at the sliver of light surrounded by deep blue. His memories of his drunken stupor were faint, but he remembered flying to the banks of Lady’s Wrath and standing on the cliff where Chen had died. At some point, he must have stepped too close to the edge and fallen into the rushing water below, which carried him a great distance and deposited him in a lake.

If he was being honest, Suho couldn’t remember if he had slipped or if he had jumped.

He pulled himself out of the water, telling himself that he needed to return to the Divine Palace, but there was a part of him that wanted to dawdle. Instead of taking to the sky, Suho wandered the area aimlessly, desiring to go somewhere and nowhere at the same time. In the end, he followed a dirt path through the trees despite not knowing where it led.

As he walked along the trail, Suho noticed some movement in the distance. Upon looking carefully, he realized that it was a woman with disheveled clothes and hair who was currently running towards him with a look of utmost desperation. He slowed to a stop as she approached, flinching when she seized the front of his sopping wet robes and knelt.

“Please!” she cried, “Please help my husband!”

Suho stared at her, a little slow to react, but after a moment, he asked, “What happened?”

The woman sniffled. “There-There is a monster. A monster with long hair. It had caught our son in its hair overnight, and when my husband tried to save him, the monster caught him, too!” She released his robes only to grasp his hand. “You have a sword, so you must know how to fight monsters. Are you one of those deities? Can you save my husband and my son?”

Suho nodded before he realized what he was doing, and relief spread across the woman’s face. Suho followed her down the path as she led him to her home.

The monster peered at him from the roof of the house as he approached, letting out a distasteful hiss as it flexed its long, spindly fingers. The house was wrapped up in coils and coils of the monster’s black hair, but the monster itself was relatively harmless, albeit selfish and territorial. Suho’s sword flew out of its scabbard, glowing in its ethereal light. In a few of blue, it sliced through the hair and beheaded the monster, which tumbled off the roof with a howl before crumbling to dust.

The woman ran into the house, calling for her husband and son. Seeing that the problem was solved, Suho raised his arm, and his sword returned to its scabbard. Just before its blue glow vanished, the sword illuminated the black blade that was pressed against Suho’s neck.

Suho glanced to his right and met Minho’s furious gaze. “Suho,” the other deity snarled, “do you understand what you have just done?”

Suho swallowed. “I understand.”

Minho didn’t say anything, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. There was a scuffling sound from the house, and Suho’s stomach dropped as the family of three came stumbling out. The woman let out a muted gasp at the scene, and the man clutched his wife and child close.

Removing his sword from Suho’s neck, Minho advanced on the cowering family, but Suho moved faster. Unsheathing his sword, he planted himself before Minho.

Minho paused, incredulity overtaking his features. “What are you doing, Suho? You have already broken Leeteuk’s decree, and you want to cause more trouble?”

“Leeteuk only ordered that we do not establish contact with any humans. He gave no order to kill.”

“Wrong,” Minho growled, “He also ordered for our existence to be erased from human knowledge. How can we disappear from their history if we do not eliminate the ones who know about us?”

There was a madness in Minho’s eyes that Suho had only seen in vengeful spirits. He glanced over his shoulder at the family of three. “Leave,” he told them, and they wasted no time in picking up their son and scurrying away.

Their footsteps had barely faded when Minho lunged, sword flying forward in a jab. Suho parried and dodged, jumping back to put some distance between them.

Minho charged forward, and their swords clashed again. “I don’t understand!” the deity of shadows yelled, “You always followed rules! You were the model of the perfect deity! Everyone respected you and looked up to you, so why are you acting out now?”

Suho blocked a particularly harsh blow, feeling the vibrations travel up his sword and into his arm.

“When did that bastard become so important to you?”

It felt as though his breath had abandoned him. Minho’s question – voiced out of frustration – pierced through the haze that had clouded Suho’s mind. He remembered the first time he saw Chen when the latter walked into the Great Hall armed with crackling lightning and a mischievous smile. He remembered when Chen walked into his flower garden, accidentally trampling some of the precious stems and running away when Suho lashed out. He remembered when Chen hugged the wine jar in the library and smiled at him, when Chen stayed back to make sure he wouldn’t face the Hydra alone, and when Chen gave him the twilight courier in a hesitant, almost shy, manner.

When he resurfaced from the memories, he saw Minho staring at him with wide eyes, and Suho realized that there were tears running down his cheeks.

Then, Minho’s expression hardened, and the deity of shadows raised his sword again. Suho saw the attack coming, but his arms felt heavy. He couldn’t even muster up the strength to hold his sword properly.

Their weapons collided once more, and Suho’s sword flew out of his hand. The pieces of the broken blade scattered through the air, a dull gray rather than their previous brilliant blue.

He hoped Minho would kill him right then and there, but the latter dragged him back to the Divine Palace and brought him before Leeteuk. Suho knelt on the floor with his head bowed, not wanting to see the disappointment on Leeteuk’s face or the judging stares of his fellow deities. As he listened to the whispers traveling through the Great Hall, he prayed that Leeteuk would execute him for breaking the decree.

Instead, Leeteuk sentenced him to eternal imprisonment.

As Onew restrained him with binding spells and sealed him in a room deep in the Divine Palace, Suho mourned for the storm that barreled into his life and dissipated just as quickly. It left nothing in the windowless room except the symbols that reinforced the sturdiness of the stone walls. The familiar comfort of cool water and rumbling thunder were gone. The storm had snatched them away in its passing.

He wished the storm had taken him, too.