Genre: Adventure, Angst, Drama, Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Mythology and Legends

Summary: In which, the Sun Goddess commits a grave sin against the heavens just to make her Moon smile. A mixture of different mythologies patched into one story to make another independent story. Or, The Inaccurate Tale of the Sun and the Moon.

Word Count: 7750

Hashtag: #JinjooFiestaS3_ITSM

The Inaccurate Tale of the Sun and the Moon

Once upon a time, there existed the Goddess of the Sun and the Goddess of the Moon. The sun and the moon coexisted at the same time, the two would be seen in the sky from day and night. At the time, the day was unconditionally brighter and the night would be utterly darker. In the morning, humans of the mortal world had to wake up early to finish early because when the night crawls, darkness seeps through and the world would be engulfed in total darkness. Humans stayed inside the safety of their homes once the sun and the moon had completely disappeared from the sky.

Act I: Fragment of the Sun.

[Word Guide:

(Latin)

Iuvenis Deus - Young God

Introitus Lacum - Entrance Lake

Pignus - Security

Maior deus - Older God]

One day, the Sun Goddess, known as Sol, was peacefully providing light for the mortals when the Moon Goddess, Luna, spoke to her. “Sol, why do you provide light for humans only in the day?” Luna asked, curiously gazing upon the bright Sun Goddess.

The Sun Goddess hummed, giving a breath of wind upon the mortals. “The humans need to have time for their slumber. They won’t be able to sleep when I am present because I am too bright and their eyes would hurt.” Sol replied as she watched over the hard-working humans. “Humans are fragile and sensitive. Even the smallest things can give them mortal pain. It’s very fascinating.” The Sun Goddess added.

“It must be nice…” The Moon Goddess muttered as she watched the diligent humans. Luna felt a small smile on her lips, seeing the frail humans go on their day. Children playing, adults chattering among themselves while continuing on their labor. Then, the Moon Goddess carefully observed as a pair of humans walked side by side, acting all infatuated with each other.

The Moon Goddess felt some dull throbbing in her entity. She couldn't identify if the sensation was pleasant or not. Then, she glanced at the Sun Goddess, who was contentedly smiling at the view. Luna set back her gaze to the humans, admiring every action, and every gesture they make. All of it seems to make sense despite some of it looking foolish.

Something about it makes the Moon Goddess feel oddly… enchanting. As the unsuspecting Moon Goddess kept watching the frail humans, the Sun Goddess stole a glance. Sol hums a happy tune as they kept watching over the mortals. “Humans are very interesting, aren’t they?” She asked with a tight-lipped smile, anticipating the other Goddess’ response. “They have these things called ice cream and cream puffs. It’s a very sweet treat.”

Luna smiles fondly. “You seem to know a lot about them.” She says, tilting her head to the side as the Sun Goddess broke out in a toothy smile.

“When I was still an iuvenis deus, the Myriad of Gods let me roam around the human world.” The Sun Goddess said, voice laced with underlying melancholy and longing for the world she once lived in. Sol sighs. “It’s fun interacting with humans. But as time went by, living in the human realm became harder and harder.” She says. Minjoo stares at Yujin with genuine curiosity in her eyes, Then, Yujin hums as she thinks of an idea.

“Do you want to visit the human realm?” Sol asks.

Luna looks at Sol with surprise displayed in her eyes. “Well… Even if I do, I don’t think the Myriad would allow us to do so…” She says, underlying disappointment hidden in her calm tone.

The Sun Goddess smirks, another idea crossing her thoughts.

“Then… We’ll go at night. After I set the sun.”
 

[...]

Here lie the Sun Goddess and the Moon Goddess staring at the sparkling Introitus Lacum. With a small pouch in her hand, Sol carefully walked around the lake. The Lake reflected the barely visible night in her human realm. Then, the Sun Goddess felt a tap on her shoulder. When she looked back, she saw Luna gazing at her with a wary look. “Oh, you're here.” Sol said.

Luna shifts her gaze to the lake, feeling her stomach churn with uneasiness. She notices the pouch in Sol's hand and points to it. “What's that for?” She asks.

The Sun Goddess gives her a comforting smile. She opens the bag and pulls out a pair of platinum rings. She hands one of the rings to the Moon Goddess as she wears the other to her index finger. “This is the Pignus ring. It usually comes in pairs and the wearers can't stay away from each other for more than seven meters.” Sol says. “When the wearers stay apart for too long, they will be forcefully dragged towards each other. We'll need this to avoid separating while in the mortal realm.”

Luna finally takes the ring in her hand and slips it in her ring finger. For a moment, her ring shines a bright blue color whilst the one in Sol's hand shines in white. Once the colors disappeared, the Sun Goddess held Luna's hand, catching the latter in surprise.

“Promise me, you won't let go once we get to the human realm?” Sol asked, earning a determined nod from the other Goddess. “The human realm is much more terrifying than it looks. Our powers will be heavily weakened once we get down, that's why we need to stay close. Don't worry, I'll still be powerful enough to protect you.” Sol says, her words seething with confidence and sincerity.

The Sun Goddess' words lit a fire in the Moon Goddess' heart. Suddenly, all the nervousness in Luna's mind dissipated. All fears are replaced by the courage from the words of the other. “It's okay,” Luna says. “I trust you anyway.”

When the Sun Goddess finally smiled, Luna felt the same weird feeling in her stomach when she first saw the intimate humans. She'd always been attracted to the Sun Goddess. The way she makes everything less terrifying has always made the Moon Goddess admire her. But she didn't think much of it. Everyone had always been naturally drawn to the Sun Goddess as she provided light and comfort for everyone.

The Moon Goddess found herself staring too much into the worried Sun Goddess. She snapped out of her thoughts as Sol's grip on her hand slightly tightened.

“Are you okay?” Sol asked. “We don't have to continue if you don't want to.” She says.

Then there's the uneasy feeling building up in Luna's mind. Regardless, she still gives a gentle smile and rubs her thumb to Sol's hand to reassure her. “I'm fine. Just a little nervous though.” She says.

The Sun Goddess smiles. “Then, if there's nothing wrong. I'll give you some of the rules we have to abide by.” Sol says, her tone in her voice suddenly serious. “First, no one should know that we're sneaking into the human realm. Uranus will be mad at us for sneaking.” She says.

Luna lets out a small giggle. “I think that's a given.” She replied, eliciting a small smile from Sol.

“Of course,” Sol says. “The second is, we can't bring anything from the human world to here.” Luna nods in affirmation. The Sun Goddess raises three fingers. “Third, we cannot meddle with human affairs. Small interactions are okay but anything that can affect their life and decision-making is forbidden!” Sol adds. “Lastly, our identities can't be revealed.”

Luna quietly watches as Sol pulls out another item from her pouch. The Sun Goddess shows her the small, round, and purple-ish fruit in her hand. “This is the Achilles Fruit. For humans, this fruit will make them thrice as strong as they normally are. But for us, this fruit will muffle our strength and will make us as vulnerable as regular humans.” Sol hands one of the Achilles Fruit to Luna.

“Eating this fruit doesn't mean we can't use our powers but it will help lessen our presence and avoid attracting dangerous creatures at night,” Sol says, briefly letting go of Luna’s hand and bringing the fruit to her eye level. “It usually lasts for about two hours on us. It'll serve as our timer for our stay in the mortal realm.

Luna carefully examines the fruit in her hand. The fruit exudes a slightly sweet scent and its overall texture was smooth and fleshy. She warily brought the fruit to her lips before quickly biting into it. The disgusting astringent taste of the fruit had spread around Luna’s tongue. She couldn’t bear with the taste and eventually spit out the remaining part of the fruit.

Meanwhile, Sol looked like she was about to collapse because of the taste. However, she didn’t spit the fruit and forced herself to swallow it even if it’s incredibly bitter. The poor goddess couldn’t help the queasy look on her face as the taste of the fruit didn’t even disappear. Once she was able to regain her composure, Sol awkwardly coughed. “A-As I was saying, this fruit was generally used to punish higher beings who used their powers against the Myriad’s will. Taking too much of these can permanently weaken your abilities.” Sol explains as she closes her pouch by pulling on its string.

“On the contrary, this fruit is considered miraculous in the human world. It is said that this fruit can cure any disease in mortals. If a perfectly healthy human eats one, it will become incredibly stronger. Probably as strong as a God who took one of these. That’s why the fruit is incredibly bitter, to avoid humans abusing these.” The Sun Goddess says, grabbing Luna’s hand once more with an affable grip.

The two approached the lake and the Moon Goddess felt her heart race in discomfiture. Seemingly to notice the other’s discomfort, Sol rubbed the back of Luna’s hand to comfort her and began to speak as they approached the lake. Raising her index and middle finger upward with her right hand, Sol brought her thumb to her lip as she quietly chanted a spell. “Aperi portas mortale mundi.”

The body of the lake suddenly glowed a bright blue, followed by a dazzling white light as a whirlpool forms in the middle. Soon after, a portal opens, showing only a dark place with only a small flash of light shining in the middle of what seems to be a road. The two carefully entered the portal, feeling chills on their spines as they crossed the borderline.

Once the two had set foot in the human realm, they felt the sudden change in the atmosphere. The air seemed to be warmer and more comfortable than the cool breeze from Edelweiss, the Land of the Higher Beings. Not that they were complaining. Before the two began to walk, Sol briefly let go of Luna’s hand and opened her pouch. She pulled out a crystal-like object that glowed upon Sol’s hand.

The Sun Goddess noticed the amazed look from Luna and chuckled. “This is a fragment of the Sun,” Sol says, spinning the crystal in her hand. “It may seem bright and all but it’s really fragile. After all, it’s just a fragment of the Sun.” She says. “No one but the generation of Sun Gods and Goddesses can touch the Sun and take a fragment. Pretty cool, right?” Sol grins, seeing the still amazed by the shiny fragment.

To further impress the Moon Goddess, Sol infuses her energy to the fragment, making it shine even brighter. The light from the fragment had enabled the two to finally see the surrounding area. The beautiful stone road surrounded by a forest of trees was revealed. A mystical vibe emitted from the area.

The two Goddesses looked at each other, knowing glances and excited grins plastered on their faces. Sol tugged at Luna’s hand. “In this human world, I will be known as Yujin and you will be Minjoo.” Sol- No. Yujin said, earning an astonished smile and a nod from Minjoo, the Moon Goddess.

Minjoo exhales. “That’s a beautiful name. Minjoo and Yujin. Yujin and Minjoo.” The Moon Goddess says, tightening her grip on Yujin’s hand. “I like it.”

Yujin chuckles. “I’m glad you do.” Then, she intertwines her fingers with those of Minjoo. “Let’s go?”

“Eung!”

The two finally started roaming around the area. Just the silence, the light, and the footsteps of the two Goddesses filling in the atmosphere. Then, as they kept walking mindlessly, just admiring the view which is shined upon by the fragment of the sun, they noticed a bunch of large, unfamiliar-looking apparatuses. The two approached the devices and observed them.

“What are these?” Minjoo asked

After a moment of silence, Yujin gasped. “I know what this is!” She claimed, rather a little too excited. She pointed to a long plank balanced in the middle on a fixed triangular-shaped frame. “This must be what the humans called a see-saw!” She said. Then, Yujin let go of Minjoo’s hand and went to one end and sat on it. Yujin set aside the sun fragment on the ground as she pointed to the other end and motioned for Minjoo to follow suit.

Once Minjoo set herself on the seat, Yujin let her weight weigh down on her seat as Minjoo was lifted in her place. “W-Wha-” Minjoo couldn’t even speak as she squeaked in surprise. She noticed the way Yujin was propping herself up so that Minjoo could be lowered. Finally, Minjoo was able to get a hang of the see-saw and so they were able to enjoy the device for a few more minutes.

The two eventually got tired of giggling and laughing like human kids and got off the see-saw. Due to the warmer-than-usual atmosphere, Minjoo felt a trickle of sweat run through her neck. She quickly wiped it and watched as Yujin pointed to a metal seat suspended by a rope that is tied to the midpoint of a larger metal frame. “What’s that?” Minjoo asked, following Yujin to the apparatus.

Yujin held Minjoo by the shoulder and made her sit on the saddle. “This is what they call a swing. It doesn’t do a lot but I heard it can be relaxing and exciting by the strength of your swing.” Then, she gently pushed Minjoo, letting the other Goddess swing back and forth with the machine.

Minjoo felt the cool breeze brush past her slightly sweaty skin. It was indeed relaxing after jumping around with the see-saw. Then, she suddenly thought about the two humans she saw. Minjoo felt her heart race. What she and Yujin were doing wasn’t like what the humans she saw did. But it certainly felt the same. After another push from Yujin, Minjoo looked back and saw her beloved Sun Goddess, smiling fondly at her.

The Sun Goddess truly lived up to her name. Provider of light, the symbol of hope and courage. Minjoo felt drawn to her. Well, obviously. Everyone was drawn to the Sun Goddess. Be it the iuvenis deus or the maior deus, even some of the myriad. The Moon Goddess was no exception. Though, she was luckier to be assigned to stay by the Sun Goddess’ side as the only Moon of the Earth.

However, before Minjoo was able to fall into a trance, a loud rustle caught the two Goddesses’ attention. Yujin had stopped pushing the swing as Minjoo stood up. When the two looked in the direction of the noise, they found nothing but the innocent trees and bushes that surrounded the area. Yujin quickly picked up the sun fragment and approached the bushes with Minjoo behind her.

Yujin waved around the fragment, quickly setting herself in a defensive stance when the rustle was heard again. The Sun Goddess bravely leaned to the specific bush where the rustle was heard. She internally counted one to three before swatting away the leaves of the bush, revealing a small body curled on the ground, hugging what seems to be a jar.

Minjoo gasped. “Is that a human child?” She asked, earning a clueless shrug from Yujin. Minjoo kneeled on the ground and carefully picked up the troubled-looking child, cradling it in her arms. The human child instinctively cuddled closer to Minjoo, the child still not letting go of her jar.

Yujin raised the fragment over Minjoo so they could get a better look at the child. “It’s a human child,” Yujin whispered. After a few moments, the child opened their eyes and scanned the worried looks on Yujin and Minjoo. “Child, what are you doing here?” Yujin spoke. “It’s dangerous at night, aren’t you terrified?” She asked.

The child hums. “No…” The kid says. “The night is beautiful. I was strolling around but I got lost and tired.”

Yujin and Minjoo looked at each other, communicating with their eyes. “Why are you alone?” Yujin asked, carefully caressing the little girl’s crown.

The little girl stood up, fumbling with her fingers as she curiously gazed back at Yujin. The child set her jar aside. “I wanted to find a way to light up the sky!” The child said, albeit a bit too enthusiastically as they broached in the middle of the night.

“Light up the sky?” Minjoo asked.

“Eung!” The child nodded in excitement. “My older sister said the night is dangerous but I don’t think the same!” The child rants. “My sister can’t leave the house so I want to show her that the night isn’t actually dangerous.” She says.

While Minjoo and the child chattered, Yujin noticed another source of light aside from her sun fragment. She searched for the source and---

“Minjoo,” Yujin called but failed to catch the said Goddess’ attention. Then, Yujin called her name once more, twice, then thrice. When Minjoo finally noticed her, Yujin pointed to her… “You’re glowing.”

Minjoo tilted her head in confusion, the little girl beside her watching curiously. “I’m what?”

Yujin pointed to Minjoo’s hair which was indeed glowing a faint white. “We need to get going,” Yujin says, quickly propping herself up and grabbing Minjoo by her wrist. Before Yujin was able to drag Minjoo away, Minjoo snapped her hand away, escaping Yujin’s grasp. The Sun Goddess looked at Minjoo in surprise, flabbergasted by the sudden rebellion. “Lu- Minjoo..?”

Luna, or Minjoo rather, was also surprised by her action, quickly regretting it afterward. “I- Sorry… But we can’t just leave this child here.” She protested, earning a small exhale from Yujin.


Yujin chuckles, this time gently patting Minjoo in the head with her free hand. “You could’ve told me you know?” She says. “Well, I mean, I’m sorry for surprising you too.” Yujin scratches the back of her nape. “But we really have to go. We can afford to have any witnesses of a deity.” Yujin said, whispering the last few words.

Minjoo pouts and her eyebrows furrow. “But…” She held the little girl’s hand. It seems like she doesn’t have any plans on leaving until the child is safe, so Yujin sighs.

After a few moments of contemplation, Yujin rolls her eyes, eliciting a small smile from Minjoo. “Fine,” Yujin says, slipping her hand to those of Minjoo, who in return intertwined their fingers. “We need to go quickly though.” She says. “It’ll be too dangerous for us to stay out too late.” Seeing Minjoo chant out a small ‘assa!’ put a smile on Yujin’s lips.

Minjoo picks up the small child along with her jar and lets her play with her dimly glowing hair. “Well, then lead the way!” She cheers along with the child.

Soon after, Yujin and Minjoo were able to find the ch