"Apparently." Itzal laughed softly and shook his head. "I have no idea who they are, or where they came from, but they're dangerous, that's for sure." He sighed softly, wishing he could remember more about them. When they arrived, how they had defeated the gods, all that stuff. But no matter how much he concentrated or searched his memories, Itzal came up empty every time. "There are, but they're more like minor gods. They each have their own little palaces all over the place. Us four don't really see or talk to them much, though." Itzal looked at Cole, wondering if he had any other questions. "Hopefully, that fact saved them from those beings."
"So four 'major' gods, and a lot of smaller ones?" Cole asked, his head tilted to the side slightly in question, "And you are one of the major ones?" He had known that Itzal was a god, but him being one of the major ones was interesting. There was an extremely powerful being sitting right at his dining table, having a conversation with him. That thought blew Cole's mind and he smiled, letting a few more questions out, "So, what did that being do to you that made you fall through the clouds? And what do they want to do? Messing with gods and throwing them down to Earth.
"Yes." Itzal nodded. "And yes. I'm actually the leader, kinda. They all decided it for me, so I didn't get much of a choice, but it's nice to be able to keep an eye on them all." He laughed slightly. Cole's best few questions were not as nice. "I, uh, don't actually know," Itzal admitted, his eyes dropping to the table. "Whatever they did messed with my memory. I can hardly even remember them." His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "They have silver crowns that look like they've been dipped in human blood, and they are more powerful than any of us could have imagined."
"You say crowns, as in there is or was more than one of these creepy beings, plural?" He asked, his smile fading as Itzal revealed what he remembered, "That isn't good, at all." Cole watched his guest, blue eyes filled with concern as he tried to imagine what in the world these beings were going to do. He doubted they would stop by taking out four gods, especially if that is what they did right off the bat. He got to his feet as he thought, pushing in his chair and leaning against the back of it.
"Um… I think so." Itzal shrugged, feeling rather useless at the moment. There was no way they could stop these beings if he didn't even remember what they did to him. "I don't think they meant to keep me alive," Itzal muttered, resting his chin in his hand and looking up at Cole. "I should probably find somewhere else to stay, just in case they come for me. I don't want to put you in harm's way." It was too hard to convince himself to stand up, but it was for the best. Cole had helped him so much, and the last thing Itzal wanted was for him to die. And he was almost positive the crowned beings would find him.
(I'm so so sorry it's late… today was crazy)
"You could stay here tonight, just until morning. One night won't put me in harm's way," Cole suggested, not really liking the idea of Itzal out looking for a place to stay late at night. Especially if he collapsed again or anything like that. He shrugged, looking at his guest and continuing, "It can get pretty iffy out there at night, and you probably should get some sleep if you want those injuries to heal fully."
(You're good! :)
"Oh… thank you," Itzal said softly. He wasn't totally sure that was the case, but he was tired and feeling a little selfish. He deserved a good night's rest after everything that he'd been through… but still. Whoever or whatever those crowned beings were, they probably weren't going to wait for Itzal to sleep and get all his strength back. Still… Itzal stayed standing, still trying to convince himself he could stay for one night. It was harder than he thought it should be, thanks to his conscience. But resting comfortably would be the only way to get strong enough to have a chance at beating those beings if they did appear again.
He nodded, smiling gently and making his way away from the table and over to where the couch was in his living room, "I can get you some blankets and pillows whenever you want to crash on the couch for the night, and I'll make sure the front door is locked if you're worried about those beings coming for you." Cole knew that a locked door wouldn't stop the beings, especially if they had tried to kill for major gods, but maybe it could help Itzal calm down and sleep.
Itzal smiled gratefully at Cole and followed him over to the couch. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I think I'd like to go to sleep now. Get as much as I can in before something happens." He explained, his hands clenched together in front of him. He was really nervous about… everything, but maybe getting some sleep would make something clear. And, of course, it would help him if he had to fight anyone or anything. Itzal let his hands go, not wanting to show Cole just how afraid he was. "Thank you."
"Yeah, that's no problem at all. I'll go grab the stuff from upstairs and then you can get to sleep." Cole nodded, pointing to the stairs at the back of the house as he glanced at Itzal, "Be right back." With that, he turned and walked over to the stairs, climbing up them like he had a thousand times. Upstairs wasn't much to look at, just Cole's makeshift room and office as well as storage. Basically it was a mess outside of the area surrounding his bed and desk. Thankfully he didn't have to search too hard to find the extra blankets and pillows in the mess, grabbing them so he could get back to his guest as quickly as possible.
"Okay." Itzal nodded and sat down on the couch. He'd stand back up when Cole came back, but he was beginning to feel very tired. His head was aching, and his whole body felt heavy. Thank the stars that Cole was so nice. Itzal leaned his head in his hands but didn't close his eyes. If he did, he was afraid he would fall asleep and, tired as he was, he wasn't quite ready for that yet. To keep himself awake, Itzal pictured the faces of the gods in his mind: Elief, Finlai, and Lazare. They were still alive in his memories, though he had no idea their fate in the present. If only he had enough strength to look into the past and see what had happened right then!
Coming back down the steps with the stack of blankets and pillows was a little more challenging, but he managed. "I didn't know how cold you get when you sleep, so I brought a few blankets," Cole explained, setting the pile next to Itzal on the couch, "And a pillow. Use whatever you want." He stepped away from the couch after setting things down, though he continued talking for a moment longer. "I'll just be upstairs if you need anything so just shout or feel free to look around for whatever you need and make yourself at home."
"Thank you," Itzal said, wondering how many times he was going to say it that night. However many he ended up at, it would never be enough for all that Cole had done for him. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind." Itzal nodded slightly, giving Cole a grateful smile before turning to the pile of blankets. He didn't really know where he stood on temperature, but he was fond of how comfortable blankets could be. After a moment of thought, Itzal placed the pillow on one end of the couch and spread a blanket over the cushions of the couch. He laid down, pulling the rest of the blankets over him. Everything about that moment was perfect: he was warm, the couch was quite comfortable, and the blankets had a nice sort of clean smell to them. It didn't take long before his eyes closed, and he drifted off to sleep.
"No problem." Cole smiled lightly, only staying long enough to make sure Itzal seemed comfortable before heading back to the stairs. "Goodnight Itzal," He called, looking over at him and heading up the stairs. With Itzal comfortable and hopefully settled in for the night, Cole sat on the edge of his bed, thinking about what to do now. He was tempted to stay up a little longer, maybe get some work done, but suddenly taking in a new person had drained him even more than he already was from working. Bed it was. He slipped into pajamas, or more accurately, pajama pants and no shirt before climbing into bed and flicking off the light. Surprisingly he didn't even have to let his mind run for long before he started to feel sleepy and fell asleep.
The dreams of the gods were quite strange. He could actually be dreaming, or he could be seeing something that was happening in the world. Being the god of time, Itzal could also occasionally see things that had happened or might happen. This dream here seemed to be a picture of the past, of right as those terrible beings came to destroy them.
They had just appeared, so suddenly that none of them could react much. There had been three of them, to begin with, but more showed up. Ten might have been the final count, but they were so identical it might have been more. Itzal had tried to reason with them, to see what they were doing, but they had swung their sword at him the second he tried. Only his power over time had saved him from whatever fate those swords had in store for him. After that first attack, the rest of those beings started after the gods. None of them were ready for it. How could they have been?
Itzal woke with a start, hand outstretched as if to stop someone. He let it fall to his chest and glanced around. Dim, grey light peeked in through the windows, making him think that it might be close to morning. The dream was already slipping from his mind. Maybe that's why his hand had been outstretched. To catch the glimmers of truth before they slipped between his fingers and dissapeared.
It wasn't abnormal for Cole to have very vivid dreams when he slept, and this night was no different. Normally though his dreams didn't make any sense and were all over the place, while this one felt much more real.
He was in his living room, humming to the song playing through his speakers as he tried to fix the bookshelf he had broken a few weeks earlier. It was tedious and frustrating, the pieces broken just enough that they wouldn't stay together with just wood glue but screws seemed like too much. Soon he sighed and just glared at his project, hearing a knock at the door that he gladly welcomed as a distraction. He stood up from his place on the floor, brushing himself off as he opened the door. The person before him wasn't one he wanted to see through. It was the figure that Itzal had described, the same silver crown with tips that seemed to be dipped in human blood. The rest of the thing was just a black shadow though, swirling like smoke as it raised a sword and…
Cole woke up instantly, gasping for breath and blinking slowly. His heart was racing as he tried to calm himself down, telling himself that it was just a nightmare, it was something that would never happen. He glanced over at his clock, sighing at how early it was. He still had tons of time to sleep, but there was no way he was going to be able to fall back asleep after that.
Itzal sat up and pulled the hair tie out of his hair. He was feeling very rested, so there was no need to go back to sleep. In fact, he should probably use the time he had while Cole was still asleep to go back and see what really happened. But something was holding him back: fear. Itzal was so afraid that he would go back and see that everyone else had died, that he was the only survivor. It was selfish and he knew it, but… there was no way he could bring himself to. Itzal ran his hands through his hair, feeling his eyes start to prickle. On top of everything, he was about to cry. Great. Look at him. The leader of the gods, the one who was supposed to protect everyone. But he hadn't been chosen for his strength or his power. The other gods had chosen him because he cared. Because of his heart. And that didn't do anyone any good at the moment. Itzal blinked quickly, trying to keep the tears back, but the first one slipped through his lashes and ran down his cheek. If he couldn't even protect the gods closest to him, how would he help the other gods? Itzal covered his face with his hands, trying to keep back more tears. But it was no use. What a depressing image this was. The leader of the gods, sobbing silently on some kind stranger's couch in the early morning.
(Oh gosh I'm so so sorry, I thought I responded by it must not have sent >-< )
"It was just a dream," He mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he slipped off his bed and stood up, "A sick, twisted dream." Cole wanted to get back to sleep desperately, seeing how early it wasn, but first, he needed a glass of water. Groggily, he pulled on a shirt, blinking through sleep clouded eyes and making his way down the stairs. Even as tired as he was and as dark as the living room, it didn't take him long to notice that Itzal was crying once he got down the stairs. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and slowly walking towards the couch and his sobbing guest. Getting water still was pressed in his mind, but now he had more important things to worry about, if Itzal wanted him to help or listen that was.
(Oh, yikes, you're good!)
Itzal looked up when he heard Cole's voice and tried to dry off most of the tears. "Um…" He started, not really sure what to say. What was wrong? Everything was wrong. All the other gods were either dead or close to death and he could do nothing. "Everything, I guess?" Itzal finally said, blinking quickly. His voice was small, much smaller than he wanted. He just hoped Cole would continue to be nice and not try to take advantage of him. Well, if Cole tried anything funny, Itzal had all of his power back. It would be easy to escape… but he didn't want it to come to that. Cole was nice, and Itzal liked him. "But it's fine." He added, biting the inside of his cheek. He was totally fine, totally– okay, he was lying. He was not fine. Nothing was fine. But Itzal didn't want to take up any of Cole's time with his problems.
Concern filled his half-asleep eyes and he slowly sat down on the edge of the couch, staying away enough to give him personal space if he needed it. "I'm right here if you want to talk about it," Cole said gently, "Or if you would like, I can get you some water and tissues and give you space." He didn't want to overwhelm Itzal or make him uncomfortable so he gave him both options. Either way was something he would respect, he knew from experience that people dealt with things differently, and maybe his guest needed someone to talk to, maybe he needed time to sort out things himself.
Itzal looked over at Cole, his eyes shinning slightly with unshed tears. But he was determined to stop feeling sorry for himself. He could and would stop those beings, even if it meant he died. But as long as he died instead of the other gods, it was fine. "I'm just worried about the other gods," Itzal said softly, taking Cole's first offer. "I really want them to be okay, but…" He shook his head slightly, eyes dropping to the ground. "I can't make myself look back and see what happened. I'm too scared I'll find out I'm the only one who made it out of there alive." A small laugh bubbled out of his mouth. "I don't know why they chose me. I can't protect them all." Itzal buried his head in his hands, feeling a wave of hopelessness wash over him.
"They probably weren't choosing based solely on the ability to protect," Cole responded, his voice as soft as his movement was when he reached out and rested a hand on Itzal's shoulder, "Being a good leader takes more than raw strength or power, they chose you for your other gifts besides that. And anyway, you are all literal gods, no one of you probably even expected for there to be something more powerful than yourself." He cringed internally at his attempts at making his guest feel better, reminded at how bad he was at these types of things. "Being worried is natural, and if you're too scared to see what the actual outcome is, maybe it's best to believe that they're alive until you want to look back." The unshed tears in Itzal's eyes made him even more concerned, enough for him to squeeze his shoulder lightly in reassurance.
Itzal listened to Cole, surprised at how comforting a single hand on his shoulder could be. His words helped as well, and Itzal gave Cole a small smile. "Thank you," He said softly, blinking and wiping away a few more tears that had fallen. Somehow, he'd have to figure out a way to thank Cole for everything that he'd done. He had no idea how, though. But Cole's words and his presence gave Itzal a burst of courage. It might not be looking back, but he could at least see how long he had before those beings came after him, if they did at all. Itzal closed his eyes, looking forward in time. It hardly took any time before he saw those beings bursting into the house and grabbing him, and– oh, stars, Cole. Based on how quickly he'd seen them come, they didn't have long before those beings came. Itzal's eyes flew open and he looked at Cole in alarm. "They're coming. I have to go. Thank you for everything." He shot to his feet, a sort of panicked feeling welling up inside him. Could he get far enough away from Cole before they came for him? The last thing he had wanted was to put Cole in danger.
"No problem," He said gently, smiling back at Itzal. Cole watched as he closed his eyes again and he retreated his arm, relaxing into the couch with a yawn. It was comfy on the couch, comfy enough that when Itzal looked over at him urgently, he almost didn't know what was going on. He got the gist soon enough when he shot to his feet though with Cole standing up moments later. "Wait, what do you mean they're coming? They're coming here? How soon?" He asked. There was no way to tell how fast these things were, but he knew that if Itzal wanted any sort of lead he had to leave as soon as possible, "Do you need anything?"
"Yes, they're coming. I don't know when, but it's soon. I don't know how soon." Itzal shook his head. It was difficult to tell at the moment, but he was sure it was pretty soon. "I need to leave. I can't put you in danger." He started towards the door. He didn't even have shoes on, but he couldn't stop for that. This was going to happen, he had known it would happen, but he hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. Itzal flung open the door, ready to sprint out of the house, but instead of the early morning light, all he was met with was shadows.
"At last," A voice hissed, slipping into Itzal's mind like a knife. He winced, then raised his eyes upwards. The shadow was a robe/cloak thing with a hood covering its face. That terrible, blood-dipped crown was floating above the being's head, giving off a soft silver light. "Itzal Deltemps of the Arbre Deities. You thought running would help." An arm appeared from the folds of the robe, holding a terrible sword Itzal remembered. Before the being could even think about swinging the sword at Itzal, he threw up his hands, freezing the being in time. He whirled around, already knowing he couldn't hold the being for more than a few minutes. He'd have to get out of there, and Cole would probably have to come with him, at least until Itzal could get him to safety. "I'm so sorry, but you're going to have to come with me. Do you have a back exit?"
.jpg)
