It was early autumn; the crisp morning air filling the streets of New Orleans. The pale blue sky painted with sporadic white streaks of clouds allowing various chinks of sunlight to rain down upon the bustling town. The morning atmosphere filled with the energy of the lively and eccentric city; the vibrant people already starting about their business, either heading to work, visiting with friends, window shopping, or simply enjoying the autumn weather. A cascade of smells and sounds wafted through the air as people beset the weathered and traveled roads, in search of some new shop or store they hadn't seen or visited; a stand or restaurant they hadn't tried regardless of how often they traveled the same roads.
Amongst the many streets sat a simple bakery, and sitting at one of the many tables set up outside the small building was a woman. She was reading a sappy romance novel while eating a fresh buttery croissant. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, had fair skin, shoulder length dark auburn hair, and stark blue eyes. She wore casual attire, from a simple black leather jacket, a plain white blouse, blue jeans and black sneakers. The woman was beautiful, and in most places, her features would earn her many stares or questions. However, in this city, with their eclectic mixture, hardly anyone gave her a second glance, which is exactly how she wanted it.
She sat relaxed; legs crossed, the croissant held in her left hand, now half finished, while she held the book in her right; using her thumb and pinky she would flip the pages. In that moment, she would appear to be completely engrossed in the book, her mind shutting out the whole world around her. But nothing truly ever escaped this woman's notice. As such, she greeted the man that had just walked up behind her without hesitation or faltering in her reading, "What do you want Grenth?" She asked, her raspy voice colored with skepticism and familiarity. She knew this man, and knew him well.
A deep earthy chuckle escaped the man's lips as he strolled around the table and sat down across from the woman, "Warm and welcoming as always I see."He replied, the corner of his mouth lifting a little. The man was handsome; jet black hair that hung in waves, brushing his shoulders, light brown eyes and rugged tan chiseled features. He wore a black suit, with a black shirt and tie; a hard look to pull off, but it fit him. Matched with the air of confidence and strength, he could easily be described as intimidating, but at the moment he held a charming smile with bright eyes, "No simple hello for an old friend? I'm hurt Mira." He said with a slight pout, tilting his head a little; face pulling into a grin as the woman stuck him with a deadpan stare before blinking and returning her gaze to the book.
Grenth sat back in his chair relaxed, "Can't two old friends have a simple chat without there needing to be an ulterior motive?" Grenth asked while Mira finished off the last of her croissant, a chuckle building up as she finally put the book down and gave Grenth her full attention, a smirk on her lips now as she said, "Sure, except, that's not the case is it? You know," She continued, not giving Grenth time to respond, her eyes shifting skyward before settling back on the man, "I've always liked that about you, your humor. You're funny, so funny." All hints of humor left her voice and features as she finished, piercing Grenth with an icy gaze. Grenth simply sighed in response, waiting for what he knew would come next.
"If I remember correctly, I believe my exact words to you the last time we spoke were, 'Don't show your gorgeous face around me again unless it's to apologize'. And yet, I haven't heard a single sorry from you yet. So, what's wrong with this picture?" There was a tense silence between them that lasted about ten seconds, but for anyone that would have been watching, it would have felt like an eternity; such was the history between these two. Grenth stayed silent, knowing that Mira didn't actually want him to talk, because she already knew what he would say, she just wanted to be heard, "How many times are we going to go through this? I create something I love, only for you to end up destroying it. Like Atlantis for example."
"Ugh," Grenth sighed in response, rolling his eyes, unable to stop himself, "Atlantis again? Really woman? If you remember correctly, I actually have apologized for that. Many times over in fact." making a small gesture with his hand as he spoke, "It was a genuine accident, I didn't actually intend for the entire civilization to be wiped out."
"But they were." She cut in, sitting forward in her chair, "And all because they disrespected you. You killed an entire civilization; one that had the opportunity to advance this world's technology by millennia mind you, simply because you didn't like how they treated you. And you've done it time and time again. When is it going to be enough?" She said, sitting back in her chair, waiting for his response. All traces of humor were gone now from Grenth as well.
"You're one to talk."He said, making Mira's brows twitch upward, "Remember the Black Plague?" He asked. It was Mira's turn now to roll her eyes and sigh"You know I'm still blamed for that to this day, right? And I actually had nothing to do with it. My reapers had to work overtime for damn near a millennium thanks to that little prank of yours." Grenth made air quotes as he said prank, "And all because you didn't like how they were treating magic."
Mira had become flustered, waving her hand as she said, "What. They were treating anyone and everything that had magic like they were a leper. What did you expect me to do?"
"Exactly."Grenth interjected, "They disrespect me and I kill off a couple of civilizations in uncontrolled anger. But they disrespect you," He said, nodding his head towards Mira in emphasis, "And you curse almost the whole damn world to suffer a fate worse than death for several centuries." They stared at each other in quiet anger for several seconds before they both finally sighed, realizing it was pointless to keep arguing over such ancient events.
Grenth was the first to speak, "Look, I didn't come here to argue with you Mira, I really didn't. And I am sorry, for everything." His apology was sincere, and Mira could tell; her features and posture relaxing at the sound of the words she'd wanted to hear for many centuries now. She honestly missed her friend. No other god understood her quite like Grenth did; no other god treated her quite like Grenth did.
"Thank you." She said quietly, slowly bringing her eyes up to rest on that handsome face she could never forget, and never wanted to. An awkward, yet not entirely uncomfortable silence settled over them while the two ancient gods tried to figure out how best to proceed. Though she had wanted to hear those words for so long, a part of her had begun believing she might never hear them. And at the same time, though she was loathed to admit it, she also knew that her curse on the humans was wrong, and that she had overreacted.
However, though she desperately wanted to believe that this apology was all she needed, to believe that things could go back to how they were; genuinely happy though she was, Mira couldn't completely rid herself of the deep-rooted anger she'd built up over the centuries. Turning her head, she glanced at the passerby, breathing deeply through her nose before closing her eyes and sighing, "But I don't think I can forgive you just yet." She said, drawing her eyes back up to meet his, her pale blue eyes turning icy.
"It's not because I don't believe you're serious, and I do agree my initial reaction back then was a bit…overzealous. But I honestly don't think my reaction was much more grievous than yours have been, if for nothing else than the simple fact that I didn't wipe out your potential successor." Mira said, unintentionally causing the air around them to drop several degrees in response to her anger. Grenth said nothing, choosing to stay silent; turning his head slightly away and releasing a long quiet sigh of shame.
Grenth's gaze wandered for a few seconds before returning to Mira. It was something he would never let himself live down. Immortality was vastly overrated, anybody that had managed to make it past a century or two without much difficulty would tell you the same thing. Multiply that several times and you were looking at the typical lifespan of most minor gods. Multiply that several times over and you were approaching the average lifespan of the major gods, frequently hitting ten-thousand years. And once you approached the eldest gods, lifetimes would easily last twenty-thousand years or more.
To live so long was only viewed as a blessing by those fortunate enough to have fleeting lives. For what is a meaningful life, if you haven't someone precious to experience it with? Such rare lifespans breed equally rare companions; friends, allies, or lovers that could truly understand the emptiness of such long-lasting life. One of the most cherished moments of an elder god's life was finding the creature that could potentially replace them in their role. It was truly an indescribable moment when an elder god would find their successor, no words could express the emotions that would course through them at the discovery.
Likewise, the sheer guilt a god would feel at cheating an elder god out of their successor could also not be described, because they knew; would understand all too well the depression of being so close to reaching the realm of the elder gods, only to have to start over. It was easily one of the most regrettable moments in all his life. And even if by some miracle Mira could actually bring herself to completely forgive him, he didn't think he could ever truly forgive himself.
"I know." He said, his eyes soft and sad, "And I wouldn't blame you if you never truly forgave me for that. I've never intentionally wished you pain Mira, I hope you know that. In all my years, there have been very few things that I've regretted, but none have I regretted more than taking the life of the one you had chosen as your successor." Grenth watched as Mira's eyes softened while he spoke, the air around them warming back up to its original temperature.
"That's why I've done my best to leave the wizards alone, and have even attempted to help them out along the way." He started, but was cut off before he could continue.
"Is that why you gave those brothers those items?" Mira asked quickly, eyes widening slightly and a single brow twitching in wonder. It was very rare for elder gods to give powerful gifts to mortals, but even more so for Grenth, at least for pure gifts sake. It wasn't completely uncommon for Grenth to give gifts that turned out to be less helpful than expected, simply for mischievous means to entertain himself. Which is why when Mira had learned of the three items he had given to the Peverell brothers, she had been less than happy, believing them to be meant to cause her more trouble.
"Yes." He responded with a small smile, the smile faltering a little as he continued, "But that didn't really turn out how I expected. I thought they could handle the power of the items, but I guess I was too eager. I truly believed I had finally found a worthy successor amongst those three. Ignotus seemed the most promising, but ultimately failed. I had thought that the wizards had evolved enough to overcome the lust for power and vengeance that so many mortals so easily give in to." Grenth took a deep breath, releasing it with a defeated sigh.
"I do still admire the wizards though. I think that out of all the creatures and civilizations you've created, the wizards show the most promise. I feel like they actually possess the greatest potential to produce a successor for not just you, but for myself as well." He said with a knowing smile to Mira.
This all honestly caught Mira off guard. Out of all of the eldest gods, none had been in their role longer than Grenth. Quite frankly, Mira had never known anyone else in Grenth's role than Grenth himself. It fit him so well that she and most other gods tended to forget that he too would have a successor. It had never crossed her mind before, that Grenth had never even once, in all the time she'd known him, believed he'd found a successor. To continue to play the role he had been for as long as he had was far more exhausting and depressing than she could possibly imagine. Realizing that now, she firmly believed Grenth would never willingly harm another elder god's successor. She felt like such a fool.
"So, the Peverell brothers." She started, leaning forward in her chair, "Do you actually mean that you thought any one of them could have been a potential successor for you? Especially you?" She added with a motion.
"Yes," He replied with a small chuckle, "It's like I said, I admire the wizards. I know that you first gave the humans magic as a means to better protect themselves. But it's more than that. There's something special about them, and I don't just mean the magic of course. After all, our roles," He said, motioning between himself and Mira, "Are some of the most complex and difficult roles to fill in all of creation. I can't quite put my hand on it, but I know it's there."
"Do you mean…there's another?"
"Yes." He said with a small smirk, "Unprecedented isn't it? Not only did I have three potential successors at once, but twice encountered the possibility with your wizards. Never before has that happened with any other race, or any other god."
Mira could hardly believe what she was hearing, and he was completely right, it had never happened before, and definitely not for Grenth. After all, what were the odds? "It seems, my old friend," Mira started with a small smile, "That fortune has finally smiled on us both."
"So, it's true then." Grenth said, happy to see that most of the negative emotions had began to dissipate around them. It almost felt like he and Mira could talk like they used to so long ago. "You've also found a successor."
"Yeah." She responded with a warm smile. "It's been some time, but I think I've finally found someone that could do it."
"That makes me very happy Mira. You deserve it." The two of them simply enjoyed each other's company for the next few minutes, catching up on the centuries they'd spent apart, and how their search for a successor had developed. Many things went in to finding and picking a successor for most elder gods, but for the two of them, things were a bit more complex. Not just anyone could fill the role of Magick or Death. It was no small miracle that Death had found a potential successor, but for Magick to also find one within the same species? It was unheard of.
As the day was approaching noon, curiosity was gnawing at Grenth, "So I have been wondering." He started, making Mira look up from her fifth half-finished croissant. He swore the woman was addicted to those things, "If you don't mind my asking, exactly who is it that you've chosen to be your successor?"
"Oh, you would love him." She said around her bite of croissant, a nice smile on her face, "He's still pretty young by many standards; however, he's been through a significant number of ordeals already, and has managed to surpass my expectations time and time again."
"Really?" Grenth said, honestly surprised. Very few gods could ever give him a run for his money in the hard ass category. He was extremely meticulous with his work, and his scrutiny was unparalleled. In all his years, only Mira could come close. So for her to give someone, especially a mortal, such praise meant they had to be special, maybe even as special as the one he'd chosen.
"Yeah. I've tested him much more thoroughly than any others before. So much so, that I honestly feel a little bad."
Grenth arched a worried brow, it wasn't uncommon for Mira to go a little overboard on her tests for successors, but he'd never heard her admit to feeling bad about what she put them through. Though it was necessary to test them to ensure they could handle the responsibilities that went with their roles, Mira always seemed to go above and beyond, "Jeez woman, what exactly did you put the poor thing through?"
"Oh like you can talk. You know your tests are always worse than mine, even on my best day." She responded. Grenth shrugged in admittance, "However, I was worried for a bit that I might have gone overboard; didn't really expect the events I'd set in motion to develop so darkly, so quickly. But, he managed to overcome it."
"That's good. And from what you've said, I think I would really like him." He said, taking a genuine interest in this person, "So, what's his name?" He asked before taking a swig of his Mountain Dew.
"Harry James Potter."
At the mention of that name, Grenth's eyes grew wide and he practically choked on the drink, nearly spitting it out. Concern crossed Mira's face, "Grenth, are you okay?" She asked, reaching a hand across the table before it was waved away by the man.
It took him a few seconds to recover his composure, not really knowing how best to navigate what he knew would be a tricky conversation. And after a few moments of deliberation he realized that there was no easy way to go about it, "My dear," He started, his uncomfortable demeanor setting Mira on edge, "I really don't know how to easily say this. But let me start by saying that…It really was completely unintentional. I give you my word I had no idea."
"Grenth, you didn't…" Mira started, her body frozen as the worst thoughts flew through her mind, believing that once again, her chosen successor had been killed by Death.
"No, he's not dead." Grenth said quickly, holding a hand up as he knew that was where her mind would first go. His answer caused confusion to cover her face, not knowing what else could have possibly made him say what he did.
Mira's brows both furrowed in confusion, "Well then, what…" She started, then trailed off, not understanding.
"The name," Grenth said, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together as he watched Mira soak in what he said, "The name of the one I have chosen as my successor." He could watch as the realization began to finally set in, her eyes widening slightly every second, "His name, is Harry James Potter."
The silence that lingered on for seconds, felt like eternity before Mira finally broke out of her daze affirming the truth, "We both chose the same person as our successor."
"Yeah." Death said flatly.
"Fuck."
