Book I: BORN IN DEATH

By: NEVAEVA

Warning: This story contains a variety of explicit sexual themes, including but not limited to LGBT, Shota, Non-Con, polygamy, etc. This story also contains gore, violence, death, torture, and other adult themes we all know and love. No further warnings will be issued; please read this at your own discretion… and a review now and then is much appreciated!

Chapter one: GOD'S DESIRE

The room was shrouded in twilight with a number of oddly shaped shadows dancing on the circular walls. Floor to ceiling stained glass windows were heavily covered with red and gold velvet drapes, allowing but a small line of sunlight to break through. Inside it was hot, and dry, and safe. Sweet smell of burning incense filled the air. So calm, so soothing…

"Mmm…. Master…" a voice purred softly, its owner stretching lazily on an oversized oval bed. Two dozen candles lit the room in warm, hazy glow, producing those imagination gripping shadows that the creature in bed liked so much. "Come look at this one, Master! It looks like a butterfly with a torn wing."

"I must say I'm envious of your ability to be entertained so easily, Mimi," an older, deeper, sensual voice answered from the twilight filled corner, its powerful sound filling the room completely, "But I'm tired… so very tired."

Mimiko grimaced, his youthful face a display of boredom and disappointment. He sighed loudly and rolled onto his belly, kicking a number of frilled pillows off the edge of the bed. Scented sheets tangled up between his long legs, the curve of his thighs and rear, his sensitive black feline tail. "So booored…" he mewled to himself and reached for a slice of mango conveniently placed on a sizable fruit platter at the side of the bed. He ate it lazily, sweet sticky juice dripping off his chin, trailing down his elbows and landing on his exposed milky chest. Mimiko giggled cutely as he tried to reach down to wipe off the liquid but was stopped by a velvet rope that tugged on his wrists and kept his hands from wandering too far.

Master liked to play games.

All kinds of games. Sometimes he was kind and gentle, and sometimes he was not. Sometimes only seeing Mimiko's tears and hearing his howls would lift the Master's deep melancholy. Mimiko didn't enjoy some of those more cruel games but played them nonetheless. He couldn't refuse Master.

"It's cold and it tickles," he complained with mild amusement, attempting to curve his small slender body in such a way that he could lick the juice off his own chest. He failed miserably and let out a dissatisfied groan, his large feline ears folding back. His smooth hair, normally an even alteration of black and white stripes, was now a disheveled mess of salt-and-pepper. He puffed his cheeks and glared in the direction of that compelling voice, afraid to displease the Master with excessive whining. His eyes were big and undeniably beautiful, framed by thick black lashes; their color clear and cool like fresh ice over a deep lake. The pupils were cat-like, however, dilated now in the dimly lit room. They would form two thin vertical strips should he look at the sun shining brightly outside.

Mimiko lazily whipped his tail, watching as it rippled the sheets around him. It felt good. Silken fabric brushing against his naked skin, soft fur tickling his thigh. He remembered the last time when Master played with his tail, the way the other man's hand held it firmly but gently. He remembered as its tip was slid over his sensitive neck, his small perky nipples, down the vertical line along his belly until it landed between his legs. Teasing, tickling, playful, leaving Mimiko gasping as he craved more. He loved it when Master's large warm hands wrapped around him, caressed him slowly, growing more and more demanding as those strong fingers found their way to his most sensitive spot. Still teasing, tickling, playing games…

"Mmm… Ahh… Anwaar…" Mimiko purred softly, unable to keep silent and letting the Master's name fall off his lips. His eyes closed and his mouth twisted in a half-smile, he tried to reach down to stoke his now hardened sex, his balls heavy with desire. But he couldn't – the restrains on his wrists only allowed him so much freedom. He bit his lower lip and touched his chest instead, trailing his fingers over his nipples and armpits and ribs, then coming up to follow the line of his cheekbone before he caught his middle finger between his teeth and bit on it. Hard.

"Oh God…" he murmured, forgetting now that he was supposed to stay quiet, that Master wasn't in the mood. He couldn't stop – not when his tail battered furiously against his now painful hardness, his hips thrusting into that fleeting touch. It wasn't enough - not nearly enough. Mimiko whimpered and rolled onto his belly again, desperately searching for some friction as he slowly ground his hips against the softness of the mattress, his breath coming out in short labored gasps. "Oh God... oh Gggoooddd..."

"You called?"

The other's breath was suddenly at the nape of Mimiko's neck, hot and moist against his skin. He purred loudly.

"Mischievous little imp, aren't you Mimi," the man continued with a scolding quality to his voice, but the low rasp in the Master's tone was all-too-obvious. He liked what he saw. "I've told you to be quiet, and you know how much I dislike to repeat myself. I suppose you just can't help yourself, can you… Your loneliness is such that shame and pride are all but forgotten, as you yearn for a comforting touch of another. You must find it hard to care whether that comfort comes from me or someone else, but…" the corner of the man's lips twitched ever so slightly, "I've claimed you for myself. You are mine, at least for a time – at least for now."

Anwaar. The God of Gods. The one chosen by Raya itself to keep watch over all that is living and all that is dead. The one in control of all the other Gods, all lesser Aspects who served them, all magic users blessed by Raya, and all other mortals who stayed true to Raya's way of being. It was not easy, being Anwaar; and at times Anwaar himself wished that Raya would relinquish its hold on him and let him be. Just simply be.

Today was one of those times. He found himself unable to break free from the weight that Raya's put upon his shoulders, from the irony of his existence. He could control the lives of countless creatures – big and small, mighty and powerless – all lives but his own. All he could hope for was a distraction from his grim thoughts that came in the form of this seductive little creature, this Aspect of Death. And he welcomed it, all those enchanting, helpless little noises that only Mimiko was able to produce.

He was Anwaar's favorite. This month, at least.

"I'm not sorry," Mimiko said defiantly, arching into the touch as Anwaar slid the palm of his hand down the boy's neck, his shoulder blades, and the low of his back. "I've got nothing to do. Everyone else is always so busy, working so hard to satisfy Raya's need for the mortals. But I can't do what I'm supposed to do anymore, so… I was very very VEEERRRY bored."

The God of Gods scowled, a bitter line marring his otherwise immaculate features. His golden eyes lit up with a sudden flash of anger and he smacked that pink behind being offered so freely to him. He didn't hold back.

"This is very selfish of you," he seethed through clenched teeth, "the world does not revolve around you, you poor simple kitten, unfortunate little Aspect of Death. You must be punished for mentioning this to me… it's for your own good."

Mimiko cried out in pain and tried to flinch away from the now assaulting hands of his Master, wondering what brought on this sudden rage. Surely, he wasn't that disobedient, was he? Anwaar's hand landed again, even harder and heavier than before. Mimiko yelped again but didn't attempt to avoid the punishment this time - he couldn't get far being restrained as he was.

The older man gripped the back of Mimiko's neck and squeezed tightly, pushing the boy's face into the pillows, black and white hair swaying violently from the struggle. 'Don't you know not to bring up my loss, not to drown me in sadness? Now look what you've made me do,' he thought bitterly, his face cold and inexpressive. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt something resembling compassion or affection or any other deep emotion for that matter. Not the way mortals felt it, anyway... not for a very long time.

"...Master?" A soft female voice pulled him out of half-forgotten memories of a time long gone. Anwaar sighed and relinquished his hold on Mimiko's neck, turning to face a young woman standing indecisively at the door.

"What is it?"

"I must speak with you," she answered dryly, examining Mimiko's state of undress and discomfort. She had no intention of doing something about it, however, her black almond-shaped eyes lingering on the boy for a short moment, a look of disdain on her face. "Is this not a good time?"

"Is it about the child?" Anwaar asked, quite hopeful. He walked slowly to a large pile of pillows near a low-seated table, lounged there and picked at ripe fruit.

The woman, Lakshmi, nodded shortly and took a few steps forward so that he could hear her quiet voice. Her hair was long and black like a raven's wing, cascading all the way down below her knees. She wore a simple blue and white sari with intricate trimming, her arms and feet left bare. Exquisite gold decorations adorned whatever parts of her that weren't covered by cloth. Gemmed bracelets on her ankles, arms, and neck clunk softly as she moved, and a black tattoo distorted the left side of her serine face, accentuated by aquamarine piercings in her brow, nose, and lip.

"It will be happening very soon, Master, and we have made all the necessary preparations, but…" Lakshmi informed him, his excitement evident on his chiseled face. She smiled gently and lowered her head, anticipating a negative reaction to what she had to say next. "I thought you might wish to reconsider the child's future, your Brilliance. You've made it clear in the past that you wish to raise him here. But perhaps leaving him with his human parents would be for the best – "

"Nonsense!" Anwaar growled, fires dancing in his golden eyes. Mimiko whimpered and pressed himself into the mess of pillows at his back, drawing the sheets up to his chin and gazing up at Lakshmi with a pleading expression in his cat-like eyes. How dare she fuel Master's anger when he was already displeased? Didn't she know that Anwaar would take it out on him? Mimiko hissed almost inaudibly - he's never liked her. She was the Aspect of Wealth. She didn't care for living things, only things that she could count or measure. She was bound to Anwaar by Raya, a bond that would only break when she dies. Mimiko's own bound God had been gone for a very long time. He could hardly even remember now what is was like, to serve his God of Fate.

"That child will be unlike anything else the mortals had ever seen. They won't have the slightest idea how to deal with him. They will fear him, they will blame him for what he is, and they will kill him when he's still young. They will never understand!" Anwaar seethed, irritated by the fact that he had to repeat this argument for what seemed like the hundredth time. The Aspects were especially mouthy as of late...

"I refuse to take that chance," he continued. "The last thing I want is to lose another brother - another God of Fate - to the ignorant mortals. And, by Raya... this is for their own benefit! How much longer do you think they can last without Fate to judge them?" He reached down to ruffle Mimiko's hair, his gaze calming somewhat when they boy purred at his touch. "And aren't you worried about Mimi and his sister, hm? The poor little things have suffered long enough without their bound God. Little Aspects of Death and Life, so useless now without dead souls to guide, without judgments to pass, without a purpose."

"With all due respect, your Brilliance, the judgment must be fair when it's passed," Lakshmi disagreed gently. She had to exercise self-restraint when speaking to Anwaar about this. It was beyond her that he could be so selfish, so narrow-minded, and so cruel. She didn't believe his words when he claimed that his actions are for the benefit of others. She's known him for a very long time - for centuries - and he grew more and more out of touch with those he was meant to protect. "How can a child judge those he had never met? If he's never exposed to the struggles of the mortals then he'd be a God of Fate in name and name only - not in actuality. I reckon it would be fair to let him bond with his birthparents; that's what Raya would want."

Anwaar paled. He stood up slowly, gracefully, then approached Lakshmi like a predator would approach a wounded prey. He was tall and handsome, a physical perfection, his golden eyes and short curly hair shimmering under the candle light. He said nothing for a long time, staring down at his disobedient Aspect of Wealth as she stood before him, unmoving, her eyes downcast.

Then he hit her across the face with the back of his hand. His ringed fingers scraped the skin off her cheek, her teeth drawing blood as she bit her tongue from the force of the impact. She fell to her knees.

"The new God belongs to me and me only," Anwaar said softly, calmly, watching her as she wiped the blood off her face and shakily got up. "I will not discuss this any further, not with you or anyone else. Bring the child to me after he's born. And, one more thing..." he paused, reaching down to grab hold of Lakshmi's chin. He tilted her head up looked at her with disgust, cold smile playing on his lips, "Do not ever... ever... tell me what Raya wants. It is silent. And while it's silent, only I speak for it. Get out."

"I understand, Master. As you wish..."

Lakshmi mustered a small pained smile and bowed, hurriedly leaving the God of Gods' chamber. She closed the doors behind her and leaned back, breathing heavily as she waited for her heart to stop beating so fast. She still feared him. She knew how kind he could be, how gentle; but she also knew him when he refused to listen to reason. She remembered the day when he appeared to her for the first time. He was simply breathtaking, with his six virgin-white wings swaying gently in the wind, his soft golden eyes and hair, his perfectly sculpted body and chiseled face. She'd fallen in love that instant.

She was born poor but worked her way up the social ladder thanks to her uncanny intuition when it came to financial matters. She'd been quite successful during her mortal life - rich but lonely. She didn't trust anyone, not even her family. So when he, a deity, offered her all the blessings of Raya, when he asked if she'd serve him as the Aspect of Wealth, when he offered her a loving family and so much more, she thought she would die from joy. She loved everything that Anwaar represented - the bond of minds and souls, kinship, love, law and order. But even up here in A'Rayan where time is still and space is limitless, things change… have changed for the worse since Fate was gone.

She loved her God and hated him, feared and cared for him, all at the same time.

Lakshmi gritted her teeth and winced when her face ached, wiping remaining blood off her lips. She straightened her sari and walked down the hallway, her hands tracing the intricate carvings of ancient wood pillars. Signs of age and neglect marred once perfectly kept woodwork and tapestries. Dark corners smelled of damp dust and mold, and carved stone floors were rough with old scrapes and scratches. She stopped when the hallway ended and looked down at a spacious round square below her, her fingers tight on the wood railing. Many similar hallways also ended at the terrace, arranged in a giant circular pattern, with a grand staircase connecting the lower and the upper sections. The Gods' quarters were on top while Aspects resided on the bottom.

Lakshmi took a deep, long breath to calm her nerves and gather her thoughts. She walked quickly around the terrace and down the stairs, her bare feet making no sound as she stepped on the cold marble floor. Patches of greenery peeked their way through the cracks between the tiles, and she winced when she cut her bare foot on a thorny vine and she rushed along. A'Rayan beauty had not inspired awe for a long time, now, and the very air was starting to taste old and stale.

At last, she made her way to her room and thanked Raya for providing her with a sanctuary, a home created by her and for her. Each room was catered to the specific deity to be exactly what they wished, infinite in space and limited only by its owner's imagination.

She was greeted with the light of a setting sun once she'd stepped through, warm sandy ground pliant under her feet. She looked out towards the coast line and the hazy red stretch of the horizon, gentle tide coming and going as she walked the beach. She anxiously inhaled that humid, salty air that always calmed her down; then she stretched slowly and summoned her wings, squinting as she scanned the jagged cliff in the distance. She flew up and over the ocean, her green-and-blue peacock feathered wings making ripples in the otherwise calm waters. She saw a figure perched atop the cliff, its silhouette black against the waning light. She didn't need to see it well to know who it was, his form familiar and endearing. She smiled.

"Kane..." she said with a small nod, flashing him a shy smile. She hovered at the edge of the cliff for a second, then took his offered hand and landed softly on the ragged warm rocks. "Thank you, friend."

The man said nothing, just nodded. He studied her face as she retracted her wings and sat down, her feet dangling over the cliff's edge. He reached out and pointed at the red mark on her face. Lakshmi could only guess what was going through his head. Kane never spoke and never removed an iron mask from his face.

"I know it must look awful," she said with an apologetic smile. "But it doesn't hurt that much, really. Master didn't mean to do this... I brought this upon myself, you know. I could have been more tactful. But you know how he is. I hate it when he gets so stubborn. He's been obsessed with the new God ever since the prophecy. I reckon he's still dwelling on the past, unable to forgive or forget what had happened."

Again, her companion said nothing, just nodded. She thought he might be saddened by this, but she could be wrong. The only thing she knew about Kane was that he'd always been there for her. He'd always listen and worry about her, always be there to make sure she wasn't alone. And as always, he kept his face and body hidden, his large muscled form clad in a black hooded cloak with iron plates for a face. At times she was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of his eyes through the narrow slits in the mask, but those moments were so fleeting that she couldn't even tell what color they were, much less what emotion might be hiding within.

"I just know that Master is wrong to bring the child here," Lakshmi continued, licking the split in her lip where he'd hit her, "don't you think so, too? I'll find a way to make him see that."

Lakshmi looked out thoughtfully into the vast expanse of the ocean, the sound of the waves and Kane's arm over her shoulder soothing her soul. She would never say this to anyone, not even Kane, but what she really wanted was for Anwaar to never see the new God of Fate. She didn't want Master's obsession with the baby to become permanent. All she wanted was for him to keep his promise of love and peace and family that he'd made to her so long ago. After all, current state of A'Rayan was no place to raise a child, she knew that much.

T B C

Character art available at nevaever. deviantart. com (no spaces)