Sinking Sun
"Someone I liked? Maybe there was one, maybe there were many."
~ Vivi, eight heart line
oo0oo
He had always been there, right from the very beginning. The only two immortals within a hundred mile radius of one another before the arrival of the Harvest Goddess, they were forced to understand each other as neither would be leaving for millennia to come. Neither immortals were overly enthusiastic about being in the other's company for extended periods of time but in a way, they needed one another.
Or rather, he needed her.
Witch smirked as she ran a finger up his muscled arm. His skin was warm –far warmer than any human's. "It's been a while since I've created a hurricane," Witch noted lightly, gazing up at the towering male. "I think paradise needs something to stir it up." The witch danced away before the deity pushed her aside. The Harvest God growled, setting his heavy carnelian red eyes on her. Smirking, Vivi continued, "You might have stopped my last few hurricanes for your precious humans, but I guarantee that this one won't be so easy to unravel."
Stepping toward the edge of the platform, Vivi cast her gaze over the lush, green land below. The rivers were clear and always filled with fish; the forests healthy and full, always providing for the humans; and the land fertile, with the farmers never needing to suffer through droughts or bad harvests. It was a peaceful way of life, but also a monotonous and meaningless one in her opinion. Success was not success without challenges. It was sweat and tears that made life worth living.
"You really do need to thank me one of these days," Vivi called, looking over her shoulder at the stoic deity. The Harvest God's lips thinned slightly but he made no reply. Her amber colored eyes narrowed slightly as she eyed the male, her tone becoming haughtier. "Without me, I'm sure the villagers would not revere you as much as they do." With that said, the Witch lightly stepped over the edge of the platform with her broom in hand and disappeared beneath the clouds.
He was the sun, the humans' salvation, while she, the shadows, their darkest fears.
True to her word, the Harvest King had indeed been unable to take apart her hurricane this time –not that he hadn't tried. Throughout the night, the witch could sense the deity prodding the growing hurricane with his powers. The sensation of his powers though irritating, were light and controlled. She knew he could stop the course of the spell by force if he truly tried but doing so would create negative consequences elsewhere in the world, thus the male was stuck with unraveling the spell. His vast reserves of power that enabled nature to bend at his will was his undoing as he had no need to study the intricate designs of spells witches and wizards used. Waiting with bated breath, the night slowly passed.
When Vivi passed over the town the day after, she found the area in complete disarray –a testament to the raw power of nature that humans do not take seriously enough. The perfectly straight rows of crops were torn apart along with fences and various other light, unbound objects. Witch grinned as she drifted above Castanet on her broom, watching the land's residents busy themselves with repairs. This was how life should be –not the perfect and monotonous paradise that the Harvest King gave the humans. This was art. This was beauty. This was living.
This was also, as she would later discover, the beginning of their ending.
"Vivi, do you know… how much destruction… your hurricane caused?" the Harvest King growled in a slow and controlled voice when the witch approached him to gloat the next day. Hairline cracks erupted from the spot on the armrest where the Harvest King's hand was gripping. "Did you even think before you created the hurricane?"
Hands forming fists by her side, Vivi scowled angrily back at him. "Don't you dare look down on me like that! Of course I took safety into consideration when I created the hurricane? Why do you think no one is dead right now?" It was not a coincidence that she had not killed a single villager with her spells throughout all the years, even if they had tried to kill her multiple times.
The armrest crumpled underneath the deity's grip but the male did not move from his position. "This time, someone would have died if I had not intervened."
Her calculations were never wrong. Flipping her hair, Witch said, "I do not take into account idiocy when I create my spells." If someone had nearly died, then he or she was obviously doing something extremely stupid in the middle of a hurricane. Eying the seething Harvest King with one eye, Vivi decided that today's visit obviously wasn't going to be fun. The thought of bragging didn't seem all that tempting anymore either. Turning around, Vivi said, "Whatever. I don't feel like talking to you today."
She later found that he had met her because of the typhoon. Warm, kind-hearted, and gentle, she was the type of person that put others before herself –including her farm animals. In search of a missing chicken during the typhoon, the female ended up injuring herself in the typhoon, becoming trapped in the barren pathway between her farm and the Garmon Mine District. That was how the farmer and the deity first met.
Witch would not call the farmer and Harvest King's relationship anything special at first. However, while exasperated by her idiotic actions, it was easy to see that the Harvest King found the farmer's innocent foolishness refreshing. It was in the way his expression softened whenever Vivi mentioned the farmer. As time passed, Witch would catch her companion gazing thoughtfully, worriedly, or happily at vividly colored fields of the farm.
The human and deity kept in contact as well. Time spent just between the two immortals shifted to accommodate weekly visits to the mountaintop by the farmer. Weeks changed to days, and Vivi found herself losing the attention of the Harvest God. She wasn't jealous but the witch would not permit something that was hers to be taken away.
"Keep away from him." She had managed to easily back the farmer into the corner of the barn. Wide brown eyes gazed up at the silver-haired woman, recognizing her visitor for the threat that she was. Appearing with her complete witch's ensemble, including her hat, cape, and broom, it was difficult to mistake her for anything else since no one else dared to walk around in such an outfit. With most of the villagers being raised with deep ingrained fear of black magic and dark creatures, her opponent was incapable of putting up much of a fight. Witch smirked as she eyed the terrified human. Victory.
As expected, the farmer was unable to meet her eyes. However the words that came from the brunette's lips were far from going according to plan. "I always… act in the best interest of my friends. If the Harvest God is happy… with my visits, I will not stop them." Her words, while soft, were firm and not what Witch was expecting.
Narrowing her eyes, Vivi slammed her palm against the wall beside the farmer's head, causing the brunette to wince and attempt to sink further back into the wooden wall. "In his best interest?" she hissed. "Everything will end for you in a few decades, but for him, he will remember you for centuries!" Vivi chose not to expand on that trail of thought since it hit close to home for her as well. She had made human friends and they were amusing while they lasted –which usually was not very long. She was not jaded though. After a few centuries, Vivi chose to move on but the Harvest God may not act in the same way.
Witch could feel Hikari's warm breath ghost against the back of her hand as the farmer breathed, "Joy and pain is what makes life beautiful." The brunette snuck a glance at the witch but quickly averted her gaze once again when Vivi's amber eyes flashed angrily. Witch glowered at the farmer, who had surprisingly echoed her own view on life. This matter… this matter was different though.
Leaning forward so that Vivi's lips were by Hikari's ear, the witch growled, "If you continue to see him, I will make sure that the rest of your life will be as miserable as possible." Her statement was not an empty threat and Hikari knew that as well based on the number of disasters that fell on the village attributed to Witch –some were unfounded accusations (not that she bothered to deny them), while others quite accurate. Unsurprisingly, Vivi had a fearsome reputation in Castanet, able to send children and adults alike scattering whenever she approached them. With her message communicated, Vivi left the trembling farmer in her barn.
To Witch's frustration, Hikari did not take her advice and continued to visit the deity. The Harvest God found out about witch's visit to Hikari and their relationship worsened. In retaliation, Vivi proceeded to turn Hikari into various random animals whenever she came across the farmer. Needless to say, the Harvest God was not impressed. Many arguments ensued, but nothing changed; Vivi did not take orders from anyone –not even the Harvest God—, the Harvest God would let the world blow up before taking her advice, and Hikari was not afraid of misery if it meant her friends were happy.
And somehow, through this process, the issue changed from looking out for her longtime companion to competing with the farmer. While Witch put on a haughty mask, she was confused as to why the Harvest God would prefer the mortal over her. In what area did Hikari best her? She had the farmer trumped in beauty, intelligence, and anything else that mattered. She couldn't be –wasn't—inadequate! Her confusion soon turned to anger. The Harvest God was obviously classless if he preferred the farmer over the almighty Witch Princess.
Dark clouds rolled ominously in the background, the scenery most common when Witch visited the Harvest God nowadays. The air was chillier than usual when she had arrived on the Harvest God's platform that day but it did nothing to cool either immortals' anger. "You idiot! Do you know what you're doing?" Her words rang clearly and loudly, reaching the figure that had risen from his throne.
The fiery aura around the Harvest God flared up. His robes billowed as the wind in the area suddenly increased in strength. "Insolent fool! It is not your place to question my actions!"
His anger fell on her, taking the form of a tangible pressure. If she were a human, the witch would have screamed out from the terrible feeling raking across her body. Eventually, Vivi fell to her knees. The raw power attacking her wiped everything else from her mind except for the rage and displeasure the Harvest God was feeling. Her will was quickly breaking, a scream fighting to escape from her lips. Then, as soon as the attack had come, it subsided. Able to think once again, Witch weakly registered Hikari's voice shouting at the Harvest God to stop. Blinking away the tears in her eyes, Witch stumbled onto her feet. With nothing to say to the deity, she turned away and left the Harvest God's platform.
"I hate him, hate him, hate him!" Glass shattered across the floor as Vivi flipped over a table. A chair skidded after it, pushing the shattered pieces of glass out of its path and leaving faint scratches in the floor. Breathing heavily, the witch shook her head, muttering, "Idiot."
She moved on, gracing the Harvest Goddess with her presence instead. She visited the goddess daily, chattering about whatever came to mind. It was a way to pass time… to occupy her mind. Time passed by pleasantly on most days unless her companion brought up the topic of the Harvest God. Despite the goddess' urging, the stubborn Witch Princess refused to make up with the Harvest God. She had nothing to apologize for and would not be the first to give in.
Sitting down beneath the Mother Tree with her hands resting lightly on her lap, the deity spoke patiently to Witch. Despite all their previous conversations on the matter ending in disaster, the goddess was unable to let the matter slide because the current damaging state of affairs could so easily be changed. "You'll be happier…"
She knew what the Harvest Goddess was going to say and the witch was not willing to hear any of it. "Do not say it! The only chance I will talk to him is if he comes and apologizes to me first!" Hands balled into fists by her side, Vivi pushed away from the tree she was leaning against and started pacing back and forth across the grassy clearing. She hadn't come here to hear about the Harvest God. Why the Harvest Goddess cared so much about their business was beyond her. "I did nothing wrong so why should I talk to him?"
A cool hand reached out, lightly catching Vivi's wrist. Wearing a gentle smile, the Harvest Goddess patted the grassy spot beside her. Crossing her arms over her chest, the silver-haired female plopped down beside the goddess. The two sat in silence, with Witch waiting for the goddess to say what she felt must be said and the goddess waiting for who knows what. The soft song of the spring water and the rustling of the grasses and leaves slowly filled the silence.
After a moment, Witch breathed out a sigh, finding it difficult to stay angry in the Harvest Goddess' presence. Turning away from the deity's crystalline blue eyes, Vivi grumbled, "What?" Though she was not facing her companion, she could still feel the other's eyes focused on her.
"Sometimes… it is the stronger person that apologizes first."
Vivi did not even need to think over the statement to dismiss it as idiotic despite the pretty arrangement of words. Lips thinning, Witch questioned, "Did you actually think I would fall for that?" Witch's anger flared once again as she thought over the matter once again. Holding her head high, Vivi pushed herself off the ground. "You know what? I'm not in the mood to talk today."
Other than their minor disagreements concerning Vivi's conflict handling methods, the two immortals got along without resorting to any yelling matches –not that the goddess would have participated in one. It was a refreshing change. Sparing the villagers that visited the Goddess' spring from misfortune, rumor spread and the goddess quickly rose in popularity.
While more patient that the Harvest God, the Harvest Goddess did not appreciate the pranks she pulled on humans either. No longer finding much fun in wilting crops and brewing storms for an unfathomable reason, Vivi acquiesced with the majority of her requests to let the humans be.
Lying on the grassy clearing beneath the tree, Vivi gazed disinterestedly at the taller female. "You know that the humans won't visit you anymore if everything goes well for them. You will be forgotten, and your temple will fall to ruin."
The immortal smiled gently, running her pale hands down one of the intricate columns lining the pathway to the spring. The white marble gleamed in the sunlight, smooth, unscratched and well-cared for –a sign of the goddess' current power. Turning to Witch, the Harvest Goddess shook her head. Her voice rang like wind chimes as she spoke. "It's time to let them pave their own path… even if it means that I will be forgotten."
Draping her forearm across her forehead, Vivi murmured, "Just don't leave."
While unable to see anything with her arm blocking her view of the area, Vivi heard soft sighing of cloth and the ring of metal bracelets moving as the Goddess turned to look at her. "I won't abandon my friends so long as I can help it."
Vivi sighed and closed her eyes, letting the sensations of the spring overtake her senses.
So she silently watched as years passed, slowly fading into the background. Though only a few decades had passed, the village was already changing rapidly. A farm and ranch were built outside her forest, helping support the growing town and filling in the gap left after the owner of Bell Farm passed away. Harmonica Town grew as well, a fishery joining the desolate church, tavern, school, and manor house. Meanwhile, visits to the Goddess Spring thinned out, though the difference was almost imperceptible if Vivi had not kept track. Tradition was difficult to change, though perhaps in a few more centuries, the spring would lose all the meaning it currently held. Time made life fickle and even mountains shifted as time wore on.
"He's gone."
Dismounting from her broom, Vivi gazed quizzically in the goddess' direction. "He?"
The goddess clasped her hands together on her lap. Her translucent wings drooped as she continued though her eyes remained focused on Witch's face. She could tell Vivi knew whom she was referring to despite the question. Letting out a soft breath, the goddess continued gently, "The land is currently strong and he wanted to rest for a while."
Witch stared wordlessly at her for a moment, trying to understand what had happened. Grip tightening around her broomstick, Witch turned around, swinging her leg over the broom once again. Kicking off, the silver-haired female shot up towards the Harvest God's platform. Though she had not come near the area for decades, the journey was familiar: the marks on the mountain side, the feeling of the wind tugging at her clothes and hat, the chilliness of the mist kissing her cheeks as she passed through the clouds surrounding the Harvest God's platform –it was difficult to believe anything had changed.
Lowering her stiff body onto the stone dais, Witch's heels clacked against the hard stone as she strode across the platform. A blanket of snow was draped solemnly on the empty area, even coating the Harvest God's throne. Her legs seemed to move automatically as Witch approached the intricately carved structure. Pale hands reached forward, touching the snow on the undisturbed throne. The truth slowly sank in.
Gripping the armrest, Vivi grit her teeth. "How dare you leave me like this! Come out right now, you jerk!" Her screams were met with silence. She knew… she knew that he wouldn't respond. What was this feeling that was rising up within her? Panic? Pain? Desperation?
"Harvest God! If you don't come out right now, I will blow apart the top of Mt. Garmon." Fire springing to her hands, Vivi struck out, scorching everything around her. The smooth dais, with runes etched into the stone, darkened with each spell she threw until the symbols became ineligible. It was too late –far too late—but she knew she couldn't lose him. Yet no matter how much destruction she created, she was still met with that same telltale silence.
Directing her eyes towards the throne, Vivi blew it apart. Chunks of stone rained down on her, some arching over the edge of the platform. Ignoring the stinging sensation from where pieces of shrapnel had stuck her, Vivi stumbled towards the stairs, unable to look at the area any longer.
Falling to her knees, Vivi cried –cried because he had not said anything to her before leaving, because he had the heart to leave her after all that she had done for him, because she was not enough reason to make him stay. Nails scraped against the stone ground as Vivi let out a deep breath. Understanding slowly seeped into her mind. Of course he did not need her. It was foolish of her to think that the almighty Harvest God would need a witch.
Swiping the tears away from her cheek, Vivi raised her head up to gaze at the sinking sun. She claimed that he was the one that needed her, but Vivi knew she had been the one relying on him. Shunned by humans, he was the only one that appreciated her for who she was and for what she was able to do. Around him, she was needed –she was more than an unnecessary presence. It had always been the shadow that needed the sun.
But it didn't matter anymore. It seemed that she had no significance after all. Their story had ended along with her role on the island. Night was approaching, leaving nothing but darkness.