The boy bit down and struggled through the tough meat of…something? Some kind of furry, four-eyed animal had caught his hungry eyes, and the boy was not a picky eater. He licked the fat off his hands, lamenting the filth he now had tainting his beautiful clothing.
He sat alone in the dark, twirling the animal bones around in his finger.
What next, then?
He had to get to that tower, of course. He had to free her. But before that, he needed to get to the bottom of the abyss.
Why though?
The Curse replied. You must.
The boy scoffed, knowing further questioning would get him nowhere. He twiddled with the bones a little longer, listening to the distant screeching of the Forest. He stared ahead of him, losing himself in the darkness.
Maybe he shouldn't have left her?
He felt a pang of guilt. She was probably worried out of her mind in that cage of hers, lonely, scared, grieving, because he wasn't there. He gnawed on his fingernails.
No. This was the right choice. He couldn't doubt himself now.
...
He had expected to be attacked more often. This was the Abyss after all, and he knew he wasn't alone. They were surrounding him, and he had seen them. Disturbed leaves, footprints, half-torn-down makeshift shelters. There was even the occasional pair of milky white eyes staring curiously out of the darkness, at his glowing body. But they didn't dare show themselves.
His knee bounced up and down. He wanted them to show.
He groaned, holding his head in his hands and ruffling his hair. He needed to wash up. Tossing the half-eaten corpse to the side, he got to his feet and wandered about, listening out for the sound of running water. It wasn't hard to find in the silence of the Forest, the gentle splashing of the flowing water calming his heart. He got to his knees, haphazardly swirling his hands through the waters. The water washed his bloody hands, and he cupped some in his hands to drink.
For some reason, the Forest was a safe place.
He stripped his clothes, dunking them in the stream and rubbing the muck and dirt off of them with his hands. With his filthy body bare, he lowered himself into the refreshing, cold waters. He leaned back on the bank of the river, resting on some sturdy rock beneath him. The waters ran through him, the sound of running water lulling him to rest.
He sighed deeply, tilting his head back and casting his eyes at the dull, thick canopy of the black Forest.
***
Delphi gazed up at the inky blue sky in wonder, at the velvet cloak Mother Earth draped around herself. He tugged at the tattered sheepskin coat about him. He'd often dream of a coat as beautiful as the night sky. A cloak sprinkled with captured stars, glistening against the dark canvas of space. Infinitely deep and mysterious, ethereal clouds of purple and dark-blue making their way across the heavens.
"I'll make a fire if you're going to be out here long."
His eyes were fixed on the stars. "You wanna risk that?"
"You're safe." She nestled next to him, sighing as she placed her head on his shoulder. "I'm here, aren't I? Besides, you can take pretty good care of yourself."
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in as close as he could. He rested his face in her snowy hair, and breathed in her flowery scent. An hour a day was a gift, but not enough at all.
"How much longer have we got left?"
"Long enough. Don't worry about it."
"You know, I really hate it when you baby me like this." he mumbled into her ear, mildly irritated. "You don't have to treat me like a child."
She turned her head gently, smiling. "Can't be helped. You're a child after all"
Her starry eyes caught his, and he was lost in them once more. He was lost in her depths, evoking the impenetrable night sky that covered them, with flecks of gold, blue, and silver splattered across her irises like pulsing stars. Swirling nebulas and supernovae twirled and danced in her eyes, otherworldly and unknowable. Terrifying and ineffable, she looked at him, acknowledged him, and he felt he was the only thing on her mind.
"Just a child…" she muttered, caressing his face with her warm hands. She lowered her gaze, biting her tongue, as if she wanted to say something.
"Sari, I-" Delphi swallowed, as her gaze returned to his face. He ran from it, looking back at the starry night. The words died in his throat.
Her soft laughter brushed against his ears. A slow shiver ran through his body, feeling her shallow breathing on his chest, as she clutched him a little harder. His rough hand stroked her hair delicately, and he nestled his face deeper into her hair.
"Is there something you want to ask?"
"Think there's something you want to say too."
"You're the man. You take the lead. I'm just a shy little girl, curled up in your arms for safety and protection."
He pretended to scowl, trying to mask the smile pulling at his lips. "So whether I'm a man or a child depends on whatever's convenient for you."
She laughed, tracing his palm with her fingers. "Ask me, Delphi."
Silence stood for a little while.
"Why me, Sarielle?" He pulled away from her, looking at her properly. "I was…a boy. Nothing special at all. Average in family, in intelligence, in strength. There were probably hundreds of others you could have picked. So why me? Why did you curse me?"
Her hand crept over to his, her fingers interlacing with his. "You're a stupid boy if you don't know how you compare to other people."
"I'm not special at all, if that's what you're trying to say."
"Not special. Right." She muttered. "Did you even see what you did today?"
He laughed. "They're just massive faggots. They couldn't touch me if they wanted to."
"Exactly!" She clutched onto him, eyes devouring every part of his face. "You think a normal person can say that?"
He held onto her waist, and she let out a little gasp as he pulled her in closer, bringing her face right up to his. "You chose me before I did all that, back when I was a little boy. Why?"
The abyss almost filled her vision, and a growing heat blossomed within her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers tracing his blushing cheeks. She closed her eyes, letting it envelop her whole, and her wet lips met his. He passionlessly reciprocated, threading his fingers through her cascading hair.
"...why?"
She whispered into his lips. "Can't this wait? We've got a good mood going on."
"I was nothing special," He pulled back, wistfully letting her hair fall through his hands. "I don't... I don't know why you love me."
"Oh, darling..." Her fingers gently stroked his face, a vague melancholy filling her face. She was silent for a while, before replying.
"You're a corpse, Delphi."
His heart thumped in his head.
"You never felt quite right with all those smiling crowds, did you? You did all you were asked, participated and played in their games the way they wanted. But you could never fit in. You watched them as an outsider, someone of a different kind. You saw through them, and you let them see through you. You were different, and you wanted them to see. "
The boy's throat was parched. "I don't-"
"You were born like me, an unloved child, because you are an unknown child. They saw you, but out of those worms not a single one was brave enough to embrace what you were."
Fear crept under the boy's skin as she stared at him, her sparkling eyes had gone almost dull in a silent rage.
"No, Delphi. I know what you are. Out of everyone you've loved, I alone can love you in the same way."
With her back to the starry sky, the god in front of him seemed almost to wear it as a kind of cloak, her white hair billowing behind her in the wind, joining with the golden stars at the edges.
"I knew even if the hordes of hell tormented and burned you, if the angelic hosts judged and impaled you, if a god came to torture you personally, you'd be fine."
A cold breeze ran through the glade, the sombre air wrapping the two of them in their own world, a cocoon in which he was completely alone with her.
"Because you're like me, Delphi."
Her thin lips curled into a smile, and, louder than the boy had ever heard, the Starry-Eyed laughed.
"Because you are a corpse, boy."
***
Water dripped off his naked body onto the grey grass, his black eyes sullen. He resisted the urge to toss his royal clothes into the river, convincing himself he had wanted these, once upon a time. He felt the fabric of the cloak in his hands, watching the glinting gemstones reflect the light of his body. Captured stars, reflecting his light.
Captured stars, reflecting her eyes.
His fist clenched, scrunching up the fabric. Steam rose lazily off his body, and he muttered through gritted teeth.
"I'm alive... I don't need her. I'm stronger than before...I am alive."
The naked boy clothed himself passionlessly, and the corpse wandered its way deeper into the Forest.