Morals and values develop according to the social context. The environment in which one grows up generally defines one's personality.
In Adonis's village, intergender relationships had regressed to the primary stages, and developing love and living off it was not frowned upon. Two people who cared for each other could announce it publicly, and as long as no third person intervened, they could live their entire lives this way. Thus, to be with Hera, Adonis had to face many warriors in various settings to prove his legitimacy. Finally, the two of them earned the right to express and manifest their attachment to each other from a very young age, except in the presence of the young girl's father.
After galloping for thousands of steps, they reached the foot of the mountain that towered nearby. It was the mountain peak closest to their village. Traditions passed down to the young warriors tell of a time when these mountain peaks spewed fire, and that's how the multitude of rocks submerged their land.
Having reached the edge of the mountain, it became difficult to continue galloping, so the two young people decided to camp there. Adonis tied the horse to a shrub while Hera laid soft vines on the rock dozens of steps away.
The night was becoming more present.
Adonis and Hera settled on the vines, which served as a bed. Resting his head on a piece of wood he had picked up earlier, Adonis watched Hera as she tied her hair back, then slowly lay down on his chest, ear first.
"What if I don't want you to leave?" he suddenly said, his face frowning as the young lady caressed his bare chest. "You could stay another year here with me; by then, we could find many options. I don't want this to be my last night with you."
Hera didn't say a word but continued to trace his navel with her fingers, her expression visibly pained. At some point, she lifted her head, turned towards him. Two pairs of eyes met, trying to express all the sincerity of their feelings.
She was supposed to leave the next day, to leave this land... apparently never to return. In this community, reaching maturity required making a choice, and she had made hers.
Moving closer to Adonis, she caressed his cheek, tugging at his hint of a beard. With wet eyes and in silence, she kissed his forehead, then his nose, and paused for a few moments, staring deeply into Adonis's eyes. He, who had been speaking for a while, fell silent in the next moment.
At this height, the veils of the sky, so prominent from the ground, were much less obstructive. The sky, despite the nightfall, was much brighter. Birds flew below, performing an unusual parade; there was an impression of unease at their sight, but the overall scene seemed more like a dream than a nightmare. The moonlit glow bathed every being in a dreamlike luminescence, and at the center of this world, two tiny specks, insignificant strands of life, took turns proclaiming their love through enchanting caresses and tender, subtle kisses.
"I love you, and I love you too," these words came from neither's mouth. But this fusion of bodies, this tenderness in the act, shouted these words into the other's ears. Hera offered moist kisses as her tears mingled with her caresses. The warmth of the body she felt was a comfort she knew she would soon have to abandon.
"I'm going to miss you so much…"
"You too."
"Promise me you'll think of me every day…"
"I promise you, every day."
Vows and promises were exchanged in turn as the tenderness of their bodies, mixed with the melancholy of their feelings, intensified to the extreme.
"Remember this night. No matter what happens, this night belongs to us forever."
"Yes. This night will be our secret, our refuge."
Adonis lifted Hera—who couldn't have weighed much given her slender figure—and turned her over so he could be on top of her. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him toward her, seeking a kiss, which she received passionately.
A moment later, a complex expression of pain and desire could be seen on her face. She bit Adonis's lower lip while tightly embracing his head from the neck. The young man's movements were gentle and slow, but with each one, the expression on the young woman's face twisted and transformed, as if she was holding back from screaming.
The forest was far from silent; on the contrary, an unusual agitation was brewing within it. But these two specks of dust didn't care; for them, they represented the 'World' to each other. Their embrace became more passionate. At one point, as the valiant youth increased the intensity and vigor of his small movements, a muffled moan was heard, followed by another, and so on.
It wasn't the first time they had given themselves to each other. In fact, their first time was in Adonis's room while the rest of the house was occupied with outdoor activities. That time had been much more laborious and thus held a special place in both of their hearts.
But today was different.
If there wasn't blood, there were tears. If there wasn't fear, there was sadness. Melancholy and happiness, sorrow and joy, tenderness and vitality.
Ennnh
Another moan pierced the world surrounding the two. At one point, Hera had turned away, no longer facing Adonis, while he remained behind her. If this scene had been seen by their horse, who knows if it might have found it amusing? Fortunately, it was at a good distance. Surely there were animals nearby observing this 'strange' spectacle. But who cared about them? At that moment, the two lovers knew they were alone in the world; after all, it was their world... they had built it.
Aaaah
Now behind her, Adonis was much more vigorous than before in his movement. His hands roamed along the exposed silhouette of his partner, searching for anchor points, sensitive spots. As for her, she could no longer hide her moans; no one knows if she was even trying to do so anymore. The pain could still be seen on her face, but her tears had dried up long ago, and her expression had become much more complex. She bit her lips at times, cried out at others, straightened up to seek her partner's aura, and then returned to the position that seemed sensitive for the act.
Since they had reached this intensity, Adonis had already released himself a number of times while continuing his efforts for their mutual satisfaction.
Mmh
They moved again as Hera showed a desire to be on top of her man. She gently positioned herself where she needed to be and, after giving him several soft kisses, began to rock rhythmically up and down. This time, Adonis had the most complex expression of the two. She, the last remnants of visible sadness having evaporated with the heat of their bodies, now only manifested desire and passion as she moved more intensely.
It didn't take long before she felt a warm liquid flowing from her. She opened her eyes, giving Adonis a tender look, who didn't seem bothered before continuing her actions with even greater enthusiasm while pushing against his chest with her delicate hands. Adonis had, for some time, transitioned from actor to spectator, but he seemed to love it—his whole body was stimulated. In turn, he felt a tightening in a particular place, everything becoming wetter as his partner moaned even more.
Time passed slowly, as if it wanted to grant the two grains of sand a longer adventure, a deeper exploration. And both of them, completely oblivious to the passage of time, fully intended to take advantage of it. They constantly moved, exchanging their positions in turn. They leaned on each other, cared for each other, took care of one another. Despite the time that had passed and the efforts exerted, they remained inventive and tender toward each other. The vine bed had long since given way, though it was reassembled each time without much difficulty.
Aaaah
Hera let out a moan, this time beyond count, before curling up in Adonis's sweat-drenched arms. Despite the cold in this mountainous area, especially at night, both were covered in sweat, a testament to the intensity of the moment they shared. For a long time, neither of them spoke; Adonis tried to regulate his now very heavy breathing while Hera seemed to gently drift off to sleep.
Not long after, he too fell asleep, his heart still pounding.
…
The night was already well advanced, the wind howled as it passed, and the moonlight found its way into every nook and cranny of this vast expanse of land. Nature was bathed in it, resplendent.
Adonis awoke from his sleep with a start, or perhaps he had been disturbed by the abnormal commotion of the surrounding nature.
He had just experienced a dream. The time spent with the one who brought him a smile had a more pleasant effect upon waking. Life hadn't changed; what was destined to happen would still occur, but who says that the inevitability of the future should prevent one from savoring the present? Dark and despairing the future might be, but the simplest of minds would know to be content and enjoy the present, after all, that's the one in which he lives. Sometimes being simple-minded is an essential trait when one wants to live a pleasant daily life. His worries hadn't disappeared; after their fiery night, the time for his companion's departure was even closer, but he woke up with a smile on his face.
Though slightly troubled by what had pulled him from his sweet dreams, Adonis didn't make any sudden movements. A fully asleep young woman was sprawled across his chest. Seeing her expression, she seemed to be lost in a sweet dream. Adonis watched her in silence for a few minutes before being drawn again to the surrounding agitation. He turned his head, casting a circular glance. Aside from the frenzied birds, he didn't notice anything unusual except for the magnificent sky and a sunrise on the horizon above them.
The light from this celestial body grew more dazzling, and Adonis found himself mesmerized, almost forgetting the surrounding noises that seemed to be increasing in intensity. Hera slightly furrowed her brow, without fully waking; she also seemed somewhat disturbed by the agitation and noise.
Adonis, who had been observing all this with bliss for some time, began to question it, his expression becoming more serious as he lay there. As a warrior and hunter, one of the fundamental aspects of hunting was understanding, even mastering, time. It was necessary to know the right moment to engage in a hunt to avoid the larger predators that emerged at certain already analyzed hours. This aspect of hunting had given him a certain affinity with the flow of time, or at least the signs of its passage. What troubled him here was his certainty that they had plenty of time before dawn, even despite their little nap; in any case, they weren't supposed to stay this late. Yet the sky above him seemed to contradict his estimates, which troubled him even more.
And now that his mind was gaining clarity, he discovered that there was more than just that to trouble him at this moment.
Once his mind was clearer, Adonis almost immediately noticed the abnormal behavior of the surrounding animals. The birds were flying more erratically and recklessly than usual, a few mice didn't hesitate to pass close enough to Adonis to be caught, and the horse tied up further away couldn't stop neighing as Adonis had been hearing. All this seemed very strange, which alerted Adonis, who finally decided to move.
He gently touched Hera, waking her up as well; it seemed the surrounding agitation had already disturbed her sleep.
"Adonis, what's happening?" she asked, her face filled with confusion and a hint of fear. "I have no idea, but it seems something is scaring the animals," Adonis replied. "We absolutely need to get back before something bigger presents itself to us," he continued, grabbing Hera's hand and preparing to run. The horse in the distance was already very agitated; he wasn't sure the tether would hold, he thought.
But to his great surprise, she did not move a step. Hera stood there, as if frozen, her gaze fixed on the sky.
'Adonis, the star... it's moving. Do you see it? It's moving, I'm not dreaming, it's really moving.'
Adonis had thought upon waking that the day was already breaking; he had indeed found it strange but hadn't paid much attention to it given what was happening around them, so he had not looked at the sky and hadn't noticed what was happening there.
Now, as he looked, the sky had gradually changed, transitioning from the black of night to the brightness of dawn, and now a crimson glow seemed to be emanating from it, as if drawn to the earth and repelled by the sky. The star Adonis had taken for the sun had a similar brilliance. But unlike the sun, which is fixed in the starry sky, this star seemed to be slowly but surely moving closer to them. It still seemed far from reaching its 'destination,' but its intensity could already be felt—after all, one could feel the sun even though it remained high above.
Problems often worsen once you become aware of their existence. Now that Adonis had become aware of what was happening, the situation seemed to accelerate. To the side of the star, one could still distinguish the dignified moon, suspended in its realm, as its celestial blue rays bathed everything below. These rays were streaked with crimson, scarlet particles that seemed to dart like falcons.
They appeared to be drawn to the earth, and the closer they got, the larger they seemed to grow, doubling, tripling in size, and more. Some of them passed through the sky above the two tiny grains of sand, heading toward distant lands. As they passed, their appearance would have been extremely difficult to describe by the peasants witnessing this phenomenon, but a common reaction seized them.
Fear.
They were petrified.
Adonis, standing beside Hera, was witnessing a phenomenon that was unknown, incomprehensible to him. Hunting, combat... none of that had taught him anything about the situation unfolding before his eyes. The only thing he recognized was the feeling of danger, a feeling even deeper and more gripping than his encounter with the 'Mythic beast'.
Speaking of that beast, Adonis remembered it for a brief moment as his thoughts were in indescribable chaos. Today was definitely not his day. But no matter, all of that held no value for the moment; only one thing mattered.
Escape.
Finally emerging from his lethargy, he tore his eyes away from the sky. He grabbed Hera firmly, who was still panicking, pulling her toward their mount further away. She barely regained her senses as she began to run beside him, reaching the horse, which had not yet calmed down. Upon arrival, Adonis struck the horse's head with a violent blow that would have certainly echoed through the forest under other circumstances. The horse was instantly tamed by the force of the blow and calmed down for the time being.
Hera didn't even pay much attention to it; her gaze was still directed toward the sky, watching what was happening there. Judging by her expression, it seemed that she no longer paid much attention to the tiny crimson fragments but was instead focused on the large star, which in the span of a few blinks seemed to have grown even larger.
'Adonis, do you think that thing up there is going to crash down on us? Are we going to die? And what about my mother, my father, my brother?' she said, pointing toward the sky.
Adonis had since stopped looking at the sky and was instead looking at her as he prepared their mount. He could see the tears in her eyes as she trembled. Perhaps it was due to fear, or the cold biting her bare skin—after all, she was practically naked—or maybe it was a mixture of both. Whatever the case, Adonis said nothing but searched for something among their belongings scattered on the ground after the horse's agitation. He covered the young woman, then pushed her to sit on the horse as he mounted in front. She was clearly in no condition to ride, so he took the reins and with a strong start, set off.
The descent proved to be much more difficult than the ascent. The horse was less reliable than before. Moreover, the forest was in an indescribable turmoil. Every species around them was behaving in a way that defied their usual logic; the horse had already trampled a few small animals, and each time it happened, the riders narrowly avoided being thrown off. Despite everything, they managed to reach the foot of the mountain, albeit with difficulty.
But they still had a long way to go before rejoining their people, and who knows what they would encounter when they got there.
...
They were still a good distance from home, even at a gallop. Moreover, galloping had not become any easier. They set off at a moderate pace, unlike when they had arrived, because this time, the path was much more crowded. All kinds of creatures were moving in front of them.
Their mount struggled to stay on course, but it was far from a battle won. At one point, they encountered a herd of foxes moving quickly ahead of them. The horse nearly stopped several times, recognizing the threat in front of it. Hera clung to Adonis, her eyes buried in his back, which was remarkably broad for his age.
The presence of the foxes slowed their progress since, although they were definitely faster, Adonis made sure to keep a certain distance from them, much to the horse's relief. Moreover, this wasn't entirely disadvantageous, as the large herd acted as a force clearing the path of most other species, with the less fortunate ones getting bitten before being left behind.
'Hera, hold on to me as tightly as you can,' Adonis instructed, horrified by what he saw. The crimson fragments that had not ceased their movement were dangerously approaching their position.
With a deafening noise that tore through the air, a portion of the herd ahead was flattened. This resulted in a crater large enough to hold a dozen foxes, but they had turned into a pool of blood. The herd began yelping, terrified by a threat they couldn't comprehend.
The horse neighed with all its might, having already reared up, which had the effect of violently throwing its two riders to the ground. At some point, Adonis had grabbed his partner during the fall, which resulted in him landing on his back while she groaned, clearly having hurt herself somewhere. Adonis, however, quickly recovered and sprang up to grab the horse's harness before it could distance itself. They weren't very far from their people, but covering that distance on foot now seemed almost suicidal given what surrounded them.
Adonis grabbed the harness and pulled it toward him when suddenly, the horse kicked its hooves, narrowly missing his chest. Covered in sweat, Adonis seized the animal's neck and managed to calm it down. Meanwhile, Hera, still tearful, had at some point been attacked by some nearby snakes. It seemed she used a nearby stone to smash the heads of two of them and was defending herself against a third attacker when she retrieved a dagger that Adonis tossed her. She then swung it toward the snake, which couldn't prevent its guts from spilling out onto the ground moments later.
Who could know what was going through the young girl's mind at that precise moment? After dealing with the last attacker, she got up and joined Adonis, who had finally stabilized the horse. All around them, the chaos only intensified.
'Watch the sky and let me know when those things fall in our direction,' Adonis stammered to Hera, who seemed to have regained her composure after her last encounter. She responded with a nod. They resumed galloping.
The crimson fragments had long since revealed their true nature—they were gigantic rocks, some almost as large as the horse the two of them were riding. A rain of fragments followed after that, with the fox herd either annihilated or scattered to the wind. From time to time, a loud noise and a significant impact point forced the 'racing' horse to change direction, or even to stop and turn back, trying to find a better path under Adonis' guidance.
At one point, they left the main path because the rain of projectiles had intensified. They found refuge under the forest canopy but had to revise their route to do so. Hera alerted Adonis whenever she estimated that a fragment would pass too close to them or even hit them.
If Adonis knew its meaning, he would have long ago called what was happening Desolation.
They eventually made their way out of the forest, which meant they had entered the 'safe' perimeter of their settlement.
However, Adonis did not feel safe at all; the area they had just passed through was supposed to be protected by a barrier, but it wasn't. Instead, there was an empty space with craters scattered here and there. Adonis furrowed his brow even more as he advanced on horseback, a disturbing smell assaulting his nostrils. He paid it no mind and continued galloping, dodging the projectiles that seemed to be increasing in number as time passed. It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain balance and keep moving under these conditions. But they had to move forward.
They weren't alone on the path; animals of varying sizes seemed either to be chasing them or seeking any form of shelter. As they progressed, the duo encountered their first human on this stretch of road toward the settlement. Adonis quickly caught up to him since he was on foot, running who knows how long already, potentially since the beginning of all this.
When they were just a few steps apart, Adonis wanted to call out to him when suddenly, from behind them, what appeared to be a hyena violently grabbed the man's neck with a leap, bringing him to the ground moments later as he was bitten without even understanding what had happened to him. Adonis wanted to leap at the animal and strike it with all his strength but was stopped in his tracks by Hera, who had also witnessed the entire scene. This all happened in a matter of seconds, and the horse, continuing its course, passed the man being bitten to death and carried on.
"Aaaaaah!"
Adonis screamed at the top of his lungs, an indescribable expression on his face. Was this the first time he had seen someone get attacked or devoured? Earlier that evening, hadn't he had a fateful encounter with a legendary predator? Hadn't he fought a fox that nearly ripped out his throat without his grandpa's intervention? He was living through a very peculiar night and now seemed on the verge of breaking down.
But he was far from the end of his troubles.
They had finally reached the entrance of the settlement, and the sight before them made him tremble to his very core.
The unpleasant smell that had been in the air for some time had now turned into a fiery prison.
The settlement, as far as he could see, was on fire.
Desolation had been much quicker than them and had caught the village off guard.