"Are you – "before I can say anything else, Exian takes my hand.
"Come with me"
In an instant, stars surround us and the hallway dissolves into an infinite swirl of cosmic light. My heart races, fear gripping me as the sensation of weightlessness overtakes.
Why does it feel like I'm on a rollercoaster what the heck!!
Then, my feet touch solid ground. I open my eyes and a soft gasp escapes my lips. I was standing on the rooftop of the temple. My heart races as I cling to his arm. "What – how did we…?"
"Relax" he says softly, letting go of my hand.
My initial fear melts away as I take in the breathtaking view. The stars seem closer, almost within reach.
Exian sits down, his gaze fixed upward. "The stars hold stories" he says softly. "Every light, a moment. Every constellation, a legacy."
"This…this is beautiful" I stated.
He looks at me. "You're closer to the stars than you think, Iris.
This world… it's created by you, isn't it?"
I scoff. "What are you talking about? That's ridiculous!"
"There's no need to lie. You felt it too, didn't you?" he says, his voice calm. "When your powers flowed into me, I saw it – your memories. I saw myself being drawn, being created by your hand."
My breath hitches. "Host? What are you saying?"
"I mean exactly that. In that moment, your essence revealed everything to me. I wasn't born into this world – I was made.
By you."
I hesitate, the weight of his words sinking in. "Yes… I made you."
He laughed. "Why?"
"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you wait until now to appear?"
I look away, unable to meet his gaze.
He stood up and went closer. "Do you know what it's like? To be forced to worship someone I don't even feel connected to? To live in a world that's so… unfair, so broken?"
The words struck me like a blow, and I felt the weight of his pain settle deep inside me. I couldn't fully understand his torment, but I knew it had been a part of him for long. I swallowed hard, my own heart pounding from chest.
"I didn't want this" I finally managed to say, my voice quiet but desperate. "I didn't choose this world. I didn't even know how I ended up here… How I ended up… creating you."
Exian's gaze softened for a moment. "Then why? Why did I have to be the one to carry this burden? To worship something that felt so wrong? I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for any of it!"
I took a shaky breath. "Exian"
"I never intended for this to happen. I didn't choose this, and I certainly didn't choose for you to be…this."
"Then why didn't you give me a choice?" he asked.
My heart aches at the weight of his words. "I didn't have a choice either. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't even know how I made you. All I know is that it was never my intention to trap you like this."
Exian's gaze falters for a moment, it was rather a soft understanding look but with a mixture of disbelief.
"I… didn't even realize you were being controlled, or that you were tied to this god in such way. It's not something I ever wanted, for either of us." I spoke as if I've experienced the same thing he has been experiencing.
A long silence follows. He's not listening, is he?
Exian finally speaks. "After you became my host…I was freed" he admits, his voice almost a whisper. "Freed from the god I had been bound to. And in that, I thought I might find peace."
Exian's frustration slowly faded. "But I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know what I'm supposed to be. I was supposed to worship, to serve…but now, I'm left with nothing. Just emptiness."
"I wish I didn't get involved with you. But now I can't go back and neither can you"
Exian sits down once again. "I just want peace, and maybe… maybe that's all I can hope for now."