First Light || BNHA (ON HOLD)

{ 031 }

Hey, Keiko had the right to be mad. She trusted him, and found out he was lying. She has every right to say what she wanted to say.

"You were probably afraid of the gods, weren't you?"

"Of course I was. When I was younger, I would rather not get shot down by lighting, drowned in the Pacific Ocean, sentenced to eternal punishment, or all the other horrible things the gods are capable of. But they are not the true reason why I stayed with you."

"So, it really was just a promise that made you stick with my ancestors for hundreds of years?"

"Yes."

Keiko laid her back on the ground to get more comfortable, Astran following suit not long after.

"I don't get it. Why'd you not break the promise and spend most of your time away from us and just return periodically?"

Astran smiled wistfully. "It may seem complicated, but really, the answer to your question is quite simple:

"I loved him."

The wind gushed peacefully around them, paying no mind to the god's confession.

"Did you ever tell him?" Keiko said finally, studying the unique shapes of the clouds floating high above them.

"No," Astran sighed. "Though the gods had their fair share of mortal men and women alike, they had forbidden me of true attachment to not only Orion, but mortals in general. It would make my job easier, they said.

"But, I suppose it is quite impossible for me to not get attached to Orion emotionally. When he married and had a child, I had no choice but to simply continue what I had been doing: staying by his side and keeping him good and happy."

Astran reached for the sky, before his hand fell back down on his side. "He was the light of my life. He made me feel things I had never felt before with any other god, creature, or man. I suppose you could say that he was meant for me.

"But alas, the universe has never been kind, even to those that only seek peace and love. He may have been meant for me, my 'soulmate,' if you prefer the term, but it was made obvious when he passed that he was never meant to be mine, even if he unknowingly had my heart in his hands.

"I was never meant for him."

Astran let out an empty laugh. "Even after he had passed, I still loved him. My love for him was the only thing that kept me sane and faithful to your ancestors for a very long time, until I became attached to you as well."

Astran finally met eyes with the girl. "You are like my daughter, Keiko. I consider you family, even if you do not feel the same, especially now when I have deceived you."

Keiko gave him a small, yet genuine smile. "You're family to me too, old man. Now and always.

"How does All for One know you?"

"We have talked," Astran said shortly. "We had a battle years back. He seems to not have forgotten about me."

"Is that really all there is to it?"

Astran smiled mischievously. "No, but I will show you once you wake up in the real world.

"Now, I suppose this is the part where you take out your anger on me."