With Blood shall come Desire (MxM)

☽ Chapter Thirty Nine ☾

𝖂hen the human entered the hall, everyone went completely silent. Almost no one had fully known what happened while Lunaan was down on Earth, but now they had the answer in front of them. Never in a thousand years has the league of gods and humanity been so close together. There had been tale once that the goddess Xyliath had held a human up in her kingdom as her advisor. But no god had ever seen this advisor and so the tale became a simple rumour. Vincent walked slowly, not quite being able to let the worried frown in his face disappear. It felt overwhelming to be in the presence of so many deities so it calmed him immensely when he reached the familiar presence of Lunaan and stopped next to him.

The moon god smiled at his lover encouraging and took his hand to pull him closer to his side. It wasn't hard to see the connection between those two existences. Lunaan's eyes seemed to resemble a super moon every time he laid eyes on Vincent. It was his love for the human that made him stronger than ever before. Because even the moon, a lonely place in the sky, needed the earth to keep itself grounded. "I feel your judging gazes like needles on my skin, gentlemen and ladies. I trust Vincent with my eternal existence. My highest belief is that if we should decide about humanity, at least one human should be part of this decision." At first no god dared to even move but then ost of them started to nod carefully and Lunaan gave Vincent a nod. Tell them your position, your wishes.

Vincent looked back at him and held Lunaan's hand tighter to give himself a push. He looked around the hall, taking in all those powerful gods. Vincent was just a human but still he had gained the right to speak. "Hello...I'm Vincent.", he said after some time and held onto Lunaan's hand even tighter. "I haven't lived for very long. My work is as a baker. Every morning I wake up before the sun rises and I make bread for the people of my town. It may sound like nothing, but it's what makes me happy. I give the people what they need and they are happy because of it. Men of my age are often send to fight for the country, and it has started to get a lot more often. I've never been to war and I've never hurt somebody. Blood makes me dizzy, even though I spilled my own so many times. There is so much violence on earth. So much pain and agony. So my only wish is to have a fulfilled, peaceful life and to spend it with a loved one. And I want that for everyone. No matter who they are, I believe everyone deserves the right to be happy." For a split second his eyes wandered back to Lunaan. "The mistakes humanity made have happened already. And they will continue to happen. But not everyone has done something wrong. And being human means you make mistakes. You, as our creators should know that best. You can't judge us on things that you knew were bound to happen. Because they teach us to be better. So please, don't abandon us for the things we did. Give us the chance to learn from our mistakes and build a world that is worth living in and living for." Vincent took a deep breath. He felt himself becoming a nervous wreck and was glad when he ended his last sentence. This really was not his thing, but his chest felt lighter. He was speaking on behalf of humanity. It was now or never.

Lunaan nodded proudly at him and turned himself again to the crowd of deities. "We are gods, we are their masters... but we should be aware of our authority and responsibility. We can't end humanity because of some playful thoughts. I stole the blade of Xyliath to protect what I love, but most importantly to prevent any bloodshed. These mortals are existences, like we are, shorter and finite, but in the end Death swallows them as happily as ours. Like us... they have to right to exist." Lunaan's voice was strong and his sharp eyes wandered over all gods.

Silthos stood at the opposite side of the table and felt many gazes on him. He smiled shortly at the welcoming and honest love of Lunaan and Vincent before his expression turned more serious. "I brought them love and desire. It can be beautiful, it can turn sad and bloody... but believe me when I say that this humanity deserves our love the most and especially our respect." Unintentionally, he found the eyes of Aristaeus and couldn't stop them from looking at him. He was sitting there with a proud smile, leaning back in his chair and his legs overcrossed. "My great-grandmother may have given us a weapon to restart humanity... but it's in our hands when to use it. She sacrificed herself to prevent bloodshed... let's not create even further."

"He's right", the goddess of music chirped in and agreement followed.
"Alright, now that we settled that, how are we going to imprison Aurelius and what's going to happen with all his allies?", Xoton spoke up a little impatient after a short silence and looked into the crowd with questioning eyes. "I'll take care of it.", Aristaeus said, his voice darker than usual. "I'll make sure that Aurelius rots in that mountain until the end of time." Xoton nodded shortly, unsure if the tone of his nephew should be questioned. They now all knew what Aurelius had done to the god of blood and war, and no one dared to prevent him from taking revenge.

Silthos spoke up again: "I would like Omes to lead a court for Aurelius' allies." Omes nodded and the other deities agreed silently. "So, the plan is to start a battle, possibly win it and imprison Aurelius?", the goddess of joy asked. Silthos stared at her for a while. It wasn't a good plan. It was more just pure hope to win and hopefully not die - at least for Silthos. "We don't have any more options...", he said more quietly.

Aristaeus tensed next to him. No one besides them really knew what Destiny had prophesied. He slowly stood up and joined Silthos' side. Their fingers intertwined and he carefully stroked them. "It's going to be difficult, but remember what we are fighting for. If we don't win, humanity loses. Forever."
Earth was his safe place, where people didn't know his past nor his name. If only he had more time. They could have visited every nook and corner and seen the world together. He could have shown Silthos his favorite places and made memories that would live with him forever. It was his only wish.

Omes suddenly stood up and raised his hand, making a half circle with his pointy finger before his chest. It was a symbol of solidarity and connection. "I'm with you. Let's save humanity... and let us do justice." The other deities soon joined his motion and a smile appeared on Silthos' lips. Even if this was his last day, he was surrounded by soldiers of justice, friends and love. "Thank you." He also raised his hands and made a half circle. The young god deeply hoped his great-grandmother could watch him. He deeply hoped she could see the fire and certainty in his eyes and notice the evil in her son. He deeply hoped she could forgive him for breaking her created peace. The second Blood War would begin.