Reversal of Fortune [malexmale]

Prologue

Well, except for one.

And his smile faded as he cleared his throat and looked back up into the tree.

"Almost there," Death called down to them.

"I'm not watching this," Famine said, reaching up to cover her eyes, though she parted her fingers to peek through out of habit. Plague actually covered her eyes and War shouted one encouragement after another while Nhyt watched with utter fascination.

He's actually going to make it, Nhyt thought in wonder. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind did it happen.

Death stood upon a rickety branch, reached his arms up over his head and leapt for the branch. At the same moment, the branch beneath him cracked and gave way. He grasped for the branch over his head, but his hands only scraped the bark and he went sailing downwards, smashing branches on the way down.

Famine screamed and Plague covered her eyes while War immediately shouted for their father without a second thought. The seconds passed by at a crawl, Nhyt remembered in horror. It seemed to take forever for Death to go crashing through the trees and smashing into the ground, and oh that horrible sickening crack as Death landed directly on his outstretched arm.

His wail of agony broke through the air and in turn, made everyone else cry out. Famine ran to him and Plague broke into tears while War nervously looked around for their father. Nhyt watched, his eyes wide in terror. His instinct was to race to his brother, to help Famine calm him, but his feet were planted to the ground. He could do nothing, but watch as Death sobbed in pain as Famine rolled him over. Another cry left them at the bone jutting out of Death's army, blood so brilliantly red gushing to the green grass and staining it.

A ripple of power pulsed through the air in a matter of seconds. As the smoke cleared, their father was revealed in all his powerful glory. He towered well above not only all of his children, but his siblings as well. His skin matched War's in shade, but his hair was like Nhyt's, silky, long, and black, and his eyes the same piercing shade of blue as War's. He was a muscular male, rippling with raw and magical power, and one would immediately be intimidated by such a creature, had they not known the demon deity personally.

So it came as no surprise to Nhyt and his sibling when their father's blue eyes filled with tears and he ran to Death, dropping down beside him and cradling him close to his chest.

"What happened?" Their father demanded, looking up at his children tearfully.

"The tree," Plague whimpered.

"He fell from the tree," Famine filled in.

"The branch broke," War said quickly.

Nhyt said nothing as he watched their father look back down at Death, who continued to sob in his arms. And Source above, the pain in their father's eyes as he watched Death writhe and cry in pain. It was as if the injury itself had been inflicted upon him. And he wasted not a moment as he took Death's arm gently in his hands, making Death cry out.

"Ssh," Xiphrus murmured, using his free hand to stroke the hair back from Death's face, "Ssh, mine sweet son, ssh. I will heal you, but it will hurt, so you must be brave, okay? But for only a moment." Death just nodded tearfully. Xiphrus took a deep breath and sent a blast of power into Death's arm. Death screamed in agony, arching in Xiphrus's grasp. Xiphrus shut his eyes, tears running down his cheeks as he rushed to heal the injury.

And in seconds, the injury was healed and it was as if no harm had come to the deity. The only proof was the broken branch that lay at Nhyt's feet and the blood in the grass.

"Ssh," Xiphrus whispered, struggling to calm Death, who still sniffled and hiccuped, "You are safe and well, my sweet. Look, see? No more. Come, let me take you home, yes? I will get you all the candies you want." Death's sniffling quieted and he simply nodded. Instead of letting Death down to walk beside him, Xiphrus picked Death up as if he weighed nothing more than a feather, carrying him toward their home that towered in the distance like an obsidian blade.