A/ N: We're finally meeting the harpies and getting some answers to some questions.
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Forced to remain at Elysion, the prince finally decided to take Lux out of the glass castle so she could meet his people. He would walk next to her, to ensure her safety and would keep a very close and somber face. It was no secret that Tenebrae didn't like spending time at Elysium, mostly because the people were afraid of him and he could see through their lies and fake smiles that they'd rather be far away from him. It didn't bother him, per say, solitude was a companion for most of his life. What it did was, irritate him. As the prince, he had to spend time with them, he had to rule them when his father went on Earth to collect fresh souls and decide of their fate. He had to be there because the King left the End Realm to investigate the attack on Life's realm. He kept sighing and groaning as the two of them walked through the beautiful -albeit monochromatic green- streets of Elysium.
Lux was a curiosity because she was very much alive. Her body was real and warm and attractive to the eye of the dead who couldn't stop but gather around her any chance they got. It made the princess uncomfortable because she wasn't used to being stared at like that. She would glance at Tenebrae for reassurance as they kept walking through Elysium and she finally witnessed what he talked about. His people carefully avoided him and for those who couldn't, she noticed they were shaking from head to toe. Elysium, despite the strange relationship the prince entertained with his subjects, was a beautiful place. Not as beautiful as the realm of all beginnings but it had its peculiar beauty. She enjoyed the sight of the different architectures that were testimonies of the changes throughout mankind history. She enjoyed the variety of people she saw and how much they had not changed from when they were alive. Humans always said that Death was the beginning of something new and that existence didn't stop once you passed away. Lux knew they were right since the End Realm existed but she never got to see human's afterlife this close. Was she disappointed? No, not really but she realized that they were a world apart from the world of the living and she might need more than just a day to adjust to it.
Tenebrae was able to find them a quiet place, far away from sycophants and the unwanted attention of the princess. He took her to the outskirt of Elysium, where a huge wall separated it from « Hell ». Not many people ventured there so the pair was alone, which was a huge relief for the prince who rolled his head from left to right. He couldn't leave Elysium and couldn't take her outside of it, so he managed to ask one of his former wet nurses to come to him instead. The princess tightly held the fabric of her black and green asymmetric dress and tilted her head to the side.
« Tenebrae.. » -She called for him, but he wouldn't look at her.- «Tenebrae? »
« I hear you just fine, Lux. » -He whispered before he looked up to the black « sky ».
« Why are we here? I thought we couldn't leave? »
« We're not leaving. I called for one of my wet nurses so I could have some answers about the keeper of secret's riddle. »
« It wasn't a riddle. They told us what we needed to hear. » Lux crossed her arms over her chest. « But I see what you're doing. We can't ask your father, otherwise, he would know you were looking for a way to get rid of him. We can't ask any of the elders...In case it was one of them who tried to kill mother and me. » She sighed.
« You figured that out. » He was sarcastic, not really against her, she could tell, but the prince was frustrated.
« I still can use my brain, it seems. » She joked along with him, relieving a little bit of the tension that settled between the two of them.
Tenebrae was still worried about Lux. He had no clues about what lied in the future. Of course, he made a promise to himself when he found out that she was dead. He promised to avenge her and he intended to keep his promise, even though the princess was now alive and recovering. For a split second, the prince believed that the only thing in the universe that mattered to him was murdered and taken away from him. He wanted nothing but the blood of his enemies and to make them suffer as he was suffering and still was. Her life was fragile as it was and anything could actually kill her since she was defenseless and her lifeforce wasn't completely restored to her. Just like that, he could lose her for good. She noticed how he closed himself off again after his outburst last time and he avoided looking at her because he didn't know how this version of her would handle his true face.
Lux had not tried to reach out to him just yet, she was too confused about herself and the recent events to eventually know what to do next. She did feel the prince distance himself from her and it was unsettling to say the very least. She was used to feeling him watch over her, reach out to her so he could touch her skin, feel her close to his frame, make her feel safe because he was with her. She was used to him speak of their past relationship, of all the wonders and the thrills they shared and of how much they cared for one another. She was used to him but ever since he cried and showed her his true face, he put a barrier between the two of them, out of shame maybe? Out of fear? She couldn't tell. She noticed and it didn't sit well with her. His name was at the tip of her tongue as she wanted to call him again and ask him about the distance he put between them but a noise caught her attention. It was the same noise as flapping wings and the powerful wind that whipped the goddess' face was enough to confirm that something with giant wings was landing nearby. She watched a huge humanoid form with eagle's feet land in front of them. The torso and face of a woman, wings instead of hands, bird's claws for feet. Her hair was dark as night and contrasted with the pasty white hair the dead all had.
« Finally, Althea. You're here. » Tenebrae's voice softened at the sight of what seemed to be a harpy.
« Of course, my prince. You call and I come. » Althea replied, her amber eyes scanning the area and setting on Lux who was standing nearby, visibly frightened. « We are in a hurry, my presence isn't welcomed here and my sisters didn't want me to come, but you've always been my favorite, so here I am. » She said with a sharp smile before her eyes averted from the prince to set on Lux.
« I will make it quick then. We've seen the Keeper of Secrets and they told us a riddle. »
« It wasn't a riddle, » whispered Lux who crossed her arms over her chest to give herself some courage.
« What did they tell you, my prince? »
Althea was huge, probably the same size as the super monster they fought a while ago. She was one, after all, a monster with bloodthirst and malice in its eyes. Althea was the sweetest of the harpies who kept Tenebrae was an infant. She was fond of the prince and taught him the secrets of the End realm. She secretly trained the kid so he could control his powers and open/close the portal only when he reached a level of anger high enough to break the mental blocks they put in him. She wasn't the strongest but she definitely was the fiercest and the most knowledgeable. As the prince gently petted her wings, Althea tilted her head to the side as he finally began to answer her question.
« They mentioned the Vanishing Point and two chosen ones...I didn't understand what they meant. What is the Vanishing Point? I've never been there. »
«I see... The Vanishing Point is a celestial prison. This is where the worst of the monsters and the celestials deemed too dangerous are locked. They can't escape it, can't go to the human plane or the divine plane. They are isolated for all eternity. »
« They spoke about an Alpha and an Omega. They even said it happened long before I was born. What happened, Althea? » -His eyes were filled with unshed tears. His voice was raspy and tired.
«Ah! My prince, you're really asking the most difficult questions today. » Althea complained, but she rolled her eyes as she saw Tenebrae's determined face. « Well, fine. I will tell you. A long time ago, two deities performed the ritual to lock three celestials who wanted to bring harm to the world of the living. They held hands, chanted the spell and banished the entities to the Vanishing Point. The Keeper of Secrets told you what you needed to know. Only a strong connection between two powerful beings could defeat any celestial existing. Your father, yourself, Life and even Time could be banished using this technique. But it's risky, it's tasking. It requires true love and trust. » She sneered and bent a little forward, her head inches away from Lux who swallowed hard and held onto her arms tighter.
« Thank you, Althea... I am having a better idea of how we could defeat those who hurt Lux and Queen Life. »
« We do not have much time, I'm afraid. » Althea said as she looked up to the sky. « My sisters found me and soon enough, your guards also will. I have to leave before it goes out of hand. » She wrapped her wings around the prince « It was good to see you again, my prince and before we part ways, you have to know something. The Alpha and the Omega were Life and Death. » She said before taking off and leaving a shocked prince.
« What did she say? » Lux asked as she reached out to Tenebrae's arm. He looked at her, this time with relief in his eyes as he finally got some answers. «Tenebrae? » She called his name again and once again, he didn't respond to her. The prince simply cupped her cheek and pressed his lips against her forehead.
« I know who your enemies are. I know who they are! » He said cupping her other cheek and leaning his forehead against hers.
Tenebrae pieced everything together from both Althea's answers and what he knew from his father. A long time ago, Death and Life defeated the three other horsemen of Apocalypse. Death always told the story of those events to his infant son and it stayed with him as he grew older. It made sense that in order to lock them in the Vanishing Point, he had to use the help of the only other being he loved: Life. As he laughed and celebrated with Lux who still didn't understand everything, Tenebrae realized that his father was in love with Life and probably had been in love with her for a long time. It shocked him enough for him to become stiff, which drew the princess' attention. She cupped his cheeks and stroked them with her thumbs. It was time to return to the glass castle and rest. Tenebrae's jet black orbs set upon the goddess and he planted another kiss on top of her head before he held her hand and took her back home. His whole mind was focused on confronting his father about the revelation Althea just made. He had to ask, he had to understand. But was he ready for the answers? He couldn't tell.
-TBC-
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