The meal was a curious affair.
Vastarael laid out his "treasures" from the future, a collection of snacks he had hoarded in his inventory for moments when nostalgia struck when he was in the cycle. Sirithiele sat cross-legged across from him.
"Energy drinks?" She questioned, holding up a can of neon blue liquid. She shook it gently, the fizz audible even from a distance. "Mortals consume this?"
"Careful with that," Vastarael warned with a chuckle. "Don't drink too much, or you'll end up jittery for hours, even for a goddess."
She shrugged and opened it, taking a small sip. Her eyes widened as the tangy, sweet flavor spread over her tongue.
"Hmm... it's odd, but it has a strange allure. Refreshing."
Her enthusiasm grew as he introduced her to more snacks. Potato chips were met with a raised brow but soon became a favorite as she delighted in their crisp texture. Cookies were greeted with an approving hum, especially the blue chocolate chip ones that seemed to melt in her mouth.
But it was the chocolate popcorn that earned the biggest reaction.
"This... this is divine," Sirithiele declared, holding a handful of the treat as if it were a sacred offering. She glanced at him with mock seriousness. "Are you sure this wasn't made by a culinary god?"
"Positive," Vastarael replied, grinning. "It's just something mortals came up with. But I guess it is kind of genius."
For hours, they feasted, their conversation light and filled with laughter. Even though gods and Nexuses didn't need food to sustain themselves, the act of sharing a meal felt normal, grounding them both in the moment.
Once their snack session ended, Sirithiele leaned back with a contented sigh, brushing crumbs off her robes.
"Well, I must admit, your future snacks are impressive. But..." She reached into the folds of her garment and pulled out two golden boxes, intricately engraved with runes that shimmered faintly. "I can't let you outdo me, Vastarael. Allow me to offer something in return."
He leaned forward, intrigued. "What are those?"
"This," she said, holding one up, "is a Divine Artifact known as the Fool's Copy. Crafted by a Creation deity in Mopheria, it was intended to be a tool for perfect replication. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet the deity's standards, so it was deemed a failed experiment and discarded. But to you, it's a blessing."
She opened one of the boxes, revealing an empty interior.
"Whatever you place inside it, the artifact will create a perfect duplicate. The copy is indistinguishable from the original. It can replicate food, items, even small artifacts. However, it doesn't work on living things or objects imbued with immense power, like true divine weapons or anything infused with a lot of energy."
To demonstrate, she picked up a blue chocolate chip cookie and placed it inside the box. A moment later, there was a soft glow, and when she opened the box again, there were more then thirty cookies.
Vastarael whistled low, clearly impressed.
"That's... amazing. And it just works, no essence or energy needed?"
"None," Sirithiele confirmed. "It's a simple yet remarkable creation. The size of the box adjusts to the user's needs, so it can accommodate most items. Here."
She held out the boxes to him.
"Consider this your reward for sharing your meals from the future. A fair trade, wouldn't you say?"
He accepted the boxes, running his fingers over the intricate engravings.
"Thanks but... I think I'm getting the better deal here," he admitted, though his smile showed no intention of declining the gift.
Sirithiele smirked, "Perhaps. But seeing the delight on your face is reward enough for me. And besides..."
She popped another cookie into her mouth, savoring the flavor. "I'm keeping the rest of these snacks."
Vastarael laughed, shaking his head, "Fair enough. But don't blame me if you get addicted to mortal food."
She winked. "I think I already have. Since we won't meet each other for eight millennia once two days pass for you and two years for me, I better have a collection of all of these. Do you have more—"
Vastarael laughed, shaking his head, "Fair enough. But don't blame me if you get addicted to mortal food."
Her words trailed off as Vastarael's body began to shimmer, faint motes of light flickering around him like fireflies. His time in her era was up. He glanced down at his hand, where his fingers were already dissolving into particles, and then back at her, his expression tinged with regret.
"It's already midnight," he murmured, his voice soft with the weight of realization. "The Winter Solstice is over."
Sirithiele's smile faltered, though she kept her composure.
"So, you're returning now?"
"Back to the next Winter Solstice in the Frozen City," he explained. "I'll have to run for three hours straight to reach you again at the Lake of Miracles. It will be a year to you but less than a day for me."
Sirithiele tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with understanding.
"Then I'll be waiting. But when we meet again, you better bring more of those snacks."
Vastarael chuckled despite himself, the glow overtaking more of his form.
"Deal. And when we meet, you'll tell me more about your life. All of it."
"All of it?" She asked, feigning surprise.
"Every detail," he said firmly. "I'll hold you to it."
Sirithiele's smile turned radiant, lighting up the darkened lake as if a thousand stars had gathered in her expression.
"Then I'll hold you to bringing me more of those mortal foods. I'm looking forward to it, Vastarael."
Her words hung in the air as Vastarael's body dissolved completely into particles of light. Within moments, he was gone, leaving the lake in silence.
Sirithiele sat under the tree for a moment, gazing at the empty space where he had been. Then she glanced down at the scattered snacks, a small laugh escaping her lips.
"How wonderful you are," she murmured to herself, picking up a bag of chocolate popcorn. "And how cute, too. Even if you are a divine prince, you're still so… mortal sometimes. I like that about you."
She opened the bag, taking a piece of the popcorn and savoring its sweetness. Her smile lingered as she whispered to the still air,
"Two more visits and I'll wait for a long time. Eight millennia will feel like an eternity, but it will be worth the wait."
With that, she returned to her spot by the lake, humming softly to herself, the golden Fool's Copy box, the snacks inside them and the stars above reflecting in the calm waters.
For the first time in her immortal existence, she was anticipating someone's return.
°°°°°°
Vastarael stirred as the familiar sensation of reality returning settled around him. He blinked, trying to shake off the disorienting feeling of the time jump. The warmth of the medieval inn and the smell of faint wood smoke greeted him, but something was off.
His gaze snapped to the side, where Phaenora sat in a chair, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Her expression was cold, her eyes narrowed into a look that radiated pure annoyance.
She was mad. Very mad. The usual lightness in her demeanor was completely gone, replaced by a scary tension in the air.
Vastarael rubbed his eyes, trying to get his bearings.
"Phaenora?"
"You left me for the whole day. Even though you went to the goddess and spent a day with her, you left me alone in the city. Even though we were teleported at noon before the Winter Solstice, you always wake up at midnight. This is the second time and you left me!"
Vastarael smiled.
Phaenora and Vastarael were sent back at noon before the Winter Solstice and she woke up by then. But for him, he always woke up at midnight when the solstice would begin. He didn't know why but the Fallen Bridge was doing this.
Which didn't exist in this period of time.
"Why are you smiling—"
Before she could say another word, Vastarael closed the distance between them in an instant, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Phaenora gasped in surprise, her eyes widening as he pulled her into an embrace. For a moment, she was too stunned to react, but as his warmth surrounded her, she felt something stir inside her.
"I'm sorry, Phaenora," Vastarael whispered, his voice filled with sincerity. "I'm so sorry for all the times I made you worry. For all the times I disappeared, for all the times I was consumed by my own fate. I didn't see how much you were there for me, how much I was hurting you... I'm truly sorry."
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his golden gaze softening as he spoke again, each word carrying the quiet conviction of someone who had just realized something important.
"I... I've been so focused on trying to outrun my fate, trying to fix everything on my own, that I never realized how much I was leaving behind. How much you mean to me, Phaenora," he continued, his voice trembling slightly, though he didn't shy away from the rawness of it.
"I never stopped to see how you've always been there for me. I don't want to lose you. Not now, not ever."
Phaenora's breath caught in her throat, her heart skipping a beat as the words hit her like a sudden wave. She had never heard him speak like this, not in all the time they had known each other. His usual confidence and aloofness had given way to something far more vulnerable, something that made her feel breathless and exposed.
Her face flushed, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as she tried to find her voice.
"V-Vastarael," she stuttered, her heart pounding in her chest. "W-What's gotten into you?"
But Vastarael only smiled, his expression softening even further as he brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.
"I don't know. But I've realized that I don't want to fight this anymore. I don't want to fight fate, I don't want to fight our time together. I don't want to keep running away from what's right in front of me. I should just enjoy my life the way it is."
Phaenora's breath was caught in her throat and she could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest. She didn't know what to say. This wasn't the Vastarael she had known, the one always consumed by his fate, always distant, always focused on a future that seemed too far away to grasp.
This was someone... different. Someone she never expected. Someone who was finally allowing himself to feel, to be vulnerable, to let go of the endless burden of fate.
She didn't know how to respond but her hand instinctively reached up to touch his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm. It was as though, in that moment, something had clicked into place, something she hadn't even realized she had been waiting for.
"You're... serious?" She managed to whisper, her voice barely audible. "Did that goddess do something to you?"
"Kinda but... I'm sure. I've never been more serious in my life. I've spent so long trying to outrun what's coming, but now..." He paused, his smile widening as he looked down at her.
"Now I just want to... live."
Phaenora felt the breath leave her lungs, and for a moment, she felt like time had stopped. It was as if all the uncertainty, all the tension that had existed between them for so long had finally melted away, leaving only this pure, unspoken connection.
And then, as if in response to the shift in the air, Phaenora's expression softened. She gently pulled back, her face flushed but her eyes filled with relief, happiness, and a warmth that reached deep into her heart.
"You're really changing, aren't you?" she murmured, her voice a little shaky. "It's... it's a good change, though. All this time, I thought that you'll always be think of nothing else but becoming a Timeless. Now..."
Vastarael's smile softened, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips.
"I think I finally figured it out. It's about time, right?"
For a moment, Phaenora simply looked at him, her heart still racing from the unexpected words and feelings that had come rushing to the surface. She was happy. Truly happy.
"Well," she said with a teasing smile, "I guess it's about time you realized it too. From now on, no more thinking of being a Timeless or escaping fate. Let's just live, fight, survive and let life take us however it wants. When the time comes, we will have no regrets."
"I agree with that. Now, what's goin on in the city? I left early so you must have an idea."
"I'll tell you. Right after we go to the goddess together. This time, you're not leaving me behind."