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Zkovia begins to talk, the large crowd of Zvori standing in the distance.
“We come to the cradle to request a blessing,” Zkovia says. “From the earth and among the dirt, we emerged millennia ago, blessed to exist. When we grew curious and bored, we spread out, fighting wars and staking our claims on the land above.”
“But our departure was a betrayal of the earth maiden. So great was her pain that she laid a curse and severed our bond. From then on, we ceased to emerge from the soil. And as we spread and fought, our numbers dwindled.”
“Today, we beseech the earth maiden. Bless Sierra…”
Zkovia moves over, tapping me on the shoulder with an ornate branch.
“...and bless Zephiro.”
He shambles away from me, and though I don’t dare turn my back to look, I know he’s probably tapping on Zephiro’s shoulder with the same branch.
“Enable the power of creation,” Zkovia says. “Bless Sierra and Zephiro with the gifts that lay dormant within them. Guide Zephiro with the wisdom of the earth maiden, and give Sierra the might of the blood goddess.”
“Entwine their vision and fuse their strength. As they lock eyes, let two become one.”
He pauses for a moment.
“Sierra… Zephiro… lock eyes and unite. Turn your shoulders and face one another.”
Gingerly, I turn my body, tilting my chin upward to ensure my eyes meet Zephiro’s.
The strange sunlight shines on him beautifully, though I still can’t identify its source. It peels over the visible sinew that covers his body like branches, highlighting him in multiple places.
I remember when he used to terrify me. In a strange way, I suppose he still does, but I’ve come to see that fear as beautiful.
And inexplicably, I feel a burst of energy filling me like a powerful drug. It seemingly radiates into me from the light above.
“I’ll give you each an opportunity to talk before we seal the blessing,” Zkovia says, smiling. He uses his walking stick as support.
At first, I don’t know what to say, so I’m glad when Zephiro talks.
“I didn’t know what I wanted before I met you,” Zephiro growls. “I had spent decades finding myself among the forests, eating from orcs and elves alike to stay alive. It was a hollow existence.”
I stare deep into the two black voids on his face, and I think I see eternity in them.
“But then I saw you, and I knew. I didn’t know how I knew, I just did. You were beautiful and fantastic, as though sent to me by the gods. But you were barely of this world… You hadn’t been tainted by it even though it took so much from you. It took a lot to make you see what I saw in you, but I’m glad I did because I couldn’t imagine going on without you.”
He pauses. “And I promise to safeguard you forever because I don’t want to live in a world where you don’t exist.”
I smile, almost overtaken by him. He hadn’t told me what his life was like before meeting me. At the most important moment of my life, I almost don’t have words.
Zkovia turns to me.
I realize everybody expects me to speak now, and for a second, I tense up.
Then I know exactly what to say.
“You saved me from the world, Zephiro.”
I think of ending it there. It’s succinct enough that it works on its own.
“I could say you pulled me from a dark place, or the moment I met you was the darkest point in my life. But then, it was kind of all dark. So I think it's less that you rescued me and more that you were a light. You reminded me that the world was bright and pulled me out of the shadows. I don’t know how I kept from giving up, all that time. But I think it’s because I could see you coming, even before I met you, and I knew that you were worth fighting for. And I will keep fighting every day because you give meaning to life.”
I smile at Zephiro, and he smiles back at me.
“Then by the will of the gods,” Zkovia says. “Place your right hand on your chest and accept their blessing.”
