2 gods, 2 enemies, 2 lovers

Life had been so simple before I met him.

I had a set routine, a cycle of tasks I knew I needed to complete before the day's end. Day in and day out I obediently followed the set path, set rules of the world I helped create from my hands. Never did I allow my mind to stray or rather it would be more accurate to say that I never desired anything more than I already had.

Receiving orders to step out of line of those duties was rare, incredibly rare to the point it never happened until this day when asked to investigate a lone tribe that suddenly went silent of reports

The touch of my fingertips invited seeds of all kinds into the earth while my breath stirred life into even the driest sand terrains, but just the feel of the soil made my own lips go dry from the scolding heat. The cries of the earth land were unbearably clear as I felt the wildlife; a part of myself; wither away similar to dry corpses even with my presence and desperate aid. My eyes threatened to spill over with tears of sorrow in return for the life and greenery that had been snuffed out by the punishing heat, but even my tears dried before they even got the chance to rush down my cheeks.

This weather was by no means natural. What was the cause? Where were my people? Should I even put myself through the pain of hoping for their survival and safety?

I shook any doubts from my mind and tried to place my focus solely on the grueling issue at hand. Who was responsible for dominating my domain with this eerie change in temperature. It was as if the sun itself decided to bring itself down past the heavens.

"My, are you the god these people constantly speak of?" The voice was startling, raw and unsettled my core upon their words reaching my ears. The words were followed by a shadow, where footsteps eventually trickled in behind it.

How did he appear? I could only guess from that voice and the amount of weight he placed on each step forward. A million questions running through my mind, yet not a single one of them able to escape past my lips as the tension started to build when he brought himself closer. My senses were heightened, the raw scent of newly lit fire and another feeling I had never experienced seemed to cloud my usually clear judgement. Every ligament contracted and allowed liberation that I never experienced during my existence.

"Where are my people?" I questioned after taking a breath to try releasing this ugly new emotion that crept up on me in the moment. I wrote it off as a single moment of weakness.

"You do not even know who you're speaking with?" They answered with a question of their own and a sharp, lighthearted tone of speech.

"It is no significance to me. I do not want to know or remember a name that is aligned with violence against my people," I responded with sincere honesty and the latter snickered to themselves in amusement.

"Well then, I am Nikkos and I sacrificed your people to a god," he chided in response to what he believed was purposeful disrespect.

Names are sacred amongst gods and I was more ignorant to the truth of our world then I had known then. There was a war brewing and I was in the middle of it.

The name of Nikkos was infamous across the entire lands of Eres where I was created and served its inhabitants. Whereas I lived amongst the few gods of creation under Aeros guidance on the westmost side of the border, he lived among those of destruction and deceit on the eastmost side. He was a god of trickery and conveniently he controlled the balance of the suns.

"Trespassing in West Eres is already a great offense. I know my people continue to live, so return them and stop your foolery," I bluffed to the skies and prayed that his words were more of his hellish trickery.

"Answer a question of mine and they are yours," he said in tone that made it impossible to guess the expression on his face or the thoughts forming in his head to lead me astray. I was hesitant to comply to his demand or even let myself believe the flippant words being spat from his mouth. However, my love for my people trumped any other rational sense.

"And you will return to East Eres?" I pressed.

"I will do so," he chirped in unusual compliance.

"Fine, you may ask your question."

"Why is your gift of life not shared with the people of East Eres?" he waited patiently for the answer.

I didn't need much time to consider my answer because it was clear as day the reason. "Your people are criminal and scoundrel. Aeros speaks of how your people abuse and destroy any sign of life out of hatred."

He was silent for several moments and just as if my words fell on deaf ears, he guided me to my people as promised and before I could say another word I could sense his presence had suddenly disappeared.

**

How many days had passed since the last time I laid eyes on that naive god of earth? He was blessed with all the beauty Eres could offer and yet even he carried the curse of never understanding life with his own eyes. There was no color, not even a pupil except a circular clouded white over where hazel or brown pigments could have been. Yet, somehow his curse just added to the earth god's inexplicable grace and beauty.

He was sickening.

All he was, was an obedient lapdog for the god named Aeros. However, if I wanted to infiltrate and tear apart the trust between each god of creation, West Eres would crumble, allowing East Eres to obtain their abundant resources across the border during the strife. This earth god by the name of Geo was key to our success.

So, I drew him out in a way I figured would guarantee his attention. I took another tribe and forced him to meet at the border.

"You again take my people from their homes?" Geo asked in his agitating calm and collected way. His lips were dead set in a line of indifference to the situation presented to him.

"I do," I tried to say plainly just to try and work my way under his skin. I would tease and taunt, dangling a line of weakness for him to finally bite on, but to avail. He seemed unbothered by everything and anything that I threw at him.

"Answer my question," I spat out with the utmost distraught and frustration that I couldn't break him.

Geo sighed and awaited my question.

"Do you ever feel angered or bothered?" I asked in a rush.

"Not particularly," he answered in short, concise words.

I searched for any way to crack his trust in Aeros and after all this time my eyes drifted to the incredible distance Geo stood from the line of the border. Almost as if he was afraid there would be consequences for stepping even an inch closer.

"Why do you stay such a great distance from the border? Afraid I'll burn you?" I rose my brow in amusement when Geo fidgeted his fingers and for that brief moment his tightlined lips showed the slightest of emotion.

"You said just one question."

As promised, I handed over his people and our interaction was supposed to end there, it was though I was drawn to follow Geo when soothing and guiding his people back to their homes. I only wanted more insight into his persona when lifted from the pressure of appearance in order to formulate a plan to crack him. However, minutes turned to hours once I gazed upon the brightest smile of warmth and kindness I had ever seen in my existence. His voice no longer carried that rigid tone when the two of us were alone. It was soft when comforting the people and broken between constant laughter from whatever unimportant words spouted from their mouths. Even after days passed I felt the rush of coming close to breaking Geo the tiniest bit, to get glimpse at that side of him myself.

I would never admit it to myself, but by the fourth time I drew out the earth god with the same excuse, I had been enjoying our meetings. I realized that over time I lost count of how many times I've spoken with him.

"Each time you visit my heart flutters, you know," I commented as Geo arrived to the border and I sat, waiting for him to arrive.

"I haven't seen a few of my animals for days. Is it your doing, Nikkos?"

"My names feels like velvet coming from you, Geo."

"Answer my question," Geo strained in the slightest of annoyance towards the inconvenience of repeating himself. I found that he hated that.

"Answer mine?" I countered and he reluctantly clicked his tongue.

"Why are you so kind to those people and mangly creatures, but not me?"

I couldn't help myself from asking. The question had been eating away at my conscience for what seemed weeks. I knew Geo better, but he never truly laughed or smiled when interacting with me.

"It's simple really. I hate you and the excruciating heat you have around you."

**

Months had passed since the last time I met with Nikkos at the border or was called to investigate a sudden situation somewhere in West Eres. I counted and recounted the animals to look for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. All of my inhabitants were safe and I was obviously overjoyed that they were, yet there was this insatiable hole in my daily cycle. Why did Nikkos not contact me? Why did I care?

I may have grown to know a bit more about Nikkos each time I visited and eventually hated him just a bit less than each visit before the next. What started as one necessary question shifted to conversations I never experienced with anyone else. Then, before I knew it, plants began to wither as the hole seemed to grow deeper and wider.

I had to go to the border. Nikkos needed to fix this.

"Nikkos!" I called louder than I intended towards the border.

I doubted in my mind that Nikkos would even be there, but I hope and wished to Aeros that he would be there waiting. And there he was, laying out peacefully just near the border without a care in the world.

"What are you doing?" I inquired in a rather harsh tone that even shocked myself when it erupted from my chest.

"I'm resting. Do you not have orders to follow?" Nikkos sarcastically suggested and swatted me away with his hand before turning his back towards me.

My eyes twitched and that ugly feeling from a while back started brew again inside me. I didn't realize it at first, but the earth reacted each time the feeling manifested. The grass and trees dimmed in color while animals fled and dirt patches became more prevalent.

"Are you ill?" I could hear his muffled voice ask.

"Of course not. Why would you ask such a thing!" I snapped in defense.

"Well, I am starting to have difficulty telling East and West apart." He pointed out in concern and still muffled his voice in his arm since he refused to turn back to face me.

I snapped again with a snarky response telling him "to mind his business" and instantly regretted my words the moment I said them. I felt and sounded unusually ugly and hostile, making me immediately shut my mouth, wrapping my arms tightly around myself. Nikkos deliberately continued to ignore and lay peacefully on the earth.

The guilt moved my feet on their own as my hands reached to search for where he laid. I placed my hand with a gentle touch on his shoulder, taking a breath to collect my thoughts and prevent anymore regretful words.

"Nikkos.."

A startling pair of hands grabbed my shoulders. "Stay on your side and I'll stay on mine, got that? Do not think about coming over here anymore. I do not want you here!"

"Who said I care what you want? I want to be here."

"Why?"

"None of your concern."

"Then, go and do not look back here."

"Do not tell me how to live my life. I am staying here!"

"Why?"

"I want to see you now, I want to speak with you and without you there nothing seems right."