CW: Explicit language

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Rin doesn’t return to the Temple that night.

Instead, he finds himself wandering to the pier overlooking Hanjuyang River, past where the Sun Sculptures once stood, where Lady Nam’s soiree raged, where revellers spilled out of the vast marquee, past the distant ring of the sinfonietta and the heady scent of Poppyseed wine…

He sits at the end of the pier, legs swinging out over the calm current. The calm is lonely. The empty space beside him, moreso.

Luna comes to him quietly, skating over the choppy surface of the river, his form flitting in and out of this plane like a broken light.

The dark skies obscure the natural incandescence of the moon. Luna's presence is weak tonight.

The god is effortless grace as he skips from the river to the pier, bare feet barely grazing the bloated wood as he stands beside the youth.

Rin glances up at him, impassive, uncertain of his truth.

“You look well,” Luna says, his voice in a gentle baritone. The corners of his mouth lift in a half-smile. “I am sorry for my absence.”

“You’re a god,” Rin says, flatly. “I don’t expect you to be at my every beck and call. I’m sure you’ve been busy.” He drops his eyes to the water and lights up a cigarette. Smoke curls into his eyes, but he hardly blinks.

“Busy, yes. The war encroaches.”

“What does a petty human squabble have anything to do with the Imperial God of the Night?”

A soft huff of amusement. “It is in the god’s prerogative to embed themselves into human affairs. How do you think humans have attained their powers?”

“According to the stories, that was entirely your fault.”

Luna laughs aloud, the sound pleasing to the ear. His robes, a deep sanguine red this time, shift restlessly, despite there being no wind. “I, who had led the celestial rebellion, who had revealed to the nexus that the gods were as carnal and flawed as humanity…yes, undoubtedly I am to be blamed for your gift.”

“Gift?” Rin growls around his smoke, squinting up at the calmly smiling man. “It’s anything but.” He climbs to his feet and steps off the pier, falling several feet to the river below.

Instead of hitting water, however, his feet meet resistance. Without falter, he ambles over the river, aiming for the bank on the other side. But no matter how many steps he takes, the distance never shrinks.

“How did you know to do this?” Luna enquires, hopping lightly from the wood to the water. He walks alongside the youth, hands hidden in their sister sleeves. His presence at once strengthens, having been cast into his host’s mindscape.

Now that he looks closer, this Hanjuyang has been touched by Rin. In the eerie glow of the clouds, a hidden lightning storm within their swollen bodies. In the heady pitch of the city herself, that seems to rise higher and larger around them. Demented designs, crippled and colourful. There are the waves of the river itself, curled sharply animatedly, as if they had been drawn in a simplistic hand. The only thing missing is–

The moon, full and round and white like a giant eye in the sky, pushes through the palpitating storm clouds. Lunalight drenches all, seeps into every nook and cranny, chasing away the shadows that want to stick like tar.

From where the god and the mortal stand, the uniform waves and the giant celestial body above create the signature that haunts the latter, day and night, through his waking and dreaming.

“I thought it’d be easier to talk this way,” Rin says in a disaffected tone.

“I am impressed by your instincts.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“Undoubtedly so.”

They come to a stop beneath the giant white orb, hanging so low Rin feels as though he could touch it with a simple stretch of his hand. But he doesn’t. He just stands there, gazing up at the celestial body. The embodiment standing beside, gazing also.

Water laps around their feet, silken rather than wet.

“Dasom’s magic feels like sickness.” Rin’s words are pushed out through stiff lips. He feels the weight of Luna’s eyes upon his profile. “The thing, the power she passed down to me. It feels like it’s eating away at my mind like…like poison. Or rot.”

“You must learn to harness her gift.” Luna’s voice holds a strange tenderness, as if he were speaking about a lover. “If one does not learn to control their gift, madness is but one inevitability.”

“What are the other inevitabilities?”

“Nothing good.”

“I was mad long before she died.” Rin flicks his cigarette at the moon and it disappears, swallowed up by the white void. “In a way, I suppose I gotta thank you. If it weren’t for your light, I’d be nothing but a madman with useless 'gift'.”

Luna touches him on the shoulder. An impulsive move, perhaps to comfort. But his touch escapes as quickly as it came.

The god raises his face to his own light, basking in the argent glow. Below the moon, the choppy waves of the river.

“This symbol. It appears on that ring you wear.”

Rin glances down at his hand. The black bands his thumb and ghostly white symbols flitter into view, called by his own memories.

“I first saw it at White Lotus Lake. On a grave of some kind.” Rin gives his celestial companion a sharp look. “You were there. On the surface. The tears were yours. Who were you crying for?”

“Why do you assume it was me?” Luna says, calmly. He doesn’t return Rin’s look, keeping his eyes upon the moon.

“Beggarman. That’s what he called himself. The guy who gave me this ring. Do you know who he is? Do you know what the symbol means?”

“Unfortunately, I do not.”

“Bullshit.”

“I assure you, I am telling you the truth.”

“Tell me, Luna. Out of all the people in the four territories, why are you interested in me? A Slummer with nothing to his name?”

Luna affixes his eyes on the youth then, and they are penetrating, severe. His expression is only softened by the faint smile lingering on his lips. “You remind me of someone I once loved.”

Rin blinks in surprise.

“You could say they were the first mortal I met. Properly met. When I first visited the earthly realm, this mortal stole everything away from me. They stripped me bare, took my core, forced me to abandon my sanctity. And in turn, I discarded the heavens for them. I denounced my sovereignty, so that I could be with them.”

“That’s what led you to rebel? A pretty face?” Rin barks a laugh, the absurdity of it making his head spin.

“Is it not a worthy cause? To rebel for love?” Luna’s smile fades as he becomes reticent. Austere. “Mortals have since ascribed me the leader of the celestial rebellion, but I have no control over others’ intentions.”

“You obviously had a lot of influence up there. Just because you didn’t intend for the other gods to follow in your footsteps, doesn't mean you’re exempt from responsibility.”

“...Surprising.”

“What is?” Rin growls, hackles raised.

“You are.”

The raven purses his lips as heat creeps into his cheeks. “So that’s it? That’s the reason you chose me to hassle?”

“Need I another reason?” Humour tints his words.

“...I suppose not. And the symbol? Are you gonna tell me about it or are you gonna keep being an asshole?”

Luna tilts his head slightly as he gazes at him steadily. Not a waver in his stance.

Rin sighs and pushes a hand through his hair. “Fine. Whatever. It means shit to me anyway.”

“You will come to know in time. As you will with everything.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

The god reaches out and presses his palm flat upon Rin’s chest, his palm surprisingly large. Mana courses through his fingers and circulates within the youth. The sensation isn’t unpleasant, like a gentle tickle.

“Your injuries have worsened. They are starting to fester.” Worry laces Luna’s voice as he draws his hand away. “Something felt wrong when you pulled me inside. What happened?”

“It’s none of your concern.”

“You are host to my light. It is of my concern.”

Rin grimaces, narrowing his eye at the god. He pushes an irritated sigh through his nose. “What’s your intent, Luna? You chose me for a superficial reason, sure, I’ll pretend to bite. But you still haven’t told me why you need me to begin with.”

Luna slowly walks an arc around the moon’s reflection, shivering upon the glossy surface. His feet dip into the lumine. Argent casts over his features, accentuating the sharp lines and sockets. His brows are wicked and his smile contrarily supplicant.

“Gods meddle in human affairs, this premise we have already established, no?”

“What are you meddling in specifically?”

Luna holds out a hand, pulling his light from his palm in silvery wisps. They dance through his fingers like tadpoles, playfully flitting around the long digits. He considers them with fondness. “My children are the gales of war. Their every step writes the history of this Cycle. I wish to bear witness and…nudge them in the right direction.”

The god raises his eyes to the moon, two silver discs engulfing his dark eyes. There’s an eerie quality to his visage, flushed with his own illusory light. In this moment, Rin can see his divinity. It steals his breath.

“Your heart wars between your two desires.” Luna speaks now, without moving his lips. When their eyes meet, ice settles in Rin’s veins. “The High District. The Slums. Your selfish will. And your selfless will. The good and the greedy.” He raises his hand to his own right cheek, tracing lines from eye to chin. “The man you wish to be.” Fingers trace down the left side of his face. “The man you fear to be.”

He drops his hands and clasps them together at his waist. There’s an expectant smile. “You are muddied and uncertain, oscillating between these two paths. Perhaps, you would allow me to nudge you in the right direction?”

Rin bites back his words, caustic and defensive. Because the god speaks only the truth, and he could really use some damn guidance.

“Take the path of least resistance,” Luna says, mildly.

The raven raises a brow, startled. “That’s…not what I thought you’d say.”

“I stand by my advice. Both paths are not without risk or peril. The key is to always maintain clarity upon your goal. Your intent.”

The path of least resistance? But that would mean… “You’re telling me to become a monster.”

“I saw you at the soiree, Rin.” Luna’s smile deepens and he steps close, until they are only a foot apart. Those silver discs glimmer in anticipation. “Learn to wield your rage and you may get everything, and more.”

“This is the right direction?” Rin asks, brows knitting in uncertainty.

“For you, perhaps. This is something you must ultimately decide for yourself. But wary not. I know your intent. I know your heart. I have been in your mind for the better part of ten years.”

“That man I attacked. At the soiree.” Rin licks his lips nervously. “He’s dead. His whole family too. And it’s not just him. Twelve people. If not more, altogether. That’s how many lives I’ve taken. All because…I didn’t resist.”

“History is not made without sacrifice.”

“...I know this.” Rin tugs at a section of his hair. “You don’t care for the good of humanity?”

“I care for the good. But much like light and shadow, the good only exists because of the bad. There are agents of the shadow that bloody their hands for the survival of light. There is no such thing as purity in this world.”

The youth worries his bottom lip, mind flashing to a familiar pair of golden eyes. “I once thought that too.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“...A few things.”

“A person?”

“Sure.”

“The Hwan boy. Your friendship blinds you,” Luna says coolly, his expression moreso.

Rin perks his brow in curiosity. “You don’t like him, do you?”

“I bear no grudge.”

“Why would you bear a grudge in the first place?”

“I bear none.”

“You’re very convincing.”

“I should think so. There is no deceit here.”

“So you want to bloody my hands for the light. Is that what you want?” Rin mirrors the deity, wandering an arc around the sterling circle.

“I do not want for anything. Whatever path you choose is your decision alone.”

“I wish I could believe you.” Rin huffs a mirthless laugh.

“It is better to choose now, than when you cannot.”

“...What do you mean by that?”

“You are marred.” Luna gestures gracefully to his chest. “In time, your wounds will worsen. Your disposition will change. People will revile you. So let them do so, in the knowledge that you are reviled for the right reason.”

Rin rubs his own chest, absentmindedly. “Do you know if there’s a way to fix it?”

“If there was a way, I would have found it eons ago.”

“You have need for it also?”

“Hm. I may have a wound of my own.”

“So gods aren’t all impervious.”

“I believe that gods are moreso vulnerable than mortals,” Luna says, slipping his hands back into his flowing sleeves. “We walk the razor’s edge between corporeal and ethereal. We risk attack from either side.”

“Didn’t realise you were so easy to kill.” A faint smirk flickers.

Luna’s arches a brow and dips his head, a challenging glint in his eye. “If gods were powerless, yes. As it were…” He waves his hand and the flitting light skips through the air before hitting Rin between the eyes. It dissipates upon impact like a drop of water. “As often you are underestimated, it would be dangerous for you to do the same to others.”

The raven huffs and rubs the tingling spot upon his brow. “Noted. Got any more great advice?” he says, sardonically.

“Yes,” Luna says without hesitation. “Be wary of the man you call the Marquis. I trust you have not forgotten what conditions I found you in the last you were in his company.”

“As much as I would like to. No.” Rin grimaces and glances at his feet. He ensures that his own image is not reflected in the water. “But he’s different. It’s like…Korain’s Korain again. And the Marquis never happened.”

“But it did happen. And you bear the scars of that time.”

“I’m used to scars.”

“You should not be.”

“Well, I am. And there’s not much I can do about it.” Rin flashes the deity a glare. “I’m not going back to him. I haven’t forgotten and I’m not going back. I have…committed to someone else.”

“Commitment is admirable. Although, you’d be wise to find another to target your loyalty.”

The youth tugs at his hair again, twisting the sable piece into a tight coil. “I don’t even know if my commitment is what he wants. Or what anyone wants.”

“You simply need to find the right person. Or people. You will find that commitment comes in many forms. The one you have now is questionable.”

“What have you got against the Hwans?” Rin asks, bluntly.

Luna’s expressions turns frigid. Distant. There’s the glimpse of the god he truly is. Another hint of the terrible divine. “They are vermiculate. Corrupted. Repugnant. The House of Hwan. Those of similar standing, are not mortals I care to engage with.”

“Your personal feelings about the Hwans got nothing to do with me, Luna.” Rin scowls and sweeps his hand through the air. The moon blinks out of the sky, leaving behind a blank void. Light remains, the spectral reflection shivering. “The last parasite that tried to break us apart found herself expelled from her host. Keep your repugnance to yourself and maybe you won’t meet the same fate.”

“Are you threatening a god?” Luna says, a strange smile crawling across his face. His eyes are ablaze, amused and maddened both.

“Yeah, I am. Why? Gonna fuck off and take your power with you? Good. My life is complicated enough’.”

“My magic is useful for you. You do not wish for me to leave.”

“...” The raven purses his lips and spins around, starting back towards the pier. Around him, the landscape collapses into reality. Everything is sharper. More detailed. A grittier, colder world than the homage in his mind.

“I will not abandon you, Rin.”

When he glances over his shoulder, he sees Luna’s spectral form, skittering in and out of this realm until it finally vanishes. Quiet, quietly, like the night that fills its place.