Aeron POV

I whipped my head around, staring into the back of the supposedly empty cave. The darkness was overwhelming, but six little dots, glowing against the inky backdrop, popped up, two at a time.

A pair of golden dots got closer, bringing into the light a well-built figure, light blonde hair falling about her golden shoulders. Even in the dead light of the cave, she was paler than even me myself. Her hair was woven with light flowers. "I'll say it again." Her voice contrasted her looks, deep and angry.

Two more people approached, a tall, silver haired person and a shorter one with bright orange hair. They hung behind the first, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the three of us. I was tall, when I was standing, but these three seemed to tower over me. 

"Who the hell are you." 

I found myself rising to match their height. Fire blossomed in Darcy's hand, Hyperion's fists balling. Vines crawled up my sleeved as my own fists clenched. "How did you find us." My voice hid the shakiness quite well, to be honest. 

"How did we fine you? You're the ones who barged in here!" The shortest of the three snapped. His voice was bubbly, but bubbly like lava, an undercurrent of anger ever-present. 

"Tell us who you are... and we don't have to do each other any harm. Right, Auria?" The one with silver hair peered fixedly at the front one, Auria. 

There was an air of unease in the cave, broken only by Auria's defeated sigh, acknowledging the quieter ones idea. "Tell us who you are, why you're here... and we won't hurt you."

The silver haired one rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath. 

My knuckled were turning white with how tightly I was holding them. "Aeron Delwyn, Ruler of Gilded Helianthia, Champion of Atura." 

"Oh, we're doin' full titles then? OK then..." Darcy chuckled in my ear. "Darcy Dune, Emperor of Grimlands, Champion of Ignius." 

"King Hyperion Troy of Mythland... I'm not a champion I dunno what to say here-" Hyperion shrugged. 

The figures tensed. "So, they've done it again..." The shortest mumbled. "Anyways, my names Cunaan, this is Agenti-" he gestured to the silver haired woman- "and you already know that's Auria." 

I leaned back against the wall, peering at the three. "What did you mean. What have who done again?"

Agenti jumped in, ignoring my question and asking one of her own instead. "So why are you here?" 

Cunaan sat down, crossing one leg over the other and gesturing for us to do the same. I glanced back at Darcy and Hyperion, before sitting down. Auria and Agenti sat beside Cunaan, I leaned against the cave wall as the other two sat across from the mysterious people. I still didn't trust them. 

"We came from a dinner." Hyperion said, hand tightly squeezing Darcy's. They're so in love it hurts sometimes. yes I have Caspian, but those two are each other's first loves, I'll never know what it would be like if I had stayed with my first love and we had loved each other for this long. 

"How did a dinner turn into..." Cunaan gestured to all our injuries. "This?" 

"I don't really know. I think it all spiralled when Ari, our friend-" your friend, Darc, not mine- "and Aeron over here got into a fight. Pri, someone close to us, was poisoned and we didn't notice that she had been poisoned until it was by far too late." Darcy's voice caught in his throat and I could see tears threatening to burst from Peri's eyes. 

"Me and Ari had made a deal that if things went to shit at the dinner, I would take fuckbucket and dumbass over here and run, because we know that Evangeline, the bitch who threw the dinner, would come for us. We were attacked by her men as we ran, but we somehow made it out alive." 

Auria nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You said you were Ignius' and Atura's champions, right?" She looked between me and Darcy, who nodded hesitantly. "What about Aquaen? Exor, and Aeor? Heck, even Estrella? Do they have champions?" 

I held my tongue, knowing I would tell everyone that Estrella was alive and healthy and doing just fine living in Mythland. It's better for them if everyone thought her dead. 

"Estrella died... in the Fall of Earthasia. Ari is Aeor's champion. Aquaen has a woman called Aalto as her champion, as for Exor... that's the fucking Queen of the Devils Evangeline right there." Hyperion's jaw tensed. 

"If she is the Queen of all Devils then she is the Queen of all angels, for Exor, too, was oonce holy." Agenti mumbled,  plaiting silver strands of hair into a braid. 

"You never told us who exactly you are... and why you're in this cave." I narrowed my eyes, arms folded in a defensive position. Auria, who seemed to be the leader of the group, answered. 

"We're Messenger Gods. We would deliver messages from the gods down to the people, answering their prayer. Once, there were 118 of us. We are the only three who remain, but we have reason to believe Lira is still alive." 

"We were all but killed off in the Fall of Earthasia. The gods turned on each other, fighting for freedom. Many fought on Aeor's side, but the few of us who fought with Exor saw the true sides of the gods." Agenti added. 

"Your patron saints aren't as saintly as they appear. They're weaker than they act, and can be overthrown. All you need is power. And you can harness that." Cunaan smiled. 

Power... 

It sounds, god, it sounds beautiful... 

If I had the power... could I reverse it? Bring her back? 

Give her the life she deserved?