Like the Sun

The moon was lowering, darkness retracting into the horizon as a sea of red came across the sky. The pale sphere disappeared slowly behind the mountains, tucked in to sleep while the sun came to give the creatures the day. All by the mender of the night, Nocturna. That was how Nocturna saw it, at least—they normally hadn’t seen anyone other than the creatures that prowl under the moonlight that shimmered down on the land as men slept. The never knew there was another being that controlled the sun, that brought the day and the blinding light that led most men on their journeys

Normally, Nocturna would keep their back turned to the sun; they could never handle the brightness, the ball of fire was too much for their eyes. Though, the more they thought about it, that’s how people described Nocturna’s eyes… It was at least interesting to think about.

After a moment of hesitation, Nocturna turned to view the rising sun, the star peeking over the horizon as if to mimic the moon; a game of “peek-a-boo” that would quickly cease as the two moved in opposite directions. That wasn’t what caught Nocturna’s eye though, their attention had been seized by something else—though someone was the better descriptor. The person—maybe even god—that Nocturna saw was gorgeous, her beauty heightened by the deep colors of sunrise.

The woman’s skin was a dark ebony that seemed to absorb the sun’s rays, causing her to glow like a geode that had been freshly dug from the earth. Her clothes seemed… Different, at least different from what Nocturna would wear; They had a similar golden top, but her legs were almost bare, a simple pair of bright shorts that came down to her mid thigh, and she lacked shoes.

The woman’s hair, though... That was something special; Long burning embers that fell past her shoulders, wisps of flame that escaped her scalp briefly before going out as they reached further up to the heavens. Nocturna stepped closer, their feet carrying them across an invisible floor high in the air as the moon fully disappeared. The blazing pyre grew brighter as Nocturna got closer, the heat was almost unbearable, but a hidden force drew them further still, like a moth to a candle.

They thought they could make themselves known, say a simple “hello” and leave for the day. But as they grew closer, the woman turned, showing the eyes that decorated her body; wide unblinking eyes that mirrored themselves on her shoulders, her wrists, and along her thighs. All of her eyes stared at Nocturna, causing them to instinctively cover their eyes with their violet bangs, their hands gripping onto strands of hair that waved gently in the breeze.

“Oh, hey! You must be the moon god.” The girl spoke, and Nocturna could feel the golden ichor rush to their cheeks; Her voice dripped like honey, smooth and sweet with a shimmer of excitement behind it. “It’s nice actually seeing you face-to-face! I’m Seraphea, how about you?”

Nocturna froze, the ichor turning their hidden face a bright gold as their tongue swelled in their mouth. They couldn’t figure out what to say, it was like something about Seraphea caught them off guard, usually they never had such troubles speaking to other gods or creatures. After a few moments of awkward stuttering, they disappeared, going back to their home in the stars to release their energy through a scream; It wasn’t pained, it was filled with nothing but pure embarrassment. How in The Veiled Beyond could they not simply say hello?

The night mender sighed, which turned into a groan as they flopped back onto their bed of starlight, covering their face in their hands; They could meet her again when the sun began to set, and until then, she could simply remember Seraphea's beauty…