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Capitano loved his new found peace and quiet. He no longer had souls of countless others keeping him awake, nor did he have the pain of a decaying body to deal with 24/7. No, he was free, capable of helping the Lord of the Night get back on her feet. His soul was eternally able to give her the aid and energy she needed. He regretted nothing but one thing.
He wouldn’t be able to be by the Pyro Archon’s side as she continued to govern Natlan even as she grew old. He would not be able to be with her when ‘Pyro Archon’ was granted to another because her age had caught up to her and she no longer had the strength she once did. He wouldn’t be by her side as her soul left for the Night Kingdom. Instead, he would have to wait for her here. He would await her death, and welcome her soul to the Night Kingdom with open arms
He missed her down here. He missed her warm smile and her uniquely sun patterned eyes. He missed her confident way of speaking and how her poise never seemed lacking in the true sense of leadership and she made proud strides. He missed her strength and fighting spirit. He just missed her.
He truly thought he would not see her again for years. After his death minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days, days turned to weeks. He aided the Lord of the Night through everything she needed, in return he was granted access to see whatever his body had vision of and could hear but nothing more. He utilized that through three weeks to watch the sunset from his body’s perch. He liked the sunset, it reminded him of the Pyro Archon’s hair.
One day, he went to watch the sunset three weeks after his death and he was. Surprised by a different sight there.
She, the Pyro Archon, Goddess of War, Strongest human in Natlan, Harborym, Mavuika, his first and only love, was there. She placed a bouquet of Withering Purpurblooms and sweet flowers at his feet then stood up and looked him in the eye. Now, he.could not actually look back at her with the physical eyes that she could only guess the locations of due to the mask, but he felt her stare lock into his gaze as if his soul wasn’t no longer attached to his body.
Her eyes were still a brilliant red with a yellow star design centered on her eyes around her pupil. They were striking as they stared into your soul and captivated you. They were surrounded by fiery red waves for hair that faded to an orange and then a pale yellow at the bottom with orange and yellow undertones. There was that piece of hair that floated, connected from her head and rested in the air like embers from a flame. Her tanned body was hugged by her black biker suit and her lips had just the faintest bit of lipstick to them. Not a detail was out of place on her, she was gorgeous.
Her face, as beautiful as it was, bore a sad smile as she held the dangled triangle from her choker.
“Hey, Captain.” Her voice was beautiful, silky and matured, but sweet and sorrowful in the moment. It was music to his ears. “How’s the Night Kingdom treating you?” He smiled to himself, knowing she would never see it. She laughed. It was melodious, like an orchestra on the final chord of a song.
“I never got a chance to thank you for saving me, although I’m aware it was not your true intention.” But it was. That was part of why he did it; not only to finally be free of that curse of immortality, and the countless souls that he carried with him, but to keep her alive. “Had it not been for you, it would be my lifeless body on that seat instead of yours. Mine would probably not be in as good shape as yours though.” She laughed again.
He knew that it would have been her there instead of himself. It haunted his mind as much as the countless souls had. He hated the image of her that his mind created. Skin gone pale, chest no longer rising and falling with each breath, her hair would have lost its shimmer, and would never again turn to pale yellow flames. The scariest part was the idea of her eyes becoming lifeless. They would no longer sparkle in the setting sun as they did now. She would not be standing in front of his body had the Lord of the Night not stalled for him, had he not been fast enough. Had he just been a moment too slow, she would no longer be able to shine as brightly as she did.
And he would never forgive himself for letting her slip through his fingers. He hadn’t loved her for long, he had since the fight at the stadium. He, at first, doubted her right to the Pyro Gnosis. She had ended her time as Pyro Archon 500 years ago right before the Archon war. She had left that task to an inexperienced mortal, he was frustrated with her for that. He hadn’t understood her reasoning.
Then, at the stadium, it clicked. There was an impending disaster and Natlan needed someone strong enough to help it through, and she was just the person to do that. Natlan did not need Mavuika 500 years ago, even through the Archon war, she was not needed. The Pyro Archon then, though they died in battle, was needed then, not when she would die. Mavuika was needed now, 500 years later. She was willing to sacrifice her life just to prevent the deaths of the living, and the loss of the dead. That was exactly what he loved about her. She was so selfless, caring, and brave.
“Natlan is rebuilding well. The Traveler and Paimon are preparing to move on to Snezhnaya. I do feel bad I was unable to give them the information they wanted on their sibling, I can tell they’ve gotten similar answers, they’re getting frustrated. Perhaps you would have been able to provide them better answers.” She turned to look at the horizon and the sun that was nearing the point in which it could no longer be seen.
“Another fatuus was sent in your place to accquire the Gnosis. I was rather surprised that it was not a harbinger.” He too was shocked by that information, he would have assumed the 11th or The Damsellette would have been sent in his stead. Who would have been sent instead? “He said he was from the House of the Hearth and the fourth’s successor in training, hearing that made a little more sense as to why he was sent.”
That seemed in Chracter for the Knave to test her successor like that. She probably suggested the idea to the Tsaritsa. The Harbingers were thinning in their ranks with the loss of LaSignora, Il Dottore’s clones, and now himself, so testing the Knave’s successor to see if he was fit to join them was a good call.
“He’s a good kid. He arrived just last week. He, like you, isn’t causing any trouble and is instead been a lot of help with rebuilding. He has been getting quite close with Kinich.” She chuckled and he smiled again. She was happy and alive that’s what mattered most to him. “He’s not like you though. We fought. He doesn’t match up to your strength. He wears his emotions on his sleeve more than you ever did.”
Her expression turned sorrowful as she unknowlingly locked their gazes.
“I miss you,” she said, catching him off guard. She did? “It saddens me knowing we never got that rematch, it would been fun. I would have liked to convince you to the hot springs. We could have found a private one so no one would see you, anything that would have made you comfortable. I would have liked to show you around Ochkanatlan instead of you sitting her for all eternity.” She paused. “I would have just liked to have you around.” Her voice cracked and tears started falling down her face. He wanted to go to her, and hold her close as he comforted her and wiped her tears.
She took a few deep breaths and sat on the ground next to his legs. As she wiped her tears herself. It felt more unfair to him thw morw he thought about it. How many people’s tears had she been there to wipe away? Yet, who had been there to wipe away her tears? Had anyone done that in this life time of hers? How many people did she solve problems for? How many people had solved her problems for her?
How many people has she helped and comforted? But who had helped and comforted her? She was here, at his grave site, crying to herself, hugging herself, and wiping her own tears, and there was no one around who could do those things for her. He would have done all of that in a heart beat if he had the ability to, but he was frozen in place. He lacked the ability to move at all.
She leaned against his leg.
“You wouldn’t mind if I stayed here a while, would you? Just long enough to watch what remains of sunset? It’s my favorite time of day.” It was his too. They had something in common.
She stayed there as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and as more stars appeared in the sky. They were pretty. But no where near as beautiful as the woman who sat next to him. Eventually she rose and left after bidding farewell.
After that evening, she came by every few weeks give or take, each time with a bouquet of flowers to place at his grave. She would tell him about updates of Natlan, and how she was doing. Everytime she visited, was in the late afternoon, and early eavening, just close enough to stay for sunset. Most times she ended up crying, though he didn’t always know why. Occasionally, she would fall asleep, but when that happened, without fail, she would wake in time for the end of sunset.
He loved getting to see her so often, and hear her lovely voice, and her laugh. He got to watch her get older as the years passed. Though he never understood why she came by as often as she did. At least didn’t till one visit.
She was sitting next to him, her hair and eyes still as vibrant as ever, but her body was growing weaker though still strong. She had just finished telling him about Natlan. She was no longer the Pyro Archon as that title had been passed on a few years prior, but she still carried herself like the leader she once was.
She hummed. “I talked to Citlali earlier. She still looks as she did when the war ended. When I had told her I was going to visit you again she asked me if I realized it was normal for someone to miss someone they hardly knew as much as I miss you. She helped come to a realization with that.” She turned so he could see her face. “I love you, Captain.”
If he still had breath, it would have hitched. If his heart could still beat, it would have skipped one.
“It makes the heart ache more painful at the thought that I have long missed my chance. Maybe in another life we’ll meet again and I’ll fall in love with you just the same. Maybe then we’ll have a chance.”
‘Maybe in another life’, he could only hope.
When she left that day, he yearned to hold her and keep her there longer, but he could do nothing. Instead he sat there and watched the woman he loved grow old without him by her side. He watched as her hair did not turn gray, but got dimmer like a fire slowly running out of it’s fuel. Even as her body grew weaker and making the trek up to his body got harder on her, she still came regularly with bouquets of flowers.
One day she came with the usual bouquet and placed them at his feet. She was much older now, her hair was as dark as cooling phlogiston and she had shrunk a foot or two. She required a cane to walk but she still held a respectable posture and carried herself like she was still at the ready to lead Natlan into war against the abyss. Her eyes eere the only thing the hadn’t changed they were still bright and lively. Even in her old age, he loved her she was still gorgeous. She once wore the green of the Canopy of the Scions but she had changed to the pink and red of the Flower-Feather clan when she moved. She said she had done so to make the travel to see him easier on her.
“Hello, Captain.” Her voice was still melodic and matured, however speaking came with the cost to be followed up with coughs from her. He knew she didn’t have much longer in this life, she would soon no longer visit him, but instead he would see her soul in the Night Kingdom. “Seems you still haven’t aged a bit,” laughed and coughed simultaneously. “Can’t say the same about myself. I can feel it, I dont have much time left.” She sat down next to his legs as she did every time she came to visit.
He watched her and he listened as she spoke. She was so beautiful, she aged like fine wine.
“The sunset is gorgeous this time around. I hope that when I finally die, I die witnessing the sunset. Did you know I was born at sunrise? It would be rather funny if I died at sunset.” The sun would rise and set on her life, what beautiful symbol of her.
He knew a lot about her by now. She had told him everything. She told him her favorite food, her least favorite food, she told him about her adventures and her favorite ways to relax, even though to him it just sounded like she was constantly working. She told him about her interest in painting and her variety of skills. He knew all about her her little sister Hine and just how much she loved and missed her. He knew so much. If only he could act on that knowledge.
He watched the sun set with her and he smiled as she spoke before falling asleep while leaning on his leg.
“I love you, Captain.” As the sun disappeared beyond the Horizon, he didn't bother to watch. He focused on her sleeping body. He nearly cried when he noticed her breathing slowed to a stop. She had died peacefully next to him, alone instead of surrounded by her friends. Her hair turned a deep red, never to burn as bright as it once did again. He didn’t mind. She died next to him and his soul returned to the Night Kingdom to greet the soul of the woman he loved so dearly.
An anemo vision weilder in the Flower-Feather clan had taken notice when the former Pyro Archon had not returned that night. She flew towards the Captain’s grave site to retrieve her but stopped when she saw the reason for Mavuika’s delayed return.
There sat the captain on the throne he's rested upon for years and next to him was Mavuika’s sleeping corpse, covered in the same black ice that covered the immediate area.
The anemo weilder did nothing but smile as she returned to her home to contact her friends and inform them Mavuika had passed.
She didn’t know why, no one did, but the ice had spread to encase the star-crossed lovers in ice and preserve their bodies for generations to come.