Nervous fingers turn the piece of jewelry over and over. Phainon themself had paced the edges of the Eternal Page for hours, working up the courage only for it to wither away and send them striding off to the periphery again. There was no denying the relief, so deep and all-encompassing it would nearly bring them to their knees at times, but there was also no denying the memories that plagued every breath, whether awake or asleep. Blood and ash shadowed every step, and Phainon could not take the looks others gave to them. Pity, most like, but on the worst days their mind twisted it into fear and hatred, and those days, they could barely bring themself to step out of their dwelling.
No matter the assurances, no matter how unwavering Mydei's presence, how could he not hate them, for everything that had happened? How could he offer up his trust to the one who had shattered it, millions of times before?
It was a Phainon worn thin by these worries that finally found Mydei at the edge of a garden, the present clutched tight in their hands. They settle underneath the tree beside him and slowly, hesitantly, lean their shoulder against his.
"It's the first birthday here," they say. Here, without the looming destruction of the world, without prophecies weighing down their shoulders, here where their lives are not bound by titles and duties. "I thought-"
They present the box of pomegranate muffins to him first, setting it next to the two of them for easy snacking. And then the hard part. They pull out the matching set of rings, the golden band stylized into a blazing sun, the silver into a crescent moon. When they'd seen these at the antique market, they'd immediately jumped to buy them without thinking about when, or how, they would give them to Mydei.
"One for you. One for me. It's your birthday, so I'll let you pick which one you want. If you want one. I just-" A deep breath, blue eyes focused on the rings in their palm. "I'm glad you're here, Mydei. And so long as you'll have me, I'll be right here."
when they entered the eternal page, mydei still kept his role as the champion and demigod of strife, unlike some members of the heirs that lost or gave up their divinity for whatever reason. so when he witnesses phainon being alone, the strife clinging to them was a radiating beacon of agony for both of them. the prince would never let them that he knows their pain, knows their inner turmoil, it would ironically only add more to it. they question his patience and willingness to stand by them after everything that has happened, of course mydei admitting he knows their strife is just going to add more fire.
so when the two reunite in the garden and sit together under the tree, he watches them nudge him and pull out the cupcakes and set them down. he doesn't take one yet, he sees the box fidgeting in their hands, and when phainon finally offers the box to him with the sun and moon rings, a chuckle leaves the kremnoan prince as he looks at them properly.
"you're still an idiot after all this time, phainon of aedes elysiae." he teases as he gently cups their cheek with a gentle hand, the gauntlets he wears nowhere in tight and instead the surprisingly gentle hands with claws that keep away from nicking skin. "why would i, after countless cycles of openly telling you my secret, leave? i told you my library is open to you, i told you if i ever stray from my path to protect the innocent how to end me, do you know why? i care, i want you with me until the end."
mydei looks back at the rings and with his free hand, takes the sun ring and moves the hand off phainon's cheek to grab their left hand and raises it up so both of them can see his actions. he slips the sun ring onto their ring finger and pulls it to his lips and kisses it softly. "phainon, khaos, khaslana... whoever you are, while you act as the blazing sun, i know deep down you are the moon. therefore, take the sun as a reminder that if you need the dawn... i shall be it for you. in the name of strife, the name of the throne of castrum kremnos... i will be the light you need."
