Ver writing in 2026? It's less likely than you'd think.
content warning for murder, death, blood, and manipulation.
Why couldn’t Evil sound evil?
“Hey! I like that bracelet, did you make it?” Nirum asked him while arm wrestling Freya as Liam walked in the throne-room of the sun.
They didn’t call it that. They called it the main room, or the control room. The thrones were where they sat to control the sun, and the Nulilil- sorry, Lililnu- only created four thrones so that no one could argue over whose turn it was. Not that that stopped anyone from arguing, of course, as when two of them were sat down at once they invariably ended up arguing about the correct direction and speed they should be traveling at.
And of course, they would eventually disagree over it to the point of murder, though only one of them knew that, and he was currently arm wrestling Freya- probably to decide who wins their current disagreement. Probably Nirum wanted to travel against the wind while Freya argued to travel with it. Probably nothing at all serious or consequential.
It was so hard, living with the four Nutrhi, to remember who one of them was. He murdered Liam’s great grandfather. Almost everyone in Blonicku had lost someone because of his actions. Fuck’s sake, Blonicku was created by his grandparents as an escape from Nirum’s war, and then ended by his great grandmother as her oath she made to oppose him had consequences she couldn’t have known. He was complimenting Liam’s bracelet while Freya grinned at him.
“Thanks! I made it a few years ago.” He couldn’t tell anyone. Time was changed by the Nuthri when they invented the ability to travel through it. To prevent the possibility of paradox, time would take action and preserve itself- Liam wasn’t allowed to say the words he wanted to say. He wasn’t allowed to scream at Freya to get away from him- his mouth wouldn’t even form the words.
The dragons at least understood him. They could see truths hidden, and they knew that Nirum was not as he acted, though they didn’t know the full truth. And they could see through Liam’s falsehood when he spoke to Nirum. When he was alone with his dragon, Limlin, he could listen to her concerns and while he couldn’t confirm them, it was nice to be with someone who understood.
His own ancestors, on his father’s side, also understood him. His grandparents and great grandparents were the first, aside from the dragons, to raise any concern about Nirum. Already they were unwilling to talk to him. But he wasn’t willing to talk to his dead relatives from before they died- not when he wasn’t able to tell them who he was. He wouldn’t be able to without crying.
He walked by the thrones and watched as Freya slowly started winning, before bumping into Nerquam.
Nerquam.
Right where they were standing, one day Freya and Aegir would find her blood, spilled by Nirum. The first true death, the first meaningful murder-
She flicked him on the shoulder, “Don’t you call yourself the Watcher? Watch where your going!” then moved past him to punch Freya’s arm just before she could win, handing the victory to Nirum.
“Thank you, sister. I can always count on you.” Nirum said, smiling, as Freya leapt up from her throne to retaliate.
Liam felt bile in the back of his throat. He walked, as quickly as he could without drawing suspicion, to the other exit from the room. He needed to see Limlin again in the dragon-quarters. He found himself almost wishing the long night would come sooner- at least then this fake peace would end.