"What are we going to do, Shira?" The man speaking was interrupted by a cough. "We've almost ran out of food, our indoor farm is doing horribly, and we're all too sick to go hunting or fishing, except for Tamaki. Even little Haruka is sick!" The silver haired man broke into a coughing fit as soon as he finished speaking. The woman sitting across from him, her red hair streaked with gray due to age and stress, sighed.
"I don't know, dear. Tamaki's never been hunting or fishing in his life, and we can't risk getting sicker by going out in the cold with him to try to teach him, so that isn't an option. He'd end up getting hurt by himself. Most of our neighbors are sick and almost out of food as well, so we can't ask them for help either." Shira answered her husband, Danny.
"All we can do is hope and pray the gods will have mercy on us and bless us with better health, and help our farm to start growing well again, before it's too late." Shira began coughing as well.
Unbeknownst to the two, their fifteen year old nephew, Tamaki, had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Why hadn't the two mentioned that they were running out of food before? Sure, Tamaki didn't know how to hunt or fish, so he wouldn't be much help right away, but that didn't mean he couldn't teach himself.
Making up his mind, the orange and yellow haired, red eyed elf boy decided he'd take his uncle's bow and sneak out tonight to try to hunt. His aunt and uncle had never had much faith in him anyways, so if he snuck out and managed to bring home food all by himself, perhaps they'd actually be proud of him for once! And if they still weren't proud of him, oh well. At least he would be helping keep himself, his sister, and his aunt and uncle fed.
---
Once his aunt, uncle, and sister went to bed that night, Tamaki set his plan into motion. As quietly as he could, he got out of bed and put on his warmest clothing, before sneaking downstairs and retrieving his uncle's bow and arrows from where they rested beside the front door, and then proceeding to leave through the same door. The house's front door was usually loud and a bit squeaky when opened and closed, but Tamaki had learnt awhile ago how to open and close it in a way that'd prevent the unnecessary noise.
Tamaki shivered as soon as he stepped out the door. It was cold and snowed all year round in the village where he lived, which resided in between two large mountains, both also covered in snow all year, however it reached a whole new level of cold during winter. Not even a few minutes into his quest, and Tamaki already longed for the warmth of his nice, soft bed, which admittedly made him feel childish. He wasn't a little kid, he could handle some freezing cold temperatures for awhile!
Little did the boy know, that night was the last time he'd know warmth for a long, long time, if he even got to feel it ever again at all.
---
One side of the village was just a clear, open field with several farms, and a path leading away from the village and mountains, to... Wherever the path lead, Tamaki had never left the village, so he genuinely had no idea what lied beyond the farm side of the village. On the opposite side of the village, however, was a large lake, and across the lake was a forest, where he knew the village people usually went to do their hunting. That was his destination.
Once he arrived at the lake, he realized it'd take him quite awhile to reach the forest if he went around the lake, and he wanted to make sure he was back home before his aunt and uncle awoke in the morning. He had seen other kids his age last winter skipping and running and playing on top of the frozen lake, and though he'd heard the kids get scolded later because of how dangerous that was, he had not once seen even a single crack form in the lake while they were playing, and knew he'd reach the forest much quicker if he simply walked over the ice.
It might not be the wisest idea ever, and certainly not the safest, but Tamaki decided it was the route he would go. The quicker he reached the forest, the longer he could try to hunt before he had to start heading home. Besides, the fact he hadn't seen a single crack in the ice while the other kids were playing on it convinced him that it wasn't as dangerous as he heard the adults claim.
Gently stepping onto the ice, and taking a few experimental steps to reassure himself the ice wouldn't crack under his weight, he began his journey across the frozen lake. So far, so good!
"Seems like I was right, this ain't dangerous at all! At this rate, I'll reach the forest in no time!" Tamaki said to himself after a few moments, feeling confident and calm. However, his confidence and calmness would not last long, as Tamaki quickly found out a few minutes later, and he was instead filled with fear and dread.
Upon nearly reaching the center of the lake, Tamaki heard a cracking noise.
"Uh oh..." Tamaki swore he felt his heart stop once he heard the noise again, and looked down to see cracks in the ice underneath his feet.
He began taking lighter, quicker steps, trying to get off the ice as quickly as possible, hoping the cracks were simply from him putting just a little too much weight on the ice, and would stop cracking if he stepped lighter. Unfortunately, that was not the case, the cracks followed him even as he stepped as light as he possibly could. He had to get off the ice, quick!
Tamaki began running, which only worsened the situation and increased the amount of cracks forming. A few moments later, he felt the ice beneath his feet give way, and was plunged into the dark, ice cold water that lied beneath the ice.
"No, no, no!" Tamaki thought to himself. This wasn't how this was supposed to go! He was supposed to safely cross the lake, hopefully manage to hunt an animal, and then return home with his catch! He didn't even know how to swim, he'd never had a chance to learn because of how cold it always was in the village!
He thrashed around in the cold water, trying to manage to propel himself back above the water. He felt so cold, it was like his bones themselves were made of ice! Before long, his lungs were beginning to feel like they were about to burst.
Despite his best efforts, he was having no luck swimming back to the surface, and a few moments later, his vision began going black, and he felt his strength leave his body.
---
"Man, what a dream. Or nightmare would be a better way to describe it." Tamaki mumbled as he blinked his eyes open. He squinted at the bright sunlight shining in his face. When was the last time he'd seen such a clear, pretty sky during winter? Usually it was always cloudy or snowing during winter in the village. ...Wait, his bedroom window was covered with a thick quilt during the colder months to help keep the house warmer, and even when it was uncovered, he could never see the sky this clearly, because of a tree outside his window. All the other windows in the house stayed covered during the cold months too. Where was he?
Tamaki sat up, and was shocked to see water all around him. What in the world?! What was even stranger is that he wasn't even in the water, instead he seemed to be sitting on it! Upon standing up, he discovered he could walk on the water just as though it was ground too, even though a ripple went through the water every step he took. Where the heck was he?
"Hello there, young one." Tamaki was startled by a voice behind him, and turned to face the source of the voice. He was met by a tall blue and white humanoid figure, that looked as though it was made of mist and water.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Tamaki asked. He felt frightened. Not only was he in a strange, magical(?) place that seemed like it was in the middle of the ocean or something, but the only other living thing around seemed to be this strange, tall human looking creature.
"No need to fear, young one. I can sense the fear coming off you in waves. You are in the water god's section of the realm of the gods. I am Nunia, the god of water. I believe your name is Tamaki Nekoes, correct?" The god answered him. Tamaki blinked in confusion. Realm of the gods? And this... Thing. was a god? And knew his name. ...The hell happened last night? What did he do?
"I sense confusion from you, child. I am assuming you do not remember the event that took place, that led to you being brought here. I regret to inform you that you are dead. You fell through a frozen lake, and drowned." Nunia explained. He... Was dead? ...No.
"You're joking, you tall water sasquatch! There's no way I'm dead! I can't be! Quit screwing around, and tell me the truth!" Tamaki exclaimed angrily. Nunia tilted their head to the side.
"Ah, but I am telling the truth. You humans are so strange. You won't believe the truth even it is told to you by a god, a being higher than you, that could end your very existence if we wanted." Tamaki swore Nunia sounded annoyed and confused despite their neutral tone of voice.
"If I'm supposedly dead, why am I even here? Shouldn't I have went straight to heaven, or hell?" Grumbled the fifteen year old boy. He wanted to go home, and curl up with a nice warm blanket. He felt frozen from the inside out. The realm's sun wasn't providing even the slightest bit of warmth to him.
"In most circumstances, yes. However, this is different. You see, I have been looking for a new servant, to serve by my side and attend to my errands that I lack the time to complete. Though you clearly seem to be a bit of a selfish, hateful young man, I recognize the determination within you, and a sense of justice. I believe you would make a delightful servant, with proper training, assuming you will accept my offer." Tamaki raised an eyebrow. Servant? To this tall, water sasquatch thing?
"What's the offer, exactly? Better be good, or I'll walk my happy ass right on out of here. You're wasting my time, claiming I'm dead and all." Tamaki didn't have the faintest idea how to even leave this place, but the words sounded good, so he said it anyways.
"Hmph. You clearly have no manners, boy." Nunia huffed. Ah, so they could actually show emotion in their voice!
"Before I explain my offer, allow me to show you proof of your status of life." Nunia dipped their foot into the water surrounding them, and began moving their foot in a circle. A few moments later, a scene appeared in the spot where the water was now swirling, once Nunia removed their foot from the water. What was going on there...? There were three people sitting on a couch, a red headed woman with gray streaks in her hair, sobbing and hugging an orange and yellow haired little girl, who was also crying. A silver haired man sat on the other end of the couch, looking grim. After staring for a few moments, Tamaki realized the people in the scene were his family. His aunt, little sister, and uncle. Why were they crying...?
"He must have heard us talking yesterday! There's no other reason he would've snuck out like that!" Shira sobbed.
"And now... And now he's gone! We should have payed more attention, we should have gotten up at some point last night and checked on him!" Shira began having a coughing fit. Haruka began to cough as well.
"Calm down, honey. We don't know for certain he's gone..." Danny tried to soothe his crying and coughing wife.
"There were foot prints leading from the house all the way to the lake! They were faint because it was snowing all night, but they were still there! And then they disappeared once they got to the lake, and the ice in the middle of the lake was broken! There's nothing else that could've happened that would've made sense, he had to have tried to cross the lake and fell in!" Shira wailed once she managed to stop coughing.
"Even if he did just walk on the edges of the lake, and didn't go to the center, he would've had to stepped off the ice at some point! Yet there weren't any foot prints anywhere around the lake besides the ones leading on to it!"
"I... I suppose you're right." Danny sighed. Tamaki watched as his uncle put his face in his hands, now silent. So... So he really was dead? Shira was talking like he really was gone... And the scene looked so real!
"Now, do you believe me, young one?" Nunia spoke after a few minutes.
"The scene I just showed you, played out a week ago in the mortal realm. Time passes differently in the realm of the gods. Five minutes here is around one week in the mortal world." Tamaki felt like his head was spinning. He really was dead!
"Now, about the offer I mentioned. As I already said, I am looking for a new servant, and I believe you would make a wonderful servant, with proper training. I can bring you back to life, by making you an angel. I will provide you with immortality, and control over water and ice, however in return, you must become my servant, and attend to any errands I see fit. You would be given the ability to freely travel between the mortal realm, and the realm of the gods as well, so that you may come to me on your own whenever I call for you, whether for an errand, or for training." Nunia began explaining.
"Normally, anyone who goes to heaven becomes an angel, however I would make you a different kind. Instead of being confined to the realm of the gods or to heaven, you would be able to visit both, and also visit the mortal realm. You would also be given the ability to hide your wings and halo, in order to help you blend in with humans when you are in the mortal world. Due to your earlier rudeness, however, I will revoke your ability to feel warmth. Even if you choose not to accept my offer, you will feel cold for all eternity, whether you go to heaven or hell." Nunia finished speaking. So if he accepted Nunia's offer, he would become an angel, and be able to freely travel between realms, at the cost of having to do jobs for Nunia. He could go back to his family! That didn't sound like a bad deal!
"You may have time to think about it, but remember time moves differently in the gods realm, and if you accept the offer, you will have to undergo some basic lessons and training before I'll allow you the ability to move between realms." Nunia added. The offer didn't seem bad at all... He didn't like the idea of no longer being able to feel warmth, but Nunia had said he wouldn't get to feel it anymore even if he didn't accept, so..
"Alright. I'll do it!" Tamaki decided. He thought he saw the god of water smile, but couldn't tell for certain.
"Very well. Allow me a moment to perform the ritual to turn you into an angel, and then you shall undergo some basic lessons and training."
"However... Know that should you ever decide to go rogue, and disobey me, I will revoke your ability to travel between worlds, permanently bounding you to the realm of the mortals, along with revoke your ability to fly with your wings, and your control over water and ice." Tamaki nodded. Alright, that sounded fair enough.
~~~
That was exactly 200 years ago. After Tamaki finished his basic training, and returned to the mortal realm, now an immortal angel, he reunited with his family, whom were confused, overjoyed, and angry all at once that he finally came home. By time he returned, half a year had passed in the mortal world.
However, the happiness did not last long. Upon returning, he discovered his uncle had passed away from sickness. Haruka had gotten better, as did Shira, although Shira's health had still declined over the months, and she wasn't in the greatest health. Several months later, she too passed away, leaving Tamaki alone to take care of his little sister, something that was proving to be quite difficult due to having to return to the realm of the gods frequently, in order to run errands for Nunia and do more training. Though he could still go visit Danny and Shira in heaven, due to now being an angel thanks to his deal with Nunia, their deaths still saddened him, as they weren't able to watch Haruka grow up, and Haruka, unlike him, was still a normal human, and thus could no longer see their aunt and uncle.
Years later, Haruka also died, leaving Tamaki with no living family. This made doing jobs for Nunia easier, since he didn't have to worry about staying too long in the gods realm and returning home to his sister being several years older, though her death still saddened him nonetheless, despite the fact he could still see her.
Over time, Nunia gained more servants, and Tamaki also met some of the servants who made pacts before him. One of them in particular, also an angel, he could not stand. Said angel tormented him relentlessly. He genuinely wished he could just stab her and get it over with, but doing so would make Nunia consider him having gone rogue, and that would mean he could no longer visit his family in heaven.
At some point, Nunia gave him the job of finding a protector for a specific part of the mortal realm, that didn't have a water god servant watching over it yet. The area in question was a large city, right next to a beach, so why Nunia hadn't already found a guardian for the city to keep people from drowning in the ocean, he would never know.
It was a surprisingly difficult task. But finally, he discovered a man that he thought would be perfect for the job. A half shark man whom worked in a cafe that was surprisingly relaxing, despite the almost daily chaos, usually caused by the man's half dog co-worker, or the occasional unruly customers. The man, Finnley, seemed friendly, a little snippy and quick to anger, however Tamaki could tell he'd do whatever he could to save someone if he had to.
After reporting to Nunia, whom began keeping an eye on the shark afterwards for any possible opportunities to offer a pact to him, Tamaki had started visiting the cafe fairly frequently, feeling oddly fond of the handsome, quick tempered shark man. Several weeks later, Finnley had entered a swimming competition, which ended badly, though it did finally give Nunia the chance to offer the guy a pact, which Finnley accepted. ...This also gave Tamaki an excuse to visit the shark more frequently, using the excuse that Finnley needed training to learn how to properly use his new water powers, and help him figure out a few of Nunia's errands.
---
Tamaki had screwed up. He had screwed up big time. One of Nunia's other angel servants, the one he couldn't stand, Aquaira, had began tormenting him even more harshly than usual. And when Nunia left the area, she had pulled her sword against him, threatening to attack. ...Tamaki fell for it, and drew his own sword, taking a swing at her, right when Nunia returned. Aquaira could have easily dodged it, with her ridiculous agility, but chose not to, instead allowing herself to be hit.
It wasn't a fatal cut, and he knew Aquaira was going to be completely fine afterwards, but it was enough for Nunia to be convinced that Tamaki had turned against them. Despite his attempts to explain the situation, Nunia had chosen to cast him out of the realm of the gods, believing Aquaira due to her having been their servant longer. Nunia also revoked Tamaki's ability to control water and ice, his ability to fly with his wings, and his ability to travel between realms, meaning he could no longer visit his family.
As Tamaki blinked open his eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight shining into his face, he felt a sense of deja vu. He sighed.
What would he do now? He wasn't even sure where he had ended up, this place wasn't familiar to him. He was in a forest, but nothing around looked even remotely familiar to him. What would his next course of action even be? Find a fellow angel, and get them to speak to Nunia, and convince them he's innocent so he can get his powers back?
He had no idea. All he knew was that it was freezing cold, and he was lost.
"I don't know, dear. Tamaki's never been hunting or fishing in his life, and we can't risk getting sicker by going out in the cold with him to try to teach him, so that isn't an option. He'd end up getting hurt by himself. Most of our neighbors are sick and almost out of food as well, so we can't ask them for help either." Shira answered her husband, Danny.
"All we can do is hope and pray the gods will have mercy on us and bless us with better health, and help our farm to start growing well again, before it's too late." Shira began coughing as well.
Unbeknownst to the two, their fifteen year old nephew, Tamaki, had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Why hadn't the two mentioned that they were running out of food before? Sure, Tamaki didn't know how to hunt or fish, so he wouldn't be much help right away, but that didn't mean he couldn't teach himself.
Making up his mind, the orange and yellow haired, red eyed elf boy decided he'd take his uncle's bow and sneak out tonight to try to hunt. His aunt and uncle had never had much faith in him anyways, so if he snuck out and managed to bring home food all by himself, perhaps they'd actually be proud of him for once! And if they still weren't proud of him, oh well. At least he would be helping keep himself, his sister, and his aunt and uncle fed.
---
Once his aunt, uncle, and sister went to bed that night, Tamaki set his plan into motion. As quietly as he could, he got out of bed and put on his warmest clothing, before sneaking downstairs and retrieving his uncle's bow and arrows from where they rested beside the front door, and then proceeding to leave through the same door. The house's front door was usually loud and a bit squeaky when opened and closed, but Tamaki had learnt awhile ago how to open and close it in a way that'd prevent the unnecessary noise.
Tamaki shivered as soon as he stepped out the door. It was cold and snowed all year round in the village where he lived, which resided in between two large mountains, both also covered in snow all year, however it reached a whole new level of cold during winter. Not even a few minutes into his quest, and Tamaki already longed for the warmth of his nice, soft bed, which admittedly made him feel childish. He wasn't a little kid, he could handle some freezing cold temperatures for awhile!
Little did the boy know, that night was the last time he'd know warmth for a long, long time, if he even got to feel it ever again at all.
---
One side of the village was just a clear, open field with several farms, and a path leading away from the village and mountains, to... Wherever the path lead, Tamaki had never left the village, so he genuinely had no idea what lied beyond the farm side of the village. On the opposite side of the village, however, was a large lake, and across the lake was a forest, where he knew the village people usually went to do their hunting. That was his destination.
Once he arrived at the lake, he realized it'd take him quite awhile to reach the forest if he went around the lake, and he wanted to make sure he was back home before his aunt and uncle awoke in the morning. He had seen other kids his age last winter skipping and running and playing on top of the frozen lake, and though he'd heard the kids get scolded later because of how dangerous that was, he had not once seen even a single crack form in the lake while they were playing, and knew he'd reach the forest much quicker if he simply walked over the ice.
It might not be the wisest idea ever, and certainly not the safest, but Tamaki decided it was the route he would go. The quicker he reached the forest, the longer he could try to hunt before he had to start heading home. Besides, the fact he hadn't seen a single crack in the ice while the other kids were playing on it convinced him that it wasn't as dangerous as he heard the adults claim.
Gently stepping onto the ice, and taking a few experimental steps to reassure himself the ice wouldn't crack under his weight, he began his journey across the frozen lake. So far, so good!
"Seems like I was right, this ain't dangerous at all! At this rate, I'll reach the forest in no time!" Tamaki said to himself after a few moments, feeling confident and calm. However, his confidence and calmness would not last long, as Tamaki quickly found out a few minutes later, and he was instead filled with fear and dread.
Upon nearly reaching the center of the lake, Tamaki heard a cracking noise.
"Uh oh..." Tamaki swore he felt his heart stop once he heard the noise again, and looked down to see cracks in the ice underneath his feet.
He began taking lighter, quicker steps, trying to get off the ice as quickly as possible, hoping the cracks were simply from him putting just a little too much weight on the ice, and would stop cracking if he stepped lighter. Unfortunately, that was not the case, the cracks followed him even as he stepped as light as he possibly could. He had to get off the ice, quick!
Tamaki began running, which only worsened the situation and increased the amount of cracks forming. A few moments later, he felt the ice beneath his feet give way, and was plunged into the dark, ice cold water that lied beneath the ice.
"No, no, no!" Tamaki thought to himself. This wasn't how this was supposed to go! He was supposed to safely cross the lake, hopefully manage to hunt an animal, and then return home with his catch! He didn't even know how to swim, he'd never had a chance to learn because of how cold it always was in the village!
He thrashed around in the cold water, trying to manage to propel himself back above the water. He felt so cold, it was like his bones themselves were made of ice! Before long, his lungs were beginning to feel like they were about to burst.
Despite his best efforts, he was having no luck swimming back to the surface, and a few moments later, his vision began going black, and he felt his strength leave his body.
---
"Man, what a dream. Or nightmare would be a better way to describe it." Tamaki mumbled as he blinked his eyes open. He squinted at the bright sunlight shining in his face. When was the last time he'd seen such a clear, pretty sky during winter? Usually it was always cloudy or snowing during winter in the village. ...Wait, his bedroom window was covered with a thick quilt during the colder months to help keep the house warmer, and even when it was uncovered, he could never see the sky this clearly, because of a tree outside his window. All the other windows in the house stayed covered during the cold months too. Where was he?
Tamaki sat up, and was shocked to see water all around him. What in the world?! What was even stranger is that he wasn't even in the water, instead he seemed to be sitting on it! Upon standing up, he discovered he could walk on the water just as though it was ground too, even though a ripple went through the water every step he took. Where the heck was he?
"Hello there, young one." Tamaki was startled by a voice behind him, and turned to face the source of the voice. He was met by a tall blue and white humanoid figure, that looked as though it was made of mist and water.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Tamaki asked. He felt frightened. Not only was he in a strange, magical(?) place that seemed like it was in the middle of the ocean or something, but the only other living thing around seemed to be this strange, tall human looking creature.
"No need to fear, young one. I can sense the fear coming off you in waves. You are in the water god's section of the realm of the gods. I am Nunia, the god of water. I believe your name is Tamaki Nekoes, correct?" The god answered him. Tamaki blinked in confusion. Realm of the gods? And this... Thing. was a god? And knew his name. ...The hell happened last night? What did he do?
"I sense confusion from you, child. I am assuming you do not remember the event that took place, that led to you being brought here. I regret to inform you that you are dead. You fell through a frozen lake, and drowned." Nunia explained. He... Was dead? ...No.
"You're joking, you tall water sasquatch! There's no way I'm dead! I can't be! Quit screwing around, and tell me the truth!" Tamaki exclaimed angrily. Nunia tilted their head to the side.
"Ah, but I am telling the truth. You humans are so strange. You won't believe the truth even it is told to you by a god, a being higher than you, that could end your very existence if we wanted." Tamaki swore Nunia sounded annoyed and confused despite their neutral tone of voice.
"If I'm supposedly dead, why am I even here? Shouldn't I have went straight to heaven, or hell?" Grumbled the fifteen year old boy. He wanted to go home, and curl up with a nice warm blanket. He felt frozen from the inside out. The realm's sun wasn't providing even the slightest bit of warmth to him.
"In most circumstances, yes. However, this is different. You see, I have been looking for a new servant, to serve by my side and attend to my errands that I lack the time to complete. Though you clearly seem to be a bit of a selfish, hateful young man, I recognize the determination within you, and a sense of justice. I believe you would make a delightful servant, with proper training, assuming you will accept my offer." Tamaki raised an eyebrow. Servant? To this tall, water sasquatch thing?
"What's the offer, exactly? Better be good, or I'll walk my happy ass right on out of here. You're wasting my time, claiming I'm dead and all." Tamaki didn't have the faintest idea how to even leave this place, but the words sounded good, so he said it anyways.
"Hmph. You clearly have no manners, boy." Nunia huffed. Ah, so they could actually show emotion in their voice!
"Before I explain my offer, allow me to show you proof of your status of life." Nunia dipped their foot into the water surrounding them, and began moving their foot in a circle. A few moments later, a scene appeared in the spot where the water was now swirling, once Nunia removed their foot from the water. What was going on there...? There were three people sitting on a couch, a red headed woman with gray streaks in her hair, sobbing and hugging an orange and yellow haired little girl, who was also crying. A silver haired man sat on the other end of the couch, looking grim. After staring for a few moments, Tamaki realized the people in the scene were his family. His aunt, little sister, and uncle. Why were they crying...?
"He must have heard us talking yesterday! There's no other reason he would've snuck out like that!" Shira sobbed.
"And now... And now he's gone! We should have payed more attention, we should have gotten up at some point last night and checked on him!" Shira began having a coughing fit. Haruka began to cough as well.
"Calm down, honey. We don't know for certain he's gone..." Danny tried to soothe his crying and coughing wife.
"There were foot prints leading from the house all the way to the lake! They were faint because it was snowing all night, but they were still there! And then they disappeared once they got to the lake, and the ice in the middle of the lake was broken! There's nothing else that could've happened that would've made sense, he had to have tried to cross the lake and fell in!" Shira wailed once she managed to stop coughing.
"Even if he did just walk on the edges of the lake, and didn't go to the center, he would've had to stepped off the ice at some point! Yet there weren't any foot prints anywhere around the lake besides the ones leading on to it!"
"I... I suppose you're right." Danny sighed. Tamaki watched as his uncle put his face in his hands, now silent. So... So he really was dead? Shira was talking like he really was gone... And the scene looked so real!
"Now, do you believe me, young one?" Nunia spoke after a few minutes.
"The scene I just showed you, played out a week ago in the mortal realm. Time passes differently in the realm of the gods. Five minutes here is around one week in the mortal world." Tamaki felt like his head was spinning. He really was dead!
"Now, about the offer I mentioned. As I already said, I am looking for a new servant, and I believe you would make a wonderful servant, with proper training. I can bring you back to life, by making you an angel. I will provide you with immortality, and control over water and ice, however in return, you must become my servant, and attend to any errands I see fit. You would be given the ability to freely travel between the mortal realm, and the realm of the gods as well, so that you may come to me on your own whenever I call for you, whether for an errand, or for training." Nunia began explaining.
"Normally, anyone who goes to heaven becomes an angel, however I would make you a different kind. Instead of being confined to the realm of the gods or to heaven, you would be able to visit both, and also visit the mortal realm. You would also be given the ability to hide your wings and halo, in order to help you blend in with humans when you are in the mortal world. Due to your earlier rudeness, however, I will revoke your ability to feel warmth. Even if you choose not to accept my offer, you will feel cold for all eternity, whether you go to heaven or hell." Nunia finished speaking. So if he accepted Nunia's offer, he would become an angel, and be able to freely travel between realms, at the cost of having to do jobs for Nunia. He could go back to his family! That didn't sound like a bad deal!
"You may have time to think about it, but remember time moves differently in the gods realm, and if you accept the offer, you will have to undergo some basic lessons and training before I'll allow you the ability to move between realms." Nunia added. The offer didn't seem bad at all... He didn't like the idea of no longer being able to feel warmth, but Nunia had said he wouldn't get to feel it anymore even if he didn't accept, so..
"Alright. I'll do it!" Tamaki decided. He thought he saw the god of water smile, but couldn't tell for certain.
"Very well. Allow me a moment to perform the ritual to turn you into an angel, and then you shall undergo some basic lessons and training."
"However... Know that should you ever decide to go rogue, and disobey me, I will revoke your ability to travel between worlds, permanently bounding you to the realm of the mortals, along with revoke your ability to fly with your wings, and your control over water and ice." Tamaki nodded. Alright, that sounded fair enough.
~~~
That was exactly 200 years ago. After Tamaki finished his basic training, and returned to the mortal realm, now an immortal angel, he reunited with his family, whom were confused, overjoyed, and angry all at once that he finally came home. By time he returned, half a year had passed in the mortal world.
However, the happiness did not last long. Upon returning, he discovered his uncle had passed away from sickness. Haruka had gotten better, as did Shira, although Shira's health had still declined over the months, and she wasn't in the greatest health. Several months later, she too passed away, leaving Tamaki alone to take care of his little sister, something that was proving to be quite difficult due to having to return to the realm of the gods frequently, in order to run errands for Nunia and do more training. Though he could still go visit Danny and Shira in heaven, due to now being an angel thanks to his deal with Nunia, their deaths still saddened him, as they weren't able to watch Haruka grow up, and Haruka, unlike him, was still a normal human, and thus could no longer see their aunt and uncle.
Years later, Haruka also died, leaving Tamaki with no living family. This made doing jobs for Nunia easier, since he didn't have to worry about staying too long in the gods realm and returning home to his sister being several years older, though her death still saddened him nonetheless, despite the fact he could still see her.
Over time, Nunia gained more servants, and Tamaki also met some of the servants who made pacts before him. One of them in particular, also an angel, he could not stand. Said angel tormented him relentlessly. He genuinely wished he could just stab her and get it over with, but doing so would make Nunia consider him having gone rogue, and that would mean he could no longer visit his family in heaven.
At some point, Nunia gave him the job of finding a protector for a specific part of the mortal realm, that didn't have a water god servant watching over it yet. The area in question was a large city, right next to a beach, so why Nunia hadn't already found a guardian for the city to keep people from drowning in the ocean, he would never know.
It was a surprisingly difficult task. But finally, he discovered a man that he thought would be perfect for the job. A half shark man whom worked in a cafe that was surprisingly relaxing, despite the almost daily chaos, usually caused by the man's half dog co-worker, or the occasional unruly customers. The man, Finnley, seemed friendly, a little snippy and quick to anger, however Tamaki could tell he'd do whatever he could to save someone if he had to.
After reporting to Nunia, whom began keeping an eye on the shark afterwards for any possible opportunities to offer a pact to him, Tamaki had started visiting the cafe fairly frequently, feeling oddly fond of the handsome, quick tempered shark man. Several weeks later, Finnley had entered a swimming competition, which ended badly, though it did finally give Nunia the chance to offer the guy a pact, which Finnley accepted. ...This also gave Tamaki an excuse to visit the shark more frequently, using the excuse that Finnley needed training to learn how to properly use his new water powers, and help him figure out a few of Nunia's errands.
---
Tamaki had screwed up. He had screwed up big time. One of Nunia's other angel servants, the one he couldn't stand, Aquaira, had began tormenting him even more harshly than usual. And when Nunia left the area, she had pulled her sword against him, threatening to attack. ...Tamaki fell for it, and drew his own sword, taking a swing at her, right when Nunia returned. Aquaira could have easily dodged it, with her ridiculous agility, but chose not to, instead allowing herself to be hit.
It wasn't a fatal cut, and he knew Aquaira was going to be completely fine afterwards, but it was enough for Nunia to be convinced that Tamaki had turned against them. Despite his attempts to explain the situation, Nunia had chosen to cast him out of the realm of the gods, believing Aquaira due to her having been their servant longer. Nunia also revoked Tamaki's ability to control water and ice, his ability to fly with his wings, and his ability to travel between realms, meaning he could no longer visit his family.
As Tamaki blinked open his eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight shining into his face, he felt a sense of deja vu. He sighed.
What would he do now? He wasn't even sure where he had ended up, this place wasn't familiar to him. He was in a forest, but nothing around looked even remotely familiar to him. What would his next course of action even be? Find a fellow angel, and get them to speak to Nunia, and convince them he's innocent so he can get his powers back?
He had no idea. All he knew was that it was freezing cold, and he was lost.