#sim: zephyr | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

luverofralts · 18 days ago

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

Lukas stared out the window like the answers they sought could actually be found in the fields of the afterlife.

The answers to whatever was plaguing Jubilant Accosts were in the realm itself, a place that had been cut off from the other realms for centuries. Even the dead of Jubilant Accosts were carefully sequestered from the dead of the other realms. Dream demons and whatever the hell else lived there were too dangerous to expose to an already difficult to manage afterlife.

And no one had checked in on that realm for centuries, possibly millennia. There was no established authority that was assigned to check the sealed realms, and no one seemed interested in volunteering to do so. Lukas had peeked into the few remaining sealed realms as a precaution, but none of them seemed to be indulging in ritual sacrifices or breeding dangerous new offshoots of demon.

The afterlife assigned to Jubilant Accosts was filled with old medieval citizens, including several time lords and ladies of Ticktop, but not the one who had volunteered to protect that society. The reapers were missing from the afterlife, just as they were missing in Jubilant Accosts. No soul resided in the afterlife that was younger than five hundred years old, meaning that they were also missing several hundred souls on top of the missing reapers and timelady.

Lukas rubbed their temples, mentally reviewing the mess the collective gods, demigods, and afterlife staff were in. The Jubilant Accosts monarchy's souls were safely in their afterlife, save for the final queen's father, Apophis. Even though he had died before his daughter, her soul had been located and his had not. Lukas didn't care to speculate why at this point, ignoring Gee's insane suggestion that the king had reincarnated. The whole thing was a disaster.

"Grandfather, it's nice to see you visiting Izanami's realm. I've missed the chatter that you usually invite while you're here."

Lukas turned to see a somewhat unfamiliar face. The woman approaching them was beautiful, well spoken, and yet sad. Her eyes had seen a lifetime of sorrow that even centuries of spiritual existence couldn't remove.

"You're here about the medieval realm, right? Everyone's talking about it. How many other realms are sealed from us? I've never heard of other realms than ours existing except for...well, I don't think I should say the name aloud. The realm that houses the Demon Knight that has been sealed for millennia. Is this realm as dangerous?"

Lukas tried not to snap at the woman, though they probably failed. They looked into her deep violet eyes and felt their stomach twist in recognition. In the old days, they would be what Izanami had named a "self righteous asshole with a god complex and daddy issues" but these days, Lukas had a duty to set as good an example that they were capable of for their children.

"That's not for me to disclose, Your Majesty," they replied angrily.

Deep breaths. Izanami always says take deep breaths. For someone who didn't breathe, he's usually right. It's not her fault who her father was.

"I mean, it's a problem for gods, not mortals., even if you are related to the Demon Knight, however distantly. Some realms are simply too dangerous to mix with others. The walls protecting Jubilant Accosts are falling and the Demon of Nightmares is rising along with his spawn. It's nothing you can help with, Zara."

"It's Zephyr," the woman corrected. "Queen Zephyr Toyonaga. I know you'd prefer to forget that my father existed, and frankly, so would I, but I thought that a god would be capable of remembering their granddaughter's name."

The accusation stung Lukas, leaving them with conflicting feelings on the subject. This woman was the product of their greatest mistake, their son Luke. Lukas had been placed in a centuries long coma and eventually reincarnated because of that son. They'd never met in Zephyr's lifetime. Lukas had never even met the son who had stolen their power to terrorize the living realm-until they had disposed of him upon awakening in their second reincarnation that is. God only knew what this woman had suffered by being raised by her monstrous father. Luke had arranged her marriage to Alpheus' heir in Strangetown, Lukas knew that much at least. Her son had been orphaned and forced to survive on his own until the Pleasantview king stepped in. Her life had been short and tragic at the same time Lukas lay lifeless and unable to stop their son.

"To be fair, I was fighting to regain my life at the time you lived," they noted, bitterness edging their voice. "Luke had several children and grandchildren. Most of them don't want a relationship with me and the rest, I'm happy to ignore. You've never approached me before."

"For what? The only reason you know her name at all is to justify your robbing the Strangetown government because they descend from you. From us."

Lukas sneered at the woman materializing in front of them, who was both uninvited and unwelcome.

"What the hell do you want, Hailee? This isn't a place for washed-up demigods who can't protect their own child."

Hate crackled between them with the intensity of a lightning strike. The hairs on Zephyr's arm stood on end just standing between her grandparents.

"I came to compliment your new hair colour," she replied icily. "The last time you tried that look, you were choking on your own blood in your office. It's a bold choice."

The silence only lasted a moment. Before Zephyr could speak, Lukas and Hailee were already throwing insults at each other at the top of their lungs.

There was clearly no reconciling the former couple or even asking them to act like adults around each other. Their relationship began as an office affair while Lukas was married to one of Izanami's reapers and the heat of that attraction had burned so much of their lives to ash. If Lukas could go back in time like those who wielded time magic, they would change so much of what had happened. Hell, they'd probably make sure that she was never born, just to keep her away from them. That might sound harsh, but Lukas assumed that she felt the same way about them. She certainly said as much the few times they'd run into each other over the years.

"Why are you messing around with a sealed realm?" Hailee demanded. "I had to hear about this from the Grim Reaper! What stupid plans do you have now? You're going to destroy everything good in our realm to fix some place no one cares about!"

"Well, there is an innocent population to worry about," Zephyr brought up, hoping to end the battle raging in front of her. "Jubilant Accosts shouldn't suffer just because they're home to a strange race of demon."

"Unlike you, I protect what I'm responsible for!" Lukas raged on, ignoring Zephyr's hope for peace.

"Our son was kidnapped by force by a faction that even you couldn't overpower!" Hailee seethed. "I was on my own! I thought you were dead!"

"If we stopped fighting about a man who isn't even alive or dead anymore, then we could probably talk more about the actual threat facing us," Zephyr suggested over through the raised voices. "My father did many terrible things, but he had nothing to do with a medieval realm. I think."

"I heard the Lukas/Hailee alarm and came as fast as I could."

A red haired, red eyed woman appeared in a sparkle of magic, her voice echoing across the room. Evalla Reeves tried to make as big of an entrance as she could to try to intimidate the biggest egos in the afterlife. It was something that she'd gotten used to over the centuries, and she considered herself a pro now at navigating most of the afterlife employees and deities.

Hailee was Evalla's grandmother, and a reasonable woman whenever Lukas wasn't around. She'd lost her reaper mother when Lukas' sister had died and had a vested interest in solving that mystery. Hailee liked high fashion, reading up on afterlife history and lore, and occasionally teaching at the schools of the afterlife. She had been born just before the Demon Wars and had been raised to her demigod position after the war, where she served with Lukas, and Quinlan, Death’s replacement Grim Reaper at the time. She'd been full of hope and the belief that she could change her world for the better at the time. Nearly a millenia later, she had long given up that hope.

Evalla was Luke's daughter with Nick, the grandson of the original Demonic Sovereign. Nick had given Evalla to trusted demigods to raise away from the father he couldn't trust with her. Evalla hadn't met her birth parents until she was in her late teens, but as an adult, she appreciated Nick's sacrifice for her own protection.

Evalla had held a very special role for several centuries, one that still made it difficult for Lukas to acknowledge. While Lukas remained comatose for centuries, their son Luke had siphoned Lukas' powers for himself because of his blood connection to Lukas and the inherited power from his demigodess mother. Any other soul who tried to grasp at the powers of Life went mad with the effort. Luke hadn't had that problem.

When Evalla came of age, she was able to take her grandfather's powers from her father with ease. For centuries, she ruled in Lukas' place, trying her best to live up to her grandfather's legacy. She worked well with the previous Grim Reaper, Anku, and the demons respected her for her other grandfather. She named her son Lucas and accidentally raised the remaining four angels from their sleep when she tried to raise Lukas' then extinct line of champions on her own. Very few people disapproved of the way she governed in Lukas' place, and when Lukas reincarnated and her powers vanished, Evalla stepped aside with grace. She was the absolute best replacement a mortal could be to govern Life, and yet, Lukas resented her for it. They believed, perhaps correctly, that if Evalla had tried to use their power less, they may have reincarnated sooner into a body that had matched their previous body more closely. They felt weird knowing that this granddaughter had replaced them -had held their power, their destiny in her hands without their consent. It was a violation. No one could be Life but them. No one could be Izanami's equal but them.

It made Evalla think sympathetically about her grandfather, even if they were occasionally immature about just about everything in life. A plague that cast people into an endless, undying sleep? That had to be hard to think about. Was Lukas immune? Were they afraid that they would succumb to centuries more of unconsciousness while someone held their powers in their absence? It had to be difficult, so Evalla tried to be lenient with Lukas. When they got near Hailee though, all bets were off.

"How much damage has been done? Are there casualties?"

"No casualties, since everyone here is dead or immortal," Zephyr replied, warily watching a god and demigod continue to act like children. "But you never know with them."

"Grandmother. Grandfather. Why don't you both sit down and discuss your feelings. Maybe we can all learn something from this situation. Have we begun to assemble our team to travel to Jubilant Accosts? We could discuss candidates if you'd like."

"That's up to Gee and his team," Lukas replied quickly. "I've been repeatedly told that the reapers aren't my business."

"You are going to investigate, aren't you?" Evalla asked. "Lord Izanami has left instructions for aiding you on your journey."

Lukas rolled their eyes while Hailee snickered.

"Of course, Death has to micromanage your trip. Even he doesn't trust you to not screw this up. Either that, or he's afraid you'll screw around."

Lukas glared daggers at their ex-mistress, while the other two women looked on with interest.

"I was made as Death’s companion," Lukas snapped. "We belong together. We're soulmates who will spend eternity together. No one else could possibly interest me."

Evalla and Zephyr shared a look between them.

"Then how are we here?" Zephyr asked boldly, trying her luck to answer a centuries old family mystery. "Why did you break things off with Death in the days of old? The written record has never even hinted at what happened millennia ago. Why did you marry a reaper in the first place?"

Lukas remained frozen in place, clearly pretending not to hear the question or dignity it with a response.

"To make Death jealous, obviously," Hailee replied. "He only used me to make his wife jealous and I can only imagine he married her for the same reason. He never loved her; he admitted as much to me."

"None of this is about Jubilant Accosts! I'm here to prepare for my journey, not gossip about my private life. Can any of you tell me how to find a Timelady of Ticktop? I assume her golem will still be around, even if it's rusting by now. Does it know where to find its master?"

The three women shared blank looks at the question.

"Hailee, didn't you ascend because of your ability to scry across time?" Evalla asked. Of course she had, Evalla has memorized her grandmother's file during her reign as Life's stand-in. "Maybe you could see if there are traces of the Timelady that you could still pick up on. If her last appearance on the timeline was violent, there may be a scar in time to mark that event."

"I'd rather not. I haven't used those abilities in decades. Let the god handle it."

"Like I'd even need her help," Lukas replied angrily. "The Demon Wars were a fluke. What has she done since then? Nothing of importance. Like she said, she hasn't used her skills in decades. How do you expect her to do anything to help now?"

Zephyr turned to the babbling water feature in the room to silence the squabbling behind her. Things got so messy when ex-mortals had to solve big problems together. Whether they were deities or demigods or even just the dead, no one seemed to agree on anything. It had to have been simpler back in the beginning when Death and Life worked together to guide their destined lands. No stand in Grim Reaper or Life substitute channeling Life's powers. But then, why had Life and Death ever parted ways to begin with? Was there any system that could govern the universe without collapsing every millennia or so? It didn't sound like it.

"Okay. Okay! Lord Izanami and the Grim Reaper will focus on the problems belonging to the realm of death," Evalla shouted, trying to be heard over to shouting. "Lukas, you need help with finding a Timelady and what else? Things we can actually help you with."

"There's some...crossover between Izanami's realm and mine," they said carefully. "A soul is missing from Jubilant Accosts' afterlife and there is a suggestion that it...mighthavebeenreincarnated."

"Might have what?" Evalla demanded. "Did you say reincarnated?"

Lukas shrugged, trying to look casual and like they weren't incredibly frustrated by everything to do with Jubilant Accosts.

"That's the suggestion. I have no evidence of reincarnation, but the reaper records are strange. Someone wrote 'burning soul' next to the soul's entry in Death’s list. I've never seen anything like that in all my existence."

"Burning soul," Evalla repeated, trying the words for herself. "What could that mean? It's impossible for anyone other than Life to reincarnate. When I held your office, there was nothing to suggest that a mortal soul could do anything other than...well, no, I suppose it could maybe...hmm."

Zephyr raised her hand, like she needed the audience of a god and demigods' permission to voice her fear.

"D-Did you ever consider that a burning soul could refer to the punishments of Life? What Life did to my father or to Kamalani Bellamy...I would assume their souls are burning if they still possess them."

"Or a reaper's soul when they're killed like my mother," Hailee murmured. "Or like Riley. Their souls are lost to us; perhaps they are burning in a different realm."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see if I can find this Timelady," Hailee said with a sigh. "If there's even the slightest chance that my mother is burning in another realm or time, then I have to try. We lost a lot of good reapers when she died. Maybe this is a sign or clue about their current status. Maybe our lost reapers can reincarnate like this missing king."

"Hailee, don't get your hopes up," Evalla cautioned. "This is just a rumour for one missing soul. We don't know if it's even real in this realm, let alone ours."

"It's impossible," Lukas declared. They tried to hide the temporary excitement that ran through them at the thought of saving Riley. "Reapers are built differently. They are servants of Death who cannot feel my power. There is only an illusion of life that ties them to their physical remains. Otherwise, they are completely cut off from my realm. I warned Riley what it would be like to 'live" as a shadow in my realm and she understood. This missing soul was diverted from Death’s list, so it somehow remains in my realm. It's not the same as a reaper."

"Reapers can create new life," Hailee challenged. "My parents were reapers, the queen of Pleasantview comes from reapers. It's worth a shot."

"Just don't get your hopes up," Lukas warned, their voice uncharacteristically kind. "Your mother and Riley are gone, and nothing will bring them back."

"Probable, but worth the effort if it is possible." Evalla knew the odds were against them, but it was worth a try.

"So what instructions did Izanami leave?" Lukas demanded, suddenly remembering the meddling their husband had apparently been up to. "I don't need his help. He never listens to my instructions."

Evalla opened her mouth, but Lukas couldn't hear her words. A familiar haunting voice burned it's way through their mind, drowning out every other sound.

Lukas Reeves. Lukas Lane. I look forward to seeing you in person. I'm curious to see how you act without your husband to hold your hand.

Lukas closed their eyes, trying to isolate anything they could from the hollow, scraping voice that had tormented them in the past.

You can't possibly be trying to drag my sister into this after I warned you. Just because Hailee chooses to be naive, I know that you have nothing to do her death. I'm looking forward to meeting you...Xexys, is it? I've been to your realm, and frankly, I'm unimpressed. A few missing reapers, a Timelady, and some scared kids? You're an amateur. Those reapers are missing, not destroyed. Hailee is blinded by her grief, but I've accepted that Riley is never coming back. When they died, you didn't have that convenient crack in your realm to reach through, like you are now. Enjoy it while it lasts, because things are about to change.

Lukas opened their eyes, only to find three women staring at them worriedly. Apparently, they had missed Izanami's instructions and remained silent for a concerning amount of time.

I'll be waiting for you. Sleep well while you can. In my realm, you'll never sleep soundly again.

Lukas rolled their eyes at the audacity of this demon. After the fear of losing Izanami and the realization that no one could hurt their lost sister, the terrifying voice that had frightened them previously held no power. The worst things in existence had already happened to them, and besides, Lukas had helped seal Xexys away long ago, even if their role had been rather limited. Xexys was more of a challenge than Saren and her drama, but Lukas would figure out the demon's schemes eventually.

"I'll be leaving shortly," Lukas announced. They looked at their audience warily. Even if they were stronger than Xexys, the next few months, possibly even years, were going to suck. "Zephyr, Evalla, take care of Izanami. I'll try to check in on him while I can, but he's going to need someone to make sure he's taking care of himself and I can't trust the Grim Reaper to not baby him or fall for his tricks."

"Seriously, what is the deal with you two?" Zephyr pressed. "Why did he leave for centuries while you told everyone possible how much you hated him, only to be obsessively in love with him now? If you tell us, maybe we can know how to help him better while you're gone."

Evalla nodded eagerly, while Hailee just groaned at the suggestion.

For their part, Lukas did consider answering the question. With everything in their head currently swimming with far too many emotions to process, it seemed like a small thing to be honest with their descendants. Perhaps it would help them deal with Izanami and his health related tantrums if they knew even a small fact about him. Hailee being present was hardly good timing, but Lukas did need extra eyes on that stubborn man.

"I got pregnant. He didn't want-He....nevermind. It's not relevant."

Lukas stood quickly while Evalla and Zephyr tried to suppress a gasp at the reveal despite its shortness. They may be the only people who knew this secret in the entire universe. Did the Grim Reaper know? Did Davis or Destiny? Hailee said nothing. She folded her arms and looked as far away from her ex as she could.

"Take care of him. I'll be checking in on you. There will be consequences if he's getting worse," Lukas warned, disappearing in a shower of sparkles.

"Did that just happen?" Evalla asked, looking at Zephyr for confirmation. "Did our grandfather really just open up to us about their past?" She paused. "Did they just threaten us if Death gets sicker?"

"Only in this family," Zephyr sighed.

#sims 2 #arkhelios adventures #lukas lane #Zephyr Toyonaga #evalla snow #hailee evans

5 notes · View notes