A Oneshot of Vai (Tw: Death, Slight gore)
Patter patter patter
The rain continued to fall, seeping through the desolate land. Fogs engulfed the place as the dirt turned to mud. Vai traversed the empty zone, the mud clinging onto his boot with each step. The God of Mischief had no destination in mind, preferring to freely travel as his heart desires.
"Help..." A voice echoed amidst the veil of darkness, making him stop in his tracks.
"Help... me..." It repeated again, weaker this time. Curiosity piqued, Vai navigated through the dense fog, his expression indifferent.
As the mist cleared, the sight in front of him made him freeze in his tracks. A young woman lay on the ground. Half of her lower body was nearly torn beyond recognition. Her legs were crushed as she laid on the floor bleeding. She was likely caught in a blast from the mines or some form of explosive.
He didn't know why, but he was compelled to avert his gaze, grimacing at the sight.
"Please, help me..." The young woman pleaded, her eyes glazed with desperation, unaware she was speaking to a God.
After a moment of hesitation, Vai took a deep breath, approaching the fallen human. From the looks, he could tell that she was caught in a crossfire of a war. The tattered surroundings and the lingering smell of gunpowder were telltale signs that he had been walking through a former warzone.
Vai knelt in front of her, the rain mingling with the copper smell of blood. He reached out a hand, then paused, uncertain. For a god who embodied freedom, the concept of helping someone in such a straightforward manner was unfitting.
"Why should I help you?" Vai asked, his voice neutral and devoid of emotions. He tilted his head, genuinely curious, "What do you seek from me?"
The young woman looked up at Vai, her expression one of hope and confusion. "P-please... I don't... want to die," she choked out, her voice barely audible amidst the rainpour. "I just... want another... chance. To live and be free again..."
Vai considered the young woman's reasoning, his gaze softening slightly. He averted his gaze, unable to directly look into the desperation that filled her eyes. Freedom. The word echoed in his mind. Wasn't that his essence? Yet reality struck hard. Despite the power he had on freedom, this was out of his bounds. No matter how much he willed it, he could not mend the shattered bones, staunch the bleeding, or restore life where it had fled. He was only the God of Freedom - not the God of Life nor God of Medicine. The young woman was clearly teetering on the edge of her life and beyond saving.
"I'm sorry," Vai murmured, a pang of regret piercing his usually detached demeanor. "I don't think I'm able to help you. There's no immediate medical treatment near here... and I'm not a professional."
The woman's eyes filled with despair as she understood the futility of his attempt. "I... I see..." she whispered in resignation and sadness. After a brief moment of silence between them, she spoke up hesitantly, "Could you... stay? I don't want to die alone."
A small sigh escaped Vai's lips, his expression growing unreadable. He retracted his hand, placing it on his knees as he settled down beside the young woman. This was something he wasn't used to. The God looked up at the sky, the rain obscuring the stars. "Tell me your story. How did you end up... like this, huh?" he spoke up, his tone low and curious as he gestured at the young woman.
"I was..." The young woman paused before speaking, a tinge of bitterness and regret seeping into her tone, "I was part of a group of rebellion with my friends. I... No, we. We wanted to prove that freedom was worth fighting for."
"Our village is small, yet our community is strong together... But ever since the empire had invaded our lands and took everything from us, nothing was the same anymore. Most of them men and women had given up, even my mother and father. No one had the energy to fight back except a few of us."
She coughed out a bit of blood, a raspy sound that shook her entire body. Vai remained silent, listening intently beside her. "We thought... we could make a difference. Liberate our people. Then everyone would be happy again. But we were naive... They were too strong, too prepared beyond our expectations. It was a massacre."
Vai's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of something. Whether it was interest or perhaps empathy - crossing his features. "Freedom," he mused quietly. "You fought for freedom, yet here you are, trapped by the consequences of your actions."
Despite being in pain, the young woman had fire in her soul - a flare of defiance behind blurry eyes. "We failed, but at least we tried. Isn't that what freedom is about? The choice to act, even in the face of impossible odds?" she challenged with a weak smirk.
Vai tilted his head, considering her words. A spark of an unnamed emotion briefly ignited within him before he could fully comprehend it. For a being who was the embodiment of freedom, he had underestimated his own understanding. Never had he considered the implications of freedom towards mortals, the willingness to sacrifice everything for a mere chance at it. The young woman had offered a new perspective, a new page written in the emptiness of his book.
The God found himself momentarily breaking out of his role, a look of uncertainty crossing his features at this new revelation. He found himself momentarily confused with his own existence. "Tell me... Is freedom more than just a concept to you? Something worth dying for?"
The young woman's breathing grew more labored, but her eyes remained fixed on Vai. "Without... without a doubt," she whispered. "We showed that we weren't just pawns. Freedom is... It's the essence of choice. The ability to defy expectation, to break from the predetermined path you were given."
Pawns. The word struck a chord in Vai. As a God, he had his own set of roles he had to fulfill, much like the others. However, he had nearly forgotten he was talking to a human whose time was limited.
The young woman's eyes began to flicker in and out of consciousness, her breathing growing shallow. With the last of her strength, she reached out a trembling hand towards Vai.
Moved by an impulse he didn't fully understand, reached out and took her hand. "Your actions..." Vai began, the words pouring out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Your choice, your fight for freedom... All of it - they won't be in vain."
The woman's grip tightened slightly on Vai's hand, a smile crossing her pain-stricken face. "Thank you," she breathed. "For staying... for listening." With a final, shuddering breath, the young woman closed her eyes, her body going still.
For a long moment, the God of Mischief sat there, rain soaking through his clothes, staring at the lifeless form before him. He had witnessed countless deaths before, but this one felt different. Something had shifted within him, a seed of understanding taking root where before there had been only abstract concepts. For the first time since his creation, he felt a stirring of something within him - a spark of emotion he couldn't quite name.
Yet the moment of silent contemplation was broken by an appearance of another god. Vai raised an eyebrow, sensing another presence amidst the fog. However, he didn't need to see to know who it was. "God of Death," he spoke quietly with a tinge of underlying caution.
"I sensed a disturbance and thought I should personally check myself," A cold and flat voice spoke. The God of Death revealed themselves, stepping out of the fog. Their gaze landed on Vai before looking down at the fallen human. "I hope you were doing your duty, Mischief. You know how interacting personally with humans can sometimes hinder your own... responsibilities. And we know what happens to Gods who don't play their role," They warned slowly.
The warning irked Vai, whose impassive behavior began to crack. He stood up, approaching the God of Death with an enigmatic smile. "Don't worry about my role... Because I'll make sure to fulfill it. In fact, I'll play this role so damn well, no one else will be able to take it or stop me."
Vai suddenly grabbed the other God by their lapel, yanking them forward, "This freedom is mine..." he took a deep breath, trying to reign the rush of emotions with a forced smirk, "I am freedom."
The God of Death looked momentarily caught off guard before returning its stoic gaze. They had suspected Mischief had deviated, yet it appeared their sense of role was stronger than before. "Very well," they replied coolly, taking Vai's hand off their suit before stepping back. "Consider it a warning then."
With those words, The God of Death disappeared within the fog, leaving Vai alone with the lifeless human more. Vai glanced over at the young woman's body, his gaze lingering for a moment before taking action. He rolled up his sleeves, kneeling down to dig up a makeshift burial ground. Thankfully, the rain had softened the dirt, and he soon finished.
As Vai carefully laid the woman's body in the shallow grave, a multitude of thoughts and emotions swirled within him. The encounter with the God of Death had left him feeling defiant, almost rebellious. He realized that his role as the God of Mischief was more than just causing chaos - it was about challenging the established order, even among the gods themselves.
He began to cover the young woman's body with earth, his movements slow and deliberate that it surprised even himself. "You fought for your freedom," Vai spoke to no one in particular, "I'll fight for mine."
Once the grave was filled, Vai stood up, his clothes covered with mud and his hands dirty. He stared at the mound of earth, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment. "Perhaps... perhaps it's time for the God of Mischief to cause some trouble for this empire of yours," he muttered to himself, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
With that, Vai strode off into the fog, leaving behind the battlefield.