Miasma || Chapter #17

Instructions

Sorry for really, really long chapter I also cried writing this chapter btw- TW: fictional deities, fictional afterlife concept, mentions of death, trauma, mentions of intense pain As Morpho’s eyes adjusted to the bright light of the immortal realm, xey began to gaze around in search of Mango. Xey had to make sure he made it here all right. “Mango?” xey called out. “Are you here?” “Morpho!” Mango said, stepping out from behind a huge marble column. “Yeah, I’m here! I’m so glad you made it!” The bat threw his wings around Morpho. His fur is really soft, Morpho thought, startled. Xyr heart fluttered and skipped, and xey hoped xey wouldn’t start sweating. Xey hugged him back, then realized xey were blushing so hard, xyr face was totally pink. Xey could feel xyr wings shaking. When Mango let go, Morpho asked, “Where’s Miasma? Is she nearby?” “She’s just outside,” Mango said, pointing to the archway on the other end of the room. “Why? What do you need?” “You’ll see, as long as she can help me.” Xey pulled xemself up and started towards the door. Sure enough, Miasma was waiting just in front of the doorway. “You’re here! Great!” she greeted them as they approached. “Do you need anything?” “I was hoping you could get us to the spirit realm…” Morpho asked sheepishly. “There’s… there’s someone I want to visit. It’s really important.” “Oh! Yeah, l can get you there!” the goddess said, grinning. “Follow me! Mango, can you fly? I’m not sure if the travel healed your wing.” “It did!” Mango said happily. “I can fly again, don’t worry!” They followed Miasma over the mystical, towering, crystalline land, and stopped at a huge portal gate. It swirled galactic blue and purple. Miasma motioned to it. “Here. I can’t come with you, especially if you’re looking for someone specific. But don’t worry, the gate’s not hard to find. Off you go.” She began to push them through before they could even thank her. The world seemed to shift, jolting them into falling in a different direction. They tumbled down, landing awkwardly on a smooth, cool surface that looked like polished blue marble. It shimmered and sparkled like gold. Morpho looked around. Pillars of every material xey could imagine crisscrossed the landscape, stretching from the distant floor to the endlessly high ceiling. The horizon faded out quickly into glowing fog, and a few strange, opaque shapes dotted the land. Morpho let out an awed breath. It was so beautiful, and there was a lingering feeling of welcoming peace, as though the longer you stayed, the happier you would feel. Xey swallowed nervously. Was she really here? Was he finally going to see her again? Speak with her, even? After all Veneen had done to keep them apart? “Morpho?” Mango said, interrupting xyr train of thought. “Where are we? Is this the afterlife? Are we dead?” “We’re not dead,” Morpho said, not moving xyr gaze from their surroundings. “But this is the spirit realm, yes. I need to find my friend.” “Who?” he asked nervously. “It’s… hard to explain,” xey mused. “Look for bright blue.” Xey jumped off the platform, gliding out to search. Almost immediately, a flash of neon blue scales caught xyr eye. Xey looked over, heart pounding. It was her. For real this time, not just xyr emotions getting the better of xem, taking over xyr magic. She was on a slanted pillar that looked like a mossy, enormous log, splayed out in the sunshine that came from nowhere. She was slightly translucent, but her scales still shone as bright azure as the sky in the desert. She was long and slender, with no limbs, and striking amber eyes, rimmed with spikes. Her lethally venomous fangs hung over the sides of her jaw. She looked… so, so happy. Morpho landed lower down the pillar from her, a lump forming in xyr throat. “R-Rasa?” The snake looked up, startled, and her eyes welled up with tears. “Morpho? How- how are you here? Don’t tell me-?” “I’m not dead,” xey told her. Xey could feel xyr hands and knees shaking. “But I need to talk to you.” Rasa slithered over to xem and wrapped herself around xem in a hug. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t want to go. I left you all alone, but Veneen, he- he…” She was sobbing too hard to continue. “No, I know what he did,” Morpho said angrily, fighting the tears that pressed up behind xyr eyes. “I should be the one who’s sorry. It’s my fault. And now he’s doing it again, and he’s probably going to get away with it, even though Mango escaped.” Xey began to cry uncontrollably. They didn’t let go of each other for a long time. Morpho could sense Mango hovering over them uncertainly. “Morpho…” he said quietly. “Who’s this?” “This is Rasa,” Morpho said after regaining xyr composure. “She was my best friend, until- until Veneen killed her.” Continiued in N+C