Dominator Stellae

29 | Zemblanity (1)

(n.) the inevitable discovery of what we would rather not know

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"What did you do? You're acting strange. "

I stared at Hercules in confusion as we got dressed in more sleep friendly clothes. Since he and I were similar builds (his shoulders were just a little broader than my current form), I'd lended him some of my clothes to wear for the time being. Ah, I didn't know how exactly to explain to him what I did without revealing my status as the god that watched over them. I thought about it for a moment. It wouldn't exactly hurt to tell him technically but he can be bad at keeping certain secrets...especially heavy ones like this.

I hummed, putting away my priest's clothes. "I did what I had to do. A sacrifice had to be made and a sacrifice I did give. I'm just happy Prophis is okay." He stood, green eyes narrowed on my form. Okay, so he clearly did not like that answer but it was fine. There would be plenty of time to explain at some point during his stay in Liyue. I opened my closet door and pulled the gifts I'd gotten Lei-li and Zhongli out so I could wrap them.

A strong hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. I stared into Hercules' annoyed gaze and smiled in confusion.

"What's with the man-handling—"

"Aren't you tired of being so secretive? Listen, I've known you for thirteen years and I can only count on one hand how many times I've seen you cry. Something is obviously wrong, that much I do know."

My smile dropped for a moment, numbness washing over me. That's right...I'd sealed my negative emotions. I just hadn't remembered that any of the aforementioned emotions would be replaced by the feeling of nothing. Nothing doesn't count as neither negative nor positive. Nothing was neutral. I blankly stared at Hercules unsure of what to do or say. Delta had been right when she'd tell me that I hardly ever completely thought things through, huh. Half-baked plans were another specialty of mine it seemed.

When I didn't answer, Hercules sighed and let go of my shoulder, resigned. Bemused, I shook my head and went back to attempting to wrap the presents. "You're going to be the death of me and yourself," I faintly heard Hercules say. If anyone ever had to die because of something I did it would be me. I refused to let anyone get hurt because of a barely thought-through, horribly executed plan. I glanced out of the window only to see the nighttime sky greeting me. Time passed by quicker than I'd first realized it. It looked like anything that I'd had planned to do would have to wait until tomorrow: Lei-li's birthday.

I turned to Hercules, an idea presenting itself in my head. A grin settled on my face. "Would you like a talisman to help you speak and understand common until I can teach you?" I asked, already pulling out some paper to use. "What's your favorite color or are you okay with any color?"

Hercules was quiet for a moment, "The standard purple and black is perfectly fine."

I laid on the floor to do my work. Taking out a purple piece of paper and an ink well filled with my favorite ink, I got to work. The silence between us was far from uncomfortable, Hercules eventually giving into his fatigue and laying down in the bed while I meticulously crafted a talisman. The quiet snip of my scissors made a nice, steady beat in the silence of the room. Talismans were usually reserved for much more important scenarios aside from this. Such as rituals, cleansing, and seals. As such, the people of the Cathedral in Prophis were the only people of Prophis who knew how to use them and I was the only person who knew how to properly utilize them to a greater extent thanks to both my abilities and godhood.