Beyond the Deep Water

Heaven

While Axl's carriage travels through the portals. In the Sacred Land of Nature, Ceres, the Goddess of Nature, waits for the perfect moment to return to the water sanctuary. The Floral Palace stands on top of a mountain above a vast kingdom of tropical land. It's a magical place full of green and purple, where the trees grow to unmeasurable heights and whine with phosphorescent color. Bioluminescence-like dust disperses in the air giving the whole kingdom an enchanting glow.

"It is unfortunate, really, you have waited long enough for your chance, but now, all that effort is under threat by a simple human girl." Beldurra, the Goddess of Fear, says with a malicious tone that aggravates the prideful Goddess of Nature. Ceres doesn't seem concerned by the burden she can cause to the rest of the gods. In her eyes, nature and water belong together, but being ignored by Axl only makes her want to hurt whoever he cares for. She can't comprehend what it is about Camille that makes Axl hesitate.

"So, he is showing mercy to her, huh?" Beldurra questions Ceres, who quietly steps forward. A portal of darkness takes form on the wall in front of her, a cold blast spreads across the palace, and a powerful scent of death warns every living being to hide.

"Axl shows no mercy to anyone. You should be well aware of that," Ceres's feline eyes peer directly into the dark tunnel on the wall. She bows with reverence, showing her loyalty and devotion as she displays a slight smile that holds a potent threat. Beldurra smirks at Ceres's sharp remark but says nothing.

"Indeed, so you better remember that the next time you go against his orders," Beldurra reminds her as her eyes turn stone-cold and ready to start a war.

"The same goes for you," Ceres's cold tone excites the Goddess of Fear. She flashes her sharp fangs as her eyes turn bright red. The thought of feeding on Camille's fear makes her impatient to meet her.

Camille leans on the comfortable wall, closing her eyes to rest her mind. She lets her mind wander. Camille feels free enough to let herself relax for the first in her life, thanks to Axl. Since she stepped into his world, he has gifted her with the peace she always longed for. She allows her mind to run free, even if Axl can hear it, letting her chest expand with serenity. Deep down, Camille is failing to keep Adam in her mind, but knowing that there will be no one to hurt her physically. Although he appears to be young, Axl is older and mature in reality, which gives Camille a sense of security she never had with Adam, which hurts her deeply. She bangs the back of her head on the wall as the culpability takes over her. She can't compare Adam to Axl. It's not fair for him. There's no comparison between the two, and even when it hurts her to admit. Camille has been enchanted by the God of Water.

Adam, it's the only good part of everything in that awful life she has in Primavera Town. Choking on sadness, Camille breathes in profoundly to get used to the idea that he'll have a better life without her. There's so much to discover and enjoy without her, things that Adam could never do because he was too busy running around trying to save her. She sighs slowly, releasing the pain of missing him, of wanting to see him. Camille pulls her knees against her chest to suppress all her confusing emotions, holding the need to pull her hair off. She glares at the sleeping man in front of her. Wishing to find something that can make her forget her crazy ideas of staying here.

"You should not do that." Axl opens his crystal blue eyes to looks directly into hers, making her chest react anxiously. Axl knows what she's been thinking but says nothing. He can't argue when she's already torturing herself with guilt. Instead, he silently observes how her violet eyes flash with terror at his reaction. "You are strange," he murmurs to himself, trying to understand why she hesitates on giving up on someone unreliable like Adam.

"I didn't realize you were awake. I'm sorry." Camille stutters, failing to cover up her tension. She averts his eyes and shyly starts to scrape her nails, something he has noted.

"Awake?" Axl repeats, trying to understand what does she mean?

Camille looks up as he stands tall in front of her. She takes a deep breath as he traps her in the depths of his royal blue eyes. The infinite blue it's hypnotizing to her lonely heart, which makes her push herself back. Axl's eyes don't waver one bit without letting her know he's actually enjoying her cautious reactions. He intensifies his gaze only to makes her fluster like never before. She tightens her knees close to her chest. She can feel the warmth of her blood rushing to the tip of her ears, a sensation of emptiness spreads inside her stomach, making her feel lighter than a feather—Camille struggles to keep any thought from making its way out, but it's too late. Enjoying every detail of her innocent reaction, Axl can't help to smile.

"I do not need my eyes to see, my ears to hear, or hands to touch..." Axl lets her know with a humorous tone that makes her eyes widen with surprise. "Also, I do not need my mouth to speak." She flinches back as he speaks directly into her mind. The corner of his mouth curls into a mischievous smile, which Camille finds fascinating. The butterflies in her stomach take off, spreading from her core to her chest with a warning. A feeling so perfect and congenial that her palms begin to sweat to feel such a gorgeous man so close, enchanting her with possessive eyes that make her actually forget everything else. "I can try something different..." he suggests in a pleasant tone. He reaches his hand out to help her to her feet.

The relationship she had with Adam hasn't given her enough experience to understand all her emotions with Axl. Although she loved Adam, she couldn't enjoy their relationship because of her trauma. Camille couldn't erase the memories, which took away the chance of allowing Adam's love to heal her pain. Camille can't forgive herself for letting his honey eyes would look sad and hurt every time she trembled in fear of his touch.

Axl notices her struggle, his eyes narrowing as he takes in her distrust. It is fascinating for him as a god to see how much effort she puts on holding back when others bend to his demands. It has become tedious for him to see everyone, even the goddesses, do his will with a simple snap of his fingers. The god finds himself enjoying Camille's reactions of not knowing what he thinks but taking the risk of ask questions, which makes him want to take a chance and surprise her.

Still holding his firm hand, Camille freezes with her back against the window, glued to his crystal blue eyes. The silence inside the cabin becomes overwhelming, the dim light of the golden candles, the pleasant scent of vanilla. "I am concerned, Camille. If you do not control your heart, it might stop," he says in a playful tone as he takes one step closer to her, trying his best to keep control of his humor, but the thought of playing with her makes him smirks mischievously at her innocent eyes widening with alarm.

"Why, why are we here?" Her voice gives her anticipation to feel his slender finger holding her hand, a hand that doesn't tremble at all. Camille knows she has nowhere to escape, and her heart is giving up on his approach. She can feel his sweet breath bathing her face, making her heart pound a thousand times faster than usual, so pleasant and exquisite in a new way. "Why did we stop?" Camille asks under her breath, trying to stop herself from feeling anything towards him, but Axl is not ready to give up yet. He wants to see more of her expression, more of her bright eyes, and, most of all, he wants to be the reason for her carefree smile. In one sudden move, the god turns her around and pulls her closer to his body. Camille holds her breath as his exposed chest touched her back. His breath tickles the back of her neck. She swallows deep to calm her pulse, but it's useless.

"Not everything is bad, Camille. You have to learn to play with the magic," Axl whispers in a seductive tone as he secures her tight on his arms.

"M- Magic..." Camille forces her voice out. "I think I'm not ready for it," she argues, gripping on his arms, letting her reason win over. She stiffens up as he lifts her up without effort. Axl lets out a playful smile. He leans his lips down to her neck and breathes in her delicate scent of flowers, letting himself fall for his own trick. He looks up with determination and pushes the door open to let the magic blind Camille.

"Yes, magic," he reaffirms with a personal enthusiasm as they levitate away from the carriage into an ocean of stars.