Beyond the Deep Water

Honest

Zelon lays outside Camille's balcony while she sleeps. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how much protection she has. After all, her accumulated fears become take form in the only place no one has access to in her dreams. Caligo, the God of Nightmares, watches her from a corner of her room while she succumbs to her suppressed emotions. Camille begins to wake up to the coldness and heavy energy around her body. Her heart speeds up at the sound of footsteps register in her mind. Her muscles are paralyzed. Camille becomes desperate to wake up, but her eyelids are too heavy, and her voice traps itself behind the throat.

"Camille..." the eerie sound of the shadows becomes clear. Her desperate voice turns into sharp needles in her throat, trying to rip its way out while she struggles to break free from herself. "Camille, do not leave," the voice echoes with more emotion. She can feel tears building up in the corner of her eyes as the voice calls out again. "You belong here, Camille."

"Someone help me!" Camille grips on her blanks, a cry for help that sends her back to him. She snaps her eyes open, her heart slams against her chest in an instant. Her mind becomes blank. She's unable to comprehend what's happening to her. Camille realizes she's been enthralled by a world where there's no pain, no emptiness, to the point she has forgotten about the desperate expression on Adam's face.

"Adam?" The name sounds foreign to her, to think that he meant everything to her once. Adam's genuine grin has turned into a frown, his tender honey-colored eyes have become overshadowed by a hint of anger.

"How could you do this to me? How could you forget about us?" Adam's voice echoes in the back of her mind. The pain she has caused him becomes unbearable. Camille shakes her head to wake up from the nightmare to see his bright eyes full of hatred.

"This is not real. It's not real," Camille tries to convince herself, but her soul shudders with regret and guilt with the truth. She has fallen for Axl. Unconsciously Camille has become dependent on his protection and desire to give her what she has always wanted. But now, her fear of going back to Primavera Town is not only because of Steve. In the end, the truth is that Camille can't face Adam. Seeing him again would only hurt him more. "I'm sorry, Adam," Camille whispers painfully.

"You're a liar! You're no different from the whores that entertain him. You're the same. You're a whore-"

"Stop it!" Camille shouts desperately as Adam's voice turns into Steve's vicious laughter. He freezes in shock as he grabs her arms, gripping with full strength as he shakes her while he laughs. "Stop! Please, stop!" Camille cries, finally breaking free from the nightmare. She snaps her eyes open at the touch of Axl's fingers on her face.

Camille jumps back on the bed, drenched in sweat, pale and cold. She crosses her arms over her chest. Looking at her quivering shoulder, her eyes full of tears, Axl can't fathom why Camille is so anxious. Axl takes a step back while she manages to control her breathing.

Axl is different; he's not human, he's not like her. She's not even sure he can feel any emotion like she does. But when she sees him, she can handle herself, letting the peace invade every part of her soul. Axl notices her struggle, his eyes narrowing as he takes in her distrust. The shock astonishes Camille to a point she can't even imagine the cruelty of knowing that his own mother is capable of cursing him. But then again, Camille suffered from the same heartless cruelty of someone she believed to be her father. Naturally, Camille empathies with Axl; the difference between their connection and their parents is that Steve won't get to live forever. But Axl, unfortunately, he's blood-related to Lady Eirene, and they live for eternity.

"Why are you looking at me like I am the pitiful one here," Axl says with a hint of annoyance. "I see you trying to do your best to accept the reason you are here for. These things are part of who and what we are, Camille. We do not feel the same way you do, unfortunately. But, if I have to see you like this, even if you hate it here, I cannot agree to send you back." The god says while trying to make sense of his emotions when it comes to her. He can see in her mind that Onyx's name has been mentioned. Axl inhales deeply as the image of a heartless demon pops into his mind. "Eirene is a cruel mother, but you do not have to feel sorry for me." His bitter tone erases her worries almost immediately.

"Isn't it because you feel sorry for me that you're letting me stay here. You haven't rejected me like the others." Camille relaxes under her blank. Looking at his profile, she can see his long lashes curling up perfectly. The moonshine bounces on his skin tenderly. Axl is a god in every way. His physique, his character, and power are the perfect combination for him. Camille can't imagine someone like him. She has met different gods like Yama, Zerrat, Amarello, and Asilo, but Axl is different, and she can't explain it.

"I have never rejected anyone." Axl sighs exhaustedly. After traveling through the whole kingdom of water and fire, he needs a moment of peace, and surprisingly he finds it next to her. He glances at her from the corner of his eyes. He holds in a smile as she begins to fidget. Realizing that Caligo has been taunting her with nightmares, Axl decides to stay by her side until he can figure out how to deal with his mother and demons. Axl takes a deep breath as he takes his armor off, letting his watermark into full view, ignoring her shocked expression. Axl lays next to her. "For us who live for eternity, human life means nothing. After a few years, they are no more..." he says nonchalantly.

"Time after time, the great gods send someone to favor us, whether I accept it or not, I cannot just send them back unless they ask for it. I have sent some back to their worlds and kept the ones that want to stay." Camille keeps listening to her unapologetic tone. Imagining such a sad life, watching them die one after another, and they can't do anything about it because it's the nature of human life.

"But you said you couldn't control what the great gods decide," strangely Camille begins to relax next to him. After her horrible nightmare, she can't close her eyes again. Axl ponders on the thought in silence, turning his face away from her.

"I cannot, but you are different. You have a strong will and confidence, even when you, yourself, cannot see it." His voice sounds soothing in the middle of a heavy night. Focusing on the outside of her room, Camille can easily imagine the moonshine magically lightening the sanctuary. The night owls can be heard in the vast forest behind the waterfall. Zelon, Cosmo, and Vico spend the night on her balcony. Although they can't protect her from the God of Nightmares, the sacred beasts can keep the shadows away from her. "I understand there are things you do not want to share, but I have seen your life, and I cannot understand your attachment to a life like that," Axl says. Her heart clenches at the sudden confession. Although she already knew that her mind is an open book, the idea of him seeing every little detail of the things she doesn't want to share makes her nervous. Axl sighs as he turns to trap her with his bright blue eyes. "I apologize," his sudden honestly takes her by surprise.

Looking into his mesmerizing eyes, Camille becomes hypnotized by his hidden tenderness. After finding out about Onyx, Camille can see a part of Adam in him. If she stays in this world, he might never find a way to open up his heart again. According to the goddesses, Axl has become angry and closed to any feelings since his mother took Onyx away. Noticing the slight frown on his perfect face, he can see her thoughts.

"Why are you apologizing?" She clears her throat, trying to avoid his eyes that already know her feelings for him. Axl sits up next to her as he watches her fidgeting feet.

"For a foreign reason, my mother has made you a direct target of her evilness." He says with a slightly guilty tone that catches her by surprise. The thought brings back the terrifying memory of their encounter, the great goddess's evil eyes. Her vile words still linger in the back of her mind. A cold drop of sweat runs down the back of her neck as she looks at the god in terror. "But there is also a part that I cannot see, and I wonder why." He says as he perceives Camille's childish fears. He can see her running away, hiding under her blanket. He can see the shadows chasing her, but he cannot see a connection to his mother. Although, after reading the Book of Life and searching in Camille's memories, he can see glimpses of a possible link, Axl has to move cautiously without his mother's intervention. "What were you dreaming about?" He asks questions that take Camille by surprise.

"It wasn't a good dream..." Camille says, realizing that her dreams are the only thing she can keep to herself, even if they're bad ones. Axl notices her hesitation but opts to give her something to keep to herself. He smiles as she lays back down, hiding under her blanket. They lay next to each other in silence as the moon watches over them.