Cass was still reeling from the fact that the gods had been watching him while he was-he was-it was still hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that Cassian had been there, watching it all happen, but there were more people? More had been watching?
"Caspian, we apologise. You are just so...fascinating, that we cannot help but watch. You are also our hero, we have to keep an eye on you. What if you had been hurt during?" They were trying to sweet-talk him, but Cass wasn’t going to have it.
"There were so many people around that I would have been okay if you hadn’t been watching." Cass told them. "I was already self conscious with allowing others to help, and now-" Cass cut off, swallowing bitterly. "And now I know that was the wrong fucking thing to do." Cass whispered. He raised his head. "I need to speak to Cassian again. In person. Soul to soul." He knew he was making demands, but hell, he had earned the right to.
He had delivered the first hint as to why the world kept ending when Cassian Blackburn died. Did he have more information on that? No, but he also had found out that he had given them a free peep show. Fuckers, he earned a few things from them.
"Are you sure? We only give them to you at the end of your heats because it is less strain on both of your souls, Caspian. It could hurt your connection to him if it goes on too long." It was the god he was used to speaking to. Cass hadn’t known the reason behind it. He hesitated for a moment.
"It’s still technically after my heat. Only a few days, and I just need to speak to him for a little bit. Not long." Cass promised and he felt the breeze brush him again.
"Alright. We will speak to Cassian and see what he says to this." The god was gone again, but the others remained. He couldn’t hear it, but he could feel how they were whispering about him. It was a weird feeling, one that would have made the hair on his body stand on end, a shiver run down his spine, and every warning sign blare in his body.
It was the feeling of someone walking over your grave. The realisation that something unnatural was happening.
"He has agreed. Come this way. Follow our voice." The god spoke softly and Cass turned, moving. It was the first time that Cass could tell they were speaking from a specific direction. A light shone in the distance. It wasn’t as big as the garden was, and as Cass got closer he could tell it was a streetlight.
Under the streetlight was a white haired man. His arms were crossed and even from here Cass could tell he was pissed. Cass picked up his pace.
When Cass reached the streetlight, he reached for Cassian, grabbing his arms and holding him desperately.
"I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!" Cass apologised and watched as Cassian’s angry face twisted more.
"Stop. Apologising. Did I not already tell you? How is this your fault? It’s those damn demons for doing this to me. To us. How were we to know that if we touched another fucking person it would trigger that?" Cassian let out a dry, angry laugh. "It’s a miracle that we weren’t turned already, Cass. A miracle. We are lucky we found out when we did. We’ve already been accepted as a demon by the others, we just need to...learn more about ourselves. We need to study." Cassian told him.
He looked conflicted for a second before he grabbed Cass and pulled him into an awkward, but well intentioned hug.
"Stop looking at me like that. You found out why it’s important for me to stay alive. That’s a good first step, Cass. Really. Don’t look so distraught." Cassian told him and Cass sniffed.
"If I had known it would have been that bitch who did this to us, I would have planned more. I would have made it so that I could summon her to sign a contract all so that I could punch her in the face." Cassian winced at Cass’ words, before he started laughing.
He pulled away, staring at Cass’ teary eyes before he smiled at him. His red eyes were soft, kind.
"You feel so much more than just anger, Cass. Remember that. You’re different from me. You had your sister to keep you grounded, and honestly, I’m a little bit bitter to know that. Would I have turned out differently if I had a sibling too?" He shook his head with a sigh, his eyes still soft. "It’s a pointless thought. Too late for that now. For now, speak to the gods and see what kind of solution we can all come up with. I will leave now. I don’t want to damage either one of us." Cassian said, stepping out of Cass’ grip and away from the streetlight.
Cass reached for him, worried as all he could see were his red eyes before he could see nothing.
"Come, Caspian. Away from the light." The god whispered tenderly and Cass turned, following his voice again. He felt miserable, but in a completely different way now. The man was not going to accept Cass’ apology. He didn’t even think he had anything to apologise for.
Cass stopped walking when a gentle, but huge hand landed on his shoulder. He sighed, looking up at the gods.
"We have to discuss the next step, don’t we?" Cass asked, drained, and a chuckle filled the air.
"The demon king plans to have you produce the next demon king." The god he spoke to the most said. Cass nodded miserably.
"He gave me both parts. Said that because my Mother was in the early stages of her pregnancy his ’seed’ was able to turn me into something that was capable of doing both." Cass told them and a whisper went around the gods.
"He’s trying to make a damn god!" Someone whispered and Cass blinked. What? What did that mean?
"What?" Cass asked and he swore he heard someone getting hit. It reverberated through the whole space. It sounded painful.
"There is a reason demons are so focused on gender, Caspian. What he has done to you is...he is being very cunning, that demon king." A different god spoke, but it again sounded like a god that Cass was familiar with.
"Cunning? But intersex people exist in my world." Cass said. A gentle wind slid around him again.
"Yes, but not this world. You are not as greatly affected by the workings of the demon king in your world, while this world is. Gods are genderless. We can give birth to more gods through several different means. When the demons fell, as we feel you have gathered by now, they fell into sin. Creating the humans and other beings that populate the worlds. Before the demons came into existence, gender was a foreign concept. It was over the millennia of corruption that gender became prominent." That was a lot of information, but Cass had a feeling about some of it.
It would make sense that the demons and gods were one in the same. They had basically said as much to him several times.
"What about fairies? Why can’t they mix with demonic blood? Is it the same with gods as well?" Cass asked and there was a pause.
"Yes." Was the slow answer. Cass knew there was more to that, and he glared up at the beings that were watching him.
"If I’m an abomination against the humans, gods, demons and fairies, I deserve to know more than just yes. If you don’t give me all the information I need, I could harm myself and others." Cass warned.
There was a tense silence after that, but eventually a completely different god spoke up.
"Fairies are from a different alliance of gods. They are older beings. A different...generation. They left the worlds behind that they created, and we...helped out the worlds that they had left." Ah, so they were infiltrating the worlds that they had left behind. Cass frowned.
"So if they are gods as well, why can’t they merge with others?" Cass asked again and the same god spoke up.
"Speaking of it plainly, it is the difference between two different species. They cannot mix to create offspring. It would not be viable. If you were speaking to the gods or demons, you would be speaking a different language. We would not be able to hear you." The god said and Cass blinked.
"So how are fairies and humans able to mix?" He asked and was met with more silence. Cass took a moment to think. "Humans...were their creation, weren’t they?" Cass asked softly and the same god spoke up with great reluctance.
"Not all humans. We have created some, but...the humans of this world are a little different. They are able to use magic unlike most other humans. It is also why this planet is so important. If the demons are able to harness all powers of this world...there is a reason the world ends when Cassian Blackburn dies, Caspian." The words hit home and Cass felt something heavy lock inside of him.
"So what am I supposed to do? I’m turning into a...sex demon because I touched another person. The demon king said so, and tragically, I believe him. I won’t be able to resist these...urges forever. Am I supposed to father a child? Give birth to a child? What will that mean? The demon king is still alive, but my Mother’s deal was to birth the next demon king which is why I don’t count, I think." Cass said and he could feel the intensity of the gods grow.
"For now, Caspian," the god he was used to spoke, "go home. Rest. We will discuss what the next step could be, what the best potential outcome could be as well. We have not considered this option before. We will need to consult our own gods and people. Tragically, you have seen deeply into the fragility of us gods and we apologise. We will have more answers for you soon. Rest, little one. You have done well to find this out for us." Cass wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but he found himself nodding.
He did want to rest. He felt like he earned it. He was glad that even the gods were acknowledging it.
"Okay. Alright. I’ll...wait to hear from you. How will I know?" He asked. A soft touch, a gentle breeze. Like a big hand pushing his hair away from his face.
"What do you think we give marks to our heroes for, Caspian? We will call for you. Rest, child." Cass felt a gentle push and he was falling. Cass closed his eyes. For the first time, he didn’t feel anything strange happen to his body. Just...relief that someone else was going to think of a solution to this shitty situation.
It wasn’t just on his shoulders anymore. The gods were actually going to help him.