Prologue: Cupid as told

Aeon lingers by the playground, wearing his best mundane clothes he can don – platinum blond hair blown to the side by the wind that he can only feel. He squinted his eyes and shut the barrier. Caelum must not know.

Aeon sniffs the air and a small smile tug at his lips. He have sense the wind and he knows that the girl will come today. He must wait patiently behind the trees and confirm it.

“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,” Emily’s voice startled the little girl making her round green eyes widen as Crimsyn looks up to her mother. Emily smiles down and smooth her hand on top of the red hair the little girl had inherited from her. Crimsyn opens her mouth and sing the continuation, “There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby.”

“Very good!” Emily caress her daughter’s cheeks before letting Crimsyn run towards the slides. Aeon carefully watch them as he emerge from the hedges, practicing with his cane as he leans on it and pretend to act like an old man. He watch as Emily sat on the bench and let Crimsyn play.

“May I sit with you?”

Emily looks at the Aeom as he hold unto his cane, back slightly bent—He look very mysterious and odd . The pale blue coat and yellow shirt contrasted, making him look eccentric, like he was from a different world. Even his blond hair appears so pale in the sunlight, accentuating his bizarre look. Aeon gave her a kind smile, his eyes crinkled on the sides. Emily was disconcerted of the sudden appearance yet she nodded. “That little girl is your babe?” Emily was surprised to hear the man speaking to her, for Aeon’s deep velvety voice is so smooth like wind. Adjusting her scarf, she bites her lip before nodding once again, not wanting to spare the odd man a glance.

“When the time was old and the earth is young and everything was new...Cupid used to play with human emotions.”

Emily looks at Aeon, his wrinkled face appearing solemn all of a sudden. The sky covered the sun, making the surroundings gloomy as the wind continues to pick up. Quite a nice setting for a mysterious story, Emily mused. “Cupid was one of the almighty. He controls the fate and life of the humans by giving out love. Though, he too was curious and wanted to experience what humans do. Only Psyche, the most beautiful human on earth made him fall. It was a beautiful depiction of love indeed—for a god to fall for a human.” Emily couldn’t help but listen to his choice of story which piques her interest.

“Curious and true, the human made the god fall using his own arrow. They were happy and they had everything. Though, what happens afterwards when Cupid ends up suffering for that love? Will it be possible for him to be found everywhere but nowhere at the same time? He will wreck the world with confusion and chaos for it is him that becomes the opposite of love.” Aeon turns at her and she finally sees the whole of his face—it was gaunt but handsome, the wrinkles were not because of old age but of oddly placed scars, looking like swirls and marked with symbols. Though, what shocks her the most were not the scars, but his purple iris. Even quite peculiar, Aeon manage to appear kind and jolly beneath those gruesome marks, opposite of what his face depicts. Finally relaxing to his presence, Emily couldn’t help but laugh out loud of his sudden revelations, shaking her head at Aeon as she chose not to be bothered by his odd appearance.

“Why are you laughing ?” Aeon suddenly asked, flabbergasted of how a mere human laugh at his face.

“Because, it is crazy.”

“What? I am crazy? For your information I am telling you the truth. Cupid is—”

“Everything you just said—is crazy. What you just told me is not a beautiful depiction of love, it is a complete tragedy! Why would a Cupid choose to be with a human? He is a god. He shouldn’t have intervened with human lives.” Emily shakes her head, not believing that she was having this conversation.

“For it is the way of love, it is selfish and greedy; It is self centred. Cupid fell because he is susceptible to all this like all of us are.” Emily was taken aback when the man takes her hand. His touch is warm and his caress is light that it felt weird—its like holding wind. “I have to warn you. I’ve sense great danger – when the time comes, make a wish with a powerful desire and she will be saved.” Aeon nods at the child while looking at Emily. He stands up, hurrying towards the street, eyes looking about with worry.

Emily watches Aeon as he walks swiftly, abandoning the use for the cane which he now carried on his shoulders. The cloud finally moves and uncover the sun. Aeon waves his hand and Emily was startled when he was tackled by another man. They appear to be arguing of something as the man from a while ago pointed at Emily and make some motions in the air. She huff, and stands on her feet – not wanting to be left out about whatever they are discussing specially if it concerns her and her daughter. She went towards them, listening intently, “How many times should I tell you, Aeon? I warn you not to spread anything about my past anymore. Why did you have to—” Caelum stopped talking as he felt another presence and was surprise when Emily pulls him by his hand.

It was like someone drape a blanket over Emily and she collapsed , drifting into a memory that happened long before the wars have dawn, a memory unknown to the man spoken of.

*

He was the beat in every heart, the confusion of mind, the reason for war and peace.

Cupid was once a god.

And yet he pleads. Not for his life but for his wife and child. He begs the divinity and the almighty, to let them be, to let them live.

Cupid trembles as he kneels in front of his mother. He beats his chest and cried out, “Please, just this once...spare them! Please...” He fisted his clothes and bowed his head, it takes all his pride to beg for the lives of his loved ones as he is a very proud god. “Please mother...have mercy of my family, spare my wife and my child.”

But Aphrodite paid him no attention. She sat there on her pedestal, face carved out of stone as she watch her child plead. She already made the decision, she can’t go back to her words.

Psyche appeared and pleaded as she holds her child closer. Hades snatch the baby and ask, “Must I do it?” Hades’ face is full of uncertainty whilst Aphrodite look without indignation.

“You should.”

“Must I really?”

“Yes. Now.”

Hades looks at Aphrodite before brandishing a sword. He nods at her once, throws the baby high up in the air and swings his sword, cutting her in a half. Hades face was unreadable as he watch the baby vanish with a puff of red clouds as white feathers fell down on the marble floor, the only indication of the demise. Aphrodite turns her face down and stares on her hands.

“No!” Psyche tries to push the guards but she was far too weak. Cupid was still glued down on the marble floor, the branches of the rose tightening, holding him in place. He bowed his head as tears flooded his eyes, his chest felt like it would burst. Clenching his jaw, he howls, “Mother, please...have mercy.” Aphrodite stood from her seat, look at his son and says in a voice that is void of emotions. “ Now you understand.” She steps down and walks away, nodding at Hades who frowns. Hades tighten his grip on the sword, shaking. “Don’t you think this is too much?” his voice was low but Cupid was shocked to hear him.

Aphrodite glared at Hades and produces a steel arrow. Her eyes were ablaze as she threw it across the room and hit Psyche on the chest. Psyche collapse, the guards astound that they didn’t even realize that she was on the floor. “No! No...” The branch of roses gave away as Cupid ran towards his wife. He cradled her in his arms as he cried. Psyche caress his cheeks and gave him a sad smile, “Hang on, I will save you, my love. I will.”

“Don’t,” her weak protest made him cry harder, he hold her close to his chest. “Don’t bother with me,” His cries can be heard all through out the castle, the birds were silent, the whistling wind stops. It was like staring on a picture with only the two of them moving.

“How can I live without you?” His sudden question caught her off guard, “How can I survive the torment after knowing that I failed to save you?” He cries harder, tightening his grip around her. She let out a weak laugh before she brush a hand on his hair. “I’m sorry, I am so, so sorry...” her blood slowly trickles out of her mouth as she repeats this words. He sobs, his body shaking as he hug her tight. She puts her hand on his cheeks and wipe his tears. He looks down at her as she slowly shimmers and began fading. “No, don’t leave.”

“I love you, in this life and the next...” She whispers, her breath shallow. She manages to smile at him before tears slowly flooded her eyes. “I will meet you again, I will come to you...”

Choking back tears, he whispered to her, “Promise me that you will, promise me...”

“I promise you—my half—I will— find you.” And with all the strength she could muster, she pull his head down and kiss him before she vanishes, leaving a trail of red dust.

“No!” he screams, his face scrunched up. “No, you can’t leave me just yet...”He beats his chest and bowed on the floor, gathering the dust and crying. He took the arrow that killed her and glared at it. Hades holds out his hand and said, “Don’t attack me. I was only following orders. I-“

But Cupid did not attack Hades, instead he plunge the arrow on his chest. Hades watch as Cupid collapse in a heap, golden blood trickling on the side of his mouth. Cupid gave a bitter smile at Hades as tears falls down on his blood smeared cheeks.

Aphrodite returns inside the hall and saw him there, lying down with the arrow stuck on his chest. She glared at him and says, “No one shall give you a proper burial. No one shall be allowed to mourn or even offer to you. Now you are considered a forgotten, and no one shall know about you.” She turns and called out the guards. “ Leave him at his field and let his flowers grow on him. He is only one of my sons, he does not matter. If he dies, then inform Hades for I have promise him his soul.” The guards nodded, pulling his body out of the hall and to his field.

The sun was hidden by the clouds, the wind is cold against his body. It was his first time to feel cold and not warmth, it kind of amuses him. So, this is what it feels like to die—he thought. The guards leave him without a backward glance and he cries for the lack of love he receives.

The days passed and he slowly dissolves, half buried in the earth but the steel arrow remains stuck. He wish to be scattered in the wind like how his wife had been and his daughter. He wishes to join them soon but it seems like the heavens have a different plan.

His consciousness is slowly drifting when he heard a voice, “The souls of the petty mortals are saving you. You should be glad,” he frowns, trying to figure out whose voice it belongs to. He couldn’t make it out, everything seems blurred and the past and present seems to coexist. “I won’t let you die yet. I grant you the advantage of being immortal as you exist as a mortal at the same time. Watch every single mortal that plead for your life die because of you, for your indecisiveness and curiousity leads to a punishment of existing alone.”

“Why would you do such a thing? Why not take me?” he pleads at the voice, and the arrow in his chest vibrated and turn gold. “ For you are precious to me as my own life. I give you the opportunity to wait and meet her once again, this is your reward from me. With no memory of the past and a fresh set of feelings, I wonder how the two of you will end up in the end.” Cupid can feel his whole being vibrating as the wind god, Anemoi, gathered and carried him on his back.

“And so, your fate is decided.”

*

Emily woke up, trembling.

What just happened? What did she saw? Did she just fell asleep? Was it all a dream?

And where is Crimsyn?

She look around at the empty play ground and see two guys looking down at her. Why do they look oddly familiar, like she saw them somewhere?

“Caelum! You have to do it now,” The guy with scars on his face shouted at the other guy who is leaning down on her. Frowning, he held her hand and she felt dizzy all of a sudden.

As she collapse on the ground, she watch the both of them as they vanish into thin air and she was all alone.

“Crimsyn!”