V3 Incline 37: Kyrvern, the Mortal God

"An LNER Class A4? Haven't played with this in a long time." I remark with an amused huff as I move a hand onto its blue-painted plating. Running my palm up the curving shape above the wheels and pistons and going down into a crouch, I arrive at the slanted front, a royal crest set in atop it. Cheating a little with this attempt to live a mortal life for a little bit, I do any maintenance with but a flick.

My mouth opens with a quiet laugh as I instantly remind myself of the train's intricacies.

"I thought I might find you here." Okena comments as she walks in on me and I hide my divine powers. Their grandstanding nature out of place in the time this recreation is meant to be.

"You need something, Pony... Where's the ponytail?" I start to greet like normal before seeing the lacking hairstyle. Can't use the nickname if she's not wearing one!

She smiles and dangles a brush at me, her finger through the hookhole, "I want you to brush it for me."

"Coming." I answer, slapping the part of my legs right above the knees as I stand up fully. Walking up to her, she widens her smile and we leave my locomotive workshop together. Looking down at her neck, I feel strange. It's no longer broken and scarred, she's not like how I have grown used to seeing her.

Oddly enough, the path she is taking me on isn't to her room or a place with a mirror. Instead, she comes to a stop by one of the decorative pillars in this opulent display of a home. Walking past her initially, I turn to find out why she's stopped, only to watch as she leans against the pillar, slipping down it steadily. Crying.

"I... I'm... I'm glad you've finally decided to do the right thing." she weeps and I frown before my eyes widen. Something's gone wrong.

"How... How are your memories intact?" I ask, worrying over what this likely means. Yet, I feel no destructive power encroaching on me while I am vulnerable. There's nothing at all. In my panic, I check this reality over, I dismantle it all and put it back together before even an atom anywhere can twitch.

No, I did this.

Her smile returns, "Because you can be so silly at times."

"How many of you remember?" I ask, just to make sure I haven't already fumbled the bag.

"Kone and Iakb seem to be the only ones who recall a thing. We assumed it was intentional on your part." she explains and I nod along as I offer my hand so she can stand back up without having to rely entirely on her own strength. Instead, she leaps onto me for a passionate hug that I am happy to return.

Snuggling my face near her neck, I lovingly nuzzle the soft, rounded skin, "I'm sorry for..."

"Shhh, I accepted your apology for that so many thousands of years ago." Okena reminds me as she pulls out of the hug to kiss my forehead. She starts to giggle as my last finger holds of the hug vanish, something that is sped up by the zap of magic from her.

"Where are the other two?" I ask as she gets started brushing her great length of hair without me. Such a strange girl, asking for help with it and then not even having the patience to wait for me to be ready.

"The living room with the bar to the kitchen." she explains and she goes on to vanish from eyesight alone, her magic more pronounced than usual. Feeling out for her with my divine powers as the gap grows with each step, I softly smile, noticing all the other people in my old home. Everyone is here, every single one of them and it's the same all the way out there, across the horizon and beyond.

Making my way to and arriving at the part of the house in question with Bashmu's portal-tacular help, I waltz in on something. Whatever it is, the pair stop and look at me, I am restrained from behind by a blonde man, the whoosh of air catching up. The white-haired shortie raises her fists and weaves in close, ducking and dodging with pointless skill. However, rather than sending my proverbial lunch flying, she merely bumps my tummy with a gentle knock.

"Idiot." Kone remarks as Iakb's grip weakens in line with his ashamed laughter.

"What was that about?" I ask before Kone jumps a little to smack me over the head for real.

"Don't look at me, it was her idea!" Iakb pleads as he puts some distance between us.

"Some gentleman you are, taking part in a jumped mugging." I comment to him as he struts away with his dignity unscathed. Turning down to Kone, I am met with her small smile with her eyes glowing with wonder I once thought lost.

"Idiot." she repeats, smirking with a simple curve. Grabbing her by the head, I pull her close to my body before putting a hand on her back. It slips over her bra strap by coincidence and she thuds my gut, but, I continue. My hand lingers above her bare back, only a shirt away from my palm. No scars, no wounds, she is fine.

What I had to do that day isn't there anymore, but, I cannot be sure if this is real. It can't be, right? I don't...

"Kone, do you know where Sair is at the moment?" I ask her as I look over at Iakb whilst he playfully points out his filled-out chest. No longer a cavity I made tearing out that which his soul contained.

"..." she stares.

Sighing, I exploit my divine nature to create the perfect slice of cake.

Kone remains stoic even as I let its freshly baked smell waft into her nose.

"Tough customer." I say before I move to bite the lovingly and spontaneously created treat. She strikes me in the face hard enough to move my mouth away.

"Yum." Kone answers with a deep blush, the signs of her taken bite icingly rimming her mouth.

"Use a plate." I chuckle and I use Bashmu instead of my divinity to get one.

"Sair is on the balcony reading." Kone finally tells me before she speeds off to eat her treat in relative isolation. The comfort of a quickly emerging pillow fort adds to her warmth and surround-softness experience. I close the distance and put a hand on her head.

"Thank you, Kone." I tell her, making her a few extra slices on a bigger plate ahead of us whilst my mood is high. Ruffling her hair, I leave the cake-gobbler behind and I go and find where Iakb slinked off to. Standing a bit out of the way by one of the main doors while he looks through a fridge.

"Seems like I named my newest sword quite well." he smiles out as I raise a brow.

"New sword?" I question, not quite getting it because he's always getting new swords with his fancy schmancy magic tool.

"Your daughter, Clohniq made it as a display of her power." Iakb whispers as Greenstrip comes into the kitchen in sweat-stinking and drenched sports clothes. She pays us no mind and all but confirms Okena's prior claim about it just being her and the other two that recall what I am now.

"Ah..." I go, watching Greenstrip some more as she pays our focus no mind.

"It's a good sword, she made it well." Iakb compliments as he lingers a weak grip near an empty glass.

"Who made what sword?" Greenstrip questions, her uncaring attitude vanishing like that. Curiosity is going to be killing this cat alright. Which I find funny, because Kone's the one with literal cattish features.

"Iakb's got a new legendary sword to his collection!" I expose loudly before running off. My omniscience reminding me of Greenstrip's envy towards Iakb's growing lot of treasure.

"You said the next one would be mine!" she complains before my powers slip me off to the roof. Thudding to the ground, I take a shaky breath and look out towards the open balcony doors. A soft breeze disturbing the lightly coloured, thin curtains covering it.

Cautiously feeling out for her power, I sense its destructive nature. I shirk back slightly afraid of what I am about to find, but, I persevere with steady caution. Popping my head out into the semi-clouded but still bright day with a handful of power, the only black I find is on a coaster, the only red, her beautiful hair. She moves slightly and the first thing she does is smile at me.

Smile.

I smile back as my eyes start to water, my caution vanishing. I haven't seen her smile for so long and I have just stupidly made her stop by crying like this. Backing away into the bedroom, I cover my eyes as she comes after me. She holds me close without a word until I am ready to speak.

"I'm sorry... I... I don't know what's come over me." I tell her as she offers her sleeve for me to dry my eyes on without a moment's apprehension. I spot the book still in her hand for a moment, I can't read the title, but, the fact it seems to be one of her favourites is enough for me.

"Whatever it is, I'm here for you, Kyrvern." Sair tells me without the slightest bit of doubt in her voice. I smile up at her and then pull her down onto the bed suddenly.

"Hehe!" I go as I hug her close, enjoying the compression of her soft chest onto mine as much as the warmth and beat of her heart.

"Woah, woah, easy there, Ballguy!" Sair laughs back as I roll her onto her back, myself above, looking down. Grinning just before her lips, she cups my face with her soft hands as a blush shades her cheeks so nicely.

"What you reading?" I ask as I pull away from her face, disappointing her to the point of whacking me with the book she had forgotten to put down.

"How to Handle an Idiot." She jokingly answers as we find ourselves tucked up at the top of the bed, each of us holding the other. Pulling her in closer, I rest my head on hers and she gently fight-squirms her way to a better position and she gets back to reading. My grip on her pillowy arm tightens as firm determination takes over my out-of-view face.

For all of my children and their sake, I will bring Sair back before them as their mother, not a recurring enemy. My family will be whole.