The Vulnerability of an Ancient Deity

 "... It appears that I've interrupted an intimate moment between you two." An all too familiar voice accused, his voice surprisingly calm despite the surprising site in front of him. 

 "Varen." Muir immediately let go of Zeya before heading towards the obviously furious Kaxarene. "I can explain-"

Muir tried to ease the tension between Zeya and Varen, hoping to clear any misunderstandings, but his words only seemed to enrage the Kaxarene even more.

Varen's mind was already made up the moment he decided to search for them, leaving no room for any explanation that could've cleared off the simple misunderstanding.

 "I'm actually disappointed in you, Muir. You of all people should've known better." Varen spoke harshly, refusing to listen to anything Muir had to say. "What were you thinking, taking her away from me when I was trying to protect her? You must have a death wish."

 "He did nothing wrong." Zeya stood in between Varen and Muir, facing the ruthless emperor directly. "After all, I was the one who asked him to take me up here."

Varen burst out laughing in sheer disbelief, slightly amused and angered by Zeya's bold-faced lies.

Just as the Kaxarene was distracted, Zeya managed get Muir to escape by pushing him towards the ocean's direction.

Much to her relief, a shadow creature was already waiting by the shoreline, as if waiting for the right time to guide the distressed monarch back into the ocean, likely as a result of Lex's order.

 'That must mean he knows I'm with Varen.' She thought, silently relieved that she was about to have company save her from this mess.

 "... Protecting him until the very end, huh?" Varen smiled humorlessly, his eyes burning with rage. "I can just never tell what's on your mind, can I?"

Varen's eyes locked onto Zeya's as he quickly regained his composure from his uncanny laughing fit.

Fortunately, he still seemed to have no clue that Muir had left, or it made more sense that he didn't care at all as his focus was now solely on Zeya's every move. 

 "What do you think you're doing, acting all frantic like a child?" Zeya held the Kaxarene's unamused gaze, undeterred by the silent fury that poured out. "This isn't like you at all."

 "You took the words right out my mouth, my love." Varen smiled brightly while his eyes remained empty and upset. "I'm here to take back what's been taken from me. But you on the other hand... you have no reason to be up here with that bastard, so why am I finding you two sharing a warm embrace?"

 Varen's entire body was soaking wet, a result that came with his rash decision to swim his way up here just to hunt her down.

 However, the discomfort he must've felt seemed to be the last thing on his mind as he appeared completely unfazed by the cold weather that was quickly getting harsher by the minute.

 "Running away once wasn't enough so you do it twice? And with someone I considered a friend, no less."

 "Only you would think I was trying to run away." She stated with a straight face, taking a step backwards each time Varen got closer towards her. "The crowd was starting to get on my nerves, and I needed some fresh air. Muir merely tagged to keep me company as per my request."

 "... Is that so?" 

 "I have no reason to lie to you." She responded blatantly, unwavering against Varen's menacing presence.

Zeya stumbled back towards a tree, having struggled to maintain distance between herself and the deranged Kaxarene.

Now, with Varen blocking her only escape route, she found herself with no means of getting away from this awful situation.

 "I'm telling you the truth-"

Zeya's sentence was abruptly cut off by the sound of Varen's fist striking the trunk of the tree just inches above her head.

 "You must think I'm a saint, dear." Varen said with a low voice, clearly skeptical of Zeya's claims. 

"If you're going to lie to me, at least make it believable. At least then, it would feel less offensive than the act you're pulling off now."

"... Why must you always go against my words?" Varen asked, his voice cold and authoritative. "Why must you always have to make things harder than it already is, hm Zeya?"

 "Does the thought of being around someone like me make you feel sick in the stomach?"

Zeya could have sworn that his voice softened ever so slightly despite his eyes still glowing a bright red.

It was clear as day that he was in a sour mood however, Zeya knew that she had what it took to lighten his mood before he did something they would both regret.

 "Didn't I specifically told you to stay close to me, no matter what happened?" He tried to search for a hint of guilt in Zeya's expression, but there was none. "What were you going to do if someone in that damned ball had recognized you?"

 "Aren't you being too much of a hypocrite?" Zeya argued. "You wanted me to stay hidden by giving me that veil but here you are, causing a scene in front of everyone just because I was out of your sight just for a moment."

 "Me, a hypocrite? No dear, the true hypocrite is you." Varen gently placed his forehead against Zeya's, his face unexpectedly hard to read. "I simply did what I had to do in order to protect you-"

Before she could even think about changing her own mind, Zeya quickly made her move and landed a small kiss to calm Varen down.

 'Let's just think of this as having some fun.' She finally made up her mind and went all in, just as Varen leaned in further into the kiss, holding her firmly by the waist as if afraid that she would disappear into thin air. 

Varen's hands moved quickly as he gently removed the veil off of Zeya's face, the moonlight shining on her flushed face. 

 Zeya could tell that her plan worked when she noticed that the anger in his eyes had completely dissipated, although now, it was replaced with something else that was equally as dangerous.

 "Don't think you're getting away with this just because of a kiss, Zeya." Varen's tone remained harsh despite his wavering eyes.

Once again, the warm familiarity of his touch reminded Zeya of their younger years, when they were less flawed than they are now, an unfortunate reality resulting from the aftermath of their unique tragic events.

"Leave the rest out of this." Zeya didn't seem fazed by how vulnerable she was with him towering over her. "We can handle this ourselves, can't we? Just the two of us."

Zeya ignored the strange knot in her chest when she leaned into another kiss, this time deeper and more passionate than she'd liked.

Varen did not utter a single complaint as he reciprocated the gesture, his large, scarred hands still placed firmly on her waist. 

 Zeya failed to notice her surroundings flicker into nothing before it switched to a different location completely.

In the midst of their embrace, Varen had transported them inside of the guestroom Varen was staying at, with Zeya successfully pinned under him on his bed.

 "Someone seems to be pushing their luck-" She barely managed to finish her sentence when she felt his hand roam somewhere too close for comfort, goosebumps forming on top of her skin under his touch.

"And who in their right minds would ever consider kissing someone they claim to despise?" Zeya's face turned red against her wishes as Varen couldn't help but smile with content. "Admit it, Zeya. You want me as much as I do, am I wrong?"

 "This is just a natural reaction." She tried to defend herself, looking away from Varen's piercing gaze. "After all, we were meant to get wedded before the entire plan fell apart due to the conflict-"

 "I must say that I'm quite touched, my love." His smile only grew bigger after hearing what she had to say, much to Zeya's disdain. "The fact that you remembered such detail makes me overjoyed beyond belief."

"I am simply speaking of the events that happened in the past, Your Majesty." Zeya continued to avoid Varen's gaze as she tried to push Varen's away, which ultimately failed due to her being utterly overpowered. "We were once inseparable-" 

 A long, uncomfortable silence followed as her words hung in the air, refusing to disappear from each other's mind.

"... You meant everything to me." She whispered to herself with a bitter smile, her mind slowly drifting elsewhere. "Just like how I used to mean much more than a friend to you."

 'I must be going insane.' She thought to herself once she realized what she had done. 'This should've never happened in the first place-'

 "You still do." His answer was soft, but Zeya heard it as clear as day, leaving her stunned.

The warmth of Varen's breath sent shivers down her spine, his voice tender and soft against her bare neck. 

"Nothing about my feelings for you have changed, Zeya. My heart has always been yours from the first time you claimed it centuries ago."

Zeya felt uneasy as she found it difficult to read Varen's expression. 

 "You should've known better than to do this." Zeya spoke coldly, shutting the conversation down before it crossed the line even more. "Nothing good ever comes out of following what the heart desires, especially yours."

 "... I know the weight of my crimes." He admitted grimly, his grip on her wrists tightening until Zeya started to wince in pain. "And I know that there is only so much I can do to repent for the grief I've caused but I intend to pay the price in due time."

"I'm starting to grow tired of feeling this sick sense of dread, Zeya. If I can't have you listen to me, I have no choice but to make you obey." Varen concluded, his voice devoid of any emotion, a stark contrast to his earlier tone. "You're not going anywhere, not until I'm sure that you won't escape."

 "You're going to regret this-" Her words were cut off as Varen sealed her mouth shut with his magic, angering Zeya even more.

"I hope you find it in yourself to forgive me." He held the Roseabelle's furious glare as he pressed something heavy down on Zeya's wrist, resulting in a loud, clear click. 

 He glanced over at her once last time before he stepped out of the chamber, leaving Zeya all alone amongst his bedsheets.