Ektlo De'Van Mona (Gheke De'van) || God of M/F/I/R || Mentions: Vikona(Direct), Akiba(Indire) OPEN
The monstrous goat man sat in his empty garden. A place where his children would live safely, noticing that the day was long and it never got dark. He frowned, wondering if his children always needed to keep smiling. He was feeling more alone than ever before. He wished he could change himself for the sake of his children, but he didn't know how. He had always been distant and reserved, never knowing how to express his emotions appropriately.
" Papa.... "
Upon hearing Clara call to him, the God stood up, his hooves stomping as he opened a circular void into his chateau," Papa? "Clara's voice echoed through the empty halls as she walked with one of the goat nannies--Steve. Now Steve was a particular goat, the only one who fainted whenever he was frightened. No one knows where most of them came from; some say that the head goat, Knohgyn, is a female goat pretending to be a male. A large goat with a mini human hat, a token for the brave adventures he's embarked on with Elk.
So as Steve guided the minor child around the empty halls, Elk stepped from the void, and right in front of him stood his gorgeous daughter, having her mother's confused gaze." Papa! Up...up..." Her arms raised, and Elk rose her from the ground," Clara...you know Steve can't be out roaming the halls..," He laughed as the goat made a grunting sound," Now now Steve, you know we care about you...so much that your fainting is starting to worry the other Gods," Muttering the last part, Elk followed Steve to where Ana; a Goddess that resembled Elk more then he compared himself. She was everything he could have been, and honor was her everything, and the way she trained with a sword as though she was born with one; sighing as he watched his eldest daughter handle the training dummies, Elk narrowed his eyes away. Of course, he was happy to see her training, but Elk noticed she never paced herself. Wondering when she'd slow down and allow him to protect her, Elk hadn't realized that Clara found herself braiding his hair," Ana! Papa is here!" Clara announced," Shhh, Clara..." Elk swatted her hands from his hair and placed her on Steve's back.
" Father." With a curt greeting nod, Ana lowered her sword and smiled," Are you coming to congratulate me on my Engagement?" Upon saying those words, some say Elk was....a bit overdramatic when it came to his children, so Ana's expectations of her father being... plausible flew out the door when he stared at her blankly," Engagement? To whom, my sweet child, all the mortals are dead....as they should be...did you find yourself a handsome stud God...or Goddess," He raised his hands," I support whatever you're into," He noted, and as Ana explained she was engaged to a handsome-er stud named----
" CONRI!!??"
Elk nearly fainted upon hearing the brute's name; how could that monstrously tall no good for his daughter? He probably doesn't even know who his father is, the son of a bitch who trapped his innocent daughter within his claws! Elk's eyes burned with rage, his hooves stomped louder, and his tail lashed, knocking over a training dummy," Father, please calm down; you might level mountains...not that there's anyone who could get hurt." Ana sighed. She missed the humans, seeing that she would spend most of her days dancing with them, watching them bathe in honor over something.
" How could you fall for that...man! He's....tall.."
" Father, do you only hate him because he's tall?" Ana raised a brow and stabbed her sword into the ground, pointing the finger at the man who scoffed and glanced away," He's....just...weird...just like his mother!" He accused.
" Here we go..."
" Listen to me, missy, his mother is a crazy, unreasonable woman...or whatever she is, probably some sea creature disguised as a woman..." He crossed his muscles. Shooing Steve away, who still had Clara on his back, once out of sight, Elk sighed, looking back at Ana, who was frowning, hating the thought of his daughter being melancholy--Elk swallowed his pride and uttered," Vikona is a bitch."
" Father! I am marrying Conri! Unlike you, you will have to live with the fact that I managed to find happiness." As those words fell from her lips, Ana quickly regretted them; Elk paused for a second, deeply breathing," I... want to protect you." He muttered, his voice cracking.
It was no secret. Elk was a walking wife/husband killer. None of his lovers survived long enough to see their children hit the age of 12, and as Ana looked more like him--he couldn't help noticing her mother.
" Stop looking at me like that..." She growled, turning away.
" Like what?" Elk responded, stepping closer to her, his tail lowered and dragging.
" Like I remind you of my mother! I'm nothing like her...I'm not....weak," Forcing out her words, Ana gripped the handle of her sword and lifted it," Vikona is strong...Conri is strong...I will never succumb to such weakness my mother had." Hearing his daughter speak about her mother in a way that made her seem weak, Elk gripped his necklace and grabbed a book before him. Opening it, he took a photo, walking in front of Ana. She didn't stare at him; instead, she stared at her reflection in her sword," Lisana wasn't weak. She adored you, she loved you...so much she fought the monsters who tried to steal you away...and as she took her last breathe she made sure no one laid a finger on you.", He handed her a photo of Lisana holding her close, her smile was big and bright. Ana's eyes darted toward the photo; slowly, she took the picture," She...fought...for me?" Elk wished he could take back all those losses, from the first to the last. He failed them all, and they all fought...but in the end, their destiny wasn't to fall for a selfish God--but to die saving his children. As his expression was stoic, he nodded," To call her weak is to say her saving you was pointless...and she should have died standing there."
" What about Clara's mother? What happened to her? Clara is five years old, Father!" With the outburst, Elk smiled and touched his eldest daughter's head," You have your mother's spirit, but remember you are a demigod by my blood." He reminded the girl. The same girl that was hiding under a kitchen table shivering, the same girl who told her Papa that the monster took her, took Lisana.
Unlike the others, Lisana was Elk's last straw. He fought for years to bring back someone already rooted in the ground, and he spent many months in the human world tracking down every God that dared to show their face. He questioned them, attacked, threatened, begged, cried, and even was willing to give up on his shrine to bring just one of his lovers back. And as he pleaded on his goat-like hind legs, they told him the same thing:
" That's what it means to be a God."
Sadness? Depression? These were human feelings, and Gods don't feel lonely--they have everything.
When he lived in a small town, Elk lived with his two sons and first lover. Some would tell the story a bit differently than Elk. He said it was a love story, something to look forward to, but it should have been described as a nightmare. One faithful day, Elk finished his God duties and was happy to return to the human world. Young Elk, who had disappeared in the God world, was finally satisfied. He had reason to like the mortals. But that day, the sky was opaque, and the air was thick with the stench of death. It starkly contrasted the once beautiful and vibrant world that Elk and his wife had created together.
As he walked, Elk remembered the good times he had shared with his wife. They had been together since the beginning of time, and their love grew more robust each year. They had created a world of life, beauty, and wonder, but now it lay in ruins.
Finally, Elk came back home. His wife lay motionless on the ground, her once-beautiful form now twisted and broken. Elk's heart shattered into a million pieces as he fell to his knees next to her. Her hair was ripped out, and the gown he bought her burnt off her body. Tears streamed down his face as he gazed upon her, taking in every detail. Her skin was pale, her eyes closed, and her hair tangled and matted. He could see the wounds that had taken her life, and he realized that he had failed her. He had been unable to protect the one person he loved more than anything. Elk took his wife's hand in his own, and he felt a spark of magic pass between them. It was a small comfort but enough to give him hope. He closed his eyes and whispered words of love and sorrow, promising to avenge her death and restore their world to its former glory. Elk's eyes soon saw his two sons standing before him; their eyes red from crying, but his firstborn--Ezio.
The twelve-year-old had stopped crying. For how long did they have to see their mother like this, ripped and torn apart? Ezio was the only one who understood what must be done that day.
" Papa...are you different from most papas?" Ezio asked him one day. And as Elk stood before the town that scorned him, that took away his chance at pure and untouched happiness, he answered," Do you wish Papa to be different?" With a simple nod from Ezio's tiny head and a sobbing cry from Cassio, Elk burdened the town--shutting it off from the world so he could punish them. He spent years returning to the same city, watching the mortals pray to him or any God to stop these curses.
He started small first, and then he took their crops away. They starved, and on the brink of death, he blessed them with lively animals fresh meat for all their lovely children. Then he took their children. He took the elders and condemned them to die painfully.
June 14, 1767. Elk's most outstanding achievement. Elk's most significant loss. He made them all suffer as much as he did; he took their hope, he took their lives, and as he tried to laugh at their sufferings, he couldn't. Nothing could make him smile again, and they took a wife---they took a mother! They knew nothing of pain yet!
June 14, 1767. A town that no longer existed. A city that belonged to Elk. A town that knew all types of pain, loss, and punishments. They prayed to different Gods to help them, but as some know, Elk threatened to come after their prayers. Their worshippers would also see the town's pain if anyone tried to support what people now call the " Shadow of 1767".
He spent half of Cassio and Ezio's childhood there. He was punishing them. Having Akib watch them was probably Elk's most significant fatherly moment with them. Sure, he created a garden for them to live in, but imagine being trapped by a vengeful God who was too busy killing and smiting a whole town. It got lonely.
So, as Ana gazed at her mother, Elk stared off. He promised to protect all his seedlings. Remembering the mention of Clara's mother, Elk only remembered her face, the way she danced, and the way she teased him. Her short black hair and red-stained lips were how she would joke about being the Goddess of Power. Maybe she was. He recalled her being the type to walk into a room and demand the respect of everyone, and she never held back when it came to putting people in their place, whether they deserved it or not.
" Father....I love Conri...and I love his mother. I just want a family that doesn't have to kill to be happy..." Ana knew what her father was thinking, so she was glad when Ezio walked toward them with a letter," Father, it seems like you're being beacons like a leash dog." Ah. Ezio. The tall man with more scars than his father handed him a letter, and as Elk opened it, he eyed them both," Whatever happens...I love you guys." He reminded them.
Ezio scoffed at his affectionate gesture in repulsion," You murder the world and claim to be saving it, and here you are uttering the words I love you like a God in your position cares...." Sneering at his father was becoming a norm; after Cassio's death, Ezio was never the same. He lost a mother and a brother, and now he has nothing but a mixed family with issues; turning to Ana, who stared at the oldest of them all," Congrats on finding happiness; I suggest you and Conir run off together and never look back. You never know how far our Godly parents will go to protect us....", And with that, Ezio stalked off.
Elk laughed painfully," So happy he's her-"
" I don't want you at my wedding! "Ana shouted.
Elk stared at her in disbelief. Maybe he misheard," I'm sorry, what?"
" If you go through with that plan! That terrible plan! I won't be able to live with myself! Mortals are harmless...they've done nothing---"
" They've done everything to us! They took my first love! They took everything I ever asked for, and they burned it to the ground! How dare you, Fabiana, side with those monsters!" He shouted at the demigod, and his tail slammed into the ground.
" The only monster I see is you! You are a grotesque! "She yelled back, clinching the photo and swinging her sword toward him, yet her moves were sloppy and frantic. " You sit here....while the mortals are gone...there is nothing left, and yet you still sob like a scared piece of shit, Father! When will you move on, huh? When will it be enough...was that town not enough? You might have promised us to take revenge, but you are making us suffer alongside the enemies you've made! "She stepped forward, swinging her sword at the God." You have distasted your honor with revenge! You have made mistakes that cost us, not you!"
Elk stepped from his daughter's sword and moved around a column. He noticed her quick swings and moved out of the way; his daughter was judging him for his heartache. This pain doesn't just fade away, and Elk knew that all too well. He dodged her swings and created a cloud mist to blind her; he knew Ana's rage was more consequential than his," I have done everything for my family! I lost too much to let that world live as it was; if we recreate it...you and Conir could live down there. You could give me grandchildren, and you wouldn't have to worry about anything."
Ana growled, trying to find her way through his clouds," It was genocidal! "As the clouds faded, she stared at her father," You think Vikona is any different? Or Akib? Maybe not Akib, but Vikona is more unethical than I am. I'm doing this for family." Why couldn't she understand?
Fabiana stood before her father, Elk, her eyes filled with tears as she held the photo of her mother in her hand. She couldn't believe he had given her this, thinking it would make her love him. She had never forgiven him for what he had done.
"I can't believe you would do something like this," she said, her voice shaking with bitterness and sadness. "You gave me a photo of my mother, thinking it would make me love you? That's not how it works, papa. You can't just replace her with a picture--."
Elk looked at his daughter with a pained expression. He had made a mistake, and he knew it. He had been trying to connect with Fabiana to show her he cared. But he had gone about it the wrong way.
"I'm sorry, Fabiana," he said, his voice soft. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought...I don't know what I thought. I just wanted you to know that I loved your mother and you too."
Fabiana shook her head and wiped away her tears. "It's not about you, Dad. It's about your...children. You can't just force me to love you. I need time; I need space. I need to process everything that's happened."
Elk nodded, his eyes downcast. He knew he had messed up and didn't know how to fix it. He had always struggled with connecting with his children by expressing his emotions in a way they could understand. Maybe they were resentful? Clara had what they needed---a present father. Ezio, Cassio, Fabiana, Margherita...they grew up fighting, wailing, and hoping Elk would appear and take them back to their mothers. But that never happened. Clara had his support; she had her nanny goats.
" Those mortals you care about so much took your brothers' and sisters' mothers away from me. I have done nothing but fight...I'm tired." And with those final words, Elk created a cloud. Ana got ready for an attack, but the cloud formed a face. Confused by the deformation of its nature, Ana stepped closer and poked the cloud.
" Happy to be here, happy to be here," It repeated.
" Father...what did you do..," Ana stepped back. Her father stared at the cloud," Your purpose is to be positive every time I'm pessimistic." Finally having a purpose, the cloud floated over Elk's head and created a rainbow," He's pleased! He's always so happy; he loves you, Fabiana." The cloud spoke strangely, a way Fabiana couldn't---or won't understand.
Fabiana nodded,"....make sure Clara doesn't know about your burdens." She stormed away, dragging her sword out and leaving her father to think about his actions further. Elk had always been a powerful and fearsome God, known for his strength and dominance. But as he watched his children grow and face the world's challenges, he realized that he needed to learn how to heal. He had seen too many of his loved ones fall to illness and injury, and he didn't want that to happen to his children.
He turned on his hooves and walked his lonely halls, seeing how each vein or weed contained a mermoy from his seedlings. His youngest daughter, Clara, was hounding Steve through the bushes and trees, giggling and shouting in delight.
Elk approached her with a warm smile, feeling a sense of pride and happiness at the sight of his child playing and having fun. "What are you doing, my little one?" he asked, leaning down to take her hand.
"I'm playing with Steve!" Clara said, her eyes shining with joy. "He's so funny, Papa. He keeps running away from me!"
Elk chuckled, feeling a sense of peace and contentment wash over him. All his worries and fears were forgotten momentarily, replaced by the simple joy of watching his child play.
As he stood there, watching Clara chase Steve through the garden, Elk realized that he had found something more important than healing. He had found love and happiness, which truly mattered in life.
As he continued watching how Clara had trapped Steve in a bubble of veins, he knew he would always have his children and their love to guide him along the way.
Winter 
Day 
