The fire had already eaten the roof by the time Shuu started running.
Smoke burned his lungs and clung to his throat. Even coughing did not help him feel better. The burning temple around him crackled, threatening to fall and take him with it.
But a single-minded determination kept Shuu running. He could not afford to let the hopes and dreams placed on him burn with him.
"Run… you have to get away at all costs. Protect our words."
A hand shoved him forward.
Shuu stumbled, caught himself, and kept moving. His legs screamed in protest, but he forced them on.
He wanted to turn around and look at the speaker of that voice, but something in the back of his brain told him that it was a bad idea. So, he kept running.
"Do not stop… and do not look back. You are our only hope now."
The voice said again.
He knew that voice, but he did not allow himself to say that name.
Behind him, darkness spread where the fire could not reach. It was swallowing the world around him. And soon, it would take him as well.
Before that happened, he needed to get to safety.
'Safety? But where is a safe place in this world? All that is left is this darkness…'
His hands were clutching something, but he could not see what it was. His body refused to heed his commands, but he instinctively knew that he needed to get the item he was carrying to the other side.
Once again, he ran.
The temple gates loomed ahead, half-melted, barely standing.
Shuu burst through them and into the night air, tripping down the steps and landing hard on the stone courtyard. The impact made his knees hurt, and he flinched.
Behind him, the temple folded in on itself. The fire was being engulfed by the darkness as well, turning a dark bluish-black.
Everything he had ever known was burned to the ground, and it all happened because of a single lie.
'How ironic. It all started because the demon king told the world a lie and masked himself as a hero. As long as that lie held, the world was safe… so how had the lie been exposed?'
"P-Please, protect the lie next time…"
A desperate voice reached Shuu, and his heart hurt. But the darkness had already engulfed everything behind him at that point.
It poured over the courtyard like a living thing, snuffing out the firelight, drowning the stars. Shuu tried to crawl, but he was caught as well.
The last thing he noticed was a pair of burning eyes looking at him. They belonged to the man he had disappointed… to someone he was supposed to protect.
"N-No… not him…"
The voice sounded desperate as it tried to reach him, and Shuu felt like he had to respond to that voice as well.
But only two words left his lips as he was engulfed by the dark fire.
"I'm sorry…"
He did not know what he was sorry for or what had happened, but his heart was suddenly filled with a sense of grief so large that it physically hurt. Breathing was difficult, and he tried to gasp before…
__________
Shuu woke up with a gasp.
He bolted upright, breath coming fast and uneven, sweat soaking his hair and shirt. For a moment, the darkness felt too thick, and he scrambled backward before his back hit wood.
The smell of hay grounded him.
Horses shifted nearby, snorting softly in their sleep, and moonlight spilled through the narrow slats of the barn wall. There was no fire around him, no smoke, and no death.
"D-Did I have a nightmare? It felt so real…"
He pressed a hand to his chest and forced his breathing to slow, but his heart refused to listen. He still felt like he was in that dream, trying to outrun something he could not see.
The small barn opening letting the moonlight inside was slowly beginning to let rays of sun in.
Shuu wiped his face with his sleeve and swung his legs over the side of the narrow cot. The barn room barely had space for him to stand, but this was his home and had been for the past few years.
As a cursed child, this sincerity from the temple was the best he could afford to get. But Shuu did not mind.
After all, he was someone abandoned by the goddess and had no ability to call his own. Had the temple not been merciful to lost souls, he would have long died.
A shelter over one's head and a hearty meal to eat were much better than being tossed out into the woods to defend oneself. Especially for someone like him who had no abilities to speak of.
"I should quickly take a bath and get ready. I have a lot to do today."
As a resident of the temple, but not a priest, Shuu had to work hard in order to earn his keep. Even the slight fever he had developed during the night was not enough to keep him down.
He swayed on his feet as soon as he stood up, but he pushed past his pain in order to get to work.
Shuu moved through the outer halls carrying supplies, keeping his head down. But the priests who passed him would not let him leave without causing him trouble.
"Careful!"
One said as Shuu nearly collided with him. That pause had been deliberate, but by now, he was used to it.
Asking for forgiveness was the easiest thing to do, so Shuu bowed.
"I'm sorry."
The priest clicked his tongue.
"Watch where you're going."
Another laughed as he passed.
"Maybe he cannot see without a blessing. After all, we all know he's defective. What's one more defect?"
Shuu said nothing. He adjusted his grip on the basket and kept walking.
At midday, he scrubbed prayer stones until his fingers burned, and in the afternoon, he hauled water until his arms ached. His day was quite busy, but it was far from over.
'I need to survive this hell. But one day, I will be able to leave this all behind…'
That was what kept him going through the day, and as the sun began to sink, it was finally time for the final duty of his day.
That was when the high priest came for him.
"Change."
The high priest did not give Shuu any time to adjust or get a word in. He simply commanded Shuu to change into the robes he had brought for him.
"What is this?"
Shuu asked before he could stop himself.
The high priest's gaze hardened.
"Do not ask questions. You already know what this is by now…"
Shuu stared at the robes in his hands. The red reminded him of the 'duty' he was given by the temple.
Usually, he would have obeyed without a fuss, but something in him was telling him that today was not a good day. His body was feeling heavy, and his head was throbbing.
"I am not—"
"You will read a fortune tonight. An important guest has arrived. Lady Shuu's presence is necessary."
The high priest snapped.
Shuu only sighed as he muttered the next words.
"So now you need me."
The high priest stepped closer, which made Shuu believe that his words had been heard by the other man.
"Do not forget your place. You are tolerated here because you are useful. Forget that again, and you will regret it."
He said quietly.
Shuu lowered his eyes.
"Understood."
He took the robe and went to change.
Shuu quickly went to change. Every action made him feel as if he was suffocating. The fabric was heavy and clung to him in all the wrong ways. But for the sake of his life, he needed to pretend to be Madam Shuu.
As he stepped into the inner hall, he felt the tension immediately.
The priests lined up against the wall, their eyes shifting to Shuu for just a second before they looked at their 'guest,' who was deemed important.
Someone important, indeed.
The guest sat with his back straight, hands resting loosely on his knees. He looked young. Early twenties, Shuu guessed. He was handsome, but something about the man's eyes made Shuu's instincts feel on edge.
The guest looked up. His eyes were calm as Shuu sat across from him and forced his breathing steady.
"This is Madam Shuu. She will read your future. Do you mind, my lord?"
The saintess explained, and Shuu felt surprised by her presence. He had not even noticed her until now.
And not only that, but she was incredibly polite to this person as well.
'He must be someone even more important than I expected. I better be careful.'
Shuu took a deep breath before he extended his hand.
"Please."
The moment their skin touched, the world lurched.
Heat flooded his veins, sharp and overwhelming, and his vision blurred. The hall faded.
Red eyes burned behind his eyelids.
The presence from his dream slammed into him with suffocating force, ancient and familiar and terrifyingly close. His heart stuttered. His grip tightened involuntarily.
He tore his hand away with a gasp.
The chair scraped loudly as he stumbled back. The room rushed into focus, priests shouting in alarm.
Shuu barely heard them.
The guest had stood, concern etched across his face.
"Are you alright?"
Shuu's head pounded. The red eyes lingered, seared into his vision.
"I-I'm sorry."
He swallowed hard, forcing the words out before his consciousness faded.
The last thing he recalled was the burning red looking at him before the world went black.
______
Do not leave a review for this since this will likely be reposted on 1st Jan (or never see the light of day ever again). Leave your comments here for now. Updates will be slow.
Also, There is no abo or omegaverse, but there is mpreg because of...reasons.