1 A Blood Oath

Above the clouds where gods and goddesses exist, a virtuous ceremony was being held at the centre of a meadow. Like the human world below the fluffy, soft marshmallow clouds; trees were painted with autumn leaves in hell bound-red on the sides of the path. The remainder of the scattered leaves were scorched-orange with tints of pure, molten-gold as the never-ending rays blazed highlights on it.

Listening closely, one could hear the soft whispers between leaves as the wind greets it gently. The rustles of leaves could be heard as it gave high fives to the passing wind; some even settled in for a free ride. One by one, the leaves of vibrant colors decorated the paths. As soon as one leaf follows the soft breeze and separates from the branch, a new leaf replaces it.

The winged rhythm of birds and fluttering whirls of butterflies created a breathtaking view; welcoming guests to a rainbow-hued meadow where all deities gathered as witnesses for the day. Soft petals of palette shades of pink layered between assigned seats with deities waiting for the bride's arrival.

Chatters slowly calmed as Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love made her grand entrance. Her beauty stunned every guest at the ceremony, catching their full attention. Her lips tilted to a small smile as she enjoyed the attention she received. Knowing everyone's eyes were fixated onto her, she swayed her curves as she took her seat.

Following closely behind her was her son Eros, the Greek god of love. Flowers from a distance began to blossom, swaying in joy with healthy green bodies as Psyche, a mortal from earth walked steadily across the flower path.

Her long eyelashes blinked, touching her high cheeks as her rosy, sweet lips curved up in slow motion. A jeweled headpiece clipped the opal-like veil on her head. As the sun delivered its blessings through rays of light onto her, it formed an illusional halo.

Slight breezes caressed her body, letting the crowd see how perfect the wedding dress accentuated her innate curves. Though she was walking, the waves of her fluttering dress made her look like a fairy floating in air. Her eyes were smiling like sparkling gems and along the way, she had her eyes on one figure - Eros.

Waiting at the end of the floral path, Eros snapped his finger, letting cherry blossom petals dance alongside his beautiful wife-to-be.

Aphrodite revealed an ugly frown when she heard gasps escaping from the deities in front of her. Their heads were facing away from her. As their eyes followed Psyche's figure, she even saw delightful sparks evident in their eyes. 'They never reacted like this towards me!' Envy spread in her chest as she observed the guests.

She let out a low grunt before rolling her eyes away. Clearly displeased by the situation, she watched Eros hold Psyche's hands and proceeded with the ceremony. Hand in hand, the couple exchanged a glance before facing the Fate of Deities Rock in front of them.

The rock was enormous compared to the deities at the ceremony. With swirls of diamond-like stones shimmering on its surface, it represented the number of couples amongst the deities. It was a blood oath of eternity. Once the male and female had dripped their blood on it, it was irreversible.

Smiling, Eros and Psyche brought their palms to the rock, awakening the fairy inside of it. As soon as their palms left the rock, their handprints were deeply engraved, blending into a carved space on its surface. A palm-sized fairy stretched its petite body as if it had just woken from a nap and flew out of the rock.

Spreading its wings with full liveliness, it circled around the couple with its tiny wings. Sprinkles of glittering dusts landed on the couple, changing the color aura around them to pastel reds. Nodding satisfyingly, the fairy smiled, guided the couple's palms to face each other and let out a small blow from its mouth.

Suddenly, a violet aura light brightened between their palms and shaped around their bodies. Separating their palms, a floating stone glowed strongly in their sight. The fairy lifted its arms, bringing Eros and Psyche's fingertip onto the stone.

A small prick penetrated their fingertip, leaking a drop of blood onto the stone. Letting out a tiny giggle, the fairy clapped cheerfully and stretched its limbs out. Whistling, birds carried a rose petal on the tips of its beak and formed an enormous heart shape in the sky. The violet aura quickly dissipated and the fairy hammered the stone into carved space that their handprints had created.

After wiping its forehead as if it was a load of workouts, the fairy flew back to the couple. Closing its eyes, the fairy planted a kiss on Psyche and Eros' forehead. With that kiss, the couple was officially linked through eternity. Since the fairy's task was officially done, it disappeared into the rock and let the ceremony resume.

To complete the ceremony, Aphrodite must present the wine of immortality for Psyche to drink. With the wine in her hand, Aphrodite walked elegantly towards Psyche with a fake amiable curve on her lips. "Psyche, after drinking this wine, you'll become a goddess. You'll live forever and remain as beautiful as you already are."

"Thank you, Aphrodite." She smiled in response and reached for the wine cup in Aphrodite's hands.

Without a second of hesitation, she swallowed the content and felt a refreshing sensation flush through her body.

Then, Eros led Psyche to a deeper part of the meadow where he prepared his handmade wedding gift for her. It was a ring made of flowers with a jewel in the center of it. He spoke, "I heard in the human world, the husband must speak a vow to the bride. Under every deity witness today, I, Eros, promise to love you for infinite years. You'll be my only spouse and only love. I love you, Psyche."

Before Psyche could respond, her smile froze and eyes turned dark. Noticing the difference in her reaction, he wrapped her in his embrace. Following her movement, his body bent down with her in his arms and settled on the grass. She gasped through last seconds of her breaths and tried reaching to his face.

"I..I love you.." Before her fingertips could feel the warmth of his skin, her arm fell to her lap and eyes shut tight.

"Psyche...Psyche!! Open your eyes. Please..Please!!" He pleaded for his bride, but it was useless. She was gone. And the culprit was laughing as she stepped out of the crowd.

"Finally, nobody can surpass my beauty." Aphrodite walked out proudly with her hands to her hips.

"That wine you fed her..." His arms trembled as the warmth of Psyche's body lowered tremendously. Soon, Psyche's lifeless corpse began to wither away to ash and Thanatos, the Greek god of death arrived to collect her soul.

"That wine she drank wasn't for immortality. It was for her death." Aphrodite snickered as she walked towards Thanatos and laid her hand on his shoulder. She whispered to his ear, "She's all yours. Destroy her soul."