Chapter 138: Cry Me A River
The balcony air was colder than it should have been. Not the chill of night, but the kind that seeped from within... the kind Hermes carried wherever he went.
He stood there, watching Magni’s broad frame outlined against the stars.
For a long time, Hermes said nothing. Just the scrape of his breath, the hammering of his heart. He wanted to turn back, but his feet rooted him in place.
Finally, he forced the words out.
"...Why?"
Magni stirred, not looking at him. "Why what?"
"You know what." Hermes’ voice was sharp, brittle. "Why didn’t you stop it? The Ferris wheel. Ymir. Me."
Magni was silent for a beat. Then, softly, "Because it wasn’t mine to stop."
Hermes felt his chest tighten. "You... like him. Don’t you?"
The words hung in the air, fragile as glass.
Magni didn’t flinch. "Yes."
Hermes’ throat went dry. Somehow, hearing it spoken aloud hurt worse than guessing. "...Then why let it happen? Why not fight for him?"
Magni chuckled. He pulled a cigarette from his back pocket, which shocked Hermes. He had never seen Magni smoke before. Not even during the times that he stayed over at his place. So it must have been a newly acquired habit from staying in the human world for so long.
He snapped his fingers and a small flame appeared at the tip of his index finger, and lit it up.
"Would you like me to regale you with the tale of how our paths crossed like streams of lava flowing down the mouth of a volcano?"
"Uh... Sure?" Hermes went next to him, not sure where this was going.
"I was a little spark at that time. Just a pebble with some fire in him. I was always interested in the human world, in the strange ways they live and impose rules on each other. I’ve heard stories from my relatives."
He blew some smoke but not from his nose or lips. His eyes.
"The reason why we get out of the Rift varies. Some are hungry, and humans are just easier to eat than fellow Voidlings. At least, those who are not gifted with powers. And some were like me... Pure curiosity. I never had the intention to be a ’villain’."
Hermes tilted his head. "So... You only became one because Ymir asked you to?"
"Yes but... That is much later. He wasn’t a hero yet at that time. Like I said, I was a pebble. He was too. A tiny icicle."
Hermes blinked. "You were childhood friends?"
"Not friends, haha! I did not know a word of English at that time." Magni’s golden eyes brightened when he recalled the memory. "It was on a farm. His family lived near it, despite being just a mile near a Rift. The pastures were greener there, the domesticated beasts were fatter like pumped-up balloon versions of themselves."
He shrugged. "It was a good excuse. His father was a smart man."
Hermes couldn’t believe it. "Ymir was a farm boy? What? But he never mentioned it in any of his interviews."
"For a good reason." Magni lowered his eyes. "His memories there... He must have wanted to just see it turn to ashes."
Magni pulled out another cigarette, and showed it to Hermes to compare it with the one that was half-used.
"You recall when he mentioned about acardiac twins, Brother Modi? Ymir was supposed to be born with a twin... A twin that you humans consider ’normal’. Regular body temperature, regular temperament. But that twin was not developed..."
He sighed. "And his mother nearly died giving birth, so they had nothing left but this boy who was so cold and quiet, the doctors thought he must be stillborn."
"Oh... Now that makes sense." Hermes recalled the moment when Magni told Ymir that he should not call his ’daughter’ a mistake.
"He grew up never really knowing why his parents would stare at him like he was a yeti." Magni continued. "Why whenever he lashed out or threw a tantrum, instead of correcting his behavior, they would flinch in fear and not say a word."
Magni chuckled. "You recall when he tamed the wolf-dragon? That must be really huge for him. All farm animals would run away from him. Same with his human companions in this ’school’ you humans go to."
His eyes misted as he recalled the memory. Hermes had Mindbloom after biting Aphrodite, so he can actually see the memory in the bubbles as he spoke.
"When we first met... He turned a river into ice. And that is when I knew, I must serve this man my whole life, and ensure he finds happiness."
***
"Stupid horses." A pudgy little kid with white hair and blue eyes muttered as he ran out of his house, slamming the door.
His mother and father did not stop him. They have brown hair and brown eyes, unlike their child. They looked at each other in fear.
Little Ymir ran to a river to throw some pebbles in childish fury.
"Stupid chickens. Stupid cows. Stupid pigs. Stupid kids. STUPID EVERYTHING!"
One of the pebbles he threw turned into an ice dagger, and turned the whole river frozen.
"Gosh darn it!" The kid cursed. "Mama and Papa will hate me more now!"
He fell to his knees, sobbing.
"Why can’t anyone like me..."
Then, something rustled among the leaves. Ymir looked up in fear, and then...
The frozen river suddenly melted, heating up until it was steaming. He coughed from the smoke, and there, he saw....
A little kid made of black volcanic rock, with lava flowing down the cracks all over his body.
"A V-Voidling!" He summoned an ice dagger.
Magni just tilted his head as he saw this. He pointed and said in Voidian. "Skadi’s kin?"
Ymir, of course, did not understand it.
Instead, he came to realize this ’Voidling’ saved him from trouble. He took a deep breath, and threw pebbles Magni.
"You should go back where you came from! O-Or I’ll be forced to turn you into ice! Yeah, that’s right! One day, I’ll be a superhero loved by all, and I’ll have to fight Voidlings like you. But I’m feeling merciful today so... Leave, Rockhead!"
Magni did not understand any of his words, but he understood that Ymir didn’t want to actually harm him.
He smiled, saying in Voidian. "So my cousin was wrong after all. Not all humans hurt Voidlings. And this one... He seems to be the type to be hurt too when he hurts others."
***
"I never encountered him again until that day, when I came to the human world during one of his solo missions. My cousin strung me along on a trip to the human world. But turns out, he just wanted to try human meat. Ymir caught us, then realized I was harmless but could be useful to launch his career... And the rest is history."
Hermes blinked. "Wait so... Does Ymir not remember this encounter when you were kids?"
"Not that I know of." Magni shrugged. "It doesn’t matter to me if he knew the reason why I served him. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t repay me. That day I saw him crying by the river... I knew I must make sure that never happens again."
"Because you see him for who he really is? Someone who just wanted to be loved?"
"Yes. But also because he looked ugly when he cried! HAHAHA!"
Hermes almost laughed at that. But the sound never left his chest.
The silence stretched again. And then, from the doorway, a sound broke it. A soft hitch of breath.
There stood Ymir, with tears streaming down his eyes like two rivers.