What's in a Name?

After leaving Shika behind, Hyeon blindly ran through the castle. Servants who began their early shift moved out of the way to not get run over. Some yelled, "Hey!" or "Watch it!"

Eventually, he ended up in the large gymnasium-like room that got half-destroyed by Fenrir. He leaned against one of the big ceiling fragments that had fallen when Fenrir lost control. As his breathing slowed down, he thought about his friend. The image of Shika's mangled arm seared into his brain. Hyeon was devastated.

*Why did I do that? How can I look at him in the face again?*

His eyes stung. Tears rolled down his cheeks. *I'm scared.*

After a while, the waterworks stopped. Hyeon observed the gigantic space. The place was still in shambles and exposed to the elements, but some areas were in the beginnings of being repaired.

*Come to think of it, wasn't that the first time I shifted, too?* It hasn't been too long since it happened, but it felt like years. Every day felt like a week. Time in the hellish aurora was slow. He thought about how Fenrir was here for centuries. *And he was alone for most of that.*

The adrenaline decreased. Hyeon sat down when his body trembled from tiredness. As soon as his butt touched the dusty floor, there was a painful stab on one of his cheeks. The jab made him lift his hips to avoid whatever it was.

"Shit!" he yelped. Problem was, there was nothing under him. Hyeon felt something squirm in his back pocket. He got the heebie-jeebies and clumsily rolled onto his back, trying to yank his pants down from his waist. The butler shoes prevented him from taking the trousers off completely. *Damn!*

A black, gumball-sized marble fell out of the pocket. The yellow legs were all too familiar. A centipede unfurled and looked at Hyeon with its beady eyes.

"It's you! Why did you bite me?!" Half of his butt cheek was now numb from its venom. Thankfully, the venomous liquid wouldn't spread any more than that since the centipede was small.

"Porque te sentaste sobre mi, primo," the bug said in a tiny voice.

Hyeon's Spanish was very rusty. The last time he tried using it was back in high school. "I don't quite—"

"You sat on me! You hurt me!" it screamed. Upon closer inspection, a few of its yellow legs were bent from Hyeon's weight.

Hyeon fixed his pants and resettled on the floor. He pulled his legs to his chest to become as small as possible. Even when I'm not out of my mind, I hurt others around me, he thought heavily. It felt like he was apologizing for everything lately.

"I'm sorry—" he paused. Hyeon was going to say its name, but it didn't have one. *I never gave you a name, did I?*

The centipede crawled up his leg. Hyeon flinched at the sensation of its many appendages touching him; not because he feared it, but because he didn't like creepy bugs. *Especially ones that have tried killing me before.*

He still held a grudge about that incident in the forest.

The arthropod stopped on top of Hyeon's knee. Its antennas moved back and forth.

"What should I name you…?"

"I am Death!"

Hyeon reminisced the fuzzy memories he had of the centipede servant reverting back into its demon ways on Stewart Island. How the blonde servant mashed and snacked on the bloodied bodies of the dingo dýrs was gruesome. Death would technically be a fitting name, but…

"How about Rojo?" Hyeon suggested, thinking about his first-year Spanish class. Rojo was the masculine form for red, the same color as the bug's head. It was basic and everyone knows Spanish colors, right?

The centipede stomped its little legs in protest. "No! I am Death! Muerte!"

"Let's do Roja, then." Roja was red's feminine version.

"NOOO!" Rojo screamed.

The teasing payback made Hyeon laugh.

_______________

[Fenrir]

Sani returned after the temporary ban. Fenrir made it well known that he was still pissed off at him. Sani's act of betrayal was deplorable. The damned idiot was supposed to help Fenrir keep his wolf under control during all rituals. Instead, Sani purposely did nothing while knowing Fenrir's weakened state, just so he could see Hyeon transform under extreme conditions. The result was a disaster. To make matters more complicated, the lesser deities from all religions were questioning Sani and the big-league gods who had the authority to call for war.

It was maddening.

The two were talking privately in the study. A few days ago, Fenrir sensed that a demon in the Southern Lights was ready to join Festr Castle. He relayed the general location to Sani. It was in a more dangerous area, but Sani had a 99% track record in capturing demons. Haruma was Coyote's only failure, but that was a story for another time.

"Are you sure you have the strength for another initiation?" Sani doubted.

"I might as well squeeze in what I can. It won't be possible in the future." It was true. This could very well be the last initiation. Even with a strong soul energy source at his beck-and-call, it was difficult. His time to live quietly here was numbered.

Sani sighed. "I see."

Moving on, Fenrir wanted to know what was happening in the human world. This referred to the disasters that were caused by his unpredictable powers. As Fenrir continued to get weaker at controlling his wolf, the other realms suffered in response.

"The global pandemic continues, extremist groups are causing havoc in their lands, a terrible earthquake struck an island country…"

Fenrir inwardly groaned at the never-ending list of calamities. Humans weren't his favorite species, but he never wanted to create so many misfortunes on them. It would've been better if his family had killed him back then.

Sani stopped talking. After a brief moment, he shook his head and smirked. Fenrir looked at him quizzically.

"It seems someone finally has a name," the Navajo god clued him in. "Rojo, hmm?"

Fenrir sensed the name as well. The tie that connects him to the centipede's insignia silently told him. The name was very innocent-sounding.

It's a good indication of Hyeon's character.

Thinking about his bed partner made him eager to end this meeting. "Let's end this now."

The abruptness took Sani by surprise. He was in the middle of discussing how an animal god would be coming to Festr Castle soon as a representative. It would be more like an inspection ordered by Mount Olympus than a friendly visit. "But we need to consider where to put Hyeon while our guest is here."

"You'll figure it out. This is your fault anyway," Fenrir brushed him off. He was leaving the room.

"And what engagements do you have that's more important?!"

"A part of my castle is on fire, a servant is injured, and my little, troublesome lover is in distress."

_______________

[Sani]

When Fenrir left, Sani was shocked by his words. *Did-did the Lord of Festr Castle, the GIANT WOLF, just say his lover?*

It's been so, so long since the word lover escaped Fenrir's lips. The last time was...ah, that's right.

*Before he was trapped. A 1000 years ago? After that? I don't remember.*

It was a savage time back then for humans and gods alike. Not even Coyote liked to reflect on that war-filled period. Either way, Fenrir lost his memories because of the Gleipnir. It was best it remained that way for his own good.

Fenrir wasn't aware that Coyote knew his past from before. *I was watching from afar when it happened. It was a tragedy, and I've seen many deplorable things.*

If the catastrophe-ridden god remembered the sinful incident that caused him to lose everything, the universe would fall to ruin.