4 Prove

The woman looked Eclipse in the eyes, hers getting watery as he slowly started to fade. She opened her mouth to say something, but could not bring herself to say it so she just stared.

When the man finally disappeared and Selene is alone in the place with nothing in it, she let out a deep sigh.

"Stupid child." She murmured, clutching a small piece of his uniform that happened been left behind, with trembling hands. Clearing her throat, she shouted, "Areal!"

"Yes, goddess Selene?" A fog of cloud replied, voice resounding all around it.

"Call all the other deities for a meeting in my house." She said, still clutching the piece of blood-stained cloth in her hands. "No one is allowed to miss this."

"Of course. What must I tell them that the occasion is?"

Looking at the cloth in her hands, Selene gently caressed it, a smile coming on her face, "Just a discussion. So that they know not to interfere with my son."

"But, goddess-"

"And to collect some blessings." She said, smiling kindly at Areal as that bitterness on her face seemed to disappear immediately.

"May I ask, what is he trying to do now?"

"He wishes to be sent back to that same world," Selene said, still holding the cloth in her hands. "I would have much preferred it if he would stay with me instead."

"But, even with reincarnations, you cannot be reborn in the same world, at least not in the same time period." The fog said, swirling around the woman. "That is law. It will not be possible."

"It is possible." She said, looking at the cloth in her hands fondly, a gentle smile plastered on her face. "I need only collect enough blessings from the other Deities to send him back there. I shall need to talk to Mica as well."

"Wait, you are not saying what I think you are saying, are you?" Areal asked, flying around even more frantic than before. "But, it is against the rules for the Deities to interfere with human-"

"Did I ask you to tell me all the things I already know?" Selene asked, grabbing the head of the fog with her hands, squeezing it. "I have existed long before you have. Or have you forgotten your place?"

"I am merely worried for you, goddess. This cannot end well for anyone." Areal said, calming down almost instantly. "I honestly mean no harm."

"Just do as you are told. I will make a trip to the underworld in the meantime." She said, walking away while all her attention remained on the cloth in her hands, leaving Areal to just stare after her blankly before starting to disappear.

"Yes, goddess."

___________________________

Entering a dark cave that smelt of death, Selene is greeted by a bunch of flowers scattered all around the ground, they increased in number deeper she went into them.

"Selene!" An excited squeal came as the smell of spring embraced her tight. "How happy I am to see you. You do not visit often."

"It is wonderful to see you too, Willow." She said, taking the woman's hands in her own before she handed her a bag of rare saplings. "I apologise for coming unannounced. I ... I require a favour."

"A favour?" The woman with flowers blooming from her head, flowing down like a waterfall asked, expression slightly turning dark. "What favour?"

"Do you remember my son?"

"Eclipse, right?" Willow said, brightening up almost immediately. "I remember him! Is something wrong?"

Selene talked to the woman, explaining Eclipse's predicament and then his death before telling her what he wishes to do.

"So, I have come to ask if you could help me in asking your spouse if I could have a spare mortal body of Eclipse's." Selena got to her knees begging the woman. "Please, Willow. I promise he has no ill intentions."

"Oh, Selene." The woman helped her up with her strong hands as support. "I have known Eclipse for quite a while myself. I would be delighted to help him. In fact, I am so happy that you asked me for help. I will have his body ready in a week's time."

"Willow, I do not know how to thank you," Selene said, embracing the woman tightly. "I promise, I will repay this to you one day."

"Think nothing of it." She said dismissively, waving her hands in the air. "But the biggest problem will be collecting the blessings from enough Deities. Mica and I already know that we are going to help you. If you could get it from Chava and Teralyn as well then you will not have to worry about much else. But, are you on good terms with them?"

"That is what I worry," Selene said, smiling sadly as she continued to clutch the cloth in her hands. "But I have to try. My son never asks me for help, now that he has, I will do everything in my power to help him."

"You truly love him, don't you?" Willow asked, looking at the woman with admiration.

"He was the one that saved me," Selene said, sighing as she held the cloth to her heart. "No matter where, if he calls for me, I will answer. Thank you again, Persephone. I will have to go back and see what I can do to get in Chava and Teralyn's favour."

As Selene turned to take her leave, Willow stopped her, "Wait. Selene, I might have an idea of how you can get the blessings from the two. Would you care to hear me?"

"Gladly!"

"Come to my chambers, we have much to discuss then."

______________________________

One week later, all the preparations have been made in the moon palace as Selene walked around, slightly nervous, scratch that, very nervous.

If this works out well, I will be able to send Eclipse back to the world that wronged him so. But … my heart is still heavy with the thought of sending him to that world again. And, if it does not work … no, I must not think that.

Still, I promised him that I would help clear the path. He is in deep slumber at the moment, so that his soul does not drift away to the underworld or … somewhere else.

But I cannot keep him in slumber for long. Tonight, the spell will break and … I will have to make sure that the promise I made to him be kept.

Sitting on her dressing table as the translucent curtains waved back and forth, revealing the sea of clouds under her palace, some of which entered her room and were lightly resting on the ground.

She looked at the pictures in little frames scattered all around her vanity, all pictures of Eclipse at different ages of his life and in every one of them, his smile still remained the same.

She picked one of him as a young child, nestled in her arms and sound asleep. "My dear child. Why could he not have remained this small forever?"

"Everyone has to grow up, goddess," Areal said, appearing in the fog. "Even the child you are so fond of."

"Is everything prepared?" She asked, still looking at the picture longingly, not even acknowledging Areal's presence.

"Yes. The guests will arrive in a couple of minutes. They have all accepted their invitation." He paused for a second, smiling when the woman turned to him, slightly impatient. "Yes, even Chava and Teralyn."

"Must you make me wait like that? Or do you enjoy teasing me so?" She asked, slightly annoyed before turning back to her mirror and fixing her hair.

She is decorated with stars on her long, flowy of silver locks, including a dainty, silver crown that encircled her head, a gem falling on her forehead as it glittered with the stars in her hair.

"What do you make of this, Areal?" She asked, touching the crown with a gentle hand. "Is it not beautiful? Eclipse made me this when he was only ten years old, in mortal years. Such craftsmanship!"

"I agree, goddess." Areal took on a faint form, hardly visible but he is able to be better seen this way. "He has an eye for things that look brilliant on you."

"Of course he does." Selene scoffed, as though she knows it is not possible that Eclipse would be anything less than perfect. "He is my son after all."

She continued to smile fondly as she touched the delicate silver against her white hair, looking at herself in the mirror.

'Mother! Mother! Look what I made you!' The little boy held up this silver crown while trying his hardest to hide the blisters that decorated his little fingers.

The edges were not polished well and the metal was slightly wobbly, not to mention, everything else was very uneven. The gem in the middle did not match very well with the rest of the crown but, in that very moment, looking at the boy and the crown, Selene realised that this was, and will forever be, the most beautiful piece of jewellery she had ever seen.

She even gave away all her other jewels, keeping only this one because she could not look at the other jewels without comparing them to the crown a little boy made with so much care that his bleeding hands did not bother him.

Such is the relationship I have with my son. Selene thought, getting to her feet as soon as she heard the trumpets, declaring the arrival of the guests.

To go back to the world that treated him as nothing but a tool, in the end, even if it was for something selfish like revenge, I would have gone this far still.

Nothing is more important in the world to me than Eclipse and tonight, I will prove it.