Final Talk

It was time, they both decided. Time to meet for one last conversation and decide on what to do with each other. Marvek had known his brother's location for several centuries now, but each time he wanted to see him he felt an uncomfortable nausea in his gut that told him that it wasn't time yet. That he should wait. He trusted his gut.

It was around his ten-thousandth year that Marvek finally began feeling like he could meet Kochev again, and the nausea grew weaker as he considered what he would say to him. What he would do- Let alone what Kochev may think of him visiting. He decided that just teleporting into whatever home his younger brother had made for himself wouldn't be appreciated. It was something he had to consciously remind himself of. After having been a celestial for so long he had forgotten some of the etiquettes that non-celestials have.

Back in the day he had still held this unhealthy obsession with staying human or human-like, but over time that need faded. He was alright with himself now.

His human form was like a faded memory of what it used to be all those years ago. Sometimes he forgot his eyes weren't the right amount. Sometimes he forgot that human bodies aren't naturally accommodating to his wings, and that even a slightly contorted body shape was upsetting to regular mortal folk.

One of the things he had gotten most used to was the additional set of arms, he had admitted eventually that they were quite convenient once he figured out how to use each of them individually to do differing things... Through his usual means of course. That was one thing that hadn't changed after all these years.

After checking in with some human friends to make sure that he looked right, he set off towards the world that Kochev had settled himself into, deciding to travel to his lair by foot.

Kochev sensed a disturbance in the air that told him that this particular day would be a very interesting day. Now, most times he was very wrong, his old bones still on-edge from the years of pain he suffered. His beloved partner's presence was all he needed to calm that panicked voice in the back of his head, knowing he would be safe with the dragon for the rest of their days, which was especially emphasized by the fact that he awoke with another set of blankets gently draped over him. It seemed that he had slept in, again. Winter often did that to him, if he hadn't actually had people that would wake him he probably would have ended up hibernating like the old dragon he was.

In the beginning he hadn't really taken up on that title, referring to himself as a variety of negative things. "Remains of a half-elf.", "A sickly mutant.", "A mess of an old man.", these were only a few examples. His partner certainly corrected the negativity he had about himself, and he decided one day that he was simply a dragon as well. After all who would try to argue against him, the dragon police?

He held a lovely breakfast with his partner, sharing how the back of his mind told him that something would be happening today. How he knew it would be his brother, but that he shouldn't worry. He would be fine.

Finally he retired to his sanctum, a section of the lair that was carved into the mountain and presented a lush jungle contrasting against the winter snow surrounding them. He was very proud of his "office", figuring out how to control and contain a climate in a concentrated area was a chore and a half but it produced excellent results for him and his endless studies of life itself. He would wait here. Marvek would likely have taken the long route to him. He always liked to make things hard for himself.

Kochev's assumptions about Marvek's choice of travel were right- as he sure did spend the extra hours travelling on foot up towards his location. Initially he had explored the town first, seeing what sort of environment Kochev had chosen to house himself at and immediately noticing the subtle signs of his brother's presence. An exorbitant amount of druidic magic looming over the landscape, but for once it didn't seem to be a negative thing. In fact the entire place seemed to be quite lively, more so just a restored environment rather than any forest-like takeovers.

The people seemed nice enough, though it was clear the was immediately recognized as an outsider. Did he forget to change something? His human friends surely would have told him. He shrugged it off as these people simply just recognizing him as a tourist and had begun making his way towards the dragon's lair.

The wintery landscape surrounded him as a gentle snowfall began.

He looked on at the lair and quickly noticed the carved-into section of a clearly unnatural jungle emerging from the mountain, probably the most obvious sign of Kochev's presence and likely where he would be hanging out in this sort of weather.

The snowfall that entered the sanctum quickly melted and turned to a light drizzle instead, gracing the leaves on Kochev's arms and neck. The old man yawned, the mixture of the dense, tropical air and the comfortable sounds of rainfall on leaves made for just a perfect place to nap, but just before he dozed off his ears picked up on the sounds of approaching footsteps.

The steps were heavy, unusual and clearly alien to his ears as they lightly perked- forcing him to sit to attention. His head turned to the source of the sound as he quietly watched walk through the shrubbery, into the clearing where Kochev was sat. He looked delightfully surprised, and Kochev acknowledged him with a respectful nod, gesturing for him to sit down across from him if he wished.

"Kochev! It's great to see you again, it's been quite some time now, hasn't it?" Marvek immediately greeted his brother as if they hadn't been silent towards one another for over ten-thousand years. He heard a chuckle from the old man.

"It has been an eternity. I hope you weren't bored after you banished me.", Kochev said, not seeming to care much about that event these days.

"Immediately bringing that can of worms up, huh?" Marvek said with a strained smile, leaning against one of the leafy trees.

"What, are you upset about it? We both know it was for the better." Kochev said as he absentmindedly scratched at his stump.

"I could have done that better, you know." His shoulders slouched a little, but before he could return to lamenting about his acts he was interrupted by Kochev speaking up again.

"So, gave up on feeling temperature I'm guessing? Going barefoot in the snow isn't something I'd expect you to do." He pointed out,  eyeing him down. There was something off about Marvek, something unusual and unhealthy, but he couldn't pinpoint it just yet.

Marvek looked down at his feet in surprise when Kochev mentioned that he had been barefoot. Was that why everyone had spotted him as an outsider? He had gotten so used to not feeling temperature, he must have forgotten that humans would dress appropriately for the weather. It was just convenient to turn it off instead of putting in the effort of putting on shoes.

"I suppose I forgot." He said.

"Did you also forget to hide some feathers?" Kochev pointed out.

"You know, you don't have to point out every thing I forgot to hide." He frowned just a tiny bit, but his expression quickly reverted to his calm friendliness. Kochev managed to hold back a shudder at that. He could tell that Marvek wasn't doing as well as he would have liked.

"It's unusual to see someone who was so obsessed with staying human and looking human to now be so forgetful about it.", He explained, "I did not take you for someone who would grow to be so comfortable and used to inhumanity that you would forget how to present yourself to the public."

"I'm glad that you grew into a grumpy old man, it's a natural evolution of the bratty teenager you used to be." Marvek commented, glossing over Kochev's words. He finally wandered over to the spot Kochev had offered him, sitting down cross-legged. He leaned his elbows on his knees, his head resting in his hand.

He received a huff in response to that, followed by a notable moment of silence.

"So, what are you here for, Marvek?" Kochev asked him, though he knew why he was here. He had expected this to happen some day, it wasn't really something he looked forward to either.

"I suppose I wanted to see my brother again after all these years." He said. Kochev looked at him expectantly. "And I guess I wanted to see if you were still the same man you used to be, if I had to do anything about that."

"What would you have done if I was?"

"How do I know that you aren't still? I've only been here for a few minutes, tops.", Marvek snickered softly, "But well. If you were, I don't know. I would have tried to deal with you peacefully at least. Unlike last time."

His brother shook his head at his words. "You know I'm irredeemable."

"I don't believe that anyone is irredeemable."

"Please, I'm evil. I've said those words with pride so many times in my life." Kochev scoffed.

"You just didn't have anyone to help you get on the right track. You can still do that. I can help." He told him. Kochev gave marvek a long, tired look. He had expected this exact sentence and sighed deeply, but Marvek continued.

"I mean, look at you and this place. It's nice, it hasn't killed anyone-"

"-That's because this environment didn't need another predator above humans on the food chain." Kochev interjected.

"... So, continuing, it hasn't killed anyone. You're restoring nature in damaged areas. Those are things good people do." He finished.

"Just because I can do good things does not change that I am evil- by choice. I am surprised that your continued obsession with being a puritan "good" person has not torn you apart by now." Kochev emphasized, judgement in his eyes. His insectoid wings softly buzzed for a second.

"Oh, it has. Several times, really."

Marvek took a deep breath, forgetting to exhale as he stared down at the empty space between them. There was a puddle forming.

"I try... Not to act like that anymore, except for one last person." He said, looking at Kochev again.

"You should give up, then. I will only hurt you and I will keep hurting you, over and over again. And you will tire me, exhaust me, with your attempts at forcing your morality down my throat and getting in the way of my work." His brother said, staring him directly in the eye. Neither of them blinked for a while.

"Your attempts at turning me to good will only drive me back into becoming a sadistic tyrant again." There was a slight hiss in his voice.

Marvek shook his head. "I defeated you once before-"

"Marvek." He coldly addressed him.

"What?"

"You seem a little confused about your place here. I respect you as a person who allowed me to escape the hell I brought upon myself. And that is it." He said. "As much as you may wish it to be, we are not family. I do not feel anything for our history together. It was a gauntlet for me to pass so I could get to where I am today."

"So why did you even allow me to come to you, then?" Marvek asked instead.

"To make sure that this will be the last time we speak, and see each other, in a manner that will not result in either of our deaths." He stated, nearly business-like in tone, as if he had been awaiting this conversation for millennia. "You will not give up if I don't make it clear to you that all that will happen is a continued string of misery for the both of us."

"I'm trying to bring this to the table in a friendly manner. Whoever may come after me as the world guard might not be as friendly as me." Marvek warned. He still kept his friendly face up, but it was straining under the pressure of the situation. He sat up properly. "It'll only be misery if you don't work with me."

"I'm asking you for a mutual agreement to never bother each other, ever again." Kochev stated. "And on that topic- I don't want your little celestial friends visiting me to spy on me for you. If I find that they are here for that reason, I will slay them."

"You can't do that!" Marvek jolted up. "Don't you know that'll force me to get involved?"

"Marvek. I am a god. Now don't spread that word around with my name tied to it because I don't wish to be worshipped by morons who just want a reason to sacrifice things. I can essentially do whatever I want unless some other god drops by to tell me to fuck off." Kochev told him. "If I slay your little feathered friends because they're bothering me in your name, then that is on you, and that will be your burden to bear. I gave you the warning, it's not my fault if you play with fire despite it."

Marvek stared at his brother in minor horror. There was a part of him that was genuinely convinced now that his brother was irredeemable, but the thought that he could still help him chewed at his mind. He shook his head and stared at the large puddle of water between them now. Their reflections partly in the water- His vague, Kochev's clear as day. It was hard to think straight. He closed his eyes and took a minute to calm down. When he opened them, he stood up, looking at Kochev and nodding.

"Goodbye, then." Marvek said, turning to walk into the leaves and teleport away, back to his home.

As he walked, Kochev gave his final words.

"Thank you for banishing me, back then. Goodbye."