“Master!” the water god chuckles nervously, “You’re back! To what do I owe the pleasure of this very sudden visit?” giving Hayden an exaggerated bow.

With a mechanical blink, Rosco tries to process the situation.

“You can start by explaining exactly why the humans are worshiping you like a god?” Hayden demands looking down at Ocyrin.

Ocyrin rose, clasping his hands behind his back, “Ah, that, well,” rolling his eyes defectively, “you had that big blow up and disappeared, then shortly after that your sister up and vanished as well. She never completely left like you did, but no one has seen or heard from her in ages. With the two of you gone everything fell into chaos! The humans came to us for help!” the waters under his skin turning stormy, “Everyone else was doing it too! And we didn’t have the strength to hold things together without their worship, it was necessary!” balling his fists at his sides and huffing indignantly.

Hayden’s eyes narrow and Ocyrin flinches, shrinking back, the waters inside him churning nervously,

“W-we never told them to call us gods, they d-did that own their own. We just, never corrected them.”

“Rosco,” Hayden snaps, turning his attention to the eavesdropping boy.

Rosco froze, not having expected to be pulled into whatever was happening here.

“Does this creature look like a God to you?” Hayden continues, gesturing to the clearly supernatural being beside him.

Ocyrin’s head snaps in Rosco’s direction, noticing the boy for the first time, eyes wide and waiting.

“Um,” swallowing nervously, “well, yes sir. I mean, he is, isn’t he?”

Wincing, Ocyrin braved a peek back, immediately yelping as Hayden grabbed him by the ear and threw him at Rosco’s feet.

“This is a water spirit,” Hayden hadn’t raised the volume of his voice, though it was clear to the other two that he was putting in great effort to restrain himself.

Ocyrin lets out a whine, rubbing his pulled ear.

“Tell him,” Hayden demands.

Ocyrin shoots Hayden an indignant glare as he gets to his feet, dusting himself off. Turning his green eyes on the boy, “Greeting’s human,” regaining his air of dignity, “I am Ocyrin, A water spirit, fresh water to be exact. This beautiful lake behind us, is mine.” Glancing back at his waters lovingly, “The lake that provides most of the food and commerce your little human city lives by.” 

Hayden sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Not giving Rosco the chance to reply, (not that he had any idea what he was expected to say.) Ocyrin spins back around facing Hayden, folding his arms with a pout, “Is it really necessary to embarrass me in front of the human, master?” he whines, “It’s not like I told them I was a god, they made that assumption on their own.”

A wicked smile spreads across Hayden’s face, “It was necessary.”

Ocyrin’s shoulders slump, clasping his hands behind his back, defeated, “Are you going to punish me?”

To Rosco, the water spirit looks a bit like a child waiting for his father to scold him, timid and meek.

Hayden sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose again, “I cannot let this go Ocyrin. They are revering you as a god, squander themselves to give you offerings.”

Ocyrin perks up, “I’ll fix it!” Eagerly waving his hands, “I can remind them I’m a spirit not a god and tell them to open the temples at the end of the day to give the food offerings to those in need?” the spirit twists in place, grabbing Rosco’s hands in his own, “Do you think the others will still follow me as a water spirit and not a god?” eyes wide in hopeful anticipation.

Hayden leaning in, also curios.

Rosco swallows the lump in his throat, not so eager to have been dragged into this conversation, he can’t exactly say he thinks Ocyrin is a shit god and should step down and those are his only real thoughts on the subject, “Um, what exactly is the difference?”  

Hayden scoffs and Ocyrin winces.

“It’s like comparing a muddy puddle to the ocean,” Ocyrin offered quietly,

“Or a candle’s flame to the light of the sun. A ragdoll to a man,” Hayden chimed in a little louder, “There is no comparison.”

Pulling his hands from Ocyrin’s, Rosco shrank back a few steps, the gravity of the situation finally dawning on him, “Your name’s not Hayden, is it?”

Ocyrin head tilted to the side, “Hayden? He goes by Ze-”

Hayden clamps a hand over the water spirits mouth, “I told you not to use that name again,” he growls. “Is your memory truly so short?” he scolds, letting the spirit go.

Rosco hands begin to shake, “You- you’re the old god. The god of the temple ruins.”

Ocyrin took this moment to run, bowing once even if the true god’s attention was fixed elsewhere, dissolving back into droplets, and rejoining his lake.

Hayden heaves a sigh of reservation, glancing out over the water where Ocyrin vanished. His eyes had returned to the icy white from before. He took his time to answer, slowly shifting from the body of water to the shocked expression on the boys’ face, “Correct.” He says finally.

“Then Ocyrin and, and all the other gods I know are just spirits?”

“Correct.” He repeats the same simple word like it doesn’t shatter Rosco’s world view.

Emotion solidifies in Rosco’s chest. His fists ball, and his eyes narrow, indignation burning at the man before him, “It’s all your fault,” his words little more than a whisper as the anger builds to its full height, “You murdered nearly all of your followers and the abandoned the world to chaos!”

Hayden doesn’t look surprised by the outburst or upset at the accusations; his eyes holding little but attention as he allows Rosco to finish his rant.

“So, spirits posing as gods assumed the mantle you deserted, with the promise of making things right. Demanding things of us and blaming our lack of faith for their uselessness. But they never had the power to fix anything did they?” as much as he hated it, hot tears fill the rims of his eyes. This always happened when he got upset and the other boys had endless fun mocking him for it.

“You’re right.” The god’s calm admission of guilt catching him off guard, halting the production of tears and quelling the fiery anger.

“I shouldn’t have left,” Hayden continued, “I felt betrayed, and angry. Terribly angry. But still, I should have stayed. I should not have allowed the things I felt to color my actions,” he sighs softly, “I had trusted my sister to care for our people, our land, in my absence, but according to Ocyrin.” gesturing back off into the water, “she has not been seen in some time. I had expected her to greet me upon my return and resume my throne, but she wasn’t here,” Brief glimpse of concern flashing through his lightly colored eyes, “That’s why I asked you about the temples, as the only other god, I assumed any temple aside from my own, would be for her.” his eyes refocus on the boy before him, gently ruffling his hair, “It was not my intent to abandon you. I believed you would be cared for in my absence and that I would be better upon my return.”

Hayden’s hand in his hair filled Rosco to the brim with warm pleasant feelings, all the anger and resentment he’d built up his entire life melting away in one brief touch. As if receiving affection from this man was all he’d ever been made for, and he was finally fulfilling his purpose.

It was too much of a shock, like a dip in ice water on a warm spring day. Rosco’s knees gave out, breaking the contact long enough for his previous thoughts and feelings to refill the void left by the god’s hand. Only for Hayden to catch him before he hit the ground, drowning him in the pleasant warmth again. Rosco shoves Hayden away, the dizzying hot and cold of his emotions numbing the sting of his butt hitting the ground.

“What are you two doing over there?!” A man shouted approaching them from the temple, “This is holy ground!”

Hayden glares at the out-of-shape priest tottering towards them, muttering something under his breath.

With Hayden’s attention on the priest, Rosco runs. Scrambling to his feet and getting out of there as fast as his legs can carry him. Down the hill, back through the town, and the slums, right into the shack they call home. Not one of his house mates spares the boy a glance as he dissolves into a heaving puddle before them. Rosco is well known for his odd and unexplainable behavior.