Part II of Act II The Gift of the Fallen Flame is up! Below is a snippet;
Then Nuna, her spirit stirred with curiosity for the strange maiden, drew Sedna apart from the gods as they walked. She whispered softly to her, "Sedna, The Son of Fire guards your secrets and I would not seek to uncover what he holds sacred. I shall not pry into the depths of your origin, unless your own lips choose to unveil the mystery." She held her peace a moment; then, with voice subdued, she resumed her murmuring speech. “My mind seeks only to understand how you once walked the earth as a mortal. That, a human soul I can grasp.” Nuna confessed, looking upward with a gesture of weary disdain for the heavens. “But the high gods are a breed apart, wrapped in their own unyielding majesty." At this, Sedna let forth a laugh that mirrored the sweet, melodic chime of a sacred spring.
The daughter of the waves then nudged Nuna's arm, her gaze lingering on Sila, breaker of paths. "See how his mind is fixed upon you," Sedna whispered softly. "It is a beautiful thing to behold." Nuna glanced back at the three lords of power absorbed in deep celestial discourse and though a scoff escaped her lips, a sudden, betraying smile exposed the tender vulnerability she sought so fiercely to conceal.
"Ah! the flame has caught your heart as well!" Sedna teased with a gentle murmur, seizing upon the sudden fracturing of Nuna's guard.
"The truth eludes even my own mind," Nuna confessed, the iron of her proud armor yielding for a fleeting moment. "Never have I witnessed a devotion so unyielding. In days past, suitors fled the moment I tested their resolve with heavy words. But he... he stands…
“Unshakeable?” Sedna offered, testing the waters.
"Not so," answered Nuna, master of trails, shaking her head. "It is not that he simply refuses to yield. It is that he understands my spirit, and knows the nature within me."
The wave-dwelt Sedna smiled, while a sweet warmth flooded her chest. For she herself knew that song in her own heart, for her own soul was bound by the very same threads to Agni. Yet, it remained a wonder to her how a lord of unquenched fire could find such kinship with a spirit of the deep waters. Desiring to turn her mind from these deep and unsettling thoughts, she turned her gaze to the devas who marched behind…
─━ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ─━ 𓆩☼𓆪 ━─ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ━─
For those new to the fic, this was my entry to the Zutara Reverse Bang 2026 last March which was a collab with the artist @lizanthium. You will find some art embeded in the chapters whose scenes inspired the artist. Art will be embedded in this chapter and in future chapters as well. Special thanks to @yourmajesty1235 for the beta.
I try to channel a Tolkien/Homer/Vergil vibe remembering some classics I read in HS / college and I hope I’ve done it some justice.
You may want to start reading from the beginning.
Prologue
Followed by: Act I. Defiance in Svarga
For the (soon-to-be) complete series, its all under When Agni Met Sedna.
Enjoy!