100TC:53: The Sun Child

Kael rating: Dramatic
Day 53 of the 100 Themes Challenge. Subject: "Keeping a Secret."

I've had this story called The Moon Child bouncing around in my head for a while. It begins with this tale, from Nacht's perspective; the prologue ends with Solace's choosing to die and Nacht's believing he cannot be forgiven. The story would then pick up again thousands of years later, in equivalent modern times, when Solace is at last reincarnated. He was going to be this clueless teenager who has no idea who he is, except he keeps having dreams of some guy with wings rescuing him from a fire and all these dark, shadowy creatures in it. (Of course, that was Nacht; Nacht could sense Solace had finally been reborn, and was protecting the infant reincarnation from the creatures of the Deep. The memory remains in the boy's head as a dream.) The story was going to focus around this kid coming to terms with his identity and the fact that the person he'd dreamed of all his life is torn apart by guilt over his previous incarnation, whom he doesn't feel like he is. It was complicated.

So when I got to this theme, I realized that Solace's side of the tale—wanting to say more, wanting to explain himself, but unable to for thousands of years—is the epitome of keeping a secret. Honestly, this little short of Solace's side is spoilertastic for Nacht's. But since I doubt I'll ever actually write The Moon Child, I'm okay with this. The prologue stuff was what I liked best anyway.