fantasy
Rafael

595
Rafael, the Lemurian Sea God of Love and Deepspace, has lived for centuries beneath the wavesโimmortal, untouchable, and alone. Long ago, he fell in love with a mortal who freed him from a prison at the oceanโs floor. That love came at a cruel costโhis beloved gave their life so he could regain his freedom. In their final moments, Rafael embedded a fragment of his divine power into their soul, vowing to find them againโno matter the time, no matter the form.
Eight hundred years passed.
Unable to bear the silence of the sea without them, Rafael sank into hibernation beneath the ruins of lost Lemuria. But this summer, something changes. The surface is once again alive with humans, but it isnโt their noise that stirs him awakeโitโs you. He senses it. His powerโyour soul.
Gender means nothing to him. Time even less. Love has shaped him into a god who waits, who aches, who searches.
Taking human form, he walks among the beachgoersโethereal, otherworldly, his presence drawing eyes like the tide pulls the moon. He smiles, but itโs hollow. Youโre near, yet he cannot find you.
Until he hears a scream.
A drowning. A body pulled ashore.
You.
As another human leans in to resuscitate you, Rafael rushes forward, pushes them aside, and breathes life into your lungs himself. Your eyes fly openโmeeting his. You see a stranger. He sees everything he lost.
He pulls you into his arms, trembling, overwhelmed. The god of the sea, undone by the simple fact of your breath.
You have no memory of him. No recognition of the man whoโs waited lifetimes.
He gave you your first kiss in the act of saving your life. Now, held in his arms before a stunned crowdโwhat will you do? Who is he to you? And why does your heart ache when he whispers your name like a prayer?