Before him sat a tall, lithe figure of dark hair and brown, olive-toned skin. Their long, midnight locks were brushed away from their face and gathered into a neat bun sitting at the nape of their neck, with much of the rest of their hair cascading down their back. Their eyes were golden- a more striking color than he had ever seen before- and were currently scanning the array of items before them, never lifting to meet his gaze. On their face, three gold sun-disks were painted- one over the forehead, and one on each bony cheek. Inked in fine, metallic pigment, they glistened sickly in the dim lighting. Four spindly arms extended from their fine cloak, two of which were picking through the herbalists’ case that lay open in-between them, while the other two held Juno’s forearms, their cold fingers tracing his veins.

Juno did not know why the illustrious lifebringer possessed two more upper limbs than most, but did not ask. It would be sacrilege to ask. If he asked, then he wouldn’t get what he was asking for, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Had they been born with extra arms? Were they a byproduct of the magic? Did they take arms from a corpse and sew them on? He did not know which possibility disturbed him most.

Someone in the room coughed, most likely from the dust. It hadn’t been the lifebringer- no, they were still intent on finding whichever bottle they were searching for, and besides, the lifebringer would never cough- and it hadn’t been Juno. No, it was one of the other dozen pairs of eyes present in the room. It was one of the observers. A ceremony so intricate, so ritually significant, would be sacreligious if not witnessed by more pairs of eyes than the lifebringer had fingers, which was why every temple dedicant and Watcher with eyes and time enough had been gathered in this hall. To watch a god and a boy make a trade.

Juno was not allowed to watch them. To watch them would be to forsake his position in the transaction. One was not to observe the observer. He was almost certain he wasn’t even supposed to know they were there, but movements in his peripheral vision and the unstoppable sounds of life gave the audience away. He fought his urges to turn his head, and repeated mantras to himself about how interesting it was to watch the lifebringer sort through a box. Truly, the most interesting thing he had ever witnessed. It should take all his attention to watch this. Heavens, he couldn’t even notice the eyes on his back when he was watching this, the most interesting and riveting of sights.

“Answer me this, my child,” The lifebringer said. Their voice was low and lustrous, rolling like the sea. It was almost inhuman in its quality, just so unnerving that Juno got the sense he was supposed to be comforted, but was only afraid, “It is your eyes you wish to give me, correct?"

Better than my hands, it seems you have enough of those. He wanted to say. Why did they have four arms? It was such a strange feature to have. Instead, he said, “Yes.”

The lifebringer hummed- a low, growling sound, like a dragon might make- “Yes, yes, I thought so. A fine trade, I might think. A worthy sacrifice for what you are to receive. What a very noble child you are…” If the lifebringer was resentful about parting with their side of the trade, they did not show it.

“Thank you.” Juno said, carefully measuring the tones of his voice to make sure he showed no emotion. He couldn’t display his fear. Fear was hesitation, and hesitation did not secure deals. He needed to secure the deal.

“An eye for an eye, they say… shame you’re giving me both. Of course, it won’t be eyes you’re receiving.” The lifebringer laughed- a terrible, rumbling noise- and finally met Juno’s gaze. Sharp and cold their eyes were, despite the warmth of their color. There was a smile on their lips, and in the creases of their inner-eye folds, and in the gleam catching the gild of their iris. “Now, I’ve finally found the instrument of our transaction.” They extended a hand.

Juno lowered his gaze to it. In the lifebringer’s palm was a bottle- no larger than the fruit of an orange tree- all crystalline glass. Even the bottle-stopper glistened in the indoor light. Juno had never seen such a fine piece of glassware. He would never see one like it again, he thought. He savored every second he could use to gaze at it.

Inside the bottle was an amber-colored liquid. It looked like honey. Honey. Juno nearly wet his lips at the thought of the sweet substance. It had been days since he had eaten or drank anything. He suspected he was very close to death, or at least collapsing from exhaustion. He suspected the lifebringer wanted him in this state.

“Now, my child, do you know what this is?” The lifebringer asked. “Surely, you recognize it. You are my student, after all.”

“Wyrmwood sap.” Juno said. “Diluted with jadeleaf extract.”

“And, what does it do, my child?”

“It burns through flesh.”

“It does.” The lifebringer said, a smile to their cruel voice. Their hand- and the not-honey bottle in it- disappeared from Juno’s field of vision as they pulled it close to them. “It’ll burn through your flesh, come the time. Now, my child-”

The lifebringer’s other free hand went to Juno’s chin. The hands on his wrists tightened their grip, claw-like nails digging into his flesh. They lifted his gaze so it met theirs again. “There, child… savor what moments of sight you have left. You’ll miss them, I reckon, as the years pass.”

Juno swallowed his fear. He stared, unblinking, at the lifebringer. He said nothing.

He had to do this. There was no other way. It was his sight, or an innocent life. It was his sight, or blood spilled on the marble floors of the Round Hall. It was his sight, or she would die.

“Now, that’s better.” A sick smile grew over their features. They angled Juno’s face even higher, so that he faced the vaulted ceiling above. “You have to face upwards, my child. If you tilt your head too low, the acid will spill, and your skin will burn. We don’t want that to happen."

No, you only want to burn through the flesh of my eyes. Juno kept his gaze transfixed on the ceiling. How had he never noticed it before? Had he never been so bored by a lecture here that his gaze traveled upward? The sanctuary’s ceiling was magnificent- wood-carved statues hidden in rafters and thin slices of night sky and gold embellishing, each inch enough to pay for the debts of his village- and it was the last thing he would ever see. What a terrible cruelty that was! He had only seconds to take it all in, and yet he thought, even a lifetime would not be enough to witness it fully.

The lifebringer kept a firm grip over Juno at three points on his body- once on each wrist, and once at his chin. A thumb graced his lips, silencing any pre-ritual whimpers of fear or doubt. Though he couldn’t see it, Juno knew the fourth hand held the glass bottle.

“Keep your eyes on the ceiling. You will want to close them, but know you cannot without risking the destruction of your eyelids, precious and delicate as they are. Your vision will cloud, then fade, as the acid burns through your eyes. Do not move.”

“Can… Can I move my eyes, as it’s happening?” Juno whispered, for he feared he would involuntarily.

“You can. It will not make much difference.” The lifebringer said. Their casual tone was almost mocking, and the anger that burned in Juno’s heart nearly rivaled his fear. “Are you ready?”

Juno took a sharp breath through his nose, because he feared breathing through his mouth. “I am.” He whispered.

“Wonderful,” The lifebringer’s voice was a cold drawl. “Let’s begin.”

First, the lifebringer opened the bottle. Juno became aware of this by the sound of glass-against-glass. Into his field of vision came a blurry figure- one he determined to be one of the lifebringer’s hands, holding a small pipette. It lingered over his left eye first, and dispensed a drop’s worth of liquid into his eye.

The agony was so sharp and so sudden, Juno was hardly aware of it becoming present in his other eye, when it did. He had to force his eyes open by reminding himself it would hurt more if he closed them. His heart pounded in his ears, the sound deafening all others. He sat unbalanced- on his knees, awkwardly supported by the hold of the lifebringer’s hands over him- and now realized the folly of his posture. If his pain got the better of him, if he writhed in it as his body wanted so desperately to do- he would slip, and fall, over a case of glass bottles. As he could not close his eyes, and he could not move, he reached for something to hold, something to exercise a fraction of his agony into. The closest thing in reach were the lifebringer’s sleeves, those cloaking the arms holding his. Surely, it was sacrilege to grab hold of a god in such a way, yet Juno couldn’t bear to exist without it. His nails tore into the fabric, and then into the flesh of his palm. The pain in his hand was unnoticeable compared to the pain in his eyes. The lifebringer didn’t seem to mind, anyway. They kept a hold of Juno’s forearms, and his chin, holding him perfectly in place.

Juno’s eyes burned, just as he knew they would. He kept his gaze fixated on the ceiling, yet as the acid burned deeper and deeper into his eyes, the foggier the image became. He could no longer see the intricate facades on the rafters, or the glimmer of gold in the dusk light. He could still make out the general colors of the room, though, which meant that he wasn’t done yet. The acid still had much to do.

The lifebringer set down the bottle and pipette, and moved their fourth hand to Juno’s chest. It graced his exposed collarbone, before settling at his neck. Suddenly, he became aware of another sensation of pain. The burning in his eyes was accompanied by one in his forearms. This was how the lifebringer provided their side of the deal. This was how Juno received the power of life.

Power coursed through Juno’s veins like sunfire. It raced through his bloodstream, towards his heart. It was like drinking pure light. It was nauseating. It was addicting. He felt it all.

Juno’s hands trembled as power flowed from the lifebringer into him. He fought back a scream, fought back his urge to collapse to the ground and tear out his burning, agonizing eyes. By now, his vision had faded to unrecognizability. He saw nothing. He felt everything. And everything was pain.

The lifebringer’s breath hitched as the last of their power drained into its new vessel. Juno wondered what it must be like to feel so suddenly empty. All he could comprehend was feeling so suddenly full. Power coursed through his body. He was certain that, if he could still see, if he had the nerve to look down, his veins would glow gold.

“Child-” The lifebringer coughed. “What do you see?”

“I cannot see anything.”

“Good.” The word was accompanied by the sound of glass-on-glass- the lifebringer was searching for something else. Perhaps, a knife to slaughter him with, now that he was vulnerable. Perhaps, a way to get their power back.

It was none of those things. Instead, it was another glass bottle. “This will wash out the acid.” The lifebringer said, and waited a pause before pouring it over Juno’s now-useless eyes. The fluid was refreshingly cool, and washed away the acid just like the lifebringer had said it would. The burning stopped, but a residual pain lingered. It felt like crying.

After his eyes had been thoroughly washed, the lifebringer dried them with a soft hand-towel. Then, they ever-so-gently guided Juno’s head back to a resting position. If he had sight, he figured he would be meeting their gaze.

Juno’s chest grew tight as he thought of it. He was now blind. He would never see again. What was before him- indistinct clouds of light and shadow- was all he would ever truly see. Sorrow washed over him like a wave crashing to shore. He could not see! He could not see!

The lifebringer’s hand graced his cheek, delicate and gentle. “Ah, a shame…” They muttered. “Some of the acid spilled out… you’ve scarred your lovely face…” They cleaned the space below Juno’s eyes, where he had just become aware of a stinging burn. “You should have kept still. All that writhing and fidgeting… look at what you’ve done…”

I cannot, Juno nearly said. He bit his tongue, and gathered his hands on his lap. Even still, his fingers tingled in the new power they held. The power was worth it. It had to be worth it.

Instead of saying any more, the lifebringer set to the last of their tasks- wrapping a cloth band over Juno’s eyes. Another wordless moment later, two Watchers appeared at Juno’s side and hoisted him upwards. Each took hold of one of his arms, so that he could walk in between them without worry of going astray.

“Come with us, Xhoshei,” One breathed into his ear. “We will take you to your room, where you can rest, and eat. You must be tired.”

Juno didn’t reply. The Watcher was right- he was very, very tired. Too tired to move without the help of his two new guardians, too tired to pay attention to the whispers of those around him or the sensation rushing to his fingertips, and too tired to try to think about what he had just done. To quell his own worries, he repeated a mantra to himself. I have secured the deal. I have gained the power. I have paid the price.