Akivili held back the tears threatening to spill and murmured, "You really are the most irreverent believer."
Xianyu took off the hat blocking his vision and deliberately slowed his speech:
"What can we do, then? Would a god ignore a believer's prayer?"
Sorrow crossed Akivili's face.
Of course his best friend knew how cruel this was to him.
They had known each other for thousands of years. They were best friends who trusted one another, companions who had shared extraordinary journeys.
But... the only one Xianyu could trust with this was Akivili.
"Of course not. Even if you disrespect the gods and are the worst believer-"
"I'm the best god, after all."
Akivili drew a deep breath and said, emphasizing every word:
"I grant every prayer my believers make."
So even if a believer asked him to witness their death, he would do it.
Akivili lowered his head. When he lifted it again, a gentle smile graced his face.
The Aeon said cheerfully, "In that case, why don't we do something fun?"
In the time they had left, Xianyu didn't mind fulfilling Akivili's wishes. He agreed without a second thought.
"Sure. What should we do?"
Akivili excitedly picked up his communication device and showed him a post he had found on a StarNet forum.
"Look. How about we go camping?"
He read down the post.
"Talk all night, watch a full sunrise and sunset, go whale watching, volunteer for a day... let's skip that one."
Akivili cheerfully listed their plans, then seemed to recall something and added:
"Remember the aurora we missed last time? This time, we'll avoid both the midnight sun and the rainy season. We'll definitely catch it-"
Xianyu thought for a moment. "Then we'll talk all night at the campsite while we wait for the aurora."
Akivili