CHAPTER 188: Beneath a Calm Sky

CHAPTER 188: Beneath a Calm Sky


The smell of sun-warmed dirt and wildflowers permeated the gentle air.  A gentle wind blew over the recently cultivated fields around the city that was once known as Sanctuary, but is now just Harmonia, the Heart of Realms.  With its spires made of stone and crystal, grown rather than carved, and molded by both magic and nature, it stood boldly on the edge where the Astral Veil had previously shimmered.

In the distance, shifting children, some born of eclipse, others of moonlight, and some of both, giggled.  Their souls freed from the burden of conflicts long since over, they sprinted over the golden plain in a swirl of fur, paws, and happy howls.

Selene was alone, her silver hair braided with strands of starlight, atop a lofty balcony set into the moonstone cliffs.  Even though time had altered her, transforming her from a ferocious storm to a bright dawn, and leaving subtle lines of wisdom at the corners of her eyes, she was still Selene.  Still, the fate-defying Lunar Heir.  Still the lady who favored unity over legacy and love above retribution.

Her descendants and her brothers and sisters in arms were playing as she watched.  Some had her mark, while others carried her blood.  They were unaware of the scream of ripped skies or the sound of sword hitting bone.  Peace was all they knew.

The wind changed behind her.  She knew he was there without turning.

"You're quiet today," Rowan murmured quietly as he moved to stand next to her.

His fingers intertwined as effortlessly as breathing as his hand met hers.  His eyes had a serenity that was previously alien to him, and his hair had become silver at the temples.  He had mastered the art of gracefully bearing his shadow.

"I'm paying attention," Selene said.  "They have a futuristic sound."

Rowan laughed.  "A future that we almost lost."

"But did not," she remarked.  "Because we didn't allow the past to define us."

For a long time, they watched the horizon in quiet.  The moon was rising, full and bright and eclipse-free, and the heavens were striped with the lavender colors of dusk.

It has been almost twenty years since a conflict.

Deep beneath the united worlds, Kael had kept his word and protected the Eclipse Sanctum.  The air crackled with ancient strength and calm grief when he visited, which was not often.  Even still, he had discovered a kind of calm, removed from everything, observing from the shadows but no longer engulfed by them.

Lyra, the child who had been born beneath the eclipse, had grown into a kind and intelligent leader who led Harmonia with a heart that aspired to justice and a voice that calmed.  She was a living example of what Selene had battled for; she governed with compassion rather than power.

Selene clenched her fingers around Rowan's.

She said, "I thought I'd die before ever seeing this."  "A world where survival didn't require warriors."

Rowan said, "You didn't just see it."  "You made it."

Selene blinked as emotion overcame her.  She felt delight instead of anguish while her heart hurt.

She said, "Do you ever miss it?"  "The conflicts.  Your blood's fire.

Rowan smiled.  "Occasionally.  But I wouldn't exchange this, and then I think of what we almost lost.  Not for a thousand magnificent battles, however.

She chuckled.  "Even after all this time, it's still poetic."

"My teacher was excellent."

The earth was bathed in moonlight as the sun sank below the horizon.  The lights of Harmonia's metropolis flickered on, shining like solidified starlight, each house, tower, and walkway representing the world that had been constructed by blood-stained hands.

Selene moved away from the edge of the balcony and crouched next to a stone sink.  Ancient memory shimmered in the water.  This was the Moon's Mirror, a modest relic of the past that was once utilized for prophesy.  The surface froze as she muttered a blessing over it, representing her present a lady at peace rather than visions.

Together, Rowan and she placed their hands on the water's surface.

"For our departed," Selene whispered.  "And those we discovered."

A lengthy silence.  "And for the love that changed everything," Rowan said.

Selene grinned.

Then, as the moon climbed high and the wind slowed, a faint, shaky hum reverberated across the heavens.  Slowly, Selene stood, her senses becoming more acute.

A solitary strand of blue light ripped through the stars far above.

It wasn't a comet.  It wasn't organic.

It was a sign.

Rowan's mouth clenched.  "It's been so long...?"

Selene's heart was steady as she narrowed her gaze.

"I believed the Realms were closed."

"They had."

Between them there was a deep, reflective silence.

He said, "What do you think it means?"

Selene gazed at the peaceful city and the field where her offspring were playing.

She then turned her gaze to the heavens.

"It implies that there may be other balances besides the one we fought for."

Rowan scowled.  "An additional realm?"

A reflective grin curled Selene's lips.  "Or something that predates realms."

A small earthquake, like the beat of a faraway heart waking, shook the ground as the blue light shimmered and vanished into the distance.

With Rowan at her side and their silver-outlined silhouettes, Selene retreated inside the sanctuary.

And a new constellation blazed to life overhead, where no one had yet observed.