There was a thunderous crash heard that night. It cut through the music of night parties and broke into the sound-proof barriers of every home in Lidantium. Every lens in the room had shattered, and the weapon of glass that had been painstakingly worked on lay in ruin.

“What was that?” a girl cowered, covering her ears.

A man rushed over to the window. His eyes widened at what he saw. The dark indigo of the sky was missing the golden glow that always hung over Lidantium. All that was left was the fading glint of what could be mistaken for dying stars; the shields were gone. Not long after, there were screams that could be heard from a distance. They were quickly drowned out by something heavy and unseen. The burning lights of the streets were snuffed out as quickly as the screams. Whatever it was, it spread fast, crawling up every single tower, every district. Immediately, the man threw himself back and shifted the stone walls to seal up the windows and front door. A terrible, familiar feeling left him shuddering. No. Not again. Not now…

“What’s happening?”

His sister’s voice thrust him back into reality. This was no time to freeze up. Immediately, he rushed over to his sister and took her by the hand to the storage room. Shifting the clay tiles and stone floor, he revealed a hiding spot. There was enough space to fit one. Just as intended. The girl shuddered and her breath quickened as terrible memories resurfaced. She thought she had left it all behind in the ruin the siblings once called home.

Her brother placed his hands on her shoulders, “Listen to me. I need you to be brave now. No matter what, you must ensure that your knowledge is shared with as many people as possible.”

Tears cascaded down the girl's cheeks. Her brother pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Live, Euterpe.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He closed his eyes, seeing into her Mindscape before she could block him out. The slow-dancing symbols of a spell formed. Then, a sudden sense of calm washed over the girl. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy.

“Marcus… Please… Don’t leave me alone…” the girl trailed off as she fell into a deep slumber.

His eyes opened, pouring with tears. One hand rubbed the teary fog from his eyes; he couldn’t let anything obscure his sight. Not now.

He lowered her into the hiding spot. His eyes shimmered with another spell, surrounding her in a translucent shield. Those monsters wouldn’t find her whilst she slept. He prayed to Magus to guide another human to rescue her from this place. With one last look, he sealed the hole with stone and threw down the surrounding shelves.

Back in the main room, he snatched a vessel of pure Elecule oil and drank it dry. His eyes snapped wide and ablaze with viridian and golden hues. Everything around him sharpened with painful clarity - it took him a second to adjust. He formed a spell; sand, fire, stone and light were brought together to form a blade of glass. Within it were several lenses. His eyes drew another golden symbol, then channeled a beam of Paradisian light through the blade. Shards of remaining glass and debris that had fallen on the bare ground rose as he formed a shield around himself.

Cracks started to form in the stone covering the front door, growing and widening into jagged, crumbling teeth. As the stone fell apart, the man raised his blade. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to keep his mind calm. The thing on the other side slammed itself against the stone over and over until many shards of stone flew. The jaws in the wall opened.

Marcus buckled but found his footing. A great beam of essence-burning light shot into the breach. He charged forward, pushing the creatures back out with all his might. Each thrust of his blade felt as agonisingly futile as stabbing into water. The blade of tempered glass shattered and reformed. He threw everything he could at them. Every element. Every spell. His sight began to darken at the edges. The blade in his hand: crude and cracked. Whisperings of an unnatural magic crawled up his spine and the rush of adrenaline began to slow. They sounded pleasant yet frightening all at the same time. They promised him many things. Impossible things. All the while it savoured his fear. Yet even till the end, he dared not give it his memories of his sister. With all his remaining energy, he burned out his eyes with light, sending what he could save of himself to Paradis. His grip faltered and the light dimmed to nothing. Fear and pleasure swallowed him whole.

And then all was quiet.