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Lunara
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Chapter Fifty-Four: Musings of the Heart - Part 1
Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant
Ruling Government: Republic of Hekat
Solar System: D-2,946
Planet: Raven Minor
Location: Ara Continent, Ravena’s Temple
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***
Six months before the destruction of Agora City
***
My eyes take in wonder as I sit, looking out at a majestic scene of autumn leaves falling from the trees, the breeze catching them softly in its embrace. In the distance, over a beautiful lake, two birds are flying in unison as the sun begins its march towards the dark, setting across the horizon. The two birds nuzzle each other as they free fall, as though shouting to the void—together we can face anything.
I hear movement behind me, but I do not turn, standing now from the chair, trying to appreciate the view with my hands crossed behind my back. There is no telling when I will see it again.
“Is it time?” I ask, still watching outside.
The two birds dive into the water together. When they surface, they carry between them a large fish, one they could never carry alone. There is beauty in this.
“It is, Lady Lunara,” Yekka says, her grey hair tied neatly in a bun. I have told her a hundred times to just call me Luna. She is a kind woman. Perhaps the kindest I know.
I can hear a faint sadness in her voice. She knows as well as I, that I may not return from this journey. It is my duty though, so she says nothing against it. She has been my caretaker for as long as I can remember, the closest person to me besides Kotina. In that time, she has taught me compassion for those around me, forcing my heart to look past station. She was the first to tell me to not use my implants as I ought, it is expected that Nobles have emotional control. We deal in the fates of many. Even if we don’t deserve to.
Turning around now after letting out a faint sigh, I walk forward and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a warm smile. Yekka grabs my hand, her eyes look bloodshot like she’s been crying, there is something more that troubles her. I pause for a moment, about to ask her why when I hear the doors open.
Two Knights wearing the crest of House Raven upon their black and purple armor stand in the open doorway. On each of their hips hangs a plasma pistol, a dull light illuminating it, showing the safety is on.
“The shuttle is waiting my Lady, your father has requested you to make haste and join him.” One of them says with a bow and a hand crossing his chest, over his heart, a sign of respect. Respect that I have done nothing to earn, save being born.
Nodding to them, they turn and depart. My hand reaches for my Ionic sword’s hilt, checking it is still attached to my hip. More than half of the twenty years since my birth have been spent training with it. I wonder if Mother would be proud of me. Seeing how much I have grown. It has been ten years since then. Pressing the sad memories back, I move through the double doors. The Knights waiting patiently to escort me.
They lead me towards the shuttle bay with Yekka walking briskly behind us, she stands nearly a head shorter than me. A small woman with a large personality—Kotina always says. Their banter is often the highlight of my day.
Along the walls, I see depictions of triumphs for the House of Raven, battleships in the skies above planets that have been conquered in various solar systems. A Knight holding a banner of House Raven upon a mountain of slain enemies. These continue all the way to the shuttle, where an escort of Knights stand in two columns on either side of the shuttle loading ramp. They are dressed in heavy crusader armor, thick metal encasing their mortal coils. I hear the dull hum of the ship's shields powering on after we all board.
On the bridge of the shuttle, I see my father Lord Arkon Raven, Primus of our House. He is a giant of a man with a thick black beard and hair, spindles of grey shooting through it, his eyes steel grey. They are cold, even to me. He used to be different when I was a girl, before mother… I press the thoughts away again. I must focus on my duty, soon I will be tested by the Theocratic Imperium, and they will determine my worth.
“You’re late.” He says to me, there is no annoyance in his tone though. I almost wish that there were. Something. Anything from him.
I bow my head in apology, he turns to an aide and nods to them.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The aide begins to bark orders to the crew who ready the shuttle for departure.
The shuttle’s reactor fires on fully now, and a brief uneasiness flows through everyone, as we feel gravity being distorted. The moment is fleeting and familiar, the ship’s gravity actuator dials on to compensate for it, so we don’t float around the bridge.
“Arrival to Flagship Hyperion set at three hours, Lord.” The aide from before says to my father, who nods and looks over to me, beckoning me with a single finger.
I follow his summons and walk to his side. He does not meet my eyes. The lines around his eyes are more than what they ought to be. However, like others who have passed the upper boundaries, he is much older than he appears. The years of war seem to weigh heavily on him, yet his demeanor is a contradiction, always stoic and placid. Never showing me anything of affection, not since then. Not since… his words bring me back from the bad memory.
“Are you ready for the trials?” Father asks.
“I will not shame you, nor the Noble House of Raven, my Lord,” I say.
He does not reply right away, there seems to be a look of concern on his face, he is not telling me something important. It is strange though; I rarely see any inflection from him.
“Remember your training and keep your wits about you.” He says, then finally turning to look at me “You are a Raven, do not forget your duty.”
“I will not, my Lord,” I reply, bowing my head and placing my hand over my chest, as the Knights did.
They have told me little about the trials, only that it will test my mettle and it will be the hardest thing I have ever done. Making the countless mornings that I spent with arms trainers over the last ten years seem like child’s play. I am not the best with an Ionic blade, having lost many duels against my trainers over the years. However, my weapons masters tell me that I am a prodigy in adaptability.
I have spent many sleepless nights wondering what the trials will be like, it is forbidden to speak of them if you have been through them. Thus no one ever tells me what it is about. All I know is that I must pass. Or else I will never be granted an Edict. The shame it would bring my House is immeasurable. It would be more than a shame even. It could mean infighting, others seeking to take the title of Heir Apparent. Kotina has told me of some of the other Lords and Ladies in Raven, and how they act outside of civilized settings. I would not wish that on the people of our House. They will not suffer because I failed them. I must succeed. I will succeed.
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Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant
Ruling Government: Republic of Hekat
Solar System: D-447
Planet: Ora
Location: Agora City, tunnels under the Colosseum.
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***
Six Months Later
***
My eyes take in the horrors of this cruel reality. The walls of the tunnels are plastered with gore, children crying as they tug at their mother’s lifeless corpses. My eyes look away as I see those too young to have known the musing of first love, lifeless upon the ground. What horrible beast has wrought this upon these poor people? Why have the Gods allowed such a tragedy to pass? My heart weeps as I see mothers clutching their young, the cries for their lost children piercing my soul. Upon the wall, I see scorches, little cracks from energy pressing the stone into ruin. I know these marks, an Edict made these. I am sure of it.
The further I walk in the tunnel the worse the gore becomes, something must have pushed the Edict holder back. Was it Kotina? My heart twists as I wonder if it was him that wrought this tragedy, was it Kale? My feet press forward, moving over the dead, my heart beating faster as the tunnel shakes from a battle above, upon the sands of the Colosseum. I want to run towards it, but my hand clutches my chest. There is a pain like I have never known, cutting, pulling, and ripping at my heart. I must know, I must see with my own eyes. Pressing the thoughts away, I find my resolve and rush towards the battle.
When I arrive, the dust is still settling, and my heart is pounding out of my chest, across the field of sand I see them now. Adonius and… it is him, it is Kale. He slams the Black Edict into Adonius’s weapon, my eyes squint and I see it is an Edict in Adonius’s hand. When did he become an Edict holder? Adonius’s body is glowing with Divine energy, his God is pressing an immense amount into him. Pushing past what his body can handle.
In my perception, I feel the Goddess my mother taught me to worship coming to my side. She is watching the exchange. Her eyes are wide, her demeanor as though she is exhausted. I have never seen The Night Mother like this.
I move to go towards Kale, my heart beckoning me, but the Goddess my father worships comes to my shoulder now. Her hand is firm as it plants itself on my shoulder. Her eyes fixed on the exchange as well. Neither of them speak, they simply watch.
“I am the blade, which was tempered in the tears of mothers, mourning their lost children.”
My heart’s cracks begin sealing, hope soaring in me, he is not the monster that massacred those fleeing. He is the hope of those who yet live. Kale smashes the Black Edict into Adonius. A tremor ripples as Adonius cracks the stone wall with his body, now spitting blood upon the ground as he tries to stand.
“I am the blade honed in darkness, to bring justice for my people.”
There is something permeating the air around us, vibrating the core of my soul as he begins to speak again, something more than the musings of the heart. It is something raw and brimming with power.
“I am that which will be….” Energy pours from him into the blade, the crimson light flowing with other colors. Both of my Goddess’s eyes grow wider, the glow of them brighter than I have seen before, they both step forward to peer closer as he finishes with “your end.”
Energy erupts, shaking the air as it bows from the pressure of Divine Law being broken. The heavens swell with thunder, lightning cracking in protest. My eyes barely believe what they see, I feel the words which once gave the Edict power fading into an echo. The Black Edict now cuts Adonius in half. My eyes look away as I see Kale begin to cut his head off, smashing it under his boot. As I slowly turn back to look once more, Kale falls to his knees, head hanging low, The Black Edict in his hand still.
“No!” someone yells, rushing towards Kale.
The man I… Kale, he is kneeling, not far from me, less than a hundred paces. He does not see me as I approach, my legs feel of lead, as I am filled with dread, looking at the scene before me. My mouth moves to scream no, please no, as he plunges the Black Edict into his own chest. My heart breaks as it drives through his, tears welling from my eyes. I am the second to reach him, the one who yelled was the first.
Looking down at his chest, something is strange, there is no wound. Only the moving lines of darkness upon his chest. I look around the sands and do not see the Black Edict.
“His heart yet beats.” The boy who holds him says as others arrive. His eyes glow brighter, a smile cresting his face, but as he looks up towards the sky to give thanks to his gods, the smile disappears.
My gaze drifts upwards slowly, hope begins to slip from my heart once more.