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I’ll carefully read your responses and, where possible, include the requested details as appendices in future chapters. This world is vast and full of intricacies, and I’m excited to explore it further with you.
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If you’ve made it this far, let me take a moment to thank you sincerely. I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey so far or, at the very least, found it intriguing.
Your continued trust and interest mean the world, and I’m excited to share what lies ahead.
Happy reading, and thank you for staying with the story.
Chapter 22 – The Battle for Love
After days of silence and darkness that had enveloped Elysium like a heavy cloak, Moon knew it was time to reveal the truth.
It was no longer enough to let the world grope in uncertainty; it was time to face the people and explain the sacrifice he had made.
But words alone would not suffice.
He had to show them what had been born from his decision, let them see with their own eyes the fruit of that sacrifice.
Love, who until then had lived protected within the intimacy of her family, was now preparing to cross the threshold into an unknown world.
Her steps, though uncertain, were filled with curiosity, while Moon’s heart beat heavily, aware of the risk.
How would the inhabitants of Elysium react? Would they be filled with wonder, or dominated by fear?
Moon led Love to the center of the great square of Elysium, where a sea of faces had gathered, drawn by the faint light that broke through the darkness for the first time in days.
The silence was absolute.
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With a slow and solemn gesture, Moon raised his hand, pointing to Love with a look that mixed pride and hope.
> "People of Elysium," he began, his deep, clear voice echoing like a call through the dark streets, "today I bring you the truth. This is Love, the one who was born from the sacrifice of the star. In her dwells a new light, different from the one you have lost, but no less precious.
>
> She cannot be the star you once knew, but she is a living flame, a light that burns within her and can warm your world.
>
> It is the future I have chosen for you."
Love took a step forward, her presence shy yet radiant.
Her deep, curious eyes scanned the people of Elysium, who watched her with a mixture of awe and hesitation. Some whispered among themselves, others stood motionless, unable to take their eyes off her, a figure that seemed to pulse with life.
As Moon observed the crowd, he understood that the change he had brought would not stop there.
His actions would have consequences that would spread far beyond this moment.
To ensure that this transformation was understood and accepted, Moon made a decision.
He immediately called upon the two rulers of Elysium, Earth and Sky, to discuss the planet’s future.
The meeting would take place in the Court of the Pact, the most sacred place for the inhabitants of Elysium.
There, among the walls that had witnessed the birth of the first laws and order, Moon would lay the weight of his choice and the fate of their world on the table.
The Court, located on the peak of a majestic mountain, seemed to defy the very sky.
It was a place of rare solemnity, accessible only to a few chosen ones, a symbol of justice and authority towering above the clouds, far from the noise and conflicts of the world.
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The vast square at its center was surrounded by cyclopean columns, so tall they seemed to support the heavens themselves, and the rays of light filtering through them created an atmosphere suspended between sanctity and mystery.
Moon stood motionless at the center of the plaza, his austere figure surrounded by an aura that seemed to glow even in the darkness.
Beside him, Love stood silently, her gaze shy but curious as she looked toward the horizon.
Earth and Sky arrived together, their steps firm, their faces marked by the awareness of the gravity of the moment.
Both knew that Moon would not have called such a meeting without extraordinary reasons.
Earth, with his powerful figure, stepped forward first.
> "We have sensed the change, Moon," he said, his deep voice echoing through the columns. "But we do not understand your reasons. Why did you choose to extinguish the star? And who is this being you now bring with you?"
Sky stopped next to Earth, his bright eyes fixed on Moon with intensity.
> "The darkness has enveloped our realm, and our people are uneasy."
Moon stepped forward, his expression calm, but his eyes betrayed an immense weight. After a moment of silence, he spoke with a firm voice.
> "The sun has been extinguished," he began.
>
> "Because from that act, a new life was born.
>
> My union with Tenebra gave rise to something this world has never known before.
>
> Love," he continued, pointing to the figure next to him, "is the fruit of that sacrifice. In her resides a different light, a light that does not come from a star, but from her very being."
Love stepped forward, her presence delicate yet undeniable, drawing everyone’s attention. Her figure radiated warmth, contrasting with the surrounding darkness.
> "I have called you here," Moon resumed, "because Love is not only my daughter and Tenebra’s. She is a gift for Elysium, a symbol of hope, a guide for this new era. I offer you Love as the keeper of this light and as the promise of a future that goes beyond the darkness."
Sky slowly approached Love, his gaze full of reflection.
> "She is truly extraordinary, Moon," he said, his tone almost admiring. "But is our world ready for such a profound transformation? Change is not always easily accepted."
Earth, with his decisive character, moved next to Love and placed a hand on her shoulder. His gaze was intense, and his voice resonated with firmness.
> "We accept your gift, Moon. But know," he added, "that light, like darkness, must be protected."
Moon watched the two rulers with a mixture of relief and apprehension.
He had taken the first step, but he knew that Love’s journey had only just begun.
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Love remained aside, distant from the scrutinizing gazes.
Wrapped in an almost unreal silence, she sought refuge in a secluded corner, where she could finally allow herself a moment of vulnerability.
Despite the apparent calm her face conveyed, a storm of emotions raged inside her.
Being presented as a gift, a symbol of hope for an entire world, had struck her with a force she was unprepared to bear.
There had been no warning, no guidance to face such an immense and sudden destiny.
She felt like a pawn pushed to the center of a vast chessboard, without knowing the rules of the game.
It wasn’t just the crushing responsibility that oppressed her, but also a sense of abandonment that tightened her heart.
The idea that her existence was something intimate, a reflection of love and creation, had dissolved the moment she had been offered to the world without her consent.
Sitting on a rock near the altar, Love lowered her gaze, staring at the ground as if there she could find the answers that eluded her.
Her eyes, once shining with curiosity and wonder, were now clouded by a deep, incomprehensible sadness.
> "Why didn’t you tell me anything?" she whispered.
"Why didn’t you prepare me for all this?" she added, accompanying the first tears.
The sense of confusion felt like an abyss beneath her feet, a void threatening to swallow her.
It wasn’t just the uncertainty of her role that troubled her, but the way her life had been decided without her involvement, as if her will were irrelevant.
She stood still for a moment, letting the weight of those thoughts overwhelm her before slowly rising.
She looked up at the sky above Elysium, so vast and free, that in this moment, it seemed like a prison to her.
> "I wonder... I wonder if all those who feel abandoned experience this. This emptiness. This cold that never seems to go away, even when the sun shines. They told me I am a gift, that I represent hope. But then why do I feel like I’ve been left behind?"
>
> "I didn’t want to be left alone. I didn’t want to be the light for anyone. I just wanted… I just wanted someone to hold me and tell me that everything will be okay. But there is no one. No one."
> "They created me, but then they left me here. As if their work was done. As if my only purpose was to exist for others, not for myself. They never asked me what I wanted. No one asked me if I was ready, if I could bear all this weight."
(She wipes away a tear, but others follow, flowing down her cheeks, as her voice cracks.)
> "They say the world needs me. But who was there when I needed? Who listened to my voice? Maybe this is abandonment. Not being left alone in a dark room, but being placed at the center of a lit stage and seeing that, among the crowd, no one is really looking at you."
(She stops, holding her arms around her body as if to protect herself from that invisible pain.)
> "I wish I could scream, but I know no one would listen. I’m only good when I smile, only when I say what they want to hear. They call me Love, but what do I know of love? No one ever truly showed it to me. Is this how love feels? Like an emptiness that devours you from within? Like a promise that’s never kept?"
(She slowly rises, looking at the sky, her voice a little stronger, but still trembling.)
> "Maybe I’m not enough. Maybe I’ll never be. Maybe being a gift means never truly being free. Being a gift means belonging to everyone, except to yourself."
(She lowers her gaze, the tears falling one after another on the dusty ground. With a soft voice, she concludes.)
> "If only I could be normal. If only I could just be me, without a name, without expectations. Maybe… maybe someone would stay, just for me. Not because I’m Love. Not because I illuminate something. But because they see me. Just me."
She then wrapped her arms around her chest, letting the silence envelop her, the wind drying the tears on her face, and then the sky began to cry.
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Thank You for Reading!
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Teo