{Cinder | Near 6,000BCE}
It was nearing time. Every day on Cinder, Celindria worked toward securing her Imminence and the power to mend her heart and mind—soul—whatever word described a conscience and the ability to experience love. For the last one hundred years in Nox’s Castle, she’d captured glimpses of joy, charity, and love in all its forms. Breaths half-taken and gone in a heartbeat.
Here and now Celindria felt loss. Naked, she had draped herself in a sheet when she took to the balcony. Li spanned above while ashen Cinder stretched below. The view perhaps contributed to her melancholy. Celindria mourned love, potent in its brevity and only captured with—
“Celindria.”
She closed her eyes and soaked in the sound of her name from Nox’s lips. He awoke from where she’d left him sleeping, deeper in the room. Able to touch only Celindria, Nox stood behind her and gripped her biceps. His front was warm against her back, and Celindria leaned against him. Staring at the wrong in the galaxy had stolen the life from her, and so much of it was her doing.
A sob broke from Celindria’s lips, and she choked on another.
Nox kissed the top of her locs. “Tell me what troubles you.”
Tears squeezed from Celindria’s eyes, but she shook her head, unwilling to tell the truth and unwilling to lie. Instead, Celindria turned and climbed to her tiptoes, taking her lover’s face in her hands and bringing Nox down to sear her with his kiss. To slip the sheet from Celindria’s shoulders and put his hands on her.
Nox backed them onto a chaise on the balcony and sat with Celindria straddling him.
Loss.
Love.
Through her tears, Celindria took love from Nox—The only time she ever felt it completely was in his arms.
And she would destroy him for it.
Celindria would keep this pregnancy only to end it. For Imminence, for Nox’s resurrection, and for consecrating the Eternal Bind—No image of a blue-eyed girl in Cascading Light could stop it.
{Now}
Celindria awakened, frightened for the first time in eight thousand years.
The Probabilities were shrinking.
This shouldn’t occur until later, after Celindria’s Nox was ready. What could this mean for the Eternal Bind? Her calculations were clear: once the pair who comprised the Eternal Bind united, the Probabilities would vanish until only one remained.
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The only true existence.
The initial fear abated, and now Celindria felt nothing as she wandered across her chambers. A backward glance at the vacant bed, in all its grandeur, reminded the First Progeny of her most important task. Nox would wake today.
Naked as before, Celindria walked onto her balcony. A nacre shield prevented the wind from slashing at her, one thousand stories into the air. From up here, the Empress could look down upon her empire.
Ishkur never looked so beautiful.
Under Celindria’s rule, the galaxy was an Eden. All the people were her, and they were closer to happiness than she could ever be. Not since she’d stepped into Cascading Light’s source on Thailea.
In this reality, Razor’s last act against Celindria’s invasion was to split the Aegis planet in half with the Chorus.
It was a pity, as Celindria couldn’t migrate her forces to other universes. This Probability’s Remorse had enjoyed taunting her about it in his last moments. “The one man you never fucked, fucked you in the end, you bitch.” His mad laughter bayed like a hyena, knowing his end was near.
Primary Rem had died on his knees, screaming.
This was Celindria’s favorite reality. She only needed Nox to complete it. In all the Probabilities passed, when he’d resurrected on Gait, he’d first confront Celindria about the loss of their child.
Nox called it murder.
Celindria called it costly.
The price she paid for this empire. The one she’d named Paradise.
Once Celindria explained to him how she fought for everything while feeling nothing—For him, for them, for everyone—Nox always came around because that’s who they were.
The Eternal Bind.
All the other Probabilities in the Matrix eventually fell in line, proving Celindria’s hypothesis about their relationship. And yet…
They were shrinking.
This felt above her, beyond her—Ancient.
But how?
During Imminent’s calls, Razor had warned Remorse that his father—the Exalted, Zero, leader of the Aegis—maintained one or two pure bred agents disguised within the Twelve Worlds. Was it possible these carefully orchestrated manipulations of the Probability Matrix legitimized the Pain Curator’s guilt-induced paranoia as valid concerns?
Aegis.
Beings of incredible intellect and patience. Even a single one free in the galaxy posed a threat to Celindria’s machinations, but explained so much of the trouble Imminent had encountered within the dominant Probability.
Nox danced with Rayne.
Korac fell in love with the Seamswalker.
Nox took Rayne for all of Cinder to see.
Rayne disintegrated Nox’s nacre.
Silence awakened and sided with the Shadow.
Andrew was exposed to Cascading Light.
Xelan resurrected.
Sagan destroyed their source of Aegis blood and ore.
Pax stayed with his family.
Razor killed Remorse and Bol.
Never mind the countless deaths, survivals, and alliances—broken and formed.
Celindria leaned on the balcony’s balustrade and stared out at the glittering lights miles below. Across the galaxy, she worked the populace. Every single being contributed to the operation of Paradise, and they all loved it. Inside their mindscapes, they cried with grateful tears and thanked Celindria for releasing them from the constant threat of decision. Saving them from heartache and loss.
Two experiences Celindria both never wanted to endure again and begged to feel with every heartbeat.
Once she finished creating Nox and exposed him to Cascading Light’s source, they could bring Hope here. Afterward, they’d establish this as the dominant reality and reduce the others until none but Paradise remained.
Only then would Celindria feel love again.