Calandor stood on the observation deck of Lumina Hall, looking at the spinning world below. Amidst the stars and comets, swirls of violet Etherdust wove through voluminous clouds that dotted the volatile planet, enveloping enormous jade oceans and soaring over continents rife with hostility and famine.
Even after all these years of guiding the Fae toward peace and prosperity, they never learned. Instead, they chose death, destruction, and greed. They chose power. The power of gods and goddesses. Power which could give them a leg up on the Siderians—the rightful rulers of Dioscuri.
They were told time and again that the Siderians weren’t a weapon to be wielded. And Calandor believed it would only be after his bones had turned to dust and returned to the heavens that the Fae would finally understand their destined place—beneath the feet of those who created them. Calandor’s only regret is that he wouldn’t be alive to witness the inevitable realization.
Footsteps echoed throughout the hall before stopping just behind Calandor. He turned his head slowly, unsurprised when he saw Auriel. He returned his gaze to Dioscuri, saying nothing.
Auriel huffed and paced next to him. “This is a drastic approach, and you know it.”
“It is the only way they will learn,” Calandor said. The weeks of arguing had led him here, and he refused to change his stance when any other option would prove futile.
“Our kin are still down there!” Auriel’s voice was shrill, frantic, and laced with uncertainty. Expectant. She had always been soft-hearted for the Fae. “Give them time to make it back. Please.”
Please. Oh, how that word grated on him. The Siderians do not beg. They do not kneel. We weathered the storm and ruled.
“Sacrifices must be made,” Calandor said. “This is how it must be.”
“But why? Reason with them.”
Calandor turned to Auriel, his blood simmering, his spine stiff. “We have tried that.”
“Try again.” Auriel’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Once more… try once more.”
Calandor smacked his hand against the glass pane and yelled, “There are no more chances! You were outvoted, Auriel. The unfortunate loss of our brethren below will be mourned for years, but it is done. This is it.”
Auriel inhaled sharply as Calandor strode to the circular platform in the center of the hall. As he stepped onto it, brilliant white lights flared to life, illuminating the space. Gears turned and clicked, and the ancient scepter rose from the platform.
Calandor held his breath. He had never seen the artifact—no one had. Only when conditions were met would the scepter appear. He glanced at Auriel who only gave him a solemn nod of reluctant understanding.
He ran a slender finger along the iridescent orb resting at the top. Leaning closer, he squinted to get a better look inside. A miniature version of Dioscuri bobbed about with wisp-like tendrils linking it to the heavens that encompassed it. Their universe. The Siderians’ universe.
Calandor shook as he curled his hand around the scepter’s middle. After this, there would be no going back. They would set events in motion and what would come, would come.
Not giving himself time to reconsider, he lifted the scepter. A piercing ringing echoed off the sterile walls of Lumina Hall, and he slammed it back down into place. The room groaned and the tower rumbled.
Auriel gasped. “Calandor, look,” she said, pointing down below to Dioscuri.
Calandor took shaky steps from the platform, ignoring the twitching in his muscles, and stalked toward Auriel. Silent tears were rolling down her cheeks. A hand covered her mouth, and her eyes were wide, full of terror.
His jaw tightened as the heavens cracked, shattering into countless shards, revealing a chaotic display of swirling colors and shapes. The two Siderians jumped when the once-unified sky burst apart in a magnificent explosion of light and sound. Fragmented pieces became a mosaic of broken light, each reflecting its own unique hue. In slow motion, celestial detritus drifted away, leaving a deep void of darkness in their wake. The heavens unraveled and only a jagged black scar remained, severing their ties to Dioscuri for good.