[half to be whole]

[founderinglight]

Once upon a time, there were seven stars in the sky.

----

- and though he was not the brightest of them, the most beloved by the people was the moon. For though it was the sun that gave the light required for living, it was the moon, with its ever-changing faces, that was thought to most resemble humanity. The light of the sun was a constant burning, brilliant but harsh, impossible to gaze upon directly. The moon showed himself to the people, and lit the depths of night to keep the darkness away. He pulled upon the tides, keeping the sea in check, and touched both the dark and the light within people with gentle, compassionate hands.

The sun was king, but the moon beloved. Thus was the harsh sun jealous of his gentler brother.

And so, one day, the sun drew his many swords of metal and flame, and challenged the moon. And the moon, believing he had nothing to fear from his brother the sun, accepted. But the sun struck not with the force of a friendly duel, but with a cleaving blow, past all of the blades of the moon, pale reflections of the sun's own, and slew his brother.

----

And so it was that the moon, betrayed, never showed his face to the sun again, but hung, lifeless, in the shadow of the world, visible only by a dim, blood-red glow. And the tides stilled, and the nights darkened, until the people dared not step into them. And so the sun, though never beloved as his brother, became the sole ruler of the sky.

So it has been, for two thousand years.

----

And then, one day, a woman asked the sea for a child.

The sea rose up to meet her, and it said, I have no children of my own to give you, for none would survive in the air. But my brother the sun has made two sons, and cares nothing for them. He cares more for the glitter of ice in the firelight, for he was always jealous of those who had the love of the people.

And the woman said, please.

And the sea said, Return in the night with a single cradle, and they shall be yours. But until they are grown, they must be kept from the sun, for he should he know that they have escaped him, he shall surely come for them.

And so the woman did, and set the cradle to float in the arms of the sea. And when it returned to her, inside were two boys, their hands curled together in sleep.

The fire saw, for he was in the torch the woman held to keep away the terrors of the night. And the storm saw, in the clouds that gathered overhead like a blanket, and the earth saw, in the grains of sand along the beach. And the ice saw, for she sees all that is beloved.

But the sun saw nothing, as the sea gave the children of the moon, one of dark and one of light, to the hands of the mortal woman.

And the woman swept her sons to her breast and vanished into the night.

Or at least, that is how they would say it happened, the writers of myths, if they knew it happened at all.

----

"Ardyn!"

Izunia drops the hand away from his mouth, sighing, as he finally sees his brother turn in his direction. "Come on, we're going to be late, and it's not fashionably late if it's your own party."

Over his head, the hum of magitek lights keeps the darkness of the night at bay - a blessing, for the twins, who are paler than near all the rest of the city, with red hair the color of the eternally-shadowed moon. Tonight, finally, is their coming of age, and the end of the rules that have restricted them to the nighttime. Officially, it's due to sun sensitivity, unusual in this day and age, but -

You mustn't tell anyone. I promise, I'll tell you when you're grown. I just want to keep you safe.

- truth be told, Izunia is looking forward less to the party than he is to their mother's long-promised explanation after. Social affairs have always been more Ardyn's comfort zone, Izunia more at ease with quiet nights at home.

Comments

[scourgingstars]

[I'm sorry, were you counting on Ardyn waking up anytime soon?]

[Because late afternoon or not, he's just going to turn over and hug his brother like an oversized stuffed animal.]

[founderinglight]

[Well he's perfectly content with that! ... For a while, anyway.]

Ardyyyyyyyyyyyyn, let go, I have to piss...

[scourgingstars]

Mmph...

[It is in fact possible to disengage the cling! But he's just gonna snuggle a pillow instead.]

[founderinglight]

[Yeah, he'll just slide a pillow into your arms instead and go take care of his business. Yawning, he eventually stumbles back, seating himself on the side of his own bed and running a hand through his brother's hair.]

Come on, you limpet, you have to get up eventually.

[scourgingstars]

...mmdonwanna.

[why, when he could get headpats like the lazy giant cat he is]

[founderinglight]

What, don't want to be around while I try to figure out if we have magic for real or not?

[Cmon Ardyn get up.]

[scourgingstars]

M'tired.

[this is an actual child.]

[founderinglight]

[Two actual children. Shove.]

Up with you.

[scourgingstars]

[uuuUUUUGH]

Fine, alright, stop pushing...

[founderinglight]

[Izunia pauses, considering for a moment...

And then leans in and blows hard into Ardyn's ear, before jumping up and crossing the room before Ardyn's sleepy form can retaliate.]

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn yelped in alarm, jumping a mile in the air and falling clear out of bed in his scrambled attempts to grab his brother before he got out of range.]

[Rude.]

[founderinglight]

[And from the stairs, Izunia just laughs.]

There we go! He rises at last!

[scourgingstars]

You're the worst and I hate you.

[he said, from the floor.]

[founderinglight]

I am the best, and you love me, and I already started the coffee machine.

[scourgingstars]

...let me get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs.

[coffee]

[founderinglight]

That's the way.

[By the time Ardyn comes down, Izunia is already fussing with his own cup at the kitchen table.]

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn yawned as he came downstairs, rubbing at his eyes and pouring his own cup of coffee before sitting down.]

...morning.

[founderinglight]

Morning. You were only about as stubborn as usual.

[scourgingstars]

Mmph.

[Give him a few minutes for more than vague noises of acknowledgement.]

[founderinglight]

[It's not like they don't have a morning routine involving one morning person and one zombie.]

Sausage?

[scourgingstars]

Mmhm.

[braaaaaaaaaains.]

[founderinglight]

[Ardyn.exe can continue booting over his coffee, Izunia will just throw some sausage in a pan and put a couple leftover biscuits in the oven. It's all good.]

[scourgingstars]

[feed him]

Mm...so how do you want to go about figuring this out?

[founderinglight]

[him feed here, take a plate full of these and also some orange slices? bro's got you.]

Nothing lost by experimenting, is there? Though we'll probably need a big bigger open space than the kitchen or your workshop.

[Once they had a living room. Then Ardyn discovered a passion for machinery. Now there's only probably a couch in there under all the junk (and Izunia's books).]

[scourgingstars]

We can probably find somewhere. A field or something, maybe.