[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

[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.

[founderinglight]

Mmm. Best wait until after dark, just to be safe.

[Until they have answers, it is maybe better to face the possibility of daemons than the sun.]

Isn't there that old field past the library that people used to use for weapons training? That's close enough to town that it should be well-lit.

[scourgingstars]

That should do well enough. And I can't imagine anyone would just happen upon us by chance, either.

[founderinglight]

No, especially not as it gets later at night.

[Most people simply aren't comfortable at night the way they are. Always have been.

Not daemons, perhaps, but there's an uncomfortable sort of kinship there nonetheless.]

I know Mother said we used pens before, but we might want to try with some of those party glowsticks first. Less likely to lose them in the field if it doesn't work.

[scourgingstars]

That's not a bad idea--else we'll spend more time looking through the grass than we are testing any of this.

[founderinglight]

You've got a stash of them somewhere on your side of the room - you get those, and I'll see about packing a lunch for the road so we're not dragged back here before we're ready.

[scourgingstars]

I can certainly do that.

[...they're probably somewhere in that unholy organized chaos]

[founderinglight]

[Yeah exactly, Izunia's side of the room is neat even if it features an unholy amount of bookshelves. Ardyn's.... less so.

Honestly, getting together a lunch of sandwiches and some fruit is probably the easier job.

So sometime later, Izunia will stick his head up over the attic floor - ]

Any luck?

[scourgingstars]

Working on it.

[he said, half-buried in a pile of junk, books, and more junk.]

I'm sure they're here somewhere...

[founderinglight]

There's still a shop or two open, if you can't find them.

[IE let's go now before they close.]

[scourgingstars]

Of course I can find them.

[read: he's stubborn and stupid]

[founderinglight]

Ardyn...

[Oh honestly, brother, you are a mess.]

[scourgingstars]

Fine, fine, we'll do it your way. Let's go.

[founderinglight]

Come on, then, I've got everything else ready.

[They'll just nip into Solheim Walmart for some glowsticks on their way it's fine.

The field is empty and there's a slight breeze. Overhead, the sky is clear beneath the stars and the red light of the moon. Izunia stops as they enter the dim field, only really light enough to keep daemons away near the edges, to look at it.]

[scourgingstars]

...Izunia? What's wrong, I thought you eager to get started.

[founderinglight]

Oh, nothing. Just thinking again, that's all.

[He pulls a glowstick from the bag and cracks it, shaking it to mix the fluid. It's blue, of course.]

Shall we?

[scourgingstars]

Are you sure?

[He reached over to crack a red one, tilting his head at his brother.]

[founderinglight]

Of course I'm sure, Ardyn. Just because I'm the introspective one doesn't mean everything is all that important.

[He tosses his glowstick in his hand as he sets the lunchbag down out of the way, getting a feel for the weight.]

[scourgingstars]

If you say so. Do you want to go first?

[founderinglight]

Well, if you're offering.

[He tosses the glowstick in his hand one more time, before pulling back his arm and -

Well, the glowstick glows and it goes, but nothing else happens.]

...I suppose we can hardly expect success on the first attempt.

[scourgingstars]

...I guess not, but that was still terribly anticlimactic.

[founderinglight]

Let's see you try it, then.

[MEanwhile he'll start cracking another glowstick.]

[scourgingstars]

Don't be too hurt when I figure it out first.

[He threw the glowstick in a streak of red, staying right where he was as it fell just as anticlimactically.]

[founderinglight]

[Izunia just smirks, pointedly looking at the red light on the ground near his blue one.]

Of course. I wouldn't dream of it.

[And with another toss, he... goes exactly nowhere.

It's a good thing they've got a lot of glowsticks.]