Izunia Lucis Caelum (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
founderinglight) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lazybox2018-04-07 08:10 pm
founderinglight) wrote in lazybox2018-04-07 08:10 pm
[half to be whole]
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.
----
- 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.
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[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.
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[MEanwhile he'll start cracking another glowstick.]
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[He threw the glowstick in a streak of red, staying right where he was as it fell just as anticlimactically.]
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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.]
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[An eyeroll, another toss, and another glowstick landing harmlessly on the ground.]
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Did you see that?! That was something!
[ - on the sixth or seventh throw, Izunia manages to make it produce a shower of bright crystals in the air before it hits the ground.]
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There's another flash of sparks, not quite as big.]
Definitely have to be aiming at something, not just tossing them, I think?
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...interesting. I wonder why the distinction matters.
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[Now the race is really on.]
Probably so that we don't accidentally slip something from our fingers and wind up halfway across the room? Or smacking into a wall, or however this works.
[Also they're going to have to stop and pick up glowsticks soon.]
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[Last glowstick before he has to go picking them up...
This time, there's a sharper burst of light - Izunia stumbles a few steps forward, as he's pulled off his feet to somewhere ten feet or so in front of him, and barely manages to keep his balance.]
Ha!
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[Look sometimes you just. magic. Magic is like that.]
I was focusing on the path of the throw and I just...
[He stops instead to pick up the glowstick dropped by his feet, and throws it again -
This time, nothing happens.]
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[...and flashed straight into his brother, crashing headlong into him.]
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In spite of the sudden impact knocking the breath out of him, Izunia is laughing as he tries to get out from under Ardyn.]
It works! Now we just have to get it working every time.
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It's...it's a start, at least.
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I can't believe that actually - magic.
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[kids.]
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