Destiny

I was reborn the night I fell from the heavens. It was a freefall, with nothing to stop me. I heard nothing, saw nothing, and knew nothing. It was only when I landed on the white ashes of snow that I came into consciousness. For the first time, I opened my eyes to the darkened skies. Shards of crystalline light glittered in the viridian night. The soft light soothed me, reminding me of the Vortex’s stars. As I lay there in the pure white snow, I felt neither pain from the great fall, nor iciness from the cold. My gaze drifted towards a burnished silver disk above me: the Moon. As silent snow drifted down to surround me I began to remember…

My home was the City of the Sun. Imagine a vast metropolis built solely of golden light. The City was a place indescribable in beauty and delight. It was said that when the first angels built the City, they cried at its splendour. Their tears became the first of my kind, and since then, we have known that beauty always comes at a price.

The City was a perfect place and I imagined living there forever. I was never lonely, for I always had a companion. When I was created, I only had half of a Soul. Another individual had also been created with the other half of my Soul. His name was Solarus and the bond between us was deeper than blood or even love. I never regretted being so closely linked to him… until that day…

While we shared a common Soul and knew each other’s minds, our similarities ended there. Solarus’ name fit him perfectly. He was a true scion of Helios, the all-giving Sun. He had golden hair, amber eyes and bronze skin. If he was bright and openhearted, I was dark and mysterious. I came from Selene’s lineage. She was the serene Moon, enigmatic yet generous. I had pale skin and hair as dark as a starless night. My eyes were pale opal, the mark of Selene’s line; Helios’ mark was the burning amber eyes.

It was strange that two bodies of one Soul were so starkly different. Yet it did not matter; we were a perfect balance of dark and light. I never questioned our bond, but knew we were created for a purpose. Yet purpose or no, we were always together, even on that fateful day.

Solarus had just been Initiated into the highest rank of Helios’ followers; he would forever walk in the light of the sun. His was now a Seraph: one of the City’s influential few. After the Initiation, I found him at the Temple. Walking up the thousand steps of gold veined marble, I saw him resplendent in gold. He smiled at me and I smiled back, although my heart felt torn in two pieces. I wanted to be happy for him and share his triumph. But it frightened me that between us was a chasm of elite status. Solarus felt my emotions and held me close. He assured me nothing would change. But it was not meant to be.

In a heartbeat, an ominous cloud of black thunder enveloped the City and the lights went out forever. A sharp wind began to blow and I shivered at the unexpected cold. We wondered what was happening, but there was nothing we could do. Then suddenly an unmistakable sound came that only the very first of our kind had heard. As their descendents, it haunted our darkest nightmares and we learned to fear it: it was the sound of the City’s destruction.

We watched as the City’s shields rose in eerie crescents. I did not understand when Solarus said the City was cursed. He commanded me to flee, but I wouldn’t – couldn’t – leave him. Solarus couldn’t leave; as a Seraph, it was his duty to defend the City unto the end. When the City’s call sounded, he left in a whirl of solitary light and did not look back. I heard the sound of lightning and saw the pearly shields had enclosed the City in a fragile bubble. Thunder blasted around me and lighting scarred the skies in harsh streaks of light. I shuddered.

Soon, the screams began. I closed my eyes and silent tears slid down my face. The oppression in the City grew unbearable and without thinking, I fled. I ran faster than I had ever run, my mind charting its own path as I ran through the flickering City. The shields had been broken in many places and lightning lanced through the dark clouds. My heart was filled with pain for the beautiful City: my home.

Blinded by tears, I did not look where I headed. Too late, I felt the golden warmth of the City fade. What I saw ahead chilled me. The un-Initiated were forbidden to tread this sacred ground, but some strange force compelled me to keep walking. Like a stray rock caught in the orbit of a dying star, I was drawn to the dark chasm that opened before my feet. I knew what I saw, even though I had never been here: the Edge of the World.

I held my breath and looked down. I stood at the edge of a swirling whirlpool. It was as black as shadow. Silver lightning streaked through it and showers of golden sparks flashed. Suspended above the very centre of the whirlpool was a glowing orb wreathed in pearly mist. It spun slowly upon an invisible axis. I closed my eyes and opened them again. I was, undoubtedly, awake.

Standing at the Edge, I waited. This was the Vortex of Creation, the place where all primordial life came into being. There was nowhere else to go, beyond the Edge, beyond the Vortex. I stood tense, waiting for something, for someone that I did not know. But when an ethereal voice spoke my name, I was entranced. The Voice spoke and I listened; I could do nothing else. When the Voice stopped, realisation dawned.

This had all happened because of Sin. Sin was intangible, immeasurable, and unnoticeable. Yet it weighed down Souls until the scales of balance tipped and Darkness reigned again. For aeons, my kind had slowly been weighed down with Sin. The catastrophe was the result of that imbalance. It could have been averted, if we only knew. Yet the City thrived on Sin, for it had been built from Sin itself. Like Solarus said, the City was cursed.

I could not believe it then, but how else could the encroaching shadow be explained? The Vortex had known, long before, and now it was ready for the final choice. Before my eyes, the silvery globe dissolved and to my surprise, Solarus stepped out. He faced me, but his eyes were hollow, filled with a darkness I have never seen. Entranced by Solarus’ sudden appearance, I did not hear the Voice as it spoke again.

“Will you take the Sin?” the Voice asked.

I began to protest, but denial was useless. Sadness weighed down my heart. I understood that Solarus had tipped the balance with his initiation as a Seraph. The few Seraphs held true power over the City; and because of that bond, their Souls were also tainted by Sin. If only Solarus had not become a Seraph, his half-Soul would not have the burden of Sin and therefore unbalance the City. By sharing half a Soul with Solarus, I could counteract his part of Sin with my purity of un-Initiation.
I gazed at Solarus. His expression remained blank. Did he realize what he had done? The Vortex waited for my decision. Should I take the burden of Solarus’ Sin and balance the City of the Sun? Or should I save my half-Soul and let the City perish?

“Yes.” I said, my words sealing my fate. “I will take the Sin.”

The Vortex did not hesitate. The ground I stood upon dissolved, but I did not fall. Suspended in air, I floated towards Solarus at the centre of the Vortex. Instinctively, I reached out to touch his hand. Immediately, he began to glow with a golden light and my own hand shone silver. It was nearly imperceptible at first, the transfer of Sin from his half-Soul to mine. But soon, I felt a dead weight within me. Sin.

“Now you must leave.” The Voice spoke. I nodded numbly. Sin could not be kept in the City of Light; it must be taken elsewhere for the balance to regain itself.

Slowly, I felt the pull of the Vortex. I touched Solarus’ hand and willed him to wake. Golden light exploded out of his body and he blinked. I reached up to him, but the Vortex pulled me farther away. He must have sensed a presence, for he looked around and finally saw me falling through the Vortex.

His eyes grew wide and in the moment before I was consumed by the Vortex, he screamed my name. “Lunara!”

I reached back for him, but it was too late. His hand extended towards me, but I was too far away. Without hesitation, he dived into the Vortex. I screamed with frustration. Taking Sin away from the City was my job; I had accepted this task to spare him. But Solarus did not know. He fell swiftly and within moments, I felt his warm embrace for the last time before we were thrown apart by an explosion that shook the Vortex. I saw him fall away and then the Vortex threw me out into the skies. I felt cool wind in my hair as I fell and landed in a new world…

As I lay on the snow, I remembered. Suddenly, I thought of Solarus. Was he here on this world? I sat up slowly and looked around. A sea of white snow spread to the horizon; more snow drifted gently from the grey skies. In the distance, dark shadows grew from the land, recognizable as mountains. The world was eerily silent, contrasting sharply to the teeming life in the City.

But in the solitude, I did not feel alone. In my heart, I knew Solarus was near. Already, my half-Soul was searching for him. I looked back up at the skies. In the distance, I saw a shining star and knew that it was the City of the Sun. But the weight of Sin was heavy on my half-Soul and I looked away in regret. I could never return, not with Sin. I could lock the memories of my former life away forever, but there would always be a heartache that never healed.

I stood up confidently and took my first step in the cold new world. I knew that my steps would lead me to Solarus. He was the other half of my Soul and we were meant to be together. Come what may, I would find him.