[Where The Stars Shine] by otkrlj and SciFiRejex – Blue Strokes

It was nightbreak again. Kollan Castle lay in silence, and it was a silence of two parts. The first part belonged to the castle itself: an old stone keep with thick walls that had stood here for hundreds of years, tall towers at each corner where men could look out over their lands from high above, so they would know if any enemy approached them unseen by day or night. That same kind of quietness also belonged to those who lived within these walls - the people whose lives were bound up tightly into this place like threads woven together on a tapestry.

The second was that of the stars. It seemed as though every one shone more brightly than last night, beaming down upon all living things around Kollan's borders. And although there wasn't yet another full moon, the sky still glittered with its light enough that anyone might have been able to see anything hidden away Under darkness's cover. But no one did find what he sought today - not even when everyone searched until long after sundown came and went.

"Have you come to a decision, Prince Eron?" Ithil bowed in her frilly maid's dress. She'd dressed herself quite prettily tonight. She wore red and brown hair braided neatly behind her head now instead of hanging loose about it, and her black eyes gleamed beneath heavy lids. Everything shone with a traditional elven flair. Her smile was sweetly innocent but somehow too knowing to be genuine.

"We don't exactly have much of a choice." Eron gently lifted his arms off the stone balcony. "Send the signal, the Virga Stellarum shall be activated tonight."

"Yes my lord." With a spin of her dress, Ithil silently set upon her given task.

Eron glanced up towards the shining dots up in the sky. He thought perhaps they looked larger than usual, brighter, almost glowing through the thin veil of clouds that hung overhead. He couldn't remember ever seeing such clear skies - not since before the war began.

Inside his room a fire blazed to a simple tune. Embers danced against the inside walls of the heated stone. The flames were bright and hot enough to keep the room warm despite the cold that swept through these halls. A wooden chair sat by the fireplace, next to another window that overlooked both the courtyard below and the stars above.

Where had everything gone wrong? How far must we go back to find some semblance of normalcy among us once more? His father had always said that the gods alone knew why humans should choose violence over peace; how else can they explain their own existence except through conflict, strife, bloodshed? As though without that struggle, life is meaningless, useless…

He didn't think that way anymore, not really. Even among the Elven people those traits had always rested.

"My lord." He turned as a soft voice beckoned him. Ithil stood with a battalion of armored guards just outside his door. They carried swords and shields strapped across their backs, wearing armor of chain mail and plate metal. Their faces were stern, their expressions serious, as though ready for battle at a moment's notice. "Preparations are complete."

Ithil moved closer, and Eron saw she held something between her hands. For a brief instant he saw what looked to be a flash of metal. Then, he realized it wasn't made of steel or iron—it was a crystal rod, cut perfectly smooth and polished. A shining star adorned the top. This was the Virga Stellarum; The Rod of Stars.

"The stars are rather bright tonight, don't you think Ithil?" Eron grasped the Virga Stellarum within his hands, feeling the cold yet smooth crystal dance in the moonlight.

"The brightest they've been in years, my lord."

"After tonight such a view shall be common. Humans shall no longer pollute the skies with their filth."

Eron glanced out upon the sprawling wilderness - silent with expectations on what was to come. There was nothing left for him to say. Not while he felt this calm within himself. No doubt others had known that the time had finally arrived.

A stone monument shot up from the balcony floor, rising several feet into the air. Atop it floated a single red rose petal. Once the sun fell fully upon this flower, it would shine with a pale luminescence. Its scent was faint compared to most flowers, but Eron found it oddly comforting. A fantastical quality.

Underneath the petal lay a hole within the stone, just wide enough to fit the crystal rod currently in Eron's hands.

With a somber tone, Eron turned to the guards. "Tonight, we choose to end this war. Humanity has polluted the sky with its arrogance and pride - their perchance for slavery and discrimination against those who don't look like them. Fumes of war have made the stars grow dim. To that, I say no longer! Freedom is in our grasp. And no more shall the humans haze the blue sky above."

The guards cheered.

"No more!"

"Freedom!"

They shouted along with Eron's words.

"To that, let me remind you - " Eron raised the Virga Stellarum. "…that only those who stand strong against injustice will enjoy the blessings of freedom!"

"And only millions have to die in the process, what a great deal!" His voice dropped as the door creaked shut. "A fair trade, right oh brother of mine?"

The intruder stood in a black cloak, holding a dagger-like blade in front of him. He appeared young, maybe younger than Eron by five years or so. Yet there was a hardness to his features that suggested otherwise.

His face remained hidden beneath his hooded cowl, but the sharp lines of his jawline spoke volumes about what he was capable of.

"Stay out of this Thayer. This is none of your business."

"You know Eron, when you're threatening to murder millions, it kind of becomes my business." Thayer threw off his cowl, revealing a face similar to Eron's. "I just want to talk brother."

Eron scowled. "Put that knife away first."

Thayer tossed it aside without a glance. Every clatter sent a shockwave throughout the barren air, only broken by the slowly dying fire. "How much do you know?"

"Enough to rush here from the other side of the world. Eron, once you hit that button there's no going back. We're talking not just soldiers, but women and children here - people who haven't committed a single sin against the stars!"

"But they've done plenty against us."

"Brother, please..." Thayer reached out with both hands, trying to take hold of Eron's shoulders. "Think carefully about what you intend to do. You may never get the chance again to make amends."

Eron shoved Thayer back. "And let the humans pollute our lands; destroy our holy sites and ransack our people? No, they shall perish here and now."

"Then we'll fight them," said Thayer. "As many times as it takes. We won't stop until they're dead. Until there isn't a human alive who doesn't fear the sight of an elf! But once we destroy them all no amount of repentance can cleanse us of our sins."

"Do you care?" Eron glared at him with blazing eyes. "What does it matter if a few hundred thousand die? Or tens of thousands?"

Thayer sighted. "Much as I'd like to, I can't fight you. My only tool consists of my words, and even those you shut out. Do you truly wish to kill so many?"

For a brief moment, Eron considered Thayer's position. Just for a little bit. Perhaps he could convince him to change his mind.

"If I'm to win this war, then yes. I suppose I do." He stared into Thayer's dark, sunken eyes.

"Very well then." Thayer slowly turned his back towards the balcony, before twisting back around, knives in both hands. "When you push that button, I hope someone's willing to forgive your sins."

Without warning Thayer charged forward toward Eron. Before he even managed to swing his knives, however, the prince struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious with ease. Without missing a beat, Eron placed the Virga Stellarum within the pedestal.

"For the red blood spilled by elf's around the world. For the blue sky above, clouded by humans filth and sin. And for the white stars high in the sky. I am become  death, the destroyer of worlds."

Without skipping a beat, Eron pressed down on the petal.

And the world itself shook.

A mushroom cloud rose up from the horizon, sending up plumes of smoke and dust. From miles away, the earth trembled and shuddered under its weight, causing trees and rocks to topple over and crush whatever unfortunate souls happened nearby. In seconds, a new mountain range was born atop the ruins of what had once been a peaceful countryside.

The sky lit up with the power of a thousand suns, burning with heat that seared the land, incinerating all vegetation. All life was destroyed in a single instant. The ground quaked, shaking the very foundation of reality. Waves of energy rolled forth as the heavens themselves shattered, shattering into tiny pieces which spread outward in every direction, leaving only the scorched remnants of the former landscape behind.

* * *

The city of Ghalen, capital of the Kingdom of Kyrendar, burned. Not a living human was in sight - only the scorched remains of what was. The outskirts were littered with bodies, crushed beneath the rubble. Flames roared in the distance, consuming entire blocks at once. Those who weren't killed outright ran screaming from the scene. Many of these survivors wandered aimlessly about, lost amidst the chaos. Others stumbled onto the outskirts of town where they collapsed, unable to move any further due to exhaustion or sheer fright.

Eron stumbled back in horror. A shimmering image appeared just above the pillar, showing exactly what he'd done. There was no filter, no relief from the truth.

With a shimmer the image changed. The ruins of what was once a farm lay bare, smoke filled and on fire. It took mere moments to burn completely to ash. Two children crawled out of the ash, fear evident on their faces.

The image shifted again. Now a small village lay scattered amid the forest, surrounded by tall mountains. A family huddled together, waiting to meet their deaths.

Another image flashed before him, then another, each more horrific than the last.

"You see now, brother?" Thayer crawled up from the floor. "We may have won the war, but the elf's will be marked, marked as murders on a scale never seen in history."

Eron only stared at the luminous night above.

"Ithil," She looked up in surprise at Thayer's call. "Please watch over Eron. Once reality hits the nations of the world, only hardships await him."

She bowed towards him. "I'll do my best."

"Very well." Thayer walked up towards the balcony, climbing up the railing. As he stood, his head glanced back towards the stunned audience. "I don't ask this as a royal, but rather as a friend. But Erin, Ithil, stay safe."

And Thayer leaped off the balcony, blending into the shadows with just the faintest glimmer of magic.