Duel Between Beings
CELESTIAL REALM
LUNA’S POV
“Keep moving Luna, we are almost there.” Cerena, my friend and assistant urged as she gently pulled me up the rocky path. I held on tightly to the tiny basket on my chest.
“I can't take a step further.” I breathed, I sat on the dusty floor, tiny stones pricked at my bare feet, leaving a trail of blood. We have been on the run for too long and each day, our camp grows thin.
“We have to keep you safe.” Cerena pressed as she pulled weakly at my arm.
“Where’s Dane?” I asked, I can't search for him or anyone in my mind, it isn't safe.
“He is right behind us, masking our tracks,” Cerena tried to pull me up. “But it won't last, he is getting closer.”
And stronger.
I pulled back my arm, sinking in despair as I thought about Lilú, the one I had given my heart and the cause of all this suffering. How did I miss it? Lilú’s thirst for power had eaten at his heart till there was nothing left.
I had made this world perfect for us both, but his jealousy had been greater than his love. He has taken control over the first firmament, destroyed my loyals and taken command of the celestials. I have fled from realms to realms, but he has always found me, the planet Khur, is my only hope.
I created Khur, a place of blue mountains cloaked in green forests, my last realm after the earth. I will stay there for a while, keep this basket away from him till his strength fails, he cannot get what's inside; he cannot have everything. I pulled it tightly to my chest.
“Goddess!” Dane’s voice broke through my thoughts. “We cannot travel to Khur.” I whipped my head up, this ill news gave me a rush of strength.
“Why not?”
“Khur has been claimed.” Dane said, his olive pupils glowed. “I'm afraid there is nowhere else to go.”
“There's always a way.” I thought about the stars, tinier than the realms but we can fix sizes. No one will check the stars.
“We will dwell among the stars.”
Dane frowned. “The tiny shiny dots?”
“That is the last place he will look.” Cerena replied as she helped me up, my arms still clutched the basket. I faced Dane, my most faithful being in charge of hunting and the gatekeeper of the realms.
“Take us to Mimeosa.” I said.
“Goddess, I will have to alter our size to make us smaller…we have little time.” Dane said as he glanced cautiously behind him.
“I insist.”
Dane raised his arm above his head, making spiral movements in the air, as he prepared a portal. Slowly, the sky turned purple, Dane flipped through the small opening in the middle, in search of the star.
Dust and tiny pebbles rose like smoke, snaking upwards to the sky.
“Hurry!” Cerana said, “Lilú will see…”
“Do not speak his name!!!” Dane and I screamed at once.
Cerena clamped both hands on her mouth, realising the damage she's done.
“Faster!” I screamed at Dane, hoping for the impossible.
He is here.
Dane tried to move, his muscles strained but it was useless against the force holding him in place. I felt it before I saw him, his dark presence, that freezes everyone in fear.
Lilú descended from the portal, with a chain sword on his hand and a curved blade attached to his waist, his ivory wings flapping heavily as he did.
“Come now my love, it is over.”
“No.” I took a step back, sharp stones dug deeper into my wounds.
“Oh please, he wasn't talking about you.” Cerena said flippantly as she brushed past me, and straight into Lilú’s waiting arms.
“I've missed you.” Cerena purred as she kissed him on the cheek.
My mouth fell open, I felt like the last piece of my heart was being ripped out, never in my all seeing eyes would I have imagined this kind of betrayal, not from Lilú or Cerena.
I made love sacred, but what will be the fate of my creatures if the celestials soils that which is sacred?
Lilú's sin goes beyond greed and pride, now he has betrayed my love.
Did he ever love me?
“You did it on purpose, you called him here.”
I thought as the creator, I knew everything, that I had everything under control. What have I done?
“Why?”
“Enough question Luna, hand it over.” Lilú boomed, he pushed Cerena aside as he advanced towards me. I forced my legs to move backwards.
“Give me the lights.” He reached for the basket cradled in my arms, pulling hard.
“No!” I pulled hard, the struggle continued until the basket ripped open, spilling its contents. The two great lights I had kept from him rolled downhill.
“What have you done!?” Lilú roared. Without thinking I picked the one closest to me, the moonlight glowed cool, Lilú ran after the sun.
It is pointless, I can't get both, but the one is useless without the other.
“Give me the moon.” Lilú commanded. I cradled the moon to my chest, and I ran. I ran uphill without daring to look back.
“After her!” Lilú roared at Cerena. I couldn't fly, I snapped my wings after Lilú placed a tracer on them. Cerena smiled devilishly as she tried to run after me. I made her light footed, she will get me in minutes. What kind of creator makes something that'll destroy her?
“No!” Dane screamed as he snapped out of the web. I couldn't see what happened next, but I heard Cerena curse as she fell heavily on the floor, no doubt, under the weight of Dane.
I heard electric crackles as Dane screamed in sharp pain, while Lilú laughed menacingly.
I halted, standing on the precipice of a cliff. I steadied myself, the moon still cradled against my chest.
“You have nowhere to run Luna,” Lilú drawled, the sun glowed in his hands. “Hand me the moon and I will let you live.”
I looked down the cliff, I will not survive the fall.
“Stay back!” I warned, my mind raced, how do I get out of this place? Who will help me out?? Dave groaned painfully under the weight of whatever Lilú has done to him.
He took a step closer, his wings spread and conscious of his weight on the hanging rock.
“Luna, hand it over.”
I closed my eyes, searching for something.. anything. I reached in for that one place inside me I had never shared with Lilú, my core, I searched for answers.
I opened my inner eyes in search of the one thing that has not been corrupted by Lilú’s greed, then I saw it, my greatest creation…Earth.
Somehow I felt the pull, drawn to the cry of a woman, a mother, a creator. Her newborn lay stiffly in her arms.
“Goddess please take me instead!” She wailed, her agony and piercing cry tugged at my heart. Tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably as her baby turned pale, eyes unblinking.
The nurses closed in around her, some tried to console her and take the dead baby.
“Stay back! She screamed at them. The goddess will answer my prayers, I know it.”
Just then, it came to me, I know what I must do. Lilú has no power on earth, he can't reach me there. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
“You will never get it.”
With the last of my strength, I reached into the moon’s core, plucked out the one thing Lilú will never find and rammed it into my chest.
The moon turned cold in my hands while my chest burned like molten larva.. The scream tore from my throat as my eyes burned. It hurts, everything hurts. But what would I not give up for Earth?
“Go to earth.” I whispered to the moon, and slowly, I let it drop from my hands into the darkness below.
“No!” Lilú screamed, “I will make you regret this!” He promised as he advanced towards me. It was too late, I was already falling down hard and fast. Away from him, away from the pain of betrayal to the promise of a new beginning, a life I created for myself.
•
“Where did she go?” Lilú grabbed Dane roughly by the scruff of his shirt.
“She bested you.” Dane mocked.
Lilú fumed, his eyes glowed red as he spoke.
“You better start talking or I will remove your tongue.”
“Go ahead Lilú, I am not afraid of you.”
Lilú threw him to the ground and bound him with a chain coated in fire.
“In time you will be. Guards!!” Lilú roared as a host of Griffins filled the plain, one landed behind Dane.
“Lock him up in the Graven Caves and t*****e him for days unending.” Lilú commanded.
“By the time I'm done with you, you will beg to serve me.”
Dane held Lilú's gaze, unafraid.
“You will be wasting your time for all eternity.”
“Take him away!” Lilú roared. I want you to hunt all realms, search everywhere until Luna is found!”
Lilú stared at the Sun in his hands, a useless piece without the moon. He threw it at Cerena.
“You are the swiftest of all creatures, hold on to it and find Luna.”
“Yes my love, I will find her and get back what's yours.”
“You better,” Lilú said. “Or I will bring destruction to all she created. Everything.”
AUTHOR'S POV
EARTH
“No!!!!” Adora screamed as the nurses pried her lifeless child from her. It had been seven years of waiting and forty eight hours of labour only for her child to stop breathing as soon as she came out.
“Bring her back!!” She cried.
“I'm sorry ma’am, but we need to stop your bleeding.” The nurses pleaded.
“Don't touch me! Bring back my child or let me die with her.” She wept bitterly.
“Don't wrap her, let me hold her!” She tried to get off the bed.
“Hold her down!” The doctor said as he brought in a syringe of morphine to keep her calm.
“No!” Adora struggled from the weight of the hands holding her down.
Just then, a sneeze. Everyone paused, the whole room went deathly silent, some didn't dare to breathe.
The sharp cry sliced through the silence, piercing the ears of everyone in the room.
“She's alive.” One of the nurses exclaimed as she took the child to her mother's arms.
Adora ran her hands through her cheek, counted her fingers and toes. She laughed, and cried and laughed again.
“Goddess be praised, I will name you Celeste.”
