Star and Scorn II

  NOVA

  “Blu, you absolute buffoon,” Fadabiea snarled at my husband.

  I stepped over to my husband and wrapped my arms around him, then encircled him with my wings. He blew a raspberry at Fadabiea, then leaned his head on my chest.

  The two of them began arguing more in depth and I surveyed the other three echoes who were also in deep discussion. The tall one named Aerix was looking back and forth between the pop star, Nika, and Frosty the Fireball, Aushen, who were waving their hands around a bunch and tossing nervous glances my way. I zoned back into Fadabiea’s shouting.

  “You wanna say that to my face,” she spat while drawing her scythe. “Get your face out your wife’s rack and come fight me, bitch!”

  Blu’s eyes filled with inky darkness, and he stepped away from me, though I caught the pursing of lips before he covered them. He ran at Fadabiea, blocking her first strike, and continued conversing with her in a casual manner, trading words as well as blades. They clearly had no intention of actually hurting the other, so I let them be and went over to Aerix’s crowd.

  “-need to be some way out, after seeing her appear from our universe.” Aushen said to Nika.

  “Yeah, sure, I’ll just build a ‘get us out of here’ machine, won’t I? Dickhead,” Nika spat irritably.

  “You have a very sweet voice,” I said without thinking.

  “That ‘sposed to be a shot at me coz I’m Nitish?”

  “Not at all, I mean every word I said,” I told Nika earnestly. “I’m actually a fan of yours. So, I’m quite familiar with your singing voice.”

  “Oh.” Nika seemed shocked.

  My hands folded near my waist, and I tried for an amicable posture. “What is everyone so upset about here?”

  “I forgot,” Aerix seemed to have just noticed my presence, they were tapping the crack on their forehead absentmindedly.

  Nika explained that she and Aushen were discussing their next move in terms of what their end goal was. It seemed like the general consensus was to “just leave” as Nika conveyed to me. Apparently, none of them had a clue how to do that and it had become a matter of just trying to survive.

  “I’m sure the way out will present itself in time,” I began with the intention to calm them down. “For now, let me know if you need my help.”

  “It’s just as simple as that, isn’t it?” Bitterness tinged Aushen’s voice.

  “I never said anything about it being simple, dear.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to feel good about that conversation, it was evident my support wasn’t remarkably effective, but I at least tried to some degree. My natural ability to comfort ostensibly was subdued from the day’s events, leaving me emotionally drained.

  Time to recharge.

  A smirk crossed my face as my eyes locked with Sablune’s, his mask had fallen down, and he had Fadabiea pinned to the ground while kneeling on her back, twisting her arm, and shouting, “Yield, you flower flinging bitch!”

  Sablune shook his head at me, a look that might have been fear or disapproval had started to reshape his face.

  I took a step toward him, and he recoiled subtly, furiously shaking his head. He was pleading with me now as I looked him up and down in the most disrespectful way possible. My pinkie finger trailed across my mouth, and I bit my lip with instigative precision.

  Like any other echo, his Concept Energy was tied to his emotions and physiology. The shadows in the room sharpened with uncanny clarity, as if they were physical matter that had the capacity to draw blood. If instinct gets the reins on an echo’s CE before they do, their reaction becomes just as easy as reading body language.

  Even with a poker face as good as my husband’s, he was visibly leaking smoky shadows that spread around his body and that was enough to prove he was fighting with his need for composure. "Fadabiea, you win,” he coughed awkwardly before turning and quietly leaving the room before he left behind reason. Even the last glimpse of his sharpened teeth and nails was a giveaway to his desires.

  I crossed my arms in contempt and blew a strand of hair out of my face, watching as Fadabiea picked herself up from the ground.

  "See, me personally, I wouldn't turn you down so quickly," Fadabiea breathed mischievously.

  "Hun, you wouldn't be physically able to turn me down," I blew Fadabiea a kiss. "Alas, I'm forever bound to my one and only."

  Fadabiea chuckled and went to speak with Aushen who was readying himself to follow Sablune. Nika and Aerix seemed to have already left to help look for somewhere to rest, so I decided I would do the same.

  I entered the next room which was filled with more wooden crates and spotted an open door to my right. Upon entering the room, I ran into Nika, who dropped a small orange object in the collision.

  "I'm sorry, dear, did you need something?" I placed my hands on my legs and leaned over, so I was at eye level with the Echo of Time.

  She looked up at me after retrieving what she had dropped, "I- woah! I uh… Wow…" Nika's eyes wandered furiously as if she were still looking for a missing item.

  "Take your time, dear, I know you have plenty of that."

  Nika took this very literally and reached for a disk at her side and began moving extremely fast. I snatched glimpses of her stomping her feet, yelling into her hands, catching her breath, and fanning herself with her hand. She snapped into position leaning against the door jamb, effectively blocking the entryway, and slung her disk into its holster.

  “I was actually just looking for you, I uhm,” Nika spaced out again. “How tall are you?”

  I smiled at Nika patiently.

  “Right, that’s not important, I meant to give you this for your phone, it should allow it to keep working down here.”

  She handed me the orange chip that she had dropped a moment earlier. “Why thank you, that’s very sweet of you,”

  I took the chip gingerly, retrieving my phone from my bra, while Nika pretended not to notice. I had lost my handbag as well as discarded my cardigan, exposing my arms, leaving me feeling overly light and chilly. The cardigan had gotten torn during the fight in the main room, and the handbag never made it through the vortex with me, leaving me with no other place to put my phone.

  “Uh, yeah. Of course. It was nothing really. A favor if you will. No trouble at all. It’s just, y’know, like a thing, yeah, sure that,” she gave me a thumbs up.

  “Nika, sweetie.”

  “Yep, that’s me; I’m here, yes, ma’am.”

  “I need to get through there,” I gestured to the doorway.

  “Right, sorry, so stupid. I’ll just leave now.”

  “You’re fine, Sweetie.”

  Nika stumbled at the last sentence: “I am? Wait, no, that’s not what you meant.”

  I had already moved into the other room, my back to the Time Echo, to look for my Darling Moonlight.

  I really ought to stop teasing her.

  I see Sablune sifting through a multitude of boxes, and the sight of him unleashing a cage of butterflies inside me was so potent that it almost brought me to my knees. I slithered up to him, and I grabbed his sides, squeezing just above his hips. He let out a sound that would otherwise seem impossible for someone like him to make.

  “What is wrong with you? Hands to yourself, woman,” he was hugging himself and turning away from me.

  I pouted, “You’re no fun; loosen up a little.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me, “I beg your pardon?”

  I smacked his arm.

  “Help me look through these storage containers, I need something we can use as bedding,” he returned to shoveling out the contents of the box again.

  I bit back a sly remark and decided to help him search because we were not sleeping on bubble wrap if I had anything to say about it. I planted a kiss on his head and went to pry the lid off a box nearby. Curiosity pushed me to speak about what he and Fadabiea had talked about in the other room.

  “She was upset that I brought you here,” He sighed and closed his eyes.

  “Why is that, Darling?”

  “I trapped you with us here. Believe me, I wouldn’t have done it initially, but I was almost out of options. I would never intentionally put you in danger for no reason, you know that.”

  Fadabiea chose then to poke her head into the room, “Is everything okay in here? I heard a very loud scream.”

  “That was, My Darling, Sablune, Echo of Darkness and Love, Son of Moon and Secrets.”

  She pointed at him, “Ha!”

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  He put his hands in his face in defeat.

  “Ooh, I found memory foam!” I clapped my hands excitedly.

  ***

  All of us gathered around the room at one of the tables left in the room and sorted out who had night watch duty, while the rest slept. Fadabiea opted to watch with Aushen which I found a little surprising because I had found out she was engaged to Aerix, I’d have to ask Sablune about it since his intuition on romance was better than mine.

  Naturally, I moved to claim Sablune’s presence for the night.

  After our little ragtag meeting, Sablune left and came back with the industrial light he was trapped in the box with. I watched as he delicately plugged it into an outlet and positioned it over my bedspread for me, encompassing the area in a circle of light. Aerix was near the spot to the left chatting away with Nika about famous cave structures, completely oblivious to Fadabiea, who was eying Aushen. She wasn’t being particularly inconspicuous either.

  I watched with meticulous eyes as Sablune made his way back to the far left where he intentionally placed his slab of memory foam. His persistence in avoiding me filled me with irritation as well as motivation to keep up my goal in getting closer to him. He was mine. I don’t give a damn if he doesn’t want me right now, I get to be selfish every once and a while, especially since I haven’t seen him for an entire day. If I have to bug him like a dog asking for treats, that’s what I’ll do. It’s about time I got a snack anyway.

  Aushen and Fadabiea began to prepare for their watch, passing energy bars they had gotten from Nika’s bag. Aerix helped Nika set up a motion sensor alarm concealed in her backpack, they finally tried to get to sleep after that. I crossed over to the area that Sablune had prepared for me and immediately began tugging on the cord to the light with the intention of moving to where my husband was, when I heard the shattering of glass and found the room cloaked in darkness, except for my little pocket of light. This was followed by a “goodnight” from Sablune, who had shot out the bulb hanging from the ceiling.

  Fine, you win this time.

  I could almost feel his triumphant smile, sneaky little boy. I closed my eyes with a sense of temporary defeat and annoyance that almost made it impossible to fall asleep. I eventually did though, the efforts of thinking how to chip away at him had been mentally taxing. The only person who can get close to being a step ahead of him is Fadabiea.

  There was also the obligation to help everyone escape that sat idly in the back of my mind, rotting away like my other thoughts do when I’m near Sablune. I have hobbies aside from bothering him, such as taking therapy clients out places, playing the cello and occasionally going to the beach, but he just happens to be my favorite. I let my mind wander and do my best to think of anything but the one thing that will keep me awake at night.

  I eventually drifted off to sleep which I was pleased about, I wasn’t, however, pleased with the torrent of agitating dreams that abused me throughout the night. The dream started off pleasantly enough, I got to see Sablune in white during our wedding ceremony, but he wanted to see me in a suit so I told him he would have to wear my colors. We wore each other’s colors on that day and held each other’s heart; we took responsibility for each other’s lives.

  Afterward, the dreams were not as welcoming. I saw Sablune and Aushen fighting in a field, Acedani watching from above on a wooden pedestal. They fought with traditional swords, both clad head-to-toe in armor that pulsed with purplish, residual Concept Energy.

  Aushen’s armor burned brighter, a furious violet, and his blade ignited Sablune’s own armor with every strike. He should have won. His equipment was proof enough.

  But Sablune had a stash of bottled, shimmering potions. I watched him drink one down, and the next time Aushen’s flaming sword struck, the fire washed over him harmlessly. He fought back with a strength that was suddenly more than just his own.

  Despite his skill, he wasn't fighting like himself that day. I watched from the clouds, a spectator to a past I hadn't been part of. He hacked and slashed with pure malice and anger. Even with the lack of coordination, Aushen couldn’t keep up. Sablune’s blade met Aushen’s helmet at the same time a bolt of lightning ripped open the night sky.

  To this day I don’t know which crack was louder.

  The next scene was the fight Sablune and I had after we had gotten married, when we were only doing it for peace between echoes and hadn’t even bothered about a ceremony. At the time, we hated each other with every ounce of our beings; I saw him as insensitive and emotionally inept, and in return, he only thought of me as the irritating, self-righteous and idealistic idiot.

  He rarely acknowledged me as more than a minor annoyance during our fights; every one of my attacks was blocked and dodged with immaculate precision, and he rarely could be bothered to counterstrike. No matter how fast I moved he was always faster or a step ahead of me; he was, after all, the only thing faster than the speed of light. At least until the eight minutes it took for me to send a pillar of white fire down on him from the sun. Sifyx had barely saved his life that day, and he was in a coma for weeks.

  I probably would have delved deeper into my abhorrent and violent dreams had I not been woken by Sablune shaking my arm. His touch crushed any feeling of malcontent left behind from the dreams, replacing them with the intoxicating warmth and comfort. “It’s time for our watch,” he smiled at me, and my insides melted as I hugged him to me. I had been convinced he would wake me up from a distance and remain cold as ever while we kept watch.

  He curled up next to me, altering Sifyx into a blanket to wrap around us, and I turned off the light shining on me, plunging us into darkness, and I felt the blackness recede at Sablune’s will, shrouding us in something He and I called Graymist. It’s a sort of impossibility even in the world of echoes; it represents the absence of darkness and light, leaving a pocket of space that is harmful to neither of us, but it has an odd effect on our eyes. It’s not easy to see through but also not difficult. We aren’t exactly sure what it is, but it seemed to represent some form of perfect balance.

  Blu’s forehead rested against mine. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what, Darling?”

  “Bringing you here, not showing up to dinner, and not being the ideal husband, I guess,” his gaze met mine and he looked into my eyes, as if trying to burn the image into his mind.

  “It’s not your fault; I love you as you are. Besides it’d be no fun to chase you if you didn’t run from me.”

  “You don’t have to chase me now,” he whispered as his lips brushed my ear.

  I grabbed his shoulders to get a better look at him and to make sure he saw my face when I raised my eyebrow at him. “Are you saying I can have my way with you now?”

  "Not quite."

  "Then what are you saying?"

  When he didn’t say anything, just looked at me, smirking, I pulled him in for a kiss. The golden fire inside of me that burned brighter than the Sun, was quenched for the moment, as if his shadows themselves were satisfying my need. When we broke apart the flames raged hotter and more intense, there was no permanent satisfaction. I would pull away each time, feeling as though I had gotten my fill, only to be consumed with greed once more. It had gotten to the point where being away from Sablune would rock me with physical pain, the only relief being getting closer to him than the last time.

  Each kiss and touch was like a drug, a treatment for an incurable disease. And honestly, love had no cure. There was pain and there was relief. No in between. No way out. I slid my hands up Sablune’s shirt as he laid kisses along my throat like landmines, imbuing me with the volatility of a solar flare. I was an addict, scraping up every source of dopamine around me, losing my head, and thinking only about what I could do to get more of what I wanted. A means to an end, regardless of the consequences. It was abusive. And I would abuse him with all the love I had.

  Blu’s hands trailed down my back gently, imprinting every atom of my body into his fingertips. A rush of adrenaline came with every brush of lips and touch of hands.

  My wings extended to normal size, and I rolled on top of Sablune, so they didn’t cramp. My hair spilled down my back and around my neck.

  He had to move my hands when they got too bold, keeping a firm grip on my fingers after they reached for his belt without his permission. Or mine, for that matter. I sighed irritably, and tried to pull off his shirt, he denied me that luxury as well, batting my hand away like a cat.

  Sablune looked at me pointedly. “Off.”

  I sat up, crossing my arms, and turned up my nose, and he narrowed his eyes.

  His fingertips dug into my thighs—and not shyly either—and I brought my hands up to my mouth to cover the filthy sound that would have otherwise escaped my lips.

  My wings flared out and went as stiff as lumber and Sifyx flew off of us, propelled into the air by my wings’ sudden inflexibility. He whispered sharply, “we are in a room full of people. Do you want to wake them up?”

  Before I could answer, I heard a click pierce the silence in the rest of the room. “Bit late for that, innit?” Nika’s voice drawled, quietly. “I mean, feel free to continue, it was kind of hot, as far as you straight blokes go.”

  Fadabiea stood next to Nika, phone in hand, holding back a titanic laugh.

  I fell off of Sablune.

  “You look constipated,” Sablune got going immediately.

  “You look topped,” Fadabiea said breezily.

  “Your opinion is invalid; you think leaves are real food, salad tosser.”

  “Keep running it. I’ll take another picture for funsies, maybe frame it in my house.”

  “Try it,” Sablune snapped.

  Before Fadabiea got a chance to move, I had my wings up blocking us from the flash as well as the candid photo. I take the chance to turn on the industrial light and absorb the light from the flash. Sablune launched into the air and spun; he hurled the part of Sifyx he had used for a blanket, and it broke apart into dagger-like shards. Some of which pierced the ground, others suspended in a field of slowed time created by Nika.

  Fadabiea did not so much as blink, instead rolling her eyes. “Never seen that one before.”

  Sablune vanished and appeared behind Fadabiea, and I launched myself at Nika and attempted to headbutt her, but she slid around me effortlessly. “You’re almost as fast as him, but not quite.”

  I raised my hand and unleashed a flicker of light, temporarily blinding Nika, I swept her legs from under her feet, immobilizing her for the time being.

  Sablune had engaged with Fadabiea, who expected him to appear behind her. She easily blocked the dual blades that he summoned from his hoodie. But when I moved to assist him, Nika was blocking my path once again. “You’re way too hot to be fighting this hard.”

  “I get hotter. Transformative Concept: Heaven’s Glory,” I toss my hands into the air, and my entire body is wreathed in flames.

  The fire was not orange and yellow, like regular flames, but white and silver. The embers were like someone took a picture of a tongue of fire and bleached the color into a grayscale image. Nika had trouble looking at me for too long and she had to make vague predictions on my movements, now. Just as I had to for her. “Dear, didn’t you ever learn, not to stare at the Sun?”

  With the odds evened, I summoned my double-sided spear, Starshatter, and flicked Nika here and there with the tip of it. In exchange she furiously threw her discs out at me with such force that I had to block with Starshatter, momentarily preventing me from attacking her. Occasionally, one of the time discs would break through my defense, slicing across my arms. It was clear we were at an impasse for the time being.

  Aushen and Aerix were awake now, casually munching on the instant popcorn that Nika had stashed away. The Anomaly was popping leftover kernels in between his fingers and looking back and forth between the four of us. I heard Sablune cry out victoriously, “HA! GOTCHYA.”

  He had the phone in his hand and was waving it tauntingly in the air, resulting in Nika leaving me to fight the nothingness in front of me and expertly snatching it from his hand. She thumbed through it vigorously and a look of disappointment crossed her face.

  “He deleted it already,” she frowned.

  Fadabiea buried her face in her palms and let out a groan of utter annoyance as she sank to the floor.

  I stepped up to them, “good try.”

  “Do I get a consolation kiss?” Fadabiea asked jokingly.

  I winked at the echo lying on the ground. “One day, if my Darling doesn't mind,” I said loudly, mostly to see his reaction.

  “Of course, I do,” Sablune said, as expected. Although, I didn’t think he would take it quite so seriously.

  “Only I get to kiss my friends,” he added, grinning at me.

  Fadabiea choked.

  Aushen began laughing uncontrollably next to Aerix, who wasn’t really concerned with the conversation.

  “Mate, you need a hobby,” Nika said, glaring at Aushen.

  Fadabiea pinched the bridge of her nose in mock-distress. “So, that was kinda crazy.”

  “You wouldn’t dare kiss anyone else,” I seethed.

  “Sure, I even have with Aushen.”

  “Well, there he goes, up in flames,” Nika pointed to Sablune’s wrist. “Mark of Loylia, right?”

  “Not quite,” I interjected. “He was joking, fortunately for him, or my fire would have gotten to him first. But as long as he doesn’t intend to tell a lie with the intent of deceiving or saying something blatantly untrue, he should be fine. Jokes are a gray area in that position.”

  “Your mom is a gray area in that position,” Aushen called out, automatically.

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  Transformative Concept: Heaven’s Glory: Nova burns her Concept Energy to envelop herself in angelic fire. Akin to how mortals in mythology could not witness a god’s true form, enemies facing Nova will struggle to directly observe her without temporarily blinding themselves. The fire itself is not capable of igniting things, but the brightness of the flames makes this a dangerous Concept.