Page 78 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

CHAPTER

THE GOLDEN DAYS OF LYRHEIM

Noctis

W hen I joined the other Aurea in the Temple of Order at my brother’s command, unease rose within me.

The majestic building, a place of pure Light and Order, had always made me feel out of place.

Its towering columns, carved from pristine white marble, reached toward the heavens, reflecting the golden light that streamed through the windows.

The floor beneath our feet was covered in a colorful mosaic, depicting scenes of the Allfather’s creation of the world.

The task our Maker had given us required us to unite our magic—a thought I detested.

In the beginning, everything went astonishingly well.

Aramaz took the lead, his presence commanding and assured.

He called in all our powers, weaving them into a multicolored tapestry that swirled and danced in mesmerizing harmony.

The temple’s vast hall echoed with the soft hum of our combined magic, the air thick with energy.

It was not much different from what I had shown Baradaz when we went to the Other after the Midsummer feast, only far more powerful, a force that could reshape reality itself .

Despite my initial reluctance, the rush of attempting something so grand together swept me away.

Shaping the magic to create bodies and minds felt glorious.

I smiled at Baradaz, feeling her flame, along with the others: my brother’s steady light, Zamani and Sha’am’s raging inferno, Ashur and Namtaz’s cool flood, Tanez and M’tar’s solid stone, Khiraz and Enlial’s flowing winds.

We stood in a circle, our magic glowing on the white marble floor.

For once, I felt I belonged with them, capable of achieving wonders beyond imagination. Together.

Everything went wrong when Baradaz reached for the Flame to gift the spark of life to our new creations, the Humans. Just as on the day she had made the stars, I couldn’t suppress my desire for her power, the hunger to wield it myself. This time, something within me responded.

But you can, it whispered insidiously. You have discovered a power just as great: the power of the Abyss, the power of Chaos .

As the Flame of Creation flowed into the still forms lying in the center of our circle, a dark pulse awakened inside me.

I had sensed it before, but it had never been so tempting.

Acting without thinking, I let it flow through me, a dark wave that enveloped with Baradaz’s power and that of our brethren.

Order and Chaos, bound by the Flame. Pulled together and apart in an ethereal, endless dance.

It filled the Humans, pulsing underneath their skin, granting them life.

Triumph coursed through me. This was it. The proof that I had been right all along. Chaos could not only destroy, but also create. We just needed to harness it correctly.

The flow of our combined power abruptly ceased. Silence. Then, shocked murmurs and angry exclamations filled the air. My brother and Baradaz stared at me in horror.

“You meddled with Chaos!” Zamani was the first one to accuse me. “You’ve tainted the creation of Humans! ”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I protested, my voice rising. “The magic, it just…” The weight of their gazes pressed down on me, and I felt a pang of regret. “It just awakened within me.”

No one was prepared to listen to my explanations, not even Aramaz. The king immediately sealed the temple and sent us to the Council room while he conferred with the Allfather. I told myself the disappointment in his eyes didn’t hurt.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?”

Sha’am’s voice boomed through the Council room, the Aurea of Fire too agitated to remain seated at the grand table. Wisps of fire trailed after him as he stomped up and down in front of the large window, indifferent to the beautiful view of Lyrheim’s lush hills.

The Warrior wasn’t the only one staring at me in anger or shock.

M’tar’s golden eyes bored into me, his hands clenched into fists.

While the reaction of the others was less aggressive, I still could feel every disapproving gaze on me, the air crackling with too much magic.

With one notable exception. Baradaz’s eyes were downcast, her attention fixed on the mosaic depicting her and Aramaz’s seal, her face cold and still, as silent as our bond.

I sprawled in my seat, feigning indifference to the combined hostility of my brethren.

Usually, it wouldn’t have bothered me—I was used to it.

The fact that my brother had not returned to us even hours later did not bode well, though.

I wondered if our Maker would order us to destroy the Humans.

If he would deem them unfit for this world, corrupted.

Like my dragons. The mere thought sent a violent wave of angry denial through me.

I should not care what happened to those mortals.

Yet I felt an odd connection to them. I had created them, at least partly. I did not want them to be destroyed.

“As I said.” I glared at Sha’am, my voice cold and defiant. “It just happened. The magic—”

“Acted on its own?” The Aurea of Fire laughed sarcastically, his eyes blazing with contempt. “And we’re supposed to believe that?”

“All this sudden cooperation.” M’tar’s tone was less biting than the Warrior’s, but no less accusatory. The chiseled lines of his face seemed to be hewn from dark, unforgiving stone as he scrutinized me. “It was nothing but a trick, wasn’t it? To better stab us in the back when the time came.”

So much for thinking I could find a place here among them.

They had never trusted me. All my efforts to fit in, all the many times I had endured their dismissal of my ideas, had been for naught.

The moment something I did was wrong in their eyes, they turned against me. I would never be welcome here.

Khiraz, sensing my turbulent emotions, leaned closer in comfort. I brushed her magic away with a surge of my shadows. It only reminded me who was not offering me any support at all. Baradaz had not looked at me since we entered the Council room. Not once.

Khiraz sighed, her expression one of resigned patience. “I think we should wait for the king to return from his discussion with the Allfather. Perhaps this is not as bad as it seems.”

Her attempt to defuse the tension was met with a murmur of agreement from the others. Sha’am, however, was not appeased. He stomped over to the table, glaring at me with eyes that burned like embers.

“Whatever the Allfather decides,” he growled, “we all know this is your fault.”

I did not deign to answer him, knowing it would only be a waste of my time .

The tension in the room didn’t lessen. The sound of the door opening a short time later cut violently through the silence that had descended between us.

Aramaz’s expression gave no hint of his thoughts as he entered the room, every inch the infallible King of Light, his golden crown and white tunic gleaming.

“We shall proceed. Despite the unforeseen complications,” he said, sitting down next to Baradaz. She startled visibly, her hand gripping the edge of the table so harshly her knuckles turned white.

Sha’am reacted first, his face full of furious disbelief. “What?”

Aramaz stayed calm, ignoring the flames erupting around the Warrior. “The Humans were meant to carry a hint of all our aspects. Perhaps a touch of Chaos was needed to balance all the power of Order. We will see what becomes of them and offer them guidance when necessary.”

I stared at him, as perplexed as the others. Could it be? Had I been compelled to intervene by forces greater than me? Was that why the Allfather was merciful?

“How convenient,” Ashur commented, his azure eyes holding a glint of suspicion.

Aramaz did not address the doubt at the table, his stern gaze wandering over our brethren, demanding obedience.

“There is another matter.” M’tar’s voice was as measured as the king’s had been, but the words were an open challenge.

He stabbed a finger in my direction, a slight tremor making the building shudder.

“You cannot expect us to let him remain on the Council. You must have felt the taint in him. The touch of Chaos.”

Oh, how they must have all waited for this day.

For this golden opportunity to accuse me.

I abandoned my pose of outward nonchalance, leaning over the table, my shadows twisting around me as I met the flinty gaze of the Aurea of Earth.

Stubborn bastard. Always so quick to condemn anything beyond his limited imagination.

“You’ve been venturing too deep into the Other, haven’t you?” Sha’am interjected from the right. “Trying to use its power against us.”

“Keep your unfounded accusations to yourself, Sha’am,” I snapped, the darkness around me deepening. The wineglasses on the table clinked at the sudden eruption of power.

“But are they unfounded?” Zamani’s voice was deceptively sweet, her violet eyes sharp as they flitted from me to the queen. “You went with him, Baradaz. You must know if he ever tried to use the power of Chaos. If it corrupted him.”

Baradaz didn’t look up, her hand still clasped tightly around the table’s edge. “I do not always accompany him on his excursions,” she murmured.

For a moment, I was tempted to reach out to her with my mind. But what for? To beg her to take my side like a pathetic fool? The horror she had felt when everything went up in flames was clear—she believed I was guilty.

“Enough of this.” Aramaz’s sudden outburst startled everyone.

The boom of thunder filled the air. His voice reverberated through the room, silencing all dissent.

“Belekoroz’s place on the Council is not up for discussion.

Not today and on no other day.” He stood up and moved toward the window, his movements sharp and decisive.

“This session of the Council is adjourned.”