Sealed within Kealie Gothalis are the secrets of a magic destined to flood her kingdom.
Trading her Mortality to disguise the heritage her mother fears most, Kealie is gifted with a blessing. She need only do one thing; keep her kingdom in the dark...
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The world swirled in and out of red and gray tones, creeping out of sanity before Kealie's sight.
In one heartbeat, she wondered if Nixian would perish regardless, leaving her without vengeance.
As the second bled into the third, Kealie knew this feeling her chest would fade. Her moment of wherewithal allowed her to recognize the sensation of love, an emotion so truly foreign to her that another pulse cracked back into her chest.
Color washed into her eyes, the storm still hammering down around them. Kealie's vision honed onto The King with vivid detail.
He was weak.
He was lost.
He would flee.
And as she slowly pushed up to her knees, that is what the King did.
"K-Keal..." a groggy voice moaned behind her.
Kealie froze before easing her way back down and hovering over Nixian's head.
He was beyond worse for wear, his skin charred a frightening black and shriveling. His clothing had melted to his arms and legs, barely still intact and leaving only portions of his body obscured. Nixian's head and neck were mostly untouched, even if the pain written in his expression was unforgettable.
Kealie cried silently as she weakly combed her fingers through his hair.
"Everything's going to be okay..." she whispered. "Just like you promised..."
He cracked the most tired smile she'd ever seen. The sight made her sob even harder.
Nixian moved to nod, grimacing as he did.
Kealie had no words to say, nothing to offer besides herself. So she sat there and held his head in her lap as the rain battered them.
She knew nothing of healing enchantments or spells, she knew nothing of if the seal had been broken or if Nixian would live.
The pain in her chest seized as Kealie realized how helpless they were. How hopeless. A cleaving to her very soul.
Kealie cried as the agony enveloped her and she looked at the sky with jaded eyes. The village spoke of the gods who had abandoned them, of those ancestors who left them to destroy themselves.
Completely alone, without eyes in the stars above.
Kealie willed herself to be her own star.
She would look out for herself.
She would be her own god.
Placing either hand on Nixian's temple and closing her eyes, Kealie embraced every ounce of who she was and what had happened. She submerged herself in every feeling, every painful memory, and stroked the stars within her very soul.
