Dark Side of the Moon

• Chapter 1 || Beating Heart •

There was something ever so mind-shattering, heart-breaking, nerve-wracking about the gentle beating of the human heart, the thumping pulse of blood running through a person's veins. It was the knowledge that, for the unfortunate few, that pounding would one day cease altogether that filled the thoughts of the poorest Lujeini and hungrily consumed every drop of hope they possessed. For most, that was the ultimate goal— to possess a moonstone and from it, boundless youth, near-immortality, as well. Yet, as it was, there was some resistance to this way of life, claims that it impeded the very nature of humanity and the livelihood of all living on the planet Noscarra...

"Mom?" a boys's soft voice floated through the empty shrine, the sound of his footfalls echoing as they pattered against the stone floor. He seemed to be near the age of twelve, and children of his age rarely visited the moon goddess' small shrine, which sat far removed from the center of Lujein. But despite his youth, the boy walked through the place with ease, undaunted by the massive stone sculptures which left massive shadows, like those of monsters, ready at a moment's notice to leap out from hiding and swallow a child such as himself whole. He was accustomed to the feeling of twilight that the building strove to imitate having spent much of his childhood there in the care of his mother and her fellow priestesses. Just ahead of him, kneeling before the altar, was his mother, her head bowed and placed against the base. She was so focused on her prayer, giving no inclination that she heard her son's call as he approached her.

Giving a small sigh of resignation, the boy pressed his lips together, resolving himself to wait, whether patiently or not, for an opportunity to catch her attention. He watched silently from the first bench in the temple, eyes trained on the back of his mother's head as she whispered words of praise to the goddess Lu, their glorious Lady of the Moon. Her dark hair was tied back in a long braid, sweeping down her back, and she wore a robe of pure white, tied with a sash the same color blue as the first strokes of dusk. Beyond where she sat, candlelight smattered the wall, silver-hued candelabras mounted in a haphazard scattering against a dark background— similar to that of pure white starlight against the indigo of the night sky. Along with the flickering flames, a single solitary statue stood on the opposite side of the altar, the rich stone depicting her Lady Moon herself.

Though he could never quite explain it, meeting the goddess' lifeless eyes made him shudder as a chill corsed through her body, so he didn't allow his gaze to linger there for long, instead moving it to the fine cracks that had started to form on the floor from constant wear and aging. The emptiness of her expression made his chest ache, and he wondered if the goddess seemed so melancholic in true form. "Kane? Darling, how long have you been standing there?" The boy lifted his eyes back toward the altar to find his mother standing tall in that regal way of hers that befit a priestess of the Lady of the Moon. Her hands were folded in front of her, and her face wore a serene expression with the faint crescent curl of a smile on her lips.

"Not long... I came to see you." Kane shifted between his feet, his body swaying slightly as he attempted a smile of his own, but what befell his face was more suited to be called a grimace than anything else.

Noticing his pale face and dark features, his mother approached him slowly with growing concern, crouching down at his side as she cupped his cheek in her hand. "My light, what's the matter? You seem troubled..."

Kane felt as if his voice had escaped him, but somehow he managed to choke the words out. "Why can we get moonstones like everyone else?" It was a question he had kept to himself for a long time, fearing that he might offend his mother by asking, but he could no longer keep quiet. He knew that it wasn't a matter of money. His mother could afford to get a moonstone for both herself and for Kane with her position as head priestess in a city that produced more moonstones than any other in Noscarra. His father provided no income for the family, as he had passed years ago after succumbing to an illness that took even those protected by the moonstones' charms. With his father in mind, Kane thought his mother might have felt favorably towards such a magic, but she always seemed wholeheartedly opposed.