❝ desperate for the last light,
we gasp through frozen lungs -
but never outrun dusk ❞
― 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐫
----------------
in which a rogue prince falls to earth and, consequently, falls in love with an earth inha...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
― aftermath of a broken promise ―
No matter how hard Orion tried, he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that he had done something horrendous. The long-forgotten screams of his sister still shattered his eardrums, and her desperate and devastated pleas still jarred his skull as if it had been hit by an asteroid. Now, Titania remained dormant in her position by the table in the center of the room, her wailing ceased and her features stone-cold, but it made no difference. Orion still had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
His first line of warriors were struck down the moment they set foot on land. Their deaths were among the most gruesome Orion had ever laid his eyes on, ranging from decapitations to obliteration from laserfire and everywhere in between, but he still refused to order a retreat. In the prince's twisted and confused mind, they would still be able to pull a victory out of their back pocket if they played their cards correctly.
The fact that Mars Apophis had yet to be struck down didn't encourage Orion to back down, either. He was looking forward to that particular soldier's liquidation. Why would he leave before he got the chance to see the look in the ex-officer's eyes as he was murdered in the most brutal manner?
"Orion, we need you over here," Titania spoke without looking up from the maps that lay in front of her. She was trying her best to hide it, but Orion could see right through her counterfeit demeanor just by listening to the slight waver in her voice. She was scared to death that their troops would perish.
"Of course," Orion responded, striding over to where Titania and Athena stood. He'd been standing on the cruiser's balcony overlooking the battle that was playing out below them, and he hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from it until Titania spoke him out of his reverie. His gaze always seemed to fix on war in any situation.
The clicking of Orion's boots against the hard flooring ceased as he stopped mid-stride to stand next to his sister. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but it was instantly brushed off, earning a befuddled frown from Orion.
Titania shot her brother a glare. "Do not touch me again," she hissed, the burning fire in her eyes dancing more angrily than Orion could have imagined she was capable of. "After what you have done...after the irreparable damage your actions are about to cause our people...you will not act like you didn't just break a promise that meant so much. I won't allow it."
Orion nodded. He winced at the sharp pain he felt in his heart, but he had hope that it would pass soon. When the Sarosian army decimated Cygnus, and they were able to storm the capital as they'd originally planned, he was certain Titania would be more forgiving. His broken promises did not mean nothing.
