Lux repeated itself several times over, receiving no reaction from Orion. His face appeared to be frozen in time as if Lux cast its magic once more. Not aware of doing that, it required some method of getting a reply that didn't involve giving him one with its cover. A devious plan came to mind. Maybe even too much for the poor soul to handle.
"Hey Orion." Lux's usual sweet tones resounded, resulting in the same old silence from Orion. "I see the guardians."
"Where?" He fell for it. Looking around the darkness, Orion's surroundings remained unchanged. The light laughter coming from Lux's direction gave him a clue about what had happened. With a voice, frigid as ice, he turned to face the perpetrator, "Do that again and I will-"
"What will you do? Not talk to me? What news. Sorry if I'm a bit rude again, but we're talking about the annihilation of reality here."
Being shut down again, Orion was about to throw a fit. Lux interrupted him one too many times now. But another thought about Lux's words stopped him. If its claims had any merit and their reality faced a threat, he shouldn't be so careless.
"Alright, I don't see why I should believe you yet. Care to complain? Explain?"
"I'll remember that. It'll be both faster and easier to show you."
Lux turned its pages at will, revealing blank after blank. Its emptiness confused Orion, who expected otherwise from its grand claims of knowledge. Not for long though, since an invisible force dragged his figure closer to Lux, leaving no room for resistance. Like a rope was wrapped around him, he couldn't move an inch.
When Lux stopped at a seemingly random spot in the middle, Orion noticed his vision was getting blurry. First, he couldn't make out the ridges of his hands anymore. But soon, his fingers looked like they merged into a single one. It was a sight he wouldn't even wish his worst enemies. Except for the guardians, they should bear witness to much worse.
"Citizens of Lasteras!" A bellowing voice echoed, giving Orion a pounding headache. He thought the situation couldn't get any worse, but he was incorrect. Following the overbearing voice, deafening fireworks exploded, almost in tandem with the periodic aches of his skull. Through the pain, Orion wondered what Lux did to cause such a ruckus. He also considered telling it to never do that again.
Light flooded his eyes as his vision gradually returned to him. Something other than a black void surrounded him, causing him to need some time to adjust. Ever since the bubble vanished, his blue body was the only thing opposing the inky darkness. Lux's attention-grabbing gold lining brought some change, but that happened not too long ago.
By now, Orion expected one of several things to happen around him based on his hearing. Option one was a celebration. Maybe a birthday, a graduation, a marriage. Option two was a competition. The final, least likely, scenario was the opposite of the first. He didn't think anyone would celebrate someone's sorrow like this, but to each their own.
Orion could make out a podium, occupied by two individuals. Surrounding it, was a blob of people. He had a difficult time finding any distinct characteristics about them, since they all wore plain white cloaks. Except for a special few, most likely of higher rank, who wore other colors like blue, purple, and black. "Take a look at the Starstriker's cruel princess, Empyria Novus!"
Drawn by the raging voice, Orion turned his head toward the podium. Next to a person dressed in a purple cloak stood a woman, clothed with distinct apparel. A regal midnight-blue dress covered most of her fair skin. Except for her arms, shoulders, and head, everything was up to the onlooker's imagination.
Her appearance didn't strike him as someone evil, but the vile expression on her face worked wonders to change his mind. Like a devil, her piercing gaze observed the crowd. Silky black hair reached until her slim waist tightened by the dress. Accentuated by the soft breeze that made it flow with a majestic rhythm. "The traitor, who colluded with the netherworld, shall be executed today."
After the voice rang once again, darkness consumed Orion's sight. Everything around him returned to how he knew it. The masses of people disappeared, the voice was gone, and the woman continued to live on in his memory. The look in her eyes would haunt him for years to come. Question was, what happened?
Facing Lux, who seemed to have a pinkish aura around him, Orion could only guess. And he was right on the mark. "I forgot how much power that drained," Lux told Orion in a sheepish tone. Its next words lacked that though. "I'll just have to continue like this from where it got cut off."
If there was one thing that never ceased to amaze Orion, it would be Lux's ability to change its tone within the blink of an eye. The slight embarrassment couldn't be traced anymore, gone like the view from earlier.
"Well, you saw the woman. That's the enemy. Empyria Novus, previous princess of the Starstrikers," Lux explained. She and her brother were the next in line for the throne, eventually decided by a battle between the two. But it never came to that.
Empyria was a gifted child, although her gift was more like a curse. Since birth, she could converse with beings from other realms.
At first, this information was a tightly kept secret, only known to the closest royal circle. With time, someone leaked her powers. When the culprit exposed themself, they were too late. The damage had been done. Even those living under a rock knew of her particular gift.
At her coming-of-age ceremony, many raised their worries. They refused to acknowledge her as an ascendant to the throne. Many revolts happened, threatening to undermine the princess's position. But her father continued to keep her sheltered.
In an effort to win the trust of the folk, Empyria did something out of expectations. Thinking that a witness's words carried more credibility than her own, she summoned a creature from another realm. She urged it to inform them about its realm, telling everyone how much they could learn from it.
After it made its appearance, it attacked the citizens. Since it wasn't powerful, nothing happened. But it was enough to solidify the fears of the public.
Society labeled her as a traitor, someone that sought the help of outsiders for benefit. In a single day, her reputation as the shining star of the siblings was ruined. No one would have ever guessed her to use underhanded means to grab at power. Yet her actions claimed otherwise.
After her acts, the lord of the Starstrikers, her father, chose to give power over her life to the prince. As her only remaining parent, he couldn't bear to punish her himself. A wolfish grin plastered her brother's face when he heard the news. With the only competitor in his grasp, his path to rule was set in stone.
In order for a grand future to wait for him, he had his sister executed under the guise of removing potential danger. This was a lie, though. He never saw his sister as anyone other than an enemy. They were destined to be rivals since the day they were born.
Nothing happened as planned, however. A hand, ruddy red and reeking of foul flesh, emerged from a space fracture. Onlookers trembled with fear as they stared at the enormous size of its claws.
The prince and his underlings engaged in a fierce battle with the intruder. Clashes of struggle resounded, collapsing surrounding buildings. They wanted to avoid as much damage as possible, but the enemy didn't share their view. It waged war with all its might, infection part of the god realm with an eerie miasma.
With battles' scale reaching unbound heights, the prince needed to act fast. In a final push to get rid of it, he tore the realm apart. The untouched part remained, and the other fell into the boundless depths below. When the dust settled, Empyria was gone. As though fate wanted it, she was a victim of the separation.
"That day would forever be known as the 'Great Divide', the beginning of desolation." Lux finished its recollection, giving Orion some time to think. It wasn't easy to believe everything, even with the strange remarks Lux made here and there.
"It still sounds farfetched, but how would that make her our enemy? She's gone after all."
"The broken piece turned into its own realm, the realm of desolation. She seeks revenge, just like you, Orion. Only hers will take down existence along with herself." Lux shared the grim situation with Orion, who was still struggling to take in everything. It hadn't been long since meeting Lux, but Orion learned a lot.