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Dusk and his companions stared, completely taken aback by what had happened. A thunk against his boot turned his attention downward as the combined crown bounced off his foot, thrown in his direction by the blast. He reached down and picked it up. His eyes turned upward at the crystal moon that was still surrounded by flame and growing larger by the moment. It wouldn’t be long before it came crashing down upon them without Nedarya’s help. It was on a collision course and they were out of time. Even with Nedarya gone, they’d failed to stop the moon.
Dusk looked at his friends, their faces showing the same realization. Absentmindedly he glanced at the crown that was covered in the crystalline dust, wiping the surface of a ruby with his thumb.
He wasn’t going to give up yet.
Throwing his bow aside, Dusk sprinted toward the heart, jamming the bent crown on his head. Before anyone could utter a word he slammed both of his hands flat against the heart. There was a bright flash and he screwed his eyes shut, concentrating with all of his might. He reached into the weave of magic, drawing every single rune that would force the moon to stop. Not caring what the price would be for such a piece of magic, he continued to pile them on, collecting as much power as he could. Deep in his mind he heard a rumble like thunder as a familiar voice began to speak.
“No Dusk, not that way,” it said. “Even if you stop it for a moment, it will still fall.”
“Tephyss?” Dusk thought, losing his concentration on the runes for a split second. “Is that you?”
“Yes. Nedarya foolishly restored my power andme to repair the heart. She didn’t expect me or Haldura to fight back. But that doesn’t matter now. Even with Nedarya gone, the moon will still fall.”
“What do we do?” Dusk asked frantically. “There has to be a way!”
“I... have an idea,” Tephyss replied. “But it will destroy me and the heart and I’ll need your abilities as a Weaver to do it.”
“Will I survive?”
Tephyss was silent.
“So be it.” Dusk turned his attention away from the crystal to his friends who were already next to him, calling out to him. “You all need to run,” he commanded. “Tephyss and I will stop the moon, but you can’t be here when it happens.”
“What do you mean?” Tara asked, her voice cracking.
“There don’t need to be any more casualties,” Dusk replied. “Get everyone out of here. Especially yourselves.”
“What about you?” Cyrilo asked, his ears flat against his head.
“I have to stay.”
There was a choked sob from Lex as Dusk turned to face him.
“No,” he gasped. “No... you can’t. I... I won’t let you!”
“Lex,” Dusk replied softly. “I love you. Now please go.”
“I won’t!” Lex yelled, reaching out for him.
Dusk gave Tara a pleading look. Tears formed in her eyes as she nodded in understanding and reached out for Lex. She wrapped her arms around his waist and lifted him off the ground, pulling him away from Dusk. He punched and kicked at her, crying out for Dusk. She gave him one last nod, threw Lex over her shoulder, and headed for the stairs at a run. Cyrilo was the only one left standing there.
“Are... are you sure you don’t want company?” he asked as Lex’s yells died away in the distance.
“No. This was my destiny all along. It was always going to come down to me. I see that now.” Dusk paused, looking up at Cyrilo. “Take care of him for me, will you? Don’t let him get into too much trouble.”
“You have my word.”
“Thank you.”
Cyrilo began to walk away, but stopped and turned back. “Dusk? Will... will you tell Eiran I love him?”
Dusk nodded. “Of course I will.”
Cyrilo smiled ever so slightly and turned away, sprinting toward the stairs and disappearing from view.
Dusk turned his attention back to the heart and closed his eyes, letting his consciousness meld with the stone. A familiar expanse of stars and colors rose up in his mind’s eye, the same he’d seen the first time he touched the heart. Thousands of colored tendrils reached across the darkness, connecting the stars together. Once again he got the feeling that the universe was watching him. In front of him the massive looming figure of Tephyss took shape, his sparkling white scales a harsh contrast to the inky darkness.
“Let’s begin.”
Dusk could feel Tephyss reaching into his mind, helping him guide the magic.
“What are we doing to the moon?” Dusk asked, not sure what kind of spell to create.
“We’re going to destroy the moon once and for all and the heart along with it, but in a less cataclysmic way. With all three crowns, my power, and your abilities as a Weaver, we should be able to do it.”
Dusk began to pull symbols into his mind, a massive arcane circle taking shape in front of him.
“What will happen to you?” Dusk asked. “Aren't you part of the heart now?”
“I’ll be destroyed along with it,” Tephyss replied. “But it will set me free at last. Long ago I trapped my soul within the Crystal Eye as I lusted for power. I didn’t know the consequences of my actions until it was too late.”
Runes began to meld together, forming glyphs that attached themselves to the golden circle forming in front of them.
“For centuries I sat inside the crystal, trapped in that cave and utterly alone after my body was too broken to keep on living. Eventually time lost all meaning and I conceded to being alone for eternity. But then I felt myself torn free of my old body and taken up. The first time you used the crystal I realized what you were. I did my best to keep it hidden from you, trying to guide you to those that could help. But there were complications along the way and things didn’t go as planned.”
Dusk listened as he continued to build up the circle, the patterns growing dense and convoluted. He called upon every feeling of breaking, destroying, grinding, and changing to create it, taking guidance from Tephyss as he worked.
“In the end though, destiny brought us right to where we needed to be and thanks to you, I’ll finally be free of my self-wrought prison.”
Both of them were quiet for a long moment.
“I... I wish I could have had a life, you know?” Dusk said, pausing his work that was nearly complete. “Something simple and a little more time with Lex. That would have been nice.”
“I’m sorry, Dusk. If I could make it another way, I would.”
“It’s not your fault.”
The last few runes clicked into place and the circle grew brilliant, the magic completed.
“Are you ready, Dusk?”
“Yeah.”
Dusk forced his eyes open. The heart in front of him was glowing bright gold and his hands seemed permanently attached. He craned his head back to look up at the crystal moon that had grown massive during his time with Tephyss. The red glow cast a pall of destruction on the world and the tendrils reached down toward the earth, trying to set it ablaze. But he knew that destruction wouldn’t come to pass. For the first time since setting out on his journey he felt utterly confident that he would succeed.
“Take care of yourself, Lex,” he said out loud to no one.
With that Dusk released the spell down through his arms and into the heart.
For a moment it was still. Then it began to vibrate, growing more and more intense. It caused his arms to go numb, but he kept his gaze fixed on the moon. A golden thread of light shot out of the heart and into the sky. As it connected with the moon the vibration suddenly stopped. The flames wreathing the moon died away, replaced by a soft golden light. All the world seemed to slow as Dusk stared upward, waiting for the magic to take effect.
An odd feeling pulled his attention to his hands. He noticed his fingers were beginning to turn to crystal like Nedarya’s had. It didn’t come as a surprise since he knew he wasn’t going to survive this last bit of magic. But then the lichen-like texture on his arm from Haldura’s crystal began to glow. The glow began to spread, the strange pattern spreading with it across his skin. It felt like cold water enveloping his body as it continued under his clothing and armor.
Before he had a chance to ask Tephyss what was happening, there was a growing rumble that pulled his attention back to the crystal in the sky. Massive fissures appeared across the moon and the heart simultaneously. Bright white light poured from between the cracks and Dusk knew what was coming. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the explosion.