Umbra leads us to the dark side of the moon.
We land on solid rock drowned in pitch black darkness, though she swiftly creates dozens of rose red flames that disperse all around to provide enough light to see by. As the rest of our army lands and reorganizes into their ranks, I gaze around in wonder at this bizarre place I've found myself in.
There isn't much to see. Dusty rocks from horizon to horizon, with our oddly shaped shadows cutting silhouettes into the red surface. But when I look up, my jaw slowly drops.
Avi. There it is. Blue, green, and white. It's about the same size as this moon would be looking from there to here, but still a good amount larger. Behind it are the stars. The shimmering and glistening galaxy, dyed in all shades of purple and red and orange, drenched with so many stars that it's dazzling, bewildering, breathtaking.
But I don't look at the stars for very long. I look at the gaps in between them. The darkness. That inky black. That infinite void of shadow. The foil to all of existence–that which has no form, no shape, no substance, and cannot be defined in any way save for denoting all the things that it lacks. The apathetic antithesis of being. The total eclipse of all that is real and tangible.
It is empty. It is simply empty.
That is my Goddess's domain.
I've never seen anything so beautiful.
"Crimsy," Umbra whispers, her voice softer than ever. "I'm afraid this… is where we must say our goodbyes. For the moment. Until it ends."
"Youre leaving already? Now?" I stay on her head, clinging tighter. "Mmm… No. Please. Five more minutes…"
"Ahh… How can I possibly decline? Shift forms with me. It's far easier to hold and kiss you." The two of us change back to humanoid form and she catches me in her arms, sitting right down on the pale moon's rocks to cradle me in her arms, lap, and wings. With a long, slow, deep kiss, she whispers to me, "How dearly I adore and treasure you, my love. I pray that you understand. This, I must do. For them. For you. For me."
"I'm not stopping you. Merely… delaying you. Just for another moment." I hug her around the neck, refusing to let go. "There's something… I should say. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think you should know… Maybe…"
"If you wish to tell me, I'm listening. Always."
Kissing her neck, her jaw, her cheek, I meekly quiver, "I'm worried. About you. Scared. I–I know you're divine. I know you're amazingly powerful. I know you can handle yourself far, far better than I can. But… I'm still scared. What if something happens to you? What if she somehow defeats you? What if she hurts you again? She blinded you. She smited you from the Heavens. She banished you to the Hells, out of sight under the dirt, and manipulated us all into thinking you were the enemy. I can't stand the thought… Of anything like that happening to you… Not again…"
"Shhh. Shh-shh. I understand. You're not wrong to be concerned for me, no matter how great the span between our individual powers. In all honesty, Crimsy… I think you're the first to ever express this sort of worry for my wellbeing. At least since Aurora betrayed me. I don't find that ridiculous. I find that indescribably warming. I love that you are concerned. It is a sweetness beyond measure. How happy it makes me to know that you care so much for me."
"So much." I hide my face in the crook of her neck. "So fucking much. I don't ever… ever want you to be hurt… Not like that. No…"
"I love that about you, Crimsy. Truly." She inhales and then hums, her chest resonating against my body as her hands caress my figure. "Unfortunately, my love… I'm not certain what I can say. With abject honesty, I can only tell you that I don't believe it will happen again. I believe in myself, and my ability to combat her, and your belief in me only strengthens that resolve. If it's any consolation… When she blinded me, I was caught unsuspecting. Unaware. I trusted her. Fully. So when she betrayed me… Well… Mmhmhm. I was blindsided."
"Hells, Umbsy. A joke? Now?"
"The term fits. It does. She caught me off guard. That will never happen again. I will not allow it, for my sake, and certainly for yours. I've prepared this time. I've observed her motions for thousands of years. I've studied her movements, her armies, her tactics. I stayed in my darkness, stayed in my delightful cave, cultivating this assault over the course of eons, down to the finest detail. I'm ready this time. I will not lose. Not with so much–so many depending on me. Most importantly of all, you. I will withstand her. This, I swear. And then, together, we will defeat her. Once and for all. I know it to be true. Please, take solace in me. I will not let you down, nor will I permit your fears and worries to come to pass. Can you trust me when I say that, Crimson?"
"Yes…" I clench my jaw and hold tighter, kissing her neck again. "Yes. I believe in you. I know you can do it. I'm still worried…"
"You may worry. I love that you do. And I worry about you just the same. But we cannot allow this concern or this fear to hinder our resolve. We must have conviction. We will see this through. You and I. Together."
"R–Right. Conviction. Which means…"
"Hmm." Umbra pauses, looking to the side. "Perhaps you could join me for a moment. I've words for my sister. I would feel more supported if you are there with me when I say them. But you would need to stay quiet. Say nothing. And depart from me the moment I tell you to, without hesitation. Do you think you could do that? For me?"
"Absolutely," I smile, overcome with joy. "If you need me, I will be there. Always. And yes, I'll obey when you tell me to go. No hesitation. I promise."
"Thank you." She smiles too. "I won't be alone. I'll have you. That makes me feel much better. We should depart with haste."
"Yes, we should. Yet you haven't let go of me yet."
"Five more minutes."
"Umbsy…"
"Yes, yes." She sighs and lowers me from her chest, setting me on my feet. "The sooner we begin, the sooner this ends. Do you trust me, Crimsy? To come back to you, after all of this is over."
"Yes. I do. I trust you with all my being."
"And I trust you just the same."
She leans forward and we kiss.
It's tender. Timid. We don't want it to end.
But it does. And Umbra stands up.
"Wretched. Hold position. Do not advance from the safety of these shadows until I have engaged with the enemy. Once I have, she will not spare the lapse of attention needed to use the Solaris against you. Only then are you clear to attack the other draconids. Stay true, my friends. To me. To each other. To yourselves. Know that this will win you the sunlight and open sky. Fight. And win. For thee."
It's a somber reception, but I can tell they've taken those words to heart.
"Haunt, you know what to do. Await my signal, then do as you have trained to do. It's time we executed that gilded fucking snake. Let's begin. Crimsy, wings up."
"Wings up!"
She takes a knee and kisses me one more time.
A silent farewell passes between us.
We likely won't be able to speak again until it's over.
The two of us change forms and I latch onto her.
Together, we soar into the shadows on wings of roses.
To war, we fly. To kill her younger sister.
Hells. Such a twisted fairy tale this would be…
With Longevity on my back, bound by roses, I prepare myself.
Aurora will not steal this victory from us.