StarFall (Completed)

Ch. 31 (Part 2)

Silence surrounded us as a ringing grew faint in my ears, as if somewhere off in the distance it was approaching me.

"I don't understand."

Her fingers gripped into my shoulders. "Yes...you do."

I pulled away, and moved as quick as I could towards Miller. "Miller..no..that's..that's not--"

His hand went up as he shook his head with a smile. "It is, Adeline. It's the only way. And she knows it." He looked up towards the queen.

Her smile was enormous as she gazed down happily upon us. Her eyes bloodshot and wide. 

I turned to look at her, though I didn't want to. 

"When darkness gathers."

Swirls of darkness encircled where we all stood, a dome of it soon closed in around us.

"Heed the call."

She pulled us forward, our feet slowly dragging before stopping less than ten feet before her and the crystal structure.

"The light shall die."

I grabbed Miller's hand tight.

"When stars will fall."

A loud boom sounded out as her words echoed. Whispering back to us throughout the darkness. Her crystal lit up and a display familiar to us soon became clear.

"That's--"

"Our town." 

She nodded, waving her hands about the crystal structure. "Yes...your town...your home...your loved ones." In the sky above our town, large balls of fire came into view. 

My eyes grew wide as I gripped Miller tight. "That's...no!"

"Time is wasting, child." 

Her smile sickened me. I looked up at Miller. "You can't..."

He smiled down at me. "I don't see anyone else here in love with you." He chuckled softly, his hands firm on my shoulders.

"Listen to your prince."

"No!" I pounded my fists against his chest, wishing I could cry a single tear. "No, no, no! I won't let you..I won't let you di--"

He grabbed me close. My head rested against his chest. It felt so warm. "Shh." His arms wrapped around me tight and kept me safe. "It's okay. It's going to be okay." He took off his hoodie and wrapped it around me before stepping forward. "I'm ready."

The nameless queen looked down upon us and nodded.

I looked past her to myself in the background. She didn't know where to look either it seemed.

I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. I couldn't feel anything. The ringing grew louder.

She raised her arms to the sky and flung them outwards to the sides. The darkness vanished and light soon came back into view. Both arms fell down as she raised one up towards Miller. Markings on her hand glowed as she aimed it readily in our direction. Before I could even think the light left her hand and shot in every direction around us. The wind swirled around us as Miller stumbled backwards. 

My feet moved on their own as I ran to his side. Helping him as he fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Miller..no, no. Stay with me. Please. Not yet. Not now." I ran my hands through his hair, holding his head up on my lap.

He was in pain. Immense pain. That was clear, it was all over his face. But that idiot still managed to force a smile..for me. "It's okay. I told you we'd find a way..didn't I?" He laughed before coughing.

I shushed him and wished with all my might for even a single tear. "Shut up." I leaned down close. Unsteady and shaking, trying to press my lips against his.

He stopped me. "No...I'm sorry..I--" He coughed. "I don't want our first kiss, to be our last." 

I gripped him tighter as the wind whipped faster around us.

"Miller..I...I--"

He reached for my hand and squeezed it with every ounce of strength he had left. "I know." He smiled. "I love you too, Adeline...." With his last breath he spoke not a word more, the wind took hold of him and tore his body apart, reducing him to nothing but air. Miller became the very wind itself.

I sat there with his hoodie wrapped tight around me. The last of him to remain. 

"That's it, right?" The other me said as I sat there motionless. "We can go now..it's over?"

The nameless queen was silent, eerily so as she pondered. "Hmmm." She burst out into raucous laughter. Nearly toppling over from it. Her hands waved over the crystal. "How about..." 

I slowly turned to look from the corner of my eye.

"No." Her voice was loud and final.

I watched as the other me shouted, and the queen laughed. I watched as the balls of fire descending on my town grew closer. I watched, for I could only watch. The ringing had taken hold and I could hear nothing else. 

I rose from where I sat defeated, and gazed with blank expression on the cause of my suffering, the cause of my great pain--of Miller's great pain. As I stepped forward the very ground itself bowed to me. Caving in as if a crater rested beneath my feet. 

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇! 𝐼𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑒𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓅𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝓋𝑜𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈! 𝐼'𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒾𝓉. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒶 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎. 𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝓎! 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒!