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“What does that star mean?” Apollo points at a far constellation. Artemis sighs, shrugging her shoulders. Which is technically very minimal as her elbows are resting on the ground. The twins are laying near the edge of an End island, gazing down at the endless void littered with stars.
At least, Artemis has made Apollo believe those are stars. If not for far-away astral phenomena, what could it be? “I’m not sure, it looks pretty though.” Apollo nods at that, agreeing with his twin sister. It stays silent, a comfortable filler between the tiny conversations as they continue their gazing.
“Do stars get lonely?” Apollo asks at last. This time, Artemis doesn’t shrug. She has no answer ready. Not even a small lie to console his curiosity. “Maybe,” she responds. Stars are just there, they’re not like a living being, are they? Do they experience emotions, like love, jealousy, loneliness?
“It’d be sad if they do feel loneliness,” Apollo mumbles. He half-turns to his sister. “Hey.” Artemis turns her head first, but then turns her body to Apollo. “If we’re ever apart, I want us to be like stars.” Apollo’s head spins back to look at the star-filled void. His hand reaches out to the star he pointed at a few minutes ago.
“How so?”
He gives Artemis a cheeky smile, one that he always shows to comfort her.
“Because, like stars, we might get separated as time goes on. But,” he says and his hand wraps around Artemis’, “But that’s okay. We’ll always be together, one way or another, because we’ll still be in the same sky.”
Artemis returns the smile.
“Then we’ll never be a lonely star, not when we have each other.”
“That’s a promise.”
»↠ ≈☆≈ ↞«
She needs to leave. Her body reacts on cue to seeing the sight before her. Danger, danger, danger. Whispers of instinct rush her to escape. Escape now, out. Her legs carry her out of the room. Into the hall. Soldiers stand in her way. Warriors. People she fought alongside with.
Artemis stops. “Out of my way,” she snarls. None of them budge. “Out of my way or I will make you pay.” She takes out her sword. Nervous glances are shared. She is a warrior. However good they are. However many there are. She will win. “One last chance before I rip you all to shreds.”
Artemis raises her blade. The warriors share one last look with each other before charging at her. She does not hesitate. Her body remembers. Fights and wars and battles. Her body’s experienced that she knows. Dodge, swing. Duck, parry. Swing, swing, kick. Step back, dodge.
The first friend fell to the ground when Artemis kicked his legs from underneath him and she struck his left knee. The second got knocked out by a blunt blow from her sword. The third sunk to the ground as Artemis stabbed her blade into him. On and on. Blood and bodies. Until Artemis is alone.
Heart ringing in her ears. Adrenaline rushing her to rage.
She gives herself one moment to let the moment seep into her.
And then she runs out of the door.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
How did it come to this?
Artemis is hiding behind a building, gaze fixated on her goal. There are guards surrounding the building that the portal is in. Many but she could win. However, one soldier will notify all the available guards in the area and within moments she would be surrounded. That’s no solution. A sudden thud scares her and she swivels around.
Nothing.
One moment, Artemis passed through the ballroom where her mother and father were dancing. They twirled on a tune her mother made, a special ode to her love for her husband. The melody caught Artemis’ attention as she entered the house. And the sight of the two giggling people dancing made her happy.
It seemed like nothing outside the ballroom mattered. Only mother and father. Dancing to the sweet melody. Her mother singing along to some parts while her father would join in too. It was perfect. Artemis simply smiled when passing the room, deciding to give them peace and privacy.
She searched around the house for Apollo, but couldn’t find him. Artemis shrugs with a smug smile. He’s probably off somewhere else, spreading his shenanigans. Oh well, she thinks to herself. He’ll be back soon and she can spill the tea of their parents acting like two little lovebirds in the ballroom.
She chuckles to herself at that image. Sighing, she walks to her room. Artemis sits at her desk, immediately picking up a letter from Loki. A smile appears on her lips as she reads through the contents of it yet another time. Putting it down, she decides to go looking for Apollo.
But then she hears glass shatter.
A shrieking scream.
Her father’s voice roaring in dismay.
Artemis’ eyes widen. An invasion? By whom? She runs out of her room. Ballroom. Ballroom where her father and mother are. She tries to not overthink. Her thoughts are hectic. Chaos. But she arrives at the ballroom. Hand on her sheathed sword as if instinct. And the sight shocks Artemis to her very core.
Her father desperately holding onto a lifeless being. Sobbing, whispering things. And her mother… is the lifeless being. Blood is spilling all over the floor. The red colour extending over the two of them. The two of them that were dancing. The two of them that were singing. The two of them who were in love.
The two of them who were alive.
.·:*¨☆◦✦◦☆¨*:·.
“Artemis, my dearest. Listen to me,” Loki hurriedly says as he shakily grabs her hands. She lets him do so. Aware of the contained chaos outside, but hopefully they have enough time together. These are their final moments together after all. Artemis doesn’t dare to think Loki would escape the End with her.
Hell, it’s already unlawful that he’s associating with her. Her, that’s now deemed an exile. An outcast. Cast out from the End. And yet he’s here. Sorrow, regret, guilt, a whole array of sad emotions. Artemis holds Loki’s hands, while her other hand goes to caress his cheek. “Why are you here?”
Her unknowing tone seems to hurt Loki more. His usual proud demeanour diminishes in front of her. And she doesn’t know why. “Loki, answer me. I am listening, but why are you here?” She asks him hurriedly. The chaos outside is only strengthening with each passing second. They don’t have long.
Loki opens his mouth, but closes it immediately. Artemis is fearing for his safety. He must be crazy. He must have heard. Rumours circulate fast. He’s crazy. Why is he here? “Artemis. This… all of this is my fault,” he confesses at last. She freezes. What? Loki stays silent. And for a moment, everything is silent.
No commotion.
No chaos.
Not a single thought.
Just Loki and Artemis.
“What?” She whispers to him, gripping onto his hands. He does not respond. She steps closer to him, searching his eyes. Loki does not look at Artemis. “Loki?” She lets go of his hands and instead cups his face. “Loki, look at me. Please.” Her voice breaks at the last word. He finally looks her in the eyes.
A loud bang interrupts them.
Another loud thud on the door.
Loki realises they don’t have much time anymore. Desperately, he holds her shoulders.
“Artemis, my dearest. My love of my life. Most dearest of all. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. All this. I should have never… never said anything. It’s my fault. Your mother’s dead ‘cuz of me. You’re exiled because of me. And now…” He inhales sharply, a tear falling from his eyes.
“And now I must pay the price for my sins. I cannot forgive myself for this. You may not forgive me. And that’s alright. That’s alright, Artemis. I just want you to go. Go and get out. Stay safe and never come back. I love you. I always will. I will always love you.” Her hands drop to her sides. And Loki’s hands move to cup her cheeks.
A loving touch. The last forever.
Artemis wanted to say something.
Anything.
But one moment she felt his lips on hers, and the next…
She was in the overworld.
☆═━┈┈━═☆
“We got some… catching up to do,” Apollo mumbles, “I suppose.” He lowers himself against the tree trunk until he’s sitting. Artemis merely continues staring at him, arms crossed still. “I suppose?” She muses with a scoff. He gives his twin sister a halfhearted smile. No cheeky grin or playful smirk.
“Come sit with me, Art.” He motions for her to join him. She squints at Apollo. “Not until you explain why you’re here.” Artemis doesn’t move, steadfast standing in front of her brother. He sighs and ponders over what he should say. It’s been years. After moments of silence, Artemis speaks up.
“Where were you the day that mother was murdered?” She pointedly asks him. His eyes widen and he averts his gaze. “I was… not at home,” he responds at last. Artemis scoffs again. “I know you weren’t at home because I was and I couldn’t find you.” Apollo looks at her again.
A sad sense of maturity in his eyes. “I was just out. And I didn’t even hear the news yet, I only felt a…” He frowns and raises his palms. “An empty feeling. Like a part of me just disappeared.” Apollo lowers his hands once more and looks at the grass in front of him. He sighs.
“You left the End.” He plucks a few blades of grass and arranges them on his leg. “I did.” Artemis hasn’t budged for the past few minutes. However her body longed to sit next to her twin and to just let go of this issue. “I left because they would’ve killed me if I stayed,” she whispered.
“I know.” Apollo looks at Artemis once more. His eyes silently begging her to come sit with him. It’s been years. C’mon. The unspoken affection lingers between the two. They haven’t seen each other. They haven’t been the same after their parents’ death. They have changed. But they also haven’t changed.
“The stars are shining nicely tonight, wouldn’t you say so?” Apollo says with a soft voice, looking up at the sky. Artemis instinctively does the same. And it is. The night skies in Mythrill Valley are always beautiful. “They are,” she agrees. “Come sit, please.” Apollo pats the space next to him.
After a moment of pondering. Artemis reluctantly does so. Their shoulders almost touch as the two of them gaze at the sky. None of them say anything. And there’s no need to. It’s just the two of them. Just them and the stars. If they closed their eyes and pretended enough, it’ll be like back at the End.
And Artemis remembers her brother’s words that one time they gazed down at the stars in the void.
“Because, like stars, we might get separated as time goes on. But that’s okay. We’ll always be together, one way or another, because we’ll still be in the same sky.”
Artemis returns the smile.
“Then we’ll never be a lonely star, not when we have each other.”
“That’s a promise.”
Artemis is glad that they kept this promise.
☆゜·。。·゜゜·。。·゜★
Apollo is glad. That even when he’s dying, they’re together. His bloodied hand raises to the sky with difficulty. They kept the promise. He’s sure of it. Even right now, he doesn’t feel lonely. He feels loved. He feels loved. A smile appears on his face. He doesn’t feel the pain anymore.
He’s happy. Apollo feels giddy for some reason. Even as he’s dying. Even as he’s far from home. Even as he’s far from Artemis, his twin. It’s okay. They’re together in the skies. Apollo’s sure Artemis is thinking of him every time she gazes at the stars. He does too. He has done it every night.
He coughs. Some nasty blood drip from the side of his mouth.
But it’s alright.
Apollo dies soon after. He didn’t close his eyes. He kept his smile.
Because he’s not alone. Not when he’s a star in the night sky, together with Artemis.
And in the last moments, he felt peace.