The Gemini Project: The Sun Guardian

Sol's Choice

Over and over, Sol watched as the venom and shade-laced dagger sliced through him without injury, and hit his lover.

He couldn’t stop it, and he watched as the darkness shut down Eli’s sun core again and again, watching him fade. It was a loop that never ended.

He was always a split-second too slow, a split second too late. He couldn’t deflect the attack, could block the attack, couldn’t take the attack.

He could feel Eli’s life-force as a residual energy, and cursed again, black tar cutting into his skin, turning him into coal.

“What do you want?!” Sol screamed, as he watched his lover die in his arms again.

“I want you, Sol, to make a choice,” the darkness whispered. “What would you do for your lover? Would you go to the ends of the earth for him?”

“I’d do whatever it takes to get him back,” Sol swore, anguish forcing him to stay on his knees, watching Eli turn to dust.

“I can do that. You simply need to become my commander, Sol. You’ll retain your Mage powers, of course; they’ll just be...different.”

The darkness coaxed Sol to do his will.

“More importantly, Eli will live. Or you could stay here, on this forsaken battlefield, and watch him die, for eternity.”

“You swear on the ancients that Eli will live?”

“He will live. I won’t kill him this day.”

“Not good enough. You have to swear that you won’t kill Eli, as long as you live.”

“You are in no position to question my word. But I will swear on the ancients, that Eli will not die by my hand, as long as I live.”

The darkness then warned.

“To complete the deal, you need to swear on the ancients to become my commander; Malek.”

“I will become your commander, Master. I swear it on the ancients.”

“So be it.”

The darkness surrounded Sol, and he screamed.

*****

“His skin. Amara, what’s-“

“He’s making his choice,” the healer said, watched as Sol’s body twitched.

“It’s growing darker, Amarathis! How do we stop it?”

His lover’s beautiful russet skin turned in a  toxic dark midnight, his sun core slowly being consumed.

“You can’t, Eli.”

“Fuck that!” he growled, and shoved his sun energy into Sol.

The body glowed underneath the tar, but remained the same.

A bloodcurdling scream sounded from Sol, as the darkness consumed his magic, and began to eat at Eli’s.

“Damn it! Sol, fight it!” Eli commanded, watching as Sol stilled under his hands.

“Sol?”

The Fire Mage opened his eyes, his sclera black, and his iris an unnatural silver, reflecting the full moon.

“I am Malek. And while I promised not to destroy you, Eli, I will raze your clan to dust.”

He raised his hand, calling on the full moon, and a suffocating darkness spiraled outward, covering the ground beneath him and spreading. The green grass surrounding the tent turned black, the mist razing everything in its path. It ran up the tents, and the first person the fog touched screamed in agony, acid clawing at her.

Eli cursed, grabbing Sol by his throat, and kissing him.

“Wake up, damn you.”

Sol blinked, his eyes clear for a moment, fighting the black and silver.

“You have to stop me, Adrasa,” Sol ordered, desperation in his tone. “I’ll kill everyone, no remorse. Swear to me, you’ll end this.”

Eli pressed his forehead to Sol’s.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“Swear it to me, on the ancients. I trust only you.”

“I swear it on the Ancients, I will end this,” a tear running down their cheek, Eli’s dagger in hand.

The dagger embedded itself into his stomach, and one of the Mages fell.