There was something ever so mind-shattering, heart-breaking, nerve-wracking about the gentle beating of the human heart, the thumping pulse of blood running through a person's veins. It was the knowledge that, for the unfortunate few, that pounding would one day cease altogether that filled the thoughts of the poorest Lujeini and hungrily consumed every drop of hope they possessed. For most, that was the ultimate goal— to possess a moonstone and from it, boundless youth, near-immortality, as well. Yet, as it was, there was some resistance to this way of life, claims that it impeded the very nature of humanity and the livelihood of all living on the planet Noscarra...
"Mom?" a boys's soft voice floated through the empty shrine, the sound of his footfalls echoing as they pattered against the stone floor. He seemed to be near the age of twelve, and children of his age rarely visited the moon goddess' small shrine, which sat far removed from the center of Lujein. But despite his youth, the boy walked through the place with ease, undaunted by the massive stone sculptures which left massive shadows, like those of monsters, ready at a moment's notice to leap out from hiding and swallow a child such as himself whole. He was accustomed to the feeling of twilight that the building strove to imitate having spent much of his childhood there in the care of his mother and her fellow priestesses. Just ahead of him, kneeling before the altar, was his mother, her head bowed and placed against the base. She was so focused on her prayer, giving no inclination that she heard her son's call as he approached her.
Giving a small sigh of resignation, the boy pressed his lips together, resolving himself to wait, whether patiently or not, for an opportunity to catch her attention. He watched silently from the first bench in the temple, eyes trained on the back of his mother's head as she whispered words of praise to the goddess Lu, their glorious Lady of the Moon. Her dark hair was tied back in a long braid, sweeping down her back, and she wore a robe of pure white, tied with a sash the same color blue as the first strokes of dusk. Beyond where she sat, candlelight smattered the wall, silver-hued candelabras mounted in a haphazard scattering against a dark background— similar to that of pure white starlight against the indigo of the night sky. Along with the flickering flames, a single solitary statue stood on the opposite side of the altar, the rich stone depicting her Lady Moon herself.
Though he could never quite explain it, meeting the goddess' lifeless eyes made him shudder as a chill corsed through her body, so he didn't allow his gaze to linger there for long, instead moving it to the fine cracks that had started to form on the floor from constant wear and aging. The emptiness of her expression made his chest ache, and he wondered if the goddess seemed so melancholic in true form. "Kane? Darling, how long have you been standing there?" The boy lifted his eyes back toward the altar to find his mother standing tall in that regal way of hers that befit a priestess of the Lady of the Moon. Her hands were folded in front of her, and her face wore a serene expression with the faint crescent curl of a smile on her lips.
"Not long... I came to see you." Kane shifted between his feet, his body swaying slightly as he attempted a smile of his own, but what befell his face was more suited to be called a grimace than anything else.
Noticing his pale face and dark features, his mother approached him slowly with growing concern, crouching down at his side as she cupped his cheek in her hand. "My light, what's the matter? You seem troubled..."
Kane felt as if his voice had escaped him, but somehow he managed to choke the words out. "Why can we get moonstones like everyone else?" It was a question he had kept to himself for a long time, fearing that he might offend his mother by asking, but he could no longer keep quiet. He knew that it wasn't a matter of money. His mother could afford to get a moonstone for both herself and for Kane with her position as head priestess in a city that produced more moonstones than any other in Noscarra. His father provided no income for the family, as he had passed years ago after succumbing to an illness that took even those protected by the moonstones' charms. With his father in mind, Kane thought his mother might have felt favorably towards such a magic, but she always seemed wholeheartedly opposed.
With a faint chuckle, his mother motioned for him to follow her and take a seat alongside her at the bench. "Tell me, what is it about the moonstones that makes them so special?" she asked with an expectant gaze at her son.
"What makes them special?" Kane repeated, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he pondered the seemingly obvious question. "They make it so that you can be young forever. Aside from dying of illness, which is still very rare, you can practically live forever." But everyone knew that and Kane knew his mother did too, so why did she propose such a question.
"That's correct," she agreed, "But they are also objects that contain godly power, Kane. If you recall, it was the moon goddess who gave moonstones to the Noscarrans as a gift and show of her power, yes?" Kane gave a small nod of affirmation before she continued, "It is beyond our reach as humans to possess the power of a god. To be human is to die— that is the very essence of our humanity. By bypassing mortality, we are breaking the very rules of nature, the rules of our universe even, and such transgressions will not go unpunished forever, One day, we as a species will have to pay for our borrowed time. I want to life a pure life, Kane, and I want that for you too. A life unmarred by such greed. Immortality isn't a blessing but a curse, and inevitably, the harm it will do to our world will exceed what we as humans can fix."
Kane let out a puff of air from his nose, eyes downcast to avoid meeting hers. He did feel, at times, that his mother was preaching to him about things he could never fully understand. In that moment, he hadn't fully grasped what she meant to portray to him, but as he grew older, he began to see the greed of which she had spoken. The greed that once it had taken root in a person's heart only continued to grow until even a life of ease, beauty, and ever-blooming youth was no longer enough. Seeing such changes first hand made him grateful to his mother for protecting him, for cleansing his soul. Had he let his childish notions of conformity win out, he imagined, what kind of man would he have become in the end? Even wondering at such filled him with an inexplicable dread that he couldn't drive out.
•••
"Unless you can make a living by daydreaming, you should get to work before sun up..." That harsh gruff growl pulled Kane from his revelry, but he kept silent still, his eyes lightly closed as he sat on the wall outside his home in the early hours of the morning. That memory of his had happened quite a few years ago, but the conversation was still imprinted on his memory like a tattoo to skin. He batted his eyes open wide as a finger flicked firmly against his forehead, staring into the amused face of his closest friend. "And if you can make money like that— " The other boy sashayed away with a grandiose sweep of his arm, smirking all the while, his unnaturally red eyes gleaming with that same good humor. "—do share your secret with your dear old friend, Sirius."
For anyone else, those eyes peering at them so closely might have been frightening, but Kane had known that Sirius was a Peculiarity— a non-human entity that often dwelled in the heavens like stars, comets, constellations, and other such celestial objects and held unique powers— for as long as he had known him. Sirius the Scorcher, as he was formally called, was once one of the brightest stars in the sky, but now lived on Earth amongst the mortals. But as a star, not belonging on land, Sirius' time there was much shortened, but stubborn as he was, Sirius refused to return home even if it destined him to burn out much sooner, though he would never tell Kane why he insisted so. Kane trusted that one day Sirius would choose to tell him the details so that he might somehow attempt to understand his best friend's self-destructive actions.
"I wasn't daydreaming, just thinking," Kane fired back without missing a beat, "Something you don't do much of, I'm sure."
Sirius snickered, rolling his eyes with a quick flick, though evidently unoffended by the jab. "It's still thinking even if you find the subject trivial."
It was Kane's turn to be unimpressed as he shook his head, "Yeah, yeah." He hopped down from his perch on the wall and stopped at Sirius' side. By gazing up at the sky, which had just begun to lighten, he could tell that it was time for him to be off. Since the age of fifteen, Kane had been working in the mines, transporting moonstones to be examined for purity before they were delivered to the vault to store them safely. "But you're right about one thing..."
"And that is?" Sirius' head perked up, and he grinned warmly at Kane.
Kane gave his own smirk. "That I should get going. The moonstones aren't going to mine themselves..."
"Pft— " Sirius suppressed a mocking laugh. "All right, work hard. I'll be by after you're off then."
"See ya." Kane lifted his hand in a swift goodbye, then, turning his back to Sirius and pressing his hands into his pockets, started off in the direction of the mines. The morning light was beginning to streak the sky, but the sun had yet to rise over the mountains, which gave him enough time to make his way to the mines. What he never would have expect, though, was the chaos that had erupted there overnight. Miners and authorities alike were running amuck in panic, and a large pool of red died the dirt outside the entrance to the mines, beyond which the Aulund sat. Kane scanned the growing crowd, a dry lump forming in his throat at the horrified and repulsed expressions he saw. Catching sight of a familiar face, he grabbed onto the arm of a fellow miner, a boy a year or two younger than himself. "Paudus!"
"Hey! Oh, Kane— " the boy flinched in fear, practically shouting as he turned around in a flash. He let out a long breath, relief apparent on his face once he recognized his assailant. Kane furrowed his brows in frustration as he had to train his ears to hear Paudus' voice over the rumble of the frantic crowd.
"Pau, what happened?" Kane surveyed the scene once more, only growing more tense as he did.
"I— well, I don't really know," Pau admitted, hanging his head low in shame. "Everything was already a mess by the time I got here, but I heard they found a body. They won't say anything about the state of the mines, but they won't let anyone inside..." His voice trailed off, quivering. "Do you think someone managed to break in?"
"What?" Kane stared back at him in disbelief, "But the magic..."
Pau didn't seem convinced as he shook his head, "It's just too suspicious not to consider... The night guard is dead. They're wasting a day of productivity."
"I hate to say it," Kane murmured to keep their conversation from being overheard by the others, "but I think you might be onto something..." Pau gulped nervously and licked his lips while Kane clenched his hands. Who could have done this and why? As he tried to piece together what he knew of this mystery, both he and Pau stood there solemnly, waiting to be addressed by the Lujein mine's highest figure, the Overseer himself.