In This Moment A Star-crossed Wasteland Novels & Stories

Jake jumped out, already drenched, his eyes filled with the madness of someone on the brink of collapse and a final, desperate shred of hope. The brothers met each other’s gaze in the rain. In each other’s eyes, they saw the same despair and refusal to give up. This time, there was no argument or fists thrown. Like two trapped beasts stripped of their fangs, they had nothing left except a final, mournful struggle.

The world fractured into a scream. The ground yawned open, swallowing sky and stone alike. Flames surged upward like rivers of molten wrath, while shadows poured downward like the ocean’s abyss. Adrien’s grip on Sera’s hand was the only anchor in the chaos. They fell. The roar of the collapsing wasteland drowned out thought, but Sera’s eyes, burning weakly yet unbroken, met Adrien’s. Neither let go. The chasm’s depth seemed infinite. Firelight clashed with shadows in a maelstrom of creation and destruction, colors bleeding into impossible shapes. It was not merely a pit, but a wound in the world.

My chest eases a bit when I find neither. ​I look up to see three circles of green which change to amber and then red. The first traffic light, my first checkpoint. I bury the scream of joy which wanted to escape and settle for a mental cheer instead as Sassy and I pass it. I keep an eye out for the crossing which was not too far off, hoping and praying it would be visible somehow. ​It was.

The last one was from ten minutes ago. “Luke, where are you? They told me you left! Answer the phone! We need to talk!" I tapped on the conversation box and hovered my finger over the screen for a long time before settling on a short and curt reply, “Forget about it.” I sent the text, blocked her, and turned off my phone all in one go. As the plane took off, the sun was just about to rise. Blinding streaks of sunlight filtered through the cotton-like clouds. I shut my eyes. 'From now on, we will be worlds apart. Good luck, Clementine.'

he said against my mouth, and Lucy, finally looking up from her magazine at the worst possible moment, groaned dramatically. “You guys are so gross,” she announced, though she was smiling when she said it, burrowing deeper into the space between us instead of moving away, and I laughed, pulling her closer, Damien’s arm coming around both of us at once, the three of us tangled together on the living room floor in the fading evening light, wildflower catalogs scattered around us like confetti for a celebration that hadn’t happened yet but already, somehow, felt like it was already underway.

And when I open my eyes— The sanctum is gone. So are Lucious and Kael. I’m standing on a bridge of glass suspended over nothing, the sky burning with two suns—one gold, one silver. And a voice—low and cold as deep water—whispers behind me: “You’ve broken the world, little star.”

SONG OF THE CHAPTER: “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons IVARA'S POV: The air is thick with gasoline and iron, heavy enough that every breath tastes like a warning. The abandoned rail yard is tonight’s “neutral ground,” but neutrality died the moment the message was sent. Floodlights hum overhead, washing rusted freight containers and cracked asphalt in a sickly glow. Shadows stretch long and jagged, like claws waiting to rip through us. Dravens are on one side. Kael’s wolves on the other. Me standing between both, the fracture that started this war and the blood about to feed it.

Yet here I am, killing my only source of happiness left in this world of desertion and betrayal. The universe is a cruel, sick force. I wiped the blood flowing from his eyes and from his mouth as I whispered more apologies and pleads for forgiveness. Once the song was completed, I allowed his heavy body to fall limp beside me as I fell near him, staring up through the leaves of the trees at the evening stars beginning to make an appearance in the sunset-stained sky. Beautiful, shining stars that were forced to witness a fight between lovers end with the loss of my other half.

For the first time in a long time, the world felt whole again. No more lies. No more ghosts. Just two broken souls who found strength in each other. As the sky turned crimson and gold, Adrian whispered, “It’s over, Rosemary.” And she whispered back, “Yes. Finally.” --- The End

A voice, gentle yet insistent, urged, "Which path holds true? Which Lysandra will you embrace?" Nebula, surrounded by a cosmic expanse, watched as stars flickered and died, while new ones were born. An aged hand, seemingly formed from stardust, extended towards her, offering a quill. "Rewrite the stars," it intoned, "but remember, each change ripples through eternity." Maris, standing at the edge of a dense forest, watched as spectral figures – past loves, friends, and foes – beckoned him to relive moments of joy, sorrow, and betrayal. "Reconcile with the past," a voice echoed, "or be forever haunted."