In This Moment A Star-crossed Wasteland Novels & Stories

But when we finally broke through the crust and stood upon the surface of the East, the pain was forgotten in the face of the absolute desolation before us. ​The Whispering Wastes were not a desert of sand, but a sea of jagged purple glass. Great dunes of violet shards stretched out to a horizon that was perpetually bruised, a sky of deep indigo and sickly magenta. There was no wind, yet the dunes shifted and hissed, moving in patterns that felt deliberate. And above it all, the Black Star hung like a hole in the universe, drinking the light and the air and the hope from the world.

The sun dipped low in the sky, casting a blood-red hue across the horizon as the first stars of twilight emerged. Lyra stood on a cliff overlooking the vast ocean, her heart-shaped face illuminated by the dying light. The wind whipped through her wild tangles of hair, and she breathed deeply, savoring the salt-tinged air. It was here, at the edge of the world, that her final showdown with Arthur would take place. The ancient ruins of a long-forgotten civilization lay scattered around them, their crumbling stones a testament to the passage of time and the impermanence of all things.

And I thought I saw you out there crying And I thought I heard you call my name And I thought I heard you out there crying But are we all lost stars Trying to light up the dark? But are we all lost stars Trying to light up the dark?

But I also saw, in my mind’s eye, the towers rising in Nova Bastion, the highways crossing the desert, the faces of children waving to our signal drones. Aeternum isn’t one city, one nation, or even one people anymore. It’s everywhere we bring light. And the Wasteland? It’s just another star in the constellation. We used to say the sky in the Wasteland had a color of sorrow. It was always pale. Always quiet. No rain, no clouds, just the sun hanging above like a judge watching a trial that never ends. The land—cracked, brittle, and spiteful—gave us nothing but dust and thorns. The seeds we planted died in silence. The only thing that grew was despair.

she declared, her voice firm despite the throbbing in her head. Their eyes met, a silent communication passing between them. Together, they focused their gaze on the fiery red pathway, the one pulsating with raw power. With a shared breath, they stepped onto the shimmering bridge. The world dissolved once more, replaced by a desolate landscape bathed in an oppressive crimson light. Barren rock formations stretched as far as the eye could see, the air thick with the stench of sulfur and decay. In the distance, a towering citadel loomed, its obsidian walls casting jagged shadows across the wasteland.

* --- **The Aftermath** I wake in the wasteland, the sky whole, the crimson star gone. Ravel sleeps nearby, her face gaunt. The survivors are silent, their eyes clear. But the static is quiet. *Gone.* Nessa's voice lingers in the wind: **"You're welcome."** --- **The Horizon** At dusk, a new star ignites-emerald, silent, watching. Ravel stirs, her hand finding mine. "What now?" I stare at the fresh scar on my palm-a spiral-and-thorns, glowing gold. **"We keep fighting."**

I said, peering at him. “They look happier today,” he said, and I chuckled, looking at the sand beneath my feet. “I wasn’t talking about the stars in the sky,” I said. “Nor was I,” he said, looking at me. “Have you heard about star-crossed lovers?” “Lovers who end up tragically?” “Yup. Don’t you think we are star-crossed lovers?” I felt a sting in my chest, “why so?” “We tragically love each other,” he said.

She looked at us, and for a moment, the mask of the cryptic seer slipped, revealing a woman who was tired of the weight of the world. “The midnight hour approaches,” Hala announced. “The grey tide is at its lowest ebb. If we are to cross the first threshold of the Wastelands, we must move now. The ‘Salt-Storms’ will begin at dawn, and nothing—not even the Empress—can survive the scouring of the desert when the Sisters are awake.” Lucien stood up, his white-hot fire flaring, incinerating the grey dust that had settled on his shoulders. “Then let’s move. I’m tired of the smell of this place. It smells like a tomb that’s forgotten it’s supposed to be empty.”

Thomas said with a small smile handing her a sword. She smiled big back at him taking the sword. She cradled her injured arm and held the sword with the other. They were very outnumbered. Gavin glanced back at his men as Travis's crew enclosed them. Gavin shoved Travis hard with his sword breaking the stand off. Gavin looked to the Morning Star and whistled. Within a second grappling hooks were being thrown across the way and Gavin's crew began boarding the Evening Star. It quickly became an all out war zone.

It was sitting atop a rock, gracefully outlined by the moonlight. "Please... you can have me, but just let her go." I pleaded. The biggest one walked forward, it was so big it looked like it could swallow me with a single bite. 'And why would we do that?' It raised its front paws, slamming them back to the ground and causing dirt and dust to shoot into the air. 'You thought you could escape us. This is our turf East Valley belongs to the Lupine. You vampires can't stay in your land; you must come to ours and take our food. Leaving the rotting carcass to decay here while you run away with full bellies..."