So... here we are! Hello! It's not been four months yet, more like three but 1) I'm currently writing the last chapter for this fic, and I really wanted to get started on the posting 2) I'm really, really hoping to be finished with this arc before Infinity War comes out in May. Now, I've said this before, and I'm saying it again: there will be no Infinity War as such in the Nightingale verse. In this fic you'll see the closest I'm willing to get to it. Remember that my Thanos is nothing like the comic, or even the MCU one, I fleshed out mine before I knew who and what he was supposed to be. My Thanos is a Titan, not for a moon or a planet he hails from, but as an Old One, a Titan (Greek Style, somewhat). I mix a lot of mythos (Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Prehispanic, among others), also Tolkien mythology, some religious themes, and a lot more. Some things are implicit, but still. You don't need to understand any of them, what needs to, is explained in the series at some point or another; and even then, most of it isn't completely necessary to understand the fics, unless you're a tad obsessive like me and like to know why things work.
Disclaimer: I don't own yadda, yadda... This fic will have mentions and cameos from many different fandoms, most of which have brought up in the series at one point or another. I'm not going to enlist who owns which, just know I don't own any of it, only the idea for the fic, and the clearly original characters.
Dreamcast for this chapter: Emily Browning as Nightingale.
Song for this chapter: "Heavens Divide" as sung by Donna Burke (It's the vocal theme for the video game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker).
IMPORTANT: This fic is written entirely in 1st person POV; however, the narrator will shift with each one. You will know who's narrating because it will be stated at the beginning.
Finite Harmony
(Sequel to Fate and Destiny, Bouquet of Roses, Sentinels and Ethereal Gift)
By: Lalaith Quetzalli
Every thing and every person in the universe has a time, a place, an order; passion, energy, joy, nature, peace, mystery, and many, many more forces co-exist, bringing balance to creation, a harmony that may echo into infinity. But sometimes, some harmonies have to burn, so better ones may take their place…
Orange (Nightingale)
To bring balance to the world, first we must be at balance with ourselves...
The universe was big, bigger than I could have ever imagined it being. Loki and I had decided early on to take our time traveling. Our destination wasn't even in our own galaxy (and galaxies were huge! More than most would imagine possible). We knew where we were supposed to go, to a point at least; but there was no hurry, not yet, and there was just so much my Maverick wanted to show me. Also, the most direct path was also likely to be the most dangerous, the last thing we needed was for the Mad Titan to become aware of us.
Another layer of protection were our disguises. After some consideration I decided to spell my hair into a pale blonde shade and took to wearing it in two pigtails as well as darker clothes than I usually favored; also, mostly pants and tight tops (unlike my usual long skirts and loose tops or dresses). Loki's disguise was a whole other thing, as he was taking advantage of his shape-shifting abilities to turn into a tall, statuesque beauty with long waves of dark hair and the greenest eyes… a female beauty. We traveled under the names of Aria and Lucia respectively, a match. I honestly didn't mind a bit whether my love was in a male or female body, I loved everything Loki was, always had and always would; as much as he loved me, I knew it, we both did, we could feel each other's love, not just through our bonds, but the fact that we knew the very bonds only existed because of that love.
We saw a great many wonderful, and also many terrible things while traveling through the stars, things both beautiful and horrid. I realized that, in the end, no race is better or worse than another, they all have their good and bad things, their virtues and vices, their villains and heroes… perhaps what truly hurt me was discovering how much war there truly was around the world.
I knew war, I was part of a one. Even though I at first wanted nothing more than to get as far away from the conflict, to keep myself and those I called my own safe… when those same people asked it of me… I could never tell them no. And how could I refuse to help, when I knew I was capable of things not many could? How could I, as a healer, refuse to be where I knew people would need me? So I willingly stepped into a war zone, walked among the dead and the dying, hoping to be able to save at least a few lives. And I did, I know I did, more than a few even… that didn't make things any better when the nightmares started.
I haven't had a single full-night of peaceful sleep since first stepping into a war-zone, back in 1943. It had been bad enough before that, with memories of what footage I'd seen of Puente Antiguo (hacked by Darcy) and New York (the media had shown more than enough, and then SHIELD), the shadows and coldness in the corner of my mind from my love's time in the Abyss, and in the Pit, and then there was the battle against Chitauri in the New Mexico desert and my own death… Loki's whipping, the conflict with the marauders, the attacks from Malekith and his Svartalfar both in Asgard (where I nearly died, again) and in London; and then there were my memories from my life as Tinúviel, the war that eventually took Kontar's and Sharifa's lives, Amora's attack that nearly ended with Sif's death, and the one that ended with mine, as well as my unborn baby's. Yes, I'd been through enough things to fuel nightmares for years, decades to come, yet nothing was so bad as those two years in Europe, during the war.
I thought nothing could ever be worse than the things I got to witness during WWII. I could still remember, the soldiers, the civilians, the survivors from the camps… and those who did not survive. There had been so much grief, and pain, I thought nothing could possibly be as bad… and then we got to Xandar. It was… the whole planet was… there were simply no words. During the war I made a point to go nowhere near the Concentration Camps, even the survivors, I'd build psychic shield upon psychic shield in an attempt to not drown under their emotions; and the only reason I did it was because I knew I'd feel guiltier if I didn't at least try to help.
We'd been traveling around for about two years (two Terran years, rather than whatever measure of time they had in what systems we visited… the latest one being the Nova Empire in the Andromeda galaxy) more or less, helping people here and there, picking up news about Thanos and his minions. We couldn't help but think that he'd managed to recover much too fast after New York, even if Iron Man hadn't managed to destroy more than half of his army with that nuke… it still should have taken him longer unless… my match suspected he might have somehow gotten wind of the Stones that kept surfacing on Terra, and that was making him want to attack, even if his numbers were somewhat limited. Then again, with the kind of power we believed Thanos to possess, he didn't need much of an army.
At some point during our travels we even managed to earn ourselves some titles, or rather one: Thaliel, it came from someone clearly of elven descent, considering the language was elvish, it meant 'valiant daughter/girl/maid' (pl. Thalill) which was probably the closest one could get to 'warrior lady' in that language, considering that elves would never train ladies for battle. I liked it, it was a reminder, however small, of my origins. And so we were, Aria and Lucia, the Thalill. We went from planet to planet, doing odd jobs, helping here and there, sometimes even just sight-seeing (the whole thing reminded me a bit of our honeymoon, back in my old life, only on a different scale).
Xandar… we never saw Xandar coming. What happened on that planet before our arrival… it was beyond words. There were just so many dead, and hurt, angry and pained and grieving… I felt like I was going to drown before we even landed on the planet. In fact, we came quite close to never landing, my Maverick was all for turning the ship and flying until we got far enough that I could no longer feel any of them. But in the end, just like with all those injured soldiers and the survivors of the camps, my healer-disposition, my desire to make things better, to help people, won.
We had made enough of a name for ourselves that, once we gave our names we were authorized for priority landing. We also got someone from the Nova Corps waiting for us as we disembarked and were taken straight to their leader: the Nova Prime.
"My ladies." She greeted us with a respectful nod of her head, which we returned. "We've heard much about you. With the recent tragedy we've been through, I hope you might be able to give us some of your help."
"That's what we're here for." My love stated evenly.
It was indeed. My love used magic to tweak our connection just enough for him to help me absorb some of the backlash from the emotions, just enough for both of us to be able to function correctly.
When we learned what had happened exactly in Xandar, just two weeks prior: the battle against an insane, vengeful Kree called Ronan the Accuser, the attempts made by the Nova Corps to stop him and his minions, the Guardians of the Galaxy (who were apparently a bunch of criminals who'd somehow gone from that to saving the galaxy)… Most of the city had been evacuated shortly before the start of the fight, thanks to Star-Lord's (the leader of the Guardians) warning; even then, there had been no few deaths and injured, and a great deal of destruction; and of course then there were the Corps. Half of those who'd gone out to fight had died, and the other half… most had been so badly off there had been little hope for them, until our arrival.
A part of me actually wished we'd arrived sooner, that we'd been in Xandar in time to help during the battle, perhaps we might have been able to save more people then. And to think we'd been planning on going to Knowhere first! Only my love picking up on a trace of Thanos way too close to that place had made us decide to change the order. Since I had no way of changing the time of our arrival, I focused on doing all I could. Made sure to go to those worst off first, healing them as much as I could, as much as was needed to make sure they wouldn't die once I moved on. It was exhausting, but that didn't stop me. My match used magic to help here and there as needed, but nothing too taxing, so I might draw on our combined energy and thus be able to heal more people before dropping for the night.
xXx
About two weeks or so after our arrival to Xandar, we'd managed to heal all who could be healed. There was still much to do for the city to recover, but nothing that others couldn't do better, which meant that the time was coming for us to move on (I really was hoping for a nice peaceful planet for our next stop, somewhere we could just lay down and rest for a day, or ten…). Nova Prime invited us to meet the Guardians before we (both them, and us) left. I wasn't sure why it mattered, until my love reminded me we were on that trip not only to seek information, but also to possibly find allies in the upcoming fight against Thanos. The Guardians had already proven their willingness to fight even when the odds were far against them… also, Rose had been the one to point us in the direction of Xandar, and the Nova Corps, because they had the fifth stone. We'd no way of knowing if that was true, and if it was, how to even broach the topic with them. I had a feeling that neither our reputations, nor everything we'd done in the previous two weeks to help, would be enough if we were to try and simply ask them to hand it over.
*It wouldn't be that easy, anyway.* My match pointed out mentally. *Infinity Stones are… fickle, not just anyone can handle them, and even just being near them can be a hazard. We need to be careful on our approach, not just because of the Corps, but also due to the Stone itself.* He made a pause before adding. *Also, I've been hearing some quite interesting rumors regarding what I presume was the stone, and a 'light show' that took place the day of the battle. We may be able to confirm or deny those if we meet with the so-called Guardians.*
All the more reason to agree to the meeting; so we did.
The first things I noticed were: green skin and dark-pink hair… I reacted before I was quite aware of it; stepping before my love, dropping into a half-crouch, crystal dagger in one hand, the other one already half tracing a rune in the air.
"Woa!" The green-eyed, brown-haired man in what looked like jeans a blue shirt and tanned-leather jacket called out, rushing to stand before his companion, hands raised in the universal signed for someone unarmed.
*Nightingale…?!* Even my love was surprised by my actions.
"That was some visceral reaction." A… talking raccoon commented as he went to stand beside the green-skinned woman.
*I remember her.* I told my Maverick through our bond. *From your memories… she hurt you.*
Apparently my beloved hadn't been paying attention, hadn't really looked at her, until then. We all noticed the tension that filled her body.
"This is because of me." The green-skinned woman in the short black dress commented, sounding curious, eyes fixed on me. "You recognized me. Though I've never met you before, either of you..." She cocked her head, slowly turning her attention towards Lucia. "You seem familiar." It took a while but eventually she got it, at least to a point. "I hurt someone close to you, didn't I?"
"Yes." I hissed, unable to even think about lowering my guard. "And I won't let you do it again. Never, ever again."
"I have no wish to hurt anyone now." She pointed out. "Most of the times I did hurt, I didn't want to do it. It was a matter of self-preservation."
"Thanos would have hurt you if you hadn't done as he ordered." My match finished for her.
"Maverick…?" I didn't even notice when I said it out-loud, instead of in our bond.
I was never a violent person, not really, it went against every instinct (I thought it might be connected to my past as an elf, and being empathetic too)… except where it concerned my loved ones, there was very little I wasn't willing to do for them. And my love… he'd already suffered so much, I was willing to protect him, no matter what was needed. What I did not expect was for him to be so understanding of one who'd hurt him so much that he sometimes still dreamt (had nightmares) about it.
"She's not so different from me, Nightingale, not really." He pointed out. "Perhaps the only difference lays in that I had you, even when I had nothing and no one else, I had you and I could trust you. She had no one."
"She has us now." The man in the leather jacket stated, very seriously. "Gamora is part of our team and we won't let you hurt her."
Things finally started to reach me, beyond my protective instincts, which were still pretty much in overdrive. I still noticed the exact moment when the woman… Gamora, realized exactly who my love was…
"Loki..." She murmured quietly, with a nod.
For all answer, my love dropped his disguise.
"It would seem things have changed a lot." He pointed out with a slight smirk, even as he pulled me to stand beside him.
"More than you could ever imagine." She answered, the beginnings of a smile on her own face.
Things got better after that, not perfect, wasn't sure we would ever be friends, but still, better. There were introductions all around, and we even had a peaceful chat. The part that surprised me the most was perhaps the total lack of reaction those watching (particularly the Nova Corps) had when Loki shed his 'Lucia' facade. Then again, they were probably used to different things than humans. The part that seemed to surprise the Guardians the most was our complete lack of reaction to Drax's past history, or most specifically, my lack of reaction.
"I may not exactly agree with what you did." I did my best to explain when I realized they weren't going to move on from that. "But I totally agree with your reasons. If anyone dared hurt my family, my children… hurting others go against my instincts, being both an Empath and a Healer, but I will always do anything to protect my own."
"Hence your own reaction to Gamora." Peter Quill, Star-Lord, nodded, mostly to himself.
"Not my brightest moment, I'll admit." I shrugged a bit, I wasn't going to apologize for being protective of my love. "We've been worried about Thanos or one of his minions finding us… hence the facade; and with how things have been the last two weeks…"
"It must have been torture, feeling all that pain..." Gamora murmured quietly in understanding.
"More than you'll ever know." I admitted. "It also reminded me of past pains… and thus, when I laid eyes on you… I reacted without even thinking about it."
"At least you're not the kind to attack first, ask questions later." Peter quipped.
Yeah, that wouldn't have been good.
We parted ways later on that day, each of us climbing into our respective ships and taking off. The Guardians to… wherever destiny took them; and us… we headed straight to Knowhere (Thanos's trace finally gone from the area… we could only hope he hadn't found whatever it was he'd been looking for), and to the Collector: Taneleer Tivan.
xXx
We did take a vacation. My love insisted that, whatever might be awaiting us in Knowhere, we deserved to take a break from the mess that had been Xandar, so we went to the first nice-looking planet we found and spent some time there; first few days doing nothing except relax, and later on amusing ourselves with whatever we found. It was nice.
We made it to Knowhere eventually. The first thing I thought when I saw the place was that it might have been a good thing that we chose to take our time. Something had happened there at some point, I had no idea what, but whatever it might have been, the place was still a disaster.
"Ah… the Thalill..." The white haired man called in a very dramatic tone. "What an honor it is to receive such beautiful ladies..."
I had no words for him, really, all I could think about was the still-half-destroyed mess surrounding us. There were traces of power, incredible power…
*It was an Infinity Stone.* My love informed. *I've no idea what happened here, exactly. But this destruction… it was caused by an Infinity Stone.*
*Perhaps the very one being kept under lock and key by Nova Prime.* I offered.
No one had told us about that, but it would have been impossible not to feel the traces of the power, especially when we managed to pass the patrols and go to where the last part of the battle against Ronan had actually taken place… Most Xandarians hadn't understood what was happening, had seen nothing beyond flashing lights, and what looked like the beginnings of an explosion that could have taken out the whole city/planet, if it hadn't been for the Guardians' timely interference.
"I know I'm not at my best right now, nor is my once beautiful archive." The man went on, speaking and moving with a flair worthy of the most extravagant theater actor. "But tell me, what it is you've come to offer me..."
"It's more something you have that we want." My match said in return, voice sharp.
"And what may that be?" The Collector was clearly taken aback by that, though he did his best to hide it from his face (nothing he could have done about the emotions running through him, though).
"Information." My love stated. "Everything you have on the Infinity Stones…"
"And on those who might be connected, or interested in them." I added.
We knew we couldn't ask for information about Thanos directly, it would have been as good as announcing our intentions, and that was too dangerous, especially in a galaxy where Thanos held as much power as he did in Andromeda; considering that even with the barely, somewhat 'suspended' Kree-Nova War (no one believed the 'cease fire' would last for long), most inhabitants all around still saw Thanos as the bigger threat…
"And what might you have to offer in exchange for this, very valuable, information?" Tivan asked, eyes narrowed in consideration.
"I have units." My consort nodded. "Just tell me how much you want."
"No, not units." The Collector decided. "I have way too many of those already, I'm more interested in things I may add to my collection."
"And what could we possibly have that you may want to add to your collection?" I couldn't help the shiver of dread that ran through me.
"Rumors have reached me, from many different, quite trustworthy sources, of a voice that is brighter than even the light of the very stars." He commented, eyes boring into us both. "The Songstress, with the most beautiful voice in all known galaxies."
I blinked, I hadn't been expecting that one.
"You will not have her voice, or mine." My Maverick stated, refusing to reveal just yet who it was that possessed said voice.
"No! Of course not." Tivan shook his head like crazy. "It would be a crime, to deprive the universe of such beauty… no, I would ask for one song."
My beloved and I turned to look at one another, a whole conversation flashing between us without need for a single word to be pronounced, inside or outside of our bond. We both had exactly the same reservations, having no idea what Tivan might intend to do with that song. Then again, since I'd be the one doing the singing, I believed I might be able to control what kind of magic was entwined into it, what Tivan would have access to it. Wasn't exactly sure, neither was Loki; the only thing we were both sure of, was that no song of mine (of ours) could ever be used to hurt, my soul, the origins of my power, would never allow it. So maybe that would have to be enough.
*It is up to you my love.* Was the only thing my match did say. *It might be our magic, but it shall be your voice, my Nightingale.*
I knew he would accept whatever decision I made, he was supportive like that. And while a part of me still had doubts about the Collector (a being that had been so interested in the Infinity Stones, when he must have known Thanos would be after them sooner or later… I couldn't help but have my doubts about his reasons), we really needed the information he had. Even with all the time we'd spent traveling, we had yet to find out anything of particular importance, and there was no way of knowing for sure just how much time we might have left.
I did not need to give an answer, verbally or mentally, I knew my love could follow my line of thought to realize the moment I made up my mind.
"I'll do it." I announced out-loud. "One song, no more."
"Perfect!" Tivan sounded, honestly, absolutely thrilled at that.
He fished a recording crystal from stars-know-where, and in no time at all he was ready. The first thing I decided was that I wasn't going to sing anything about my match. There was no way I'd allow him to possess one of the testaments of our love, no way. The same applied to the songs I'd created for other loved ones; which left me in a quandary, though thankfully not for long.
In the end the song I sang wasn't one of my old ones. Yet it was still exactly what I needed to sing right then. After spending weeks fighting against myself, to keep all my doubts, my fear, my horror at bay so I may instead focus on helping those who'd suffered so. Pushing myself beyond what most other Empaths would have been willing to endure, because not helping would have been worse in the end. I needed to vent, I needed to let out everything I'd been bottling up over the past too many days, so that's exactly what I did then. I took a deep breath, focused, and then began singing:
"Petals of white
Cover fields flowing in grieving tears
And all the hearts once new, old and shattered now
Love can kill, love will die
Give me wings to fly
Fleeing this world so cold
I just wonder why"
"Cold as the dark
Now my words, are frosted with every breath
Still the hate burns wild, growing inside this heart
When the wind changes course, when the stars align
I will reach out to you and leave this all behind
When heavens divide"
I remembered the war… many people knew of course that my love and I had 'served' during WWII. We had talked about it before, what most did not realize, was that when I spoke of war, I didn't just meant the two years we'd been at the front. That may have been the part of the war the world knew of, the part many were made to answer for. But then, those same people chose to believe that the war ended in 1945 and that was that… I didn't begrudge them that, some of them might be naive, and some perhaps simply wanted some flimsy truth so hold onto in order not to face the terrifying truth: that war never ended, not truly; not for any of the people who'd been unlucky enough to be part of one and at the same time fortunate (or not) enough, to survive to go back home at the 'end' of it.
"When heavens divide
I will see the choices within my hands
How can we ever protect and fight with our tiny souls
Let me shine like the sun through the doubts and fear
Do you feel the storm approach as the end draws near"
"When heavens divide
Time will come to softly lay me down
Then I can see her face that I long to see
And for you, only you I would give anything
Leaving a trace for love to find a way
When heavens divide"
I never understood war, not before I was part of one, and certainly not afterwards. What was the point? All those people dead, all the mothers, fathers, siblings, daughters, sons… all the people left to cry the loss of their loved ones, the families broken, the hearts shattered… What was the point of war? I got the formal explanations, how one was meant to fight for their freedom, for their rights, for peace… I wasn't insensible to that, I was quite willing to fight to protect those I loved after all. And yet war… could anyone really call themselves victorious at the end of something like that? After so much blood and tears had been spilled on both sides? I'd also wondered if, by the end, people even remembered at all what it was they began fighting for in the first place. I never dared ask them that.
"I will dive into the fire
Spilling the blood of my desire
The very last time
My name scorched into the sky"
Hakon… our son, he thought we didn't understand him, his desire to join the military. That we believed him to be naive, or too much of an idealist… It wasn't that. I knew why he wanted to join. I too saw the camaraderie, the brotherhood between Steve, Sia and the Howling Commandos, they were the kind of team, the kind of family everyone would love to be a part of. But did he really need to go to war to find that family? Who knows? Perhaps he just was meant to be there, all the people, the mutants he managed to save, both in battle and from Stryker and Trask certainly proved it.
"When heavens divide
I will see the choices within my hands
How can we ever protect and fight with our tiny souls
Let me shine like the sun through the doubts and fear
Do you feel the storm approach as the end draws near"
"When heavens divide
Time will come to softly lay me down
Then I can see the face that I long to see
And for you, only you I would give anything
Leaving a trace for love to find a way
When heavens divide"
I didn't notice when tears began falling from my eyes, it didn't seem important in the grand scheme of things. Singing was cathartic to me, had always been, and in that moment the song was also serving another purpose, it'd be currency for us to get what we wanted, what we needed to hopefully avoid yet another war, the kind of war our world might never recover from (that our world might not survive at all). I would fight it, if necessary, of course I would, but I'd rather it did not come to that, and I knew every person to have ever set foot on a battle field would think exactly the same thing.
"And for you, only you I would give anything
Leaving a trace for love to find a way
When heavens divide"
The song came to an end, Tivan was absolutely delighted, and we got the information we wanted. It was actually a lot more than we were expecting, it'd take a while to sift through it all. See what might be truly useful. But that was alright. At least we had something.
"This will work." My match whispered into my ear as we left Knowhere. "It will not come to war, not this time."
I hoped, with all my heart, that he was right. There was nothing else we could do for the time being, really, nothing except hope.
xXx
It was until we arrived to the next planet, a quaint little place called Eos, that we realized our pack held more than just the collection of discs the Collector had copied his information on the Infinity Stones into (discs were more basic than crystals, and much less expensive). The other thing in the pack though was, indeed, a crystal (though not one for recording), one Tivan had no put there. At first sight it looked like a fist-sized piece of semi-translucent quartz of no particular color. I wasn't sure what it was, but something about it fascinated me, I took it in my hand, turning it this way and that. Ever so slowly, something seemed to appear in the center of it, made me focus my stare, trying to see more clearly. I didn't quite realize what was going on, and then there were suddenly images in the crystal, barely little more than flashes, yet I couldn't help but catch them anyway:
There was Hakon, in military clothes, his insignia being two stars, and he was shaking hands with a green-eyed brunette in an air-force uniform with an insignia of a single star… There was Helena, in her favorite violet and blue gown, standing beside her match as everyone around them cheered him for some reason… There was Rose in her X-Woman bodysuit and red-leather boots, bent over a table, signing her title at the end of a document, surrounded by many people, gifted and not… The Guardians facing a gold-skinned enemy, only for Peter to unexpectedly go flying backwards after a blow to his collarbone… A wormhole among the stars, and a swarm, a veritable army, rushing into it, ready to attack whatever might be awaiting them on the other side… My love and I, staring at a small, so innocuous-looking blue jewel… Clashing, explosions, and somewhere Skye was crying out for people to brace themselves, a moment before everything began shaking… A red-skinned humanoid being in a blue-gray bodysuit and a golden cape, twisting on the ground as a claw-like appendage reached to the being's forehead, to the golden jewel shining there…
The visions came to a stop when the crystal was taken from my hands, though it still took me more than a few seconds to return to reality fully and understand what was going on. My Maverick had enveloped the object in a piece of an old, ruined cloak, making sure not to so much as graze it with his bare skin. Then, after putting it away (in a pack, in one of the ship's compartments, instead of the subspace pockets we both favored), he went to kneel before me (I didn't even notice when I ended on the ground, exactly), there he held my hands in his, and he waited.
"Fintalëharyon..." I was still so out of it I didn't even notice when I spoke Elvish.
"Easy A'maelamin." He responded in the same language. "Take it easy. Everything's alright."
"What was that?" I was still trying to process everything I'd just seen.
"The Crystal of Neahtid." He answered, soberly. "It's a mystical artifact, believed by many to be mythical as well. According to legend, at the beginning of creation magic was born in a cave made entirely of crystal, and as the universe expanded crystals broke off, spreading through the stars, carrying each a different piece of magic… it's why magic is do different from one world to another, and sometimes even in the same world. When the universe balanced, there was a final piece of crystal left, it held the magic of Prophecy; it's believed to be the source of every single vision, dream, prophecy, etcetera that precogs across the galaxies have had, or will ever have… of course, since the Crystal itself was believed to be a myth there's no way to actually know if that's true..."
"And my… the visions?" I wanted… needed to know that. "Are they true?"
"They're but fragments of visions. Our magic made the crystal react, but as neither of us possess the Sight, our understanding of things is limited. I cannot even know if purposefully trying to use it would help or just made things worse."
"Then we'll leave it as a last resource." I decided.
He agreed, though neither of us were quite sure if we'd rather it be necessary, or not at all. The future had always been such a fickle thing… as we'd learned through our time-travel. Really, some things just weren't meant to be known, and yet… with a threat like Thanos in our future, could we really afford not to use every resource at our disposal? Only time would tell.
This fic... it was originally supposed to be a sort-of filler, or a bridge. Something to allow me to get everyone to where they needed to be for the final confrontation against Thanos. Then... things kept growing. Those who read my works will know I once said nothing like Civil War would ever happen in this verse, later on I came to understand why at least some of it, needed to happen. I worked that in this, as well as some other things.
Originally I was going to make a single long work for this arc, but then I realized that if I did that, some important, climatic things that happen in this first 'half' would be seen as less, when compared to what's still to come. So I decided to split it. Hope it works.
The theme for this fic are colors. Each chapter is named for one, and there's a reason for that, which is hinted at in the intro-line. Also the whole idea of things needing to burn so others may take their place is important in many ways. It's been years since the series began, the characters have grown, and this fic, possibly more than in any other before, it shows.
As always, full-sized cover/poster and set of wallpapers can be found in DA, I go by Princess-Lalaith there.
This fic will be updated every weekend.
Don't forget to review! See ya!