Child of the stars
Chapter 5
Sol
Huepow stood, and stared.
The imposing ex-monarch of the Moon Kingdom - his ancestor, as it were - seemed to tower over him, at about 7 feet tall. Far too large to slip through the crevice to escape from the cavern in which they took shelter - Even now he could still hear Emilio, his bodyguard, strain as he attempted to breach their hideaway - but Huepow assumed he would have a plan for that.
The two stared at each other, lost for words, and it was clear by the look in his eyes that Sol was simply taking it all in - the man had been without a body for three thousand years, millennia longer than anyone in his bloodline - anyone he knew - would live for. Huepow couldn't blame him for feeling a little shocked.
Sol slowly, delicately kneeled down at Huepow's feet, and the prince saw a single tear drop from his eyes, splashing onto the dazzling floor below. He swore for a second that he could hear the old king breathing shakily, before composing himself and speaking up.
"Thank you. Thank you... so much for what you have done for me, Huepow. I cannot ever hope to repay you for what you've done today, but I can try."
Huepow warily took a step back, giving him room to stand up. Sols' voice seemed genuinely grateful, lacking the bile he spoke with when referring to Emilio, or any mistakes Huepow had made - though the prince supposed that could have just been down to anxiety. Now that he wasn't going to die, it must have felt like a weight off his shoulders. Still, he said nothing, which prompted a question from Sol.
"...I suppose they told you, didn't they."
Huepow nodded affirmatively. "...You were a king. My ancestor. That's why you wanted me for this."
Sol nodded, gravely. "Indeed... my boy. I was."
Huepow turned to avoid his gaze, before looking back down at him and asking grimly.
"...What did you do?"
Silence.
"...Something unforgivable."
Sol reached down towards a vial of the star matter which had rolled out of Huepows bag, which he had dropped on the floor moments prior. He pulled off the lid, and poured the contents over himself, the liquid disappearing as his body seemed to absorb it.
"Stand back."
Sol gave the command, to which Huepow obeyed, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he stepped towards the crevice through which Huepow had entered. He raised his fist, and clenched it - and within moments, his hand had been overtaken in a searing, glowing cyan flame which illuminated the cavern.
"There is another source of star matter. Enough to satisfy my needs for long enough to fulfil the next part of our plan. That small source which you collected from, that thin bath of fluid... is connected to a deeper well. I have a plan to get us out of here. But we have matters to attend to first."
The fist pulsated, and the flame grew larger and more intense.
"Forgive me."
"...You're the one I blame for this."
The Queen stood at the entrance to the desolate cavern which separated the crevice Huepow and Sol had hidden in with the rest of the mines. Emilio sat, leaned against the wall, tending to his wound- a gash left on his shoulder by the guard who had tried to prevent him from taking the Crucibles. It was minor, and easily treatable, but he still had to focus on it before he could make any further attempts to rescue Huepow from that... thing.
Emilio looked up at her, frustrated, and for once dared to question her.
"Are you really accusing me of this now of all times?"
Maria turned to him with an icy glare. "Your panic and impulsivity are what led to this happening in the first place. Had you just told me about this, we could've stopped him before he tried something like this!"
"You told me to look for the signs that he was going to do something dangerous. I looked for them, I found them, I took action. He was being manipulated - he still is - he is clearly not in a good state of mind! And who's fault is that?"
"Please. He needs to learn to just - move on from him already. Of course he regrets what happened, I would too-"
"Thentalk to him about that! Reassure him! Don't just - brush it off like it's nothing! Surely you've done things just as bad as what he did?"
"Yes. Were they necessary?"
"Well - were they necessary to you?"
She turned away, but nodded
"Then no I do not."
Emilio sighed, exhausted. He finished bandaging himself, stood up, and gazed towards the crack in the wall.
"...This isn't relevant. What is, is keeping him safe."
Maria nodded in agreement, and fell silent. Emilio handed her the second Crucible.
"Keep this away from him, wake Lephise, and prepare her for the song of rebirth. It may be our only hope now..." He turned his head, about to walk away, before the queen forced the crystal back into his hands.
"No. You're wounded. He won't harm me, not if his devotion to his bloodline was what truly drove him to do what he did. I will try to reason with Huepow, and if possible, talk Sol down - there's no guarantee he's still in his right mind after three thousand years."
Emilio shook his head, and taking care not to do so forcefully, once again placed the Crucible back in Maria's hands. "With all due respect your majesty, I refuse. Youhave to survive. For Huepow's sake, and for our kingdom. Go. wake Lephise. She'll..."
The queen and her guard turned to the crevice as a rumbling came from deep within. As Emilio backed away drawing his blade, a bright cyan glow shone through the cracks, and the guard could swear he smelt... smoke.
"Emilio...? What is it...?" The queen questioned, realising all too late what it was as the wall shone brighter.
"Run."
With a deafeningcrash,the crack in the wall exploded, blasting Emilio back and throwing him into the opposite wall. Maria did not hesitate for a second. There was no more time. She ran off, taking the Crucible with her, and leaving Emilio with one last regretful look.
"Stay safe."
As Emilio staggered to his feet, the dust began to clear, and he could see through the smoke and crystalline dust, the silhouette of a seemingly colossal figure stepped through the now-widened tunnel. On his face was a look of raw determination - and searing hatred.
"Emilio."
The bodyguard briefly faltered, but gripped his dagger's handle and pulled it from its sheath, staring him down all the while. He faltered once more however, as he saw another figure emerge from the smoke, hanging behind Sol, as if scared of him. Huepow.
At the sight of the young, frightened prince, Emilio pointed the dagger between Sol's eyes - moving it down to the Crucible grafted into his chest.
"You leave him alone. Whatever it is you're planning, whatever the end goal is, he hasnothing to do with it. You got what you wanted. Leave this place, never return, and I'll see if I can convince the queen to leave you alone. How does that sound?"
Sol stepped further forward and looked down at him, grabbed hold of his arm with which he held the dagger, and sighed.
"It's a tempting offer... but I think you and I both know she won't let that happen. You know her well, don't you? Or are you just that weak willed that you can't bear to do it yourself?"
"Leave him out of this! He hasn't got the other Crucible, leave him alone!"
Sol felt something grab onto his shoulders, weighing him down - Huepow scrambled on top of him, in a desperate attempt to keep the king from hurting Emilio - even after what he had done, after he lied about their friendship. he still didn't want any harm to come to him - or anyone else if possible. That was Sol'splan...
Right?
Sol snapped his head towards Huepow, and the prince at once saw the burning hatred in his eyes - three thousand years of torment, of regret and longing, festered into one terrible gaze. Huepow felt himself lock up, and it wasn't until several seconds after that he felt himself relinquish and step back, hands raised, simply whispering:
"Don't... please don't..."
Sol turned to face Emilio.
"EMILIO! DON'T-!"
Crack!
Sol looked down.
In the centre of his chest, right in the heart of the crucible, Emilio had implanted his dagger within the surface. Not enough to fracture the device, but enough to leave a crack in the centre, which slowly yet surely oozed the same star matter that had been used to give him form.
"...Don't... please..."
Sol continued to look down at Emilio, and simply stared, seemingly into his very soul, gripping the dagger and pulling it out of the Crucible forcefully. Tears streamed down Huepow's face as he fell to his knees, begging Sol not to hurt him any more.
Sol's hands began to blaze, and Emilio could smell smoke.
Lephise felt herself being shaken awake, and as she came to, she found herself surrounded by her entourage of guards, with the Moon Queen's hand on her shoulder.
This wasn't good.
"Lephise, I am sorry to do this at such short notice but we have to go. You need to perform the Song of Rebirth."
Lephise groggily blinked awake, but shortly snapped out of her stupor, anxious. "Why-?"
"There is no time to explain. I'm sorry to do this but it's for the good of the kingdom."
Lephise, never one to question those in charge, hurried out of bed, following the Queen, and surrounded by her entourage, stepped out into the halls. As she passed by the towering, stained glass windows depicting Ghadius - the King of Nightmares - she turned away, still reeling from her past experiences with him. Maria couldn't blame her - she was surprised Huepow had never had a similar reaction. Or... had he? The more she thought about what Emilio had told her - and what had happened - she began to think about what she could have been missing, and winced.
She thought back to Sol. How she - and her ancestors - had tried to cover up what he had done. How they had erased the knowledge of most of his existence to uphold their image.
"We didn't have to bear his scars."
She beckoned to one of the guards, handed him the Crucible, and motioned to another to follow her, leaving the others to lead the diva towards the throne room.
There was something she had to do.
As Emilio slumped from the wall of the cave to the ground, Huepow rushed over to him with tears in his eyes, hyperventilating, and grabbed his hand. Sol knelt down and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, turning his face towards him, a stern look on his face.
"He'll live. You - and he - have complicated things irreparably. The fountain may provide me with the star matter I need to sustain myself for a time, but my body will deteriorate at a significantly faster rate than it would have before, which leaves us with less time to complete our plans-"
"WHAT PLANS? What could have possibly warranted this? You've told me nothing about what you actually want to do!" Huepow lashed out, tears streaming down his face. Sol placed a thumb on his face and wiped away one of his tears.
"It's okay - I won't hurt him any more. This is the last time I'll do anything to harm him - you have my word."
Sol continued to stare down at him, and spoke curiously.
"What do you know of the Dreamcaster?"
Huepow looked up at him, recalling the forked scepter and glass bauble. "...I think I do. What, did you also make it? Do you need me to get it? I probably should have-"
Sol stared as the prince rambled, and he put a hand up, silencing him.
"Not...thatone. That's a replica - a fake. For... safety purposes. The real Dreamcaster can warp reality to be whatever it's wielder dreams for it to be. I believe that I may know where to find the real staff, but we'll have to leave our kingdom behind. For now, at least."
Huepow stuttered. "I'm sorry - leave it behind? How-? C-can I go back-?"
Sol nodded, and silenced him once more, trying to ease his worries.
"For the time being, no. But once we reclaim it, and return home, then yes - I promise you, things will go back to normal. You'll be welcome back here - and who knows? Maybe, when you come back... they'll listen. That's what you've wanted all this time right? That's what you've done all this for..."
"...Why stop now?"
Huepow looked down, without an answer. As Sol began to walk out the cavern, he took one last look at Emilio.
"I've told you - he'll be fine. Best to leave before he causes any more trouble."
Huepow obeyed, and looked ahead, towards Sol, who began explaining his plan once more.
"There's only one more tool we need from the trophy room. Well - tools. There's a few small gems within the glass chambers called vortex jewels. They'll transport us to the surface of Phantomile - away from here."
Huepow looked up, puzzled, and inquired. "...Why didn't we use them when Lephise was trying to escape Ghadius?" He asked curiously. Sol turned back to him, his expression calmer than it was moments ago.
"They're not stable." He responded. "At least, not if you use them wrong. Few know how to - if used wrong they have the capacity to teleport one into the ground. Or walls. And what's more is that they need Star Matter to be fueled - even a kingdom like ours is hesitant about using such a resource so frequently. It's simply not sustainable outside of our home, given the only source resides in our kingdom. In any other location, so far from the sky, it's a lot harder to ensure you'll have star matter on you."
They stepped out into the open mine caverns, now empty - presumably the rest of the miners had fled after the explosion from Sol destroying the crevice in the walls - and Huepow didn't blame them.
"I will secure the jewels. You will hold off Lephise from singing the Song of Rebirth long enough for me to determine a more... long term solution. I have at least one idea - hand me one of those vials."
Huepow gave him one of the vials of star matter from his backpack. He thought once again about the Dreamcaster, and opened his mouth to speak, but Sol answered before he could ask.
"I didn't make the Dreamcaster. My mother did."
"...What was she like?"
He walked ahead, and didn't look back.
"...I'll tell you later."
Maria stood within the trophy room, the bodyguard still by her side and several more standing outside the doors. As she ran through the halls to get here, she had commanded several more guards down the palace and keep an eye out for Huepow - or his captor. She knew they wouldn't stop him, of course - she was counting on him coming here.
Whatever happened, she had to try stop him herself.
"Your Highness! Someone's at the door!" One of the guards poked his head through the door, and the queen motioned for them to open the gate.
After a moment's silence, the door opened, and Emilio staggered in, clutching his chest and falling to his knees after a few steps. He was battered, bruised - but alive. Maria and her guard rushed over to him and helped him to his feet, and he reached towards one of the display cases, as if he could simply open the glass and pull whatever was inside to him, all with his own mind.
"He's coming. He wants the vortex jewels. The Dreamcaster-"
The three of them froze up as they heard the sounds of swords clanging outside the one of the doors, before they slammed open with a loud crash! Sol stood in the doorway, holding the two guards who had tried and failed by the scruffs of their necks, before letting them slump to the ground, unconscious, and marching towards the queen as if he owned the very ground they stood on. He took a look at Emilio, who was hunched over, and paused, incredulously.
"...How are you-?" He almost shouted. Emilio, though wounded, stood up on his own, and managed a smirk. He couldn't tell if it was adrenaline - or incompetence - but so long as he posed a threat to Huepow, Emilio wasn't going anywhere.
"Please.You think I didn't read up on the Crucibles once Hue started mentioning them at length? Good luck doing any real harm with a crack likethat..."
Sol inhaled, almost seething with rage. To be weakened so soon after his revival, by someone likethis... he let out a deep breath, regaining his composure, though still obviously frustrated.
"...Doesn't matter. You're going to give me what I want. Now." Sol growled, and stepped towards Emilio, but the threat didn't seem to phase him or his fellow Cressians.
"Not so fast!" He exclaimed, pointing the tip of the dagger towards the Crucible in his fellow guard's hand, who handed it over to him. He hovered the tip of the dagger over its surface, grinning smugly.
"Now - what exactly do you plan to do from here, if I break this perfectly functioning replacement-"
Before he could finish, Sol strode forward with unanticipated haste. Though Emilio attempted to follow through with his threat, before he knew it, Sol's whole right arm blazed a bright cyan, and grabbed his shoulder, digging his fingers into the wound, before slamming him to the ground and denting the floor beneath him. The Crucible fell from his grip, and he turned his gaze towards Maria and her guard, demanding they step back.
"You think Ineeda countermeasure such as this? Such a minor precaution can so easily be discarded - I already have all I need to finish my plans anyway..."
Emilio strained under his grip, and spat on Sol's face, desperate to invoke any sort of reaction he could use to get away. "You'll... never find it... You don't... know-"
Sol paused... and grinned, before pulling the yoke of Emilio's collar down to his shoulder, exposing the bandaged wound. He held his hand up to his own face, and something... changed, though none of the trio saw exactly what had changed about Sol's palm.
"...Why won't you say my name Emilio?"
Sol's hand gripped his shoulder, holding it into the ground, and Emilio winced in pain. Sol continued talking, spitting out every word with a barely restrained bile.
"I've spent all this time plotting my return. Since I escaped that... abyss that he trapped me in, I've put all my effort into making sure this kingdom remembers who I am. Have you just... forgotten? Or is this some sad, pathetic way of trying to spite me? Like how he did?"
Sol leaned in closer, and the Moon Queen backed away in fear. Sol's grip seemed to heat up as Emilio felt himself strain under his grasp, and something... crackled.
"Let me make sure that you - that my kingdom - never forget."
A beam of light emerged from the sigil built into the floor of the centre of the throne room - one of many teleporters built within the palace in the event of an emergency. As Lephise and her entourage of guards emerged from the light, the guards drew their blades and searched the room for anyone that could have been inside prior. Lephise anxiously stepped towards one of the open windows, overlooking the whole of Phantomile. She had to admit, she was anxious to have to perform such a task on such short notice - "What exactly is at stake here?"She thought. But there was no time to question that now. Cress, and Phantomile, could be in danger, and the less time she spent questioning her orders, the less risk she was at.
As she stood over the balcony, she turned and heard the piercing sound of the teleporter flaring up again, that same bright blue pillar illuminating the room. Out of the light stepped none other than the prince of Cress himself - Huepow. The two of them stared at each other, silent, as Huepow panted breathlessly.
"Lephise-!"
As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, he was immediately tackled into the stone cold floor as the three bodyguards piled on top of him and grabbed his bag, before grasping his shoulders and lifting him up as he kicked out, trying to pull away from them. He shouted out as the guards held him back, trying not to hurt him.
"Lephise! Listen to me - you can't -you can't do this - I've worked so hard for this!"
Lephise rushed over to him, but one of her entourage let go of him and stepped in front of her to block her path. He made no effort to restrain her, but simply blocked her way as she protested.
"Huepow-? What are you talking about? What's happening - what's going on?!"
Huepow looked up at her, a desperate, yet guilty look in his eyes. "You - it's just -you can't do this. I won't let you." He begged the diva, as she backed away from him.
"You can't."
Lephise stared at him solemnly, and turned to her guards. "Let him stay here, where it's safe." she pleaded, to which the guard who blocked her shook his head.
"Out of the question. He's the reason we're doing this, we have to secure-"
The guard's command was interrupted by the sound of marble scraping against a surface, and immediately the three guards circled around Huepow and Lephise to determine the source of the noise. From the edge of the room, a hole had emerged in the floor - out from which stepped Sol, a glowing vortex jewel in hand, glaring smugly at Lephise. As the three guards immediately rushed him, swords drawn, he tossed the jewel to Huepow. As he slammed one of the guards to the floor, he called out to Huepow, grabbing another guard's wrist and forcing his blade away from his face.
"Just twist the jewel! I've already set the location!"
Huepow looked down at the device in his hands - a small crystal rhombus, the same dull grey as the Crucible. As huepow began to twist it, the device glowed a bright purple - only for Lephise to immediately clamp her hands down on his own, trying to pull the jewel from his hands.
"Huepow-! What are youdoing, why are you helping him?!"
Huepow strained against her grip, but let go and fell back to the floor as Lephise yelled at him, gripping the vortex jewel tight.
"Huepow? What have you done, what's going on?! Tell me!"
Huepow simply looked up at her, backing away.
"...I'm sorry."
Lephise looked down at the jewel in her hand, having twisted fully. Ancient symbols carved into the surface, barely visible under the dull grey, shone a bright pink as star matter flowed through the gem. Lephise felt one of her bodyguards grab hold of her, perhaps trying to shield her from whatever the device could do, and she reached out to him.
"HUEPOW WHAT DID YOU DO-?!"
With a blinding flash and a piercing sound, she - and the guard that had grabbed her - had vanished from sight. Huepow hyperventilated, and felt himself being gripped by the collar, as Sol dragged him back down into the passage, sealing the way behind him. Huepow felt himself fade into unconsciousness, and he let his body go slack.
The prince awoke moments later, within the dark tunnel, sitting on one step out of what was likely to be hundreds. He turned and saw Sol, having taken one of the vials from the bag, which lay on the marble steps next to him. Huepow looked up at the wall, and saw a deep crack within it. The very centre of the crack was dented, a dark, dried stain buried within. Sol didn't turn to face him, but spoke up wearily.
"This is where he found me."
"...Ghadius?"
Sol didn't answer.
Huepow looked around curiously, taking in his dark, cold surroundings. "...Where are we?" He asked. Sol looked back at him.
"We're within a secret tunnel within the palace walls. I oversaw their construction during Ghadius' war in order to hide - or retreat - if it proved necessary. They were a close-kept secret... Though maybe not close enough."
Having replenished himself, he set the vial back in Huepow's bag, which Huepow looked within to find the second Crucible. He looked up at Sol, shifting away, a distressed, yet angry expression on his face.
"...Where did you get that?" The prince demanded to know. Sol put a hand up to his face, a failed attempt at easing his worries.
"Emilio is fine. Your mother attempted to stop me from taking the vortex jewels. I was able to... convinceher to let me take it - and to give me the location of the Dreamcaster.
Sol slung the bag over his shoulder, stood up and turned to face Huepow, sighing.
"Don't worry about him. And don't worry about Lephise either. She's safe, she has someone to look after her. I didn't send her anywhere dangerous."
Huepow looked up at him regretfully. "Where did you send her?" He inquired.
Sol began to walk back down the corridor, and Huepow followed.
"The surface." Sol began. "She's safe there - we can go back for her before we return."
Huepow looked up at him nervously. "...Where exactly on the surface?" He asked nervously.
"Before I activated the jewel, I envisioned where I wanted to send her within my mind - somewhere safe." Sol replied. "Then when you activated the jewel, it sent her there - alongside another guard to keep her safe. Not part of the plan, but remarkably convenient. They're somewhere the royal guard won't find them for a while. Now we must make for the great crystal. Everyone knows of my presence, and our business is done here... for now."
"It's time to go."
There was no way out.
Every guard within the palace was now stationed around the great crystal's chamber, and any possible entrances - that they knew of. Their orders were clear. Lephise was gone. Finding her would come later, but they had a new priority.
The Crucibles were to be destroyed. Sol was to be killed on sight. And no one was to be allowed within the crystal chamber.
Every single entrance had been accounted for - the crystalline elevators had been disabled, and with guards positioned outside of every possible door, Sol and Huepow had been left with no way in or out.
Except for one.
Within one of the hollow pillars of the throne room, Sol stood, back pressed to the column wall, feet spread apart so as to keep balance on a small indent intended to let him wait before he made a break for it. When he heard nothing, he looked down beneath him, seeing Huepow - who clung to a few small stone rungs, intended as a ladder. Sol took a vortex Jewel out of his pocket, and nodded.
"They're primed. Once I've opened the pedestal, run. As fast as you can. And dive."
Huepow nodded in response, and Sol pressed his hand against the surface of the pillar. Moving his hand, he rotated a small indent within the pillar, and gently pushed the pillar open. The pillar opened on a hinge mechanism - the way it creaked suggested to Huepow that it hadn't been used in centuries - and Sol sprinted out, his hand glowing. Huepow climbed up within the ladder, but hesitated to peek his head over the surface. He heard something crackle, and something crashed, and crumbled. Huepow heard the splashing of liquid, and moments later, that same piercing nose that had signalled Lephise's departure. Huepow scrambled up out of the pillar, and made a beeline for the pillar. The top had been split open, and a deep well of that glowing, starry fluid stretched down within. Sol was right - with any luck, his body would absorb enough of this on the way down to replenish him fully.
Something slammed into Huepow and he fell to the ground, the vortex jewels pouring out of his bag. Huepow scrambled to pick them up, but turned around as he did to see who had done it.
Emilio.
The knight lay on his torso, head turned to the side, positively exhausted. The only sign he was still alive was his incredibly shallow breathing, and Huepow was fascinated he had managed to get up here. Still, there was no time to dwell on that. He didn't want to hurt Emilio, but he couldn't give up now - and he certainly didn't trust him anymore. He stepped up onto the pedestal, facing the well of star matter-
"Huepow?"
The one voice he was hoping not to hear. He turned, and saw the moon queen standing behind him, tears in her eyes.
"...How long have you been there." He asked, sounding exhausted.
"...Long enough for him to leave. Please, Huepow. You can't do this." She begged. "He's gone now-Just... step down and I promise I can help you."
He stepped back, and Maria let out a small gasp, panicking.
"NO-! Huepow-" She stepped back and reached a hand out to him, and he flinched. "I - I'm sorry. For everything. I didn't listen, I didn't help you - when you needed it - but - pleaseyou cannot do this. Sol is amonster, surely you've seen that?"
Huepow looked down, staring at the few droplets of star matter on the floor, and thought back to Lephise. Was she truly safe...?
...No. He had done that. Not Sol, not anyone else. It was his burden to bear and he was going to bear it.
"Wait-! Listen-! I... I know how much the dream traveller meant to you.""Dream Traveller?" after all this time...?
"His name is Klonoa."
The queen simply stared at him, her mind racing as she remembered back to all those months ago - when he had first introduced him to her - when they had fought together to save their kingdom. And she realised just how much she had truly meant to him.
And she started to panic.
"...You're not the one who has to apologise for what I did. He continued, "You don't get to bear my scars."
The queen looked back at him, guiltily, for the first time he could remember breathing heavily.
"Huepow... don't..." She whispered. Huepow looked back forlornly, but with some mourning look of acceptance.
"...I can't move on from something like that. I can't be who you want me to be. And I'm sorry for that."
He stepped back, the back of his feet hanging over the edge of the well.
"I really, really am."
Breathlessly, the moon queen started sprinting towards Huepow to stop him.
"I Love you."
He fell back.
Almost instantly he felt himself subsumed by the star matter. He sunk down, deeper into the well, he felt himself let go, the only things he could see being the faint outline of his mother's hand, and the great crystal above him.
As he heard the building, piercing noise of the jewel, he closed his eyes, before he heard a splash, and opened them.
He flailed for a moment, in shock, before the piercing noise reached its crescendo, pulling him away from the world. Something reached down towards him, and in his last few seconds of consciousness, a single, frenzied thought flashed through Huepow's head.
"Emilio-?!"
And with a flash of light, they were gone.