7; The Past: Night of Beguiling Moon II

Aster gaped at the scene, the brilliant points of lights floating above the manor like a constellation of their own. When he had first heard the sharp crack and saw their magical protections falling, Aster was sure their formation had been destroyed. But as he witnessed the powerful manifestation of the wondrous spell above, he realized something. Their array, the very formation that protected their manor was a circle within a circle, a spell within a spell. He didn't even have time to appreciate his father's ingenious when the many stars above hovered for only a few seconds before they fell down like meteors, their resonance calling out to every astrologer still alive on the compound. As one, all of the remaining star touched mages raised their hands and then pulled the falling stars towards their foes, their will efficiently directing the spell on to the very grounds their enemies stood.

A pandemonium followed.

Like a cascade of glittering crystals, the stars descended and smashed everything on their path. More than a few of the cloaked intruders tried to quickly kill the nearby mages but it was too late. Shielding spells were overwhelmed and artifacts were snapped apart. The stars exploded in a haze of shards and dirt, shredding flesh and bone alike, clearing out a huge swathe of their invaders in one fell swoop. Even the silver robed mages who were still reeling from the backlash could not defend themselves as a few of the crystalline orbs were sent their way and it ripped through them like paper, their horrified screams of pain and disbelief swallowed by the heavy silence that followed.

The whole compound went still afterwards with only a few whimpers and groans escaping into the air. From where he stood, Aster could see the aftermath of terrible battle and he knew such sight would haunt him for a long time. Hardly any of the guards were still on their feet and the few that were, slowly collected themselves as they intended to finish a couple of stragglers that still lived.

A familiar voice chose that moment to appear beside him.

"Young lord…" Turning around, Aster saw Roan approaching him in haste only to lean on the window sill, taking a second to catch his breath.

"I'm so glad you're safe…young lord. The Lord sent me to summon you…to the dungeon."

Despite all that he had seen, all the deaths he had witnessed, a selfish part of him felt relief when he heard that. Even as Aster knew the only one capable of such a feat was his father, the verbal confirmation very much set him at ease. A part of him should have been excited that he would get the chance to see this dungeon that has escaped his efforts for long but his heart had other worries.

"What about my mother? Is she safe?"

The young steward was just about to reply when suddenly a terrible presence made itself known to everyone's surprise. At the gate of the courtyard a tremendous amount of mana appeared, one that radiated so much power that it eclipsed everyone present. To Aster it felt as he was being buffeted by a formless storm. He had only ever felt this from his father on those rare occasions when he lost control of his strength due to him misbehaving or just being generally stubborn. There was no doubt there was a powerful mage at their threshold, clothed in a hood of a resplendent silver holding a crescent moon staff with his monstrous mana billowing in waves, demanding the attention of almost everyone in the vicinity even the intruders.

A flick of his fingers and another silvery dome appeared, this one effectively cutting off what Aster was sure were the surviving members of House of Lunar from sight. No other spell followed and for the first time since the invasion started, Aster heard a voice, one that sent a chill down his back and cold air into his lungs.

"I truly wish it hadn't come to this Alistair but my path will not end here."

A sigh was heard as he waved his hand, abruptly manifesting a crescent moon that screeched towards the surviving members of the House of Arius who were still stunned at the sudden change of the events. The terrible spell didn't choose friend or foe as it perfectly cleaved apart the cloaked figures still standing into two, their shredded remains falling into the ground without a sound. The spell was just about to sweep through the remaining members of Arius when a blood-red shield appeared on its path and thunder cracked as the spell crashed into its surface before dissipating into harmless motes of silver.

If the glaring silvery mana of Lord of the Lunar House felt like a subtle whiffs of a dry emotionless night then the accompanying mana that soon made itself known felt overwhelmingly like the cloying taste of one of the earthy tinctures his mother used to give him when he was little. To his new found senses, the unfurling blood red mana tasted like herbs, ferrous potions and alittle like the crimson blossoms his sick mother always surrounded herself with. A terrible feeling settled into his stomach and when he turned towards the courtyard, he saw her mother in a way he had never seen her before.

She was walking out of the doorway, towards the enemy with her hand outstretched and another holding on to a long thin staff with a crimson flower at the top. Ever since he can remember, his mother had always looked pale and frail in his eyes. But this time, he saw a version he could only dream of where his mother was seemingly healthy and unerringly beautiful, dressed in a fitting ruby gown, with its long cape billowing outwards from the strength of her mana. Just by being near her presence Aster could see any struggling mage who had yet to die, visibly recover. Their wounds quickly healing as they regained back their healthy complexion, almost as if the terrible battle had left none of its mark on their skins.

The Lord of the Lunar House spoke in a defeated tone.

"Your strength wanes Marigold, you do not have any hope of defeating me. I am aware of the sacrifice you had made for your son and I can give my word that I will leave you and your child alone as long as I get what I want."

Her mother, her beautiful weak mother who now stood proud and tall with her crimson mana flaring all around her in waves replied.

"I'm not even sure of how you were aware such a thing was in my husband's possession but I can guess. It seems even after all these years, his desolate family won't us let be at peace." Her glowing eyes tinged in red peered across the courtyard. She sighed.

"I feel pity for you Linares for despite our trust, you chose to become this, an agent, a pawn meant to bring our end. Still I only have one question for you. For it all to come to this…was it all worth it?"

Aster had thought the Lord of the Lunar House had gone silent but instead he softly replied.

"There are things happening that even I with my strength cannot dare fathom. Give me what I came for Marigold and I can give my oath that I will let you live."

His mother raised her head into the air and for a moment Aster was sure her eyes had roamed at the window he was at, seemingly lingering before turning back to the intruder.

She softly spoke. "Then would you let my husband live, Linares?"

The Lord of Lunar House went silent until he again sighed, letting the hood of his robe fall off his head.

 "That…I cannot promise." He responded.

His mother brilliantly smiled.

"Then we have nothing else to speak of. From your words I can slightly infer of the sacrifices you have made but you should also know. The moment you raised your hand against us was the moment you set yourself upon the path of no return."

She allowed her mana to blossom. "Sorry my little son, mother has got to protect you from those who mean us harm."

Aster stared wide eyed as another crescent moon suddenly clashed against the undulating crimson shield in front of his mother. He was just about to shout, to let her know he was here, to make her leave the terrible man who sought to destroy, to selfishly abandon the mages below, anything for her to be alive and well and safe but the young steward beside him jumped at his mouth and only muffled gasps came out of him.

Almost on cue the Lord of Lunar House Linares turned toward the window. Roan immediately tackled Aster to the ground before dragging him away from the opening. A terrible blast echoed again in the compound and Aster heard the last words he would ever hear his mother say.

"Your battle is with me Lin…" she declared followed with bright flashes of magic, the blood red and the silvery light mana reflecting off the marble gray walls inside the manor.

"Forgive me young lord," Roan muttered as he pulled him through the several corridors and awning halls, towards the dungeon his father had warned him off more than once. His thoughts incoherent, Aster could barely resist. He had just seen his mother seemingly healthy and powerful, wielding a kind of magic he never seen before. The only thing he was sure of was that his mother was an accomplished alchemist as all of the potions and tinctures that filled the manor were mostly made by her hands. But one thing he had never thought of was the fact that his mother was a blood mage. How could he have known even with his mother's strange tendency to wear red and cultivate crimson flowers?

Still a sinking feeling settled in his chest as he realized his mother might not come out of that battle alive. Even Linares had admitted that her strength was not what it once was. Although Aster had no idea how exactly strong his mother used to be, her current weakness was no doubt somehow tied to him, something he could no longer afford to ignore and yet was powerless to do anything about it.

The thought of her mother fighting a losing battle snapped Aster out of his haze and he found himself stopping in his tracks.

"I have to go back," he muttered. "I have to stop my mother…"

The young steward forcibly gripped his hand. "I'm afraid you can't young lord…."

Aster was just about to get desperate when the next words made his efforts falter.

"Your mother…my mistress had just bought time for us. Young lord your mother had to go outside to protect you…please…do not let her efforts be for nothing."

The young steward was practically begging, his eyes glistening with tears. Shocked by the intense emotions, Aster could only stammer in response.

"B-but she will die if she fights him. Y-you have felt his mana…he is strong, way too strong. If we do nothing…" Aster choked on his words, at the sudden fear sprouting inside him. "I don't want to lose her."

Roan's eyes flickered with a sad smile and certain resolve.

"We are too weak to do anything, my lord. Our only hope is to seek your father, only he can shift the tides again."

A spark of hope birthed within Aster when he recalled the falling stars and the ensuing madness. That event alone had shifted everything in their favor, eking out a victory in the midst of despair. He was just about to agree when another tremor tore through their entire house with fractures appearing on the walls. A few more explosions like that and Aster was sure the whole manor would fall upon them.

It seemed the steward had the same idea.

"We no longer have time." that was all he said as he pulled Aster by hand, this time following willingly. They both practically flew across the hallways, unheeding of any one around them until they finally arrived at the base of the manor where another enchanted door stood in their path, this one filled to the brim with marks repeatedly arranged in strange geometric circles.

The young Roan let go of his hand before taking a deep breath. Agitating his meager power, he first spoke a few words before injecting his star light mana through his fingers at certain points at the door.

The marked circles soon lit up and heavy machinery clanked until a crack opened. Quickly taking his hand again, Roan swiftly squeezed them both through before the door abruptly shut, leaving them in the dark and on the cusp of descending stairs.

On any other day, Aster would have been giddy with excitement. This was the dungeon, the only place in the whole manor he had never stepped a foot in, though not for the lack of trying. Despite his father's attempts to warn him off, Aster had naturally tried several times to sneak through the heavily protected door to no success. It wasn't until he saw what Roan had done that he finally understood what he was missing. Like the Asterium in his father's study, the dungeon's entrance required specific words of power to enter, ones Aster distinctly had no idea of, if he even could find someone willing to teach him.

His musings were quickly cut short when the narrow passageways lit up in a pale bluish light. The confined corridors were enchanted with starite stones that cast their eerie light down before them. Roan pulled him through the thin steps, which delved deeper and deeper in what felt like a never ending spiral until they finally arrived on a small clearing where another door awaited them, this one filled with the familiar markings in geometric cycles along with an engraved image of what strangely looked like a floating astrolabe similar to the one in his father's study.

 "We are here, young lord." Roan's voice strangely echoed deep underground. "Go on, he is waiting for you inside." Subtly encouraging him to enter, Aster walked up to the door and slowly laid his hand on to its cold surface. With a soft click the markings on the door flared in waves as the door slowly opened, revealing a bright blue glow inside. Aster turned around only to see the young steward already making his way to the surface, leaving him all alone on a threshold to the only place in the manor he had never stepped a foot inside before.

Brushing away his reservations, Aster decisively entered only to be met with a room like none other. It was a wide hall, with a ceiling arched higher than he would have ever thought possible. On every surface of the floor and walls, markings were carved in the same strange geometric circles, their source emanating for a large circle at the center. Directly above it floated a large spherical globe, several feet into the air with a swirling framework of metallic bands, each etched with further markings. The circling globe was seemingly filled with stars, each gloriously shining on to every surface, furthering lighting up the hall in a nimbus of blue light.

Looking around Aster could practically taste the ambient energy. There was power in this room, one he could feel in his bones. A thrum was in the air making him realize the real reason why his father had admonished him from such a place. There was no doubt this room; this hall was the center of the array that governed the whole manor. This was the place that had powered the magical protections before they were destroyed. This was what had allowed his father to summon the stars that had shifted the battle into their favor.

Reluctantly pulling his eyes from the furiously revolving bands and the swirling orb, Aster finally saw a figure on the opposite wall, beside a long table filled with artifacts of all kinds. The floating orb at the center of the hall made him wary and so, he carefully advanced to the side, trying to keep his panic from his voice.

 "Father..." he called.

The form more than a few meters away deeply breathed before he turned.

"My son," He softly uttered. Aster was immediately struck by his pallid face and tired eyes. Unbidden worry rose within him.

"Father, why is the House of Lunar attacking us? Aren't they our neighbors?"

His father wreathed in a regal robe of glittering starlight, inscribed with markings at the edges quickly waved his left hand while the other held a long weathered staff scribed with lines of markings, affixed with a small globe at the top.

 "Come quickly, son. We don't have much time." He told him as he swiftly walked towards him, and then took his hand, leading him to the center of the hall.

Aster attempted to explain his worry.

"Mother is at the courtyard w-wielding blood. She is fighting the Lord of Lunar House but I…don't think she will prevail. We have to help her, father."

His father froze for only a moment before a sigh so deep escaped him.

"In time my son, in time. Now come, stand over here and give me a moment."

Allowing himself to be pulled along, Aster soon found himself at the exact center, directly beneath the starry orb. He could feel the energy emitted from the globe on his skin and it was enough to make him wary.

Something must have shown on his face as his father encouraged him with a tired smile.

"Do not worry son you are perfectly safe." He added almost like it was an afterthought. "This is the only we can help your mother. Now stay still and I will be done shortly."

Hearing that, most of Aster's misgivings slowly fell away but there was still a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, one that couldn't help but make him slowly anxious even as he tried to obey his father on standing still within the confines of the circle.

It was only until a moment later when the markings that made up the circle lit up and a translucent screen formed all around him. At first Aster was confused as he slowly stretched his hand only to be met with a solid wall. When it finally dawned on him, he hurriedly spread his hands trying to look for a way out all the while his mind tried to conjure up a dozen reasons on why his father had chosen to trap him in the array.

"Father w-what is happening? Why can't I get out?"

His father's reply made the feeling of dread come fully to the surface.

 "I'm sorry son,"

Aster's panicked eyes searched for his father's face only to see a tears rolling from his eyes.

 "It was true when I said this was the only way me and your mother could protect you. We were afraid…"

A loud crash cut him off, this one powerful enough to be felt deep in the dungeon where they were.

Alistair murmured to himself.

"He is already inside."

For a second his face nearly crumpled in deep pain and despair until it quickly changed into a smile of rage.

"Well if he won't even let my family live, then he can only dream to get it."

 Flaring his will and raising his staff quite high, his father let his mana manifest into the very air; a deep ocean of starlight and night, it encompassed the whole hall. The markings on every surface blazed brightly and the orb that stood directly above Aster revolved furiously, its power spreading even further. To his senses, Aster felt like he was at the center of a maelstrom of energy and yet somehow his father's voice still reached his ears, offering a calm respite.

"He thought to betray us and rip our family's treasure from our hands but he, like many others is not aware of our roots, our legacy. Our fathers helped build this very monarchy. We were never meant to fall this easily, not even at their hands."

 Despite everything going on around him, Aster struggled to form words.

"F-father…w-what are… doing? We…still fight…mother…needs us"

Alistair stared at his son's face with a mournful smile.

"Oh Aster, there is much you would have learned if only time allowed us so. Do not blame yourself for this is the choice your mother and I ultimately made."

Another loud crash resounded through the manor, with pieces of dust and debris somehow falling through the gathering energy. His father barely glanced upwards before he waved his staff and a black stone floated out from his robes, and directly towards Aster.

"The only thing I can leave with you is this." The dark stone came with a small metallic ring that quickly fastened around his neck with a soft click.

"Take this my son and protect it with your very life. Remember all I have taught you and survive. Once you have made your escape, quickly make haste for the Astral Clocktowers due north east. You will be protected there. May the stars lead you my son."

For a moment, their eyes gazed at each other across the shielding spells and the chaotic energy. His father left him his last wards.

"Above all else head these words; protect our legacy at all costs."

Aster could barely form a coherent thought when at the same time, the only door into the hall exploded into a cloud of dust and stone while a few words escaped his father's throat.

 "The Cosmos Array; the Planar Shift of Stars,"

Aster only had a few seconds to sneak a last glance of his father before the formation forcefully took hold of him and whisked him off through a tunnel of bright lights and shifting stars. He only heard a loud roar filled with grievances behind him and a start of some kind of rumbling eruption which quickly faded into the background.

In the darkness of the swirling stars and dizzying lights only a few words kept reverberating in his mind.

Protect our legacy at all costs.