The night passed in calm quiet. It was in the odd hours of the morning when darkness yet hung and stars still shined, that the humans awoke. The three orks had already gone some time ago, as the warmth of their places beside the two had vanished.

  In the cold place left between them, Cella rolled over to peer at Ren. His eyes slowly fluttered as a smile broke out across his face. It was as though he was born anew, his heart thudded with a new force behind it. Not only did it push blood, but it also pulsed a faint hint of the ancient blood frozen in time. The amber radiated an ethereal warmth from within him.

  The two met eyes, both smiling widely. In union the warm life affinity flowed within them, their hearts beating to the same rhythm. The world appeared new, the grass beneath them, different. All things felt new, and all things were far better now. Every sensation was stronger, the more subtle notes revealed.

  Together they walked out into the morning air, still cloaked in darkness, they focused on the smell. The sweetness of the flowers in the fields surrounding them, and the earth fragrances of the grass and weeds.

  Nothing could take this joy away as they sat side by side staring into the stars. To Ren, they were novel, they were different in this land than in his. To Cella, they were far more novel, as the Underdark’s sky shed no light.

  The sky shone the greatest at a single streaking point. From the top of the mountainside, the tail of a comet slowly faded, while the comet itself slowly moved towards them. A memory danced in Ren’s mind, but in his joy, he pushed it aside. No painful memories could plague him now. Instead, he pointed to it, only speaking of its beauty.

  “Lovely, isn’t it?” His smile broadened and shone from his eyes.

  “I never imagined this, after everything…” A moment of sorrow failed to take hold of her, she pushed it away as the joy of the moment prevailed.

  The streaking comet came further towards them as its tail shimmered behind its trail. The brightness of it caused Ren to squint, Cella even beginning to do the same.

  “You don’t think…” Ren trailed off.

  Cella slowly stood and stared directly into it. The joy began to escape her as anxiety took hold.

  “Ren, I think just in case we should move?”

  “I can’t believe in a million years that a meteor would come right for us, just as we’re having the time of our lives. We’ll be fine.”

  “I…” Cella continued staring into the sky.

  The light only grew stronger as the falling object plummeted from the sky.

  “Shit, I think you’re right.” Ren stood, shouting into the camp, “Wake up!” In the orkish tongue. Several heads poked from tents with odd expressions.

  The falling meteorite only came closer as the orks looked around while confused. Cella grabbed Ren’s hand, pulling him away from the camp.

  “Wait, we can’t leave them!” Ren shouted. He pulled his arm from her and dashed towards the yurt.

  The object above only accelerated, as it became more clear to Cella’s eyes. A burning object of fire and golden light. It shone like the sun, plummeting to earth at a speed only a heavenly object could know. She was frozen at the sight, unable to move even with the euphoria of her amber heart.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Ren dashed into the yurt, awakening the chief. As he did so, several shouts and screams came from the surrounding tents. The chief was pulling himself free of his bedding and arming himself as Ren entered.

  “What is it?”

  “Run!” He turned to do so himself, though as he turned to escape the tent. He met a blinding light that forced him to close his eyes. Without seeing, he ran as fast as he could towards the treeline.

  Ren knew a falling meteor of a great enough size would flatten the surrounding area, though he hoped it was small enough that he could survive. Regardless of his doubts, he ran faster than ever before. The stamina pulsing throughout his body from the amber empowered every step.

  Without having seen Ren, Cella realized she had to move or die. The realization struck her, it was too late to move. The object was moments from crashing, and so she called on the amber within her, and all of her power to make a defense. Life from within the earth came to her call, her ultimate defense came forth as she begged to live. The earth shook, and she sank into it, around her life flourished as she only saw darkness.

  Ren felt an enormous impact causing him to lose his footing. A moment later, magic exploded into his back. With his eyes pinched closed he could not see what was in front of him, but he knew it would be painful.

  His body took to the air as a power magic exploded from the impact. His torso first broke a small tree in two parts as he tore through it. Second, his head smashed into a great tree, his consciousness floating in and out. The remaining impacts were as if they were a mile away. A barrier between him and the pain. His ascendant body struggled to remain alive as it was broken again and again. The amber’s energy did little to aid him, but it did allow him to move slightly after he had impacted the ground.

  He was on the side of a large stone formation, blasted hundreds of feet from the impact. Looking out from his impact crater, Ren saw a figure. They stood tall in shining golden armor, a spear the length of a man in one hand. A golden radiance shone forth as waves of flame came from the impact. The fire burned golden and bright. The image burned deep into Ren’s eyes as he recognized the man. It was the paladin from the monastery. It was the man who went to spread the word of Ren’s coming.

  A shifting sounded as Ren tried to move. A large portion of loose stone and earth fell down onto him. Within seconds he was buried alive, and far too weak to do anything about it. Helpless and alone, he feared death.

  There was nothing to be done, but to rest and recover. His body did not need air as it used to, and so he would live. It would be a painful recovery, but the layers of loose stone were light compared to the burdens he already shouldered.

  In his mind, he only wished for Cella to have lived. If she died, he would make sure that this world burned. His soul be damned, he would unleash the void.

  –

  In her self-made coffin, she begged for Ren to have lived, for he was all she had left. She was bundled within layers of roots deep within the earth as she had called forth a tree to grow and to shield her. It had taken all she had to summon such a shield, she was left weakened.

  It was nearly a minute after impact that she felt something wrong. The tree she had grown was burning. Holy incineration burned away her tree’s remaining bits and pieces. Almost destroyed by the impact, only small portions of underground roots remained. Quickly the small remains became ash.

  Her body ached from the crushing impact above her, which only heightened the pain of the grasping hand that ripped her from beneath the earth.

  The face of a man greeted her. He stood tall, well over six feet, and in golden plate armor. He carried a spear large enough to rip her in two. She felt no malice in him, though that did not lessen the pain of his grasp. Enveloped in radiance, his hand burned her.

  With a face of stone and a baritone, he spoke to her. “You are the one that has been seen with the warlock?”

  She stared at him unwilling to speak.

  “Lady, do not cause me to get violent with you. I prefer not, but I shall if that is what is required of me. I shall fulfill my duty and my purpose regardless of your cooperation.”

  “I am.” She spoke with a quivering voice. She slouched as the weakness washed over her.

  “The warlock, what had happened to him? I could barely read his location any longer.”

  “I don’t know. I…” The pressure on her from the paladin’s aura, as well as the weakness in her, caused her to collapse.

  The golden figure retracted his golden radiance, and the area around stopped burning as his golden flames ceased. He sighed and began to search the impact zone.