Soul Of The Cosmos | Emperor Cleon

Chapter I - The Maiden

Hello and welcome!
I hope you enjoy this fic. There isn't -that- much lore I can work with without reading the books - which I don't have the time for - so everything here is based on what I can find on the internet and sometimes my creative input.

Plot is based on the series, but I made some changes.

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A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes
I screamed aloud, as it tore through them
And now it's left me blind

The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart

And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat
I tried to find the sound
But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness
So darkness I became

- Florence + The Machine, Cosmic Love

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Aura's heart beat so loud in her chest that she feared the other passengers on board of the freighter would hear it, or perhaps even feel it. She pulled her cloak tighter around her body, her back leaning against the ship's walls as it continued drifting through space. She saw stars pass by as she gazed out of the window on the opposite side, sprinkled over the darkness of the galaxy like glistening snow flakes. She began counting the brightest ones, her eyes flickering from one to the next while her mind processed the information. The task kept her occupied, distracted her from the treachery she was committing. 

Most members of the Ring of Zephyrs would have called it treachery, at least. To them, the Empire and its leader were nothing but an antiquated regime, lead by a soulless being stuck somewhere between humanity and nothingness. 
Proxima Opal, the former head of the Luminists, had denied these beliefs by following the New Octavo, securing Luminist support for the Empire.

But Proxima Opal was dead, and so seemed to be the New Octavo.
Tears stung in Aura's eyes when she recalled seeing her in her quarters; the lifeless body of her former mentor, friend and mother figure, the appearance of which has most likely scarred her for the next months, if not years. She wished that the Zephyrs had not been called to Opal's chambers that day, but it had happened and now it was irreversible. 

When she joined the Ring of Zephyrs one year ago, she had just turned twenty, she was the youngest Zephyr thus far. Aura remembered the mistrust the others gave her, the way all of them underestimated her due to her lack of experience, while Opal had reassured them that her youthful insight would prove beneficial. After all, the maiden was a part of the Triple Goddess. A part of the eternal cycle of life, there to be cherished and respected, just like the mother and the crone.

The freighter swayed to the side abruptly, causing Aura to hold onto a nearby handle on the wall, as to not lose her balance. A few strands of platinum hair fell into her face and she used her free hand to brush them behind her ear. A man to her right cursed under his breath, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick over his lips while his eyes were glued to the holopad he was holding in his hand. From her position, Aura couldn't see what he was reading but given his flushed complexion and sweaty forehead, she could guess.
There were only a handful of passengers aboard today, some sitting in the uncomfortable looking metal chairs, which were arranged in rows of five and each facing the cockpit, while others preferred to stand, using the handles on the walls to balance themselves when the ride got a little unsteady.

None of them paid attention to her, and she was glad her simple clothing made her blend in as well as she'd hoped. She was by no means a fugitive, but she didn't exactly want to be found, either. Using one of the Maiden's ships would have drawn attention to herself by her fellow Zephyrs so, although she despised public transport, it seemed like the smartest thing to do.
The ship shook again, just as Aura saw the edges of a planet come into view through the window. The lights were visible even from outer space. In fine lines, they spread from one to the other, creating a network of veins on top of the planet's surface. The stars she had previously counted seemed dull in comparison, while the planet was lively and bright.