Fragment (Redux)

Prologue

"You know what would happen if we were to lock it away, right?"

Seven robed figures sit atop floating thrones. The atmosphere is stagnant and unwavering as they sit in silence. Seven adversaries, once friends, now had a decision to make. One that would change their lives forever.

The one that spoke up was the shortest of the group. The young, feminine voice wavered as her words escaped her lips, slicing through the silence like a knife through paper. Her words were directed to the figure sitting across from her. He didn't answer her, not right away, and neither did any of the others.

The room they sat within didn't seem much like a room at all. A bright, golden haze expanded towards what seemed like infinity in any given direction. Clouds, fluffy and dense, floated slowly below them. It was like an eternal dawn had set upon the room.

The girl looked on into the horizon. It helped to settle the butterflies in her stomach, just as it had many times before. This was her favorite place in the entire universe. If only she knew she would never see it again.

Finally, the one at whom she directed her speech replied.

"Of course I do," another young voice offered weakly. "I just don't know of any other way. We aren't strong enough to defeat him, and we can't keep him from it as things are now."

The speaker wavered too, and for good reason. He was only a boy, and he was not alone in this. All seven bodies in the room were young, the eldest not being a day over 19, and yet the decision they were forced to make was enough to make the wisest of adults sweat.

"So you just want to let our people die?" another figure replied. This was the eldest of the council. Anger seeped from his voice, unmistakably paired with a twinge of helplessness. He was angry, sure, but he knew the situation wasn't as simple as he was making it out to be.

The silence dragged on while the concept continued to hang in the air. After a few moments, the boy was ready to grasp it.

"I could never want that," he started, "but if he manages to get his hands on the crystal then he'll have enough power to control the entire universe. There is no possible end game here in which we win."

"He's right," spoke another. With every word, the remaining hope in the room ebbed away. "The only hope the universe has is for us to seal the crystal away somewhere far from here where he can't find it."

"What will we do after, then?" a fifth sparked angrily. "Surely you haven't forgotten that no crystal means no power to defend against them. We'll be defenseless. What then?"

No one responded, not because they were unsure but because they knew all too well what came next.

"We die," said the girl as she vocalized what most everyone was already thinking. "But hey... what kind of people would we be if we put ourselves ahead of the rest of the universe?" she muttered, offering a small smile.

To that, no one had a response.

Suddenly the council felt the entire room shake around them. It felt like an earthquake were about to rip the sky into pieces, and they had no way to stop it.

"He's coming. We have to decide now." a sixth leveled.

Eventually, against their best wishes, they decided. In order to save the universe that council of children made the ultimate decision to sacrifice their lives and the lives of their people. They warped the crystal across the universe and hid it away in a place they hoped their enemy would never find it. A place brimming with incredible potential and new life that would hopefully one day be able to do what they couldn't.

This is that story.