《The Storyteller: Fires in the Sky》Chapter 4: Sun and Moon verses the Void
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Finally, the day had come. It took a while longer since Moon insisted that they make it a spectacle, but it was finally all done. Now the two siblings stood ready to oppose Void as the world watched.
Only one being did not seem to care about their big announcement, and that was Void. The great beast felt no concern as Sun and Moon gathered against it. After all, it could not die, and so what did Void have to worry about as two children rattled their sabers. If they tried to fight, like all the others they would be consumed in its ever-hungry maw.
On the other side, Sun and Moon stood together. All eyes were on them, or more accurately, to the side. As Sun was so bright looking right at her would burn your eyes. Moon gripped the hilt of his sword and tried to calm his nerves. After all, this was his best chance to claim his own glory. The opportunity he'd waited for his entire life. A chance to outdo Sun.
"Alright little bro, how do you want to..." Sun rolled her shoulder as she tried to coordinate with Moon. However, he jumped in without a word.
Moon drew his sword, and with a sharp thrust stabbed towards Void. Now, there was still miles between them, but remember this was Mother Space's magical sword. Distance meant nothing to this blade. Despite Void's massive body and strong armor, the blade pierced from one side straight through the other. It was a shock to everyone watching, but Void was even more surprised. Nothing had ever pierced its accursed hide before. It was nowhere near enough to fell the monstrous beast, but it was sure enough to grab its attention.
After Moon's surprise attack the battle began in earnest. Both Sun and Void rushed to the front of the fight. It was a flash of blinding light as Sun and Moon danced around the earth-shattering attack sent by Void. For the beast was massive and exceptionally powerful, but also slow. His bloated form made it easy for Sun and Moon to dodge his powerful blows. Which was good, as a single strike would likely be enough to end either one of them.
It was a masterful play of two experienced fighters moving around a wounded animal. Already the siblings had lasted far longer than any who had gone against Void. Their dedication and training was apparent to everyone watching. It was actually quite a beautiful setup you see. Sun and Moon had not planned out how they would fight, so every action was decided in the heat of battle.
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Moon relied on that sword of his, and stabbed the great beast over and over, peppering it with holes. Now Sun was no slouch. She could see an opportunity when it presented itself. With all those fresh holes she sent roaring lances of fire to tear through its insides. For the first time, the heavens were lit up. Brightened by Sun, Moon, and the glowing holes in Void's skin.
There was still a problem facing the two heroes. Void could not die. Having stolen the broth of life while a child, it could never pass on to the next life. Although those witches didn't let Void get away without any consequences. Its immortality was tied to the deep, dark cave where it had stolen away their food. This was of course a secret to all but those witches who would never have given up any of their knowledge willingly. This meant no matter how much their destroyed Void's body, it would never die. So for Void this was just a waiting game. Hours, days, centuries, it knew eventually they would tire, and it would emerge victorious.
Still, there were no greater mages than Sun and Moon. After days of fighting the immortality of Void sunk in. Moon was furious. This was his chance. He had to succeed, and so he continued to slice, stab, and dodge as fast as he could. Blinded by his drive he focused on each attack one after the other, missing the bigger picture to perfect every attack.
However, Sun, had slowed her strikes. It was clear to her that attacking was not going to be enough. They needed to go about this some other way. As she thought through her options her very soul seemed to pull towards Moon. Then it hit her!
"Little bro!" Sun used her magic to speak to her brother in his own mind. "I've got an idea. If we combine our powers, we can defeat it. In one body we should be able to throw aside the rules our parents set down that it is abusing to stay alive."
Moon's body was shaking in rage. He knew she was right, but then he would lose his chance to show that he could be brighter. "Leave me alone Sun! I've got to focus!" he snapped at her, screaming across the cosmos.
Sun stood shocked, but it seemed Moon had gotten distracted. It was enough for Void to lift a deadly claw and bring it down towards Moon. It was a mighty enough blow that it would kill Moon with just a touch. Without hesitation, Sun leaped between them and created massive spectral hands that she used to catch the claw. She couldn't let her brother get hurt, not if she could help it.
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This made Moon furious of course, but Sun didn't know. Being saved by his brighter sister. Why it was too much. He went into a fury. Slashing through Void over and over. His rage had given him a burst of energy and strength. All while Sun had to struggle to hold off the deadly claw pressing down on her.
Then, she saw it. Through the holes in Void, she could see something tugging on its soul. Like small whisps of smoke drifting off towards the Earth. It was enough for her to try and investigate and reaching out with her magic she could feel the pull.
"Little bro!" she cried, again using his own mind to speak to him so that Void would not hear. "He's bound to something, if we could..."
"I said shut up!" snapped Moon as his rage had twisted his face almost beyond recognition.
Sun did not understand what was going on, but she could tell Moon was burning up his energy far too quickly. He wouldn't last much longer if he kept going like this. Since he wouldn't listen to her, she had to do it herself.
Void was no idiot. It could see what was happening. Moon was weakening, and Sun was pinned by its mighty claw. So, he ignored Moon for the time being, and instead focused on Sun. It brought up its second claw and slammed it against Sun. The complete weight of the great beast pressed down against her. Even if she poured all of her magic into her defense, it was only a matter of time against such an oppressive force.
This was it. The battle would end here one way or another. Sun cried out, "Little bro! Help!"
Moon paused his assault to turn towards Sun. His eyes were cold, but when he saw her at the verge of death, he seemed to come back to his senses somewhat. After all, he wanted to surpass his sister, not have her die. "Sis!" he cried out.
"Hurry, we can bind it, but I won't last much longer here once we start." Sun pushed more magic into her spectral defenses, shifting them from hands into a solid shield between her and the beast.
Both of them knew the truth. If they tried to bind it like this, Sun would die. In Void's final moments it would tear through Sun's weakened magic. So, Moon felt he had no choice. He flew to Sun and moved in front of her as they started to combine.
There was a bright flash of light as Void was thrown back. Where two siblings stood now was one entity. Their brightness had grown so much that it went back around. That's right, to the naked eye the siblings looked dark with a ring of light surrounding them. However, they were now so bright that staring at them for a moment would surely make you go blind.
Void was the first victim of this. It stared right at them now that they didn't seem as bright. But, with a mighty roar it realized too late that its eyes had burned down to nothing. Without its sight, it was left to strike out like a wild beast. In their combined form, it was easy for Sun and Moon to knock away any strikes that came close. Like a parent holding off their angry toddler, they held the great beast at bay. With slow, direct movements, they grabbed ahold of Void's soul and crushed it in their hand.
With a mighty roar that shook the Earth down to its foundation Void started to drift between death and immortality. Seeing the pain and confusion, the siblings felt a pang of remorse and stopped their attack. Instead, they chose to use their combined powers to form a prison of light around its soul. This sealed Void's power away, and it was now unable to resist the pull of the witches' curse. Its body cracked and crumbled as his soul was ripped away, prison and all, back to where it had first obtained immortality.
As Void fell away, Sun and Moon separated. All was silent for a moment before cheering erupted from the world. The great tyrant was dead, and now the brightness of Sun and Moon illuminated the world. It was a joyous occasion with much celebration as all the people cheered, "Sun! Sun! Sun! Sun!"
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