• Her name was Nico Clair. Her pleas for our sanity, our lives, our freedom, broke the heart of the Goddess. She, the one who defeated the Goddess, the one who stood against the Heavens and cried out for justice, the savior us of us all, lay dying in my arms.
    Her breathing became labored, her heart slowed. She looked up at me, my tears splashing on her face, and said, “My Love, look, its raining. The angels have heard me.” Indeed it was raining, a light mist cleansing the earth. She breathed deeply, her body shaking, and smiled up at me. “I love you.” She closed her eyes and exhaled. Her last breath puffed out in a white cloud. Her body went still in my arms, her heart never to beat again. I laid my head on her shoulder and wept. My sobs breaking the silence like thunder. Heavenly music played and a chorus of angels sang and cried. Their unearthly song shattered my already broken heart.


    The sunlight cracked through my curtains and fell across my face. Tears ran down my cheeks, reminders of the loss never filled. Her last words resounded in my head, bouncing off the inside of my skull. She’d looked so peaceful.
    Enough. I sat up, and looked around the room. The white walls and cream carpet looked cheery. Too cheery. I stood and crossed the room to the only window. The streets of Benon, the capital of Styr, were filled with Sunday commuters, their noise blocked by the walls of my apartment.
    The Second Sun hung in the sky, a bright orb of happiness. Her favorite sight. Frustrated, I twitched the curtains closed. The resultant darkness left me momentarily blind. I sighed and rummaged through the clothes on my floor. I pulled out a gray t-shirt and yanked it over my head. Leaving my room, I walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. I shared this apartment with my life-long friend, Davies.
    He looked up when I walked into the living room. His light brown hair was cut and combed. He wore wire-rimmed glass and was dressed in a blue-stripped button up shirt and jeans.
    “You’re finally up.” He leaned back over his papers. It looked like he was doing homework again.
    “More homework. I don’t know why you even bother,” I scoffed.
    “Because, unlike some people, I have plans for my future.” He was currently going to collage; I was not. Something he liked to point out quiet frequently.
    I rolled my eyes and walked to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. I had black hair, and green eyes. I was fairly tall with a naturally strong build. I sighed, she’d loved me so much. I missed her terribly.
    It had been three years since that day , but the memory was still fresh in my mind. She was an idealist. She thought she could change the world for the better and make everyone happy. I followed her because I loved her. She had done it. The only one who ever had, and she’d died because of it.
    I stalked into the kitchen. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table.
    “I’ve got to go to town today, need anything?” I said. Davies looked up at me in surprise.
    “But today’s Sunday. We’re supposed to be praying to the Goddess today.” He eyed my bowl of cereal, “You’re supposed to be fasting today.”
    “Hey, don’t start this again. I’m a nonbeliever, and you know it.”
    “Don’t you know what today is?” At my annoyed look, he went on, “It’s the Celebration of Nico Clair.” The name sent a shock of pain into my heart. I knew there was a reason for that dream.
    “Are you alright?”
    “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” He knew nothing of what had happened that fateful day. My Nico, my love, had challenged the Goddess, with me by her side. The hardships and pains of the world were washed way, and everbody rejoiced. Everyone except Elias Bane.
    He had shot her through the back with an arrow, and she died in my arms. Elias Bane was the Devil. He’d been mad at her for her meddling in ‘godly affairs’, and ruining his plans for dominance. Nobody knew of me, nobody knew that I was even present that day, That I’d held her while she took her last breath. We had planed to be married.
    She was my life, but she was stolen from me, and there was nobody I could talk to, nobody to fill her place in my heart. I loved her with all my soul and when she died, I crumbled. Nobody had tried to clean up the mess of my soul, it was just left there to blow about on the wind. The walls around my heart, the ones she had tried for so long to take down, where bricked back up.
    “Hey. What’s wrong?” I looked up into Davies anxious face.
    “What? Nothings wrong.”
    “Shawn, you were crying.” I hastily wiped the tears off my face and sat in silence. Davies peered into my face one last time then went back to his homework.



    I walked down the streets of Benon, looking at all the booths set up everywhere. Necklaces, gems, fancy ribbons, colored beads, celebratory bowls and cups.
    Today everyone was celebrating the day when Nico Clair talked to the Goddess. Later there would be a moment of silence for her death and then there would be a big party tonight.
    I reached into my pocket and pulled out 30 gens. I stopped in front of a booth with ribbons. I bought a blue one for 6 gens and stowed it in my pocket.
    I continued down the street stopping only to let somebody pass. Nearing the edge of towwn i slowed my brisk walk and eventually came to a stop. I was standing on the outskirts of Benon. There was a low wall on my left that marked the end of Benon. To my right, there was a narrow ally between two abandoned buildings.
    I whistled, starting low and quickly climbing high. The sound echoed around the empty building. To my right, out of the ally, I heard a low scuffling sound. The noise was coming closer rapidly. I turned and faced the opening and smiled. A body flew out of the ally and slammed into me. Small arms wrapped around my waist. I looked down into the smiling face of a young girl.
    She had dirty blond hair that curled down her back. Her bright blue eyes were overjoyed. I wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug. She pulled away and looked up at me her overbright eyes glistening.