Atlas | Starlit Springs

Atlas’ heart is heavy as a stone tonight. The moon shines above him in the inky sky, full and brilliant, and not even his goddess’ rays can ease his worries. The argument he’d had with Dherec replays in his mind, clear and crisp, unlike his earlier fragmented memories.

Foolish boy, Atlas thinks disdainfully with a sharp scowl. His plan had been harebrained, to say the least - Sneak into the Starfall ball, thrown by the ostentatious Starflower family, to recover fragments of the original moonstone that were rumored to be locked up deep inside the castle, in the heart of the Starflower kingdom. The plan was reckless, even more so than the usual schemes Dherec cooks up, and yet the boy had refused to listen to Atlas when he spoke of danger, of honoring nature in more peaceful ways. Though Atlas isn’t a pacifist by any means, purposefully stirring up the nobility isn’t worth it - not if it means losing the young man he’s somehow come to think of as a son.

But Dherec is too set in his ways, as stubborn as, well, as stubborn as Atlas himself. Almost a ghost of what could be a stony smile pulls at his lips. It seems Atlas may have passed on more than just his teachings and rituals to the dragonfly. For a moment, he thinks of Dherec infiltrating the ball, dressed in garish, stuffy clothing, bowing stiffly to those he loathes, and the smile almost turns amused, until worry hardens it.

Suddenly, he tenses - he’d been so lost in his thoughts that somehow, someone had managed to step foot into this sacred space without him knowing. His enhanced senses, blessings from the Moon Goddess, can feel a presence hidden behind a crumbling pillar, one of the only ones still miraculously standing somehow amidst this wasteland of a temple.

“I know you’re there,” Atlas suddenly speaks, his voice as firm and unwavering as the broken pieces of temple rock strewn about his feet. His tattoos begin to glow, as do his eyes and the moonstone embedded in his forehead, his holy powers ready to burst at a moment’s notice should the person reveal themselves to be an enemy. His wings flutter restlessly, antennae twitching as his fingers tighten on his staff. “Show yourself. Now.”