The desolate landscape of the moon stretched before them in all directions, cold and barren. Prince Demande and his brother Saphir stood at the edge of the Sea of Serenity and gazed toward the ruins of the Moon Kingdom. There, at the very center of the ruins, stood the silhouette of the Moon Palace.

  Saphir stared, transfixed. It had been millennia since he had laid eyes on the Moon Palace. He knew the great cataclysm had destroyed it long ago. Princess Serenity must have restored it to its former glory when she had burned through the power of the Silver Crystal.

  The palace looked glorious, but it was just a tomb now. The people were gone. It was little more than a dead monument to a failed civilization.

  Saphir glanced at his brother. He saw longing there in Demande’s eyes, longing and, above all, pain. Without words, Demande began the trek to the palace. Saphir followed.

  For some time, they traveled in silence and solitude, each man left to his own thoughts. Saphir wondered why Demande wanted to travel on foot, rather than draw on his considerable powers to transport them to the palace.

  “Knowledge is power.”

  Demande’s words startled Saphir.

  “You speak of the reborn Guardians?”

  Demande nodded, but continued to stare straight ahead at the Moon Palace.

  “Their memories are spotty. Incomplete. They do not remember us yet. If we don’t keep them in the dark, they will be our undoing.”

  Saphir raised an eyebrow.

  “So the Moon Palace…?”

  Demande nodded once more.

  “It may be how the princess regained her memories of us in the future.”

  Saphir said nothing more. In moments like these, he found it best to keep his thoughts a closely guarded secret, even from Demande.

  They arrived at the palace soon after. It was even more magnificent up close, a stark contrast to the surrounding desolation. The walls gleamed like polished silver. Ancient markings adorned the columns. A dome of energy surrounded the structure.

  They walked in silence once more. Demande strode through the hallways of the palace with purpose. He knew where he was going.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Soon, they reached the inner sanctum of the palace; the Prayer Room. Only Queen Serenity herself could ever have entered here. Now, however, there were no guards left to stop them.

  At the center of the Prayer Room, bathed in a soft, ethereal glow, stood the Crystal Tower. Its surface shimmered as it refracted and reflected the colors from the tapestries of the surrounding walls. It hummed with ancient energy. This was more than just a religious sanctuary. It was a place of knowledge.

  A voice rang out, tinged with anger.

  “You may not enter this chamber.”

  Saphir froze. His eyes widened in shock. He knew that voice. Regal, stern, and filled with authority, it was a voice he would not forget as long as he drew breath.

  Demande was unimpressed. He chuckled.

  “I see we’re not alone, Saphir.”

  A ray of light emanated from the Crystal Tower and formed into the figure of Queen Serenity, ruler of the Moon Kingdom. Beautiful, her eyes filled with ancient knowledge, Serenity appeared to have not aged a day.

  Saphir understood at once. A mere hologram. Memories and personality traits stored in the Crystal Tower alongside all knowledge of the Moon Kingdom.

  Demande stepped forward. There was malice in his voice when he spoke.

  “Do you recognize me?”

  Serenity’s eyes met his. There was sadness there, a sorrow she had never carried in life.

  “I do. You are Prince Demande. I remember all too well.”

  A flash of fury crossed Demande’s face. His hands clenched into fists.

  “Have you nothing to say to me after all these millennia?!”

  Serenity’s gaze did not waver.

  “Demande…I regret nothing.”

  Her words hit him like a slap across the face. His fury flared up, his eyes widened, his nostrils flared.

  “You were a vain, selfish, and cruel queen, Serenity! You sowed the seeds of your own destruction and you sowed the seeds of your daughter’s destruction, as well! All that came to pass, all that will come to pass, rests on your shoulders!”

  Serenity’s expression remained unchanged.

  “Once, Demande, you proclaimed a deep love for my daughter. Have you, at long last, just returned to destroy her?”

  Demande smiled a bitter smile.

  “Yes, I have.”

  The hologram flickered for a moment, then Serenity’s eyes turned toward Saphir.

  “And you, Saphir? You follow him still? Even now? What will he think when he finds out? What will she think?”

  Saphir’s heart skipped a beat. Serenity’s words placed a great weight on his shoulders; she made him feel small and petty. He turned away.

  “They both made their choice a long time ago.”

  Demande made a dismissive motion with his hand.

  “Enough talk. We came to ensure that the secrets of the Moon Kingdom remain buried.”

  He stepped forward. Dark energy crackled around his fingers. His eyes gleamed with dangerous intensity.

  “My only regret is that I cannot kill the real you.”

  Serenity’s expression softened for a moment as she gazed at Demande.

  “She’s not who you remember, you know. My daughter…you cannot defeat her.”

  Demande laughed. It was a cold, humorless sound.

  “We shall see.”

  He unleashed a wave of black energy at the Crystal Tower. It erupted from his hands like a storm and crashed into the tower’s translucent surface. Its glow flickered, then died. The crystal turned black, then shattered with a deafening crack that sent a shockwave through the room.

  Serenity’s hologram flickered once, then faded away. The queen’s last remnants vanished.

  Demande stood in the center of the room. His breaths came in bursts, his eyes burned with anger.

  “We. Shall. See.”