SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGIES | THE SEARCH

The seventh seal has been corrupted, the portal to the astral plane has been broken, leaving the sages at the mercy of darkness. Heartburn; the seeker, has sworn his oath, receiving the burning flame of the four horizons, raising his fist high in the name of the voices of the forgotten and uttering the words of those left behind.

In a corner of dark space, the shrine of the arcane rises, shining its light at the mercy of all the world, Heartburn vows to find the jewel of the Philomenas, that which lies on Earth in a beautiful green valley. The voices of his colleagues cheer him, as he holds his sharp-edged sword. Those who lost faith are reborn, rising from the shadows like a murmur.

The seeker readies himself carrying his cloak, lets out a spectral whistle to attract the attention of Eureleon, the space dragon, companion of all good wizards' quests. Heartburn extends his hands to his admirers, answers their prayers with promises of good faith, the dragon raises his tail and then soars into the infinite confines of the universe.

The Pleiades celebrate uneasily, scatter their stardust for their hero. The Centauris flood with arrows, stars and lunar torches the paths of the magician and his dragon, bearers of the hope of the stars. Polaris glimpses them and weeps, but not of fear, but of anguish, for the forgotten prophecy spoke of the seeker, but no one remembers it, for hope overshadows all; it reigns like a great tree in the midst of a valley, or like a great torch star of several worlds.

Heartburn went on to Earth, where the Philomenas lay. Cancerus and Taurus watched them, they bestowed upon them all the lots. Aquarius blessed them with the liquid line of all the stars, Aries scorched them with the luminescent fire of space, and they, even more blessed than before, summoned the speed of Cronus to reach their destination even faster.

Luck seemed to favor them, the breath of a thousand gods figured to be with them and with more certainty, they were at the forefront of accomplishing their goal. They arrived on Earth like two heroes on an odyssey. They crossed the cities ruined by a great world catastrophe. The landscapes exposed only desolation and silence and the only survivors were hiding in caves conferred by the devastation.

The valley of the Philomenas was at the farthest peak of the disaster, protected by the persuasive song of the flowers and, it was for this reason, that the hecatomb did not touch the beauty of thousands of living beings. Heartburn and Eureleon appeared as far as the valley, their armor shining brighter than the catastrophic dawn of that lost world. They stood imposing before the Philomenas, who were weeping, moving their petals to and fro.

The jewel fell apart, like dust in the wind, the flowers thought that with the truce of their singing they could keep it forever, but their actions were mistaken, and as they saw the gem fade so did their hopes, as did Heartburn's too, at that moment, he felt his mind collapsing.

Hatred ended with forgiveness, and this in turn consumed hope, the last feelings that sprouted on Earth were those of sadness and everything began to decay. The Philomenas went to sleep, dreaming once again of their jewel and a rebuilt world.