It was noon when the King finally arrived at the Abyss of Valteran. Senath and Lias had already been there for two hours to finish the last preparations for the beginning of the Stellar Trade Era: by dropping the Jade Crystal Spheres into the Abyss, which connected the core and the surface of their planet, Lymruk, the six planets of the Andromeda Galaxy (Kaylnhes, Hosfeal, Amarline, Golermir, Seraldem, and the said Lymruk) would gather in a ring to form a commercial league that would lead to a new era of interplanetary trade prosperity.

That’s what Senath and Lias had been working on all that time; even though they were only teenagers, they were the most skilled alchemists of Lymruk—and of the whole Andromeda Galaxy, as the King liked to say. For that reason, they had been chosen by His Majesty to create a substance that would be able to attract the other five planets to Lymruk and gather them in the Ring of the Stellar Trade League. The planets, in fact, were distant enough to force their inhabitants to communicate only by using big shuttles that could cover long distances. So, they had started to work. Senath and Lias eventually managed to create a powder so powerful that it could increase the gravitational force of Lymruk and attract the other five planets. After that, they produced a potion that would reduce the effects of the powder and bring the planets 

together in a ring formation without them collapsing into each other. To avoid contaminating the two substances with the atmosphere, they put them into two separate Jade Crystal Spheres, a material as pure as it was fragile and delicate; however, it was the only thing that could contain the powder and the potion without modifying their molecular structure.

That morning, they had woken up early to transport the two Jade Crystal Spheres to the Abyss. They could have done it only by carrying them using their canes—the ones adorned with the magical stones they had created—but it would have required a lot of energy, and they had wanted to take their time.

Senath had complained about it. «Our job was to make the powder and the potion, not to drop the Spheres down the Abyss,» she had grumbled at the announcement. «Can’t they just manage on their own?»

Lias had just smiled at her and said nothing: he knew his sister—she would complain for hours, but she would still accomplish everything she was assigned. Not because she liked being pushed around like a slave, but because she really enjoyed making potions and playing with different substances. Lias understood the feeling better than anyone; he felt the exact same way, maybe just with a bit less of an attitude.

The only problem was that they had arrived at the Abyss a little too early and had to wait for the King in order to start the operation. Since the Abyss overlooked the core, the heat coming from it reached the surface in the form of hot fumes that made the purple skin of the siblings sweaty. They still managed to endure the agony without letting go of the Spheres, the silence of their surroundings broken only by Senath’s occasional sharp comments and Lias’s attempts to lighten the mood.

But the King finally arrived. «Greetings, Senath and Lias Magnesium,» His Highness began to speak. «May the stars be with you.»

«May the stars be with you,» the siblings echoed in the expected formal exchange of greetings.

«I hope the preparations for the beginning of the Stellar Trade League are finished,» the King continued with a warm smile, his long white beard creating a nice contrast with his dark purple skin. «If so, before you start the operation, I want to thank you in the name of the whole Royal Council for the dedication you have shown to this project. I am sure the Rulers of the other planets will be as grateful as I am after everything is set. Do not worry, you will be handsomely rewarded.»

Senath opened her mouth to reply with a dry comment about not giving a damn about the reward, but closed it, not wanting to outrage the King. Lias saw his sister’s effort and laughed at the face she made as she forced out a polite reply: «We are honored to receive such words, Your Highness. We shall now begin.» So, after a quick glance toward her brother, they started to move their canes in an identical motion, synchronizing their breaths, their bodies, and their thoughts. As they started to move, one of the Jade Crystal Spheres—the one filled with the white powder—began to advance toward the Abyss before falling down. No sound came from the depths, and the three figures held their breath for what seemed like a very long time; but then, some sparkles appeared on the surface, almost as if to mock them for their concerns and to assure them everything had gone well.

The King, visibly relieved, shifted slightly closer to the siblings and the second Sphere. «Oh, so it was that easy?» he exclaimed almost arrogantly.

Again, Senath wanted to talk back, explaining how difficult it was to balance the substances to reach the final product, and even Lias looked a bit annoyed by the King’s insolence. «Despite the little sparkles, which suggest that the powder had the hoped-for effect, we still have to wait to ensure that it actually worked,» Lias said, forcing a warm smile onto his lips.

So, they waited for a sign that arrived not long after that brief exchange. In fact, by that moment, they started to notice tiny dots approaching from afar in the sky.

«It worked! It actually worked!» the King yelled loudly, chuckling slightly like a baby receiving his first present.

«We still need to put the second Sphere into the Abyss to complete the process,» Senath snapped. «Without it, the planets are going to collapse into each other. And into Lymruk too.»

The King nodded. «So, this is the thing that will save us all?» he said, approaching the Sphere and lifting his arm as if he wanted to touch it.

«Do not touch it!» Lias screamed. «It is dangerous.»

The King backed up and apologized, not looking even a little sorry, as the alchemists started to get ready to lower the second Sphere, the one with the silver potion, down the Abyss. After doing so, they lifted their heads to look at the now larger dots in the sky, waiting for them to stop moving forward and start gathering in a ring formation. But they soon noticed that the planets weren’t actually doing so; instead, they were coming closer to Lymruk faster and faster, and it didn’t seem like they intended to stop.

«Wh-what is happening?» the King stuttered. «Why aren’t they stopping? WHY AREN’T THEY STOPPING!?»

«We don’t know!» Senath yelled back. «The proportions were right, they were supposed to balance each other! And there were no losses…»

She suddenly stopped, a thought flashing through her mind. She glanced over at her brother, who seemed to have come to the same conclusion. They both turned to the King.

«Your Majesty,» Lias began to say, trying his best to stay calm despite the circumstances. «Have you perhaps touched the Jade Crystal Sphere containing the silver potion?»

The King seemed a bit hesitant. «Well… I mean, I did, but it didn’t break much, it’s just… there was only a little fracture…»

«And that’s exactly what needed to be avoided!» Senath shouted. «The Sphere was very fragile; even the slightest touch could have broken it, and if the potion inside came into contact with the atmosphere, it would have evaporated!»

«And if the potion evaporated, its effect wouldn’t have been enough to counter that of the powder!» Even Lias was shouting now. «Do you understand what that means, old man?»

«It means we’re all going to die!» the sister angrily concluded.

The King was shaking as the sky started to darken. The planets were now too close to Lymruk for the alchemists to try to stop them with their magic. The siblings shared a look, ignoring the King screaming behind them.

The other planets started to crash into one another, but that didn’t stop their advance: they would crash into Lymruk soon.

Senath looked at Lias and Lias looked at Senath.

The only thing that could relieve the horror of the situation, even just a little, was staying close to the person they loved the most in their final moments.

«It was a pleasure to be your brother.»

«It was a pleasure to be your sister.»

And so they shared one last hug as the world behind them exploded into pieces.

Giorgia Rossi, Emma Clerici 3CL