Present Day

It took Kyrian the better part of an hour to finally find just the right spot atop a hill where he would set himself up to watch the night sky. He had brought with himself a small collapsible stool so he could sit at his tripod to see the meteors darting overhead clearly, but he had instead set up his camera and found himself laying in the dewy grass instead. So far the sky hadn't been all that impressive. There was a light scatter of clouds, but they weren't impeding his view too much.

Problem was he was still too early to see the most shooting stars. Good thing he'd brought with himself some snacks and water so that he could make it until the peak hours. Over the past few days, ever since the showered had officially started, he had noted that they had been more frequent and starting earlier and earlier. Such was the way of meteor showers, of course. They were only seeing the outermost part of the storm. He predicted that the weekend would be the absolute best time to watch.

It was why he'd arranged for a party. That and he'd been tracking a large meteor he was particularly excited to see pass close enough he suspected it might even be visible to the naked eye. The telescope he had wasn't quite powerful enough to see it very clearly, but he could track its passing based on what he couldn't see behind it. If the party was a success, he just might be able to upgrade the observatory telescope to a far better one. Maybe....Maybe even open up a second observation deck.

The thought made him smile wistfully. Since opening they hadn't had a whole lot of business. He had overestimated how much others would love to look at the stars. It seemed those who were had their star ships. The thought of going up in a metal ship, past the atmosphere was thrilling. He could see the stars close up! But fear gripped at his heart. He knew many who traveled between Rhy'Din and other worlds. It gave him a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He grew up under this sky! These stars.

His father had taught him his love for the constellations above, their meaning, their history. There was Ukred sparkling at the center of the Crown of Kings, and over there were the red twins, Strun and Kuddae who were only visible in the summer. Come autumn they would descend below the horizon and rest until late spring when they'd make the climb back into the sky. How could he leave these stars behind" He sighed. Before his eyes could flutter shut another star streaked across the ink backdrop and he picked up his notebook in excitement. This one passed from the tip of Wef's Spear like it had shot a fireball at Meog's Stag in his perpetual state of gallop.

Another star streaked across the sky, but he didn't catch where it had begun from. This one was far brighter than any other he'd seen before, so bright he was certain that it must have hit the atmosphere around the world and burnt up. It should have burned a yellowish white. Oddly enough it looked more bluish. No. It was all colors at once! How beautiful.

It tickled at his memory, something that he'd seen recently at the inn. A man—no, an elf—with glowing hair. From the snippets of conversation he'd overheard the elf was supposed to have golden hair, but that night it had been blue. And other colors too when touched. The blue runes were supposed to be there. Magical. He'd been spending a lot more time in the city libraries to research the meteor shower more. It like most happened every year, but it seemed this year was special. It was closer and more spectacular than ever.

t was a curious thing, though. Several books obviously referenced the showers, but either they made some vague mention of something happening at the peak of it's cycle and no more information, or the information had been removed. Pages torn out, covered in ink, burned. It wasn't unusual to find tomes in less than perfect state....but maybe one or two. And he knew books. Some of the damage looked....recent. It was troublesome. Was there something more that someone was hiding" Some zealot, someone paranoid, someone with a crazy, unfounded conspiracy theory' After the events that had occurred over Valentine's Day, that he had kept well away from, he wouldn't put it past yet another group thinking they could take over the world.

The thought bothered him only until another star passed above, then another. It looked like the night's activity was finally getting exciting. He was thoroughly distracted.

The Stone

It had been some glorious, innocent mischief. Kyrian, the ever brightly attired Ed, and Mist the-elf-who-glowed, had quickly cooked up a plan to retrieve the large meteorite that had literally crashed the star party.

Turns out their little caper went exactly like planned! Steal a crane with a large electromagnet from the dump through a portal. Use it to dredge the lake where the meteorite had splashed. Haul up some random junk—like a suit of armor still filled with the bones of its previous owner—and then thunk! Hunk of space rock.

While the other two went to return the crane, Kryian had stolen off with the meteorite. Not that it hadn't been intended for him to take it anyway, but the moment he'd gotten his hands on it something came over him.

A desire to keep it safe. So he ran off, ran home to the observatory. And ever since he could barely go a moment without studying the thing. Lucas was getting worried. More worried than ever.

It lead him to trying to take the stone during one of the only times when Kyrian would walk away from it. Unfortunately he was too slow, and the astronomer caught him.

"Lucas! Thief! You're stealing from me!?" Kyrian went from shock to rage in the space of the breath it took to declare his hurts. He flew across the room at his younger cousin and did something he'd never done in his life: he struck out.

Not just one punch, but again and again and again until Lucas dropped the meteorite, but it didn't stop there. It didn't stop until his hands had tightened around the younger man's throat and squeezed until his eyes were rolling into the back of his head.

Kyrian caught himself just before Lucas had passed out. He dropped his murderous grip and backed away, staring at his hands and shaking. "Lucas?" He called tearfully to his cousin who was coughing. A good sign.

Lucas didn't say anything. He fled the observatory.