Starlit Bridge

I found myself standing before the person I loved so dearly with my sword raised; for, in this world; affection and great passion towards another must be nipped in the bud to keep others out of danger. Especially for us.

It seemed ridiculous to me.

And that is why it was born…

That ancient magic…

**

The magic in this land is harmful. It stems from the minds, and the thoughts of the people, bursting erratically out of them, based on what they are emotionally experiencing at a given moment in time. If one is unhappy, it begins to rain ceaselessly; if a person is terrified, chains snake around the bodies of those around, constricting their windpipes. In an endless loop, the more people witness these phenomena, the more negative they become.

That is why we exist, the Order of the Sigil Chevaliers. Trained in both body and spirit, we are taught to school ourselves into maintaining absolute composure of self so that we can create glyphs with our swords to cast protective barriers should magic go out of control.

However, our faction is a dog-eat-dog society. Since it is of the greatest honor to be appointed a Knight of this Order, our Supreme Commander keeps us on our toes at all times. Those who succumb to sentiments become unable to set up barriers and are subjected to the punishment of exile. Every month, a duel, most harsh, is held before all. A plain old brutal sword fight. If the contesters fail to defend themselves with sigils and runes, if a single drop of blood is shed, if someone drops their blade; it becomes obvious who gets to remain and who is banished forever.

**

A golden-haired little boy placed a wreath of flowers on the head of a small timid girl. “They’re star-shaped and so pretty!” He smiled. “You’ll wear this when I come to marry you, right?”

“Huh?” The girl’s dark eyes were wide.

“I don’t understand what ‘marrying’ means either, but my mother says it’s something wonderful you share with your dearest friend.” Then, the child appeared slightly worried. “You do love me the most, yes? Lots, lots, lots?”

The girl finally beamed back. “Plenty, plenty, plenty.” She shyly adjusted her tiny floral crown, “I’ll marry only you! Promise!”

**

But his green eyes slowly hardened from guilelessness and sheer wonder and awe at everything in the world to an omnipresent glint of steely silver amidst the vast swathes of warm meadows beneath the sunlight under which we played. Those irises no longer gazed up at the night sky dotted with stars as we sat together upon a knoll, his sixteen-year-old self stating, “Women bear an entire universe within them, did you know? I don’t need the heavens to show me the stars, I see them all in you. Someday, someday… you and I…”

From a family boasting of a legacy of generations of Knights, it was certain he would enroll. He learned to value strength alone over time. Of course, that is what Chevaliers primarily required. I joined the Order four years after he did. Once, I saw several people die because a woman’s magic exploded out of wrath. Horrified, I decided to become a member, for my heart despaired so much that it tended to be a liability.

“The promise from our childhood,” I told him one day, “…Well, we have to forget it, don’t we? But I don’t plan on relinquishing my emotions. My feelings… no one gets to put a leash on them.”

Now a General, he was cold, expressionless, and exuded an unapproachable aura. Arrogant, he presented a haughty image. “I have no idea what you are talking about, lowly Chevalier.” His voice was so icy, his face so frigid, I had to look away. “If you have time for idle chatter, I suggest you train more.” He unsheathed his blade and pointed the tip at my throat, drops of scarlet forming. “You are weak. Surely you haven’t forgotten what happened a few months back? Perhaps it’s best if you were to be exiled. I’ll request the Supreme Commander to arrange a match between the two of us to remove this pathetic excuse of a Knight, someone who cannot even generate a proper barrier.”

Without so much as a backward glance, he walked away.

Ah, so this is what it means to become a guardsman of the people.

Injuring those you once spoke sweet words to.

It stung like the bite of a hornet. But not the wound.

**

“A fire broke out!”

“It’s too much for us to handle!”

“Someone call the General!”

We were summoned to erect runic blockades to quell the flares caused by the intense envy of one single man. Many, many were burnt to death because I did not succeed in forging sigils in time and the rest of my teammates were no better. We were but greenhorns, inexperienced for an operation as massive as this one. The General arrived soon after and set up a gigantic barrier encompassing the entire region of damage. He singled me out, addressing me frostily, “You are far too ill-suited for this prestigious Order. The tongues of flame shooting out and then descending…” The General stared into the distance, as though his mind was engaged elsewhere, “…They’re like falling stars. I… detest them. They tend to tip the scale I have tried to maintain in equilibrium for so very long…”

**

He has been called the ‘Embodiment of Balance’ in the army due to his ideals on what to heap on either side of the scale. With his impeccable mastery over weighing duty against emotion, his strength in controlling his personal equilibrium was unparalleled.

It was evident that I would have to spend the rest of my days all alone in a place far, far away. Always on the run from bandits, murderers, and wild animals. Living in a forest perhaps, or inside a cave.

Over the next few days, I was torn between options. If I trained too hard, it would mean trying to hurt a loved one and sending him to exile. On the other hand, if I didn’t, I would have to fend for myself deep within the woods.

No, I’d rather be food for carnivores.

As I began to pack my belongings, getting ready to leave after losing the following day, a star-patterned silver floret landed on my palm.

“That… couldn’t have been the winds of spring; the window is closed. How did it come here?”

**

Beneath the open arena, in full view of the glittering, sterling stars, the Supreme Commander declared, “Let the duel commence!” The rest of the Knights watched in anticipation.

When I raised my sword, a shower of star-shaped flowers rained down, as if the evening sky itself was gifting me with diamond-like, crystalline wintry flakes that transformed my armour into a flowing white wedding gown woven out of stardust, by the spirits of the eighty-eight constellations. Not just a dress, but even a tiara, bracelets, and a pristine garland of delicate, stellar petals.

The Supreme Commander gasped. I was not expecting this either.

“This is…” he spluttered, “Magic of Origins! Enchantments are birthed from the most powerful sentiment! So ancient that it was erased from memory; all other magic generated from this One Original Element; love! Conjuring charms at their finest!” The Supreme Commander exclaimed. “So potent, yet so dangerous! All stems from love. Envy, wrath, even avarice. Love is not restricted to people alone. It can be an attachment towards an object, a concept, or life itself. Magic of a maiden, magic of purity, the magic of motherhood!”

“That wreathe…” The General’s eyes narrated many an inscrutable tale; stories are not meant for anybody; the murmur of amazement was almost inaudible. His blade clattered to the floor as the stars became enshrouded in storm clouds. The celestial halls above roared with sounds of deafening thunder. Blinding flashes ripped the night air and bolts of lightning began to strike the environs, reducing numerous trees to nothing but ash, and setting forests on fire. As a streak of thunderlight was about to hit me, a red barrier in the form of a huge runic star materialized out of nowhere and encased my frame.

Oh, so that wasn’t an injury he inflicted on me.

It was a sigil of blood upon my throat.

He had cast it…

To protect… at all times.

His balance scale had broken.

I fell to the floor, trembling, and afraid.

“Sorry, Chevalier,” the Supreme Commander’s voice was heard, “but you lost the instant you displayed you possessed secondary magic that relied on sentiments. You have to leave. I cannot have someone who is incapable of creating barriers in this Order.”

“No!” The General yelled, “I’m the one who lost control! Everyone here witnessed it! I even dropped my sword! Look, she’s still holding hers. Exile me instead! Please!”

“Perhaps. But you can always train to regain greater control over yourself, but she can’t ever do that. And I cannot lose our very best man.”

“But-”

“General!” There was a tone of finality in the Supreme Commander’s voice. “Do you… feel anything… special… for her? Remember, you pledged yourself to the protection of the people of this land.”

The balance scale mended itself.

“No, Sir. She is of no importance.” His face was blank.

**

A wolf bared its fangs at me and then leaped, its maws slobbering. But the red sigil appeared yet again.

He wanted to let me win and get away from me.

I realize now what he meant by falling stars threatening to destroy the equilibrium.

To protect people, love has to be culled.

Ludicrous!

So, if I kill the love I bear for him, the Magic of Origins will be wrenched from the roots, thereby removing all forms of magic born from it.

How do I remove my love?

By getting rid of myself. Yes, I’ll be gone, but the rest of the Chevaliers can be free. People needn’t be afraid of their own emotions.

The tip of my blade inched close to my neck, but his sigil became an obstacle.

“This damn barrier of yours! I begged you to not join the army, I truly wanted us to get married! But your family heritage took priority and I stood further away, respecting that for years. Now stop getting in my way! Protecting from the shadows… You didn’t even have the courage to step forward and take my hand! And you call yourself a Knight!”

“You’re right, I’m no Chevalier. No knight ever treats a lady so poorly.”

A hand had knocked the sword out of my clenched fist. I spun around, not trusting my ears.

He was behind me. With a smile gracing his strikingly stunning face. How long had it been since I had seen him smile? More than a decade.

“That sigil isn’t just a barrier, it’s a glyph of connection. Look, I imprinted it on my throat as well.” He unbuttoned the top of his shirt and sure enough, there was a tiny smarting wound. “I never really got to voice those words I should have said. That sigil told me your location, what you were thinking, what you were planning. The red connection created a starlit bridge that cleared a path for me to dash toward you, a bridge that conjoined souls. And now… I’m here to stay.”

He walked closer. “Every time I set my eyes on you, I had the strongest urge to pull you close. I wanted to run away because who knew what might’ve happened to my fellows if my already-tumultuous, tempestuous heart turned treacherous? It was so difficult… endeavoring to maintain balance over the years…”

My lips quivered. “I’m so-”

He placed an index finger over my lips. “No. You endured much more than I ever did. My eyes never left you. I witnessed your unshed tears, my love. Here, I brought you this.”

A corona of star-shaped flowers was placed on my head. “You are a selfless woman and I am unworthy of you. However, if given the chance, I would like to court you. May I, O Chevalier of Boundless Love? That wedding dress, the wreathe … such beauty, they stole my breath away. On that day, when we sat together, looking up at the sky as teenagers, I really saw an entire universe in you, so many possibilities, innumerable futures comparable to the number of silver specks upon the midnight veil. The bridge brought us together, but now I want it to expand. Walk with me. I’ll carry you. Humour this cowardly, wretched man one more time, Maiden of the Stars.”