#Muse | Rigelus

[luxmaeastra]

"Give us our daughter back Rigelus."

Rigelus crossed his arms and shook his head.

"One, she chose to stay. Two, no. Not when the alternative is your attacks don't end -"

"You will loose Vallhan and the Valg of it. Is that something you can really afford?"

Rigelus placed his hands on the table meeting Tisiphone's eyes.

"You know as well as I do that your hold isn't as secure on Vallhan. Not when Silatharias and Furiosa's consummation. Vallhan will be our soon enough anyway."

Tisiphone kept her back straight, her face unreabalde. That was true but she still held power to change that. And yes, her children so far proved to be less than ideal. Lorin she was beginning to see would have been a terrible Queen. Willful, impulsive and far too emotional.

She would have destoryed the legacy she'd worked 300 years to make.

"But Apollion is my regent Rigelus. You forget Aidas and his kin are not friends of ours. They stay in my court out of pity."

"Then are you willing to cut them and let them come to us?"

He opened his hands palms up. That light she'd seen in him 300 years ago flickering back to life. She had forgotten how much he loved to debate and discuss things.

It was a risk to cast off such powerful people. But she hoped Silatharias was more level headed than his father. She hoped this didn't invalidate their foster of Silatharias and Furiosa.

But that was a lot to pin on something as flimsy of hope. She needed something concrete, something that allowed Vallhan to exist and thrive.

She laced her hands in front of her. Her jewelry winking in the dawn light. They'd been here far longer than she had wanted to. She hoped Rhysand was alright but she didn't have the bandwidth to focus on him now.

Besides she trusted him to be able to take care of himself and occupy himself without her. She assumed Night was still trying to negotiate Morven's return as well. Surely he wasn't as stupid and naive as his sister.

It was an underhanded move and one she knew Apollion wouldn't like. He'd told her the news in confidence but it was the only leverage she had. Surely he'd forgive her in time anyway.

"I am. Apollion's child will be a fine replacement."

//YEEEE RIG LEARNING SIRIUS IS ABOUT TO BE A MOTHER?!//

Did she think revealing this information would sway the negotiations? That he would be spooked into giving her what she wanted, that he would scamper back and beg her not to do it. No, he wasn't foolish enough to fall for such a petty ploy.

No, Sirius was many things, but the idea of her children being put up as a chess piece. It was a dangerous move, he knew very well how she would react if she knew. He knew Tisiphone walked on thin ice, yet he would let her think she had this one for now.

"And you really think that such a possible candidate will carry the same weight as the other, that you are willing to stand against the wave you'll face by turning your back on the original deal?" He tilted his head.

Interesting. She also did not understand the weight of another figure in all of this, the fact that her daughter had her own players in this. That Einar, despite the fact he had also ran from his parents, still retained a somewhat good relationship with them. If he really wanted, he was sure he would use his mother's resources if he desired.

"As fun as playing what-ifs are with you, I know Sirius. She would rather flay everyone alive before allowing any child of her's to be used."

#Muse | Rigelus

[siderealxmelody]

Soul Jewel Rank

Daglan are able to manifest their souls as jewels. As babies and children their parents or guardians manifest it for the child. They are worn as jewelry, a pendant with the color "jewel".

These "jewels" grow with the person's age and change colors. Within adolescent and adults, the darker the jewel the more powerful and higher rank that person has.

For example Sebastian's jewel is a dark, midnight blue. He's immensely powerful, but Natalia's is a night black, as she would have been High Queen of the Daglan the depth of her power and rank reflects that.

Siphon and Invoking stones are harvested Daglan souls that are mined and sold for Valg to or Changelings to use. They are highly volatile and liable to explode than be used by someone not powerful and prepared enough to tame the raw power.

In the days of Natalia's war the jewles were worn with pride. As Natalia and the others grew they showed their jewels in different ways, Sebastian preferred a ring.

A welder can have multiple jewels as Sebastian did. His father's Soul Jewel had been found by Neculai and given to him. When Sebastian drew that power into himself (slowly over years) that power became intertwined with his. It bolstered and fed his own massive reservoir of magic. It also gave him the path to where Terresan sat safe and hidden for him should he wish to claim the ancestral home of his mother.

Like minds, jewels can be damaged. It was a risk and a point of pride to where them in the open where they could be more easily attacked. To shatter a jewel shatters someone's soul. They may survive it but be unable to connect to magic in the way they used it. Their magic may not form the same way it did before.

When Sebastian came back from the dead his magic changed and was volatile. His soul was scarred and splintering from exhaustion and time. Natalia's illness weaknened her own soul Jewel, dulling the effects of it as her illness took over.

The 200 years both of them slept helped repair the damage done to their magic and Jewels. But many Daglan don't have the luxury.

Rigelus's jewel nearly shattered seeing Apollion rip his sister's heart out at 13. It happened more and more as the war dragged on and he had to cross lines he never thought he would. While he slowly healed, Bryce asking for her memories to be locked away was a two fold solution.

It stopped herself from overriding her Jewel/soul and Burning Up. And it more importantly kept Rigelus from shattering completely which she knew would happen if he had lost her that night too.

As a balance for the immense Primal powers the Daglan weild their minds and souls are fragile and must be protected lest they shatter.

Below the jewel ranks are ordered in least powerful to most within each life stage and overall.

Baby:

White

Child:

Pink

Adolescent:

Yellow

Orange

Red

Green

Brown

Adult:

Blue

Purple

Gray

Black

@luxmaeastra

@starlsssankt

#i hc by the time of azzy and especially orion this practice was lost or not spoken of #👀 #ooc post #daglan aesthetic #Natalia aesthetic #Sebastian aesthetic #Rigelus aesthetic #Bryce aesthetic #muse aesthetic

[luxmaeastra]

Lumas gripped his wrist, the pain counteracting the light as it ripped faster and faster in his veins.

"Rigelus. Rigelus! Do not -"

"She is with child."

Eosphorous stared at Sirius mutilated body, they'd brought her back, unsure what else to do. Rigelus dragged his eyes from his spiraling to look at the body.

"What? H -"

Lumas dragged his eyes to him.

"See? You have a purpose now. Who else would care for that child? Do not let that child die in vein."

Eosphorous scoffed but didn't say anything else. Her worry evident, Rigelus was the - he was their heart. If he shattered would they survive that?

Rigelus's hand tightened into a fist as he stared at her body, as the news sunk in. She was with child, a being lived within her. She had given herself to that male and he had...how could he have turned upon his sister? Especially if she was pregnant.

"Does he know?" He finally spoke. His eyes shot to Lumas, his jaw tightened slightly. Did he know? Did that monster know and still?

He tore his arm away, stepping back as he paced. His mind unable to settle.

"If you want the child to live so bad, then you can deal with keeping it alive," his gaze returned to Lumas. "I...I can't."

#Muse | Rigelus

[luxmaeastra]

Baxian waited till Bryce had walked from the room. He followed her to the kitchen, a eye on the closed door. She glanced at him frowning in confusion.

"Bax? What -"

"I need to tell you something. He - Rigelus tried to stop what they did to Orion and Shahar. They locked him away for it. Austrus made him torture them, he made him take care of them too. Bryce he -"

She felt the tray in her slip from her fingers. She barely heard the glasses shatter. He disappeared and strode through the Archive. She ignored the Fae wing and slammed the doors open to the Asteri one.

Rigelus was still there, still on the floor where she'd seen him. He barley glanced at her and she exploded.

"You idiot! You absolute idiot!"

He glanced at her in surprise. He stood, holding the book tighter in his hand. As if he was afraid she was going to rip it from his hands.

"What? Oh Baxian."

He sighed and moved to turn away stiffening when she grabbed his wrist to twist him around. She couldn't stop shaking, she couldn't form a coherent sentence with how angry she was.

"You let them think you were - you burned every bridge you had in the end! You - why did you let them think you were the villian? You did so much for those kids Rigelus."

His eyes narrowed and pulled his wrist away. He shelved the book in hands on the nearby shelf. He reached for another in the pile he'd placed neatly (and probably alphabetically) on the table.

"They were never my friends Bryce. I'm not sure why it matters now."

"Because they cared for you! I know they did! I know Rhysand, Azriel and Aleksander liked you! I know they thought of you as a friend and you let them think and say the worst of you!"

He shrugged and brushed past her. The silence heavy and thick.

"Was that all? I'm sure your lover will miss you."

"You let me think the worst of you.'

He flinched and looked to her, his silver eyes bright.

"You so easily did didn't you? Why are you still here when you've already made your choice."

She shook her head taking the book gently from his hand. She shelved it for him, leaving an opening for him to slip away from her.

"I didn't - Rigelus I chose you."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Try harder than that."

He moved past her going for a second book now. She watched him, thinking this all through. Rigelus had been the unsung hero. He'd done everything for everyone else and still had been burned. He'd let them think as they wished of him with no complaint. Did he truly think that's all there was? That there was no other way to have a family?

She felt like she was 16 again. Seeing this broken male her age so closed off from the rest of the world.

"I'm tired of running Rigelus. I -"

He stilled but he didn't turn to look at her. Could she truly blame him. She swallowed and exhaled. She focused on the ground. She was a coward compared to him. She couldn't face the rejection like he had."

"I'm tired of running, I'm tired of running from what we have, from what I've known since the moment I've met you."

She lifted her head slightly surprised to see him looking at her. He gripped the table behind him, the wood freezing under his hand.

"I love you Rigelus. I'm sorry it took me this long to stop fearing that emotion."

Not him, it had never been about him.

I love you Rigelus. The words seemed to come from her with no hint of malice or taste of lie, the words he had once craved and wanted for so long came. Yet why did he hesitate, why did he feel unmoored as he gripped the table trying to stop the utter lack of control he had in that moment.

She was unbridling herself entirely to him, she was exposing the truths she had kept to herself. He had thought for so long he had just been another plaything to her, that she had been there when they were young but had gotten bored.

Found the ones she had wanted to be with to leave him alone. Alone, so alone. No one heard him scream and yell, no one really saw the male behind it all who was suffering under the weight. His eyes closed, it felt hard to swallow as he shook his head.

Even if this was all true, even if she did love him, he was tainted and couldn't bring her into this life. He shook his head, his hands finally left the table - he could feel the ice.

"You are just saying that, you don't really love me Bryce. You are...you are happy in the life you have."

#Muse | Rigelus

[luxmaeastra]

Silatharias stared up the swirling lights. 300 of everyone simply tolerating their love. But now that the Calling had come everyone suddenly was okay with it.

Silatharias looked out over the ruins of Parthos. In the end it wasn't Orion, or Einar who stopped the war. In the end it was him and Furiosa.

He found something poetic about it. They'd met in a war and their love had ended another. He turned from the window to Rigelus where he was fixing his clothes.

"Are you excited?"

Rigelus shrugged and turned from the mirror. He moved to adjust his collar fingers stilling on his shoulders.

"I am excited to see how you both take on the mantles you're given."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Did Rigelus ever just let loose and speak plainly?

--------

He saw why it was called Réimse Ardaithe. The sunless was painted in colors of many thousands sunsets and sunrises. The colors moved and melted like the Aurora Borealis. It was magical place even if he knew it wasn't the real place.

A figment, a sliver of power Austrus had taken when they'd left so many years ago. Silatharias looked to Furiosa his throat kept catching.

He wrapped an arm around her, his eyes closing letting himself soak in the moment.

"I've dreamed of this moment for centuries Furiosa."

--------

The war had been catastrophic and Rigelus could barely sit still. Sirius was gone, had finally left to be with that brute.

His hands tightened at his sides. He looked to the Nathaira at his side. He tried to control his anger but she only gave him a knowing smile.

"Something bothering you Rigelus?"

//Premise: Furi and Silas Calling came during the war 200 years ago. When Apollion lead the fae forces against the Asteri. Their war ended finally when Furi and Silas bond was known.//

Something just didn't sit right with him, as much as he was glad the war was over, something that seemed wrong. Maybe it was the fact Sirius was gone, maybe it was quiet that was within his mind. His throat tightened as he stared across the the scene in front of them.

"No." Lie, but he didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure what he even felt, how he could explain it. He had watched his family fight, watched them find love, watched them grow and shrink.

"Is there something you want?"

#Muse | Rigelus

[luxmaeastra]

//post war idk when just Dalazo kept shouting this at me. He says many many years past the war//

It leaned against the wall watching Rirevu and Nitini playing in the reflection pools. Sadopa was reading nearby, Mafadi and Pasoki hadn't woken yet. Dalazo looked to Rigelus and shrugged at the question.

"It's not too odd, we've raised each other many times before. It's something I understand how to do anyway."

Rirevu was happy, safe, free. As free as any of them could be now realizing just how tied to these lights they were.

Dalazo wouldn't have cared about these lives but he didn't know how long it would take for his family to reform. He'd done this alone for so many cycles - so many trillion of trillions of years. He would tie himself to these lights if he had to. But the idea that his family wouldn't reform if these lights were snuffed out - it terrified him in a way that nothing else could. He didn't know who or what he was without them.

He looked to Rigelus.

"Have you come for tea Rigelus or to just stare at us again? Where's the other one? Rivitus? Or is this a questioning visit?"

"You could say it is a questioning visit." Rigelous spoke as he moved to sit nearby, maintaining the distance between himself and Dalazo. He wasn't stupid, he knew very well the fragile line he walked when it came to conversing with these beings.

Rivitus got too excited, the boy was clearly a scholar. Much different from his brother, though from the sounds of it their family had produced various different types of children. It was something he would pry into later, right now that wasn't his focus.

"I assume it is only a matter of time until something else changes, your siblings - if I can call them that - look happy," he was surprised how much they seemed like everyone else. "Is this normal, or is this our influence?"

#Muse | Rigelus

[siderealxmelody]

#Rigelus aesthetic #muse aesthetic

[siderealxmelody]

#Rigelus aesthetic #muse aesthetic

[siderealxmelody]

#Rigelus aesthetic #muse aesthetic