Contest: Trials of Astania
Host: Astania Community | AstaniaCommunity
Order: October 2024 | Love of Libra - Searching the Stars
ㅤ└─ deadline: 31 October 2024

Prompt: "To gain something, one must sacrifice something of equal value." The Law of Equivalent Exchange rules the land. It's your job to enforce it.
ㅤ└─ word limit: 5000 words max
ㅤ└─ word count: 2859 words

Results: winner

Genres: fantasy | short story | spiritual [christianity]

Warnings: angels and demons | death | war

Alcmene stood at the large ceiling-to-floor window in the study of Libra Manor. Outside, blood red clouds mingled with the never-ending darkness of Venus, her family's ruling planet. She could feel it in her bones - something wasn't right. The world felt...off...

"The balance is tilting," said a voice from beside her.

Without so much as a turn of her head, Alcmene replied, "Tilting to which side, Father."

Rowan Libra remained quiet, his piercing grey eyes staring into her own through their reflections in the glass. He was a tall, well-built man with the trademark features of the House of Libra - chestnut brown hair, diamond facial structure and cold steel eyes that can bring even the toughest of men to their knees - traits that Alcmene, herself, also bore.

"I think you know the answer to that," he finally said.

"Towards Hell, the side of Lucifer, the morning star."

Rowan sighed as he retreated towards the study table. "It is time, Alcmene. This war has to stop. Heaven and Hell can't keep fighting like this, or the balance of the universe will be destroyed, tilted to the point of no return."

He grabbed a book from one of the desk's drawers and handed it to her. The gilded cover remained a rich cerulean as the engraved script inked with gold shone in the dying sunlight. 'The House of Libra', it read.

As if sensing her touch, the golden words glowed a fiery red before flipping open. Watercolour diagrams and text written in an otherworldly language, sealed in harsh black ink, danced across the pages. Alcmene could only stare in awe as the furious rustling slowed to a drawing of the Scales of Justice, her family symbol.

"To gain something, one must sacrifice something of equal value," she read aloud, a torrent of emotions swirling within her.

Rowan watched the exchange closely with a grim look on his face. "The Law of Equivalent Exchange rules the land, and it seems as though the Spirit of Libra has chosen you to be his next Brachium. You know what to do. Now it's your job to enforce it."

It. The belief, the expectation, the mission that she had been brought up in hopes of fulfilling. Being chosen by the Spirit of Libra to carry on their ancestor's legacy was a great honour that not every descendent has the opportunity to even witness the Handover in their lifetime.

Alcmene let out a shuddering breath. Deep down, she had always known there was a possibility. Every incident, every interaction, every single thing she went through pointed towards the Handover, but something was holding her back.

She was only twenty-two, much too young to be exposed to the horrors of the centuries-old war raging throughout the universe, much less become the next balance keeper - a dangerous "job" that always ended in death. No Brachium, not even Libra himself had been successful at keeping the balance between Heaven and Hell, good and evil, yin and yang.

Brachium. Just the very word had her throat yearning for water and her heart heavy with dread.

Rowan's gaze softened as he recognised her inner turmoil. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tilted her chin up. "I know this isn't what you want, my child, but Libra chose you for a reason. You're to be his next heir, his next Brachium, his next balance keeper. There's a reason why..." Rowan paused. "As a child of the House of Libra, you should know more than anyone else how important the balance is. Libra has deemed you worthy. It is your birthright. It is in your very name, Alcmene Libra. Now go out there and claim your destiny. Go out there and make your mother and I proud."

Alcmene took a deep breath to calm the fear running rampant through her veins. Slowly, she opened her eyes and took in her reflection in the mirror.

Now go out there and claim your destiny.

She had cleaned up nicely for the Handover - a milk and rose petal bath, courtesy of her doting mother - and was currently dressed in robes of deep blue that brushed against her knees with pieces of gold-plated bronze armour covering her abdomen, forearms and shins. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, stray wisps escaping the leather band and tickling the sides of her face.

A soft knock brought her back to the gravity of the situation at hand. Tearing her eyes away from her reflection, Alcmene called out a soft "Come in." before tugging on her sturdy leather boots.

A maid entered her chambers and dropped into a curtsey. "Lord Rowan requests your presence in the Grand Hall, miss. The Guardian Prince is here."

"I'll be down in a minute."

The maid nodded and left, shutting the double doors softly behind her.

Casting one last look in the mirror, Alcmene, too, left her chambers, letting her feet guide her down the familiar path.

Make your mother and I proud.

Alcmene held her head high as she entered the Grand Hall of Libra Manor, ignoring the looks of curiosity from other members of the Grand Council. The Grand Council consisted of the monarchs from the various Houses that made up the Descendents of the Zodiacs, reigning officials of the planets, angels of Heaven and fallen angels and demons of Hell. Under the supreme reign of the Almighty One of Heaven, the Grand Council worked together to govern the universe with the House of Libra responsible for keeping the balance between the two opposing dominions - Heaven and Hell.

However, ever since Lucifer, the ruling devil of Hell, waged war against Heaven, the balance had been, slowly but surely, tilting towards the supreme rule of evil. Many Brachium had tried and failed to peacefully reconcile the two sides, but to no avail, and if no one stepped up to enforce and restore the balance, the universe would be thrown into never-ending darkness.

Alcmene stopped before the throne where Rowan currently sat. She curtseyed before him before turning to greet the angel standing beside her - Michael, the Guardian Prince of Heaven, commander of the angels and archangels.

"Prince Michael."

The angel inclined his head in greeting before bowing slightly. "Alcmene, our new Brachium. Are you ready for the Handover?"

Alcmene nodded, ignoring the lump forming in her throat. "Yes, my prince." She winced slightly at the coarseness of her voice.

Michael raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned his attention to her father, who was observing their interaction like a hawk. "I believe we're ready, Rowan."

Rowan waved his hand, and a maid stepped forward. "Prepare the Gardens of Libra for tonight's ceremony," he ordered.

The maid let out a meek "Yes, my lord." before scurrying out and Alcmene couldn't blame her. The last Handover hadn't gone to their expectations, so it was only natural for everyone to be on the edge, eager to see the outcome of this Handover.

Michael caught her eye and nodded towards a pair of smaller doors that led down to a large chamber reserved solely for smaller rituals. Alcmene looked to her father, who only gestured for her to follow. Reluctantly, Alcmene followed the archangel down the cold, stone stairwell and to a room filled with ancient books and strange objects that radiated with unearthly power.

"Do you know the proceedings of the Handover?" Michael asked the moment the door was shut.

Alcmene gave a stiff nod. "Yes, my prince."

Michael tilted his head slightly as he regarded her with amused eyes. "You know, you don't have to say my name with such contempt."

Alcmene kept her mouth shut, unwilling to look into his eyes, and he sighed. "I'll get the holy water and palm leaves. If you're hungry, you can eat some unleavened bread on the table over there. Once you're done, we can proceed with the cleansing ceremony."

Without a word, she crossed the room towards a small table by the only window in the room where a silver tray of warm bread sat. Silvers of the moon had only just begun to make its appearance in the sky, and she still had a few hours before the moon was high enough for the Handover to start. A few hours before she could eat again. She might as well feed her body than pay the price of an upset stomach later. A warrior doesn't have time for such hindrances.

When her stomach was round and full, Alcmene downed the cup of water beside the now empty tray and turned to face Michael. He pushed himself off the counter, which held a wide collection of rare herbs and made his way to the middle of the room with a stone bowl in his hands.

"Are you ready, little one?"

"How do you feel?" Michael asked softly as they flew through the turbulent sky of Venus. It had been a week since the Handover. A week of rest and planning, her father had said. Once that week was up, Michael was at her door again.

"Fine."

"You know I can't help you restore the balance if you don't coorporate with me, right?"

"And I never asked for your help, now did I?"

"Look, Alcmene, I don't know what you have against me, but I care about the balance too, okay? You have your destiny, and I have mine. I don't want to see my home, the kingdom that I spent the majority of my life defending, fall into shambles without at least trying to prevent it!" Alcmene flinched as his voice rose in both volume and anger. Michael took a deep breath and added softly, "So please, just let me help."

"I don't have anything against you," Alcmene muttered as they flew through the barrier of Venus and into space towards Heaven. "It's just that A..."

Michael nodded in understanding. "His death wasn't your fault."

"I know. It was yours."

"I thought you said you had nothing against me," Michael said incredulously.

Alcmene shrugged but couldn't stop the small smile playing on her lips. "Oops?"

Michael shook his head in mock exasperation before asking, "So what's the plan, little one?"

Alcmene scratched the back of her neck nervously. She hadn't really spent the week thinking her plan through. "I, uh..."

The archangel sighed. "You don't have a plan, do you?"

"No..."

"So what were you planning to do? Sit the Almighty One and Lucifer down and ask them to make up?"

"I was actually thinking of asking them to hug and make up, but, uh, that sounds pretty stupid now." Alcmene flushed under Michael's stare, as though he was trying to decipher if she was being serious. "Yeah, nevermind, forget I even said anything," she grumbled.

"And here I was thinking you must be smarter than you look, for Libra to choose you as his new Brachium," Michael mused.

Alcmene bristled. "Then how would you tackle this?"

Michael let out a nervous laugh. "I was actually hoping you would be able to answer that."

"Now look who's the hypocrite?"

They spent the rest of the flight in silence, until they reached the golden gates of Heaven. "Here we are," Michael said, looking towards the large white structure in the distance. "That's the Throne Room. The Almighty will be in there, and if we're lucky, Satan will be too."

"Here goes nothing," Alcmene muttered. Squaring her shoulders, she flew through the gates, Michael just behind her.

"Alcmene," a voice boomed the moment she stepped foot onto the glass floor of the Throne Room. "Michael."

"My Lord," they said. Alcmene bowed her head respectfully as Michael dropped onto his knees before the biggest throne.

"You come here seeking balance."

Alcmene flushed. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. "Y-Yes, my Lord."

"If you want your fragile balance restored, then maybe you should tell the Almight One to not stick His nose into places that don't concern Him," a voice sneered from behind her.

Alcmene whirled around to find her face-to-face with the Devil himself. History didn't lie. He really was beautiful. His hair shone like the morning sun, and his skin glowed with health. Furious eyes stared straight back at her, nearly throwing her off from the fact that fresh cuts ran diagonally across his face, still fresh the previous day's battle.

"You know why I'm doing this, Lucifer," the Lord said.

"Really? Is it because you can't sit back and watch those pesky humans suffer anymore?"

"If you haven't crippled them, this won't even be happening."

"Then you should've paid more attention to what was happening right under your nose, and that wouldn't have happened."

"You have always been a rebellious one, Lucifer. So full of fire, but poured in the wrong direction."

"Oh, get off your high horse for once and-"

"Enough," Alcmene cut in. "Stop acting like children. If the two of you don't stop whatever this petty sword fight is, the world will spiral out of balance, and everyone will die. There won't be any throne left to conquer or home to go back to, so just put down your arms, and we can go back to where we were before this mess. Please."

"If you think you can talk to me like that," Lucifer seethed, "then you're wrong. Have fun watching the burn, little Libra."

Alcmene sighed as he disappeared with a loud crack. This was going to be much harder than she thought. She glanced at Michael, who was already looking at her with a grim expression on his face, and her heart dropped.

She knew that look.

She knew what he was implying.

If she wanted to get Lucifer to see light, she would have to do it in his language - fight him into submission on the battlefield. If not, she'll have to pay with her life in hopes that it would be enough to tilt the world back into balance.

"You know what you have to do, Alcmene," Michael said in her ear as he led her out of the Throne Room. "You know what's on the line and what you'll have to sacrifice."

Alcmene knew, but that doesn't mean she was prepared for it. "Let's just focus on getting Lucifer on board."

"And how do you wish to do that? Sweet talk him? Because that didn't seem to work back there."

"I'll find a way," she said through gritted teeth.

"But if it comes down to it-"

"No."

Michael opened his mouth to object but closed it when he saw her glossy eyes turning to look at the ground. She was scared.

"I know it's unfair of us to ask for this," he said softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "but if the universe demands it, then there's little we can do. Just...Just be prepared, okay? You have to be ready for anything, even if it's not in your favour."

Alcmene sniffled, willing the tears to disappear. She knew what he said was for the greater good. She was only a pawn in the universe's grand plan, a pawn with a job to do.

"What are you willing to sacrifice in order to restore the balance, Alcmene? What are you willing to do to fulfil your destiny?"

"Anything," she rasped.

Michael gave her a small smile. "There's the warrior your father has been telling me about. Come, let's go bring Lucifer to his knees."

Alcmene gasped as the sword plunged through her abdomen. She slowly raised her head to look at Lucifer, who had least had the decency to look sorry.

"Don't take it too personally," he said. "It was either you or me, Brachium, and I'm a selfish man."

She didn't reply, only gritted her teeth as every nerve and muscle screamed in pain. She closed her eyes as she heard Michael shout for her, but he sounded so far away. It was like she was underwater, where everything sounded distorted.

She felt herself being slowly onto the ground as pressure was applied to her wound. She willed herself to open her eyes.

"Stop, Michael," she said weakly, taking in the archangel cradling her body against his. She cracked a small smile. "As you said...he won't...won't listen...I n-need to...die...the balance..."

"I know," he said. "Just close your eyes and rest, little one. Everything will be over soon."

Alcmene let out a breathy laugh and let her eyes close. All around her, she could hear the clashing of swords slowly fading into silence. Then she felt it.

A rush of power overwhelmed her senses, and for a moment, the pain was gone, replaced by pure bliss.

"I'll see you soon, little one," was the last thing she heard as her senses dulled and the world faded into darkness.

She had done it. She might have done a terrible job at enforcing the Law of Equivalent Exchange, but she had fulfilled it. In order for the universe to gain peace, one side had to lose - if one side wasn't willing to stand down, a Brachium had to be sacrificed to satisfy the, for to gain something, one must sacrifice something of equal value.