• We stood on a burnt landscape; mountains reached to the heavens in the distance. Sol, my father and the God of the Sun, stood poised, a hundred yards from his enemy. Nox, Goddess of Darkness, stood on the other end of the field.
    “Where is the Fuegos Sphera?” he demanded. His voiced boomed across the empty plain.
    “You call yourself the God of the Sun, yet you don’t even know where your prized possession is,” she jeered. His cold stare locked with hers and the intensity showed like a stream of fire.
    “You deserve to be stuck in the Underworld Nox, and Hades would not pay you a second’s thought.” The sky above glowed red from the setting sun, accenting the burnt red color of the plains around us. Nox laughed, a tinkling sound a person does usually associate with someone of pure evil.
    “Oh, Sol, you always were a comedian. You say I deserve to be in the pits of Hades domain, but by the time our war is over, you will be the one to reside there.” Every word that left Nox’s lips caused a scowl to form on my father’s face.

    “Enough small talk Nox,” my father bellowed, “I will prove here and now that my strength is greater than yours!” With a final battle cry, he pulled out his sword of pure light and charged. In a matter of seconds, Nox had pulled out her own weapon: a sword with a tapered end made of metal that she herself had forged from pure darkness. They met in the middle of the plain and their swords clashed. The first strike was so intense, both swords shattered at the impact point, and shrapnel from each flew into the air. All I saw in my field of vision was a hunk of metal flying at me. The next thing I knew, I was drowned in total blackness.

    I awoke a few hours later. I looked across at the place where my father lay lifeless and limp, when the face of a girl caught my eye. Standing next to this girl was my enemy and the murderer of my father, Nox. I could only assume that the girl was her daughter. The shock of realization hit me; it was the love of my life, Luna. Oh my lovely Luna. I found myself remembering the first night I saw her.
    She was swimming in a cool lake at night. The bright light of the moon reflected off her white hair and silvery skin. But nothing was as incredible as the moonbeams reflecting off her eyes, as though they were pools of water. Her eyes were a grey color, but some form of grey that I could not recognize. All I knew was that they were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. I had tried to sneak closer, but of course she saw me. The unusual thing was that she did not try to hide from me. Instead, she beckoned me towards her.
    “Who are you to stumble upon my privacy?” she asked. I noticed a hint of flirtation in her voice.
    “One who would like to know you better. I am Solarus.” She laughed like a child with a new pet. I’ll never forget her laugh.
    “I see. You seem to be a bright young man. My name is Luna. Now, look away while I change so that we can talk on dry land,” she replied. While she was making herself decent, she allowed me the privilege to speak with her; an act that she claimed was an honor.
    We talked about anything and everything that night. After our long talk, we agreed to meet at that lake every night. The nights turned into weeks, the weeks into months.
    “Tonight, we will have been meeting like this for a year. There is something I must tell you. We have walked on the shoreline. We’ve swam in the lake. We have watched the stars in the night sky above. Every time I am with you, I feel complete. Leaving you is the hardest thing in the world to me. I love you, Luna.” My words expressed my feelings better than my thoughts ever could.
    “I have waited the past year for you to say that. I love you too, Solarus.”
    “Luna, will you be mine forever?”
    “Yes, my dear,” she said. “Nothing could ever turn me against you.”

    I jolted out of my memories. With a final look at my precious Luna leaning upon her sword and peering over my father’s corpse, all feelings of love disappeared only to be replaced by anger, hate and a need for revenge.
    “Please stand aside, my daughter, and I will finish off this pest,” Nox whispered.
    “Yes, mother,” Luna replied, then stepped aside to watch. Thus, my one true love became my own worst enemy.
    “You there, boy, son of the late Sol, what is your name?” Nox asked of me in a nasty tone; a tone that disgusted me and sent shivers down my spine.
    “My name is Solarus and I will avenge my father’s death!” I yelled back at her. I saw Luna’s eyes widen with realization and then squint with anger. I could only assume that the same thought was running through her mind: We were once lovers, but now one of us must kill the other. First, though, I must take care of the annoyance that is her mother.
    “Hmm, Solarus. A proper name for the son of the Sun God. It’s too bad that I must kill you. You are a handsome young man,” Luna winced slightly at this, “and you would do well in my army.”
    She raised her hand, palm facing the dark clouds above, and slowly brought it down to her side. As her hand fell, an enormous army floated down from the sky, hundreds of thousands strong. These were the Nocturnes.
    Amongst them were dark figures that I could not make out. They wore cloaks as black as night; swords made of the same metal as Nox’s were belted at their sides. There were also eight-foot tall Minotaurs among their ranks. These creatures wore armor and wielded battle axes made of the same dark metal. Their horns were the same color as the unknown creatures’ cloaks and were sharpened to a point. Every soldier stood at attention.
    “Nice looking soldiers, but this fight is between you and me, Nox.” I walked up to her and drew my sword. “Let us fight.”

    As soon as I spoke those words, Nox ordered her Nocturnes to stand down. The battle happened so quickly that I can not even remember exactly what happened. All I know is that Nox was defeated by me. Luna had to watch her mother die at the hands of her lover. She wept and wept for her mother, then looked up at me with eyes full of fury.
    “So, it has finally come to this. Lover versus lover; enemy versus enemy. You spoke of vengeance and I agree. The time for vengeance has come!” My once precious Luna’s voice was filled with poison.
    “It’s a shame we must fight. I remember the first night we met… do you?” I asked her, praying that she might be my Love once more.
    “Now is not the time to dwell on memories, now is the time for action! However, before we fight, what do you say we sweeten the deal? Winner gets the Fuegos Sphera, agreed?”
    “Agreed, my love,” I replied.
    “Don’t you ‘my love’ me!”
    With that final word, she lunged at me. So, our fight began. This fight was like none the world had ever seen. Our swords danced with our flourishes, parries, and counter attacks. In the end, she fell upon my blade. As I cradled her in my arms, I whispered in her ear, “I love you, my precious Luna.” With her dying breath she replied, “I love you too, my darling Solarus.” Claimed by grief, I made my way to the marble pedestal that held the Fuegos Sphera: a great ball of fire as bright as the sun; my father’s favorite weapon. The Fuegos Sphera was just inches from my grasp when I looked back and realized, “Wait a minute, the Nocturnes aren’t dead yet.”