When Gods War

In Cave One up at the ceiling, no one has noticed a crack developing around the upper base of a rocky stalactite, its sharp point facing straight down, and as the planet continues to quake and stretch, the crack grows further around the stalactite’s base. The pointed rocky spear hangs down directly above Scepter’s leadership party, but who is it aimed at? The billowing wind outside is now so loud that no one can hear each other. Chronicle can no longer hear Scepter, but since Scepter’s arm tightly grasps Chronicle’s, if Scepter thinks Cave Three Lens, Chronicle changes to it. A check of all cave lenses shows a similar scene: a world on its last ride. Children huddle close to their parents, all looking up at their monitors and lenses. Even some who don’t always get along are now embraced in fear. Chronicle now switches exclusively through all ten cave lenses to see if each group of Nearsiders is still okay. And then it comes: a menacing, increasing ground rumble-wave ending in a crack louder than the closest lightning. With this sudden jolt, large amounts of dust fall on all in Cave One. This cracking occurred only three times during the last pass-by; now it’s happening over and over. Zeon’s faults are cracking, succumbing to the strength of Tareon’s pull. With the fourth bolt, a crack instantly appears in the wall behind all in Cave One and with each additional jolt, the crack grows steadily up toward the ceiling. The views of the other caves show the same thing, necks craning in one direction or another as each cavern threatens to collapse. In each cave, a frantic scene begins as chunks of rock break loose from the ceiling and rain down on those huddled below. Each Nearsider quickly rolls left or right to avoid what’s falling their way. The heavy stalactites hanging from each cave’s ceiling begin dropping like missiles, with some stabbing those below, while other stalactites stab deeply into the cave floor. The rocky formations above have become death spears, a bombardment of raining bayonettes. It’s a life-and-death dodge-ball to avoid being killed or crushed. Who will live and who will die? Suddenly – in Cave One - the weakened stalactite hanging from the ceiling breaks loose and falls, impaling Chronicle’s wife Woon in the stomach and killing her instantly. Through it all, Chronicle is able to stay strangely focused on the monitor, as if he’s made for this role, but when he scrolls around to Cave Four Lens again, the lens is out and its nothing but static and snow. Seeing this, Scepter yells “Cave Four,” but amid the cacophony and rumbling, no one can hear him. That doesn’t necessarily mean Cave Four is gone, maybe the lens has just gone out, but one more cycle through the views, and Cave Eight Lens briefly shows a cascade of dust followed by it too going out. Many in all caves would like to close their eyes, but to do so could mean being crushed from above. If death comes, can it please be quick? On top of all this noise, movement and death comes a strange whistling noise from outside. All in each cave can hear it and in Cave One, Scepter thinks Major Cave Ten Lens and Chronicle changes to it. Scepter looks at Kairn, who looks up at his monitor lens and mouths the word “Scolios.” Scolios is Tareon’s moon, and this was the second bet between Kairn’s stellar sighting colleagues, that Scolios would careen into Zeon. Fully eighty percent of the sighters thought this would happen. The whistling outside slowly grows like the sound of an incoming aerial bomb. Everyone in each cave peers toward their circular door, and the fast-flickering light around each door jamb suddenly goes dark. “Please be the end?” The whistling increases in shrillness and pitch as it approaches, and eyes close tightly and hands grab whoever is nearby, even those who are already dead. Finally, the whistle then gradually transitions to a horrible roar and there is no impact, as if it’s now passed and heading away, and the oscillating light around the door, reappears.