A character from a series you love makes the wrong decision somewhere in the story, write about what happens because of their fuck up.
The winds of J’thoom have finally seceded, for a month now, it raked away at the city of Ka’etem without a moments pause. This is the longest the winds have ever lasted in the season. There are rumors it is a sign of a great destructive event to come, murmurs of a weapon built by the spiteful others to alter the winds and destroy crops and vapor drivers.
E’am J’onzz only think about how this time he’ll finally defeat his older brother in a race.
For as long as E’am could walk, he followed in his kindly brother’s shadow. When he could not speak, J’onn spoke for him. When he could not feel, J’onn taught him. Soon at the boys grew to men, it was no longer ‘teacher’ and ‘learner’. It was brother, and as brothers are wont, they race and strive to show the other what they can do. If not to inspire, or to repay, then to simply know the joy of life.
With his hood and cloak firmly strapped, E’am made his way through the city as the wind shutters all opened and the dust was ushered away. The songs would begin again and the harvest seasons would come and bring festivals.
E’am took a moment to stand and listen as the chorus of voices filled his mind, grateful for the warmth and acceptance he’d come to know here, despite himself. The last son of a dying world, cast out to the heavens by loving parents in a final act to save him. How many would take in such a strange foundling without pause he wondered. Soon E’am became aware of the time and raced to the outskirts of the city.
"And here I had thought my dear brother had come to his senses." The familiar voice filled E’am’s mind and heart.
"Today’s the day, J’onn. I know it!"
"Ever since you learned to fly you’ve been after me for these races… And every time it ends the same way… What makes you so sure this time."
"Boundless confidence and the blessing of C’eridyall"
J’onn laughed. “Then may she truly grace you this day, for you shall need every last blessing you can muster.”
And so the pair raced off into the dusty wilds, past cavern and canyon, rocky outcrops left in their wake as skim the red sands and old crater rims. When J’onn looked behind him, much to his shock, his brother gained. Faster and faster the distance between the closed. J’onn found himself filling with a strange sense of elation as E’am closed the gap and finally rocketed past him, leaving him in his dust wake.
With laughter the two finally stopped and came together, overlooking the horizon from a hill.
"I can hardly believe my eyes. How did you do it E’am?"
"You couldn’t beat me every time. But maybe I didn’t get faster, maybe you were simply slower?" He laughed.
As J’onn readied to congratulate his brother, the sky was torn apart above them. in it’s place a terrifying and jagged light raced ground-ward and toward E’am. Without a second thought, J’onn pushed his brother to safety, only to be struck by the light himself. A fold flame danced inside him, his every atom shaking and distorting, J’onn screamed and then was gone.
Gone, but not to the eyes of E’am, he cried out to his brother as he saw the tiniest peices of him torn apart and pulled back into the sky. E’am raced for all he was worth after the light, he could see them, the smallest pieces of his beloved brother being carried off and away at impossible speeds.
He’d never flown this high or this fast, he never felt the cold and lack of air till his body could give him no more. But still he could see. He could see the jagged light snaking it’s way to the third world, the world deemed forbidden in all the earliest lessons of every Ma’aleca’andran.
But that’s where his brother was, E’am knew he still lived. In that same moment, before his eyes could see no more, he vowed to find his brother and bring him home, someday.
