The Love Between White and Black

Eterna. A small planet billions of light years away from the earth that we know, but they were so similar despite either one not knowing the other planet existed. Eterna had lush forests, beautiful oceans and lakes, blue skies and fresh air. Its population wasn’t as nearly as dense as earth’s but its technology had advanced just as far, maybe even a little more. Its people were even similar to earth people. They had the biology of a normal human on earth with all the organs and senses and appendages. Morally, some were good, some were bad and some were in between. Just like the humans on earth.

So what was the difference between this little planet and earth?

Human evolution was where the two planets couldn’t be anymore different than each other.

Eternians have evolved to being humans with, well in short, superpowers.

Though Eterna was similar to earth in many ways, the start of the little planet had its people battling extreme weathers, terrain shifts and a climate harsher than earth’s. Now, in modern times, its people had adjusted to the harsh climate but the planet had more or less settled down with its brutality. Thus the abilities the people had now became akin to superpowers.

Eterna didn’t have a clear country or region, it was just Eterna. One little planet where the people unite under one banner. The highest position of authority in Eterna was not a president or an overlord or a dictator, it was not held by a single person backed by a government. 

The Moon Justice Alliance was the highest authority in Eterna.

In the alliance were some of the most brilliant minds and powered beings in Eterna. Their job was to maintain the peace and justice of the planet. There were countless members doing all sorts of work behind the scenes but the ones who the people of Eterna looked up to and revered were the six leading members of the alliance.

Kalmyra, the oldest and wisest female leader who was blessed with endless knowledge, Litta, a calm and bookish female fire user, Helle, the strong female fighter who wielded an ice spear she conjured herself, Pyhlos, the male strategist who could conjure plans and strategies in a matter of seconds, Neofy, the male warrior who fought using plasma twin daggers, and finally Qyra.

Qyra was a bit different than the other five members. He was the youngest out of all the members, just fresh out of his teenage years. He was a strictly non-combative member and was strictly forbidden from ever leaving to do excursions. He had never once stepped outside and fought bad people and yet he was an indispensable member of the alliance, if not the most important.

Qyra had been blessed with seer powers. He could peer into the near future and see all the possible outcomes that a single situation had. This made him a powerful asset to the alliance. His powers were the only thing that kept Eterna from descending into chaos. He kept the other members of the alliance ready with whatever they needed to do to get the best outcome out of a situation. 

Such responsibility in someone so young, yet Qyra was a beacon of sunshine. He was always smiling and giving the other members supportive and kind words. In the gritty and grueling task of fighting crime, he was the light of hope that kept the members afloat. 

Everyone in the alliance knew that no one was more important than Qyra, no one dared touched a single hair on his head out of fear of angering five of the most capable members of the alliance.

That was why it was nearly baffling what happened one fateful day.

Helle and Neofy entered the compound looking incredibly dreadful. They had just returned from taking down one of the major crime lords of the nearby area. The fight had been short but tiring all the same. Helle’s red fiery hair was stained with mud and dirt, her clothes ripped in some places while Neofy had cuts on his arm from skidding across the road. They were otherwise physically fine but still, they needed a mental refresher.

Cleaning themselves from the grime, they excitedly rushed to get to the lounge room of the compound. It was the biggest room in the whole building, used primarily for breaks. It was also the room that Qyra frequented the most. Most of the time, you could find him sitting by the giant window of the lounge room, looking outside.

As the doors opened, Neofy immediately ran inside, excitedly wanting to get his daily fix Qyra’s hugs. Helle was slightly more calm, she gave Neofy a glare as he ran inside full of energy, though on the inside she was waiting for a chance to talk to Qyra and hear his gentle voice and her steps quickened.

In front of her, Neofy had stopped in his tracks abruptly, causing Helle who was trailing behind him to slam into his beefy body. Neofy stumbled because Helle wasn’t exactly petite or tiny, she was a woman who was used to fighting and had trained her body to the absolute best, giving her a muscled frame not too different from Neofy’s.

“What the hell Neofy.” Helle grumbled, giving Neofy a slap on the back. “Why did you -”

Helle’s words faltered halfway when her gaze landed on the scene in the lounge room. Kalmyra, Litta and Phylos were all sitting on one of the couches in one corner of the lounge, and then across from them there Qyra. 

Sweet angelic Qyra with his fluffy blonde hair and clear grey eyes. He was wearing his casual clothes of a giant hoodie and jeans. He looked incredibly cute, like a small animal wrapped around a warm blanket, making your heart feel warm. Helle’s eyes then slowly drifted to the side and saw that Qyra was not sitting alone. 

There was a man there. He looked incredibly contrasted next to the pure Qyra. His hair was dark and long tied back into a single ponytail, his eyes were also dark and piercing, he looked to be much taller than Qyra and was also quite muscular though not as muscular as Neofy or Helle. 

The man was looking at Qyra with a look that Helle wanted to beat out of him and...his long fingers were snugly wrapped around Qyra’s own. 

Helle pushed Neofy to the side and stomped her way towards the group. Qyra’s face lit up from seeing her and the pure face almost made Helle falter. If this was a different time then Helle would immediately back off but seeing her pure and gentle Qyra being potentially ruined by another made her see red.

“Who is this?” Helle asked, her voice grumbling with anger.

Litta cleared her throat and answered. Her timid demeanor was nowhere to be seen. She looked incredibly stiff and blank as she spoke. “This is Elegy. He’s a researcher and...Qyra’s companion.” 

Litta’s face scrunched when she said the word ‘companion’ as if that word was incredibly disgusting to her, and truly it actually was. That day she had arrived home from doing her clerical work and wanted to rest at the lounge and maybe listen to Qyra as he sang or read a book. Instead when she arrived, she found Qyra and Elegy. Litta understood that Qyra wasn’t hers. He was everyone’s and thus she shouldn’t get angry when Qyra spent time with someone else. Only with Elegy, she witnessed them holding hands as they talked, she watched him kiss Qyra’s fingertips and stroke his hair from his face. Those actions sent a boiling rage to the normally timid Litta. She wanted Elegy to disappear.

Qyra frowned slightly but kept smiling. “He’s not just my companion, he is my lover.”

The lounge turned so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

Phylos pushed his glasses up his nose and cleared his throat. “Qyra -”

“I’m not breaking up.” Qyra said firmly, shocking the other five superheroes in the room.

They had never once heard Qyra speak in such a tone. All the time they were together under the alliance, Qyra had always been a soft spoken, gentle boy who cheered them all during their darkest times. He had never once raised his voice or gotten angry, so at that moment, he sounded like someone completely different. His smile was no longer there either, instead the corners of his lips were turned downward into a displeased frown.

Kalmyra rose from her seat and reached her hand out as if she was in the midst of calming down a wild animal.

“Qyra, we just think,” her voice was low and slow. Her eyes glanced at the rest of the members with a warning gaze that told them that Qyra needed to be handled with care. “That you are much too young to be dating anyone right now.”

Qyra narrowed his eyes and gripped Elegy’s hand even harder. Everyone in the room knew that Kalmyra was just putting on airs. As a seer, Qyra knew the truth. He could see it in his mind, his powers telling him the truth. The five members of the alliance didn’t want to let go of their beloved Qyra and give him to anyone else. They wanted him to stay in the compound and in the alliance as their songbird. 

As the tension rose even further, Elegy stood from his seat and finally said something.

“I know you are worried for your beloved member,” he said, his voice smooth and deep. With his elegant handsome voice, gentle gaze and that voice, he could easily do whatever he wanted and got away with it, but unfortunately, right now he was facing off with five overprotective superheroes of the Justice Alliance. “I promise you that I will take good care of him and never hurt him. I love Qyra with all my heart.”

As much as a smooth talker Elegy was and how sincere his love proclamation was, not one of the five members wanted to believe him. From the start, they wanted him gone and away from their precious little songbird. Looking at the unwilling faces, Qyra’s expression dropped even further, his chin wobbled and tears started to form in his eyes. Slowly he reached for Elegy’s hand and tightly hooked his pinky fingers with his.

Though the five didn’t want Qyra to be taken away, the didn’t want to see him cry even more. After all they had sworn to protect him. How could they stand by and watch the little angel cry?

Finally, it was Phylos who stood. His green eyes stared piercingly at Elegy and then gently at Qyra. Sighing, he dropped his arms that had been crossed for a while and gestured towards the others to stand as well.

“Let us allow them to be together.” 

A sound of protest emerged from every single one of the four, voicing their displeasure at Phylos’s idea.

“I know we all don’t want to, but Qyra is growing up.” Phylos waved his hand towards Qyra. “And if this was indeed a bad thing, then Qyra would’ve seen it and decided what’s best, right?”

Qyra nodded fiercely, his little hands gripping Elegy’s. “Yes, yes of course. I’ve seen it. Me and him will be happy for a long time.”

The others were still not convinced. Though they were slightly relieved, of course, to know that Qyra saw nothing bad happening to him and Elegy’s relationship, it wasn’t really about Qyra’s wellbeing in the first place, really. From the very start it was about the members feeling terrified of losing their emotional clutch to a random man they have never met before. Even Phylos right at that moment, though his mouth said one thing his eyes told the members a different thing. In his mind, he was furiously making plan after plan to make Elegy leave and never return.

 

***

 

“They were unimpressed with me.” Elegy said as he gently brushed Qyra’s hair.

“Yes…” Qyra agreed dejectedly. “I wonder what I’m supposed to do…”

After the meeting that bore no fruit, Elegy had volunteered to go home so the six of them could talk in private. The members seemed eager for him to leave. Qyra quickly volunteered to walk him out the door. Of course everyone tried to stop him from doing so but eventually Qyra managed to convince them that this will help them come to a better conclusion. After Qyra walked Elegy to the door, he shut the door behind him and followed Elegy to his home, leaving the members probably baffled and confused.

Qyra took a short bath and then sat on the floor as Elegy dried and brushed his hair. His long fingers felt nice in his hair as he brushed over his temple, his forehead and the top of his head. It calmed Qyra’s nerves down just a little bit.

“What do you think they’ll do now?” Qyra sighed quietly.

Elegy chuckled briefly and put away the hair brush. “Right now, that’s not something you should be worried about. We have a big day tomorrow.”

Qyra leaned back to Elegy’s embrace and tried to remove the thoughts of his fellow alliance members out of his head. Elegy was right. There was something much more important to worry about. He had a whole lifetime to convince the five people that Elegy was the one for him.

Seeing that Qyra was a little bit calmer, Elegy dropped a gentle kiss and the top of his head and pulled the other boy out. Slowly, he brushed Qyra's cheek then leaned closer to kiss those soft lips. Qyra lost himself to the feeling of Elegy’s lips on his, his big hand stroking his cheek and his breath against his face. He pushed harder and deepened the kiss, slowly parting his lips to let the other in.

Right now, he didn’t care about what was waiting for him back at the alliance compound. All that mattered to him was right here, holding him within a gentle yet unbreakable embrace. 

 

***

 

The sound of alarms gathered the six members of the alliance team into the meeting room. The alarm was a signal that a major crime was taking place and would need their immediate attention. Though the display monitor had yet to show what was happening, it was more than likely that it was caused by the Black Sun Organization.

The Black Sun Organization could be considered as The Justice Alliance’s worst enemy and possible nemesis. It was an organization filled with many different crime lords and evildoers, all with superpowers and a  want to commit crime. Their primary objective however was to do lengthy and torture like experimentation on individuals with outstanding or unique superpowers. The Alliance has no clue what they could be trying to achieve with this experimentation, but whatever it was it needed to be stopped.

Qyra was the last one to enter the meeting room. There was a certain bounce to his step as he sat down in his usual seat.

The others glanced at each other than at Qyra. They were still on edge over the fact that Qyra had disappeared the other day and said nothing about his whereabouts. He returned soon after in the same condition as when he left, but it still left a stain on the members’ heart, making them even more determined that Elegy was not the one. 

“So, what is happening?”

The members snapped back to reality and focused on the task at hand. Though they were worrying about Qyra’s situation, there was crime going on in the city that had to be stopped. Qyra could wait, the citizens in danger may not.

Kalmyra brought up footage that seemed to be a recording of a chemical laboratory on the edge of town. They watched as a figure clouded in darkness broke into one of the containment units inside the lab and started wreaking havoc as he destroyed beaker after beaker, glass after glass, and tool after tool. Finally he reached a locked shelving where there were even more samples inside. This time though, the shadowed figure gently opened the shelving and carefully took one of the test tube vials. He examined it closely before putting it into a box.

Kalmyra paused the recording and zoomed in on the shadowed figure. It seemed like his powers had something to do with manipulating shadows or light because where he stood, the security cameras couldn’t catch his face at all. All that could be seen was his tall figure and long hair but not much else.

“This is our duty for the day.” Kalmyra announced. “We will go with our standard lineup and take this guy down. It’s all in the day’s work.”

The standard lineup was simple. It was Neofy and Helle as the main attackers, Kalmyra would lead and assist in attacks  along with Litta while Qyra and Phylos would stay at the compound and act as navigators and watch over the surrounding area of the location through satellite maps and radio broadcasts.

Quick on their feet, the alliance moves fast to be where they need to be. The four on site team quickly departed with their vehicle while Phylos stayed to think of a strategy. Phylos immediately grabbed a paper and pen to start jotting down possible strategies and while he was busy with that, next to him, Qyra peacefully closed his eyes as if he was falling asleep. What he was doing was not going to sleep but scrying. Looking for the best possible outcome, the best possible path, and the things they needed to avoid.

After a moment, his eyes opened and Phylos immediately gave him a sheet of paper filled with the best possible strategies he came up with. With swiftness and precision Qyra suggested some things here and there and adjusted the strategy from something possible to something definite.

The onsite team received the strategy note as quick as it was made. They examined the details carefully and observed their surroundings. The chemistry laboratory was a lab dedicated to medical research and the genes that gave the people their powers. Kalmyra understood why this could be a target for the Black Sun Organization. Still, they would still stop whoever disturbed the peace.

As the four were looking around at the surroundings, a big explosion could suddenly be heard from the back of the lab, signaling that they already started another wave of their raid. Quickly, the heroes ran inside the lab, their target was the shadowy man and they would take him down like they do with all villains.

They ran through the white halls of the lab corridors, passing multiple doors and rooms. They could even see the damage they had caused with their ransacking in a couple of rooms. After many left and right turns, the four heroes managed to arrive at the main scene of the crime. Though the leader, Shadowy Man wasn’t there, his underlings were still around, smashing and stealing vials and beakers.

“Helle, Neofy” Kalmyra ordered, voice firm and befitting of a hero leader. “You deal with these, me and Litta will search the further areas.”

Helle and Neofy nodded in unison then charged ahead to fight their enemies. Helle with her majestic spear, stabbed and swung her weapon gracefully. She almost looked like a dancer performing on a stage. Every swing of her spear, she would hit an enemy and send them flying. Neofy fought a little bit differently. He was a dual dagger user, so he relied mostly on speed to stab his enemies without them even realizing that they had just been stabbed. He zoomed and dodged between every enemy and slowly neutralized them one by one.

Meanwhile, Kalmyra and Litta were carefully examining room after room trying to find Shadowy Man and chase him down. It was quite odd for them to be leaving their heaviest hitters, Helle and Neofy, together in an early room, but this was what Qyra had deemed to be the best path. He said that the enemies ahead would be easy enough for Litta and Kalmyra to deal with all on their own, and they trusted Qyra with all their heart.

After a few more exploring, they finally reached the main research lab. It had the biggest room so far with the most expensive and top of the line equipment stationed in them. Kalmyra felt confident that this was the room where their culprit was hiding.

A movement at one of the dark corners of the room caught Kalmyra’s vigilant eyes. As she glanced to look, the shadow moved and started dashing out of the open exit of the library, back outside. Kalmyra and Litta made haste and ran to follow after him but before they could, many more underlings appeared from the shadows and blocked their path. 

Fortunately, Qyra’s vision had foreseen this too. Kalmyra gave Litta a look that the other girl returned with a simple nod. With a flick of her fingers, red orange flames appeared and started to dance on her palms. With a swing, Litta threw a multitude of red hot fireballs at her enemies, singeing them and even burning them. Though she was meek and had a quiet disposition, in the midst of a fight, Litta was tenacious and could hold out on her own. 

Trusting her comrade to fight, Kalmyra made a dash towards the exit where the Shadowy Man had left. After running a few more distance, Kalmyra could spot the man not far from her. He was only a few distance away. She could catch up!

Kalmyra pushed her legs harder as she ran faster and faster. Though her only power was her unlimited knowledge, Kalmyra was a determined woman. She ran and ran until finally she could reach out and grab the Shadowy Man’s shirt collar. With a hard tug, she sent the man crashing down onto the floor, the momentum also sending her down with him.

“You’re under arrest.” Kalmyra gasped, her breathing shallow and her chest contracted with pain from overexertion and running too hard. It didn’t matter. She caught her culprit. “Show me who you are.”

With a harsh grab, Kalmyra turned her culprit around so she could see who she was fighting. When her eyes finally landed on his face, she gave an audible gasp. No, it couldn’t be...this man was...he was...she knew his face well.

“You are…” She said, breath heavy. “You’re Elegy. Qyra’s Elegy...you’re part of the Black Sun?”

It was him. That elegantly handsome face, the long dark hair, the piercing eyes. Elegy. The Elegy who just stood inside her home not too long ago. Yet here he was,  a criminal. A dirty lowlife villain. 

Under her, Elegy laughed and pushed her away. 

“You…” Kalmyra gasped, half in anger half in disbelief. “You tricked us! You are one of the Black Sun Organization!”

Elegy still looked amused. “So I have. Nice to meet you again, Kalmyra.”

Now fully enraged, Kalmyra lunged forward, her hands aiming for the man’s neck. “You said you would protect Qyra! You tricked him as well! He’s going to find out about this!”

Elegy only chuckled. He sidestepped Kalmyra’s weak hands and turned away from her, ready to dash again. “And I meant what I said.”

Kalmyra couldn’t fully catch what he was saying, but she didn’t care. This was the man who lied to Qyra and tricked him. He will get what he deserves.

Kalmyra continued the chase. She needed to take this man down. The Shadowy Man kept running ahead of her and finally made a left turn on a crossroad. Kalmyra didn’t stop or rest. She remembered what one of Qyra’s visions said, that if she turned the opposite way, she would take a shortcut and end up in front of the culprit. With much conviction, she veered right in her path without so much as a single ounce of hesitation.

 

***

 

The six heroes sat around the meeting table once more, only this time they were worse for wear. Helle and Neofy looked especially hurt. They had multiple bandages around their body, countless bruises and wounds. The enemy onslaught had been tougher than they expected, the enemies kept coming and coming until they were almost overwhelmed with their sheer numbers. Litta also didn’t look too well, she looked physically exhausted. She had never fought that long in battle and she had never used so many fireballs in one sitting. Right now she felt incredibly drained, as if something had been sucked away from her. Kalmyra didn’t seem to be visibly injured, but inside she was annoyed and furious. After going right, she had kept running and running and running but...nothing. She didn’t see the man again. He was just gone, managed to run away from the smartest woman in the alliance.

Kalmyra dismissed the heroes and told them to rest up. Today wasn’t the most successful of excursions but they still needed rest. Kalmyra, however, had an important but heavy duty to do, and that was to tell Qyra of his lover. About how Elegy was part of the Black Sun Organization.

Slowly, she entered the lounge room. Qyra was there, as usual he was sitting by the window watching the skies as the sun went down and stars started to appear.

Kalmyra took a seat next to him and laid a single hand on his shoulder.

“Is there something the matter, Kalmyra?”

Kalmyra took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you.”

Kalmyra began to explain what happened, what she had seen, what she had encountered today. How Elegy was a criminal. How he couldn’t be trusted and he was just deceiving Qyra.

Qyra made no expression as Kalmyra told him what happened, but after it was done, he slowly put his face into his hands, his shoulders began to shake.

“Please...please rethink your relationship with him. He will hurt you.”

Though Kalmyra was sad that this would give Qyra a broken heart and possibly keep him away from future bonds similar, inside she was a bit happy. With Elegy being a liar, surely Qyra would throw him away. Then the alliance would unite under a stronger banner. Things would go back to normal, to - 

“Ahaha…”

Kalmyra froze when she heard that noise escape from Qyra’s lips. It wasn't tears or wailing it was…laughter.

Qyra descended into a fit of amused laughter. When he showed his face, it wasn’t stained with tears or grief, it was a happy expression decorated with that beautiful smile. Qyra pushed away from the window seat and stood in the middle of the lounge room.

“Qyra…”

“Kalmyrah, let me tell you something.” He said coldly, a voice that Kalmyrah had never heard before. “I know who he is.”

“You...knew?” Kalmyrah said, her voice uncertain. “Then why did you say that you saw happiness! If you knew he was part of the Black Sun Organization -”

“Kalmyrah, there was nothing wrong with my vision today. I gave no wrong instructions.”

“What?” Kalmyrah frowned in confusion.

“There was nothing wrong with my vision today, I gave no wrong instructions.” 

Kalmyrah paused and digested the words. Slowly, she realized.

The incorrect number of predicted enemies and separating their attackers from the main team, letting Litta fight alone, telling her to go right during a crossroad…

“You were buying time to let him escape.” Kalmyrah said slowly, realization dawning on her face. “All this time…”

And then her mind thought back to their fighting activities for the past month. They’ve been fighting crime lord after crime lord. Could it be that they were also part of the Black Sun Organization?

“Those people were standing in his way. They needed to go.”

Kalmyrah fell to her knees as more and more things started to come to light. All this time, Qyra...he...he was helping Elegy rise through the ranks, helping him with his crime. Their pure angel….he wasn’t there.

“I thought you wanted good.” Kalmyrah found herself said.

“I do want to do good. I despise crime.” Qyra stepped closer to face Kalmyrah. His eyes were cold as they stared back into hers. “But if it’s him, then it doesn't matter to me.”

Qyra laughed one more time then left the lounge, humming as he did. If he didn’t just drop a weight on Kalmyrah’s shoulders, she would’ve thought that was cute.

Deep inside, she knew that she needed to tell everyone. Tell everyone that Qyra had betrayed them, and was no longer a hero. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t and she knew it. She loved him too much. She would never let him go. All five of them would never.

EXTRA:

 

“I am here.”

“I thought...you had a mission from the organization.”

“No mission is as important as you.”

“Then...hold me?”

“You don’t even need to ask.”

“Your hands always feel nice on my hair.”

“Are you a cat or something?”

…

“How was it?”

“I got it. I’m slowly getting to the higher rankings. Soon, we’ll find a way to remove your powers.”

“Yes. It’s been so long. I can’t hold on much longer. The visions are too much…”

“Those fools at the Alliance. They only know how to take and yet they don’t even realize the extent of the pain you face.”

“Everyday I look out the window to calm myself, but everyday it's getting more and more painful.”

“I know. As I said we will cure you soon. You will be free.”

“Free from this pain, free from the alliance. We can even live together can’t we?”

“Of course. You and me, we will never part.”

 

 

END