Horizon

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Born from parents who embodied dawn and dusk; she is their galaxy, their stars, their sky--their Horizon.

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In a world stricken with Shade there is much to be found in the way of grief and mourning. As dragons already exist with the nature of malicious intentions-beyond that of Shade influence-there are more than enough messes left behind in the aftermath of betrayal by loved ones. Horizon sees this. She mourns for all of them.

Despite her adamant insistence on grieving and crying with wail-like sobs Horizon is by far one of the most -if not the most - hopeful dragon residing in Pendulum. Her role as The Mourner carries both heavy and hurting truths but in the same breathe healing and happiness. Not everything exists for a reason and not everything occurs for such but Horizon believes that new life and love can be born out of tragedy and in pursuing such she finds herself filled with energy and a persistence to continue moving forward while mourning the lost at the same time.

She hurts but she knows. She's okay with that.

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she fell in love with the stars when she was little. now that she has grown and matured horizon has less time for the stars. nonetheless--her heart still belongs to them and her life encircles the cosmos daily. her brother-shadowforge-is an aspiring astronomer whose passion for the endless celestials bleeds into horizon's interactions with him. resident animal caretaker hubris consistently shows up when horizon asks favors of him in order for the two to plot out paths of the constellations together. on one occasion horizon was able to successfully orchestrate a clan gathering where all available members of Pendulum came together to witness a rare meteor shower. it was a demonstration of unity and love between each of them; it was a beautiful moment.

it's no surprise the stars have smitten her. taken her heart captive. and in the same breath so has he: the star, falling star, armand. armand. armand, of the temperials of plague. horizon doesn't know when it first clicked or how things built up. she had simply been running into the skydancer on accident over and over. then the meetings stopped being coincidence and she wasn't thinking; her feelings decided to take her mind for a spin and leave her dizzy and giddy wrapped in a shroud of sheer joy.

that star. her star. the most breathtaking and beautiful star. the falling star.

star. star. star.

armand.

she remembers a time when she thought the sky was something to be jealous of--to be envied. there were always reasons for thinking such but meeting armand confirmed her suspicion that feelings were anything but what she previously understood. she was jealous of the stars and of night. it was not because of their glory or awe but because they had him. armand. armand. armand. they had him. flying, soaring, exploring, scouting, leading fighters into battles. they always had him. always by his side. always--

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"No. I shouldn't think like that." the Nocturne bites her lip and watches water fall from a hanging stalactite.

Ripples.

Horizon's blue eyes dim, "I'll see him again. He'll visit. He will."

Pendulum's Leviathan Maze is quiet.

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One late evening in the back halls of Pendulum's Archives Horizon stumbled upon a book she had forgotten for a long time. Tucked into the darkest bookshelves and marred with dust and cobwebs: the book detailed lineage of varying dragons that had passed or moved on from Pendulum and its predecessor Temperance. While Horizon herself was not in the pages she found several chapters containing names familiar to her. Lists of the siblings who briefly existed in her life during her early years sparked old memories of the family she once had.

Dawn, Dusk.

Her parents were printed 'chosen to serve the Eleven; may they follow their Gods to their final days' clear as day. Sibling after sibling had their names scrawled out under her parents with similar descriptions. Horizon could not understand how so many had come and gone. Though she lived through so much Horizon found she could not recall their faces. She merely remembered that they had existed and were of her own blood.

A day later Horizon found herself in the monarch Nyx's quarters.

"Are any left?" Horizon inquired. "Any... Well. Like me--I know my parents left to serve the Eleven but what of my siblings? I bet one of them lives here, still. Just one-!"

The Skydancer didn't look up from behind his desk. He was busy reading and signing parchment; quill in one hand and paper in the other, "I do not know."

"Surely someone must--I have been pestering Hestia for hours, your highness. She continues to go on and on telling me the tale of the molten sun; Tephra; But no matter how sweet or guiding her words are I am told the same thing. I... I get the same answer. That everyone is gone." Horizon's final statement made her wince. Memories of the fall of Temperance were foggy yet prevalent enough to plague her with lasting nightmares and hollow cries. Time was not her friend nor her healer.

Nyx scrawled out his signature on the bottom of the parchment he was scanning over. "You have been a loyal and faithful member of the clan Pendulum and the late Temperance, Horizon. You witnessed much others were spared the horror of, if the Archives' records hold any credibility... but I can't answer that question for you. Your parents certainly did choose to leave Temperance of their own accord, together. But your siblings left one-by-one. Some were not interested in staying in the same clan their parents departed; some were adamant about finding their own way and their own God."

"But..."

"Listen, Horizon. This is a complicated matter. Raine and I... well." The Skydancer straightened in his seat. His brows furrowed. "Word of what I am to say is not to pass beyond these walls. Do you understand?"

Horizon quieted immediately. She nodded.

"Raine and I discussed this early on in this clan's existence--something switched in this clan, Horizon. Something is very, very wrong here." Nyx grit his teeth. "Pendulum... the part of the clock that continues moving forward. It can only move as long as the clock is wound. If we are part of a clock in the game of life then something had to wind us. An allegory--do you follow what I am saying? Something switched the dragons of this clan and made us what we are now; I believe it was on purpose."

The words fell short of Horizon. Her head cocked to the side and her blue eyes dimmed in confusion. "What does that have to do with my family?"

Nyx sighed. "I hope nothing Nothing at all. But you must know--the reason I say this to begin with is because you are unearthing the fragments of Temperance's history; the pieces that still exist. Horizon... Something-- no, anything: a God, an entity, a demon, a thing--switched the clan. Memories that should be present are conveniently missing if not erased or repressed entirely. If it were one dragon perhaps we could brush it off as age looming over our heads but if you look at it from an outsiders perspective it makes no sense. Those of us present in the abyssal lair that fateful day in Temperance--why were we saved? Why did others die? Why is our memory of that day gone? Why did a dead dragon come back to life to protect us from inevitable demise?"

Minerva. The name alone made Horizon's scales stand on end.

"These questions exist and are found in each of us who witnessed Minerva's return that day, Horizon." Nyx hissed, hand gripping his quill tightly. "Something wrong. Something unnatural. That is what lies in the history of Temperance: the switch that changed everything in a moment. What is to say the same switch did not lead to your parents leaving in the past? Or to controlling or influencing the lives of your siblings? Are you willing to risk the truth you may uncover in pursuit of your family's fates? You may never be able to take back what you learn of. You may be plagued for the rest of your life by the thoughts of what you should have done or were unable to do. Regret and remorse are heavy burdens to carry."

"Is that why you are so protective of Raine?" Horizon spoke before she had time to think through the question. Her hands shook.

The Skydancer blinked.

"Sorry." Horizon looked away. "I didn't mean to bring her into this, your highness."

Nyx exhaled sharply and glanced down at the roll of parchment in front of him. He thought for a moment before answering in a shaking voice, "I- I think before whatever switched things--I think I wanted to keep her safe. I know I did. I know... I love her as much as the stars love the sky. From then to now--always. My heart is with her no matter the ill tides or bad omens."

"I think everyone knows that, your highness. You always make a point to show it even if you don't mean to. The softness in your eyes, the gentleness in your voice-- you keep those feelings locked away, only for her, don't you?" Horizon offered, hands wringing wrists as she spoke.

"It's not easy to love in this life."

"I never said it was." Horizon frowned. "I--I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to offend. I will do better next time, I promise."

"...but you are right, you know. That is why I am as I am. Even if something switched the memories--what remains in the present tell me what I need to know," Nyx began to roll up the parchment into a fine scroll. He tied a ribbon around it and poured wax from a nearby candle before stamping it with Pendulum's crest; a symbol of Light and Ice intertwined. "Raine... I love her. I love her, Horizon. I love her so much-- but-- I failed to protect her once. The records speak of it. The remains of my memories hint at the event; at the very end of Temperance when the forces attacking us cornered us in that abyssal lair... I could not protect her--I..."

"You lost her." Her words were soft and full of disbelief. "She died. She really died?"

"She did." Nyx stiffened. "She was brought back because of Minerva's children."

The Symbiotic Shade. Horizon could feel their presence despite Nyx's layers of clothes covering his body. She did not want to think what they looked like let alone felt like. The Nocturne tried to focus on the conversation at hand.

"Do you think she is connected--Minerva? If I understand right then... Then her appearance coincides with the day Temperance was defeated and disbanded, right? How is that possible? If she was really dead then something had to make her come back from the presence of the Gods, inflict her with her, um, children--and then what? Tell her exactly what to do? To go to an undersea lair in the middle of Water's domain? To find Temperance specifically as it was under siege and..." Gears began to click in her mind; Horizon frowned. "My head hurts trying to think. That's... That's..."

"It is terrifying to consider the the extent of this thing. This 'switch.' I do not mean to bring you down, Horizon, or to dampen your ambitions. As I said--you are a kind soul. Raine and I have enjoyed your company in the clan. Your presence fills many of us with hope," The Skydancer nodded, barely visible behind his robes. "But whatever exists beyond our understanding-this switch that has tempered our lives time and time again-it may exist in the records of your family. You may provoke it by trying to connect with your blood. This is permanent--you may trigger something you cannot undo; something you will always regret."

Horizon turned the idea over. Her body was overwhelmed with emotions.

As a Mourner she had lived through events that she had not yet begun to process or move past. To Horizon the concept of 'truth' was a two-sided blade whose edges were razor sharp and brimmed for punishment. She could discover nothing at all or everything of the worst kind.

"I want to do it--still." The Nocturne spoke quietly at first. Her voice steadily rose in confidence of her words, "Your highness--! No matter what might happen to me or what the past of Temperance holds--I need to know if any of my family are still out there. I must! You love your mate, Raine, and while it is not the same kind of love I still feel and care for my siblings who may be out there. I want to know they are safe. I-- I want to help them if they aren't. I want to protect them!"

The Skydancer looked at her for a minute. Horizon could not imagine the thoughts going through his head. The complexity of such would give her a headache if she reflected on it too long. After consideration Nyx spoke--

"Your mind seems made up," He fiddled with a new sheet of paper. Nyx picked up his quill and began writing once more. "I will not try to change your decision, Horizon; if you understand the circumstances of your decision and the possibilities it may hold you have my permission to pursue this matter. As Monarch of Pendulum I am to care and look out for all my subjects. As such I will advise you one thing further as per this entire conversation: do not act on emotion alone. Give this a few days before your final decision."

"Thank you, Nyx." Horizon smiled faintly.

She excused herself and left; her eyes were full of light and her wings glittered like stars.

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deeply in love with armand.
older sister to shadowforge.
please see him for more on their story!
she/her. nonbinary lady. bi.
late twenties or early thirties.
theme song: saturn by sleeping at last
notable lyrics: how rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist
theme with armand: heart by sleeping at last
notable lyrics: you are beautiful like i've never seen


beautiful art by eateries (heart)