https://www.deviantart.com/ifritnox/art/2-10-The-Cepheus-Sea-962932611

The poison of the snake Serpens would bring much sadness.

Mimas was one of those that were affected by the poison, and it brought forth his end. For the poison of Serpens couldn't be washed off, his misfortune stuck to the fox' pelt. Mimas didn't know the breath of eclipse was following him, and none of his friends could have spotted it, not even Erakis Crimson-Star.

The fox and the red wolf always journeyed through the Andromeda-Plains together. One day, they reached the Cepheus-Sea, which was entirely out of flames.

It was a dangerous place even the Titans avoided. Lupus had suffered it - for the Cepheus-Sea was the only thing that could destroy the darkness - but it was forbidden to go there.

Mimas and Erakis made rest on a hill at the flaming sea's shore, quite a bit away. Soon, Erakis would rise to hunt, while Mimas would ready the grass for the night. The friends always swapped these duties.

Was it fate, that Erakis would hunt this day? Was there evil intent behind it or was it ill chance? We will never know.

As Mimas waited for Erakis to return, he believed to spot something glittering on the waves. A shimmer of stars, maybe someone in need or a weapon against the darkness. If it could survive inside the sea, it had to be important.

So Mimas ran and jumped into the sea.

Erakis heard his friend call out and hurried back. He reached the hill, as Mimas swam into the sea.

Without hesitation, Erakis followed. He immediately saw that the light was nothing but an illusion. He jumped into the waves of flame that could burn all light. It was a miracle he managed to find Mimas and drag him back to land. Erakis just barely survived, heroically he escaped the Cepheus-Sea. But as he put his friend down on the hill, he realized Mimas had died.

As it was tradition, Erakis left his friend's body to the ravens, so that his soul could be freed and return. He waited on the hill for Mimas to find him again.

But time went on and Mimas didn't appear. Erakis called for Aquila, the scout above the Cepheus-sea, and asked him to look for Mimas.

Aquila was worried, but he kept his thought to himself and flew to Lupus to inform him.

"Why did the fox go into the sea?", the First Wolf asked sadly. "There is no return from the flames of Cepheus. We have to tell Erakis he is waiting in vain."

Lupus would do this himself. This night, the Titans cried to the sky.

For a light had left Andromeda - forever.

Vulpecula was probably hurt the most by this loss. He felt responsible for the existence of the Cepheus-Sea. But his warning had always been clear. Nobody could explain why Mimas went into the waters. Still, Vulpecula wanted to protect the shores more, so that nobody else could even get into the sea. He joined the Titans' song, but he swore to himself to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

Erakis was silent. The sadness about the loss of his friend took his voice. He couldn't believe Mimas would never return from the sea. Instead of singing, he started to firmly believe that Mimas had to be outside of the mountain ring.

Erakis went alone. Nobody joined him. The inhabitants of Andromeda didn't want to disturb his mourning and nobody knew that Erakis was also affected by Serpents' poison. Also, he didn't head towards the mountains in a straight line but chose to go through the Alkes-Woods, so that nobody suspected something.

Erakis scaled the mountains. Then happened what Lupus had feared from the beginning: The small light of Erakis was enough for darkness to find her way into Andromeda. The shadows flooded towards the lonely light.

Too late Erakis realized what he had done. By this, the darkness was already attacking him, a force that Sabik, Kornephorus and Mirfak together couldn't hold back.

Despair took hold of Erakis. Not only had he lost his friend, now he also didn't stand a chance against the darkness or even to warn anyone. Foolishness had led him into the mountains, although everybody knew Lupus' warning. The same foolishness that had killed Mimas. Maybe he even guessed a curse had been put onto them both, while he most certainly didn't know where it came from.

Still, Erakis fought against the blackness. He thought of Mimas, of their joined adventures, in order to not let sadness and fear win. He called onto each happy memory and sang a song of such bittersweet beauty, that it actually could hold back the eclipse for quite a while. As if Erakis' voice was a wall even darkness couldn't break.

But alas, no living being could stand against the darkness forever. Not on its own and full of sadness. Erakis' fight, however, stopped the advance of the eclipse. Instead of flooding Andromeda, she had to go around and over Erakis. Finally, she overthrew him and dragged him down. Helplessly, Erakis had to give up, knowing that the darkness would never let his soul go. But at least he could slow down the attack of their biggest enemy.

But now there was darkness in Andromeda. Erakis Crimson-Star was defeated and died, and the shadows could creep into nooks and crannies. A while they could work in secret, for nobody realized the danger. Thus, darkness could grow in the deep, unseen, and unchallenged, and begin her dark work.

This was the beginning of the end of Andromeda ...