Their armies stretched from the left side of the land to the other, going for many kilometers. The sea's waves are trying to climb the sides of this land. Their spears, swords and arrows, are all darkened by a metal cursed with blasphemous forces. Their roars and screams, set terror in the human heart. Red, purple, green it's their skin. Some had more limbs than others, while some had eyes shaped oddly, reflecting their urge to destroy all that is good. Sizes one could only remember so many of, as some are flying, some are walking and some are crawling. These are the demons standing in front of them. Leading them are, as they're called, princes. There are nine of them, but only five are present, as the other four are leading armies elsewhere.
Opposite of them stand the armies of all that is good, even humans amongst them. Lightborn, Sunborn, humans, sollims and more are forming ranks as the demonic armies advance. It is the day of a war that is going to change this beautiful world forever. A war that brewed in silence for decades, now baring its fangs at the world. It was something that he, who led his race beyond the light's reach, he who made the City of Stars and wields Darkbane, never could have foreseen in his long, long life.
He stands on his knee. His limbs and neck are long, on which his bright, shining hair rests, then falls in long strands, much like his siblings. Light is pouring from his glowing eyes, some sparks erupting at the corners. His skin is dazzling with light, the light swelling deep inside of him, trying to contain itself.
He places his hand on the earth beneath him, his palm feeling the warmth he once felt. The blades of grass run between his fingers, as he looks at them swaying with the wind. He clenches his fist, earth filling his hand, then, he lets go of it, as he raises his hand. The view of the incoming doom, makes him sad at what is about to unfold.
His time to lead them into the uncertain future came along once more. This time though, it wasn't just his siblings that he must look for, nor just a home he must protect. He has to lead all these beings. His failures, his successes, none matter now and will never do, not if they lose.
His body lifts off the ground a bit, as he starts to pray "Creator. Lamines. I beg of you, guide me today of all days, for I must protect all that you allowed me to have. And if I fail, protect their souls, for I can only bear so much," he asks of his creator. As his feet meet the ground, he straightens himself. He stands taller and stronger than all present. Yet, he feels so weak in the presence of this threat. "Can you see this? Brother, sister? They want to consume us, destroy us. It's not so different from when we started, is it now?" He is thinking of a distant past, as he lifts his face to the sky, his long hair blowing in the winds in waves.
Everyone is watching him. Tens of thousands of warriors, heroes, brothers, sisters and Ascended Beings, they are all watching him. His loose clothes flow with the wind and his hair, as the orb made of gems appears in his right hand. His eyes now rupture with sparks and light. His body starts to produce a strong glow, the light inside of him swirling and fighting to get outside, empowering his very being. The ground itself can't contain all this energy, nor does the air, as he lifts himself off the ground, it starts to crack, the air filling with the energy, lifting small things off the ground; his orb producing a sinister, dark light.
Amidst the view of the looming threat, those behind him ready for his command and the overwhelming sense of power within him. He closes his eyes, a frown following as he tries to remember something from his old past "I remember it. The day I felt it all. The world around me, the freezing land below my feet. Everything that followed once I stepped outside the light..."
Year 6000 FT (First Time)
"Where am I?" the speck of light asked.
"Inside the light." a voice answered.
"Who are you?" the speck of light continued.
"That which made the light." it explained.
"Who am I?'' It's mind now filled with more questions.
"That which you want to be." the voice answered once more.
Their conversation lasted for an endless amount of time if you were to be inside. From the outside however, not so much time has passed. During their conversation, the speck of light named itself, as Kilon. The voice was named the Creator by Kilon and, through his questions, Kilon formed himself a body. His body was the only "thing" that the Creator helped with, as if it had a clearer vision for what it was supposed to be. Although, Kilon didn't like it at first, with some alterations, he felt good about this body of his. Once he didn't know what to ask anymore, he simply wondered.
"What's beyond the light Creator?"
"I cannot tell you that Kilon."
"Why?"
"It is for you to see, not for me to tell."
"I don't understand."
"If I were to tell you what is outside the light, could you imagine anything besides the light?"
"So you're saying there is more than the light."
"Yes, there is."
"But I can't understand or even fathom, because all I saw during my time here is the light."
"Correct my wise son."
His mind was filled with questions once more, and now, a large sense of wonder was added to it. What could lie beyond these weaving strands of light? Were there more kinds of light? What could possibly be more than light? He couldn't contain his curiosity. So, he tried to escape from the light. At first, it proved hard to move, as he had to learn it all by himself. But slowly, he started to understand how to use his body. The way it was built now made sense to him and offered him the opportunity to finally reach the edge of this beam of weaving lights. Which felt as if swimming through thick layers of clothing, stretching like rubber, yet fluid like water, but being able to breathe through.
His fingers first protruded outside the light that enveloped him. As his fingertips reached the outside, he felt a new sensation. It scared him at first, but once he saw that there was nothing to be scared of, he pushed once more his fingers through. This time, he could feel it more clearly. It felt as if the feeling which he had inside the light, that of warmth, was stolen from him by the outside, the cold. He had to wonder if the outside could extinguish him, as it took away from the feeling he had inside the light. The sense of loss, however, was betrayed by his sense of wonder. There wasn't anything to find inside the light. Beyond it though, there was something new.
So, he pushed his whole hand outside. He let it stay there a while, then brought it back in. It was still there, so he didn't lose any part of him, but the mere sensation inside the light. Now he was confident he could get out.
It was a slow step, his foot barren as it was, felt the tingly sensation when you touch something really cold, as the land beneath him was of cold stone. Once his foot rested onto the ground, he pushed against it. It was new for him, this way of walking. He, however, adapted quickly and pressed his foot hard against the stone and brought his body forward. Excited to see what is outside, that his foot can't see, he pushed his whole body through the edge of the beam of weaving lights. The lights, at first, didn't want to let go of him, as if they had a consciousness of their own. But, with a bit of a struggle, each strand of light attached to his body, snapped away from and within him. He was to fall as the lights let go of him, if not for him already knowing how to use his feet.
Outside the weaving lights that went to the ground and up from it into the starlit sky, Kilon saw the land beyond it, as he took his first step outside the light. He saw what he called the Link. Within its range, many groups of these light beings. Beyond them, something constantly moving and swirling around blocked his view, that was a blizzard. He didn't understand at first what these beings were, not until he looked at his body. He saw his long, slender limbs and felt his long neck, covered by a skin which emitted a white glow. He grasped at his soft short hair, which was glowing brighter than his skin and looked at all of it through eyes which shone lights of their own, at the corners, small sparks erupting.
The Creator told him of these beings. They were those like him, made from the light. His many siblings could help him understand what is there to be known. As he looked at them, he saw that they were slightly off the ground, their hands open and their eyes towards the Link. They were praying. Kilon noted their behavior in his head, he didn't know what they were doing, but he was curious nonetheless.
As his siblings took notice of Kilon emerging from the light, a good lot of them stopped praying and went ahead to meet him. Once they were on the ground, Kilon saw that they were shorter than him, about a head or so. Kilon also observed that some of them had a different glow to them, some were a bit more red and orange in their glow, while others more blue or white like him. He could see that there were fewer like him, a pure white or of a blue hue.
"Abida! Faiah uno Line!" said one of the Lightborn. Another added, "Cata ede hemar arti?" Kilon couldn't understand them, but he could tell that they were speaking the same tongue.
"Yes, I am happy to see my brethren as well," Kilon said softly, but they couldn't understand him. Kilon knew that, while in the Link, he spoke a tongue of his own, and so, his brethren must have spoken the same. Which was confirmed by his brethren, who were trying to teach him the language they've developed between them while waiting.
Kilon quickly adopted the new language. And, although the Lightborn were made to be the wiser, it still came as a surprise to them how fast Kilon was at learning. After they were able to communicate, Kilon learned about each of his brothers' and sisters' experiences inside the Link, what they asked the creator, and what sort of wisdom was bestowed upon them.
Through his brothers and sisters, Kilon was learning more, yet, he felt limited. While the knowledge of his siblings was invaluable, it also didn't contain anything about the world beyond the light. He wanted to know more, yet he was warned that this land that they were in is harsh. Blizzards, large beasts, and unexpected tornadoes were abundant in what they called the Shivering Lands. Some have tried venturing beyond the light and never came back, as the Link provided a radiant warmth and energy that kept them alive.
Kilon was frustrated at the idea of being stuck so near to the place he wanted to venture beyond, but he couldn't deny the facts, the Shivering Lands were just too harsh for them to endure without guidance.
Year 6004 FT
The Lightborn do not age as they're close to their place of birth, their sustenance is the energy coming from the Link. For some time, also, there haven't been any new Lightborn to be given birth through the Link, indicating that the few thousand now alive, five thousand to be precise, were the only ones to be alive.
Some more Lightborns have tried escaping the hellish environment. Futile efforts though. None have returned or were seen dead not too far off the Link's reach. Some tried clever tricks, like baiting creatures and using their bodies as shields against the freeze. But most creatures of a suitable size to comfort their own tall bodies, would get scared either by their imposing, although slim, bodies or the Link itself. Which, unbeknown to the Lightborn, was akin to a sort of a pillar of fire, although made of light. The warmth emanated by the Link to the surrounding area only adds to the primal fear of these animals.
Kilon after these years was called an "odd" one. He would rarely pray with his brothers and sisters; he spent time near the Link, looking at it, and sometimes placing his hands near or into the Link. Some have tried what he did, trying to understand his actions, but nothing ever came out of it. Kilon, however, had to try everything, before choosing to head out into the blizzards, to let himself be swallowed. And his years studying the Link proved effective. At long last, as he placed his hand inside the Link and closed his eyes, he caught it, a strand of light.
Kilon slowly opened his eyes, pulling his hand outside the Link. He could now see, in the palm of his shining hand, a strand of light, one of the many strands of light that were weaving throughout the Link. He was entranced by the light; it was soft and fluid, yet sturdy and stretchy. He also noticed that the light was trying to insert itself into his hand. He didn't know what to do, but he felt as if this was good, so he let the light course through him. Kilon felt a great surge of energy and warmth through him, the cold surrounding him disappearing in mere moments.
With this discovery, he felt eager and excited. He thought that "This is the reward of my efforts. A path, to me, seems to be made forward.". As he stepped away from the Link, the light followed him, and he showed his siblings his success. Many were fascinated by this new discovery, while many others, rightfully so, were skeptical about this.
"Brothers, sisters. This is the way forward! The light can protect us from the Shivering Lands, and we can venture forth!" Kilon exclaimed enthusiastically, and, while some were getting excited at the possibility of escaping this frozen hell, others were questioning his findings.
"And how do we know that this is not only meant for you?" asked his sister, Manna. "A lot of us saw the day you got out of the light, taller and brighter than most. It only makes sense that you can also imbue yourself with the light, as you're tall enough for the light to notice you and bright enough for it to become part of you." completed Manna.213Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh41aZqXVHy
"I cannot know if it will work for you too, dear siblings," Kilon spoke softly, this time with more care for his words, as he saw the uneasiness in his siblings' eyes. "But, unless we try, what else is for us? Will we pray until the end of times? Will we spin in circles until our minds shatter and we venture beyond the light?" he asked, this time firm in his words and determination taking over him.
Manna wasn't convinced "Can you prove it? That this way of yours can work? For all we know, once you or us step beyond the light's reach, we'll die to the cold, the beasts, or the sky's fury." Her voice was skeptic, yet her eyes wanted to believe that there was a way for them to leave this place.
Kilon could tell by looking in her eyes that her questions weren't misplaced or unwarranted. Plenty of their brethren had died trying to reach a place beyond the light. So, he proposed that "I alone will venture beyond and return. And I won't simply step out, I will spend five suns outside, I will kill one of the large beasts and tame the sky." all of which were high promises. Everyone knew that, and yet, they all had a sense of hope that this could work somehow. Maybe because this was their only possible way out, and for it to not work would mean only dread and doom. Perhaps because it was him who promised these things, the only one who shone brighter than the rest, stood taller and wiser, that it helped them believe his words.
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