Divine Radiance

  ELYSIUM

  Lily

  …

  Is this a dream…?

  “My sweet Lily…” an older woman with beautiful silver hair and white eyes, hovered over her.

  I can’t move my head… It's like I have no control over my own body.

  “One day, you will come to realize the prophecy—the legend,” she began. “Everyone here,” she gestured toward the crowd.

  Damn… this again.

  Before her stretched a vast chamber teeming with mana—likely the result of the numerous high mages gathered within. The auditorium was packed, every soul kneeling in reverence, though from her angle, she could hardly see them.

  “They have all gathered here to witness your radiance—your divine brilliance has made their arduous journey feel like a mere trifle.”

  Woah!

  The woman lifted Lily into her arms, turning to face the gathered crowd. A collective gasp rippled through the chamber, reverent and awestruck, as if they had just witnessed a divine miracle unfold before their very eyes.

  “This girl must be a sign of the gods’ favor! Surely, we have done well these past years to earn their blessing!” The woman’s voice wavered, as if holding back tears.

  “We won’t have to suffer anymore,” one audience member murmured. “We’ll finally have a place in the council!” another exclaimed.

  Lily simply watched—watching was all she could do—as the crowd before her continued to sing her praises. Unable to resist, she stood helpless, knowing exactly what was to come. A familiar dream, this one—one she had lived through countless times.

  “That’s right, my people, for we have been graced by none other than my daughter, the Lightborn—”

  CRASH!

  A burst of mana tore through the chamber as the roof caved in—cloaked mages descended through the gaping hole, their presence overwhelming. Chaos erupted in an instant.

  Harrowing screams filled the air, only to be drowned out by the shrill screech of shadow magic as it tore through the auditorium, leaving nothing but terror in its wake.

  If only… I could save them somehow…

  The last thing Lily saw before darkness claimed her was a scene no child should ever witness—a savage, merciless display that seared itself into her memory.

  …

  “GAHHH!” Lily sat straight up, her heart beating out of her chest.

  “Woah, woah, woah, you good there, Yuna?” The young boy had been tending to a blade.

  What..? Yuna… who?

  “You look like a mess, haha,” he continued.

  Where am I…?

  She found herself in a small cabin, nestled into the only bed available—worn-down, but surprisingly comfortable. The space was modest, with little to offer beyond the essentials. In one corner stood a small desk cluttered with magical artifacts, each humming softly with residual mana.

  Seated at the desk was a young boy, likely just a few years older than Lily, his attention previously focused on the glowing blade before him. By the door leaned a girl around his age, clutching a staff in one arm and a book in the other, her gaze calm but curious.

  Naturally, she had to ask the obvious question.

  “Are you guys my kidnappers?”

  “What are you talking about—” the boy began, only to be cut off mid-sentence.

  “Pfft, yeah, we totally kidnapped you, Yuna,” the girl said with a mischievous grin, twirling her staff before pointing it playfully at Lily.

  “You’d better run, or I’ll blast you!” she added with a teasing laugh.

  Lily stared back blankly, unsure of how to respond.

  “Uhh… I was joking?” The girl looked confused.

  The cabin went quiet for a moment.

  Wait… no. That was a dream.

  “Is something wrong, Yuna? You’ve been acting strange…” the boy asked, a worried look in his eyes.

  I know these two… and my name—Yuna.

  “You woke up all frightened… Did you have a bad dream?” the boy questioned, leaving his sword on the desk.

  The girl sat down beside her, carefully wrapping her staff in a cloth.

  “Was it the one with your mom rambling on about that ancient prophecy again?” she asked.

  “Wha—how did you know...?” Yuna asked, completely dumbfounded. She’d hit the nail on the head.

  Can she read my mind?

  The girl sighed and shook her head.

  “I mean, you’ve been having this dream for months now,” the girl said, concern lacing her voice. “Clearly, something’s bothering you. I know your mom was pretty crazy, but—”

  She was cut off by the sharp scrape of the boy’s chair as he pushed it into the desk.

  “Let’s do this another time,” he suggested.

  The girl nodded quietly.

  “Just remember, Yuna,” he said gently. “We’re here for you—always have been, always will be.”

  Silence settled over the cabin for a few moments.

  That’s right… Sol and Mira…

  Yuna winced, clutching her temple as if something were gnawing at her mind.

  “Sorry, my memories are kinda fuzzy…” Yuna said.

  The two looked at each other, confused, before redirecting their gaze at Yuna.

  “Fuzzy?” Mira asked.

  Ah.

  “Sorry, I guess I should’ve been more clear,” Yuna said. “You see, I can’t remember anything from before I woke up… other than the dream.”

  But the woman called me Lily… that had to have been someone else, right?

  A vision of some kind?

  The cabin went silent once more.

  …

  “I see,” Sol said. “You must’ve hit your head during that last fight…” he took a seat at the desk, as if recalling a certain memory.

  Clack.

  The door creaked open as an old man peeked through the entrance. There were a number of large crates sitting behind him—no regular human could handle lugging that cargo around.

  “Hoho, so you kids are awake!” He mused. “Perfect timing… I was just looking for somebody to help me carry these boxes…”

  Who’s the old guy?

  With a wave of her staff, the boxes began to levitate. Mira grinned, stuffing the cloth wrapping in her pocket.

  “Where do you want ‘em, gramps?” Mira asked, accompanying him outside.

  As the two of them left the cabin, Sol redirected his gaze at Yuna, determined to clear up any confusion.

  “Well, Yuna,” he began. “Do you have any questions? Wouldn’t want you feeling lost, after all.”

  Right… too many questions. Surely it’d take all day to answer them all—I’ll just ask the important ones.

  “Then,” she began. “Where are we? And why am I here?”

  Sol cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

  This might take a while.

  “Well, it all started way back seven years ago—give or take,” he said. “Mira and I found you at a guild hall in a small town far to the east—near the Vastar region. I still remember it like it was yesterday...”

  Vastar region…?

  “Where’s that?” She asked.

  “Ah, right,” Sol began, scratching his head. “I can’t quite recall the name of the village, but the region it’s in—the Vastar region—is notorious for its connections to the ministry. It’s a pretty dangerous area.”

  Yuna met his words with a vacant look.

  "Right," he said. "The Ministry is a shady cult hell-bent on releasing the chained celestials from their seals—those guys are never up to any good.”

  Feel like I’ve heard of this “Ministry” before.

  “The celestials were god-like beings who once ruled over our world in tyranny..."

  Celestials hm…? How did we seal them in the first place? He said they’re god-like beings…

  “…It wasn’t until the first hero, Pandora, sealed away the dark god Valrea, that our world finally knew peace,” he concluded, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

  Pandora…? A woman?

  Sol set down his blade for a moment, a reminiscent look in his eye.

  “It’s a good thing I always paid attention to momma’s stories,” he mumbled wistfully.

  …

  Yuna—still processing the information—sat back up against the wall, immersed in thought.

  Valrea… I recognize the name—I’ve definitely heard it before.

  “This Valrea…” Yuna began. “How did the hero come to seal it away?”

  Surely she couldn’t have done it alone…

  “Not much is known about Pandora’s methods,” Sol replied. “All I know is that, apparently, she was a Darkrein.”

  The mere mention of the word Darkrein sent shivers down Yuna’s spine…

  “Darkrein…?” Yuna asked.

  Sol’s expression hardened, taking on a grim tone.

  “A Darkrein…” he began. “A Darkrein is an ill omen. Those coveted by the darkness… they herald catastrophe and destruction. It's said that one is born every thousand years, give or take.”

  Sol ignited a small azure flame in his palm and began playing with it—the room took on an ethereal glow.

  What the…

  “Those guys are pure evil—according to the rumors. I’ve never met one myself, of course, so I’ve got no idea,” he said.

  “But, the hero…” Yuna said, confused. “Didn’t you say Pandora was a Darkrein?”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Sol leaned back in his chair and snapped his fingers—the flame popped, and the room dimmed down once more.

  “That’s the thing,” he continued. “It’s said that Pandora was a Darkrein, but only because the spell used to seal away the god belonged to the shadows.”

  Like the magic from my dream…

  “This shadow magic… can anybody learn it? Or is it exclusive to the Darkrein?” Yuna asked.

  “Not quite,” Sol answered. “Anybody can cast shadow magic… sort of.”

  Sort of?

  “However, there is a caveat,” he continued. “Every shadow spell you cast drains your life force… unless you’re a Darkrein.”

  Then…

  “Then why is it assumed Pandora was a Darkrein?” Yuna asked. “If anybody could cast the spell, why is she…”

  “That’s the thing,” Sol replied. “Not just anybody could cast that spell. The one she used was an extremely advanced binding spell, completely hidden from the world… no regular spellcaster would have enough mastery over the shadows to be able to cast it—not before it got them killed.”

  So was she a defective Darkrein…? Wait… how old was she? He said one was only born every thousand years…

  “What about her family?” Yuna asked. “What were the other Darkrein like?”

  Sol shook his head.

  “I think you’re misunderstanding something here…” he said. “A Darkrein is an aspect, meaning, the trait is directly tied to your soul. It isn’t a hereditary thing, get me? About her family… I don’t even know if she had any.”

  I see… does that mean I have an aspect, too?

  Naturally, one would be curious. Yuna vaguely recalled whispers of a mysterious Darkrein from her dreams—could there be something she had missed?

  “What about you?” Yuna asked. “What’s your aspect? Do you have one?”

  Sol scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, his gaze drifting elsewhere—he seemed lost in thought.

  “Sol…?”

  The cabin fell quiet, and with it, his mana began to waver—subtle, yet unmistakable—almost as if something were troubling him.

  Yuna, unaware of her mana sensing capabilities, couldn’t explain how she knew, but something in her gut told her—something was wrong.

  Suddenly, Sol regained his composure—it took a moment, but he gathered himself and turned to face Yuna once more.

  “I actually don’t… know mine,” he said. “Everybody’s got one, though—just gotta awaken it. One day, we’ll see yours, too.”

  I see…

  Sol let out a sigh and sat back in his chair.

  “Looks like we’re getting somewhere,” he said, a relieved look in his eye. “Now, about the hero… It’s said she traveled with a party of six. One of them was the Great Sage—the Lightborn, who achieved true resurrection. Supposedly, she had a spell that could restore lost memories.”

  Lightborn… I’ve heard of that before.

  “What makes the Lightborn special?” Yuna asked. “Are they users of light magic? Seems kind of obvious…”

  I’m seeing a pattern here…

  “Not quite,” Sol replied. “Light magic is… a bit different. Let me put it this way, because the difference is pretty important—light magic is a cheap imitation of radiant magic. Similar to how dark magic is a copy of shadow magic,” he explained.

  “Though,” he continued. “Calling it a cheap imitation at this point might be a stretch…”

  A stretch…?

  “I’m assuming the Lightborn are the sole users of this radiant magic, too, right?” Yuna asked. “Does it sap your soul to use their magic, too?”

  “Not exactly,” Sol answered. “You just flat out can’t use radiant magic. At least, nobody’s found a way to. That’s why light magic exists—same with dark magic,” Sol explained.

  I see… to copy their uses, right?

  “However,” he continued, “with so many magic users focused on light and dark magic, its progress has only accelerated in the past few hundred years. Meanwhile, the study of radiant and shadow magic has remained stagnant. That’s why I called it a stretch,” he concluded.

  It’s catching up, essentially.

  “I see… thanks for all this,” Yuna said. “Hopefully, I recover soon.”

  Sol grinned, standing up.

  “Let’s hope so. We’ll find Rin one day, and I want your memory intact when we do,” he said.

  Yuna shot up at the mention of his name.

  Rin? Why does that sound familiar?

  Sol, noticing her dismay, realized with a pang that she had forgotten who he was.

  “That’s right… the whole reason you even came with us,” Sol mumbled. “You were looking for somebody named Rin—so if you can’t remember…”

  A fleeting look of unease passed over Sol’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to get your memories back,” he reassured her.

  “In any case, let’s catch up with Mira—it's time to move out.” He slung his sheathed blade across his back, ready to go.

  Guess he’s right…

  Yuna collected her thoughts and followed after Sol. Her resolve was firm, and she was determined to recover her lost memories.

  …

  After some walking, the two had approached a large building, labeled “Guild Hall,” on a sign out front. Near the entrance, they spotted the old man from earlier.

  “Thanks for letting us use the cabin, gramps,” Sol said. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without your hospitality…” He gave a small, respectful bow.

  “Rubbish, boy! We’d have been doomed without your help!” the old man barked, producing a grimoire from under his cloak.

  “Giving you a roof over your heads for a few weeks was the least I could do as chief. Please, take this spellbook as a token of our gratitude,” he added, his tone both proud and sincere.

  The village chief, an elderly man with a wiry frame, leaned on a gnarled staff—at first glance, Yuna had assumed it was for support. But after watching him more closely, she realized it was something far more significant.

  “If it were just us defending that cargo, I doubt my pitiful wind magic would’ve made a dent, hahaha!” he roared with laughter, nearly throwing out his back in the process.

  So he was a mage… that explains how he moved all those crates earlier.

  “And you, little lady.” The chief redirected his gaze at Yuna. “My wife… she wouldn’t be here today if not for you. For that, you have my eternal gratitude. Thank you.” The chief choked back a sob, but retained his serious manner.

  What could he mean by that? Did I do something for her?

  “You three are heroes in our eyes… In these short few weeks, you have done more for us than the old bastards in the council ever have. If you ever return, know that you are welcome,” he concluded, before turning to leave.

  “Oh, and give my regards to the other one. The little brat had an attitude, but she deserves my thanks regardless,” he added, jokingly.

  There he goes. Wonder what he meant by heroes… What did we do? I’ll have to probe Sol for details later.

  …

  The two stepped inside the guild hall, scanning the bustling room for their companion. The place was alive with chatter, a hub where adventurers of all kinds came to seek out work. Several small parties mingled near the reception desk, but Mira was nowhere in sight. Sol’s eyes darted to the quest board—its usual collection of missions notably absent.

  Board’s empty…

  “Mira!” Sol called, his voice cutting through the noise.

  At the far side of the room, near the empty board, Mira stood alone, her back to them. She turned at the sound of her name, offering a small smile when she spotted them.

  “Hey, you two finally made it,” Mira said, her voice calm but tinged with a hint of impatience.

  “My bad, we got caught up with the chief for a bit,” he explained.

  “That old guy, huh,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

  Sol took a seat at one of the empty tables and waved them over.

  “Well,” Mira began, taking a seat. “Are we done here?”

  “Yeah… we’re all set to go,” Sol confirmed.

  Sol glanced at his gold-plated adventurer tag, letting out a sigh as he briefly got lost in thought. After a moment, he shook off the distraction and refocused, turning his attention back to Mira.

  “That aside, did something happen?” he asked. “What’s got you in a bad mood?”

  Did something happen with the chief? But he asked us to thank her for him…

  “The old fart wouldn’t cough up the wind spell…” Mira sighed, clearly frustrated.

  “Mira… we’ve been over this,” Sol groaned. “It’s an original spell passed down from chief to chief… he’s not gonna teach it to some random girl who’s obsessed with defiling every spell she gets her hands on.”

  Woah, what?

  “I haven’t defiled anything!” she protested, slamming her hands on the table. “What point is there to magic if not to experiment?”

  Sol raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed. “You’re lucky he didn’t expel you from the village for trying to mess with ancient magic.”

  “Pfft, you’re just jealous because I’m actually doing something with my magic,” Mira retorted, a smirk tugging at her lips.

  “Doing something? You’re going to blow yourself up one of these days,” Sol shot back, shaking his head. “If what you did was at all impressive or useful, you wouldn’t be stuck in silver.”

  What…? What did she do?

  “Tch.”

  Mira rolled her eyes but didn’t argue further. “Yeah, yeah. I’m a danger to myself. Whatever.”

  Sol sighed dejectedly. “I’m just worried about you, you know?”

  His words hung in the air, but Mira didn’t respond. The weight of his concern seemed to settle between them, unspoken, as her gaze wandered elsewhere.

  Yuna, sensing the shift, spoke up. “Mira…?”

  “…”

  “Don’t give me that look…” Mira finally sighed, relenting. “I really can’t win against you, huh?”

  Sol flashed a grin. “Guess you’ve still got some of that magic left in you.”

  Yuna blinked, a bit confused. The air had been so tense just moments ago.

  Mira rolled her eyes, her expression softening. “Come on, we’ve got places to be.” She wrapped up her staff and stood to leave.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sol chuckled, following her out.

  Guess that’s it.

  …

  Back at the cabin, they’d finished gathering their belongings in preparation to hit the road once more. The magic carriage, a parting gift from the village chief, waited just outside. The three of them stood beside it, ready to depart.

  “You didn’t leave anything, right? Wouldn’t wanna turn back later…” Sol asked.

  “I triple checked! But we should probably check again just in case…” Mira said nervously.

  I get the feeling this wouldn’t be the first time she’d forgotten something…

  Sol sighed and went back into the cabin to check again.

  Guess I’ll go with him.

  …

  “That Mira…” Sol sighed, eyeing the pile of clothes stuffed underneath the bed. “We were only here a few weeks…”

  Who would’ve guessed?

  As Sol got to packing, Yuna, unsure of how to help, busied herself with whatever she could find—folding stray clothes, stacking supplies, anything to feel useful.

  She had a few more questions, and now that the two of them were alone, it seemed like the perfect time to ask. The only problem was, she didn’t quite know how to word them. So, for a while, silence settled in the cabin.

  He looks so annoyed… maybe I shouldn’t. I’ll ask later, in fifteen minutes—yeah, that sounds good.

  …

  (One hour later)

  …

  “Say, Sol—what kind of magic do I use?” Yuna finally asked, aimlessly rummaging through luggage.

  “What kinda magic?” He asked. “Well, you’ve always had a good handle on that light magic we talked about earlier…”

  So stupid… I’m so stupid! Was that really so hard?

  “Not just light magic, of course, but I’d say that’s your specialty,” he continued. “It’s always good to have options—”

  Suddenly, the cabin door swung open—somebody had grown impatient.

  “What’s the holdup?” Mira exclaimed, twirling her staff. “We were supposed to be out of here half an hour ago…”

  “We’re almost done here, Mira—just cleaning up your mess,” Sol said with a smirk.

  Mira flinched, her face flushing with embarrassment.

  “Haha, I was just kidding… take your time!” she laughed nervously, shutting the door behind her.

  She can’t be serious…

  “Right,” Sol continued. “Your light magic is what stands out the most. You’ve saved many people these past few years…”

  Yuna paused, recalling the chief’s earlier mention. “The chief said something about me helping his wife—what’s that all about?” she asked.

  Sol, finishing up the last of their packing, looked over at her, his expression thoughtful.

  “Though I’m sure you don’t remember, you cast some kind of advanced healing spell on her—we honestly thought she wasn’t going to make it,” he explained.

  My light magic, I assume.

  “I’d never seen the spell cast by anybody else…” he said. “It’s like your trump card—you’ve only ever used it when someone was knocking on death’s door…”

  Sol sighed and turned to face the door.

  “We’ve never been able to find any records on the spell anywhere, so it’d be really bad if you couldn’t remember how to cast it…” he muttered.

  He’s right… I don’t remember how to use magic—I’m basically useless.

  “But it’s okay!” he exclaimed, noticing the brooding look on Yuna’s face. “You just gotta practice again, I’m sure it’ll all come back to you.”

  Sol had grown very concerned, though he made sure not to show it.

  “Well, let’s get moving. We were planning to join the dungeon raid near Fyltasia, but with you out of commission… we’d best sit this one out,” Sol said.

  A dungeon raid…?

  “We could really use the coin,” he said, noticing the shift in her expression.

  Ah.

  “But, we’ll make do with what we’ve got. Can’t go dungeon diving just yet—we’re down a party member, after all,” he chimed.

  “Sorry…” Yuna said, disappointedly.

  “Don’t be—it’s not your fault,” he reassured her.

  Sol opened the door and gestured to Yuna with a grin.

  “Time waits for no one, Yuna.”

  That’s right… It's just the three of us, on a journey around the world. I’ll remember everything eventually, so might as well go with the flow until then.