-=The Second Lightbringer=-

Deep within Victoria Island, down in the far reaches of the dark caverns, a bitter, sullen swordsman trudged through massive, seemingly endless ruins that towered throughout the caverns, reaching almost as high as the ceiling. A ninja dressed in blue and black walked beside him with a more self-carried stature.

“Your success against that girl Marlene is to be commended,” the ninja said. “She had gotten too far into our ventures to be left alive. We knew you’d be the man for the job as soon as you caught sight of her. Your actions afterwards, however, were not. You should’ve left right when you had the chance, though killing the girl’s sister, which I did, was acceptable as well. Dances with Balrogs is still more than a match for you, plus you brought more attention to yourself than necessary.”

“SHUT UP!” The swordsman shouted upon the end of the ninja’s words. The loudness of the response echoed throughout the cave. “There were witnesses..all around! They all had to die…especially that little runt with the iron ball. How DARE he think he can take me!”

“Patience!” the ninja snapped, halting their walk. “Now, your skills are unmatched and your loyalty unquestionable, but your tactics are no less reckless than you are. You still follow our orders. As for the others, well, they were all a large, tight group. Our tactics only involve killing solitary or small group targets. That way, no one else will truly know we attacked there. It was unfortunate the group saw us, but one thing about it, they don’t know where we are with the two girls dead.”

The swordsman merely rolled his eyes.

When they made it to the end of the cavernous hall, the red ninja approached them. “Good work, young swordsman, as always,” he stated. “Your mission is over, and your time is yours again. Remember to stay out of sight as always.” The swordsman nodded and ran off, while the blue ninja stayed in place.

“Excellent work to you as well, but we can’t dwell on victory any more,” the red-clad man stated. “We have to hasten our plans.”

“Why? What is it?”

“I felt a great disturbance in the darkness earlier…a glimmer of light, just like twice before…a third lightbringer has been discovered.”

-meanwhile-

The day in Henesys was as pleasant as most any day would be in the calm, peaceful village; blue, cloudless skies with a warm, inviting sun. Though the sparse mushroom houses and few inhabitants made the town seem small and, to some, underdeveloped, spirits were still high nonetheless, as the people were friendly and helpful, more often than not able to provide any adventurer with something of use to them.

Spirits were especially high in the home of Athena Pierce, the town’s bowman job master. Throughout the day, it was revealed to those visiting her-Damien Hawthorne, the Crow, and Moira-that a great many things were happening in the world, and the young lady called Moira would be one of four people that would feel the most impact.

“So, let me get this straight,” the blonde, one-eyed archeress spoke, sipping on a cup of tea. “I am to be the second of four adventurers prophecized to defend this world from a great and terrible evil that threatens it somehow?”

“I know this must seem overwhelming to you,” Athena coaxed, standing before Moira and her companions. “It certainly was to me and the other job masters when we each discovered our own piece of this oracle. Nonetheless, it is very true, I assure you. It will be a great role for you to fill, and even though I barely know you, I feel certain you are the one to fill it perfectly.”

Moira looked down at the ground for a moment, taking everything in. Damien and the Crow eyed her, both of them just as curious from everything they’d heard over the past half-hour. “It all sounds very daunting,” the Crow muttered, trying to hide the shock she was feeling that she was sitting next to yet another revealed lightbringer. “You think you’re up to this burden?”

“Be easy, Crow,” Damien countered. “It’s never easy for anyone to have their life altered by something this big. Let her sort through it.”

Five short seconds after his statement, Moira stood suddenly, letting the teacup fall to the floor, shattering upon impact. Her breathing became heavy, and tears began to stream down her face. “A-Athena,” she managed, fighting sudden emotional pulses. “Who…who were these possible enemies you spoke of again? I..I might know one…”

“Like I said before, I don’t know who they all are,” Athena said, stoic and calm. “I can say, though, one was revealed to me, but only because you seemed connected somehow.”

“Who?” Moira quickly asked, desparation clinging to her mind. “I might know! Tell me!”

“Let me think,” Athena replied, unwavering. She closed her eyes for a few moments, letting images flow into her thoughts. A picture came to her; a mass of darkened gray, like an extremely opaque fog. In one corner of the fog, however, a silhouette formed. At first unreadable, features soon came into view, starting with long gray hair, then continuing to a young, yet hardened, angry face, with a suit of armor, deep black in every way. six-foot no-dachi rounded out the revelation. Athena verbalized the description to the group.

It took Moira every ounce of strength to keep her calm from being overridden by rage. “Him…” she muttered, then broke into a scream. “HIM!”

“Yes,” Athena said rather solemnly. “Very few have seen this man and lived to tell the tale.”

Damien went to Moira’s shaken side to help her relax, but even he could feel an ache in his heart. “I…I’m one of those people,” he said grimly. “I fought him. I still don’t know how I’m alive after that.”

“I’ve seen him as well,” the Crow added softly, still sitting in her chair. I’d rather not say how, though. I am curious, Moira…how do you know him?”

When she felt the emotional strain finally subside, Moira began her tale. “That man….was my brother. His name is Sethofan. He….is the reason I’m here.

“I come from a world that was once like the village I see around me. It was tranquil, serene, peaceful, beautiful…it was sprawling grasslands and towering forests together, a world of perfectly harmonized nature. It was a home I had known all of my life. Until a few days ago, I thought it would never end.

“When I was born, I was brought into a world with a loving family. I had a mother, a father, and two brothers. Oddly enough, both of my brothers loved me as a true family member would, and my parents were the same. I had many friends, be they my people, the animals of our world, or even the eternal prescense of mother nature herself. For a long time, our land was peaceful.

“Of course, we were not without our defenses, though back then, it was simply because of certain predators our world had. They were little threat overall, though, only worried about on journeys through our world. Nonetheless, my family was a supporter of our civilization’s defense, and me and my brothers were raised to be part of it one day.

“I remember when I was young, when my true potential was discovered. My brothers and I were in the fields playing one day. Unfortunately, we got too far out from our home, and a predatory lizard saw us. We ran home as fast as we could. On the way, the lizard caught up to my oldest brother and knocked him down. Panicked, my brother tried to fight back. It was no good, and he suffered a grievous wound. Worried in turn, my other brother and I searched for what we could. Thankfully, we were close to some forestland, and quickly got improvised weapons. I threw rocks at the creature, while my sibling charged it down with a large piece of fallen bark. We drove the creature away. Those who saw it saw the potential in us. Within a year, we were soon being educated and trained in local defense.

“Our older brother, however, was not. He was one who dreamed of being able to fight, but it was taken from him by his mistake of fighting the lizard. The wound was treated, but his arm was badly wounded, and he wouldn’t be able to wield any weapon properly. For the next many years, he would be forced to try to live a life away from combat, doing manual labor to help the family.

“During my training, I met another girl who had been trained a bit longer than me. Her name was Theresa, and she was my best friend. Every day of my life was special because of her. Of course, I made many friends in training, but she…well, in all honesty, things were a bit deeper than normal friendship between us. Still, it was people like her and my family that made my life good. Eventually my brother and I became part of the city defense. I had an excellent position as an archer, and was all but completely mastered with the crossbow. From the moment I was part of the militia, I thought my life could never go wrong…”

Moira had to take a breather from her story. Everyone else was patient, though, and she soon continued.

“A week after my conscription, I got word from my family that my other brother had vanished. Now, I had seen my family every now and then during training, and my parents were always proud of me and happy to see me go on. My brother who did make the force always had my back as well. My other brother, however…he tried to live with his disability, tried to keep happy as he watched me go where he couldn’t , but every day I saw him, he seemed less and less enthusiastic about where his life as a shopkeeper was going. Every time I visited him, he seemed become less happy and more aloof. It was like he was falling into a depression. My parents did everything they could to help him, but nothing seemed to work. On the day my parents said he vanished, they told me and my other brother…I’m sorry, his name was Ethan…that he never came home from his shop. My father checked on the situation; the owner said he’d up and quit, storming off after just one hour into his shift. We were all worried. We didn’t hear from him for three weeks. Then, after that time period, the unspeakable happened…

“My older brother returned, but not in the way anyone expected. He arrived in a suit of armor, holding that sword Athena described…only his face was dark and sinister. He walked with an air of confidence and arrogance mixed in his face. He came to the entrance to our citadel from a mystic portal…..but he didn’t come alone. He was followed by creatures none of my people had ever seen. We were confused at first, but it quickly changed to horror when he announced that he could fight once more…and his first opponent was us. He set the creatures loose on us, and in minutes, a raging battle the likes of which we had neither seen nor were prepared for was on our hands.

“My people fought with everything they had to keep the village safe. At first, it seemed like we would win; the one-eyed, two-legged monsters weren’t too threatening at first. However, other portals showed up, spewing monsters of their own. Among them was someone who looked….just like you.” Moira pointed to Athena. “Eventual dreams after the battle would show that that woman was not the Athena I see before me. Back then, though, I wouldn’t have known the difference.

“In any case, we were soon doomed as the monsters increased in numbers. Our potent, yet small army was overrun. Worse yet, the monsters got stronger, as horned beasts with spears and maces stormed in, followed by these winged, dark-haired monsters that looked like demons. Before long, our town was being brought to its knees.

“My family and I didn’t give up, though. My father and Ethan fought the monsters head-on with swords, while my mother and I backed them up with crossbows. We fought was we could, and evaded every attack that came our way. We were determined to help save our city, even though things looked futile. More than anything, though, we wanted to know what came of our older brother. We wanted to know what led him to his atrocity. As we fought, Theresa joined up, and we fought tooth and nail towards the entrance.

“Eventually, we reached my treacherous sibling and the mock Athena. Surrounded by monsters as we were, The five of us fought the two of them, hoping we could win by numbers and maybe route the monsters with a win. Alas, my brother somehow overcame my brother, my father, and Theresa’s rapier with unbelievable ease. The evil Athena, meanwhile, easily countered every shot my mother and I fired at her. But it was near the end of the fight I hated most. Eventually, I was caught by an arrow, badly wounded. My mother, bless her soul, abandoned the fight to tend to me, but was cut down by numerous arrows. As she died in my arms, I watched in horror as my brother eventually overcame and slew…KILLED….just. MURDERED his own father and brother. Theresa tried to stop him, but she was mortally wounded. Then he walked over to me. I asked him…’Caleb,’ his original name, ‘why?’

“He simply replied, ‘It’s Sethofan, and now I can finally fight.’ Then he cut my eye out. Even amidst the pain, even as he and the dark Athena left our citadel, now a smoldering wreck, I fought the burning wounds inside me as I made my way to Theresa. Eventually, I passed out…then I had the dream of Athena…the real Athena showing me this world.

“When I came to, I found my wounds healed, my eye replaced, and a new crossbow within my reach. A heavy-breathing Theresa was there as well, weaker than she was even after the wounds she suffered in battle. My best friend fought against her wounds to care for me, to see that I was healed, even as her health was dire. As she lay there, dying, I asked her why. She simply told her that I deserved to go on…even though we paid the same price my brother inflicted: our home destroyed and our families gone. Then, she was gone.

“I don’t know how I got through the tears I shed, giving her a burial in exchange for my life. I did the same for the family I had left. Afterwards, I made a solemn vow to all of them: to find my brother….no…Sethofan….and make sure he pay the greatest price for what he did. I screamed to the heavens of my world that he would die for what he did. As if to take a bet on my vow, a portal suddenly opened, and his voice echoed a taunt in the air. I followed it. Now, I’m here. And for your information…”

Her words were interjected by Athena, who presented to the girl a green coin. The coin shimmered and glowed before Moira’s eyes, and was laden with a number: 2.

Moira stood, then took the coin and pocketed it. “You can count on me to fight this fight. I accept my role as a lightbringer, no matter what the burden may be.”

Damien and Crow stood as well, each by Moira’s sides. “I don’t know why,” Crow said, “but I feel…as though something similar happened to me before. I’m sorry for your loss.” Her face went to the floor, feelings of guilt already threatening to ensnare her; she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had once helped Sethofan, also called the swordsman of eternal darkness.

“I share your pain as well, as I have lost friends close to me,” Damien added. “Thus, I will help you bear this burden, as long as it is yours to bear.” Deep down, he felt that such an action would give his life new purpose on top of the vengeance he was originally seeking.

The Crow, meanwhile, looked up at Damien’s words. Though she still felt the sting of regret, knowing that she had worked with the enemy, which was a group that included Sethofan, she also felt possible penance in helping Moira. Deep down, she knew the enemy was powerful, and wasn’t sure if the prophecy would hold true. Now, however, things seemed different. It felt as though, all of a sudden, she decided to stop wallowing in misery and do something about the evil. “I’ll help you, too,” she finally answered.

“That is good; I’m pleased to see others assist this bright young woman in her destiny,” Athena said, a smile washing over her face as she beamed at the trio. “I’m glad to see this discussion has helped you in some way as well. I regret to say I know little more than the existence of Sethofan. Don’t give up hope, however. Seek the other lightbringers out if you can; perhaps they can tell you what I can’t.”

“I will,” Moira said, giving Athena a hug. “Thank you for everything, Athena. I’ll do everything I can to keep the world safe from evil.” She then parted ways with the job master, and, along with Damien and the Crow, set out from Henesys, hoping that their next length of travel would bring them to the other lightbringers.

———————————————————————————-

Well, holy crap. My last chapter was small and puny, while this one seems to rival a typical SilverFx blog. It’s amazing how I come back from weeks of inactivity like this! XD Nonetheless, I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Have a Mountain Dew as you do.^^

Previous installments:

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