Light and Shadow - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Unbreakable Intimacy

The morning came, and Xombreil was there, lying on his bed like nothing happened the night before. Eluna was sitting on her bed, looking worriedly at her unconscious brother. Mella had placed an ice bag over Xombreil’s head earlier that morning to make sure that he would be all right. Slowly, light filled the boy’s eyes as he opened them. His vision was blurred like his memory.

“What happened…?” he asked as he saw his sister. His young voice was rough and frail.

For a brief moment, she ran out of breath. Pictures of the previous incident came to her – the lightless night, her blackened brother, the darkness.

“You were…” she spoke, her voice trembling.

She froze. The feeling of the bed underneath her had already become numb. But then, Xombreil suddenly coughed, and her mind was brought back to reality.

“Are you all right?” she asked. The concern was evident in her tone.

“I guess so…” her brother cleared his throat and innocently replied.

“Do you want to play?” continued Eluna, wanting to move on and be happy.

The question was left unanswered, and silence crept back in like an overgrowing shadow.

“Oh, all right,” she sighed. “I’ll just go outside. Aunt Mella was off in the market anyway. Get well!”

Then, she gracefully walked out the room like a wind-blown flower, closing the door as she left. The golden morning sunlight glimmered through the window, cutting in between the twins’ beds. Xombreil disdained it, either because the light was too bright or because he didn’t like the room looking like it was split in two. It could have been both.

He took the ice pack off his head and placed it on the desk that was right below the window. He slithered off his bed, got up, and shut the window blinds. He looked blankly at the darkness that engulfed in front of him, the shadow of the once sunlit space before him. Unexpectedly, he heard Eluna’s voice. The blinds were once again opened, and Xombreil willingly welcomed the light just to see his most beloved sister.

She was humming random notes, swirling around like a ballerina. Her white dress was like a swan’s wings. Then, at the blink of a second, she shrieked—

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A seemingly unending series of black lightning stormed around the wooden house, threatening to destroy everything. The skies had already turned very dark. Xombreil dashed as quickly as he could to go to his sister who stood there shaking, looking with fear at the big, dark figure that appeared in front of her. Finally, Xombreil was there, just a few meters behind his sister where he stopped.

“Eluna?” he worriedly asked.

A silent evil laugh came from the ominous figure. No – there were two! At another blink of the eye, there were two dark figures standing maliciously in front of them, the other smaller than the first one that appeared.

“What are we waiting for, milord?” asked a wicked young girl’s voice from the smaller figure.

“Patience,” replied the other one. “Patience, my dear Eunina.”

They walked a little closer to Eluna. The darkness that concealed them slowly faded, revealing who they actually were. Their appearance could not have possibly been mistaken. They were simply human. They came from the Shadow region. They were the Lord and the Princess of Shadow.

“What do you want!?” Xombreil yelled from behind his totally motionless sister, pushing the feeling of terror away as he recognized the two unwanted strangers.

“Nothing,” Escuridion, the Lord of Shadow, spoke in a cold, uncaring manner.

“Then what are you doing here!?” Xombreil angrily and bravely shouted. “Go away!”

Eunina, the Princess of Shadow, drew her dagger from her belt as she stepped closer to Eluna and pointed it at the latter’s neck. She spoke—

“Nothing means Death.”

Xombreil’s hair and eyes turned pitch black at the sight of this. The gale was nearly overwhelming. It was just like the night before. But, this time, he was surrounded by a semitransparent, spherical black force.

With clenched fists, he stepped forward, pointed at the wicked princess, and bellowed—

“If a single drop of blood flows from my sister’s neck, I will kill you!”

Eunina withdrew the dagger but kicked Eluna at her jaw with her heel. Eluna cried in pain as she fell down, and Xombreil’s sphere was drowned in a stronger black aura.

“You—,” he spoke as rage completely overcame him. His voice was rougher than ever.

“Xombreil!” Eluna called, trying to bring her brother back to himself. “Please, stop this…!”

He raised his right hand wide open and a black orb appeared. He took a few steps forward.

“You, tainted one, you will suffer for this!”

Unaffected, both Eunina and Lord Escuridion simply smirked, for they liked and expected what they were seeing – a powerful disciple of Shadow was standing in front of them. That was their plan.

“Have you not noticed yet…that you belong to the Shadow region?” the dark lord asked.

Xombreil was shaken as he heard this. It was like a blade pierced through his heart. The dark sphere and aura that surrounded him faded. He was petrified by the thought of himself being a disciple of Shadow. His eyes and lips were trembling like shaking trees.

But then, out of nowhere, a young boy’s voice came from the heavens. The dark sky was split as a bolt of white, fast-speeding lightning struck through.

“Hiyaah!”

There was a loud explosion as the lightning hit the ground near them. A young boy with spiky red hair appeared in front of them. He wore the crest of the Sun at the centre of his upper armour. The plate was of a silvery white splendour. He held a bolt of white lightning in his right hand and stood proudly like a prince. The sun was bright once again, and that colour of Xombreil’s hair and eyes went back to normal.

Eluna stood up from the ground and embraced Xombreil. Her chin was bleeding but she ignored it.

“I would never want to see that darkness of yours again, Breil,” she said, sobbing, her eyes closed.

Still horrified by what he had heard and experienced with himself, he tightly hugged his sister back and also closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself and move on.

Eunina, focused on the new boy, drew her dagger once again and engaged him.

“Who the heck are you?” she rudely asked as they crossed weapons.

“Isn’t it obvious?” the boy replied with pride as they let loose and crossed one more. “I’m the Prince of the Sun!”

He suddenly raised his free hand to the sky and fire came out. Eunina, caught by surprise, dodged and leaped backwards beside Lord Escuridion. The flame drew a burning circle around the house.

“Leave and never come back!” the boy said as he pointed his lightning bolt towards his enemies.

Eunina was about to engage the boy again but Lord Escuridion suddenly held her shoulder.

“This is enough for now,” he spoke.

Then, both the Lord and the Princess of Shadow vanished into the air.

“We shall return!” a creepy, echoing voice spoke but then faded after a few moments.

“Whew!” the boy cut the silence as he turned towards the twins, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “At least they’re gone for now.”

“Thanks for saving us,” said Eluna as her brother helped her stand. “Who are you?”

“You’re bleeding!” the young stranger exclaimed as he noticed her bloody chin, his eyes widening, suddenly feeling worried for her.

“Never mind that,” replied Eluna. “What is your name?”

“I’m—,” he looked at Eluna’s blooming face and thought, She’s so…pretty.

"I, I,” he stuttered as he grew shy towards her. “I have to go.”

Then, he quickly got on his lightning bolt like he was riding a horse and finally bolted away.

“Aw, I didn’t get his name,” Eluna moaned.

“Think of yourself first, sis,” Xombreil anxiously spoke. “You’re hurt.”

Eluna just became silent, and wiped the remaining tears on her eyes.

“Come,” Xombreil continued, took a deep breath, and smiled. “Let’s wash your chin before Aunt Mella comes home.”

Eluna smiled in return and said with the most honest of feelings, “I love you, bro.”

He answered, “I love you, sis, and I promise you: I’ll never let you get hurt again.”

And so, it turned out happily in the end, and Avicrus, the Lord of Light, sat with contentment, thinking of the possibilities that could happen in the future…