"So, did you grow up on this island, Atomu?" Luna wondered as they strolled through the forest to Atomu's village.
"Yeah! But my dads have taken me to visit a few places outside Lucea too! So I've been a bit of everywhere," Atomu told her.
"Wow! You've been outside of Lucea? Like outside the barrier??" Luna asked in shock.
"Yeah!" Atomu cheerfully agreed.
"But- wait... how do you find your way back?? Doesn't the barrier hide Lucea?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, for those who don't know about it. It's the same spell that hides the castle. It's meant to stop people coming in, not out. Although, there are loads of books that warn you about going outside. Curses and stuff. They say if you expose magic outside the barrier or lead others to it, you'll be hunted down and killed right on the spot!!" Atomu went on as if telling a scary story around a campfire.
"Ah! Killed??" Luna shivered.
"You can't expose magic outside of Lucea. That's the rule. Otherwise, humanity would go insane with power! I mean, you know about the cursed graveyard, right? The war that happened?" Atomu brought up.
"When demons taught humans magic... yeah, I visited the graveyard once. I hate to think how many people lost their lives because of magic... and... and the fire in our village... was because of magic too..." Luna explained, voice trailing off as memories blazed in her mind.
"That's what the barrier is protecting the rest of humanity from. But hey, magic isn't all bad. I mean, we've never hurt anyone, right? So really, it's kinda the people that learn about it who are at fault. It's like giving someone a sword. You can use it to do super cool tricks like cut a watermelon or like balance loads of stuff on it in the air!! Or.... You could cut someone's head off. That's why not everyone has a sword!" Atomu explained in his own special way.
"Ah hah. Yeah, I guess so. Though, I've never seen Echo cut a watermelon with her sword," Luna mentioned in thought.
"I bet she does it in secret. All mysterious like!" Atomu smiled at the thought.
"Haha! Yeah, maybe," Luna giggled.
"So, what's it like? Outside of Lucea?" She added with great interest.
"Hm? Normal," Atomu replied as he jumped up to grab a leaf from a dangling branch.
"Normal...??" Luna repeated in confusion.
"Yeah. Land outside the barrier is really plain cause no one knows about magic. Even plants and animals here are a little different because the magic from years and years ago changed them! Everything outside Lucea is... kinda bland. But there are way more people," Atomu explained.
"More people??" Luna gasped.
"Yeah! Tons! Lucea is actually a really small part of our world, you know? There's so much more out there!! That's why I wanna explore everything there is! I wanna learn about it all! But before I can do that, I gotta get strong here, where I can use magic more freely. Plus, I don't wanna go too far without my family yet. There's still a lot they have to teach me! Like washing clothes!" Atomu explained.
"You don't know how to wash clothes.....?" Luna asked.
"Do you?" Atomu returned.
"No...." Luna whimpered.
"Echo always does it for me," Luna said simultaneously as Atomu...
"Aki always does it for me,"
"Uh," they both let out in surprise.
YOU ARE READING
The Demons of Shadow Moon
FantasyAwake. But the nightmare has not ended. It's simply been forgotten. With her memories wiped, Luna wakes up on an island all alone. Scared and fragile, she clings to the kindness offered to her by two demons. They take her in, and teach her magic! B...
