Sky: The Travels of Nirabata

[2] ISLE OF DAWN

      When Nirabata crossed the portal, he was blinded by a light. The teleportation lasted long enough for his stomach to churn and the ground to feel shaky. However, it was strange to realize that he was aware of his surroundings, but could not look at it.

      As the light began to fade, Nirabata had a vision: A citadel surrounded by a glowing halo floated in the sky surrounded by smaller islands, from which several statues protruded. He couldn't see detail, but the statues looked like people.

      Nirabata blinked in confusion, and the next instant, the citadel exploded amid intense red light. His heart rumbled irregularly at the uncertainty of what he was witnessing, but then his vision changed and he was able to appreciate a desert, before coming out of the trance.

      Nirabata looked around in confusion. Sea, sand and fog. There was nothing else. No explosions, no floating cities. He had to squint his eyes to try to take in anything other than the thick mist. For a second, he wasn't sure if that was reality or if he was still within the vision.

      Hesitantly, he advanced a few steps, finding some tombstones that barely protruded from the sand. The little boy suddenly shuddered and felt uneasy about it. It couldn't mean anything good that the first thing in sight were some graves.

      The security he had felt at Home was quickly replaced by unease. He had the urge to run and hide, but he didn't. Instead, he fought against it and only cautiously kept moving forward.

      He went up a short flight of steps and crossed between two pillars. Isle of Dawn didn't seem to be as nice as it was in the portal. The silence was stunned and he could only hear the crunch of his uncertain footsteps on the sand.

      The mist was attenuated by a light wind, allowing Nirabata to see that he was about to enter a cave. Taking another look at the surroundings, his eyes were able to take in little of the mountain that loomed like a gigantic wall in front of him.

      Suddenly, a strange electricity ran through his body until it concentrated in his chest. It was as if something was catching fire inside him, so he instinctively brought his hands to his chest, feeling a small sting before a flame appeared between his hands.

      He was a bit surprised, but realizing that the fire didn't harm him, he put the tension aside. He was too nervous because of how unfamiliar everything was.

      His eyes drifted back to the cave and without much preamble, he stepped into the darkness.

      He hadn't gone far when he found a couple of candles against the damp wall. Since their flame did not shed enough light to illuminate the space, he moved closer to light them. Surprisingly, the smoke they generated became thick and fluttered for a moment to form a sentence:

"All are given breath by starlight.

The first of us lived in joy that we would one day return to the stars."

      Then, on the wall, a couple of points lit up and joined, forming the shape of a cane. Below, several people were also drawn looking towards the constellation. The glowing pattern then spread across the wall, and later a new mural began to form.

      The smoke stirred and moved along with the engravings. Nirabata followed the smoke until it stopped and formed a new sentence.

"Together, we build a kingdom in the clouds.

We connected the seven realms with the power of starlight."

      A temple appeared above some clouds, and several people kneeling under them.

      The process was repeated and Nirabata went further into the cave to find the next thing in the story.

"But then the sky went dark, and our Kingdom shattered."

      The temple above the clouds was split by lightning, and the people in the drawing were now kneeling and hunched over, as if the energy had left them and they had simply fallen like puppets without their puppeteer. The staff-shaped constellation stopped shining.

      The last light painting was of a falling star and a boy with outstretched wings. The last sentence was:

"Many of us are still trapped in these realms.

Please, Child... Bring your light to our fallen spirits."

      The smoke and the engraving on the wall disappeared seconds later.

      Nirabata understood that something bad had happened. It was also a little painful to realize that he was probably the only being alive, judging by that last inscription. Before the disaster, someone must have had enough time to leave traces of what happened... he could have a little hope that that person was still alive.

     For now, he knew he was alone, and apparently he had a mission, if the story on the walls was true: Nirabata was to find the spirits.