Legend: Light after Darkness -Book II

Part VIII - Me and my shadow

Previously...

Jack takes advantage of his and Lili's new found freedom and leads Lili into the forest to show her something "special".

Assuming the surprise to be the Unicorns, Lili is hesitant as she fears unwanted memories may trigger Jack into another psychic attack.

Meanwhile, Gump and King Roland discuss options to bring about healing Valtoria.

King Roland suggests prompting Jack's memories and breaking Oona's spell.

In breaking the spell, King Roland hopes that Jack be returned to his halfling form and regain the rightful throne of Valtoria, undoing all power Darkness holds, in turn, breaking Darkness' hold over Lili.

Gump reminds King Roland that it was Lili's death that freed her and Jack from the prophecy. Forcing Jack's memories to return would again see Lili die and this time stay dead.

Hopeless, and free from any more insight, King Roland and Gump decide to seek out the wise mystic, Morla, for help in locating Fantasia's keeper of all knowledge and solace of the light, the Southern Oracle.

Only the Southern Oracle holds the secret to defeating Darkness and saving both Jack and Lili from oblivion.

Back in the forest, Jack leads Lili to a secret cave filled with glowing butterflies, called luminares.

Here, his memories of his childhood resurface, revealing his escape from the Goblins after the fall of Valtoria.

The Luminare's restore Jack's memories and return his body to his halfling form... Oona's spell is broken.

Will Jack finally take reign of Valtoria and defeat Darkness, or will Lili sit upon the throne and become Darkness' queen once and for all..?

Part IIX

"Jack..? Jack please, wake up..." Lili pleads as kneels beside him, cradling his exhausted and unconscious body in her arms.

"I don't know what to..? Please, Jack, wake up. Come back to me..." Lili holds him close to her, hopeless and frightemed, as tears stream her face.

The Luminares float around Lili, drawing her attention to gaze up at them as they form a thick canopy of rainbow lights above her and Jack.

Dazzled, Lili watches them float across the crystal dome above her. Their aimless trance-like movements suddenly find uniform with one another and begin to form shapes ... letters of the alphabet...

GUMP, they write with the invisible quill and inkpot of their miraculous wings.

"I'll find Gump... bring him to Jack. Is that what you're telling me..?" Lili asks the luminares.

They flit and flutter above her, spelling the word...YES.

With that, Lili delicately lays Jack upon the soft warm moss beneath him and tenderly kisses his forehead, whispering,

" Keep safe, and come back to me, as I will return to you...I promise..."

Jack stays sleeping soundly as Lili climbs out of the cave.

The holly vines sealing the mouth of the cave part, like drawn curtains, as she approaches then fall back into a protective sheild as Lili exits and re-enters the forest.

Lili looks back before the holly blocks her sight, there, she catches a glimpse of Jack laid safe upon the bed of moss, now blanketed by hundreds of Luminares.

She smiles confidently to herself as she turns to venture out of the forest and toward the castle.

Lili trudges up a steep incline, to the top of the ravine, when suddenly a dark figure, cloaked in a hessian hood and cape, stirs in the shadows...