Book of The Lightborn: Rise

Siblings Argue

"From the light we gain power,
In its waking shine, do we cower?
In the Creator we find love,
Yet, nothing ever comes from above..."

The short verse Meriumus whispered, resting in the morning of a special day, one that signals the beginning of great change.

"Kilon! Tihal! Kilon! Tihal!" inside the gigantic tree, Lightborns were taking seats in pieces of wood protruding from inside, going up in a spiral. Some more Lightborn were gathering inside, walking up to their seats with the wood forming around their feet as steps, then blending back into the tree. Most of them were crying Kilon's name out, showing their desperate devotion to him.

"Silence!!" Menoel stepped in, the power of his voice drumming through the tree without echoing. From the hundred Lightborn present there, all of which had mastery over various skills and abilities, none dared speak, sitting down in their basket shaped seats. Behind Menoel, Melonius and Mercaara entered the tree. They too headed for the protrusions for seats, while Avaanel, Avunaia and Eharel stood close behind Kilon.

"I told them to stay quiet," Mercaara whispered to Stelorus, who was amongst the last to arrive, Avunaia giving sharp glances at everyone once inside too. From above, they could all see the five central figures of their group standing on a large stone platform at the middle. Awkwardly rising from below, as if the wood suspending it was trying to push the platform aside, Kilon let themselves rise to the point where everyone had a clear sight of them.

"It's Menoel," Stelorus told her, "he anticipated Kilon's arrival and told them to welcome him warmly half a sun prior.". Stelorus seemed amused, as if the knowledge he had was forbidden and having it was going to anger someone.

"Even so, this seems a bit too warm, even for Kilon," looking around, Mercaara noticed some of the Lightborn seemed eager to do something. She wasn't sure what, but their control of the light was escaping their grasp, suggesting excitement.

"You noticed it too," Stelorus could tell looking at her, "they've been roused for something, if I am to guess, Menoel probably told them we're going together after the draxes.". Stelorus' thinking was based on what he saw his siblings acting like before. Kilon chose the Lightborn with which to hunt carefully, as to not enter a situation where the group would be put in danger. But given the obvious recurring defeats, Stelorus could tell Kilon had no choice, "He must pick better Lightborns for the hunt. And those very Lightborn are present here.".

Mercaara understood the larger picture, what she couldn't understand was why Kilon seemed sadder than before. If it was due to the loss of their siblings, then she could understand, but Kilon could get back to his usual self some days after losing them, and the journey back should've washed the grief. She couldn't understand that in Kilon's mind, there was a storm of thoughts.

'What should I tell them, once we meet?' Kilon wondered, even when mere moments away from giving a speech to his kin. 'They've been away for so long, and probably through a lot. And when I'm to present them our home, what will they see? A home, a paradise of sorts, or a terrifying, blind following for me?'. Kilon was thinking of the vision, and that it was plaguing him more as of late. He was thinking of the catalyst. 'Is it that they bring the killer of our kin, or that we form it inside the very home we've built?'.

"Kilon has returned!" Menoel announced once more, the Lightborn rising up and saluting, interrupting Kilon's thoughts. To Kilon, standing in the middle of all those powerful siblings of his, and having supreme command over it, reminded him of the power a following can have. "Unfortunately, not everyone has returned, as those cursed draxes have proven vicious," Kilon thought Menoel's words to be rather hasty, as he had barely returned, yet he wanted to convince everyone of a truth that wasn't complete.