The Realm of Light

Chapter VIII: Sun, Moon, and Spring

When a Guardian is created, Vix turns to the stars as a source for their body as a way of making these divine beings after his own heart. For this reason, the Guardians all desire the same thing as Vix: peace and prosperity for earth and the mortals who dwell in it.

After Vix created Elwin, and made him the Guardian of Spring's Nature and Beauty, Vix knew that he would need to make more Guardians to balance out the powers of the earth. Once, in the night's sky there lay a red star that shone just as brightly as the sun. Vix took the star and worked to give it a mortal-like body.

In the process of creating his new being, Vix found that the red star was exuding dangerously high levels of mystical energy. Giving such an amount of power to a single being could be disastrous, so Vix split the star in two.

One half of the star was born male, the other was born a female. Because they were created at the same time, on the same day, from the same source, Vix called them "twins", for they were not one but two of a kind.

Unlike mortals, Guardians do not start life as infants. Instead, they enter into the world as young children looking about nine or ten winters of age. Though, despite their youthful appearance, even newborn Guardians are more mature than the average mortal child.

Because Vix split the red star in two halves, the twins that were born from it were weak and damaged. The boy could not walk nor stand on his legs, so Vix dipped him in the sun in order to give him strength. This action caused the boy's body to ignite and rejuvenate; so when he was taken out of the sun, his skin glittered like golden crystals, his coiled hair became fiery red, and his eyes reflected the colors of the sun, sharing both orangey-red and golden hues.

Vix took one look at the boy and knew that he was destined to protect humankind and elvenfolk alike, so he named the child Lexus and gave him authority over the sun.

The girl on the other hand, was not weak in the legs, but in the eyes. During the process of splitting the red star, her eyes were severely damaged and could not receive light. So to give her vision, Vix tied her sight to the spirits of the night's sky, and the stars became her eyes.

This Guardian — who was later named Cecilia — had brown velvety skin, white pupiless eyes, and long coiled black hair. Because she possessed such a beautiful human-like appearance, Vix sent her to live among the mortals on earth knowing that they would be kind to her.

While Cecilia was raised by human mortals on earth, Lexus was raised by Vix in the in-between. There, Vix taught him all he knew about the mortals, as well as how to appropriately protect and guide them. He deeply cared for Lexus and was like a father to him. So while Lexus learned how to be a proper Guardian by day, his sister, Cecilia, would visit his dreams by night, so that the two were almost never apart.

Two winters after Lexus had completed his training, Vix knew that it was time to create another Guardian.

For this reason Vix sent Lexus on his way saying, "Leave me, your training is complete. Go and be with your sister in the land of the mortals and rule over them with certainty of your driving jurisdiction."

"I will, father." Lexus responded, he bowed, then flew off to meet with his sister on earth. Upon arriving he noticed that the atmosphere was different from that of the rest of the universe. Lexus felt different there, more powerful than before. However he paid no heed to such things as locating Cecilia was his top priority.

"Sister!" Lexus called. He flew into a small village where he knew his sister grew up, but could not find her for the life of him.

That was until he heard her voice coming from the meadow a little ways away from the village. He followed her voice there and found her sitting on a tree stump in a white sundress, and flowers decorated in her hair.

"Cecilia!" Lexus exclaimed. "I found you!"

"That you did." Cecilia chuckled. She could see him looking for her the whole time. "I expected your visit, brother."

Sitting on the ground near her stump were three little girls, no older than ten winters each. They looked upon Lexus in awe, yearning to touch his skin, but much too afraid to approach him.

"Lady Cecilia," one of the girls said, "is this boy whose feet do not touch the ground a blessed Guardian like yourself?" Cecilia nodded.

"That he is."

"Then he is like Elwin?" Another girl asked.

"Elwin?" Lexus repeated. Just then, a little boy came running up the hill of the valley.

"Cece!" He called out. The boy had skin as green as elven tea, eyes as dark as soil, and hair as pink as peony petals. The closer he got, the louder he'd shout. "Cece! I found the most beautiful flower reaching towards the sun in the meadow, and though it was very fair it stood depressed in solitude as there were no others like it for miles. So to ease its pain I made a flower just like it, see?" The boy presented a couple of light blue flowers to Cecilia.

"Oh Elwin, they're very beautiful indeed." Cecilia took one of the flowers and placed its stem behind her ear. The boy's face lit up. He then proceeded to move closer to Cecilia, took her by the hand, and kneeled before her.

"Cece, just as this flower was lonely before I introduced it to its pair, I too am but a lonely flower, aimlessly reaching for the sun as a means to fill the void in my heart that longs for your eternal love. So I hope that this flower will suffice as a grand enough gesture when I ask for you to marry me, Cecelia Lunar, Guardian of the Night's Moon and Stars, and Kepler of my heart."

Cecilia blushed as Elwin poured his heart out to her, and all the girls gasped. Lexus knowing nothing of what had just happened was almost rendered speechless.

"Excuse me, wha-"

"Say yes!" One of the young girls unknowingly interrupted Lexus while spelling to Cecilia.

Cecilia opened her mouth to say something, but nothing audible was heard. Then she and Elwin burst into laughter and fell into each other's arms while smiling.

"Might someone please explain to me what just happened?" Lexus finally said.

"Oh Lexus, Elwin and I are just playing a game!" Cecilia giggled.

After he stopped laughing, Elwin was able to quickly compose himself, then turned to face Lexus.

"Greetings and good day to you, Lexus, Guardian of the Summer's Sun and Heat. I am Elwin, Guardian of Spring." He put his right fist over his heart as he spoke. Lexus was hesitant to address him, but soon put his right fist over his heart and introduced himself to Elwin.

"It's good to meet you Lexus." Elwin shook Lexus' hand; a gesture of greeting typically performed by commoners, or very good friends.

"Likewise. I see you are well acquainted with my sister, Cecilia."

"That I am," Elwin smiled. "And if you don't mind, I would like to receive an answer from you, Lady Cecilia." Cecilia thought to herself for a moment.

"Though I am very honored to have been considered for such a position, you will have to ask my brother, Lexus, if he deems you worthy to marry me, or I will have no choice but to decline your marriage proposal." She responded.

Elwin turned to Lexus with hopeful eyes, but Lexus didn't care.

"I'm not sure what kind of game this is, but I do not know you very well, and therefore cannot allow you to marry my sister." Lexus stated. The girls all laughed at Elwin and he playfully chuckled with them. "Though, perhaps if I got to know you better, I could be persuaded to grant you permission to marry my sister."

"Then let us do what the brown men do, and hunt, so that we may bond in the forest!" Said Elwin.

So Leaux followed Elwin into the forest and hunted animals with him for fun. Elwin caught fifteen deer, and Lexus caught two deer and twenty-seven bears. Since that day, Elwin and Lexus grew up like brothers. They were as inseparable as the fish are to the sea.

Lexus remained on earth, only briefly reporting everything he learned to Vix. However, he would spend most of his time waiting on his sister, or spending time with Elwin, the Guardian he loved like a brother.