A Good Man Awakens

Chapter 12: Light Weaving

We entered a room at the end of a long, dark corridor, and the only word that came to mind was surreal. The floor beneath us was made of a smooth, obsidian-like material, polished to a mirror finish, but what was truly mesmerizing were the faint constellations and shimmering lone stars embedded within the surface. It was as though we walked on the night sky itself, with galaxies spread at our feet. Above us, the ceiling—or rather the sky—was an endless swirl of nebulae, galaxies, and cosmic clouds, from which threads of light descended like ethereal vines. There were no visible walls, no apparent boundary to the room, and even the entrance we had just passed through was swallowed by the darkness.

"This is where we teach the young ones or come to practice," Elbar said, his voice soft in the overwhelming stillness of the chamber. "The light here is refined, drawn from the very cosmos around us. Using the light outside, or especially in the world of men, is far trickier. The light there is faint, tainted, and we must pour more of ourselves into the creation just to make it stable."

He gestured with his small hands toward the glowing threads descending from the galaxies above. "Light weaving is a gift bestowed upon the Faye alone. No other creature in all creation can wield this power. There are some charlatans, of course, who use trickery or sleight of hand to mimic it, but they are not true light weavers."

He paused, the constellations reflected in his dark eyes, as though they had taken root there. "There are five distinct disciplines of light weaving—well, six, if you count Nocturne Weaving, but that one is forbidden, so we won't be touching it."

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I had a feeling that delving into forbidden techniques might not be the wisest path right now.

"Lumen Sculpting is the first and easiest to master. It involves creating inanimate objects. Then, there's Ethereal Weaving, for illusions. They are simple to create but difficult to maintain. Aurora Binding allows us to create energy constructs like shields or barriers, and the difficulty depends on what you're shielding against. Lumen Flora is for organic life, plants and such, and finally, Lumen Animus—the creation of living creatures, though only small things like animals or golems. It's extremely taxing."

His wings shimmered faintly in the light of the swirling galaxies as he hovered beside me. "So, what do you want me to show you? If you share a memory, I can try to recreate it for you."

I thought for a moment, imagining the possibilities. "You mean anything? Like a sword, a staff, or jewels—even a crown?"

Elbar's eyes narrowed, the colors in his wings shifting from vibrant blues to pale greens, as though inspecting me for some deeper intent. I realized greed had surged in me, thinking about what I could create with this power. No wonder the Faye feared humans using them for their abilities.

"Nah, crowns and jewels aren't for me," I said, laughing nervously. "But... a pillow. I could really use a nice pillow."

Elbar looked disgusted, his expression twisting as if I had just insulted his very soul. "A pillow? Really? I was hoping to create something unique, not something as boring as that."

We went back and forth, with me suggesting ideas and Elbar rejecting them all as either too mundane or something he had already crafted. That was, until I mentioned a Whisperwind Cradle, a small box that played music from a cylinder with tiny ridges.

His eyes lit up, shimmering once again with vibrant hues. "Yes! Now that I like!"

I began describing it in more detail. "It's a small box, with a cylinder inside. It has bumps and ridges that—"

"No, no!" Elbar interrupted, flying over to me. "That's not going to work. I need to see it for myself. Just think about it—about a time you saw it working."