Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 27.1: Light and Darkness

Mina awoke to find herself on a grassy field. There was something strange about the scene she was witnessing. Where was the darkness? She could see for miles and miles around her. The flowers, the fields, things one normally couldn't see. And the colors were so vibrant, as if hundreds of Light Spires were gathered together and illuminating everything.

A voice spoke to her, in her mind again. "What do you see, Mina?"

Mina looked around, bewildered. "I see grass, the fields, the flowers, the mountains, and the sky. I can see everything for miles and miles. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

She was truly awed by the great expanse of nature, the colors, the blue of the sky, the green of the grass, the yellow, red and violet of the flowers.

The voice spoke to her. "This was Kuro once."

Mina nodded, continuing to look. The land was so vivid, breathtaking, alive. The warm wind blew on her face, and she saw all the wild animals running around. There were no Mag-Rails, no Light Spires, no darkness.

No Darkness.

"Do you know who I am?"

Mina nodded. "Amaterasu, the Goddess."

"Perhaps."

"Where did you go? Why did you leave us? Why did you cause this, the darkness, the plight of the people?" Mina's voice was angry, accusing. "We needed you so much, and you deserted us."

"In due time, you shall understand. But that is a tale for another day."

Mina choked back her tears, angry suddenly at this fickle Goddess who was speaking in riddles. "No! You shall tell me why. Why should I be tied to you?"

"I understand your frustration well, Mina. But the time is not right. There are..." there was a pause. "...things you should know first."

As if one cue, a woman appeared in the fields. Her face had an unearthly beauty, radiant even in the light. Mina wondered if she had ever seen anything so beautiful. The Goddess had long, straight black hair that went on well past her shoulders, a long slender face, her nose perfectly aligned with her lips, her almond eyes so full of emotion. It was as if she was the embodiment of light. It was painful to look upon her.

She moved toward Mina, taking her hand in hers. "Do not fret, Mina, I mean no harm."

Mina, alarmed initially, relaxed a bit. The whole atmosphere was dreamlike. She was lucid, to be sure, but she did not know at this point what to believe anymore. She could not trust her mind, her senses. Mina had the very brief thought that all this was a psychic illusion, born of the power of the Silver Witch.

"Fear not, we are beyond the skirmish that your friends currently face. You are safe here, Mina. Please, sit with me, for I so long to speak to you. I have tales to tell, and so do you."

"What of my friends?" Mina persisted. She was not one to be cowed easily. She would not bow down so quickly, not even in the presence of the Goddess.

"Their fate hangs in the balance."

"Hangs in the balance? What tips the scales?"

"Do you know what Good and Evil are, Mina?"

Mina was taken aback by the question. Everything was so hazy. The heat of the sun, the fields, the grass. Was this a dream?

"I know what Joab has taught me..."

"Good and Evil are not what someone else has taught you, no matter how dear they may be."