Fade

Chapter 1: Human Eyes

It had been two months since the Second Great Battle as it was now being called, and Liyah was not doing well. She was trying to hide it from Raine, but she had a sense that her now two-month girlfriend could tell.

"Li?" Raine had asked one day.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah—yeah, I'm fine."

"I feel like something during that battle hurt you."

"No, no, nothing," Liyah waved it off.

"Maybe something about Shadow?"

"No—no, I told you, nothing's wrong."

"Liyah, I can tell something's—"

"I said nothing's wrong Raine!" she had snapped. She took a deep breath "Can you please stop bugging me about it?"

"I...okay," Raine had sighed.

Liyah didn't want to push her away, but she didn't want to drag Raine into this. It wasn't that she felt like she'd made a mistake: she knew that killing the Shadow was the right decision. It just didn't sit well with her that she'd killed so many. They'd attacked her, yes, but it was on orders. There was no personal vendetta. And those Shadows must have had families, and she'd taken parents, siblings, and other family members out of Shadows' lives. Today, though, she realized something. Someday, Orlumen needed to be populated. She wanted more than anything to live there with Raine. But human eyes?

"It's not gonna work," she muttered.

"What's not gonna work," Raine asked from across the bedroom. She was busy reading a book she'd found about the history of the APKS. Liyah had glanced at it a couple times but hadn't read it yet.

"Getting your eyes to tolerate Orlumen."

"We can think of something. Would some sort of sunglasses work?"

"No, it's too bright for that."

"Ooh, I bet in Orlumen there are some books about shit like this. Maybe you could get some of those and bring them back for us to read. This thing is pretty interesting, but that's more important."

"Have you learned anything from that book?" Liyah asked. "You've been reading it for a few days."

"I learned that at one point—years and years ago, maybe even centuries—somebody tried to ally the Shadows, APKS, and Lumins together. Needless to say, it didn't work, and they continued to be just as separated as ever—I think even more so."

"Whoever tried that was a fucking idiot," Liyah laughed and snorted.

"Yeah," Raine laughed as well.

"Well, I'll go pop into Orlumen real quick," Liyah shuddered at the thought of all the quiet. She turned herself into Aurora then thought of the palace she'd entered last time. Light enveloped her and she felt the light brush her arm as she saw Raine looking away, the light too bright for her eyes.

Once in Orlumen, Aurora looked around, trying to see if she could find the library. Instead, she heard something. A small squeak of panic and something moving quickly. She turned around quickly, her glowing dress flying and hitting something—someone—in the face. Raine.

"What the hell, Raine! I told you it was too bright!"

Hands still over her eyes and eyes shut tight Raine looked up in Aurora's general direction. "I tripped and touched your arm as you went so..."

"Oh, I thought that was the light surrounding me...Nevermind. Raine, I need to take you back before this permanently damages your eyes or something," Aurora put her hand on Raine's back. "Let me take you back."

Raine reached behind herself and pushed the hand away, her eyes still shut tight. "No. I have to get my eyes used to this."

"What do you think, some sort of magic bullshit is gonna do this for you!? There is no magic bullshit!"

"I don't know! I just felt like I should be able to..."

"It's not your fault, Raine. Now let me take you back and I'll—"

"Wait, there's something weird going on. You know how through closed eyes you can still see light?"

"Yeah. So?"

"There's this weird spot where there's no light."

Aurora looked around and spotted it quickly before looking away in pain. "Okay, I'm gonna grab your left hand and take you to it, OK?"

"OK."

Aurora grabbed Raine's hand and the two slowly walked to it. Aurora couldn't tell what it was since the sight of it hurt her Lumin eyes and she was currently trying to not look at it. As the two got closer Aurora saw something strange. Movement. Putting her hand over her eyes and looking through her fingers she watched it as she kept walking closer. As they reached it, she saw that it was like a mist. There was a plaque.

The Mist of Lumoculo

All who do not come from this place may into it if they wish to help their eyes see this place without pain. But be warned, seeing in the dark will forever be painful for whoever enters the mist. Not deadly, but painful. Walk into the mist if you dare.

"Raine, I figured out what it is," Aurora said slowly.

"What is it?"

"This mist stuff will allow you to see in Orlumen. But," Aurora pulled Raine back. "It will make the dark painful. Like the Forsaken for me as Aurora."

"But you, like, trained to overcome that, right?"

"Yeah, but I think the adrenaline helped a bit. Point is if you choose to walk into the mist that's what will happen."

"Will normal nighttime be painful?"

"Probably a little bit, just like a sting or something. Not full-on fainting like I was in pitch black while training."

"Okay, I'll do it then. Just push me into it so you don't have it touch you," Raine sounded determined.

Aurora wasn't going to argue with Determined-Raine. That version of Raine was not to be messed with.

"Okay. I'll count down from three. Ready?"

Raine nodded.

"3. 2. 1," Aurora pushed Raine into the mist.

She heard a thump and a cough.

"Are you OK?" she said, a little panicked.

"I'm—fine," Raine said, pausing to cough.

"Sure?"

"Yeah—this stuff—is just—making—my eyes hurt—a little—and the—mist is—getting—in my lungs," Raine kept pausing to cough.

"You can get out of there if you need! You don't have to do this!"

Aurora watched as Raine opened her eyes. Her eyes looked a little weird. Her eye whites had become the same caramel color of her eyes, though unlike Aurora, she had pupils. Slowly, she emerged from the dark mist, her eyes still open. It didn't look like she was in any pain at all.

"Look like there is some magic bullshit," Raine laughed.