Now back on Wattpad! ---- In a land covered in eternal night, a young girl's light is all that stands between Mankind and the Forces of Darkness. When the Sun Goddess vanished under mysterious circumstances a thousand years ago, she left the land of Kuro blanketed in eternal night. Over time, the people learn to harness what remains of the Goddess: the precious and finite resource known as the Goddess Essence. Kurokyuu Orbs, miracles of modern technology, harvest the Goddess Essence and provide light and power to all. But there is a problem: the Goddess Essence is running out. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. Whispers abound of a growing evil in the North; stories of shadows that can only be harmed by the light of the sun. From out of the darkness rises the City of the Sun. Light Spires shine through all twenty-four hours, providing artificial sunlight for all. Everyone that is, but the residents of the Utter Darkness. In this forsaken place, Mina, a young orphan, is forced to beg and steal on the streets to sustain herself in the hardscrabble way of life. In the darkest corners, Marauders lurk, hunting little girls, searching for the one known only as "The Maiden". When Mina falls captive to a roving band of Marauders, she is faced with a life-altering decision: reveal the secret she has been hiding her entire life or stay silent and risk losing her already meager existence? When people die as a result of her inaction, Mina realizes her secret is no longer hers to keep. A secret that lies in a most unusual ability: The power to manifest sunlight... Copyright © 2013 - 2014 Michael Limjoco

"What the hell?" I took a step closer to the mirror, staring at my reflection in disbelief. The person looking back was still me, but at the same time it wasn't. I had the same thick, dark, curly hair. The same hazel eyes. The same olive skin with a light dusting of freckles (ugh) scattered across the bridge of my nose. But my curls were now streaked with highlights. And not the subtle, golden-brown ones that sometimes appeared during the summer. No, these were an aggressive, dazzling blond that went from the roots of my hair all the way to the tips. It looked like I had spent a full day getting my hair done in some upscale salon. Never mind that I had never set foot in such a place since the day I was born. My eyes appeared somehow wider and more luminous. The colour brighter, my eyelashes darker up against them. And, when I looked closely, my pupils seemed to be slitted almost like a cat. I looked down at my body. My skinny arms-which had always refused to gain any definition no matter how hard I exercised-were lined with flat, wiry muscles. My bony shoulders were now curved and smooth. My scrawny legs were toned like a dancer. I reached down and lifted my shirt, revealing two subtle lines running vertically down my perfectly flat stomach, hinting at the rock-hard abs underneath. My whole body was rippling with strength. Like liquid steel.