Lunox - Twilight Origins Part I

Chapter I

At the beginning of the world, there was only light and darkness in the Land of Dawn. In this ancient time, strength and power were the only standards to rule over the lands, and every life created by the Unique God is living under this cruel truth. For as long as anyone can recall, light and dark became the primary forces of the land. They fought for territory, for labor power, and they never stopped fighting dominance. In a land that was full of war, everyone tried to protect themselves. But sometimes, surviving is so hard that whenever or wherever you are, you always get involved in this Great War.

In a vast wasteland, smoke engulfed once-beautiful mountains. Some odious smells laid evidence to the countless killed. Scavengers crawled everywhere, devouring the corpses on the battlefields. At this time, the earth started to shake, more and more violently. Creatures and beasts alike suddenly stopped and looked into the distance, overwhelmed by fear. Dropping everything, the creatures of land scurried away to hide.

To the north was an army of white and gold, men of bulk wore capes made of feather and fur in colors of white, courageously charging into the battlefield. Warriors rode on golden lions and celestial tigers. The armor made from different beasts became their signature armor, which was said have the blessing of the Lord of Light. All of their swords, wands, and bows all had the shining radiance of Order, the cosmic force of Light. While on the other side, an army of black and indigo.

Strong men riding on black panthers and giant gray wolves dashed into the opposite battling force. Every heavy step on the ground shook the earth aggressively. Some tall men wore giant skull helms made from their hunts. They led the charge with their blood-red halberds. These different creatures swore an oath to the Lord of Abyss, whom they will never betray until death. When the armies of light and dark fought with courage and bloodlust, even the far reaches of the land would be set ablaze.

In the great enchanted forest, not far away from the battlefield, a couple was trying to make their escape. The man, wearing a black and indigo armor, was doing everything to protect the wounded pregnant woman in a golden cape. They want to leave this dense forest as soon as possible. The man, named Orfax, could not stop asking about her injuries. No matter what difficult situation they were in, he never let her hand go. Even though his body was full of wounds, he was still trying to safely take the woman through the forest. She seemed not to be able to make it, with her wounds getting worse with blood soaking over her body. He realized that he will lose both her and their baby.

In that wasteland, shining gold and deep indigo took over the whole battlefield. When the armies of light and dark clashed,  thunders and flashes of lightning descended from the skies, even the sky was divided into black and white. Every being in the battleground knew, whoever won this fight, would come to rule the Land of Dawn. Each army shouted into the sky, the names of the light and dark lords resounded through the clouds and skies. The Lord of Light and the Lord of Abyss were both accumulating power and attacking one another in this decisive battle. When the power of light and darkness met in the sky, the Lord of Light and the Lord of Abyss felt a strange but great power arising somewhere in the Enchanted Forest. The Lord of Abyss shouted out in laughter as if he just found a thrilling new treasure. He snapped his fingers and some of his forces rapidly left the battlefield, making way towards the deep forest. The Lord of Light also realized this power. He too ordered soldiers to follow the source of the energy, and said to his subordinates “Bring him back.” 

Chapter II

In the Enchanted forest, ancient trees covered the entire night sky. Warriors of the Lord of Light were traveling through these lands with haste. They found some bloodstains on the ground. A warrior dipped some blood with his finger and smelt it closely. The mixed smell of blood and mud seemed to reveal some information. The warriors of light had to shorten the distance between them and the forces sent by the Lord of Abyss.

They knew the woman who left her people out of love belonged to the forces of Light, and she had to be brought back. They started running faster towards a valley far away from the battlefield. Deep in the Forest, a tribe in the valley emerged into view. Black and golden figures have approached the valley entrance. A bit deeper from the entrance, the young couple is dragging their wounded bodies trying to arrive at the tribe. They heard before that this tribe is the hometown of prophet mages in the Land of Dawn. But more importantly, the ancient legends recorded that a powerful object was kept in this valley --  The Twilight Orb. Legends say once the Twilight Orb is activated that its immense energy can end all wars.

This couple was both from great families. However, one family served the Lord of Light, and the other served the Lord of Abyss. Tired of war and the conflict between their two royal houses, the couple escaped in pursuit of peace. They desired a peaceful life not only for themselves but also for the entire Land of Dawn. Unfortunately, the more they wished for peace, the more oppressed they became.

Orfax, carrying his wounded lover, belied the world didn't have to be like this. He came to know of the Twilight Orb from the Lord of Abyss. As one of the divine artifacts created by the Unique God, the Twilight Orb had enough power to grant its owner unquestioned rule over the Land of Dawn. Orfax hoped to gain the Twilight Orb in order to bring everlasting peace to the land, a world with no war and know idealogical conflicts–Only then could he safely and peacefully be with his love.

Although but a myth, Orfax was held onto his belief in the Twilight Orb and was determined to find it. When Orfax brought his pregnant wife to the tribe, the most honorable chief had already known why they traveled to the tribe. This prophet’s tribe didn’t want to get involved in this war, but also couldn’t accept a reality where this loving and wounded couple would have to face war another day. At first, the chief tried to persuade them to leave.

 When the couple began begging for safe passage, the forces of darkness appeared behind them. Black smoked fumed out of twisted creatures, without the proper armor anything that touched the creatures would succumb to darkness. The chief of the tribe desperately tried to declare that the tribe was neutral. However, he was swiftly killed by followers of the Lord of Abyss before finishing his pleas. Monsters destroyed the whole tribe without mercy and kept looking for the woman, Orfax's love. No matter how well she hid, the monsters of darkness could sniff her out. Orfax was desperate to stop the monsters but still couldn’t fight numerous enemies. A sudden scream attracted everyone. Monsters rushed towards the scream and began tearing an ancient building apart to find the origin of the sound. No one knew when the crumbling walls would fall. Suddenly a shining light killed all the monsters inside. The golden and white warriors joined the fight, wielding their swords. When the light and darkness started to fight against each other again, Orfax who came for the dark side, had to avoid Light Warriors’ attack in order to save his love from the collapsing building. Monsters of darkness kept attacking the building. When citizens of the tribe were running away from all sides, Orfax stayed close to his love and shielded lots of energy attacks against her. He looked at her face with tears dropping from his eyes. Orfax kept enduring blow after blow against his body. Gradually, he couldn’t take any more. The Warriors of Light were relentless. When Orfax was about to die, the sudden cry of a baby burst out into the air. Warriors stopped attacking, and Orfax smiled.

When the forces of Light and Dark were still fighting one another, a great energy shock pulsed through the land. Both light and dark forces were damaged heavily. A baby covered with a gold and black halo was born. No one knew if there is a relation between this baby and the energy shock. But the shock has solved the crisis of war. The baby was named Lunox by her mother.

Far away from the valley, on the vast battlefield, Lord of Light and Lord of Abyss were enjoying the war. However, at the moment that Lunox was born an enormous halo appeared above their heads. Both Lords felt that the mysterious ring was trying to absorb their elemental power, while their forces had lost control of themselves. The two celestial Lords worried that they might lose all of their power, quickly they disappeared and left. When the armies of Light and Darkness left the battlefield, the light ring gradually vanished. While many questions laid unanswered, one thing was for sure–The mysterious halo brought an end to centuries long conflicts.

Chapter III

With the grand war coming to a mysterious end, the Lords of Light and the Abyss had to retreat to their domains to recharge their energy. As time past, the two Lords kept pondering how the energy of the mysterious halo brought the war to a close. Deep within them, they knew that the legends of the Twilight Orb had come true. At the same time, their followers abandoned their fielty and pursued their own personal desires. The hidden tribe in the valley thus became the next target for both lords.

In the Prophet’s tribe, where Lunox was born, her parents helped the tribe’s survivors find a better place to live. The prophets had to give up their original homes within the valley and moved to somewhere more secret. Even so, they still worried about Lunox. They recalled the battle during which they lost their oldest chief and the terrifying energy wave lingered within their minds. Some prophets even foresaw an even more cataclysmic catastrophe looming over them. All the bad symbols led to Lunox and she was viewed as an ominous sign.

Lunox grew up bit by bit. The energy of black and light halo became a part of her. Her black and white made her the topic of gossip within the tribe. Some naughty kids tried to tease or bully Lunox every day. Yet, the cute and simple Lunox still lived a happy life.

Lunox's parents kept telling her that her most important duty in life is to protect the tribe. She was always happy to help others and wished to contribute to the tribe in any way. When she saw a tall and thin boy, bullied by some kids, she went to him instantly and tried to help him. Unluckily, this shy boy got teased more because of hiding behind a girl. The shy boy shouted, "I don’t need help from an alien!” Then, he ran away towards the Enchanted Forest, but the forest was so dangerous that Lunox wanted to stop him. While other mean kids didn’t let her chase after him, they kept laughing and teasing her. That’s the first time that Lunox heard so many negative words.  Words teasing her about her different look, her hair colors, or how she didn't have many friends. When those mean kids wouldn’t stop talking about when she was born and called her something like a demon, devil or monster, Lunox became deeply hurt. Her heart was broken.

She ran away from the tribe as fast as possible to leave those who bullied her. She was running but without directions. She calmed herself and then she realized that she was on the verge of the Dark Forest. Lunox saw some giant trees, strange plants, and odd flowers. She got attracted to this mysterious but beautiful scene. She decided to venture deeper to admire the beauty of nature. However, a sudden scream burst out which led her to an entrance of a black cave. Screams came out of the cave, from a person who sounded familiar to Lunox. She ran into the cave. When Lunox gets serious, she looks just like a boy with short blonde hair and a pinch of black hair. Her clear and pretty eyes were looking around the cave.

She hoped that the cave was used for hunting by her tribe so that she can find some equipment to make a fire. Fortunately, she found the equipment and made a fire. There are 3 paths in the deeper cave. Lunox chose the mid lane according to her instincts. She found the boy but the boy was bitten by some beast. When he saw the appearance of Lunox, the boy looked a bit grateful. Lunox wanted to take him out of there. She saw a lot of ancient carvings on the wall. The carving seems to show a war, perfectly encapsulating the pain that conflict brought to the land. The last carving, which is the longest and biggest, showed countless soldiers in it more than any other carvings. Lunox didn’t find anything strange until she saw that there is a girl of black and white, just like her, in the middle of armies.

Lunox heard some weird sounds from behind her. She instinctively stood up and ran away, but a huge tail appeared in front of her. She tried her best to protect the boy but fell down by accident. Luckily, the torch is still burning but it was almost at the end of the cave. Lunox became darker and a lightning shot down from the sky and illuminated the cave. Lunox saw a giant snake-like creature moving slowly to her. She could see its deep dark skin, huge mouth with sharp saw teeth, and a pair of cold blood eyes. Come from nowhere, Lunox heard an old slithering and said, “Are you afraid of darkness?”

Lunox calmed down after hearing that voice. She thought of her mothers’ words, "Wherever the darkness lies, you will always be the light”. Lunox saw that the monster blocked the cave entrance. When another flash of lightning hit, she saw something shining near the torch. She stared into the darkness and felt that the wet, cold snake was wrapping around her feet and legs.

 At this moment when the brightest lightning hit the earth, the snake withdrew a bit. The giant snake lifted Lunox’s body and threw it into the cave. Lunox got hurt but she immediately stood up and limped to the corner of the cave. She saw a golden crystal embedded in the wall. She grasped it. When her hand touched the warm crystal, she felt that she was full of energy. She absorbed in all the energy that she could feel from the crystal. “Light can expel darkness,” she thought in her mind. She turned over and raised her hands towards the approaching monster, shouted “Starlight Pulse!” The snake was hit by a bright energy wave, it made a painful sound then fell over. When Lunox fell on her knees out of fear, the basilisk was cut in two. Tired, Lunox looked into the pieces of the snake and she saw a familiar male figure. That was his father with a deep blue sword on his hand. Lunox cried “Dad!” and then fainted.

When Lunox awoke, she didn’t realize that there were three other people standing behind her father. They were shamans and 2 experienced hunters from the tribe, who were family members of the boy she chased after. Lunox could overhear the hunters telling Orfax that this cave was marked by tribe’s shamans. Apparently, not long ago, they felt a dark presence lurking within this cave and forbade people from venturing near it, but still, some people went missing. Without hesitation, Lunox’s dad started to dissect the giant snake and discovered that a monster tamer he knew was one of the snake's victims. Everyone felt a seething anger, as they realized that someone in the tribe must have given in to the powers of darkness, otherwise such a beast would not have been here. In the end, they burned the snake's corpse. Orfax led his daughter, Lunox, out of the cave and into the light.

Far away from this cave, prophets from tribe told people that the monsters and beasts that plagued the world are planning to come again. 

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***