Author's note: A new theme is made for Before Light - Remastered, now on Youtube. Feel free to have a listen while reading, cheers! Youtube URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoznKQ9fa9c&t=51s

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Firren wasn’t expecting any disturbance while he occupied himself in excessive training to bury his thoughts of what had happened and how he had nearly cut Vitas down while demonstrating battle tactics, which was more like asserting dominance at that moment of zeal. His thoughts were of the apparent dismay in Yuri’s teary eyes, and to wipe it away from his mind, he engaged in more sets of battle simulations when suddenly it came, rocking the whole of the Betelgeuse ship, circuits blacking out, lights exploding. As if struck by a Demon’s catastrophic blow, slamming Firren to the floor with such crushing force that stunned his ability to breathe, halting all mechanisms of his body.

Firren sprang to his feet, Starbreaker armor summoned as soon as the dreadful pressure was gone. Through his experiences, the commander surmised a wide-range wave attack with an effect range as massive as the thousand-mile-long airship. If even he could barely withstand such impulse, then the Captain…and Yuri…!

The caller hanging on the training center wall rang in alarm at that moment as Firren quickly answered.

“ Captain…! Is everything alright?! Where is Yuri?!”

“ She is safe. I’ll look for her, while I need you to assist me elsewhere.” The stern Captain calmly gave the orders, even under detrimental assault Bradson knew the priorities to be done.

“ Head to the laboratory, as fast as you can.”

“ The lab? But captain—”

“ You’ll understand soon enough.”

Firren wasn’t sure if the Captain had overestimated his intuitions, for when he arrived at the airship lab center, what he first beheld was beyond him.

Interfaces shattered, equipment in pieces, walls cracked and breaking down; it was when he saw Reina did things start to dawn on the stupefied commander.

“ Reina, what have you—” Firren helped the darkened expressions secretary up to her feet before he saw the large immobile body of Seito, lying face down just steps away, next to a pulverized Restoration Device.

Firren assumed the worst.

“ Let’s get you to the infirmary.” Firren hoisted the desperately silent Reina up onto his shoulder.

“ The Androids will carry him, if they can without breaking down.”

…

………

Yuri feared she had wasted too much time already and sprang to her feet, rushing across the rows of tall bookshelves until she came to the large aperture in the wall, chilling winds pulling out violently like beastly hands that grasped nothing of weight.

With her Starbreaker helmet activating its automatic tracer visual, Yuri managed to squint a spec sinking down into the clouds below.

The hover droid with Neliya’s book.

Without hesitation, throwing back all thought and concern, fearing nothing but failing to retrieve what was most dear to Neliya, her friend, Yuri leapt out of the Betelgeuse, shooting her grappling hook far away, pinning to the air miles down to the clouds as she sailed down along the energy chord pulling her full speed below, focusing her target on the cylindrical mono eyed droid escaping further and further down to the barren lands.

One after another, Yuri’s blue stardust grappling hooks gave chase, taking her closer and closer to the earth, yet the droid was shrinking more and more within her vision. She summoned her grappling hooks further away, pulling the chords faster, but still, she was falling behind.

That was when a shadow flew passed above her, a hand stretching out to her which she took by instinct, gripping tightly to none other than Vitas, whose emerald winged Starbreaker loomed close above, the runes on the shimmering feather blades glimmering under the sun outshining the light.

“ Hold on tight!” Vitas warned before he kicked the clouds behind his feet, accelerating in improbable speed, a hundred times faster than her own grappling hooks, Yuri thought as the world sped past them in undiscernable blurs.

Yet the droid was clearer than before, growing more and more apparent among the vast blue skies.

“ You’ll have to shoot it down!” Vitas called as they reached closer and closer to the droid.

“ But do not shoot the chest. Or you’ll blast the books!”

Yuri knew her impulse would let her accidentally shoot the chest and destroy everything the hover droid held. It’s a good thing Vitas was here with her, assisting the mission. She finally felt secure and confident in teamwork for the first time as a Starbreaker.

Following her training, Yuri flipped out her sword rifle which materialized within her grasp, pointing forward at the droid to see—

Her sword rifle missing its front half, cracked at the middle, the upper portion, and the sharp tip missing.

“ Oh no…” The other half had been shattered when she stabbed Archdemon Death’s eye two episodes ago.

“ …We got a problem here…!”

Vitas looked down and saw what happened.

“ I’ll toss my shield!” Vitas summoned his round shield onto his left hand.

“ Wait!” Yuri didn’t want to risk Vitas’ shield, which won’t come back by itself after being tossed out to nowhere, unlike other self-tracing weapons.

“ Let me try…!”

As if epiphany, a simple idea flashed through her mind, carrying her along as Yuri dematerialized the armor around her hand, and with the particles, she summoned them to the rifle’s broken tip.

Vitas wondered in bewilderment but focused on chasing the droid and left Yuri to her own experiment, a sudden confidence in Yuri he never knew he had.

Yuri too wasn’t fully sure of the chemistry of nanoparticles in her hands, feeling like hands guiding her patiently, a warm calming sensation leading her step by step to the point where it required her focus, and determination, through her mind and will to stabilize what she had molded with the liquidus particles a new tip stabilized with golden lined runes she had drawing without knowing how.

There needed no voice, but a surging intensity that encouraged Yuri more and more, deeper and deeper, focusing but one thing in mind, until—abandoning all sensation, including herself.

She saw nothing through her darkened eyes, she felt nothing within her numbed nerves.

Yuri just knows.

A beam soared out from below as Vitas watched intensely, following the thin but dazzling stream of white and pale blue, arching down into the clouds and collided to a flash and a spark of flame and light, dispersing the clouds as black smog trailed downward as the droid descended under gravity’s pull, plunging in a straight trajectory to the earth.

“ You got it, Yuri!” Vitas cried in awe. “ The droid is down!... Yuri…? Yuri?!”

Vitas tightened his grip as her fingers slightly let go and her body hang in the air numbly, in power-exhausted slumber yet again.

…

…………

Back in the Betelgeuse, where most of the children gathered at the large hole in the library wall, one child stayed behind, accompanying the lonely wolf cub, whining with guilt.

Despite the fear and rejection from the others, young Momo still scooped the fluffy critter up and curled it in her cozy arms.

“ I knew you would never hurt us.” Momo chuckled, cuddling and comforting the errored pup.

Lima, standing by, silently let go of her golden locket, confused and conflicted by what she believed and what she saw. If this creature really isn’t a Demon…then she had nearly slain the last remaining species of pure existence. For someone who had seen nearly enough, Lima realized she still had many to learn and see.

But she couldn’t help it. Her perception of the world had been shattered once, and to believe and rebuild trust in these trying times, proves to be a task harder than exterminating Demons.

Yet one thing bothers her also. How did Momo know this Wolf cub meant no harm?

…

……….

The beaming rays of the high sun flashed her back to consciousness as Yuri came to, at last, sitting up at a flat rock over a dune to what beheld her astonished eyes a sunken city half devoured by the mounds of rough coarse sand everywhere. Ashen straight obelisks submerged over the dullish light brown, mottled all over either by shattered window panes or the destruction planted eons ago.

Yuri stood up from her spot, gazing more as dilapidated capsized towers filled her sight, the air close to the frail iron infrastructures wavy in extreme heat. The scale upon her visor indicated high temperatures, good thing her Starbreaker armor keeps her cool within, Yuri thought as she hopped down the flare rock, just to realize it was once a rooftop of a nearly engulfed building.

From ahead, Yuri saw Vitas fly back as he landed swiftly next to her.

“ There are Demons dormant underneath the sands, but they are quite far away.” Vitas sent the zones inhabited by Demons to Yuri’s map atop her visor screen.

“ The droid landed somewhere here. But it escaped. Look.”

Vitas pointed at a scorched crater a few steps to Yuri’s right. One of the mono-eyed hover droid’s machine arms was sticking out of the steaming sand.

“ It can’t go far. You got a direct hit through its thrusters.”

“ Then where did it go?” Yuri looked over the smoking pit of sand, searching for a trace of the book-stealing android.

There, drawn across the waves of sand, written in answer to Yuri’s question, was a thick line of bright liquid light essence traversing ahead to the north.

“ It left its fuel leaking,” Vitas then pointed to the very end of the line of light fuel.

“ Into there.”

Yuri followed Vitas’ finger, and saw, at the high horizons, a spiked castle piled up by slanting towers of metal, a citadel of iron garbage made up of abandoned buildings and teetered monuments lying atop each other into a domed fortress.

“ Then that’s where we will go.”

Fearlessly, Yuri marched forth, before Vitas suggested he fly them both with his Starbreaking wings, which escorted them to the crumbled tower citadel in no time. Wings sure are convenient, Yuri admired silently as she soared through the air with Vitas carrying her in his arms.

There seemed no entrance at first glance, but Vitas managed to find a hole at the very top the wreck of metal junk cumulated all over the iron citadel’s apex. Through the wide hollow, they descended, reaching deep until they touched a slanted iron platform. Under the round area of light from the hole above, everything beyond was shrouded in sheer darkness.

Yuri and Vitas both scanned their surroundings, both confirming no Demon kind.

But then a new alarm started to pop up atop their visor screens, a warning which Yuri had never encountered before. Neither have Vitas.

“ …Light-blooded kind…detected?” Yuri read the warnings that kept on flashing as multiple targets were identified in the dark before them. Yuri and Vitas both raised their weapons in foreboding, only to see a lamp light up in soothing glimmers a mile away.

Then another, and another. One after the next, bright orange balls of light blossomed around them until their surroundings were fully illuminated and what beheld the two Starbreakers eyes daunted them on the spot.

Wrought among the fallen towers and buildings, crooked yet organized, was a gathering of shacks and cottages, piling upon each other in rows and columns in an oblique fashion, decorated by useless metal planks and spare rusted parts of old. Wires sprouting out light bulbs entangled and circled the outlines of the crooked capsules, casting shadows under the crouched, skittish figures that peered at them both behind the thin dented corroded walls in awe and excitement.

Many many eyes, Yuri and Vitas saw circling all over, glistening as bright as the bright bulbs, gazed widely at their presence. None of them moved.

“ Umm…We mean no harm…!” Yuri declared to the staring shadows, putting her weapon behind her.

“ Don’t put away your sword rifle! They might mean harm!” Vitas whispered, shield and saber still raised.

“ But…they look just like us.” Yuri whispered back. “ They are looking at us, just as we are looking at them. Besides, if they meant harm, they would have attacked us in the dark.”

So saying, Yuri opened her Starbreaker visor. letting the nanoparticles fingers unwrapped around her face, revealing her fair welcoming features, brushing her stroke of radiant blue side ponytail back.

“ I am Yuri! And I am a Starbreaker! I am looking for a droid with six…five arms now! The droid took something away from me! I just want it back!”

A wave of whispers rippled across the figures hiding behind their flimsy eroded shacks. Then silence enveloped the interior of the citadel and none of them moved. Just stared with those wide unprovoking, helpless eyes.

“ They might not understand what I said.” Yuri tried to figure out another way to communicate.

“ Uh…Android! Round, and flying.” Yuri drew a round shape with her arms widely spread.

“ Fell into here!” Yuri pointed at the ground.

“ Me, want!” then Yuri pointed at herself.

Still, just silent stares.

Yuri could hear Vitas’ restrained chuckle underneath his activated helm.

“ Vitas, need some suggestions here!”

“ Ahem…I suggest we move closer. Of course, with my shield on.” So Yuri and Vitas stepped forth, each step at a time, nearing the metal-condensed houses behind his raised shield. Yuri marveled at the sight of such queer housing, an unworldly design of habitat unlike any other that still exists on this barren earth.

That was when Yuri sensed the figures, the Light-blooded kind moving out of their dingy abodes, bustling out as they scampered down to their knees on the floor, prostrating in deep murmur.

Within a closer range, the dwellers within the wreaked walls now see clearly through their devolved eye-sight who the two persons were. And they were overjoyed.

Yuri and Vitas stopped. His shield he raised higher.

“ Holy Starbreakers….” Yuri heard them coming folk chant in reverence as the voices grew louder the more they came forth.

“ Holy Starbreakers…deliver us…Rescue us from suffering…”

And together they prayed aloud, their craving voices echoing around the circular dome into a buzzing choir.

“ Holy Starbreakers…deliver us…End our suffering…and send us, to the Land of Light…!

Send us, to the Land of Light…!”

“ Land of Light…?” Yuri looked at them all in astonishment. “ You know where the land of light is?!” Yuri rushed forth despite Vitas’ disapproval and came to one of the dark-dwelling folk, a frail bearded old man in a loose tunic, kneeling down to his level and asked again quickly.

“ Do you know where the Land of Light is?!”

The old man stared with his eyes widening to improbable proportions, still chanting his previous verses as if Yuri’s words were never spoken. Or perhaps, their hearing was of no use after all these decades living under the ground.

“ Deliver us…Holy Starbreaker…!” The old man prayed with all the kneeling people surrounding her.

“ Only you…can deliver us to the Land of Love and Light…the promised paradise…!”

“ Me…??” Yuri was puzzled. “ But I don’t know where it is! Please, tell me where is this Land of Light that you speak!”

“ But…are you not a Starbreaker?” a clear curious voice of a young girl asked behind the walls. There, Yuri looked up in haste, to see this young girl, that seemed unlike the other dwellers amongst the shadows, was the only one that stood a distance away, not kneeling nor praying like all the others, but leaning close behind the decayed fortification, watching the two Starbreakers with slight fear and intimidation. A tunic she wore with a cloak covering the right side below her shoulder, with dull golden hair twisted into ornate locks flowing down one side along her chest. The girl’s face was as pure and innocent as her voice and demeanor, yet an unease reflected in those dark black eyes under the dim lights hanging above.

The girl stepped back a small step, apparent hesitance in her every move.

“ If you are a Starbreaker, surely you would know what the Land of Light is? Do you not?!” Stress and trepidation evident in the innocent girl’s voice.

“ I…I don’t.” Yuri admitted. “ I don’t know where the Land of Light is. Is it a place that Starbreakers are supposed to know?”

“ Yes.” the innocent girl replied coldly, moving back into her shadow.

“ That is where you Starbreakers take all our lights to.”

Both Yuri and Vitas were at a loss.

“ …What?” Yuri asked again, thinking she might had hear it wrong. “ What do we take your light for…??”

“ It is ordained…!” The old man suddenly rose up from his prayer, gratitude fueling his begging cry.

“ The Lord so promised…! The Lord had sent… Starbreakers! All across the lands to save his people…! To save our Light Hearts and bring them to the Land that is promised! The Land of Light! Is it not the reason why you brought… the Light Seeker? ”

“ The what now?” Vitas asked.

They soon got their answer as the ruin-dwellers lead them deep into their fragile abode, within a room lit with candles and solar-powered tiny light bulbs, there, to Yuri and Vitas’ horror,

seated the wounded mono-eyed hover droid,

hugging with its remaining five mechanic arms thick books it had stolen. Among them was Neliya’s cherished volume.

Yuri immediately drew her sword rifle and was ready to open fire when all the residents of the abandoned citadel leapt up to their scrawny feet, rushing to the front and shielding the mono-eyed droid behind their backs.

“ No! No! Deliver us!! Not doom us all!!” The citadel folks, mostly consisting of the elderly, cried in utmost frustration with their arms hurtling in fear, not afraid to sacrifice, only to protect the hover-droid at all cost.

“ Are you out of your mind?!” Yuri shouted angrily, trying to reason with the elderly folk that pushed her back in group waves of their shriveled bodies.

“ That droid is evil! It took away my friend’s book!!”

But the people would not listen but frantically push and shove, uttering incoherent prayers that buzzed around the small chamber. Yuri and Vitas tried to escape but were stuck by the filing folk that kept on squeezing in while the other half tried to push them out.

The innocent girl with the half cloak, however, climbed up to the low ceiling into a secret passage above, hiding there and watching the commotion below in disgust.

Yuri could barely breeze as the bodies and shadows and even the voices were about to drown her when suddenly a clear monotonous voice spoke.

“ Silence.”

Everything, everyone, came to a halt.

All eyes were on the Mono-eyed Droid that had just spoken.

“ I would like to have a word with our two noble Starbreakers. In private.”

Obeying with grand reverence, all the Light-Hearted folk filed out of the small cavern and left the two standing alone, before the android’s presence.

Yuri drew out her sword rifle once again.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“ I would like to have a word…” The hover droid tried to reason.

“ I don’t care if you could talk or not.” Yuri snapped angrily. “ I’ll take back what you have stolen from Neliya!”

“ I will give it back to you, Yuri. And…”

Yuri froze.

“ …How…why do you know my name…?” Yuri asked, stepping back from the droid, whose one red flaring eye stared deep into Yuri’s Light soul.

Though monotonous its voice may sound, there was pride and confidence behind the one that had spoken through this communicative automaton.

“ It’s been a long time since we met, my dear…child.” The robotic voice spoke as the droid slowly sat up straight.

“ You may not remember me, but it doesn’t matter. I know you, both. And considering the current circumstances ahead of us, I have decided to have a compromise. Why not strike a bargain? What say you?”

“ We won’t bargain with you, whatever you are!” Yuri snarled.

“ Then you would force me to self-destruct this droid, burning this precious book you so craveth dearly. Is this what you want?” The droid asked, benignly in his toneless voice.

Gripping tightly at her weapon, Yuri reluctantly put her sword rifle back behind her.

“ What do you want?” Yuri asked disdainfully.

“ I would like to perform my purpose here. And after I am finished, you can have the book.”

“ What purpose?”

“ Ahh…” The android buzzed in a muffled rattle as if the one behind its speakers was laughing sinisterly.

“ So, your Captain didn’t tell you of the Starbreaker’s purpose? That is very unfortunate.”

“ What Purpose!?” Yuri demanded angrily, her hand on her weapon but she knew she shouldn’t fire it now, for Neliya’s book.

“ To deliver the Light-Hearted ones to the promised paradise. Collect the Light in their hearts and escort them to eternal bliss. It is the ultimate task, aside from slaying Demons that hinders our progress.”

The voice of the droid replied forthrightly.

Yuri and Vitas both exchanged looks of sheer bewilderment.

“ To perform this task, I need someone to fix my broken parts and refill my wasted fuel. You may seek help around this village, or from your ship and captain, for I’ll be waiting right here...”

And the voice left the droid, leaving it lying back a lifeless husk.

Hiding above the space in the ceiling floors, the innocent girl in the half cloak listened, with a frown deepening between her thin brow.

…

………..

Captain Bradson was already there when Firren rushed to the scene within the ship library, affront the aperture in the wall that was being fixed by repair androids.

“ Don’t tell me…they jumped ship?” Firren expected the worst. But Bradson captain revealed a far direr truth.

“ His scrutiny has caught upon us.” Bradson grunted in deep thought. “ With his ever-existing eyes, He has infiltrated my ship…and lured Yuri off below!”

Firren understood the gravity through his Captain’s fuming voice. He had seldom felt the aged man’s rage firsthand.

Before Firren could suggest halting the Betelgeuse and start a search, his Starbreaker caller rang with alarm.

“ It’s Yuri!” Firren recognized the code number and answered in haste.

Yuri quickly informed both commander Firren and Bradson captain of their plight and explained how they have to fix the droid to get Neliya’s book back.

Reluctantly, Bradson captain decided with a sigh.

“ Halt the Betelgeuse. Firren, you’ll follow Yuri’s location and do as that droid says.”

“ But, captain…” Firren’s concerns were of the entity behind Droid that had pulled the strings and is never a force to be trusted easily.

“ We don’t have much choice.” Bradson replied gravely. “ Secure Yuri’s safety at all cost.”

At this moment, Neo, with a group of his trusted boys and girls, came to the Captain’s presence with serious resolve.

“ Captain, if there is any way,” Neo, Leader of the children spake for all his kinsfolk.

“ We would willing to help in any way. That droid took something from us, we can’t just stand idle!”

Bradson scratched his chin in contemplation.

“ Well…I think there is a way…” The captain looked around the droids standing by behind the curious children, his thoughts forming into shape.

…

……….

As Yuri went to higher ground to make the call, Vitas stood not far away behind her, overlooking the wreaked village in the shadows cautiously while the village dwellers stared with sickened longing at the two Starbreakers behind their own walls. Their morbid wide eyes sent chills down Vitas’ spine, and when the whisper came all of a sudden from behind, Vitas jolted back in vigilance.

“ Not expecting to see you here.”

It was the blonde girl in the village, dressed in the half-sided cloak slanted over her beige colored tunic to the right.

Vitas was startled. “ What do you mean?”

“ I mean what I said.” The girl replied secretively, with a faint curl up her thin lips.

“ I was not expecting your arrival.”

Vitas thought this young woman might be as crazy as the light-hearted folk living inside these wretched shacks, locking themselves behind these metal wreckage walls in fear of the Demons that hunt their light souls. And the best solution, Vitas thought, for crazy people is to block them out through ignorance.

Vitas turned away to mind his own business, but the girl followed close.

“ That is a nice Starbreaker armor.” the girl then changed her tone to a lighter attitude, praising Vitas as he moved further away, to no avail from the girl’s stalking.

“ How did you get it to work? Is it perhaps through linking the past—”

“ Miss, I don’t know you and I beg your pardon. But I don’t feel like chatting right now. So please, just leave me alone.”

Vitas begged with much courtesy, which in exchange earned a taunting laugh from the girl with the one-sided cloak.

“ …You can’t be—” The girl gasped and stopped short, yet, her expression turned from shock to sheer concern as soon as she realized through Vitas’ serious stare that the young man was telling the truth.

“ I see…” The village girl stepped back a few steps, appalled and amused at the same time.

“ So You actually did it…well, then…”

With a hurried swipe of her dull hay golden hair backward, the girl stepped back away.

Vitas sighed quietly with a sense of relief, but not for long.

“ I hope you do not forget anything of now, ‘Starbreaker’.” The girl called at the brink of the shadows before the one shaft of light from the opening above.

“ It would be such a shame. By the way, there is light fuel and some spare parts stored in the sub-basements to your right.”

And before she vanished, with a sneer, she whispered.

“ …May our reunion at the Land of Light, be a glorious one…”

Living in darkness sure would drive anyone insane, Vitas thought as he scanned with his visor detector at his right. Indeed, there is a niche passage down to the subterranean layers.

“ What just happened?” Vitas turned around, to Yuri who had returned from her call, looking slightly upset. “ I just saw you talk to that girl from the village.”

“ She is batshit insane.” Vitas replied candidly. “ But at least she told me there are spare parts and light fuel down there. I’ll go get them.”

“ I’ll go with you.”

“ Wait.” Vitas hesitated at Yuri’s offer. “ One of us had to keep an eye on that droid. You stay. I’ll be right back.” He advised.

Yuri complied and stayed watch at the front of the chamber where the light-hearted dwellers kept the hover droid, before the countless eyes of craving staring at her from all over the tunnels and caverns hidden under destructed wreak.

Yuri felt uneasy the more she stood around them, and thinking what the voice of the droid had said: the main goal of the Starbreaker is to collect Light from these people, and send them to the Land of Light…Yuri had wanted to ask her Captain Bradson if this was true, but considering the state of affairs, she decided to place her question aside for now and focus on retrieving Neliya’s cherished book for it's what matters the most now. Perhaps she can ask commander Firren later when he arrives…

“ You must be new.”

Yuri jumped at the sudden whisper behind her, weapon gripped close, only to let go slowly as soon as she realized it was the village girl. The one Vitas had just spoken with.

“ I…I am…” Yuri managed to answer, feeling slightly assured the more she met face-to-face with the gentle smile of the girl before her.

“ I’ve just been a Starbreaker days before. I don’t know much about this…this grand purpose…”

“ Then let me show you.” The blonde girl proposed earnestly.

“ I happen to know a thing or two about the Starbreakers, and their mission…to seek the Land of Light…”

Yuri was elated by the mention of the sacred words. “ You do?!”

The girl nodded promisingly.

“ Yes. Not much, but I am willing to share. As an apology for the rude words I said to you earlier. Follow me. Let me show you around.”

“ But, the droid—”

“ The village folk will keep it safe. Come.”

And from the secret passage leading up through the ceiling, the girl took Yuri’s hand as they traversed within the frameworks of the ancient civilization, crawling up the skeletons of a long perished kingdom lying in shambles, witnessing the lonesome yet majestic layout of the fallen world. Yuri could but imagine what this abandoned residence could have been if the turrets were set straight and the wall polished with light.

“ This was a great city.” The girl introduced like a tour guide. “ Back in the time before there were airships and Demons. There is my home.”

The girl pointed at a lone tower protruding straight among many teetered ones, looking down across the village below, with singular strings of lamp lights curled around its frame.

“ I am Varium, by the way.” The girl reached out her left hand to help Yuri climb higher above.

“ I… I am Yuri.” Yuri stammered, noticing a strange phenomenon about this girl while they climbed up above the village circle.

Varium had been climbing and holding on to things only with her left hand.

Her right hand, concealed under her half-sided cloak, seemed to be hiding something.

Yuri felt something was amiss, and Varium understood immediately, flipping her cloak away to reveal what was under. Yuri gasped, but hid her surprise and shock so as to be polite before what she saw.

A bandaged stub replaced what could have been a delicate hand from the arm up on Varium’ right side.

“ It was an accident.” Varium explained with a gentle smile. “ I barely made it. My sister…she saved me.”

Yuri nodded in silence. So Varium had a sister. But where is she now, Yuri wondered.

Within short time, the two girls had made their way up the small cottage above the lone tower, looking out of the balcony and marveling at the sight of a series of houses resting under the shade, their soothing lights flickering in the dark, as the main shaft beamed down from the center apex above.

It was a world hidden blissfully in shadow, thriving in reclusive gleam.

“ Sister and I loved to look out afar from the balconies way back.” Varium brought two small bowls of hot brown liquidus porridge and handed one to Yuri. Yuri took a sip only after Varium started to drink.

At first, Yuri hoped it was her favorite chocolate made into a stew, but it was not. It was deeper in flavor, salty yet balanced, strange yet gentle, exotic yet welcoming, that Yuri begged for more.

“ What is this divine creation?” Yuri asked in awe.

“ It’s called Curry. Stored in tin cans that turn into soup after adding water and boiling it. Sadly, that is the last can…which I stored, for sister…It’s her favorite.”

Varium looked away at the obscure village outlines below, hiding her melancholy gaze.

Yuri was sure now that the sister is no longer with them.

“ I am sorry.” Yuri spoke quietly as Varium poured her one more fill of Curry soup.

“ Don’t be.” Varium replied, sitting back down, gazing into Yuri’s eyes now.

“ You know what? There was a game me and my sister used to play back in the day in our old home. Perhaps we can play it, before…”

“ Before…?” A single shade of the sinking sun covered Varium’ eyes slowly.

“ I haven’t told you of the Starbreaker’s mission. How silly of me…” Varium sat straight before Yuri and cleared her throat. Yuri sat opposite her, straightening up her back also.

“ Light, is the one thing that powers current life forms, Yuri. Your heart, like all the others, kept this Light intact. You, and everyone here are Light Hearted kind, that is who you really are. All that defines you, all that everyone remembers in memory. Is made of Light.” Varium continued.

“ While Demons consume Light for their own reasons… Starbreakers stop them from doing so. For there is a place, a sacred place that is said to be safe and peaceful, where all light hearts can reside. Everyone wants to leave their mortal shells, leave this world of pain and hurt, and Demons, and pursue this marvelous land that is only accessible to Starbreakers.

Only Starbreakers are able to bring Light souls to this promised land, so I was told.”

“ So…the villagers here, they want us to send their Light Hearts to the Land of Light, because only Starbreakers know how?” Yuri asked. But I don’t know how!

“ That is…as The Lord so ordains.” Varium continued.

“ The… Lord…?”

“ The Lord of Light. The One in the Skies. The Savior who designed the Starbreakers and forged the Land of Light and Paradise. The Lord is the one who knows everything, about you, about Starbreakers, about the Land of Light. He is the one behind it all.”

“ Then where can I find this Lord of Light?” Yuri asked, to which Varium shrugged.

“ He is far away. Far far away. Even I couldn’t find him.” Varium sighed sadly, but then gaze hopefully into Yuri’s wide confused eyes.

“ But you can. You are a Starbreaker, an epic design under the omniscient powers of the Lord above Sky. Surely, you can find him. Surely, somewhere deep down, you know where to find him. Don’t you?”

Yuri closed her eyes, trying hard to focus on those random incoherent memories that flash here and there inside of her mind before. Perhaps some of them, even one of them, could be the answer! The answer to where the Land of Light was, where her mother was!

“ Maybe…it is stored inside me.” Yuri nodded slowly. “ But I can’t remember right now. It might take days…!”

“ It’s alright. Relax, Yuri.” Varium calmed her, brushing her back gently. “ There is no rush in sending us to the Land of Light, really, now that you are here. Besides…I still wished to stay, here, just a moment longer.”

Varium glanced solemnly around her small home as Yuri followed her gaze.

This house, this home…there must be a lot of memories with her sister here…Yuri thought sadly.

Then, clasping Yuri by the hand deeply in hers, Varium led Yuri out of the cottage.

“ There is something, a game, which Sister and I loved to play. Could you…play with me. In my Sister’s place? Please?” Varium asked from the bottom of her heart.

“ It would be my pleasure.” Yuri agreed without second thought.

…

………

As Captain Bradson marched his way into the infirmary, he saw, to his mild surprise, Reina was wide awake, sitting on the bed with bandages covering the scars and bruises around her limbs and cheek, brooding on her failed attempt.

With a long sigh, the old captain sat down next to his secretary’s bed.

“ If all you wish to say is to persuade me to stop, you may as well leave.” The Secretary exclaimed before Bradson had said anything.

“ I will do it again.”

“ I am here to tell you what happened in the library.” Bradson calmly began.

“ A Spy Droid infiltrated our ship, and took away some major documents of grave import. Including one of the child’s Book.”

Reina blanched in silence at the news.

“ Do you mean to say…that Seito and the boy brought it here?” Reina asked with contained hostility.

“ His eyes are everywhere,” Bradson replied without a thin filament of emotion voiced in his speech. “ Seito, before he roamed the lands alone, was serving one of His flagships, which sunk after a Demon scourge. It is imaginable that He had his scrutiny upon him all along.”

“ What is there to be done?” Reina asked defeatedly. “ It is as I predicted. There is no escape from Him. The only way is to let everyone remember—”

“ You are right.”

Reina was surprised by her Captain’s reply, and swift change in attitude.

“ You are right, Reina. That was my plan also, but the risk and damage it brings are too massive. Now that you know of the consequences of this pursuit. Are you still willing to tread this path?”

It didn’t take her too long to answer.

“ Yes.” Reina spoke. adamantly.

“ I am willing to try it again, to free everyone from His lies!”

…

………..

Of course, that girl is crazy, why would I believe what she said?!

Vitas asked himself as he half crawled under the dark dried-up sewers underneath the broken houses and piercing metal frameworks, lighting his way with the headlights upon his beak-shaped Starbreaker helm.

It was an underground maze, and Vitas had no confidence he could find the way back up to the surface. Should have waited for help, Vitas cursed himself as he turned around, giving up on his search when suddenly, a woeful howl echoed throughout the empty tunnels.

No doubt, Vitas’ visor detected,

A Demon’s cry.

…

………

“ Hide…and Seek?”

“ Yes. Hide and Seek.” Varium smiled, as the orange sun tanned her joyful countenance.

“ It's a simple game, You count from one to one hundred with your eyes closed, then, after you are done, you come and find me. I will be hiding somewhere, all over this tower. Above, as below. Somewhere, waiting.”

Yuri nodded slowly in understanding.

“ By the way, no Starbreaker armor allowed.” Varium reminded.

“ Alright,” Yuri deactivated her armor, sending the nanoparticles to her wristband, and closed her eyes.

Varium’s dark orange silhouette of grace engraved at the back of her eyes, still glistening in splendor.

“ I am ready.”

And there, Yuri counted.

One.

Two.

Three…

Four……..

Five………... Where will Varium hide?

Sixteen…. If I were Varium…. Where will I hide?

Twenty-five…… Where. Will. I. Hide?

Sixty-four……. Somewhere near you.

Eighty-one…… Somewhere I can see you.

Ninety-nine…. Somewhere you can find me.

One hundred.

Yuri opened her eyes.

She stood there alone.

Tears streamed down her eyes.

What…?

What is wrong with me…?

Why…?

“ So you remember. You brain-washed scum.”

What? Who’s—

Before Yuri could clear her sight, a dark grotesque, sharp eerie bulge of demonic force flew straight at her, striking Yuri with utmost impact able to fell three mountains and sent her flying from one end to the other across the wreaked citadel, crashing into some terrified dwellers’ homes.

Yuri forced her body up, withstanding the excruciating pain erupting in each and every part of her body. Vehemently, bursting out through her throat, she vomited, light, liquidus sparkling light blood from her mouth that mortified Yuri more than the Demon remnants stained all over her.

In haste, Yuri summoned her Starbreaker armor out of her nanoparticle-restoring wristband, but before the particles could swarm and wrap her around in securing formation, a strong gooey substance seized her ankle like vice, and at the next second, Yuri’s world flipped upside down.

Swinging her up high, smashing Yuri to the ceiling in a ball of dust and sending down rusted planks and stakes all over, the dark whipping entity then pulled down with all its ruthless might, plunging Yuri colliding head first into the iron platform, denting the floor before crashing deep down into the sub-basement, only to be pulled back up and tossed across the ground, rolling at high speed until smashing into a pile of the cramped metal housing, which crumbled down into dust, debris, and ruin, altogether over Yuri’s poor landing.

The light-hearted dwellers shrieked and scampered out of their houses, scurrying around in horror at the central arena when one by one, sharp long tentacles pierced through their Light hearts as they dragged the residents violently into one gaping large mouth of five sharp main protrusions with countless fangs lines at the inner layer, sinking deep into the Light-hearted people’s flesh, tearing them limb to limb, Light blood splattering everywhere as the merciless tentacles of dark mashed the poor senseless folk into mingled balls of light blooded flesh before devouring them whole, swallowing each pathetic being into’s large throat, that connected back to its host, fusing at the right side of a dark armored Demon Warrior, approaching the light without fear nor doubt.

It was Varium, stained and engulfed in tight oozing Demon metal, sharp spikes and horns protruding out of her limbs and torso, with an overgrown devilish right arm, like a Demon of its own right, lurking out from her severed arm.

Yet it was not just Varium anymore.

It is, as the Demon catalog would document in their glossaries of Doom,

A Dark Unerva.

The anti-Starbreaker.

“ Oh, oh my.” The monotonous voice of the mono-eyed droid seemed to sound amazed at the drastic turn of events.

“ This…this greatly contradicts my plans.”

As if in protest to the Demonic Warrior’s actions, the Spy Droid hoisted itself up with its five mechanic arms and crawled near Varium’s soulless presence.

“ Daring Dark Unerva, if I may,” The voice behind the droid started to strike another bargain.

“ I beseech you to look the other way and leave this Starbreaker to me. You may take all the Light hearts in this gathering, as much as you please. But that Starbreaker…leave her to me. Your rage is misplaced, and all you would do is waste good time I have hardly harvested for—”

“ I don’t give a damn.” Varium The Dark Unerva snapped viciously. Her former gentle self diminished in that one response.

“ All Starbreakers, Must Perish!”

“ Alas…such a poor choice you have to indulge in with pride…” And before the mono-eyed droid could utter any more bargains, ten sharp tentacles shot out from Varium’s monstrous hand and tore the android apart, revealing its machinery insides,

and a couple of books, falling out onto the ground.

Neliya’s dear Book, slammed onto the floor with a loud thud.

“ Huh?” Varium noticed the thick volume among the scattered gears as her right arm continued to devour Light-hearted folks, while she came closer to have a look at this strangely large book, gleaming in such a unique glow.

Varium stepped one step forth, closer to the book.

Immediately, the crumbled wreak of houses burst apart, metal planks, iron pillars, and more and more ravaged parts flew out and crashed all over the teetering platform, as if a bomb of light erupted in grave fury, and within that beaming furious light,

stood Yuri,

Starbreaker armor activated, bursting in blue flames, sword rifle in hand, and her six energy grappling hooks hovering above her shoulders, their searing tips all pointing at the Dark Unerva’s face.

“ Ho ho!” Varium cackled with horrendous excitement.

“ You are approaching me?! Come on!! Show me what you got, you Starbreaker scum! For each apostle of Light who nears, I shall tear them apart and savor their flesh in the name of Vengeance!! COME! FIGHT ME! !”

And that was what Varium got. Six grappling hooks all dashing out in separate trajectories, only to converge at one aimed spot, the one grotesque helm upon Varium’s face as Yuri slashed down her sword, hitting numerous tentacles that shot out of Varium’s huge Demon arm, biting savagely like a frenzied beast with its own mind.

Zigzagging across the platforms, Yuri evaded each blow of the hand and every piercing strike of the dark tentacles, landing hard slashes over Varium’s armor.

The Dark Unerva hurtled its massive arm in anger, spewing Demon pus all over the arena, melting and eroding everything in its path. Some of them splattered onto Yuri’s Starbreaker armor and it sizzled with smoke, biting down the nanoparticles and dissolving its form.

But Yuri didn’t retreat as her armor dissolved more and more as pus flew and scattered all over the place.

Her rage, her determination, her Power within, pushed her forward without her own say, pitting her to either destroy this Demon before her, or perish in the process.

Yuri didn’t care. Yuri couldn’t care. She was trapped in the Mystic Powers hidden inside of her, smashing and shooting her way down to a drastic end.

Varium sneered, knowing of Yuri’s ignorance toward the damage that was inflicted upon her. This fool, this treacherous Starbreaker, she shall pay.

“ Pay with your petty life, you worthless puppet!!!!” Varium shrieked in anger and malice., raising her humongous Demon arm high to land the final blow.

“...This is for Sister…!!! For My Sister’s Light you fiends Took away From ME!!!!!!!”

The fist sank heavily, hitting a solid wall instead of Yuri’s ravaged frame.

Varium looked closely.

A firm wall, made out of thin air, was shielding Yuri from her demise!

There, a round shield it was, levitating right in front of Yuri, protecting her with the air it summons!!!

“ Damn IT!!” Varium turned around, just in time to get stabbed through the right shoulder by a long curved katana, driven down aiming to slice off the appendages sewing her body and her gigantic Demon Arm together.

Varium screamed in pain as the one wielding the katana, Vitas the emerald-winged Starbreaker, pierced his weapon deeper into Varium’s arm socket.

In a frenzy, Varium let go.

Separating herself from her large arm, and leaping back to a temporary retreat.

Vitas plunged down with his initial speed, sinking his sword deep into the metal platform, piercing a strain of dark tentacle underneath his blade.

“ You…Those Demons underneath, they did nothing to you?!” Varium shouted in disbelief.

“ Am I supposed to be frightened of some Demons in the dark?” Vitas volleyed back, pulling his katana out, and walked forth to end the fight.

“ Well, you should be…Awakened, at least!” Varium cackled and springing back up in action, Varium’s giant severed right arm grabbed hold of Vitas whole, locking its five sharp thorned fingers around the emerald Starbreaker like vice.

Vitas struggled to no avail.

Yuri, breaking out of her Power-ensnared trance, looked up in horror, but her body, numbed and scorched by the Demon pus that had infiltrated her armor, couldn’t rise and but watch behind Vitas’ shield.

“ You…You are not like them…!” Varium panted, rising back up to her feet.

“ It’s time…!”

“ Time for you to shut up, more like!” Vitas kicked and slashed the vicious hand upon him with his wings, but as adamant and hard as sheer rock the Demon Hand would not let go.

Varium sneered.

“ It’s time…to show them who you really are….!”

And before Yuri’s eyes, a long pitch-black stinger pierced out of Vitas’ chest, dissolving through his Starbreaking armor and piercing through his Light heart whole.

Vitas gave out a heart-wrenching cry, air pushed out of his lungs, and the emerald knight fell limp, slamming onto the ground as the large Demonic hand crawled back on its fingers like a spider, attaching back to Varium’s bleeding socket fully.

Yuri stared, her light blood running cold.

Her rash, incompetent ways have doomed Vitas so.

She once thought her Powers within her are enough, but now realized it was but a hindrance. A handicap not just to herself, but also to those around her.

She would not allow it.

She would not back down, and lose like this.

This Dark Unerva…This Demon had to Pay—!!!!

“ Nani?!” Variums spun around, noticing Yuri’s shadow dashing out of sight from the edge of her eye.

Then out from the side, the round shield in hand, Yuri slammed Varium’s left side with such unheard-of force, thundering and shattering Varium’s left side that has a regular-sized arm. Grabbing said left hand, Yuri yanked it backward in an anatomically improbable fashion, forcing Varium to yelp painfully and fall as Yuri so orchestrated, sitting atop Varium’s fallen body, and forced her Demon right arm beneath her with her six light grappling hooks. Yuri raised her Sword, about to pierce through Varium’s Dark helm and face with extreme force and energy condensing at the tip of her blade.

The Dark Unerva tried all she could to break free, struggling with her Demon arm up to aid her, but the grappling energy hooks were tied around her right arm, yanking all the tentacles out of Varium’s reach. Horrified, Varium looked up, to see Yuri’s blade upon her inches away, breaking the tainted visor and diving down, down at the edge of her nose.

Varium screamed.

Then it kicked in.

Varium’s scream echoed, sending countless sensations of guilt down from Yuri’s head, along the nerves, to her whole body.

The hidden powers inside of Yuri called upon her once more.

But this time, the Power called not of bloodshed, not of conflict,

But for Yuri to let go of her sword.

Varium opened her teary eyes.

The tip of the blade halted right atop her nose.

“ …Who…..”

Varium felt dews drop down onto her cheek.

“ Who…who are you…Varium?!”

Yuri, fighting back the sobs, shouted with shaking arms. Her sword rifle trembling above Varium’s face.

“ Who are you…before…all this…?”

“ I am Varium…!” The Dark Unerva shouted back, letting her tears flow freely.

“ I have always been Varium…But not just her alone!

I am older than the Light that stands between us…

I…I am a Dark Unerva!!

Who are you, Yuri?!

Who are you now??!!”

“ I am Yuri…” The Starbreaker stammered in answer.

“ I…I am still new in this world…but I have a life that I have long forgotten…!

I just want to know…I just want to understand…!

Why is it that your tears and cries stopped my blade…?!

Why is it that You Demons have to destroy our memories…?!

…What do all these memories mean…?!

…Who am I…Who was I…?

And What have I become…?!”

Panting, face to face, the two young girls wept in silent sobs.

“ Light…is what brings us… Hope…” Varium answered in a weak whisper.

“ Light…is what brings us…back…back to where we belong…The Land, Before Light…

…That is our true home…our sole purpose…to go back…to go back…before everything is lost…!

…You have it too, don’t you…?

…Things that you have lost…Before coming here, through the Light…?”

Yuri nodded, hesitantly, sliding away and sitting on the floor to break Varium free from her grasp.

“ That is where our purpose lies…All We Demons seek.” Varium breathed as she staggered to her feet.

“ What is it you seek, Starbreaker Yuri?”

And Varium lurked into the shadows, vanishing into the dark.

Leaving Yuri alone, sitting a distance away from the collapsed Vitas.

Just seconds before Firren and the army of Droids arrived from above.

[.........to be continued]