‘To have so much power, that even You, our Creator and Maker choose to speak with me. Show me things which the others can’t understand,’ Kilon walked forward, his back trying to fall on the ground, as his eyes stared blankly at the ground. “And yet, you don’t allow me the power to save my siblings. How is that fair?” he stopped as the body of one of his siblings met his sorrowful gaze. “Look at them, they’re all dead,” a stretched field of corpses showed before him as a brilliant light started to descend from the sky. “Then, there you are, the one to bring about their demise,” amidst the light, he could see himself, smiling at his weaker self. ‘Unless… it is for me to take their power as my own’.
“Kilon,” a voice disrupted his dreams. “Once again, you seem to go into such deep prayer, that we can’t find you,” Eharel stood in front of him, Melonius chasing around a mane looter. “Has the Creator spoken to you? Menoel told us that happens to you at times,” Eharel stopped Melonius by grabbing him on his shoulder.
“Since when is his word indisputable truth?” Kilon placed his feet on the ground and looked in front of him. The river was on their right side, as it got too close to the forest for them to stay on the same path. To their left, some long distance away where they couldn’ see, were the forests where the Sweepers found the troublesome creatures. The Lightborn were walking at a stead march. They became better at synchronising their walk, and their feet produced at times beats of melody. “I thought I commanded for us to stay,” Kilon tried to grasp at the time which has passed.
“We saw your eyes blinking, so we thought we should start in advance. This is the fourth sun since we left, and it still happens to you,” Melonius bit Eharel’s hand, small sparks getting out his skin, and ran away once more. Eharel barely noticed, more worried about Kilon’s condition. “Maybe we should rest for a while longer, until you get things in order with the Creator”. Kilon snapped a look at him, which Eharel could feel touched something it shouldn’t.
“It’s not the Creator. This is a doing of my own,” he wanted to tell him of his torment, but there was use in Menoel’s actions, and his dreams still had the same potential to inflict confusion and panic. “I cannot tell you the cause of them, but I can assure you,” Kilon placed his hand on his shoulder, Eharel feeling a deeper, more religious trust in his brother, “it’s all in order to ensure we are all safe and alive in the end.”.
Since they left, the Lightborn started to create their own vision of who Kilon was. For the most part, it was of a special being, one that should stand above all of them. While some believed him to grow too much, their holy belief in the Creator, challenged by the one whom He was speaking with. Kilon had some of them report back to him, in order to get a grasp on how things were changing. What he didn’t anticipate was those he tasked with the reports to use the time they were getting with him as leverage to impose status amongst the others. He at first thought of it as foolish, then started to see Lightborn starting to provide them with goods and services.
To prevent it from spiralling out of control, if Avuania caught wind of it, she was to use the Sweepers and mane looters to get those things for herself. While she had her plans to get attention, he could at least know which one of them held all the goods and services. His larger issues were Menoel who didn’t stand by his side as he usually did. Kilon’s thoughts were mainly filled with how and what will happen if he was to continue on the path presented before him. He was sure he didn’t want to harm any of his siblings, not to the point of stealing their light. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He was the only one amongst them he could think capable of stealing lights and using such vast amounts of power. Not knowing of the threat developing far up north, he could only think of himself as the cause of the massacre.
‘The logical conclusions, all the roads too, lead back to me,’ Kilon revisited the vision given by the Creator, out of his own accord. ‘Manna should be at the Link by this time with her group. Whatever land they reached, it cannot be the right one, for we found it, and they’re not here. There is still much more land to cover, but I’m sure of it, as I can’t notice the presence of their lights,’ the Lightborn were all marching behind him as he was let back at the front. Menoel was there, but once he saw him, he retreated back into the ranks. Kilon wanted to speak with him, he wasn’t sure what to say though. ‘If I were to disrupt the path set in motion by Menoel, I might stop me from becoming the one to kill them. But if I’m not the one, then the one on whom they rely upon will not be worth listening to. Thus when the real one shows, we will be broken to pieces.’.
Menoel spent the past four suns teaching their siblings on the ways of growing life like Kilon did. Once he returned amongst the ranks, he went back to teaching as well. While he was good at it himself, it was still nowhere Kilon’s performance, so he used it as an excuse as to why he’s incapable of producing life. Kilon was yet to find out, but Menoel was still lifting him up to be more than he was. By telling them he basically created life out of nothing, rather than him accelerating their growth through the means of the light, they were starting to worship his power. ‘Soon they will see him as the Creator,’ he thought to himself, plants growing from seeds inside his hand. ‘And I pray for Your forgiveness, Creator. For this seems to be the way forward. Once they venerate him, his word will become their will, and with it, we will become unstoppable,’ the Lightborn around him tried to reproduce the results. Those of a warmer glow were able to get better faster, while those with a colder one were slower but were showing more consistent results.
Menoel saw some of the mane looters flying around and carrying different things. Some had plants and little animals, while others had handmade objects. He tempted one with an item of his own, but it didn’t come down. Looking at the back, he could see the Sweepers taking in all the goods and separating them, then sending them elsewhere. Curious by the aerial transactions, he approached Avunaia. When Avunaia saw him though, she got lost through the marching siblings. ‘Odd,’ he thought, then went back to teaching his siblings.
“Did he see us?” Avunaia asked of Mercaara. Her group spread evenly amongst the ranks, their mane looters flying around from shoulder to shoulder.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I don’t think he did. Do you want me to find him?” Mercaara infused her light into her skin and slowed her walk.
“Don’t waste your energy, he’s probably back up front. He doesn’t mind making noise to find us, that I trust,” Avunaia’s eyes kept looking forward, then she called back Prickety who brought to her some objects.
“You still haven’t told me why we’re hiding from him,” Mercaara had her own mane looter touch her shoulder. It was a small female, fast and vicious, but picky when it came to what she brought back, so Mercaara named her Packy. “Do you not like him?”.
“Of course I don’t, but it’s not why we’re hiding from him. Kilon told me to avoid him at all cost,” Avunaia let out a whistle and the mane looters were back to their job. “Apparently he’s spreading false rumors, and we aren’t supposed to listen to anything he says.”. Avunaia had a slight smile she kept going for the past suns, and Mercaara had a hard time not bringing it up.
“Is that why you’re so pleased? Because brother Kilon is giving you more attention?”. Avunaia picked some objects, then gave some to other mane looters before looking in shame at Mercaara, as if caught doing something bad. “That’s it! You want his attention as much as we-” Avunaia covered her mouth with a sprint. The other Lightborn were looking curious at the two of them, Menoel noticing the commotion from up front, but not wanting to know more about it.
“I must keep up a face, you should know! If any of our siblings hear of it, they will come and ask back for the stuff we steal,” Mercaara felt dumb for no reason, other than Avunaia making it more than it should be. “Besides, if Kilon finds out I’m enjoying his attention, he might take away the job he placed on us,” Mercaara removed Avunaia’s hand and nodded, getting a better understanding of her sister’s mind.
“Very well. Then, can you at least tell me why are we giving the stuff back?”. Avunaia shook her head in disappointment, as if she was supposed to know the inner thoughts of her mind.
“If our job is to take the stuff and services they’re trying to keep for themselves, then how do we make our job last longer?”. The question illuminated Mercaara’s mind, which also made her think of Avunaia’s true intentions.
“I thought we were supposed to make a name for ourselves. How will we do that if all we do is how brother Kilon says?”. Avunaia was at a loss for words for a few moments. On one hand she wanted recognition from her siblings, but on the other she too awakened superior views of Kilon. Anyone who was speaking with him, was then spreading the word on how empowered and great they felt afterwards. Avunaia, after the speech, started to think if she really felt so inclined to venerate Kilon. After he came to her and asked for her help, she started to doubt those feelings more and more. Until she saw him praying again.
“Two days after we left, he called me so I can report on the movements of others. And when I arrived, he was in a deep prayer. I wondered what he could be praying so deeply for, then I remembered what Menoel said of him speaking with the Creator. So I wanted to feel it once more, the connection we had with our Creator, and I touched the bottom of his feet,” Avunaia grabbed Mercaara by the shoulders, mad eyes staring into hers, the light inside of them were a scary calm. “Sister, what he feels is so deep and powerful, that we can only hope to touch the upper, most shallow portions of it. There is no doubt in my heart that he is the closest one to the Creator. And how much do I wish to feel the warm embrace I once did,” Avunaia let go of Mercaara’s shoulders, then took Mercaara by her side. “Now imagine the name we can make for ourselves, if we stand by his side. He makes everyone else pale in comparison, so why shouldn’t we pale the least?”.
While Mercaara understood her intentions and feelings, she also felt afraid. When she looked at Kilon, standing above everyone as they were calling out his name, she could only see sadness in his eyes. There was a side of him that he couldn’t show, and seeing Avunaia’s behavior, she was starting to understand why he couldn’t speak more. “I find it sad. All that power and deeper understanding, unable to be shared with us.”.
“What are you saying?” in Avunaia’s eyes there was little reason to be had, so Mercaara didn’t try to explain it to her, avoiding her eyes. “Let’s not dwell on it then, forward sister!” her excitement was something Mercaara couldn’t help but keep on following, so she was content to blindly move forward.
After a couple more suns of travel, the Lightborn were met with the sight Kilon desired. In the far distance, where the mountains on their right side stretched some more, they seemed to start going more and more to the left. The Lightborn rejoiced in unison, while Kilon and Menoel were thinking of their next steps. Kilon was still thinking of the predators that the Sweepers found some time back. The forest to their left ended and from their point on, only a vast field of grass stretched. In front of them though, long forests were continuing from the right side, along which they travelled, and to the left in the east. It looked similar to a natural gate made of trees, only a few kilometres dividing the forest from their back with the one in front of them.
“Do you think we’ll find them there?” Menoel appeared from behind Kilon. Neither of them cared for what they were plotting behind each other’s backs, as the threat of the apex predator was starting to make them wonder. “We should stay here a few suns, scout the area and send some of our siblings, see if there are any dangers lurking.”.
“I agree, we should spend some time here. Our siblings will have time to learn what I ought you to teach them, and we can gather intel,” Kilon looked slightly below his shoulder, his brother’s hair smooth with the wind. “But besides the Sweepers, we should also join and help scouting.”. Menoel enhanced his mind with the light, trying to find any other meaning behind his words. Kilon placed his hand on his head, disrupting the constant flow by forcing some of his light inside Menoel’s body. “I would like for you to not doubt my words nor actions, brother,” Menoel trembled for a few moments, then calmed down. “My wish is not to stand against your way. All I want is to guide our siblings towards the good path, one which should avoid the greater danger.”.
Menoel thought upon his words and actions. From all the Lightborn, he wanted the most for Kilon to be something more. He understood the gravity of his actions, what he didn’t, was Kilon’s behaviour. Knowing his brother, he was expecting some harsh words or more punitive action. There was no such thing however. All there was were, seemingly, pointless actions taken by him at times. “I’m sorry I avoided you,” Menoel turned his head up. All his life he wished to understand his brother better, see the light as clear as he did. But the more he tried, the less he could see. “After what I did, I didn’t know how you would think of me. I’m just trying to follow in your steps and anticipate what you wish to happen.”.
Kilon could only feel pity and a heavy heart looking at him. “I know what you’re trying, it is why I rely on you so much. In these times though, I must keep certain matters away from all of them, and even you,” Kilon took his hand off of his head and stepped forward, looking at the challenge awaiting them. Turning towards Menoel, his light shone brighter than ever, as the rays of the sun seemed to merge with his own. “It is for that reason that I must carry the everlasting burden alone, for there is no one else who should understand such anguish.”.