It was a rather quiet night. One might even say it was serene.
Pristine, ivory clouds in the night sky along with the faintly twinkling stars, harboring deep, indescribable feelings were lingeringly drifting above this dreaming industrial city. It was as perfect as it could be as one of the most ordinary nights.
The top of the Grand Cathedral, the building said to be the tallest on this entire continent, was seemingly obscured by heaven itself, displaying its mighty height and grandeur as if it was a divine structure built by the awe-inspiring godly beings themselves.
The Cathedral was also known as the Stairs of Light, a pride and joy for all the commoners of Brownmourn, a second capital city of Eurona Empire.
Contrary to the daytime, the streets were filled with yellowish lamp posts and traces of moisture from last night’s rainfall, were still stubbornly lingering on the cobblestones. Surely, it was a perfect night to just sleep in with all the north winds slowly seeping into the atmosphere, however, cautious steps of a person walking through the secluded alleys disrupted the peaceful nature of this tranquil environment ever so slightly.
It was a man with a worn and old blazer which had remnants of luxury but they were easily undermined by the visible holes in it. Perhaps he was once a wealthy man or he was just a thief who had just stolen this tattered blazer due to his careful walking and his ever-darting eyes but from the way he carried himself, it should well be the former.
Truth be told, he wouldn’t be walking in this city, particularly in this area at these perilous hours If not for a reason, with these bastards, Overseers lurking around.
Because today was the day, he finally had had a breakthrough!
He even took a great risk, walking and carrying a mysterious gem in his pocket and even worse, some kind of blob in his blazer, hiding away from those self-righteous bastards who called themselves “Overseers of Peace”.
Though it might be the end once he got caught, he was quite confident in sneaking around since his many years in the newspaper company served him well. Well, he had to always lurk around certain households to get hold of private news, so.
Never mind, it was just a matter of the past as he was nothing like his old self now nor did he care about any of those mundane stuffs. The only thing on his mind was that he definitely must succeed tonight.
A sudden wind gushed over his neck which made Laurence, the man in the old blazer, shuddered uncontrollably throughout the entirety of his back. The uneasiness forced him to look back into the alley he had just passed to make sure he wasn’t followed. He tightly gripped the gem in his trouser pocket and looked into his blazer to check.
The gem is shining brightly even in his sorrowful pocket. It seemed unsullied, untainted and unbound by anything Laurence was in concern of.
It was otherworldly.
He gripped it to the point that its uneven edges hurt him slightly.
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After a hundred steps or more, he couldn’t help but just stare at the night sky despite all the hurdles and anxieties he was trying to overcome. To be precise, it was not at the night sky but the very top of the Grand Cathedral of Light of Browmourn, which was one of the best structures ever made by mankind. Humanity had advanced a lot in these past centuries but to think that this cathedral had been here even long before his ancestors always made him to be in awe and astonished.
He came here quite a lot in the past with his daughter, sharing the mutual love for aesthetics and religion.
His heart ached again before tears welled up in his eyes.
No matter how firm of a resolve he had, he still was an emotional man, and a loving father at that.
Sudden tolls of the bells on top of the cathedral made him snapped back to sense. It's midnight now.
Surely, he shouldn’t be wasting time here - he needed to proceed!
He silently whispered into his blazer, looking lovingly.
“Just a little bit more, dearest sweetheart.”
He gritted his teeth before reminiscing a story that both of them loved.
Then he continued his steps towards his destination, but this time, firmer.
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Countless myths and legends tell a single tale as old as time.
Long, long, ago, there was nothing.
After countless millennia in the endless void, there borne a tiny speck of light amidst everlasting stillness, who was named Little Light.
Soon after, Little Light was followed suit by her brother who was also her sole companion called Tiny Darkness.
Holding each other’s hand, they wandered all over the places and had the most joyous times.
Because they were bound to be together and together, they shall be.
Then all of a sudden, Little Light was bored. She wanted to do something grand rather than just purposelessly roam the eternal nothingness for eternity.
Thus, with her touch, she created Life. A life which had its own fate and purposes.
Tiny Darkness wished to get along with her sister, same as before however, seeing that she was only spending her time, gazing at her creation unceasingly, made him rather sad and dejected.
If she were to indulge herself in something, he, too needed to because they were each other’s beloved companions!
Thus, to imitate his sister, with his touch, he created Death. A Death that would consume the fate and purposes of his sister’s creations.
Tiny Darkness’s joy was boundless, he could finally be together with his sister , once again!
However, to his unpleasant surprise, his sister, Little Light was furious.
She asked that why he would want to destroy the very thing she loved.
In sadness, he replied that he just wanted to do the same as her; if she created, he would devour, therefore, they would eternally be bound together.
Sole companions, he yelled in passion!
Unfortunately, the obsession over her own creations had already led the hot-blooded Little Light down the path of uncontainable anger.
Bottomless wrath towards her once beloved little brother, Tiny Darkness.
Thus, in fury, she purposefully obliterated her brother whole and made certain he shan’t rise again - to destroy her creations and let them forever be in peace.
Before returning to nothingness, Tiny Darkness withdrew his creation and longingly gazed back at his sister, amidst the tears.
“Before, there was nothing. And from nothing came everything until nothing was.”
After the mischievous Tiny Darkness was vanished, Life under Little Light’s watchful protection, prospered harmoniously to be an everlasting beauty.
The end.
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Several moments later, a shadowy silhouette slowly walked up to the place that Laurence was standing and dazedly staring at the sky.
The figure similarly followed up his line of sight and gazed up at the top of the Grand Cathedral.
When a ray of pale moonlight flashes over the mysterious figure’s face, the color of his eyes seemed alluringly contrasting to the moon itself.
It was crimson.
The figure kept staring for a while and before the moon went into hiding behind the ivory clouds again, he was already following in the steps of the man.
The same man that he was tailing as an Overseer.