Chapter 5 – Light and Shadow

In the apparent stillness of Memoriam Loco, invisible and heavy gears were moving, destined to break the power balances that had so far restrained conflicts. It was as if the universe itself were holding its breath, aware that something irreversible was about to happen.

Among the various changes taking shape, one of the most significant concerned Shadow, known as Vacuum. Once aligned with good, his soul was slowly changing. His once-clear ideas were being clouded by the subtle and corrosive influence of War and Death, the brothers who embodied destruction and the end. Vacuum, increasingly drawn to their methods and their worldview, began questioning the principles he had once shared with Light.

Before continuing, it is essential to understand the unique nature of the bond between Lumina (Light) and Vacuum (Shadow). Unlike all the other Edens, these two siblings shared a common singularity, called Lumina Vacuum.

This singularity did not follow the traditional rules of the others, as it acted on a shared dimension. While manipulating the same essence, their effects were different and often opposite.

The rules of their singularity had a particularity: to exit it, both needed to agree, but entering it could be decided by either one. Moreover, if one of them touched the other, both would be immediately transported into their shared dimension. This bond made them unique but also vulnerable, as their actions were inevitably intertwined.

Over time, Shadow became more and more influenced by the promises and methods of War and Death. The idea of absolute power, untethered from moral principles, began to take root in his heart.

Vacuum had not yet fully fallen into darkness, but his path was heading toward a road of no return. No matter how much Light tried to convince him, he could not break through the armor Shadow was building around his heart. Shadow seemed now too far from righteousness to turn back, but Lumina was not willing to give up.

Thus, in the apparent calm of Memoriam Loco, the gears continued to turn. Every gesture, every choice, every word between Light and Shadow seemed to bring the created world closer to a breaking point.

Soon, what had been incubating in silence would explode, and the consequences would shake the very foundations of creation.

An honorable mention is the dialogue between Light and Shadow after I freed the Spirits.

> Light: Brother, forgive me for interrupting your peace, but I must speak with you. There are things in your behavior that I can no longer understand, and I need answers.

> Shadow: How many times, Light, how many times have you sought me, chasing me even when distance should have kept us apart? You have never left me in peace. Why? Why, even now that our paths have diverged, do you still watch my steps and interfere in my affairs? Is it not enough for you? Shouldn’t you no longer care what I do?

> Light: The future, Shadow. I worry about the future, but not only that. You know well: the bond that ties us is deeper than any distance. I care for you, you know this. It is this that torments me. I cannot understand why you are no longer the same.

> Shadow: Care, you say? Yet care has never stopped you from judging me. You ask why I have changed? I’ll answer you. I’ve spoken with War and Death, and through them, I discovered something you never showed me. I realized that what I thought was good was only your version of it, not a universal truth. I came to understand that I was never truly free, that my faith in your ideals came from ignorance of everything else.

> Tell me, Light: have you ever wondered if what you believe is truly right? If your ideals are truly the pillars of good? We are children of unfathomable chaos, without definitive answers. Yet, you act as if you have them. Could it be that you are the one blinded, unable to comprehend the complexity of the situation? That is why my actions disappoint you: they no longer follow your narrow vision.

> Light: Shadow, it deeply hurts me to see you act like this. You are allying with two beings who represent everything we have always rejected. Why, my brother? Why play their game?

> Shadow: Their game? (laughs bitterly) You dare compare me to those wretches? It’s the opposite, brother: they are serving my interests. I bow to no one.

> Light: Yet, Shadow, what you say and what you do betray everything we’ve defended together. I never imagined hearing you speak these words.

> Shadow: You are the fool (raising his voice in anger), Light. You are the only one who doesn’t understand. Stubborn in your desire to talk, deaf to the reality around you. Your honor, your strength… where are they? I see only a heap of words, an empty echo that no longer has substance.

> Light: Speak all you want, Shadow, but I know it is only your hatred that makes you say these things. Yet I do not understand. Why are you so blind? Why have you lost yourself in this abyss? You no longer even listen to my voice, the voice of the one who has always loved and respected you.

> Shadow: (pauses, as if struggling with a deep thought)

> Loved, you say? Yet your love did not save me from the void. Remember this, brother: light does not always illuminate. Sometimes, it blinds.

> Your words are the language of the weak, and I do not speak with the weak, but know this...

At this point, the verbal exchange was interrupted.

But there is something you must know: while exchanging those words, the two were not in the same place. Light was far from Shadow’s residence, separated by a distance of 36 million kilometers. (The Edens can communicate with each other even without being physically close.)

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Yet, from the very first moment of their verbal confrontation, Light had started to move. With impressive speed, driven by determination and his very essence, he crossed that distance, every word spoken closing the gap between them. Every sentence, every reply, was marked as Light moved closer and closer.

When the dialogue ended, the last verbal exchange also marked the moment when Light reached Shadow. Now they were finally face to face. But Light was no longer just a bearer of words. During that journey, he had accumulated energy, channeling every fragment of his power into a single intention.

He was charged, ready to unleash his force against Shadow. Not because he had abandoned dialogue, but because he had foreseen from the very beginning that words alone would not be enough. The dialogue had been just a prelude, a means to prepare his plan, an attempt to probe Shadow’s heart before moving to action.

And so, while the words faded in the silence of space, a new confrontation was about to begin. This time, it would not take place with the language of reason.

Before Shadow began to incline toward the ideology of destruction, the situation in Memoriam Loco was relatively balanced. Neither faction dared to take a decisive step, held back by the awareness of the devastating consequences of direct confrontation. However, that fragile balance slowly shattered as Shadow began to abandon his previous ideals to approach War and Death, the two brothers who brought ruin.

Had those two discovered that Shadow was changing sides and was increasingly supporting their actions, the outcome would have been catastrophic. With Shadow by their side, War and Death would have had the strength needed to launch a direct attack on Light, who alone would have had no chance of facing all three at once.

Light, aware of the imminent danger, knew he had to prevent this scenario at all costs. He could not allow Shadow to fall completely under the influence of the two destructive brothers, and so he did everything in his power to delay this change as long as possible.

However, Light could not physically control Shadow. He would never be able to stop him from moving or interacting with whoever he wanted. So, he resorted to a more subtle approach: a form of mental manipulation, trying to influence Shadow through words and arguments, using their deep bond to try to keep him on the right path.

But when Light realized that his efforts were failing, that Shadow was on the brink of an irreversible change, he knew the time had come to execute his plan.

Light’s plan had two fundamental objectives:

Prevent Shadow from joining War and Death.

Convince the other two that Light and Shadow were allies, so they would be deterred from attacking immediately.

To achieve these goals, Light had to trap Shadow in their shared singularity, Lumina Vacuum, a unique place only they could access.

Light knew that Shadow would never voluntarily agree to imprisonment in their shared singularity. To do so, he had to act decisively and quickly, exploiting the special bond between them. Once inside Lumina Vacuum, Light’s plan was clear: he would trap Shadow there long enough to hinder his contacts with War and Death.

But it wasn’t enough to simply hold him prisoner. Light had to confront Shadow directly and brutally, forcing him to reflect on his choices through physical confrontation. To make Shadow change his mind, Light was willing to take extreme action: to beat him until his beliefs faltered, using every fragment of his power.

This was Light’s first great bluff in history, and it worked flawlessly. However, the plan would never have been executed without the help of two spirits who had chosen to side with him: Goodness and Fortune.

Each of them played a crucial role in the staging that would deceive not only War and Death but also Shadow himself, making the entire scheme believable.

Fortune lent her body, allowing Light to project his ethereal essence into it. This way, Light could continue to pretend to be circulating, maintaining his presence visible to others, even while he was directly confronting Shadow inside their shared singularity.

Fortune, with her innate unpredictability, was perfect for the task. Her ability to influence events in seemingly random ways worked in her favor.

Goodness, on the other hand, took on a dual responsibility. On one hand, she used her powers to create and train an army of angels, luminous and incorruptible beings who would serve Light in all future battles.

On the other hand, Goodness took on an even bolder move: she impersonated Shadow. To do so, she adopted Shadow’s appearance and mannerisms, staging an alliance with Light. This deception was crucial in making War and Death believe the two brothers were continuing to unite forces.

Now, let’s return to that critical moment, at the end of the dialogue, and the explosion of violence that followed. A flash, violent beyond imagination, tore through the depths of Memoriam Loco.

It was an event of unheard-of power, an impact that surpassed any previous in the history of time. Light’s journey, spanning 36 million kilometers, culminated in a burst of energy equal to the explosion of a star. It was called a Supernova, radiating its light and roar throughout Memoriam Loco, leaving an indelible mark in the cosmos.

The fury accumulated during that journey focused into a single devastating punch, which Light threw with precision against Shadow’s face.

Light used that moment to drag Shadow into their shared singularity, Lumina Vacuum, a place where they could confront each other without external influences. Outside, all that remained were the traces of devastation left by the Supernova, an eternal reminder of that titanic blow.

Inside Lumina Vacuum, the balance changed drastically. Just as with the clash between Space and Time, here too the unique abilities of the two brothers canceled each other out, forcing them into a purely physical confrontation.

If the battle between Space and Time was one for honor, the battle between Light and Shadow is one between good and evil.

These two endless clashes will accompany the story at every point from this moment on…