As morning dawned, Kal, Katara and Orem finally arrived at the Fox Village. Katara immediately took Kal by the hand and quickly led him to what seemed to be a temple in the center of the village. Behind a curtain lay a girl. The three entered through the door and immediately Katara and Orem prostrated themselves before the figure behind the curtain, saying:

"Great Priestess, we have found the Primordial Light".

The person lying behind the curtain rose slowly, looking very weak, and when removing the curtain revealed a fox-girl with a strange resemblance to Katara, although she seemed a little older. She was emaciated and very pale. She appeared with a gentle smile and said:

"As Grandmother Yonna predicted, I am glad you have found him." The woman introduced herself as Priestess Kurona of the Temple of Light.

Kal still showed no emotion, looking only in the direction of the capital Alnuum. Kurona asked Orem to fetch a golden basin containing a shining water. Katara immediately said:

"Sister, I'm sure it's him, the hilt of light recognized him".

But Kurona replied calmly:

"Do not be reckless, little one. All of us carry a glimpse of the primordial light, yet none of us is the light itself."

Orem poured the shining water over Kal's body and he, who was looking towards Alnuum, remained the same, showing nothing different. Soon after, Kurona removed the hilt from Kal's hand, making him return to normal.

At that moment, Kal looked furiously at Katara and grabbed the collar of the priestess robe she wore. Orem grabbed his sword and tried to stop him, but Kal looked at him, his eyes shining like the sun, making Orem immediately stop. A terrifying chill went up his spine and he sweated cold, not knowing why. It seemed that all the cells in his body were saying not to get close to Kal.

Katara, on the other hand, did not demonstrate fear or doubt. Then Kal said: "Why did you do this to me? Why did you make me abandon my friends at the worst time?". Katara continued to look firmly at Kal, while Kurona just said: "She did it for my sake, please release her, if you must blame someone, blame me!".

Kal releases Katara's collar and turns to leave the place. Outside, as Kal walked toward Alnuum, Katara went to him and with tears in her eyes said:

"Please, bearer, I know I was wrong with you, but I did it because I wanted to help my family ..."

This caught Kal's attention, so Katara continued:

"You saw that fox-woman inside, she is my older sister Kurona, the true priestess of the Primordial Light, but she is dying. She has a very rare disease that has no cure, we had already accepted it, but when Grandma said she had found you, I thought that with the power within you, you could cure her".

Kal, still angry, thought for a few seconds about that and continued walking. Seeing this scene, many people from the fox-folk who were waking up left their homes and, enchanted by Kal's eyes, placed themselves before him touching him and calling him "Nir". Katara once again got ahead of Kal and knelt before him with her face to the ground, saying:

"My sister is the last priestess of the Primordial Light, without her, our village will have no purpose. Please help her".

Seeing Katara in that situation, the people around Kal also prostrated themselves, along with Katara. And looking back, even Orem was prostrate. At that moment, Kal stopped and fell silent, pondering Katara and the village's desperate plea. Could he use his power to save the dying priestess? His decision could change the destiny of that people.

Kal knew there was a malign energy in the capital, but he did not know what had happened to the city. Touched by the people of that village, he decided to stay for a short time to fully heal the priestess. Back at the temple, Kal sat before Kurona, who asked Orem to once again pour that water over him. Kurona asked Kal to focus on the spirit. As Orem poured the liquid, a strong flash of light began to surround Kal, creating a large luminous sphere around him.

Kal opened his eyes and Kurona asked: "Who is there?". The boy responded: "It is still Kal, who are you trying to find?". Kurona was astonished, for the legends said that when bathed by the Water of Light, the Primordial Light would manifest itself before all with its luminosity. However, despite the intense flash, the Light's presence did not make itself present. Kurona looked at Kal with surprise, questioning in thought what this meant. Could the power within the young man not have fully awakened yet? Or was there something more still remaining hidden? The priestess awaited answers, while by this point everyone there was also perplexed.

Suddenly, Kurona began to cough violently and asked Katara to remove Kal from there. She began to writhe in extreme pain. Kal realized that while Kurona writhed, a black mark like a symbol of darkness emerged on her neck, emanating a shadowy and strange aura. Orem tried using divine healing magic, but it did not seem to work. After a few minutes, Katara took Kal for a walk around the village. The people were enchanted by him, treating him like a saint or hero. As they walked, Katara told him that years ago, when she and Kurona were little, her mother was the priestess of light, but the village was attacked by a black shadow that killed her father and took her mother. They never knew why. As the temple always needed a priestess, their grandmother returned to the post until Kurona came of age.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Kurona was trained from an early age to be the priestess, so she always knew more than Katara and was wiser. Before she assumed the role, the shadow returned bringing their mother's corpse. It tried to take Kurona as well, but unlike her mother, the Primordial Light saved her. However, the shadow conjured a curse upon Kurona before departing, making her feel agonizing pains until she surrendered of her own accord.

Katara showed Kal where he would stay while in the village. He asked:

"Are you really sure that I am this Primordial Light?".

With a sad demeanor, Katara said:

"I hope with all my heart that you are".

She asked him to prepare himself, for that night the priestess organized a great celebration in honor of the Light that returned to the world. Throughout the day, Kal kept thinking if he could really heal Priestess Kurona, but his family and friends still did not leave his mind. He felt he needed to finish quickly to be able to return to the capital. When night came, Kal went to the celebration with Katara. There were dances, songs and offerings being made. But he remained seated, distant. His heart was divided between the call of prophecy and his duty to his friends.

At that moment, Kurona approached, her illness seemed to have eased a little. She thanked Kal for his presence and asked that when he was ready, "Perhaps together we can unravel the secrets of your divine nature," she said, implying that more was yet to come in his destiny.

Kal looked at Katara, who was smiling and dancing with the children amid the festivities. He realized that behind her smile, she felt a great sadness and anger. The shadow and pain reigned absolute in her heart, but she continued smiling. Kurona noticed Kal watching Katara and approached:

"My sister is the most beautiful of all the Empire, don't you think?".

With his eyes still fixed on Katara, Kal responded:

"I see in her eyes the same pain I saw in yours!".

Kurona was impressed with Kal's response. She sat by his side and said:

"I do not know if you are really the returned Primordial Light, or a common person. But even if you are not, promise me one thing, young man..."

Kal looked at her:

"What?"

With her serene way as always, she said:

"Be that light!"

Kal realized that, whether he was the Light or not, these people believed in him. Therefore, he needed to give his all to help them. He resolved to accept his destiny as far as he was able, in search of answers and to bring some peace to those suffering people.

That first midnight in the village, Kal heard cries and weeping coming from outside. He also heard Katara's voice saying "You will not take anyone else!". Strange, Kal went outside and saw shadow servants like those he faced in the sanctuary, trying to take a child. Katara prevented them with divine magic, but her power was weak. Orem also could not hurt the creatures. Kal tried to help, but was repelled. The shadows took the girl and disappeared.

He asked Katara what was happening. Then Kurona, weaker, came out of the temple, saying:

"Our people feel the mana and divine power in the living or inanimate bodies. That is why our grandmother tested the students when you did that day. That shadow wanted that power to find the Primordial Light."

Kal, frightened, asked:

"How did you defend yourselves before?"

Kurona explained:

"In all things dwells the Light. The temple was bathed in it, creating a barrier that hid our village. But when the Light returned, it attracted the energy left in objects. Now only living beings maintain a weak residue."

"That is why we lost this protection and now these beings constantly come searching for new people from our village."

"Men, women, children, they perform experiments trying to discover the secret of our power..."

Despair took hold of the village after the girl's kidnapping. Her parents wept inconsolably, embracing each other. The people also lamented, fearing not to see the child again, like those taken before.

Kurona, shaken, leaned on Katara. Her illness seemed to worsen due to the power of darkness hovering over them. That was when Kal approached, tormented within himself. "If I am really the Light, they suffer because of me," he thought anxiously. He then asked Orem to bring the hilt. When he took it, his eyes shone intensely, like two stars rising in the twilight. A powerful and comforting energy emanated from his being, enveloping everyone in a warm cloak of hope.

The girl's parents felt a peace calm their shattered hearts. Even Kurona felt revitalized for a few moments by that luminosity. Katara, impressed, saw in that splendor something never seen before. The people, using their sacred gift, admired the celestial energies emanating from Kal. His silver hair now shone golden at the tips. And his eyes... how different was that glow! Shades of gold, blue, green and purple danced in his intense gaze.

"I will be that light," proclaimed Kal looking at Kurona, who only wept and trembled before him, full of determination. He would depart in search of the girl, in order to fulfill his destiny as protector of those people. First, however, he wanted to bring them some comfort, showing that there was still hope while the Primordial Light remained among them. And he left at high speed, a radiant flash amidst the darkness of the night. His journey of self-discovery took on new epic contours of heroism and sacrifice for the salvation of the fox people.

The Witchcraft Avatar Salacia once again felt the loss of her shadows and, enraged, ordered her most powerful servant to gather hundreds of shadows and attack the Fox Village, kidnapping all the people who lived there. However, before she could give the final order, she felt two bright lights falling in the far east. Unlike the young Kal, whose arrival no one had felt, these lights were powerful and attracted Salacia's attention, prompting her to order her servants to go where those mysterious lights had fallen.

Meanwhile, in the Fox Village, Kal and the others were resting after the events of the past night. Katara couldn't stop smiling, relieved that her sister Kurona seemed to have improved a little after the incident. That was when they felt a strange commotion outside the village. A flare was seen on the horizon. Kurona commented that those energies seemed different from Kal's, more striking and brighter.

Orem and some village warriors left to check what had happened. Upon arriving at the location, they saw a small Owl. It was bigger than normal owls, with bright yellow eyes, and had an aura as if of the deep stars of the firmament. The serene and kind being spoke in a language that, though strange, everyone could understand:

"I came in response to the call of the Primordial Light. Where is she?"