Darkness shrouds the world, without the presence of a single star, creating a night so pure that one might question the existence of day.

Beneath the blanket of this dark sky, a vast forest grows, unimpeded by anything else. The trees within ancient, all of them tall, twisted monstrosities with canopies of glistening red leaves that consume anything unfortunate enough to linger near them. Not even light can find its way in, the ominous forest performing its role as a bastion of darkness to perfection.

A frail moon remains, hanging stoically amidst the endless sea of black and the sole source of light to push back the encroaching darkness. The feeble illumination it provides glances fruitlessly off the dense canopy of leaves below, creating the illusion of a sea of blood, turbulent waves rolling across the surface of the earth.

And, yet.

In defiance of this forest of darkness, a spark of light appeared, startling the few small creatures that had dared to wonder close to the forest and sending them scattering back into the cover of the surrounding night. The spark careened through the forest, piercing deep into untouched regions, breaking the stillness that had blanketed this area of the land for centuries.

A soft, dull glow emanated into the surrounding area, challenging the aura of dominance imposed by the forest as the spark bounced back and forth among the trees. Then, nothing. The spark vanished, the quickness of its appearance matched the suddenness of its disappearance; the soft light it provided snuffed out harshly by the overwhelming pressure of the Sea of Darkness.

Sometime later, a shape molded itself out of the shadows and stepped out under the dim glow of the barren sky. Having escaped from the oppressive force of the forest, the shape, revealed to be a cloaked figure, took a moment to quietly gaze up at the waning moon hanging pitifully in the sky.

Unbothered by the lack of light, the figure gently gripped the hilt of the sword hanging at their hip and began walking steadily towards a nearby hill, one not too far from the tree line.

This grassy hill stood at the boundary of the forest and an otherwise flat field which stretched lazily southward, blending with the sky at the horizon. On the other side of this hill, a bare patch of dark earth, roughly fifteen paces wide, extended for as far as the eye could see in both directions. It was a strange sight, a desolate patch of earth, where no living thing dared to grow, cutting off the entirety of the forest from the rest of the world.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Looking at this unnatural phenomenon, one might think that the land and the forest had been torn asunder by some immense force, giving the already menacing region an even deeper aura of dread. Strangely, the cloaked figure ignored this glaring horrorscape as if it were a perfectly natural occurrence and continued their journey to the top of the hill.

Ascending the hill didn’t take very long, and soon the figure was standing on a flat plateau, facing a lone, worn statue. The weathered statue depicted the faded likeness of a young woman reaching into the sky, grasping for something that only it could see, its remaining hand clenched to its side. Its features were no longer clearly recognizable after so long at the mercy of the elements, but, despite that, the figure remained entranced by this stalwart warden of the desolate forest.

Time passed as the mysterious figure stood absently by the statue, gazing at its faint features with an unresigned expression. Eventually, the person beneath the cloak began speaking, almost imperceptibly and turned to face the sky, eyes filled with unknown emotion.

“It’s time,” a raspy, male voice spoke to the statue with barely suppressed weariness, the person beneath the hood subconsciously glanced sideways before returning their attention to the sky and its lonely moon, “I kept my promise.”

Raising an arm from beneath the cloak, the figure motioned with a metallic glove towards the pitch-black skies as if beckoning the lonely moon to come down. It was a small gesture; one that didn't seem to have much purpose.

The arm returned beneath the cloak and the figure turned to face the statue again, pausing on its features for a brief moment before silently lowering their head and tracing their steps back down the hill.

“I’m sorry.”

Although it had only been a moment, starlight and a bright moon now brilliantly illuminated the lonely statue. The shadows hiding in the remaining crevices of its face hinting at an expression of deep longing and, perhaps, even regret within its fixed gaze.

The cloaked figure returned to the darkness of the forest and, soon after, a spark careened through the trees, breaking its way out of the Sea of Darkness before shooting along the baron tree line towards the west; the radiant moon hanging placidly in a star filled sky.

#

----------------------------------------

Far away to the north, twinkling stars glistened once more over the rooftops of a sprawling city.

In the Lower City, near the city walls, vendors and traders could be seen hawking their wares and haggling with agitated customers despite the lateness of the hour. The sudden appearance of stars for the first time in recent history had no impact on the money hungry mentality of these profit driven opportunists, however, the same couldn't be said for everyone else.