In the beginning, before there was light, there was darkness. Some might even argue that before there was darkness, there was light.

But when truly getting into the essence of creation and how everything and everyone came about, one thing is has always been truly clear: it came from the Darkdark.

The Darkdark has long been a part of mythologies both long past and recent that have come and gone, its power transcending generations, bloodlines; eons and eons of darkdark.

Only once has any generation managed to harness even the slightest bit of its power, and the cost was as heavy as a water logged elephant. So much to the point that while the legend remained, none of the original creators survived.

It was a tool of power so feared, so strong, and so wonderous, that after being lost for generations it was sought out like nothing of its time: the Noirstick.

Not only could it harness a power no one could explain, or actually made any sense at all, it could bestow anyone that might hold it with a strange sense of purpose that never would have existed otherwise.

Thought to have been lost in the spirals of time, the Noirstick remained but a legend, and disappeared from even the oldest of the elden tales. But one cliffy yolky morning, a young lad would stumble across it, and the rest would turn from the life of a normal young lad to a boy desperate to save a world that makes no sense whatsoever…

THE DARK DARK

Arjun Strongsong had always been good at many things, but being aware of how girls felt about him was unfortunately not one of them.

It was the Harvest Festival, and the Island was abloom with not only the local flora and fauna but also all of the random humans that would come to the island, unaware that they potentially could be the victims of ritual sacrifice at any given point in time. The scenery was lovely, but the setting was nothing less than savage.

The cliffs were as cliffy as possible, and many thingy things were spread throughout the gorgeous island, its rolling hills and massive widespread trees hiding secrets both deep and dark within the lands.

Only once in a billion years did all seven fae factions gather for the Harvest, and always as expected it was a once in a lifetime experience.

The particular girl Arjun was looking at was Aria Delandria, twelfth daughter of the Lightlight house, and everything that he wasn’t supposed to want but did anyway.

Her hair was the color of a jet airplane and her eyes shone like ripe watermelons. The look that she gave him was both ice and fire, and yet, both then fire and ice. His world spun solely in her eyes.

“How are you doing?”, he asked, both innocently and not.

She whipped her hair so fiercely around that blood could have been drawn, and stared him down like a hunter finding the easiest prey ever.

“Fine, thanks”, and stalked away.

“Great start to the Harvest”, Arjun muttered to himself, and wandered off into the forest in hopes of finding a magical trinket that could possibly save the world.

Down the windy darkened forest path he encountered a girl with skin that seemed almost translucent; a milky white, like pouring cream into a milkshake and still noticing no change. She flinched at his presence despite her attire being intimidating, as she was wearing the head of a dead wolf.

“I’m Katya,” she said casually with a strange accent. “Make sure to stay away from me”.

She then let out a fierce howl leapt into a tree and darted off into the night.

Starstars were strange creatures; they tended to burn very brightly and very fast. Out of the seven fae known within the realm they were the most mercurial, the most impulsive, and often viewed as the most dangerous.

Arjun was a Darkdark, the most mysterious out of the seven. Not much was known of the Darkdark, other than their almost completely black hue of skin and their white hair being passed down through generations. Darkdarks moved almost solely at night, and not during the day.

The four other fae nations were more gregarious, and more often both seen and heard. Prime of those being the Sunsuns.

The Sunsuns were known for being rowdy, arrogant, and aggressive. If there was a Sunsun without a close proximity to you, you would always know it.

Moonmoons were the precise opposite to sunsuns; passive, quiet, and you might forget that they were there if you weren’t paying complete attention. But they were also quick and deadly; moonmoon assassins were notorious for killing in the night or even sometimes not in the night.

Waterwaters were tricky folk, as they only left the sea when they really had to. They were a quirky, very close bunch, and were a relative mystery mostly to folk.

And lastly there were Firefires, who were a strange combination of calm but also deadly, and lived in the cliffiest territory to show their strength. They worshipped only the yolkiest suns, and were renowned warriors through and through.

The Harvest was always the time for the fae groups to all come together, put their differences aside, drink, feast, and be merry together. That might have been the case until Arjun found the Noirstick, which would then change the course of the next billion years.

Because once Arjun found the Noirstick, the Firefires attacked.

CHAPTER 1

The island on which the Harvest Festival was held was interesting, in that it was both many things at once and seemingly not really anything at all. By definition it was: a realm, a shadowrealm, a universe, and newland, a midland, and an old land.

Trying to explain this to normal folk made the situation very complicated but for now we will just refer to it as an island.

Built seemingly almost solely out of cliffs and high places to fall from, there was still the occasional forest and pasture, stunningly alit at night from fireflies trapped into bubbles that would drift to and fro, providing a magical effect that only those that had ever trapped creatures and used them for their own entertainment could possibly gain.

Arjun strode down the path with a purpose not he even understood, two girls know encircling his simple yet complex mind, one very different than the other; a dangerously calm looking cat and a vicious seemingly wolf. But Arjun Strongsong sighed and whipped his hair backwards in an emotive fashion, for he knew the power of a good love triangle.

As it only happened every billion years, no one actually knew what the Harvest Festival meant, other than there would be tests of character, challenges of fates, and that there was always the possibility of the seven Fae nations destroying each other and it being the last Harvest Festival (and one for the ages).

After slashing through various most likely endangered flora on the start of his misguided quest, Arjun emerged into a vast clearing, with moon and sun both shining their creaminess and yolkiness above simultaneously. The night was day, and yet, the day itself was night.

Looming at the top of the hill at the center of the clearing was a large looking cabin, built with logs of the shiniest browns and blacks imaginable, large windows seemingly tinted with indoor smoke, and a thatched hay roof that seemed to make very little sense next to a fireplace that was spouting smoke like a coughing asthmatic dragon.

But Arjun had learned long ago not to question these things, and strode immediately up to the front door and kicked it open.

It barely worked as the door creaked open, and Arjun would regret it, as the pain in his ankle ranged from not being there to being there.

He walked in and immediately surveyed the strange scene.

Off to his left at a strangely high seated onyx topped table was a Waterwater girl, sitting along, playing with the wine in her glass and curling into small little vortexes before twisting it slowly up into her mouth and down her throat. Upon his entrance she turned a Cheshire Cat smile towards him that not only reached her eyes but blasted up into her forehead. Death may or may not be waiting for him there, he surmised.

Off to his right was an interesting sight in its own right; two Sunsuns and two Firefires, engaged in some archaic looking match of throwing balls on opposing sides into each other’s cups and flexing and drinking each time this was done. The second he walked in they had also turned towards him, shirtless and ablaze with manliness, as if they were daring him to come and challenge the gods of their competitive competition. Death may or may not be waiting for him there, he yet again surmised, and approached the bar.

The being that sauntered over was interesting in that Arjun could not immediately identify either their gender or if they were fae, human, or something else entirely.

“Don’t think I’ve seen you here before so I don’t know your poisonous poison”, they said affably, but with a hint of something close to either malice or sarcasm. “What goes down the hatch?”

“Dealer’s choice” were the words that came out of his mouth, although he wasn’t really sure why.

“A bold move” was their reply, and they started grabbing all kinds of bottles off the shelf.

“This is going to end well,” Arjun muttered to himself, and plunked down onto one of the stools.

“Might as well try to remember why I came out here in the first place”.

The bartender brought back the bizarrely black looking concoction, with Arjun noticing that there were actually two of them. The bartender tapped the top of Arjun’s mug, tapped the bar, and looked Arjun dead in the eye.

To those that live among the dead

To those that roam the lands instead

To those whose lives are full of sorrow

To those who live just for tomorrow

To those whose smiles will melt your heart

To those whose loves are worlds apart

We drink, we drink, we drink to you

We drink, we drink, and all night through

Startled by the random soliloquy, Arjun could think of nothing but to raise his mug, tap the bartender’s, and swallow the elixir down in one swig. Two mugs slammed the table, and although Arjun knew literally nothing about the figure standing across from him he felt like he’d made an immediate friend. Well that or an immediate enemy, you never really could tell around these party parts. After letting out a growl like sound of satisfaction the bartender locked eyes intensely.

“The name is Salandri Casentia”, in a voice almost like a whisper but loud enough to see feel like it was reverberating within Arjun’s veins, “and I’ve heard that you’re looking for the Noirstick”.

CHAPTER 2

Aria Delandria, twelfth daughter of the Lightlight house, had only been at the Harvest Festival for one and five sixteenths of a milky moon, but had already just about had enough.

Tricking her way into the celebrations themselves had been hard and not soft enough – she had to convince the Council of Councils that her brother (the only male and sole Lightlight true heir) was too ill to make the journey, when in fact she had had him kidnapped and whisked away to a nearby island so that she would be able to make the trip. She loved her brother Marcus, but he was a soft soothing surreal surreptitious subtle soul, and would be eaten alive by the wolves dressed in their fae or human skin of this island.

And yet, the Lightlight name must maintain its strength. And so today and for her stay on this island,

that strength was hers and hers alone.

The journey just to get to the island seemed excruciatingly unnecessary, having to move through portals, wormholes, various sets of hills and valleys; all just to get to an island in the middlest middle of nowhere itself. And of course, the first thing that had happened once she’d arrived was to have been accosted by a wildebeest, which had no real right being on an island but was there anyway.

She’d bested the creature with her broad-narrow sword, but only just, and had had to take refuge just outside of the village to treat her injuries in a small hut with only a loft of hay to soften the aching scar she could feel developing on her back. Fortunately and also a bit confusingly there was a small, seemingly dainty child that seemed to be in sole control of the hut, and he helped her tend to her injuries with a silent and solemn expression.

Once she finally breathed a sigh of relief laying down as the pain subsided, the child spoke:

“I am glad you have managed to make it through the first trial”, the child spoke with power seeming to come from generations of experience as opposed to the childlike wonder she would have expected.

“Not many are able to slay the beast on their first attempt, especially under a milky moon after having scaled the cliffies. You have done your family proud on this momentous occasion”.

Aria blushed briefly but quickly caught herself as she realized that not only was she talking to a child, but that this child seemed to know much more than he should not only of the island but also of the trials. She cocked her head in a feline like gesture and studied him coldly with no warmth, and coolly asked:

“Who are you exactly?”

The boy, whose back had been turned, chuckled, and slowly raised both of his arms skyward, as if summoning the clouds themselves. The air seemed to get heavy and wrapped around him, shielding him briefly from Aria’s vision, and she held her hand up as a stunning light blasted from the tiny vortex and shone throughout the barn for a few seconds. It took her a few seconds to recover her sight and when she did, she was stunned and slightly aroused by what she saw.

The boy in front of her had become a man, but with features resembling that of a wolf, but with the majestic presence of an eagle. His eyes shown as golden as the yolkiest sun, and his hair was the sky itself flecked with lightning. He looked down at her, no, through her, as his eyes seemed to pierce every

part of her now quaking body.

“I am King Rhysius of this island, and I oversee the Billion Year trials.” His voice seemed to echo closely, as if the loudest whisper imaginable.

“I am not the only king, and this may not make sense, but one day, it possibly will”, he nodded knowingly.

“I will be watching you Twelfth Daughter, and although I impressed by you, just keep this in mind: I know your true secret, and by the time you depart either this life or this island, I will know all of the rest of yours as well”.

Aria blinked trying to process this nonsense and in doing so realized that the manboy standing in front of her was no longer there.

What in the hell was that all about? She thought to herself, but before she could even try to comprehend what had happened, her body moved seemingly on autopilot to the hay pile and her brain briefly blinked almost out of existence, leaving only the light and shadows of the mind.

Yolky sunlight awoke her the following morning at some godforsaken hour, along with the familiar sound of a meowing little creature somewhere within the hut.

“If I can find food and milk I’ll feed us both little friend”, she muttered, and grabbed her things and stumbled out to a stunning overlook of the island itself, seemingly composed only of thousands and thousands of cliffs. The construction did not make sense whatsoever, but it was still early, and her brain was functional at low and not very high levels.

She let out a big yawn, stretched, and sauntered off towards town, scaling fourteen cliffy cliffs on her way down in very brave and impressive fashion.

Her stomach was grumbling, which had started to shade her mood a bit, so when she bumped into a strange but not unhandsome man who asked if she was ok walking through the village she snapped a bit:

“Fine, thanks”.

And stalked off without another word. A bit rude in hindsight, but her stomach was the priority. Now, where to acquire sustenance.

She passed the local blacksmith, the trader’s market, and a fishmonger who’s stand did her stomach no favors with the smells that were emanating from within.

Finally, wandering around without anything close to a modicum of successful success, she stumbled across a young and gallant looking man, with silver hair and a unicorn embroidered on his plate armor.

“It looks like you could use a bit to eat and maybe a drink miss – I’m headed up to the tavern which is just through that clearing over there if you’d care to join?”

Well worst case scenario if he tried anything she’d just stab him until he stopped trying, and she was too hungry to thing about anything else at the present moment”.

“Lead the way”, Aria commanded.

Interlude

Within the darkest parts of the looming island forest, all was calm and quiet. Well, mostly, anyway.

From opposing edges of the enclosed opening two clandestine figures emerged, both fully cloaked and hooded, walking softly amongst the frosted tipped leaves. There was a certain presence generated as the two approached each other and got closer, as if the air itself had gotten thicker, the world wrapping itself around the both of them. One was wearing all white, and was tailored only in black, the difference between them as stark as could be. As if it were a chess match, the figure in all white spoke first.

“So”, the figure in white whispered, speaking both quietly and powerfully at the same time, “it has begun”.

“Begun”, the figure in black replied, echoing the seeming words of true power, “it certainly has”.

“Do you think these Billion Year trialists know what they are truly in for?”, the figure in white queried.

The figure in black cackled for what seemed to be almost an age, before regaining their composure and catching their breath, and after a brief silence offered words of shadowy foreshadowing:

“No”, his dark and echo like voice whispered. “They have absolutely no idea”.

CHAPTER 3

The Betwixt Tavern was never normally known as one of the louder establishments in general, but even though the barkeep Salandri had only whispered a brief mention of the Noirstick the entire place was quieter than space itself.

Arjun was taken so aback by the sudden inquiry that he had half fallen off of his stool, but managed to recover, stroking his nonexistent beard as if though in thought and contemplating the situation.

“And what do you know of said stick?”, he asked, with as much dignity as you could manage with such a question.

Salandri tossed him a grin of the most devilish quality, and leaned across the bar to whisper quietly:

“One answer per drink”.

He then sauntered off, poured two very full mugs, set one in front of himself, and the other in front of Arjun.

“Once we finish the first you will have earned your first question”, the barkeep stated.

“But this is now my sec-“

“And now it is my turn to determine the mettle of one who would dare to seek such power. So tell me, youngling – why do you seek the Noirstick?”, he asked, intensely.

Why indeed? Arjun thought to himself. It was one of those things growing up that young boys and girls dream about being that one that would find that, that they would write stories about, and tell their children’s children of for generations. Or maybe it would land him the girl of his dreams, someone to warm the sometimes lonely nights, to hold hands and share small smiles with, to constantly try to redefine the word adventure. Or maybe he was just like his father; he’s never satisfied.

But one phrase and one phrase alone popped into his head, something that had possibly been bubbling beneath the surface, within the annals of his mind, something that he had always known but had never spoken out loud:

“I don’t just want to be. I want to become”, And proceeded to pound the entire drink in front of him.

Salandri gave him a strange look that could have been interpreted most likely as he’d either heard the dumbest or the most profound thing that he’d heard in his entire life, pounded the drink in front of him as well, and poured them two more. Behind them the bar door opened with an almost comical BANG, but the two had locked eyes, as their conversation had transcended mere bar chatter.

“One question you have earned, young one”, the barkeep said, “and then I shall have one for you in return”.

Arjun’s thoughts flew through his mindful mind, as he knew that he was already was feeling the affects of the first two drinks, and so would have very limited questions and therefore would get very limited answers. Without finding something truly epic enough to immediately just get the stick itself, he settled upon what he viewed as the next best thing.

“Who is the closest ever to finding it, and how did they manage it?”

Salandri sat back, puffing his pipey pipe, and nodded to himself sagely.

“His name was Greggory Gregor the Gregarious, and he wrote a poem about how he managed to almost secure the powerful Stick, and I believe it went a little something like this”:

The power lies truly in the yolkiest of suns

When seen middle sky by a daughter and son

The power lies also in the milkiest moons

Where one single kiss makes the world itself swoon

The power resides in the cliffiest cliffs

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Whose treacherous heights leave most warriors miffed

But power itself has to be found within

Not but one but of two; only fools follow in

“Well that was literally nonsense”, stated a voice next to Arjun that he hadn’t realized was even there.

He turned his head and saw the stunning girl he’d bumped into at the marketplace, with some random knight looking fellow looking way too proud of himself. He opened his mouth briefly and then shut it, as he wasn’t sure he had the right words.

“So”, she said casually, eyeing him down, “what exactly are we looking for?”

CHAPTER 4

Katya Ranma was a stranger to many things, but danger was not one. And through her eyes, the island was absolutely teeming with it.

The Starstar clan did not produce weaklings; from a very young age Katya had been taught to very basic principles that she clung to fiercely and made up a large part of all the she knew and all that she thought she might ever become: To fight, and to survive.

That didn’t mean she didn’t think about other things, though.

Who was that stupid boy and why can’t I get him out of my head?

Being chosen for the island was an immense honor within her clan, with years put in of preparation, dedication, determination, and everything needed to push herself to be able to fully release her

STARPOWER.

STARPOWER was not an easy thing to explain – the way that most scholars would describe it would be an energy extension of the existing forces already within one’s body. So for example when once threw a punch, there was an additional force outside of the fist, or when one absorbed a kick, it was as though there was something in front of the body that would take in part of the blow. STARPOWER was not something to be taken lightly, as it burned bright as though full of stars itself.

Arjun.

Ugh. Stupid name for a stupid boy with a stupid face. She was here to do one thing and one thing alone: win. No time for distractions. She’d dressed in the traditional Starstar outfit for battle, a light black leather top with a gold flexible skirt, white chain mail leggings, and a wolf head to inspire fear. She felt like a warrior of old walking about the village throwing intimidating glances left and right. Her midnight black hair wrapped around her so tightly that it seemed as though even though the strongest of winds could not move it.

This was hers to be won and hers alone – having no cliffs surrounding her as a child she had to venture off many times across border upon border just to find anything resembling the thousands of cliffy cliffs she knew she would have to overcome.

But Katya was a fighter and despite what else might ever change, that never would. She was born to win.

Starsong.

Why couldn’t she get his smiling face out of her head? What a stupid, stupid grin. Blech. Her stomach rumbled and she realized that it had been before half past that she’d eaten anything, and was starting to feel the side effects. Despite what was perched upon her head she did indeed have the nose of a wolf, which in a town like this was both a blessing and a curse.

She wandered around the marketplace, sniffing left and right, but finding nothing that appeased her. Strangely though despite almost an absence of smell, she found herself drawn to and standing outside of a hut that had a crescent moon and star shone proudly atop the entryway.

Without realizing it she had been staring and the sign and pondering for what must have been some

time, and she was startled by a booming voice from within the tent that sounded both ageless and timeless:

“COME IN, STAR DAUGTHER”

Having almost fallen over in surprise at the exclamation out of nowhere, Katya calmed herself, smoothed her skirt, and pulled apart the curtains into the mysterious tent.

The inside of the tent itself was startling, in that it appeared to be at least five times bigger on the inside as it had looked from the outside. Dimly lit by a handful of candles, the room was completely surrounded by bookshelves, filled to the brim and in immaculate condition. In the middle of the large room there was a cloaked and hooded man, whose eyes turned up to her, the most piercing sky blue that she’d even seen.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?”

What a question, Katya thought, and sat down in the chair that the hooded man gestured towards. She folded her skirt, collected her thoughts, and raised her gaze slowly to met his sky blues:

“I know what to want, and I know what I want, and I’m not sure they are the same”, she stated with purpose, “how do I set myself upon a path where I can achieve both”?

The man with sky blue eyes pondering all of the skies and all of the blues in the world in the blink of an eye, an eternity seeming to wash over him within a brief second. He nodded his head down briefly as if asleep, and then immediately snapped up to stare Katya straight in the eyes:

“There is a boy who will find the Noirstick. In order to achieve what you truly desire, you must help him find this, and then steal it from him to claim as your own. Only then will you truly gain what you want.”

Katya blinked briefly, and then opened her eyes: “So I just need to-“

But the hut and the sky blue man were gone, and she was standing in an opening in the grass, with nothing surrounding. She looked around stunned, and then probably realized she was looking like a crazy person.

Her stomach rumbled, and she realized that although she’d gotten at least some sort of direction, she still needed to meet her basic needs first. God do potatoes sound good.

She saw a path off to her right with a sign that said TAVERN and went to follow it. Food first; and then to still a Noirstick.

CHAPTER 5

Arjun had had a drink or two before, but this night might have been more the exception. His thoughts spun while he sat, and then a wolf girl plopped down beside him, forcing him to question his sanity even further.

“Star boy”, she quipped, as he tried to get his head straight, “you know where it is where I want, so tell me and we’ll be done with it”.

Arjun shook his head once, twice, thrice, to try to awaken himself, and just barely managed.

“If I knew I would tell you, I have been searching, but I do not.”

Katya let out a wolf’s howl that if you’ve never seen a wolf howl, would scare the absolute crap out of you. But if also meant that she believed him.

“If you find it, you will tell me”, she said, and dashed off into the wilderness.

Arjun, as always seemingly these days, looked a bit taken aback but at ease. Calm was the word, no matter the situtation.

Arjun walked, and walked, and thought, and thought.

Girls, and girls, and noir, and stick.

What am I even doing?

Around me there are cute girls, there is clearly some random power thing, and I’m doing nothing so far. So what do I do?

Why do I want these things? Do I want power to be in control? Do I want a pretty girl at my side to make me feel confident? Do I just want to feel like I’m finally *not* in control?

Questions that roll through the mind. I want the pretty girl, I want the power, I want the control. The mind just does what it does.

Back to the prime objective – ye gods, what even was it? Right – the Noirstick.

Focus up, boyo.

Dodge the pretty girls, avoid the chaos, and get back to what you were here for in the first place.

Where are the cliffiest cliffs?

A question that had haunted the wisest of elders.

But Arjun had the slightest clue.

“The Blue”, he told himself.

It made sense to no one else, but he looked fairly confident.

“The Blue is where it will be found”.

CHAPTER 6

As a sheltered daughter of a royal family, if there was one thing that Aria was quite accustomed to one thing in particular; sneaking around without getting caught. Hence why she had ended up in The Betwixt Tavern in the first place, however, there was one thing in particular that she was not used to; being ignored. And now somehow it seemed she was being ignored by two men.

More like boys actually, but still unacceptable. And now she was sitting there at the bar, sipping her too sweet cocktail, watching two boys argue over god knows what.

“IT’S THE BLUE!!” screamed Arjun, while pounding his drink and for some reason requesting another.

“What does that MEAN?” screamed Calvin Lockless, having accompanied Aria to the tavern but unsure how he had somehow ingratiated himself into this scenario.

“You wouldn’t get it,” muttered Arjun, pondering in ponderous circles, “it’s all happening now, and too soon”.

“There is only one way that we settle this as men,” proclaimed Calvin, “as has been done throughout the ages”.

“And that is?”, hazarded Arjun, dubiously.

“ROCK”, stated Calvin.

“Yes,” replied Arjun.

“PAPER,” emphasized Calvin.

“Agreed,” Arjun replied in tune.

“NAKED”, Calvin replied with complete authority.

Arjun was so stunned he couldn’t even muster a reply, while Aria spit up her drink whilst picturing images in her head perhaps ill befitting of one of her position.

Arjun had found himself in many complex positions recently to the point of it being fairly absurd, he looked for help from his recent bartender friend but he was sketchily nowhere to be found. Alone he was, with a madman, and a mad game.

Time to make a name for yourself, ideally with clothes on, he thought.

Or maybe not.

Yeah, let’s save that one for another time, his brain emphatically pushed.

“Ok, Calvin, if that is even your real name”, spat out Arjun, “what does the winner get? And what BEATS naked?”

Calvin laughed if being asked a question of the silliest nature, and replied quietly “If I win, you take me and our lady friend to The Blue, and you tell us what it means”.

Arjun had only to think briefly before replying “Done.”

“If you win, I will grant you my knighthood, and you will have the pick of the princesses around the island/midworld/overworld/gaia thing”.

Arjun’s mind almost overwhelmed itself with possibilities. He had come to find a truth, but how often is a truth worth more than happiness? What ultimately would he want to leave the island with if it came down to it?

And WHAT beats Naked?!?

As a child he loved a good mystery, and this was one that he knew he just couldn’t let go of, especially after realizing what the Blue was, and what it could mean. It was time to play the game, and play he would.

Arjun stepped up like a batter to the plate with a thousand passionate burning suns behind him, fist extended and ready to play.

Calvin coolly whipped his hair about and casually half turned, always read for a round.

“Let’s go”

Arjun tossed twice and then on the third time, threw rock, as it was the only logical thing that he could think to beat NAKED, and he had a fair idea what was unfortunately about to happen.

Calvin tossed twice and then ripped his entire apparently one piece suit off, displaying absolutely nothing underneath, and wearing about the most shit-eating grin you could possibly imagine anywhere wearing, human or not.

“The answer is nothing”, he stated with a weird calm, as if expecting this result.

Aria off to the corner pounded the remainder of her drink and tried to forget literally everything that she had just witnessed.

“Nothing, ever has, and ever will beat NAKED”, he declared while openly naked and standing in a room for of shocked spectators.

“So now, now it is time,” said Calvin, “you, my pretty friend over there, and I will be heading to the Blue – and you will showing us exactly what it does”.

Interlude

King Rhysius walked along a path not often trodden, scaling the cliffiest of cliffs with an ease belying his age of nearly a million years old. “Parkour”, he whispered softly. He was heading towards the turning place for the trials, and though few knew where they were, there had been rumors of their spreading recently.

For at the end of the trials, at the end of all choices, there were two options: the red, and the blue.

Most people associated good and bad with dark and light, but even Jedi rarely used black and white lightsabers. To this day no one truly knew whether it would befit the world if the champion chose the red or the blue side; but there were certainly some strong opinions.

Rhysius clasped his hands together in an almost meditative state, and stepped off of the cliff, floating slowly towards the two almost window looking monuments just hanging midair.

Approaching the two, he paused, and sat midair. And spoke quietly under his breath.

Before I sit affront red and blue

Of path righteous and another untrue

The black that exists in purely night

The white that exists in solely night

I call the both of you to judge

Not once, not twice, just thrice, I nudge

Rhysius sat back, knowing that the decision could not be taken back, and knowing that he had made a choice that could alter even his lifetime forever.

After moments of meditation, to his left and to his right simultaneously, a black hole and a white hole quickly appeared and then disappeared, leaving two hooded figures, one all in white and one in black.

They both turned towards Rhysius in fashion creepy enough that was only matched by twin children in horror movies, and both spoke the same words:

Rhysius, our son

Why must you interfere?

CHAPTER 7

As the only daughter of a family of nine and the heir to the WaterWaters, Sarai Aquaris was very familiar with dumb displays of masculinity.

She bided her time feigning sipping her drink, but after seeing the display from the two buffoons that were yelling about secrets that were not theirs to sure, she could not stand for it any more.

“STOP IT YOU IDIOTS!” she screamed, which received a scattered applause from the other patrons.

Calvin whipped around unabashed, and still completely nude, and queried: “Young lass, would you like to play a game?”

“DON’T”, shouted Arjun, for some reason out of breath and completely questioning his entire reality.

He got himself to his feet, steadied himself, and looked her in her stunning blue eyes.

“What is it you want?”, he asked, while trying to stray from all of the absurdity of recent.

“You know of the Blue”, Sarai spoke slowly, as if speaking to a toddler.

“Yes, I do,” Arjun replied slowly, as if speaking back to a toddler.

“And so you know of the Red as well, and of the Choice then?”, asked Sarai?

Arjun rocked slowly as if struck, but decided to pretend that he wasn’t as ignorant as he actually was.

“I’ve only ever heard of either in legend, and more often the Blue”, he said.

Out of nowhere the bartender appeared, and Salandri had another soliloquy prepared:

Of red and blue there is one and two

One is a path where it matters the choice

The other a path where no matter the voice

What is best for the world is decided by one

A jack of all trades but a master of none

“Ok, fine”, said Arjun, who honestly was just getting sick of the pageantry. “What the hell does this have to do with the Noirstick?”.

“Everything”, replied Sarai and Salandri in tandem, and then shared a smile, and shapeshifted into the same person.

“So let’s talk”.

A Trip to the Past

As a young lad, regarding his parents, Arjun had basically two very direct feelings:

1. I love my mom

2. Dad is kind of a dick

When most potential girlfriends would ask him about his parents, he would normally make up some excuse about them being overseas, traveling, not home for various reasons.

The reality was they were both killed quite violently, through magic.

He hated the term orphan about as much as anyone could possibly hate a term, but it applied. It was also part of the reason that he was here, at the trials: he knew someone here was responsible. As to who it was, he had no idea.

But now he had the red and blue to figure out on top of it. As one musician once put it: this is what it’s like when worlds collide.

Whoever killed my mom, he surmised, I will just simply destroy. She was just nice, and I use nice in the best way that people seem to never use it, or use it negatively for some reason. She was good.

Whoever killed my dad, I will fight. He would want that. He was who he was, and he was tough.

So mom, just know that I love you, and I will try to be the man you always thought that I could be.

And dad, just know, that I will fight, and I will not lose, because you taught me to win.

And I will choose, for better, or worse.

CHAPTER 8

Arjun had decided to opt out of first person, because that was inconsistent. But onward he went.

His mission was two-fold – find the killer, and sort the red and blue and what that meant. The killer he decided was the more pressing situation, as the red and blue seemed more existential. Find the killer, find the right reasons, and then make the choice.

Arjun headed back from outside of the Betwixt Tavern, and sat down next to the head of the Firefires, Rogun Silence, who he knew both by name and the strong quiet that he emanated.

“So, Rogun”, Arjun initiated.

“So, Arjun”, replied Rogun.

“Shall we talk about the Noirstick?”, Arjun asked, while trying to avoid a bar brawl.

Rogun took a long sip of his drink, looked thoughtfully to the cliffiest cliffs and to the ocean, and replied, “Yes, but I need to show you a place”.

Arjun was immediately a bit skeptical, but also needed answers. And he mostly trusted he could handle himself. Worth the risk, he thought.

“Ok, let’s walk”, said Arjun, “Lead the way”.

And so walk Rogun and Arjun did, over cliffs, and cliffs, and cliffs, and how they managed to not fall is somewhat of a minor miracle. But eventually, they got where they needed to be, with a figure that both knew quite well in waiting.

Rhysius turned to both of them with a small smile that barely reach his eyes, sword in his right hand, danger apparent. But he didn’t move; he waited.

Arjun opened the dialogue: “The red and the blue are two choices for the future, (at least he thought), but what can the Noirstick do?”

Rogun did not hesitate, he attacked as he realized what Rhysius held in his hand was the Noirstick, and his fellow four Firefires he’d brought under the veil of invisibility did the same.

Rhysius fought them off as best he could, but five against one is never a real fight. And so with his dying breath, he stared Arjun straight in the eye, who was starting stunned by what had just happened:

“They now have the option for no choice at all, which your parents fought against. You need to take that back”.

And gasped his last breath, with ethereal screams heard in the background as Rogun laughed, and laughed.

CHAPTER 9

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE”, screamed Arjun, and drew his blade, knowing it was a fight he could never win.

Rogun pushed him to the ground and drew his own sword, pointing it at Arjun’s throat.

“I am changing, everything, forever”.

And threw up his hand to summon those with him and walked off.

Arjun sat, for how long he knew not, with Rhysius’s body not far from him.

And finally sat up, having made a decision, for better or worse.

Standing tall and looking off in the distance, he muttered under his breath “It will be mine, and I will choose”.

Out of absolutely nowhere Aria Delandria appeared behind him, whispering words of wisdom:

“We can’t let this be”.

And she hugged him. Arjun hadn’t felt touch like that in a long, long time, and it stirred something deep within him.

He turned to her, with both questions and longing in his eyes.

“Why are you here?”, he asked quietly.

“For you, silly”, and jumped on him, and he caught her out of nature.

She kissed him like you kissed someone you’d wanted forever and assumed you would never have. She kissed him like someone trying to show someone you would never be kissed like that again.

And then all of a sudden, she jerked a bit, and her eyes went a bit blank.

He realized he was seeing red, not figuratively, but quite literally. It was covering him.

A wolfheaded girl pushed the pretty girl aside, as Arjun tried to blink his was back into reality.

“Arjun. ARJUN”, Katya yelled.

He settled upwards a bit, and tried to focus.

“I just saved your life. And now we have to try to save the world.”

Interlude

“Aria, you understand what needs to be done, right?”

Aria nodded, as one does, as a dutiful daughter.

“You have to stop him, because we need this change”.

Aria looked up gently, and just quietly asked “Why?”

Her parents looked down on her, and spoke stoically:

“It is not for you to know, but it will keep the world safe.

CHAPTER 10

Arjun looked at Katya with wonderous wonder and she stared straight back at him, with wolfish wolfishness.

“What have you done?”, Arjun asked, shock written across his face.

“What was needed”, Katya replied. “And now we go”.

Arjun’s head was spinning as he tried to contemplate all that had happened within the last 24 hours.

Who was doing what exactly? And why were they doing it?

And now I’m supposed to save the world?

Arjun had wandered dangerously back into to the first person, and retreated immediately.

Katya had sauntered out ahead of him, but out of absolutely nowhere a figure appeared in the path in from of Arjun.

“ROCK”, shouted the figure.

Arjun immediately drew his sword and knew that death one way or the other might be the only potential option here.

“Calvin”, Arjun tenuously approached.

“PAPER”, Calvin immediately replied.

“NO”, screamed Arjun, and sat down in pure frustration. Calvin lit a pipe seemingly out of nowhere and popped down next to him.

“I know the feeling”, said Calvin, despite clearly not.

“Why are you back here anyway? And wait, where did Katya go?”, Arjun asked to himself.

From behind and startling the hell out of both idiots, Katya whispered, “I’m always here”.

“Well that’s reassuring,” Arjun grumbled, “but you, idiot, what do you want?”

“I want to help”, he said, between puffs of the pipe. “I think maybe I can tell you a thing or two about the red and the blue that you might not know.”

“Is that right, you absolute muppet”, replied Arjun, “and what might those be?”

Calvin took a long breath of his pipe, and then ripped off all of his clothing, as per usual. He then stared Arjun dead in the eye, and then uttered two world changing things:

“Firstly, the red and blue is a choice that can only be made by a DarkDark, and the ones that know it will try to come for you”.

Arjun inhaled deeply, as this explained some of the unexplainable he had experienced recently.

“Secondly”, Calvin slowly drew out, as he were saying something he knew but didn’t really know, for all the sense that that makes.

“The name of this island is Rhysius”.

And blew out the remaining smoke, while the beautiful wolf girl howled into the deep night.

CHAPTER 11

When Rhysius was growing up, he knew that his parents weren’t normal, and that he wasn’t either.

He would constantly change form, from boy, an elderly man, sometimes a woman. The next day was just the next, and life was just was it became.