The howl of the Frost wind pierced the thin veil of the church walls, which managed to hold firm. They always had, and if Tollen Humbry remained steadfast in his mission, they always would. He’d maintained the Church of Light in Boggage ever since being forced to move from his home many rotations ago.

Tollen looked out over the small gathering of regulars, some with their heads bowed, others staring blankly with glossy, blue eyes. He’d seen that despair plastered on many faces before. That expression motivated him to preach the message of Nightbreaker to anyone who would listen. It was a message of unity and hope in a period when unbelievers had turned what little faith they had left to an undying emperor who cared little in return for his subjects’ well-being.

“We are here today for one reason,” Tollen said, clearing his throat. He closed his sacred book and left it on the pulpit as he walked around to get closer to his fellow believers. They didn’t need to hear scripture but the words of a man who knew them and their circumstances well. “The world is a dangerous place. It casts us aside like discarded waste. And there’s nothing we can do about it. I know this harsh reality because my village was destroyed long ago.”

Several members of the congregation turned their attention back to the luminary. Some sat up straighter, swallowing. Tollen locked eyes with each of them one by one, nodding to them as he let the words linger in the air like the chill outside. The young man named Elyam sat closest to him on the aisle end of the first pew, his yellowing eyes wide.

“The world isn’t within our control, despite what the Chancery would have you think,” he said, walking down the aisle. “We are but motes of Light bound to the rhythmic dance of the realms, pulsing ever brighter or dimmer, lost and isolated, yet simultaneously linked together in the grand tapestry of life, burning with a glory rivaled only by the great source itself: Nightbreaker.”

Tollen paused briefly, pointed up toward the ceiling, and looked down at the familiar faces of a husband and wife who had never missed an Illumination Day.

“Why is this important, you might ask? It means that against the entirety of the vastness of the night sky, there persists a powerful, singular mote of Light that dispels the suffocating Darkness we all know and fear with an eternal flame.” Tollen made a show of lowering his finger to point at several of the congregation as he spoke. “And just like Nightbreaker, you, too, are that mote drifting through an endless sea of hardship. Your life, your mere existence, is more powerful than any evil that would wish to harm you, for your Light can never be extinguished, only returned as compensation to the one that gifted it in the first place.”

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The congregation raised their hands in united prayer toward the ceiling. A few spoke aloud for the first time, praising their divine creator in renewed vigor. The young man smiled at the priest, his eyes watery yet bright yellow with excitement.

“We may not be in control of the world around us, but we have the power to stay true to our beliefs, to live by our word, and dispense love to one another whenever possible. Continue to shine as a beacon of these tenets so that you may spread Nightbreaker’s loving embrace to all those shrouded in mists of false enlightenment. I’m here before you now, a new man because, at one point, I’d lost everything and everyone I ever loved. But that doesn’t define me in this moment. Whatever terrible thing that has happened to you shouldn’t define you either. Know that you are not alone in this suffering. Together, our luminous bond will ward off anyone who wishes to harm us and subsequently guide us to the safe haven we seek. That, my brothers and sisters, is what is in our control. What you do with that power is up to you. May the Light guide you all.”

Tollen bowed his head, indicating that his sermon had concluded. Congregation members came up to thank him and update him on their lives since the last Illumination Day, while others mosied out to go about their day. Tollen greeted them individually until the last of them departed, leaving him alone.

He collapsed into one of the pews and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples and sighing. Exhaustion washed over him, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since the day before. Life hadn’t slowed down since the devastating news of the death of his last living relative only a few days prior.

“Luminary Tollen, are you alright?”

Tollen opened his eyes and realized Elyam had remained behind to help clean up. “Oh, yes. I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”

“I connected deeply with your message, sir. I haven’t seen you depart from scripture like that before. It was really moving.”

Tollen smiled but let it fade. “Good. I’m glad you thought so. Sometimes, I forget why I’m here and need a reminder of what it is I actually believe.”

The young man stopped picking up the extra bibles from the pews. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

Tollen shook his head and waved absently in the air. He got up, took the aged books from the young man, and placed them on the pulpit. Tollen didn’t look in the boy’s direction when he spoke again. “You should get home before the frigid cold sets in tonight. The snowfall has already begun.” Earlier, as the congregation left, he’d seen the white flakes cast about by the wind.

The young man bowed and headed for the front door. Just before departing, Elyam turned and said, “See you tomorrow, Luminary Tollen. May Nightbreaker’s Light guide you.”

Tollen Humbry nodded, unaware that tonight would be his last to live, the last he’d speak with the young man or anyone at all, the last time he’d watch the sun fade beneath the horizon.

“May its Light guide us all.”