Chapter Text
With the stars united, our light was infinite.
...And together, we live in harmony.
As spirits, we soon became many...
Creating our home here, in the clouds.
...But darkness came and the stars fell...
...And with their light, we faded away...
...
A long time has passed. Now we call to you.
Go forth, child. Bring our lost stars back.
...
...And protect our light from the darkness...
After reading the message from the murals in the cave, a new descendant, a Child of Light, walked towards the mouth of the cave and when reaching the outside, the child saw a view of a cool-toned desert with several scattered traces of civilization around the place. There is also a temple visible quite far away with the clouds surrounding it. This place seems like it has been abandoned for a long time, or maybe even decades.
“Hello there new kiddo, welcome to the world of Sky!”
Startled by the sound, the child immediately looked back and saw someone behind them that comes out of nowhere.
The person chuckled after seeing the child's reaction and quickly apologize. "I'm sorry that I have startled you. You seems too focused on the temple to notice me, heh."
The child looked up to see the person with tangerine beard and hair that is covered with a triangle-shaped like hat, while holding a staff that is held on the right hand. Judging from the appearance, this person must have been in this place for a long time. Maybe he also knows why this place looks deserted and abandoned. But who is this person? Is he one of the spirits that were mentioned in the mural painting earlier?
The person noticed that the child seems to observe him, and chuckled again before steps closer to the child, "No. I'm not a spirit like what you were thinking. I am a Child of Light, just like you! But more experienced.” and the child just tilted their head, looking confused. 'He... can read my mind?', they thought.
"There are still many Children of Light in this world, that some are in the same age as me, some who are still young, and even some of them are newly born child from some days ago, just like you!" Says the person before he looked towards the temple, "However, my name is Xavier, or Xav for short, and I will be your guide in this place that is called the Isle of Dawn.", and he looked at the child. "What do you think?"
The child glanced at him briefly, before looking towards the temple. This is the child's first time in the world of Sky, which is who knows how vast this world is. Surely there will be many things they need to know, like with the Children of Light some of whom are the same as them, as well as the meaning of the intention that is to protect light from darkness. They will know what darkness is, and for some reason, the child felt that the sentence should not be on the mural.
The child, who knew Xavier is still waiting for their answer, immediately nodded and looked back at him.
He nodded "Okay then," and offered his hand with a smile, "... let's start your first journey in this Realm!"
The child looked at his hand and nodded, before holding Xavier's hand with their small hand.
...
While exploring the place, Xavier began to tell several things about the world of Sky. Starting from how to get stars (or what is also called winged light, which can increase the strength of skykid's wing), reviving spirit memories, how to fly with the limit of the wing energy, recharging wing's energy, and much more. The kid listened carefully while doing it as Xavier told them to practice it. But the child also wanders around or chases flying butterflies of light when the explanation sounds boring.
After some time exploring, they finally decided to rest for a bit. They are now sitting near a boulder shaped like a ladder that points to the temple. Xavier explained that in the past, the ladder was used by spirits to board their flying transportation to the temple. It's fascinating on how he could knew so much about this place when the descendants were only born decades later after the ancestors.
"And they use flying boats as their transportation. You saw some abandoned boats earlier, right?"
The child nodded, starting to get interested in his stories again.
"Yeah, that's it. Apart from the flying boats they make, they also use creatures of light, such as those in the form of stingrays or what are often called mantas."
The child then tilted their head, not sure what the creature looks like.
Xavier chuckled then raised his hand. At the tip of his finger, a small light starts to sparkle and using the light from that finger, he began to move it to depict the shape of the manta, a creature that looked like a boomerang with a long tail. The child looked at him in amazement.
Seeing the child's reaction, he gives the child a pat on the head before he takes his staff and stands up while wiping off the dust on his clothes. "You really are more interested in hearing something like this, huh? There are many other creatures that you will see later.” He then looked towards where the temple is, which is now a short distance away, then looked at the child back with a smile. “Shall we continue?”
The child nodded and immediately stood up, holding his hand again. They flew towards the temple and crossed the surrounding clouds to replenish the energy of Xavier's wing. Though he seems old, he still can fly agilely.
Landing in front of the temple, Xavier saw the child immediately let go of his hand and look around the temple. “Here, you will meet the first Elder Realm, and your task is to wake the Elder up before continuing your journey to the next Realm.” He explained as he starts to look around in the temple. "This temple was built a long time ago, but it is still in pretty good condition. Isn't that great?", he added with a chuckle, then saw the child that immediately nod and point to the temple entrance. Can we go in now?
Xavier smiled and walked towards the child. Gently, he stroked the child's hair. “...You can go in by yourself, only here that I can accompany you. Inside there will be a throne room, and to meet Daleth, the Isle of Dawn Elder, you must meditate in front of the statue after you lit the candles.”
The just child looked up to him with a confused look. '...I have to go alone...?'
"Don't worry. My other friends will also gladly help to guide you in the Realms that you will visit later, and they are all good. I promise.”
The child tugged at his hand to come with them, and Xavier, who is still smiling, shook his head slowly. “I'm sorry, but I can't. Because if I leave, who will guide the newly born Children of Light?” he said jokingly to convince the child.
The child stopped and looked at him again with some realization, and immediately hugged him as a sign of a thank you. Xavier couldn't help but chuckle and hug the child back.
After a while, the child finally let go of their embrace and turned around, then walked into the castle where there is a mural depicting temples above the clouds, as well as several wall carvings depicting spirits and Elders. The child then opened the door and took one last look at Xavier after the door opened.
... He's not there anymore.
The child just stood staring at the place where he just stood, then turned around and walk through the door.
Ready to continue their journey.