Chapter Text
In a kingdom long gone lived the people who used to worship the light. Five and two halves of which were named Elders, guardians of their respective Realms, under one ruler. They started as his mentors, but he soon outgrew their teachings, standing above them both in height and in status. He was driven by greed, blind for all except for how he could exploit the light most efficiently. It was near the end of the Darkstone Era that the Elders were starting to realize their mistake, when their world was crumbling.
But Valley Elders didn't start caring until they, unusually, found themselves just slightly out of balance.
It was about noon on the day of yet another grand performance for the King. A Triumphal Parade, they called it, the thing hat gave the Valley of Triumph its name. Tsadi, the General, who is now only known by the title "Elder of the Golden Wasteland", hasn't returned to the Valley like he had promised. One of the Elders of this Realm, affectionately named "Sa" by the other Elders, was pacing up and down in a room in Valley's temple. Still, no sign of him. The only footsteps they could hear were their own brother's prideful stride, followed by the much slower, frail steps of Lamed, the Prophet, who is now only remembered as "The Elder of the Vault".
"You're such a spoilsport," he spoke, "And the needlessly worried type at that! I mean-"
"Mekh..."
"Melekh!" he interrupted.
"My apologies... but, Mekh... Melekh! We can't keep abusing our light! It's alive, it's... it's sacred!"
He laughed: "Fairytales, dear. You're reading fairytales. Fables."
"At least use it sparingly, it was meant to help us survive, not- not to throw a party celebrating how good the other party was!"
"Actually, it's a parade celebrating how great the other parade was. Oh, and of course, the King..."
"Please, hear my words at least," she pleaded, "The King won't listen, Tsadi won't listen..."
"Lady, you're just getting whiny about the past. This is the future! You know, Teth has been getting real sentimental about the light recently too. Like, can you imagine? Teth the Inventor is lamenting her works! I think she's having her monthly mental abyss or whatever problems women have. Maybe you should go to her and be whiny together while you're at it."
Lamed just shook her head. "Well, maybe she will listen..."
"Say hi to her from me!" He waved gleefully as she left, and Sa come out from the corridors just as he turned on his heel to pay them a visit.
"Why are you dismissing her like this!?" they asked, "You know, maybe we should..."
"Tell her?", he scoffed, "She works with the people, like Ayin does. She doesn't keep secrets, I don't like that."
"But-"
He made a shushing motion, "What they don't have to know, we will not tell them. Today's the day of the parade, yes? We still have things to prepare."
"Where's Tsadi? Do you think he's..."
"Aww, are you worried? I think someone has a little crush~", he mocked.
"Mekh!"
"I dunno, maybe he just thought he didn't need to baby you before the parades anymore, like come on, we're used to that."
They went quiet, his words would always make them doubt themself. "Well... if you say so..," they said, while their gaze trailed off into the direction of Tsadi's territory.
"I expect you to get yourself together when we start in three hours. We are the icon of perfection," Mekh warned sternly, dragging Sa out of their thoughts. Then he left, fading from their sight.
The hour of the parade came; the King arrived to the Great Gates on a darkstone-powered boat, where the Valley Elders were already prepared. Citizens from all over the country would come to watch the parades, and usually, the other Elders would be present as well, but none showed up. The air felt heavy from the strange atmosphere, and Sa was holding their breath while Mekh was keeping a cramped smile underneath his mask, knowing hat his fear would only discourage his sibling further. The King was many times taller than the Elders-- which only added to how small they felt. He was dressed in his ceremonial gown: A black robe adorned with intricate white and golden stitched patterns of stars and crystals, akin to what the Elders wore as well. Atop his head sat a golden crown, his face concealed by an azure square mask.
The gates opened, only some people in the crowd cheered (truthfully, barely anyone was excited for the King's vanity anymore), and the Elders guided the King onto a festive, mechanical ship. He had his seat in the elevated middle of it, right behind a platform for all kinds of shows. These rituals used to hold religious meaning, but they were tainted by the King's greed and pride-- traits which technically came from the Valley Elders themselves. The platform was surrounded by torches which emitted sparkling heat.
The ship was set in motion, riding among the clouds and the wind. Sa looked into the crowd-- they used to be met with faces of joy, but now they can only see weakened silhouettes who barely have enough strength to even applause. Mekh poked Sa with his stick, indicating that they should begin.
Sa took their stick and lit it using one of the flames, and Mekh did the same, bowing performatively before he gestured at the musicians to start playing and initiated their dance. The twirling of their fire painted an image of two butterflies chasing one another, which took inspiration by the old ways of the Fire Era, invoking the nostalgia for times long gone. Even now, when all that allusion to nature was just a facade.
Their parades have always been spectacles, and this time was no exception. The gold accents of the ship glittered in the light of the setting sun, and majestic creatures of light danced along the arial path of Valley of Triumph, where the boat was heading. As it floated along this path, the mantas and birds joined its sides. Though they seemed gleefully free, that was only a brief moment they'd spent outside of captivity.
In combination with the lines of light the Elders drew in the sky, they portrayed quite a beautiful picture-- up until the King rose from his seat and threw a leash over the largest manta, weighing it down and finally making it drag the boat forward. This was supposed to be a display of strength, one that was meant to illustrate the King's victory over nature itself, but perhaps it only showed his own, sadistic character. This was complimented by Valley's reckless play with their torches, taunting the animal with the flames, twirling, dancing, circling one another. It cried from the weight and the heat, and Sa glanced over to the creature for only a brief moment before tripping over their own feet and crashing into their brother, the burning stick in hand. He immediately cried out in anguish and threw himself onto the cold stone floor to suffocate any flame that dared to creep up his body, tears forming in his eye. Sa stopped the performance right there to tend to him, and the music was replaced with a deafening silence, it was only then that they could see that the fire had eaten away at his flesh, blisters forming in clusters around the bleeding wounds on his shoulder, chest and arm. "By our light, I'm so sorry...!" they whispered, kneeling beside him and trying to find a way to help.
He snapped back at them: "What the FUCK is wrong with you!?", causing them to flinch away from him.
Rumors coursed through the crowd. Some paramedics rushed into the center so they could tend to the injured Elder, as the King only glared at the woeful display of the twins. "Cease the crying," he spoke, "To think my teachers have fallen from their grace this much... you are a disappointment." Then Mekh was brought to the nearest hospital on a smaller boat, and Sa followed closely.