Lights of Shadow
Alright people, here's another story for you all; an old setting of magic powers, creatures, and weapons. I've made a slight change to Kira in this story, but I'm sure you'll find it interesting.
Ch. 1: Dawn
"Why can't you do this! You can't even do the simplest of spells!"
Siegel Clyne, a well known man of Doolittle Village, was trying to train her daughter Lacus, a novice mage who could barely even levitate a 2 foot wide stone. He had finally lost all patience after she failed yet another simple spell: the ability to shoot small bolts of energy. Every time she tried, the bolts would just puff out in her hand.
Lacus groaned and faced her father. "I'm focusing energy into my hand! How can't it work?"
"You really aren't making this any better Lacus! I want you to head home and practice now! If I don't hear any word of you training from Cagalli then I'll just have to stop your training! It's been 3 years and you still can't pass through the normal standards! And he stormed out.
Lacus collapsed and cried. "Why, why does this happen? I do everything he tells me. And I still can't do anything right! It's not fair!" She kept sobbing and crying to the point where she was face-down on the tile floor. Nothing had gone right for her ever since she started training as a mage. Because of how weak she was, people teased her, and even used their own powers on her.
She continued crying until hearing someone enter. She turned to see Cagalli, the only friend she had in the village. Cagalli was a powerful mage who had already mastered even most of the hardest spells to perform. Cagalli and Lacus had been friends for their lifetimes; they couldn't be separated easily.
Cagalli walked up to Lacus and knelt down. "Did Sage Clyne scold you again?" she asked. Lacus nodded. Cagalli smiled and caressed Lacus' cheek. "Don't worry. You'll be able to get stronger soon. You just need more time."
Lacus couldn't take it. Her mind snapped and she yelled at her best friend. "But I've had 3 years! 3 years Cagalli! And yet you're already 10 times ahead of me! The whole village is better than me! What could I possibly do now? I can't do it anymore. I can't." She began to cry again, her face looking at the ground.
Cagalli's face expressed her sorrow and she hugged Lacus. "It doesn't matter. Don't give up. The weak ones are the one who never give up." She pulled away and her voice grew stronger. "Do you want to be like them? Do you want to be like those loser who sit in the dust because they didn't even try for power they could hold?
Lacus looked up and shook her head. Cagalli yelled her next statement. "Then don't give up! Don't go eating maggots in regret! Just keep trying. Some of the greatest magicians had to wait longer that this to expose their true power you know! You could be one of them!"
Lacus didn't feel any better. The atmosphere around her always fueled her pessimistic behavior. She didn't believe anything good could happen to her. She got up and walked out without a word. Cagalli didn't try to stop her either. She knew Lacus need space now.
But she needs to stop hiding. I know she can do better, but she can't even see it. That's why.
She got up to look out the window and notice a small group of mages, and they were all familiar faces. "Oh no, not now," Cagalli said, and she ran after her.
Lacus closed the door behind her and started walking to the grassy field behind the house.
"Well if it isn't the dud."
Lacus groaned and turned. She was staring at 3 girls, 3 of her most hated girls in the village. They were Mirialla, Meer, and the leader, Flay. All 3 of them were the worst bullies in the village, and some of the best mages as well.
All 3 of them laughed, but Lacus just turned and walked away. Before she could get a decent distance away, she felt her body being pulled back. She turned to see Flay holding her hand out and grinning. Lacus attempted to break the spell, but her weak magic couldn't even slow it down.
Flay felt the resistance and laughed. "Is that all you've got? I expected better from you since you Sage Clyne's daughter." The other 2 laughed as Flay continued. "But I guess you don't have anything because he found you so worthless to carry his power. I'm not surprised. I would've done the same."
Lacus was stung by the words and turned. Rage bellowed from inside and she shot a energy bolt at Flay. It hit her dead in the head and she fell backwards. "Don't you dare talk about my father or me like that! She shot another one, but Meer blocked it.
"And don't you dare talk like that to people stronger than you," she mocked, preparing her own shot.
Flay stood up and stopped Meer. "She has the guts to attack me, so I'll be the one to finish her," she said, and Meer backed off. Then Flay instantly fired a bolt at Lacus. Lacus couldn't dodge in time and was blown back far. She landed face-down in the dirt. Mir and Meer laughed while Flay approached her with an energy sphere in hand. Lacus looked up at her as Flay looked down with a dark face. "You don't ever hit me you weakling!" And she hit Lacus in the back hard. She screamed loudly which made Flay grin widely.
Suddenly Flay was flung backward into a wooden rooftop. She collapsed, barely managing to look up and see her attacker. When she saw Cagalli's face she got up ran. Mir and Meer followed her. Cagalli wasn't so merciful though. She held out her hand and blasted all 3 hard in the back. They all crumpled and didn't get up.
Nobody bothered to stop them. It was a normal thing to happen to them.
Cagalli ran to Lacus and put her in her lap.
"Cagalli-"
"Are you alright Lacus?"
Lacus nodded and stood up. She wobbled a little bit, but otherwise, she was okay.
Cagalli stood up. "Let's go back home for now."
Lacus shook her head. "Not yet. Just give me a little time please."
"And what if they come after you again? They're just over there." She pointed to their crumpled bodies.
"I won't be long Cagalli. It's just for a few minutes."
Cagalli sighed and gave in. She knew Lacus wouldn't budge until she was satisfied with what she was doing. She walked home, waving back to her pink-haired friend who waved back, and wondered whether things would get better for Lacus or get worse.
Lacus approached a small boulder in the field and sat down. She caught the breeze in her face and hair helplessly flowed with it. She looked up at the cloudy blue sky and the shining sun. The scenery portrait a typical day, and yet, she felt something special about it.
Will I ever pass the trials and become a real mage? she asked herself; Not likely. I don't have a chance like this. I can't even do the simplest of spells.
She looked out again with a saddened face. 3 years had passed since she began training. Ever since, her normal life had plummeted. People saw her as weak and worthless; they even tried to con Siegel to let go of her. Siegel would never be swayed, because no matter what happened, he loved Lacus as his daughter. His patience continually broke, but his love never did. Then Lacus remembered one day where Siegel had taught her the most important lesson she could ever learn.
Flashback
"Father?" Lacus asked.
Siegel looked down from his bookshelf. "Yes Lacus? Do you need something?"
"Father, I was wondering if you would tell me about dark magic," she said.
Siegel's face grew dark. His smile faded to a look of seriousness. Dark magic teaching were forbidden in their village and Lacus knew that. Yet it was always curiosity that grew problematic among them as a result.
"Very well Lacus, but listen. Dark magic may be powerful, but don't ever be tempted to use it."
"But why is that? Why is dark magic like a curse to you?"
Siegel led Lacus to a table and they both sat down. "Listen carefully Lacus, okay?"
Lacus nodded. "Of course father."
Siegel turned to her. "You know very well that this world is made up of a variety of matter, energy, and power. Magic lies within them. The magic we use.
"But the magic also had separate properties, he continued; some magic was certainly useful and safe for use. This magic is normal magic. Normal magic doesn't have a true cost, but using over long periods of time does give the wielder fatigue. I taught you that of course.
"Dark magic is different. Dark magic is very powerful magic, strong enough to overcome feats that magic alone could not, but at a terrible cost. Dark magic is fueled by the life of humans, and humans alone.
Lacus' eyes widened. How could magic be so cruel as to absorb human life for itself?
"However, dark magic's power can be determined by the lives lost. If a man has killed, and willingly takes the power of the dead, he will be bound to dark magic for the rest of his life; there's no turning back once you start walking that path. If the man refuses to kill more, his magic will never grow, but be released into the wind around him, and in time, it will disappear completely. He can never get it back then, and he will never be able to use magic ever again.
"But if the wielder continues to kill lives and absorb the life and power of his victims, his magic will continue to grow, until it reaches the point where he won't be able to handle his power, and it will eventually destroy him."
The many facts of dark magic were fascinating Lacus. In return for true power, the life of humans, and in return for not killing, you lose all your powers. It was rough.
"However, some people are able to absorb as much dark magic as possible, because their bodies can tolerate the strength. They are called devil sorcerers, and they gain power from devils and creatures of darkness. They are heartless abominations who only care about strengthening their own power. But they are the most dangerous people in this world; no one has ever defeat one before without dark magic. In fact, no one has even even defeated one before. If you were to encounter one, run, or try to get away somehow."
Lacus grew cold to the core. People like that were unstoppable to her. That broke the boundary of equality among man.
Siegel sighed. "Well, that is all I can tell you Lacus. If I said more, I'd be betraying our ideals. Promise me that you will not speak of this to anyone."
Lacus blinked. "Even Cagalli father?"
Siegel nodded. "Yes, even Cagalli."
End of Flashback
Those words were remembered so well. She knew dark magic was powerful, but it was difficult to maintain properly. Most people had limits to its power as well, while some didn't. In one way, the magic was easy to keep, but in another, it was hard to maintain. It only drew out the hatred or greed within people.
She envied dark magic. As powerful as it sounded, she knew she couldn't kill anyone. She didn't want to and her powers were to weak. She sighed and hung her head.
"You don't look to happy."
Lacus snapped her head back up to see a black robed figure with a hood over his head. The hood darkened his face too much to distinguish any features. The black robe gave Lacus a scare and she instinctively jumped off the boulder and ran away. The robe watch her depart, but didn't follow.
I'll see her again soon, very soon. And he vanished into thin air.
Lacus had been running for about 3 minutes before slowing down. She turned around to see if the robed figure had followed her. Apparently he hadn't, but she wasn't too sure. She walked the rest of the way, but was always alert for anything suspicious.
When she made it all the way, she dropped the tension she held and went around the house. On the other side was a Pegasus that Lacus held dear to herself. She went up to her and pet her head. "How are you doing Lela?"
The Pegasus grunted her reply and Lacus' smile turned to a frown. "It's good to know that. But I won't ever be as fine. I still can't pass anymore spells. I don't know what's going to happen now. Father says he wants me to train, but I never progress. What do I do Lela?" She put her head against the Pegasus' and nuzzled her gently, tears starting to roll down her cheeks form her sealed eyes. Lela returned the action and closed her own eyes.
After awhile, she stroked Lela's face and turned. She gasped as she saw her father standing there. But he wasn't angry; just filled with sorrow. He stared at her with a normal face.
"It's alright Lacus. Just get started soon with training. I'll give you some time for now."
He started to walk to the front before turning back around. "I won't be alive to see you in your glory. This I've foreseen."
Lacus' heart dropped. Her father was known to have many premonitions of the future, and so far, none have been wrong. "No, that can't be."
Siegel turned and walked back around until Lacus could no longer see him. And Lacus didn't move. Fear and sorrow had frozen her.
The sun is setting. The time draws near. The robed man was staring out into the village from a cliff. He then held out his hand and 3 more robed men appeared out of nowhere. They all stared down at the small village, gazing at the final light it would ever emit.
Well then, that's the first chapter of my new story. So, who is the robed man that met Lacus? What about the others? And what are they planning to do? Everything will be revealed soon. I've been listening to "Banjo Kazooie" while writing so don't be surprised if you find any errors. Read and review then please, and have a good day! I'll try to update within 2 days!