Theme: Write a story that illustrates the culture of a society.

A/N: Hello and happy Early Thanksgiving (of course, if you don't celebrate the holiday, you can always enjoy this story)! I like to thank all the writers here who writes their own "Heroes" story and inspiring me to give my own take on it. I don't usually write "established canon" stories, but having the story pre-established gives me a lot of freedom to try out new weird writing styles (although it's still very AU). Every chapter of this story is based on a certain experimental theme. Enjoy!

Edit 1: Light edit of grammar and word choices. Most importantly, added Luminous' epilogue.

Edit 2: Shortened and edited some scenes. Most notably the flashback is now in the beginning so the whole thing is now in chronological order. The significance of this shall be revealed as the story progresses. Otherwise everything else is the same.

Also fyi, Magcintus is a made-up town that is located where Magatia is on the official world map. Since the Heroes backstory is in the past, I'm using this fact as liberty to change a few things.

Luminous furiously licks the lollipop despite his mouth puckering at the candy's tartness. Just a minute prior, he had made a bet that he would be a winner today and he is determined to win this game of chance. The faster he licks, Luminous believes, the higher his chances of getting a winning stick so that he may redeem it for his next spoils. Oh, the thought alone makes him salivate.

"Aha!" Luminous gloats when he reaches the end of his lollipop and the hidden message is visible. Maple is still gnawing on her end, thinking that if she applies just enough pressure with her baby teeth, the hard surgery surface must break. Any second now…there!

"Tada!" Maple exclaims a few seconds later, showing her own lollipop stick for her opponent to see. Unlike her friend, Maple is entirely grounded in logic: as long as she is patient and stubborn in her efforts, the winner should naturally be her.

"It says loser on it!" Luminous screams in joy. Bewildered, Maple examines her stick which indeed says loser in powder blue letters. She throws the stick into the wastebasket in disgust. Why did it have to mention loser at all? Could they not have left it blank? Whoever invented the candy must be a grumpy old man!

"Whatever. Hey! Yours said loser too! Luminous is a loser," she laughs.

"You're one to talk!" Luminous pushes the girl with his shoulder and she more than gladly returns the gesture. "I call a rematch."

"Then I call key lime flavor."

Luminous hesitates but returns with a brave expression. "You're on." And they pluck the next piece of candy onto their tired yet unrelenting tongues. And then, a woman comes into the candy shop and Luminous is caught off-guard. She is here to bring him the news that he had expected but tried so hard to not think about.

Today is the day of his parent's death.

Maple looks at him without saying word, probably because she is too ashamed to say anything. And Luminous, as silent as his friend, runs out into the street, past the vendors and the living quarters, and the courthouses, finally arriving at the tower in the center of town. Two guards protect the entrance but the woman behind him motions for them to give Luminous entrance. Maple catches up to them, with two lollipops within each cheek. She asks the woman, "Will he be alright?"

"Eventually, yes," she says, clutching the hand of the child.

Luminous continues his dash through the building, knowing where to go by the signs hanging from the ceiling. To the engine room—that's where mother and father would be. Once there, he did not know what to think. He has been to the engine room before but this time it is vastly different from his memories. Instead of the metallic white walls, the room is literally made from particles of light. They rise and fall in rapid succession like fireflies that touches too close to the stars and their wings flutters away into sprinkling glitter. Right in front of him, surrounded by dark grey metal is the stem of the Flower Engine, and in there are his mother and father.

He reaches for them, but the closer he gets, the brighter the light until it is so blinding, he has to close his eyes to move forward. Yet, even in this darkness, the particles still brushes against his skin and the closer he gets the more there are and then—

Nothing.

Coldness.

Luminous opens his eyes again. The lights are gone and the room is once again the same old engine room. Every few seconds a ring of light from the stem pierces through its metal support, hitting Luminous with a sense of warmth and innocence against the sadness buried in his heart. Wrapped around his fingers is a hand of cold, white steel. Standing before him is a tall man in shimmering, white armor. There is something about him that radiated simplicity, not the common regularity found in commoners, but the simplicity that elicited deep intrigue. There is a beauty in the way he stands there, his arm behind his back.

Luminous have never seen a statue with such realism so it only doubled his surprise when he releases his grip on Luminous to remove the mouthpiece around his helm. "Thank the flower you're alright," he tells Luminous. "You shouldn't have come into the engine room, not without armor. Such powerful Light is not good for a small child like you."

"I thought the light was supposed to protect us," Luminous blurts. Then he adds, "Why did the light have to take away mother and father?"

"That is because our souls belong with the Light," the man explains as if it is at all a satisfying answer. "It is the darkness that took away your parents but the Light protected their souls from oblivion. But you have no conception of soul, do you?" Honestly, Luminous has no idea what he is talking about. Light? Darkness? It is all so incomprehensible that the only anchor he has is the man's soft voice. Instinctively, Luminous draws closer to the man like a songbird to the promise of nectar.

And the man takes this as a cue to continue, "A soul embodies the worth of a human being—an autobiography if you will, although less abridged and more factual. Throughout your parents' life, their souls are guided by the Light of the Flower Engine and in turn their souls embed their lives with words. Once they return to the Light, their soul can guide the next generation, you. That is why, when you close your eyes and feel the Light's glow, you can read that autobiography."

Luminous stares at the man, then at the stem. The light from the stem pulses like a heartbeat and it is very familiar to him. It is the same tempo as the one he hears every night. So he closes his eyes and listens again to the fairy tales and legends of The White Mage and The Raven. His parents' voices ascend and descend as a dance of perfect rhythm and harmony, their echoes reaching into…what was it? His soul? Yes, that is what a soul is. And so, opening his eyes and seeing once more the pulses of Light, he lets out a single tear drop.

"I…I want to protect the Light!" he says.

When Maple sees Luminous exiting the tower, she rushes to him and flashes her winning lollipop stick. "For you," she says, putting the sticky and wet prize into his palm.

When Luminous walks into Magcintus's Library of Law with his library card ready, Maple already knows exactly what it is he needs. "Scripture writing, again?" she laughs, taking out the extra copy of volume twenty from under the desk. "Don't you still have five more on top of this one?"

"It's how I past the time," he chuckles. "Besides it is just that I learn the law when I break the law."

"What got you tardy this time?"

"There was a witness who could prove the defendant guilty so I searched for him." Luminous shrugs and takes his place at the quite study room in the back. Every now and then, as the day passes on, Maple would shy a glimpse at her childhood friend while he scribbles his notes. This is not her first time peeking at him while he works. Sure, it is difficult to create conversation with him, but his adherence to justice and his inept handling of time is plain adorable. She just cannot help herself but stare at this wonderful person before her. There is a lovely feeling swelling from Maple's chest and she does not deny that it is pure, unrequited love.

After an uneventful couple of hours, Maple gives one last look at Luminous's back before calling for him. "Hey," she chirps at the unsuspecting boy. She approaches him, close enough to see the piles of notes he had written. "The Judge really should give you break. I mean, you are his sword bearer."

"I do not mind. This book is wonderful and I would not mind reading it forever if not for my other duties. And you know how I am with time. It is not my fault that I am always late."

"Oh, I think it is!" she giggles, pointing a finger at the glass ceiling. There is a soft glow streaming from the outside. It is not from the sun, Luminous soon realizes, but from the gigantic petals of the Flower Engine.

"Holy!" he screams. "It's already night time!" He starts packing his papers while Maple waits for him outside the library. Once both are ready, they walk down the main road leading to the Aurora building. It is during times like these, in the tranquility, that Maple feels tempted to reach out her fingers and touch the boy's hand. But that would be indecent! More so if it's done in night time and someone is to find out. She'll blush to no end, especially if her gossiping mentor saw her holding a boy's hand. There's no one around so maybe just this once…

Argh—romance with this shy, sweet boy is just so impossible! Just once, she would like a small hint of his affection, permission for her to just jump in and give him a hug and a kiss! What am I thinking? This is all so wrong!

"How is Athena doing?" the boy asks, breaking the silence. This is perhaps the worse time to bring up the baby elven—it always dampen Maple's mood.

"She's doing great!" she says at first. But after being reminded of the Blessing Ceremony, she cannot help but say, "I wish she didn't have to go through with the ceremony."

Noticing the change in Maple's mood, the boy thinks for a bit. "That is the requirement to be a citizen of this town. Otherwise, she'll be breaking two of our laws."

"Yeah but! Don't you feel kind of sad that we only get to live for thirty years? I heard the lowlanders lives for sixty and the elves live even longer."

"Isn't that all for the better? The Blessing of the Light grants us both wisdom and power. Athena will grow up to be just as powerful as we are. Moreover she can be part of the most powerful country in the world."

"That's true…" It is already a stretch to let her keep an orphaned elf, and that wouldn't even be possible if her mentor isn't one of the twelve members of the Roundtable.

"Well, if Sabrina wins tomorrow's election then maybe Athena wouldn't have to go through the ceremony," the boy says, trying to cheer up the discouraged girl.

"You think Master Sabrina has a chance to become the next Judge?"

"No," the boy smiles as they continue their stroll, "but if anyone can replace The Judge, it would be her. If I was a magistrate, I would vote for her."

"Yeah, thanks," Maple quips sarcastically, "too bad you let every opportunity to be part of the Round slip you by. You're the student of The Judge for holy sakes!"

"That's because I still have a lot to learn. The position of magistrate isn't for someone under the age of twenty. It's untraditional."

"Tradition, smadition. If we go by magic alone, you're already far above one or two of the magistrates. And you can remember a whole volume of law! I bet no one else can!" She pats the boy in the back, bringing a confident blush to his cheeks. And with this confidence, he finally takes out a present from beneath his robes. Yesterday, he took time to seek out this gift with Maple in mind…sort of.

"I bought this gift with you in mind," he says even though he really shouldn't. "I hope it'll be useful to you." It is a very small present, one that can fit in the palm of Maple's hand.

"Ooh, what is it?" She unwrap the gift carefully—after all, he took such care to perfect its appearance—it's up to her to preserve it.

"You'll find out."

Could this be a ring? Is he really going to say it? Oh my holy! She squeals with delight at the prospect of marriage. She's only been to a wedding once during a rare opportunity, and she can recall everything so vividly: the doves, the flowers, and the gown! Oh the wedding gown! It's so silky and soft to the touch—she practically drooled over the gemmed masterpiece. Thoughts of nothing else cross her mind when she says, "I like it," right before revealing the contents of the box.

"I'm glad you do."

"Huh?" Her mouth hangs wide open at the sight of the empty box. There is naught within except for a waxy piece of paper. Maybe it's underneath? Nope. Hidden compartment? Nada. On the lid? Nothing. She cannot believe what her eyes are telling her! Where is it? Such a nice velvet box can't be used to hold a piece of paper! Is this a joke? No…no… "W-what is this…?"

"It's a coupon…" Her heart sinks like rain through clouds. "…for a year's supply of lollipops for you and Athena."

"Huh? Oh!" A lightbulb dings above the girl's head. "Concavity, cavity!" she screams the phrase that they used to repeat to one another on a daily basis. Back then, when they were barely learning the rope of Magcintus law, they would buy lollipops from the candy shop day after day. I can't believe he still remembers our childhood! "Thanks!" she says, hugging the gift to her heart.

Without realizing it, she embraces the shy, difficult boy. There is a warm smile on the boy's lips and, lifting his head, he points his eyes at the tip of the tower in front of him. This tower is the Aurora building, an institute of research.

"Um, you do know Athena is not my child right?" Maple asks after breaking the embrace.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" the boy returns, confused.

"Just want to make sure that you know I'm single," Maple giggles. "I'll see you later?"

And although they didn't get to kiss, the hug is already more than enough.

Luminous descends the spiraling stairwells which lead to the basement of Aurora. Built nearly a hundred years ago, the Aurora of today has gone through so many renovations, the original feels as an afterthought in comparison. Massive pillars and buttresses hinge the perfect ivory walls in place. Reinforced with Light magic, Aurora would only collapse during a disaster of epic proportions. Luminous imagines that any outsider who infiltrates Magcintus would see the towering, stalwart Aurora and cower in fear.

As he marvels at the grand design, he walks across the foyer towards The Judge's room. Stained-gemmed windows of former Judges flank either side. The hall is truly colorful, especially when compared to The Judge's room. Nearly as large as the foyer, The Judge's room is as sparse as a winter field and as colder as northern snow. The only objects in this room are the desk, a whiteboard, its owner, and a whole field's worth of dust. From the corner of his eye, Luminous spies a foreigner speaking with The Judge. Their voices appear to be heated but controlled—in the name of the Light, what could they be disagreeing on? Luminous has always revered The Judge for his insight so it is strange for him to argue with a lowly outsider.

Luminous immediately dodges behind a pillar to hear their exchange without interruption.

"Do not misinterpret my will—I am in no way attempting to offend Magcintus. Instead, I am suggesting that you ally yourself with us." The foreigner raises his head and a jolt courses through Luminous's veins. He has never felt such a sensation. How can it be described? It is as if an omniscient yet evil specter has revealed itself to him.

Luminous tries in vain to shake away the feeling. He cannot.

And then, in a sudden shift, that foreigner is standing before Luminous. He can see, very clearly, a finger made of bone pointing right at him. His stomach squelches at the impossible sight. Is this person not living at all? "You've grown, Luminous." The boy stares at him, thinking if they have ever met. No, never! He does not know any bone-handed foreigner!

The Judge notices the foreigner talking to the boy and screams, "Leave at once! Luminous come here!"

"Not to worry, Judge," the foreigner declares. "We will never see each other again. And I do hope you enjoy the gift I've left you. It took me a long time to discern your tastes in books." And he leaves.

It takes about a minute for Luminous to readjust to his surroundings.

Although the man has left the room, his very air still lingers and that alone seemingly corrodes Luminous's thoughts toward darkness. Recognizing that something is troubling the boy, The Judge remarks, "Late, as per usual, I see." Luminous tries to smile, bringing out the scriptures that distract him so well. "Volume twenty, the one I personally wrote. As pleased as I am, do not expect your duties to be relinquished or diminished."

The boy is quick to explain himself. "Of course not! I would never. Rather, this volume is by far the greatest I've ever read. Please don't misunderstand—."

"Think nothing of it." The Judge taps his finger on the table. "You may be surprised that I find the volume a little outdated…" His thoughts travel away; he owes an explanation to Luminous who obviously heard more of the conversation than he would have liked. "About that man,"

"Please, say nothing if you are reluctant. My duty is to protect Magcintus, and all I need to know is if he presents a threat or not. If he is a criminal, then I will not hesitate to bring justice upon him."

"Good," says The Judge, nodding in appreciation. "When the unfortunate time comes, when there is a threat to Magcintus's safety, you will be the first to know. For now, I need you to run an errand for me. Go to Magistrate Sabrina, and ask for her research."

"Yes, Judge."

"Master Sabrina, I'm back!" Maple announces, setting Luminous's gift on the bite-sized table she calls a lab station. Her master is deep in thought—an ink pen races madly against an empty sheet of paper. She doesn't react to Maple's greeting because she hasn't reached the period yet, and an unfinished sentence is as evil as a tragic romance. And the sentence is quite long too, giving Maple ample time to change into her lab coat, feed Athena from the milk bottle, and fix a sandwich for her starving master.

"What chu going?" Maple asks, taking an innocent peek at her master's work. "That's a run on sentence," she points out, putting her finger at the part where the period should have been. Sabrina scratches the length of the paper with ink and shoves the incomplete manuscript aside, spilling a vase of snow roses off her table."

"Oops," Sabrina says then turns back to Maple for more important matters. "Did bearer boy kissed you yet?" Sabrina removes her round spectacles and opens her arms to embrace her one and only student. "Oh, and you will get the broom right?" she says, pointing at the remains of the dropped vase. Maple gives her a cross between a pout and a sigh and returns with the broom and pan. As she brushes the shards, Maple feels slightly diminished when compared to the taller, older woman. Intelligence aside, Sabrina is, most of all, beautiful in every way imaginable. It is impossible to find a child in Magcintus that didn't see her as a second mother.

"Of course he didn't." Maple finally manages to say. She takes her eyes away from Sabrina, hoping that the broom can sweep away her disappointment. "Only you will ever kiss me." Arms caress her from behind, and she feels Sabrina's tender hair on her cheeks. Surely the only reason Luminous ever speaks to her is to be closer to Master Sabrina? The thought has its merits.

"Don't be silly. Come morning, I will whip up a good love potion and you'll bed him in seconds."

"Master! Please don't do that! How can you even suggest such lewdness? He probably doesn't see me as a potential mate…"

"Then he needs to stop shoving his carrots around the dishes! He's too young to start losing his vision!"

"He's not blind," Maple giggles, placing Sabrina's arms aside so that she may resume the cleaning. "But he's practically so. Is there a potion for shyness?"

"The only cure for shyness is confidence. And confidence comes when one dares to be more expressive with one's own body." The older woman whispers into Maple's ear, so softly, so quietly, but so much like a moan.

"B-B-B-Body?" The girl cannot help but be flustered by the thought as Sabrina presses her finger onto Maple's chest and outlines a few shapes. "I-I-I'm going to see Athena now!" She leaves the broom by the desk and quickly disappears.

Sabrina giggles. Ah, young love… She had never experienced it before and never will. She turns to her stacks of research and love fantasies, the two things that has always been her life. Tossing her hair like a scarf around her neck, Sabrina examines the crooked shelves and her hand-written documents—her trophies which collected both fame and dust. Yes, her knowledge surpasses the Judge's own, yet she will willingly trade it all for a husband other than her work.

"Maybe one day," she sighs, "I'll get to leave this city to a place where thirty-five isn't considered old." But all she can realistically wish for is the happiness of Magcintus itself for, yes, her death is neigh. Thirty-five years of living, far past her life expectancy…

Lost in her own thoughts, Sabrina didn't notice the boy by her doorway. "Magistrate Sabrina," he calls, "I'm here as per—holy bell's lunchboxes! Why are there shards left on the ground?"

"Did Maple sully the floor again? Confounded," the magistrate nonchalantly says. "I'll send her to your chambers tonight so that you can admit proper punishment for whatever injuries you may have sustained from the glass." Sabrina grins and immediately takes him in a light yet adoring hug.

"Oh no no, please don't send her to…to my chambers," he stammers and slurs at the same time. "I'm only here to request a recent summary of your work, if possible," he says, his composure almost regained. Almost.

"Are you sure? I'll let you borrow my whip."

"Whip!" He has never heard of Sabrina owning such a thing.

"Yeah, I used it for—," she stops herself and rethinks her words wisely, "recreational purposes. You should try it too; it's quite breathtaking. Maple's in her room right now." Those last words come out as a sigh next to Luminous's ear, and the ends of his hair shivers. "Did I ever tell you the story of the Round's bet?"

He gulps. There's a bad feeling…

"The magistrates and I had a pool about a month's back about who you'll end up with. And that fool you crowned a Judge had a nerve to bet against me! I'll let you know, I'm a firm supporter of you taking my protégé's hand in marriage," Sabrina says, not so much as hinting as bluntly saying it.

The boy could not decide which is more unsightly: the thought that the magistrates gossiped about his social life or that the Judge gambled. "I do not wish to focus on marriage yet. There's still much I want to accomplish…"

"The more time you spend accomplishing is the less time you'll have procreating the next generation of magicians and wizards," Sabrina says, gripping his arms and dragging him closer and closer to Maple's sleeping chambers.

"Please Magistrate…," Luminous begs, pushing away Magistrate Sabrina's grip on his arm. "I'm only here for the summary of your research."

Sabrina heaves a sigh. "Alright bearer boy… Come tomorrow, you might lose your chance to date my precious little girl. Being the Judge's assistant attracts the attention of lots of boys…and girls." Sabrina gives him a cheeky laugh. She turns to her worktable and picks up a stack of papers bounded by thick strings. "Tell him to have fun while it lasts. What are your bets on the results tomorrow?"

"The election is not of my concern." He stretches his arms out to hold the summary and, surprised by its weight, he almost tumbles forward into the ground. "My loyalty is to Magcintus and the Judge, regardless of who he or she may be."

"Yeah, yeah. Oh here," she adds another file onto the pile, "this is for you. It's the results for your blood test. It was done a while back, but it always slipped my mind. Try not to read it until after tomorrow."

"Why?"

The older woman leans into his ear. "Because I said so." And she need not say more to get the boy to leave. He is not far down the hall when Maple calls for him.

"Luminous! Luminous!" she repeats. "This is for you." She places a crudely wrapped gift onto the already unbalanced stack of papers.

When Luminous returns, The Judge is sitting behind his desk, working on some equation pertaining to the Light.

"Judge, I have the document you've requested." He happily puts the thick, blunt weapon next to the other summary stacks Sabrina had written over the years. The Judge sweeps his finger over the letters, feeling the bumps of Sabrina's impressive cursive as if it is a design woven from silk. There is an odd arrogance in The Judge's eyes but Luminous pays little attention to it. It is understandable, after all, to be threatened by the reminders of your biggest rival prior to the election.

"Judge, may I ask," Luminous rubs the side of his arm, unable to overcome the childishness of what he is about to ask. "Do you gamble?"

The Judge lets out a laugh. "Only once as a sport—you are referring to the one between me and Sabrina?" Luminous cocks his head sideways at the quick confession; The Judge places the gift and blood test results aside to access the first page of Sabrina's summary. "Betting against you and Maple is in no way a display of doubt. If you believe Maple to be your mate, then I'd gladly lose to Sabrina. What's your opinion?"

He doesn't know what to say. A long time ago, he did have a childish affection for the girl and those feelings have carried over to the present. He looks at the stripes on the gift for answers but none comes; he have to admit that he have no idea what to feel. Meditating on thoughts of the girl brings both happiness and confusion.

The Judge senses what he believes to be hesitance and tells Luminous there is no need to speak further on the subject. Just then a soldier wearing black armor knocks on the door and enters; Luminous immediately recognizes the person to be The Judge's voice, a title akin to that of sword bearer. "Judge, I have…," he looks at Luminous, "news." The sudden reluctance, the pause, didn't escape unnoticed and Luminous wonders what he could be hiding.

"There is no need to be discreet. At this point, it is better that Luminous also knows." The Judge nods purposefully. "Please, what is the news?" His tone is low, almost afraid even.

"It is true." The way the voice says those words, with such finality and disbelief, makes Luminous wonders what expression the helmet conceals. "Master Sabrina is researching the subject of darkness."

The boy is shocked by the claim and before he can stop himself, he slams his fists on the table, demanding an explanation. "The darkness is an adversary to the Flower!" Luminous cries, "Are you suggesting Magistrate Sabrina is plotting to do harm to our very lives?"

"I am not sure of that myself," says the voice in a whisper.

"Then you have no proof for your outrageous assumption." He clenches his fist; he refuses to believe that someone as kind as Sabrina is so dangerous. "For all you know, her research is for understanding our collective enemy."

"That is why I urgently need The Judge to confirm the evidence." He disperses his armor, revealing a blonde man—his haired naturally gives him the look of a lion. Otherwise, no one really pay much attention to him; he enjoys being in seclusion. Today, however, his actions are anything but and he pulls out a set of papers that can only be written by Sabrina's hands. "I've obtained these from Sabrina's shelves. It is difficult for me to understand."

The Judge takes a look for himself and his expression immediately darkens. "This is not good," he gravely mumbles. "Preposterous. How could she do this behind our backs?"

Luminous opens his mouth in shock. "So it is true then? I must stop her before she takes further steps."

"Wait! I fear it might be too late. These postulations are very…advanced. She may very well have been researching for years."

The boy looks away in frustration. "How is this even possible? Why would Sabrina do such a thing? The Light that embodies the life of all things—it can't be as willingly cast away as the clothes we outgrow."

The Judge scrutinizes at the crystal lightbulb above his head, searching for the difficult answer that is nowhere to be found. Perhaps, it has already been lost in the blackness, absorbed within it like the fragile colors of hope. Luminous fingers the Maple's present. He needs to imagine the Light as the smooth surface of the giftwrap, unopposed…perfect.

"The void of darkness is dangerous, deadly even. But it can also be powerful in its allure, mysterious in its deceitfulness." contemplates The Judge to himself "If Light is never given a meaning, perhaps darkness shouldn't have to exist…"

"It's against our laws! She has to be judged!"

"No!" cries The Judge. "We cannot be premature! Come tomorrow…we will sort things out."

"The election—!"

"I will have no protest. With tomorrow looming about us, it will be your duty as sword bearer to remain in full form. Return to your chambers and not a word of our discussion."

"Yes…" Luminous reluctantly answers.

Magcintus's Election Day is not an event, in many sense of the word. There are no bold speeches, no fireworks, and no celebration. It is a day like any other: the citizens still harvest, the soldiers still patrol, and the laboratories still function round the clock. The governing bodies of Magcintus collect at the Roundtable for which they are named after, a stage at the top of Aurora. They come in wearing their white armors and weaponless. Light filters through the opaque, metallic dome, giving the room a somber and grey appearance.

"What happened to the voice?" asks Sabrina when The Judge arrives.

"He had matters to attend to. No matter, he is not bound to appear for this occasion. I've only brought the sword bearer for audience," The Judge explains, holding his hand out as Luminous walks by.

"Magistrate Sabrina," Luminous bows. She returns the gesture.

Today is the day where leadership of the Roundtable is passed on: specifically, the one with the most votes shall be declared The Judge. Whoever obtains this position will have full authority of Aurora's research facilities, strict influence on rewriting the volumes in the Library of Law, and power over Magcintus's military.

"May the Light guide us to the rightful victor," blesses Magistrate Sabrina. The Roundtable arranges themselves in a perfect circle, their armors sounding their majestic steps. While it has never occurred in the history of Magcintus, the magistrates don their armor to prevent anyone from using force to obtain the election.

"Order!" cries The Judge and the armored magistrates gather in a standing circle. Luminous stands by the railings at the side of the platform where he can watch without disturbing them. "We are here today to elect a new Judge for Magcintus. The proceedings are simple. We each cast one vote and the one out of us twelve with the most shall obtain my current title. Questions before we begin?" Silence. "Good. We shall begin with me. Those who would want me to remain as Judge, raise your fists into the air."

Luminous sees six hands, including The Judge's own, forming a semicircle. "It is an honor to be held in such high regard amongst my colleagues," says The Judge, a tense seriousness punctuating every word.

A voice interjects. "Hold it!" One of the armored magistrates steps into the circle. "You only have half of the votes—one short of a true majority."

"Yes," The Judge starts, "but I hardly think the rest would unanimously vote for someone else. Besides, a tie vote would be quite problematic."

"But we have decided unanimity despite the conflict it would create. We hereby offer our collective votes and support to Sabrina." There are no discussion, no disagreements between the six who have yet to vote. Rather, the way they position themselves around Sabrina already proves that this unanimity was agreed upon prior to this day.

"Outrageous!" shouts one of The Judge's supporters. "She is of old age and about to retire at any moment. Giving her the position—."

"Silence!" screams the Judge. "We will not discriminate the position of Judge. If indeed, the Light has decided to shine upon her, then we must respect the outcome." All eyes point at Sabrina who has yet to say a word. After a few seconds of contemplation, she unveils her helm and walks until she is two steps from The Judge.

"This is my opinion on the matter." Her voice is calm, collected and daring as expected of someone who could at any moment take control of Magcintus. The other magistrates move aside to make space for the two contestants. "I hope you won't take offence at my honesty. Over the years of your judgeship, you have brought upon us impure knowledge." She spreads her arms out as if there is a joke to be said.

"What are you implying?" asks a magistrate. "Are you telling The Honorable Judge to step down?"

"Of course! Don't you see what The Judge has done? His perverse mania for the words of mortals has driven us away from the path our ancestors paved. You are perhaps too young to remember, but there was a time when Magcintus didn't have Elven books."

"What is wrong with Elven books? Don't we pride ourselves with our acceptance of all knowledge?"

The female magistrate turns to the speaker. "Where is your pride, magistrate? This so-called knowledge is nothing but pseudo-magic! Magcintus have come to rely on these questionable documents that, thus far, have led us and our children astray. Is that not a problem?" She sweeps her eyes across the room.

Different thoughts spread from the seed of doubt Sabrina planted into the magistrates' mind. They readily plant it, water it, and watch the young saplings bear fruit all on its own, no matter how ridiculous her accusations may be if said by someone less respected. Little by little, the magistrates shuffle around the room until they all stand behind Sabrina.

The Judge neither flinches nor reacts to the sudden turn of events—no, that satisfied smirk is almost foreboding, the sign of someone who have been feigning nervousness to bait the chips onto the table. Sabrina shakes the thought out of her head—but The Judge's own seed of doubt has already taken root. "Marvelous," applauds The Judge. "Please, everyone clap! Sabrina is a strong magistrate, and has been part of the Roundtable longer than even I. If there could ever be someone to singlehandedly bring down Magcintus, it would be her."

"Are you trying to insult my ability as Judge?" snaps Sabrina. "Especially compared to an elf fetishist?"

"I'll let you know that the Protos series is not of elven origin. And on the matter of impure documents—magistrates—if dramatic reveals are in our agenda for today, then allow me to uncover the evils of Magistrate Sabrina's research."

"What are you blathering about?"

"Your guilt, of course. Do you not admit that you are currently researching the properties of darkness?"

"What of it?" Sabrina quickly refutes, knowing that hesitation would not strengthen her argument. "It is research that allows us to understand the force that opposes us."

"If that is the case," The Judge dissipates his armor so that he is unprotected from head to toe. From his robes, he pulls out a series of documents penned and signed by Sabrina. "Do tell me how learning to wield the darkness has contributed to our goals."

"You're saying that I'm wielding darkness? Why in blazes would I do that? Judge, perhaps work-related stress has contributed to an acute madness. Someone, please call a doctor."

The Judge grips her shoulders, holding her in place, forcing her focus on his lips. "My dear, you wouldn't need a doctor where you're going."

"Is that a—?" Magistrate Sabrina lets out a shriek of pain and falls onto her knees.

"What are you doing?" screams a magistrate.

"Get away from her!" cries another.

"Do not be alarmed! This is simply her execution," The Judge decrees, holding out his palm so none of the magistrates move forward. Sabrina clutches the open artery at her neck, slowing the blood so that it only slides off her fingers. Her spectacles fall off her eyes and the world becomes an indiscernible blur of colors. Before she can pick it up, she hears the shattering of glass beneath ones feet.

"So it has come to this?" laughs Sabrina, however weakly it is. "You have decided to grasp the election for yourself." Her voice is distant, almost in another plane of existence, in a void where she is the only one to listen to her words. "I admit it. Indeed, I did learn how to wield the darkness." Her head is weak, but she summons up the anger she had withheld, "You are all fools! The Light has blinded you!"

"What are you saying?"

"The truth, magistrate! The undeniable proof that this so-called Ceremony we bless our children with is nothing but a farce which shortens our lives to thirty years." Given any other circumstances, she would never say those words—the consequences will no doubt be unpredictable and irreversible. Empowered by death, fueled by fear, her words flow as freely as her blood; the innocence of Magcintus is no longer as important as the secrets she has withheld for years.

"Enough!"

"We've strip people of their right to live long fulfilling lives all for the sake of research! I say let it burn! All these years have amounted to nothing, nothing but the conclusion that I've outlived the last generation of magistrates! Why? Because I've accepted the darkness you all so readily discarded!"

"Stop sprouting your nonsense, magistrate," speaks the boy from behind her. "It is unsightly." A swift kick sends the magistrate falling onto her back. The light from above is blinding, comforting, and it is calling for her to join her ancestors. Then, darkness. The boy holding the bloodied knife stands in the way of the light, and like a miracle from the heavens, Sabrina sees things so much clearer than ever before. "We're supposed to destroy the darkness to protect the Light!" yells the boy, angry to see the facts before him.

What does a person feel when the boy she treated like her son would take her life? There exists a seething pain deep within her chest, an emptiness that far exceeds her lonely years of life. It burns higher than the stinging of flames, and, of course, hurts more than dying on a bed of needles. Her body, nay, her soul weeps at the prospect of seeing bearer boy holding the knife which ended her.

Even so, it's all so trivial now. "I don't blame you for siding with him over me," she lies, but it is a convincing lie. "In a few, short years, even The Judge will join me." And that is the end of her lies. Her next words, those very vital words that will change everything, words that she never had an opportunity to say… Her very last words ring truer than the bells of Justice, and quieter than the falling of tears. "I leave Magcintus in your capable hands," she weakly blesses and death captures her.

Time seems to stop. For a long time, no one knows what to say or do. But for someone as young as Luminous, there is no such thing as a long time. "I apologize for not giving her a proper execution," bows Luminous to The Judge. "I accept my punishment." Luminous doesn't see it—his face is to the ground; however, the other magistrates did: the familiar expression on The Judge after a verdict. The unsettling plasticity displays no emotion, or at least that is what they like to believe.

In fact, The Judge is as content as always—today is a glorious day for justice.

"Very well. Since a new magistrate position has opened, I hereby declare you magistrate—effective immediately. Your punishment for the execution of Sabrina is erased." Luminous rises and turns around to show respect to his fellow peers. He is very pleased to have this honor after cleansing the Roundtable of its weeds.

In light of the bloodied results, someone still dares to ask, "The election?" but is immediately pulled out of the room. Six to five: it is a narrow victory for The Judge, but a victory nonetheless. And although the election is not an event, per se, this is cause for celebration.

On the night of Luminous' appointment, through the city limits that separate utopia from the boundless desert, one can find short-lived footprints in the sand. She, holding a baby, leaves Magcintus behind her, the city of eternal Light where she grew up but was never really part of. For now, she is heading northward; it will be a difficult journey to the edge of hers and the baby's life.

In the middle of the sand, between two stones, there is someone and his pole arm. Wordlessly, they follow one another, abandoning the place they once called home, a sunset behind their backs.

Letter, Luminous

Dear Luminous,

I have never been one to write letters; it is a medium of communication for the long-distanced or the inconvenienced, of which I am neither. It is in my deepest hopes that this letter never sees the light of anyone's eyes but your own; nevertheless I've written this letter with the intention that you will know what is best to do with it and its written knowledge.

This is equally an apology as it is a confession for my betrayal to my cherished city. Long before I've met you, I've already began research into that intriguing void between people. There is a proposed theory that one life to another is at most separated by six steps. From the moment this theory arrested me, I was determined to discover all facets to these six steps that divide one to another.

Without a shadow of a doubt, what I've research was in fact the semantic opposite of what my city stood for and that alone would be the end of me. But I saw what lied beyond my death, and while I strayed far away from those I called my colleagues and peers, the fact was I was never more than six steps away. What I've learned was that there is something much more sinister than the void.

Can you guess what it is that splits one life from contact with another? It is death.

This death is so much closer than I've ever imagined, and impossible to elude. I've reached the conclusion that the Magcintus we know and love is on the verge of death. The proof will not be discussed in this letter and I have no intent of presenting any proof in the near future. While I will be unapproved by everyone, I've nevertheless decided that it will be time for me to leave Magcintus for good. The void have balanced the intense blessing of the Light, giving me more time, and hopefully, enough time for me to learn more about death.

I am ashamed that people who have trusted me will view me as a digger of my own grave. Please, in my stead, apologize for leaving without so much as a word. And I hope the new Judge, whoever it may be, will create a bright future for us. I am proud of Magcintus, and of each and every one in it.

And Luminous. As the report I have given you will reveal and if my predictions about the six steps are correct, it is imperative that you live. Magcintus needs you.

Hugs and kisses, Sabrina

Epilogue, Luminous

Clad from head to toe in white armor, the youngest magistrate in the history of Magcintus raises his head in salute to the flower.

"Gifted miracle child of Magcintus, magistrate not by wisdom but by shedding the blood of the noble innocent."

Luminous does not bat an eye at the magistrate that had just entered the room. A few years ago, this magistrate was the first to raise his hand in support of the late Sabrina. In Luminous's eyes he is as much a traitor as that witch and if it is up to him, he'll hang the treasonous magistrate without evidence or trial.

"You have it, do you not? The lost research of Sabrina's that supposedly burned with her lab," Luminous accuses.

"And what if I do? Are you going to kill me too?" he laughs. "I'm old. Why, besides The Judge and you, I'm the last living Round to have presided over that wicked election."

"I suppose even now you wish to call me a fool for executing the witch?"

"I cannot ascertain the foolishness of your act, but I can declare this: I will not acknowledge The Judge or his actions. He should've retired years ago instead of squatting on his position."

"You dare insult The Judge."

"Truth, Luminous, shall be revealed in time."

"What truth?"

"Do you know what secrets your Judge keeps behind closed doors, doors that he barred you from entering the moment you became magistrate. He is researching into darkness. You don't have to believe me. Time is my witness—if he continues to live far beyond my death, then you know I speak honestly."

"And suppose The Judge dies on his thirtieth year?"

"Then mark me as a liar. But do be warned, that if he does live, then he shall be marked as a criminal and you shall, as per your duty to the Light, try him and execute him as you did to Sabrina. Unless, of course, you too have fallen."

"I will hear no more of your consistent imprudence. You, speaking such shallow words, have put yourself beneath me. I shall take my leave."

"Have a good day, then, young Luminous. I leave the future of Magcintus in the hands of the next generation."

A/N: And I'm done with Luminous' story! Next up, Aran. And don't forget to review and tell me how I did with the theme!