Raymanime: ECLIPSE
Prologue
Age of Enlightenment
19 years p.t. present day
"Storms are frequent here."
Stony silence.
"... but I expect you can tell already. Never 'freak weather conditions' round these parts, eh?"
Slight, somewhat forced laughter, as could be expected. There was no talking to be had with Fairies, and this remained the case. Nevertheless the Grub had taken it upon himself to try and socialise with the foreigner, who after 7 months of polite lodging, had barely uttered a word - save any required "thank yous" or similar expressions. Villagers who tried enquiring into the Fairy's business were met with a gentle, mocking smile - luckily, Grubs were smart enough to realise that too much prying brought only trouble.
Standing with the stranger on the beach, the Grub considered something.
"If you don't mind my asking, friend...?"
The Fairy nodded for him to continue. No offence taken then.
"Uh, Polokus supposedly created all Fairies... well, female. Am I right? And, um, well... you're a..." he steadied himself, expecting a fireball in the face at best. "...you're a geezer, aren't you?"
To the Grub's surprise, the Fairy turned to him and chuckled heartily. The chuckle became a full-on laugh, as he thwacked the Grub on the back. Wiping tears from his eyes, the stranger smiled.
"Fairy? You think I'm a Fairy?!" He laughed some more. "Judging from this form I have taken, it's an easy mistake to make I suppose. But no, Polokus did indeed make all Fairies female. "Oh yes, the fairer race must be the fairer sex, Leptys!" he told me. Honestly, that old dog - he never did understand why I created Knaaren."
The man (who clearly was not a Fairy) glanced out to sea, watching the ongoing turmoil unfold. A few wrecked ships floated on the horizon, at the whim of the angry currents.
"Polokus considers this - the tumult of the seas - to be a result of his nightmares. I don't think he's able to see the beauty of chaos. Of chance, yes, but never, never chaos. Nor ugliness, for that matter, though he won't discriminate like the others. For Polokus, harmony lies in beauty and beauty alone. I suppose I see his point... though my Knaaren, violent and loathsome, completely contradict it. So perhaps we are at odds on that."
The Grub listened, bewildered. This foreigner... called himself Leptys... he was in the presence of a God! Awestruck, he barely heard as the deity casually continued.
"My friend Grub, there is much, so much, that you do not understand about our universe. And I am grateful for that. The past 7 months that I have enjoyed your company, I have been meaning to tell you - you alone - the true nature of my little visit."
"Your, Y-your Holiness, sir..."
"Leptys. Is a God's name not honourable enough for you?"
"N-no, no no, of course not, Leptys." The poor Grub could not stop shaking. Feeling slightly guilty, Leptys simply waved his hand and the creature's fear subsided.
"Very well. I will tell you. I have come to this place," - and here he edged closer - "to entrust you with an errand. A mere trifle, really."
The Grub gulped.
"You see, very soon a spectacular light show will take place. Truly marvellous, perhaps blinding for those with weaker eyes, but nonetheless something that should NOT be missed." Leptys' face hardened. "However it is not all good news. I'm sure you remember your history lessons, hmm? About the scourge one thousand years ago, when the Grub race bottlenecked? And about those demons who warred with your great nation and scattered you like desert rain?"
The God put a hand on the Grub's bared shoulder. He made as if to speak, opening his mouth slightly; he started, blinked, and changed his mind, pressing his lips together. Deity and mortal stood on the seashore together, and listened to the storm roar. In the distance, the giggles and screams of lums caught up in the watery ruckus echoed over the ocean. Leptys' face slowly sank - he looked away, saddened. After a few minutes, he spoke again.
"The universe is dying."
He turned back to the Grub.
"It is inescapable, now. And those who would declare themselves 'protectors' of our cosmos send their answer. The same one which failed over twenty millenia ago..." Suddenly, the God's grip tightened. "What you find... I ask you to deal with it as your instinct dictates. Understand?"
Somehow, the Grub did understand. He nodded sagely, still a bit bewildered. Leptys smiled, relieved - with one last pat on the back, he wandered off towards the cliffs.
"W-wait!! Leptys!"
He stopped.
"Uhh... if I fail... what will?..."
"Don't worry. I won't let any harm come to you, friend. You've - you've been far kinder to me than many of my contemporaries." A final smile, as he disappeared into the mists.
For a few moments, there was only the sound of the crashing tempest. Then - all of a sudden - the lums stopped screaming. The sea became calm, flat like a freshly washed sheet. The wind subsided, taking any air with it. Terrified, the Grub looked to the heavens.
VAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
A beam of white light tore through the fabric of the sky, creating a glowing, ripped seam that climbed all the way down to the horizon. It spread further, into the sea itself, blowing away any water that dared stand in its path. Down and down it sank, until it reached the bed - and then the Grub was thrown to the floor. He heard singing; then he blacked out.
It may have been hours. Perhaps minutes, maybe even seconds. But upon opening his eyes, the Grub was greeted by carnage - trees half buried in the dunes, stone structures collapsed like deflated balloons. In normal situations, his thoughts would have been only for his nearby fishing village, situated precariously on the cliff edge. He would have run back to check it still stood; done anything to put his mind at ease. But right now his thoughts were overrun by Leptys' words:
A spectacular light show will take place.
The universe is dying.
Those who would declare themselves 'protectors' of the cosmos send their answer.
Like a response to those last words, the mangled, stifled cries of a baby resounded over the sands. They were not screams that the Grub had ever heard before; none of his species could reach that high a pitch, nor could their voices carry in this bitter, still air. What was this?
What you find...
He had crawled over to the delicate little pink body, lying near lifeless on the shore. It tried writhing, but lacked the strength to do so. Its cries gradually become quieter, weaker. This small creature somehow survived - somehow, even without...
...deal with it as your instinct dictates.
The Grub was filled with repulsion. He lifted a tiny, limp hand, but could find no empathy. Only cold, calculated hate. As if his long-suffering race sought vengeance against this thing... through him. Death was too measly a punishment, it seemed.
Silently, he picked up the screaming child, careful to keep all its body parts nestled in the crook of his arm. He debated within himself whether killing would be a more sensible option. But he dismissed the thought, and ignoring the chokes and sobs of his new ward, made tracks back to his near-demolished village.