A/N: "Eli" is what I named my character in Dragon Quest XI. Okay, let's get started.

The day had already been all over the place. Eli and his childhood friend, Gemma, were finally of age to go on Tor. It wasn't all that safe, but climbing the Tor was a right of passage for the people of Cobblestone.

Still, as they took their time getting down, Eli couldn't take his mind off what had happened. When Gemma was hanging off the cliff and the monster was closing, it was as if the heavens themselves answered his prayers.

He always thought that mark on his hand was strange.

But never in his life did he think that it meant anything.

It didn't matter. All that mattered now was they were safe, and now, they were home as full fledged adults. More importantly, his mother was probably going to celebrate with some of his favorite foods.

In fact, he smelled it just as they walked into the house. Amber's eyes lit up and she walked over to hug her son.

"There's my little soldier!" she exclaimed. She pulled away. "Well, not so little any more - I've heard all about your big adventure! Look at you, all grown-up!" She then turned to the blonde. "I hope he wasn't too much of a bother, Gemma dear."

Gemma giggled and shook her head. "Of course not! Quite the opposite, in fact! You would have been proud of him! We got attacked by a monster at the top of the Tor, and ended up hanging on to the edge of the cliff by my fingertips! I thought I was done for! But you'll never guess what happened ne-"

"U-Uh, Gemma," Eli stuttered. "You don't have to-"

"Why not?" said the girl. "It's the whole reason we're still here right now."

"But-"

"Oh, just let her say it, dear," said Amber. "What happened?"

"That mark on his hand suddenly lit up, and a bolt of lightning hit the monster!" Gemma exclaimed.

"What did you say!?" Amber questioned. She looked up at her son, the boy feeling her eyes surveying him and knew her gaze landed on his hand. "That funny little mark? Lightning flying about the place? Goodness me…" She sighed and closed her eyes, almost mournfully. "Here I was hoping he'd turn out nice and ordinary, but it seems his grandfather was right all along…"

"Ordinary…?" Eli was taken back by this… almost hurt. "M-Mum?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Gemma.

Amber gasped and suddenly shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing, Gemma dear. We can worry about that later. Come on - dinner!"

Suddenly, Eli wasn't sure he could finish his dinner. He could of course. Amber was happy that her son wasn't a picky eater, but still knew his favorites, but she knew what she said was something she probably shouldn't have. The poor thing couldn't enjoy it as much as she hoped.

After Gemma left for the night, she walked back into the kitchen to find Eli cleaning up the plates.

"Oh, honey. You don't have to do that," said Amber. "Today was all about you and Gemma."

"It's okay, Mum," said Eli. "It's not a hassle."

The woman smiled with pride. She had raised such a well-mannered young man. Once the last dish was put away she held his hand, the one with the strange mark on it.

"Well," she said. "I've been putting this off for long enough now. You and I need to have a little talk."

Gemma wasn't far from the house when she heard that. After hearing footsteps, the blonde crept up to the window and peeked only slightly. There, she could see Eli sitting on his bed with his mother.

"So… Mum?" said Eli. "What's wrong?"

Amber reached into a little bag she was holding. "Here. This belongs to you." She put something small in his hand. Upon seeing it, he saw that it was a tiny pendant, but it was green, glowing with a faint mystical light. Even the inside was glittering and the design inside of it looked familiar.

"What is it?"

"Your grandfather asked to give you it once you'd become of age and climbed the Tor. The truth is… there's something I've been keeping a secret all these years - something I've never told another soul in the village… I had my doubts, but… seeing as what little Gemma said… I…"

"Is it… bad?" said Eli.

"N-No!" Amber answered. "Of course not. It's just… How can I put this now, umm… Well, your grandfather said you're… You're the reincarnation of the Luminary!"

Eli needed a moment. He blinked once. Then twice. He wondered if his worries caused him to hallucinate through his ears.

"Wh… What?"

"Oh, don't ask me what the fool meant, dear!" said Amber. "I haven't got the foggiest! All I know is that your grandfather said you had a special destiny, and that there was something you had to do."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure. He said that when you were old enough, you were to go north to the capital, up there in Heliodor, and show that necklace thingy to the King. He seemed to think that if you did that, all would become clear. Clear as mud, I shouldn't wonder…"

"But… why would he…? I… I can't be the Luminary! The Luminary was a great hero, who saved the world from a terrifying evil. I'm not that! Why would he say that?"

"I'm not sure, dear," said Amber. "I'm thinking you'll have to just head to Heliodor and find out."

Gemma stepped back a little. "Crikey…" she whispered.

That's impossible! she thought. There's no way he could be the reincarnation of the Luminary!

She thought that, but at the same time, only a miracle like what happened on the Tor would be possible for someone very special like the Luminary. But… no. It couldn't be because he was...

Gemma took another step back. Maybe she shouldn't have listened in, but she wanted to know what happened. She wandered to home in the darkness, before she caught their attention, hoping to think and try to rationalize what she saw.

The boy sighed. Amber thought he would be a little excited, but to her dismay, he was the exact opposite.

"Eli?"

"I… I guess I never was a normal kid," said Eli. "Or… man, now."

Amber's words from earlier had come back to bite her from behind. "No, that's not what I…"

"It's like what grandpa always told me. I never had a… Or, he just found me one day, drifting down the river, and he picked me up." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Where did I even come from?"

Amber placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back so he was sitting up. Once she was looking at her boy, he was looking right back at him. "You're from Cobblestone," she stated. She reached out to thumbs tears away from his eyes. "And, I am your mother. It doesn't matter how it was you came into this world. What does, is the people who have loved and raised you. Luminary or not, you're still my special little boy!"

Eli smiled, his mother laughing as she pinched his cheek like he was still a little kid. Maybe that was what he would always be to her.

But he didn't mind.

The next day, Eli wasn't entirely sure about all of this. He spent the morning staring at that pendant his mother said belonged to him, but he swore he had never seen it before. Maybe he had it on him when they found him as a baby? He wasn't sure. Would it even matter? Whoever it originally belonged to were probably irresponsible…

They were irresponsible enough to let a baby float down the river…

Amber walked into town to pick up some groceries. She was worried about her son, but that was no excuse to go hungry. When she was about to pay for it, however…

"How much do I owe you?" Amber said.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Amber," the shopkeeper said. "Anything for the mother who raised the Luminary!"

Amber was taken back by this. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, there is no need to play coy! The mayor was freaking out about it all morning."

The mother left the shop in a huff. She was going to give that mayor a piece of her mind. However, upon confronting him, she found out that he heard all about it from his granddaughter.

Gemma.

She had exited their house last night… right before she pulled her boy aside to have their little talk.

That little girl always had a knack for being a bit nosy.

Just as they were in the heat of it, Gemma peeked in from upstairs.

"I'm… I'm very sorry…" she said. "I… I didn't mean to, but…" Her gaze looked to the side. Amber was confused as to why the poor girl was tearing up.

"Gemma, dear!" said Amber. "Is everything all right?"

Gemma just sniffled and looked away, unable to contain her tears. She ran back upstairs.

"I'm sorry…"

Dunstan sighed. "I don't know what to do. She's been that way since last night. She ought to be happy. It's not everyday, the village finds out they've done and raised someone who might be the Luminary, of all things. It sounds crazy, but I wouldn't doubt old Chalky. How is that lad doing?"

Amber frowned. "It… not what I would expect. Actually, maybe it is… Oh! But look at what you've done! You've sent the whole town into a whole fuss over it! I don't have the foggiest what the old man was talking about!"

"Well, didn't the old coot tell him to go to Heliodor?"

The mother put her hands on her hips. "Well, that's for the boy to decide, not yours! I'll be sure to batten down the windows at night from now on!"

People wouldn't stop staring at him. All he wanted was to get the day's chores done, but he saw the villagers, young and old, laying their eyes on him as he walked by. He had to go through town to fetch water, pick up some wood from the communal supplies, feed the chickens and make sure they were stocked up for another week. At least he could do the last two chores out of the public eye.

But those other two…

"No, it's okay!" a little girl said. "I'll get the water!"

"No, I'll do it!" said a little boy. "I'm faster!"

"No fair! I said I'll do it first!"

"Shut up! You're embarrassing me in front of the Luminary!"

"No, you are!"

"That's enough!" their father said. "Go on! Run along!"

The children grumbled and did as they were told. "Sorry about them. Kids these days…"

Eli laughed a little. "That's okay." He actually was okay with that, until he picked up the two buckets the children had gotten for him.

"Here. Let me get that for you."

Things weren't much better at the communal wooden stock pile. The villagers argued over who could carry more for him, when he, living in a house for two, didn't need much.

"He deserves only the best!"

"Yes, but can you carry as much as I can?!"

Eli ran his hand through his hair. They were arguing so much, they were distracted. He picked up the wood he needed and just snuck away.

Eli finally made it home. With a frustrated sigh, he set the supplies of wood down by the corner of the kitchen. His mother told him to make a count of things in case she forgot to get something. So he headed out to the shed.

Everyone was being strange to him and he didn't like it. How did word even get out? Moreover, he hadn't seen Gemma all day. She would usually be out and about and would bump into her at least once, but he didn't. She wasn't at the store, by the lake, or even by their favorite tree.

Once he was done taking inventory, Eli grabbed a bag of chicken feed and began scattering it in the little pen outside. The chickens were gathering around the gobbling it down. After he was done, he didn't know what to do with himself. He liked to take long walks, but couldn't bear it with the townspeople acting so funny. So, he just sat in the house at the kitchen table. This time, he made sure no one was looking in through the windows, before pulling out the pendant his mother gave him.

The more he looked at it, the more he thought he had seen it before… but that was impossible. He had never seen it… At least, not at first.

The more he looked at it, the more he was doubting himself. Slowly, he moved his left hand onto the table and he realized…

They looked exactly the same.

And then he remembered… a stormy night… tiny hands reaching out to a shining pendant.

Who was wearing it? He wondered.

It wasn't long before his mother came home with the groceries. He found her son in a daze, staring at what looked like the wall.

"Well, I'm home," she said. Her voice brought Eli back to Earth and he turned around. "That darned old mayor..."

"Mum?"

"Little Gemma heard us, dear," said Amber. "Now the whole town knows about it!"

Eli stood from his chair, tucking the pendant away. "What?!"

"I know she meant well, but…" Amber sighed. "That little…"

"Well, I should've known…" said Eli. "The villagers were treating me differently all day."

"I suppose it's only natural." She walked up to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "They all suddenly think you're the bees' knees."

"But I can't be…" He shook his head. "I mean, I don't want to be… not if it means everyone is treating me like this." Amber's heart twisted at her boy's voice. "Cobblestone treats everyone like family, right?" He lifted his head, looking into his mother's eyes. "Then, what does that mean for me if everyone now treats me like the king has come to town? I really don't think I'm the Luminary, but now because gramps said so, everyone just believes it. And, I haven't seen Gemma all day…"

Amber gently held her son's chin with the tip of her fingers and lifted his head to look at him.

"Did… Did I do something wrong?"

"Heavens no!" Amber said. "It's my fault for not being a bit more secretive about it."

"Do… Do you think I'm the Luminary, Mum?"

"I… I don't think I can answer that. A mother only thinks the best of her child, but never once have I doubted your grandfather."

"I don't want to go to Heliodor," said Eli. "I mean, I've always wanted to see what's out there, but not like this. If I must in order to find out what's the deal with all this… then I might not have a choice."

Amber felt bad for all of this. All of this based on some words his gramps said. She wished there was something she could do. She smiled.

"I wish there was something I could do to help. But for now, try not to think about it dear. How about I make your favorite soup tonight?"

Finally, she managed a small smile from her son. "Yes, Mum. I'll help you make it if you want."

"Oh, you're such a good boy!" Amber said, warmly. "Come. Let's get the fire started."

The food was good, and to Eli it tasted better knowing that he made it. It was late before long, but even as the boy laid there, staring at the ceiling for hours, sleep just wasn't granted to him. The daily activities he would do, usually took it out of him enough for him to drop like a log, but he couldn't do any of those things today without people freaking out at the sight of him.

However, the night was quiet. Pretty much everyone was asleep, and no one would notice one young man outside in the middle of the night. If they did, they would probably stay inside anyway, thinking it could only mean bad news.

Eli wandered around for a while, taking the usual routes he would if it were the daytime. He stopped, however, when he came upon his and Gemma's favorite tree. He sat there for what felt like hours, just thinking about stuff, staring at that pendant, and wondering why his grandfather really thought he was the Luminary of all things.

"Can't sleep either, eh?"

Eli looked up and saw that Gemma had wandered all the way out here.

"G-Gemma!" Eli said, standing up quickly. "H-Hey… I-I… I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't see you all day."

The blonde sighed. "I know. I've been in my room all day… thinking."

"Because of what my mother told me?"

Gemma paused. She frowned again and gazed up at the sky. "I… I thought… I always imagined we'd spend our whole lives right here in Cobblestone."

"Really?"

"Of course! Like this tree! Remember when we were little?"

"You got your handkerchief stuck up there and you were crying like a baby! And I was doing everything I could to get it down."

"I wouldn't say like a baby!" Gemma snapped, as Eli laughed. She sighed, deciding to let the boy have his moment. When it was over, he noticed his oldest friend looking up at the sky and joined her.

"I remember this story my grandad told me… 'Once upon a time, long, long ago, the world was terrorised by a horrible monster. But then the Luminary appeared and saved the day. When it was all over, the Luminary turned into a star and he's been watching over us from up in the heavens ever since.'" She reached her finger out and pointed at the one lone red star. "That's his star, right there…" Then she lowered her hand, her smile going as well. "How can you be the Luminary, too? I… I just don't get it…"

"Well, I really don't think I'm the Luminary," said Eli. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think I want to go to Heliodor to find out."

Gemma gasped. "What?"

"What nonsense would they hear!" the boy proclaimed. "A boy from the country running up and proclaiming he's some ancient hero from the days of yore. They might as well have me committed, if I spewed such nonsense."

"I don't think it's nonsense!"

"And how would you know?"

"Because if you weren't the Luminary, you wouldn't have been able to summon that lighting and save me!"

Eli had been so caught up in this whole mystery, he had almost forgotten about what had happened on the Tor.

"You never thought that mark on your hand meant something?" said Gemma. "Anything? How you were found, or why you had that pendant on you?"

Eli stared at his hand. The mark had been there for as long as he could remember.

"You can't just sit there and tell me none of that meant anything." The girl sniffled. "I… I don't want you to go…" Gemma said, looking back up at the sky, "but if you really are the Luminary, I'd be keeping you from your destiny."

"What destiny?" said Eli. "There's nothing out to harm us. There are a few monsters here and there, like on Tor, but monsters have always existed."

"But monsters have never appeared on the Tor!" said Gemma. "At least nothing that strong. You can't just pretend none of it is a sign."

"I'm not…" Eli tried to insist, but then he sighed. If there was a possibility… he was trying to make sense of what didn't.

Gemma looked away. "Oh, there's no use in pretending…" she said, solemnly. "I know you've always wanted to see more than this little village. Don't you remember when they found you? They said it wasn't long before they heard what happened to the kingdom of Dundrasil."

"Y-Yes," said Eli. "But, how could I have anything to do with it? Maybe that was where I came from, but even so, even if I'm the Luminary, this is my home."

"But, the Luminary belongs to everyone. If what old Chalky said is true, then… maybe you owe it to him to find out… right?" She walked up to her old friend slowly, tears in the corners of her eyes. "And, just because you are Luminary, it doesn't mean we can't still be friends, right?"

"Who said we had to stop?" said Eli.

Gemma laughed, wiping her eyes. "Th-Then you'd better be sure to tell me all about your adventures when you come back. And write whenever you can!" She sniffled. "You'd better or I'll never forgive you."

Eli sniffled. "Of course, I will! I'll tell you every single thing I see, and draw whatever I can to show you."

The two were standing there, determined, but tearful. Neither one of them had ever left the village before… or spent more than one day apart. Now, it could be months before they saw each other's faces again. Gemma's shaking was asking for it, so Eli obliged. He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

"We'll always be friends," he said. "Don't ever forget that."

"I know," Gemma said. She closed her eyes, lowering her head into his shoulder. "Good-bye, old friend…"

So, finally, Eli prepared to leave the village of Cobblestone. Even though he wished he could've been leaving on his own circumstances, he tried to at least keep an open mind.

Amber refused to let him leave without the proper gear. She got him all dressed up in a new purple duster, a new bag, and some spending money. The whole village had gathered to see him off, and Dunstan even gave the finest horse they had in the village to him for the journey.

"You'll find Heliodor easily enough - just head north out of the village and follow your nose," Dunstan said, as Eli mounted his horse.

Amber sniffled and wiped her eyes with a hanky. "You travel safely! Ooh, you're such a good boy! Such a good boy! You make us proud out there, won't you? And come back safe!" She reached out her hand. Eli took it and gave it a squeeze.

"I promise, Mum."

The village waved at him.

"Goodbye!"

"See you soon!"

"All the best, now!"

"Safe journey!"

"Bye-bye!"

"Wait!"

Gemma ran up to Eli in a hurry. Her most loyal dog, Sandy, was right behind her. She was out of breath, but held up something that was tucked away in a blue baggie.

"Here, take this with you! I… I made it for you…" Eli reached out and held it in his hand. "It'll keep you safe! I heard there are lots of monsters where you're going - be sure to keep it close, won't you! I… I don't know what's in store for you out there, but wherever you go and… whoever you meet, don't… Don't forget us, will you?"

"Yeah…" Eli bit back a sniffle and tucked the gift away. "Promise me you'll look after my mother while I'm gone."

Gemma nodded. "Of course I will. You focus on taking care of yourself. Don't worry about anything! We'll be waiting for you!"

Eli nodded. He took the reins and without any more doubts he set forth on his journey to find answers.

Was he really the Luminary?

There was only one way to find out.

Humble folk of Cobblestone,

Great Land Spirit's hearth and home,

Lift your voices up in prayer,

Sing it across all Erdrea,

Blessed are, since days of yore,

Let it be so forever more.