August 15, 2014
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Dust II: Elysian Kingdom
Chapter 6 — That Was Yesterday
Long ago, the Moonbloods were known not by that name, but by the name "Cynthak". This ancient race was among one of the most relevant groups in all of Falana. But even so, they were also known and treated as outcasts; the other civilizations of the land outnumbered them greatly.
At one point, a war emerged between the Cynthak and one of the other groups. The Cynthak were at a disadvantage due to their already small numbers, however. Hundreds perished, and things were looking bleak. Unless they wanted to leave their entire race to be wiped out, the Cynthak had no choice but to retreat from the war, but not before the leader of the opposing side declared them as cowards for backing down. The war taught the Cynthak a powerful lesson: they needed a better way to defend themselves in times of crisis.
The Cynthak, like the Moonbloods of today, were a race that praised the moon. They believed that the life of their race came from the moon's own energy, and they also believed it was the source of magic on this planet. The Cynthak leader and a group of his smartest denizens began to research for small instances of any trace of the moon's energy that had reached the planet, anything that would help them engineer any kind of defense against threats to their people. Efforts were futile and weak, but the leader did not give up hope.
However, for unknown reasons, the Cynthak civilization eventually fell.
As I've mentioned before, they kept no records of their history up until that point; all that anyone knows is from stories that were passed down through the years. One theory is that the Cynthak simply split up after not cultivating any significant results from their research, while another suggests that the leader went mad and caused the downfall himself, but either way, we don't know for sure.
Many decades later, a descendant of the Cynthak leader started the research back up again, and this time it became a mission with two goals: the original goal to create a defense against threats, and now to discover a way to extend the lifespans of individuals, apparently brought upon by the previous leader's death. This descendant gathered a small group of some remaining Cynthak citizens and began their research.
Eventually, one of the scouts found a trace of moondust: a very rare occasion of a shred of the surface of the moon itself that made its way to the earth. Using their own knowledge along with this small amount of moondust, they were able to harness the fabled "Way of the Flameless Light", which we still wield today. It was then that the current leader coined the name "Moonblood" to replace Cynthak, representing a new era for the race as they continued researching moondust.
It was years later that I was born into this small group of remaining Cynthak, or "Moonbloods" as they now called themselves. I was taught everything about the archaic Cynthak and modern Moonblood races by my parents; my father was one of the researchers under the leader himself. I then in turn became so fascinated with this enigmatic moondust, that I wanted to help my father and the current leader in any way I could, so I joined the scouting team when I was very young. I often went on missions alongside my father. But eventually, in my middle-aged years, my father became deeply ill with a rare disease. He passed on to the Life Thread in short time, leaving me to take his place on the Moonblood leader's team; by then I was well trained.
A bit after that, the leader called me to a meeting with him and three other of his most trusted research members. He revealed to us that he had predicted a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that was to happen that night: a stardust shower. Considered to be a gift from the moon itself, stardust was even more rare and precious than moondust. This might've been our one chance to create the ultimate defense, he told us. So, we prepared five simple blades, with which the leader planned to use to absorb the falling stardust. In conjunction with the Way of the Flameless Light and our own souls, he proposed that the resulting reaction would transform the common blades into weapons of immense power.
We five then traversed to the area now known as the Abadis Forest, to a location in a glade where the leader predicted that the stardust shower would occur. We waited for hours, until the leader pointed up at the night sky, where we all witnessed a glowing stream of the mystical stardust coming down to where we were standing. The leader commanded us to hold our respective blades up in the air and focus our magic into our soul, an order which we followed involuntarily.
The stardust fell closer to the earth, and as it came into our vicinity, it quickly spiraled into each of our weapons. I felt a strong surge of energy, and that's when I knew that the stardust was indeed reacting with my built-up magic, tingling my very soul. I could tell the other four were experiencing the same feeling as well. When the stardust completely disappeared into the blades, they began to grow and transform into strange and wild new appearances. They were clearly no longer normal weapons. Christened by the leader as Ahrah, Baelrah, Cyrah, Delvah, and Evah, they were now Blades of Elysium, named after the mythological Elysian gods from long ago.
Our leader was overwhelmed with the success of the mission. He praised the moon repeatedly and we praised with him. We knew that all the hard work that had been done ever since the great war had finally paid off, that we could now stand against any threat. However, it wasn't long after completing one goal before the leader became almost obsessed with working towards the second goal with much more grandeur: living forever. He proposed that with an even greater source of the moon's energy, he could engineer a potion that would cause an individual to never die of natural causes.
The leader then suggested that each of us four take a group of Moonbloods and researchers to each corner of Falana, while he stayed in the center, and continue searching for more traces of the moon's energy. The other three members of our small group were in denial at first, but eventually agreed. So we split up into five separate mini-colonies of Moonbloods and continued our seemingly neverending investigation. With our leader situated in what is now Aurora Village, one group settled in the Blackmoor Mountains, one in the area to the far west of the Cirromon Caverns, another in the Ivydale Glen, and my group in the Everdawn Basin. We each took our own Blade of Elysium that we had crafted, for our ultimate defense. As you might've guessed, my blade was Ahrah.
Years of researching went by, with little to no communication between our groups occurring. Then one day I received a pleasant surprise: Ahrah began to speak. He said that he only communicated when it was necessary, hence why he had said nothing up until then. I was momentarily shocked to hear a sword talk, but unfortunately, his message was of grave importance. He told me that one of the other leaders had passed away, and her Blade of Elysium, Delvah, had vanished, which Ahrah temporarily sensed when it happened. Apparently, when the Blades of Elysium were forged, a piece of their wielder's soul broke off and became fused with their respective weapon. So, when the wielder returned to the Life Thread, their Blade couldn't link with their soul, and it disappeared into thin air. I was immensely distraught and worried.
Ahrah calmed me slightly; he said that it was highly unlikely that Delvah just vanished forever, but instead that she had just become dormant and her location was randomized to somewhere hidden in Falana, as a defense mechanism. I wanted to commence a search for her, but Ahrah warned that would take an unprecedented amount of time and resources, and that we had no clues where she would be. I listened to his advice somewhat reluctantly, and continued the research with my group.
However, over the next several few years at random intervals, the other leaders began to pass on to the Life Thread as well, with their respective Blades of Elysium vanishing, indicated by Ahrah feeling the same surge of energy as when Delvah vanished. I decided that this was unbearable, so I took our group back to the center of Falana where the original leader's group was settled. But when we got there, we found everyone gathered in one single tent. The leader was on his deathbed. I went up to him, and in his weakened state he explained his theory that the resulting reaction from creating the Blades of Elysium actually shortened each of the lives of the people who were present. Then with his final words, he entrusted me with the fate of the remaining Moonbloods, and to keep our race alive, forever.
Whether or not his theory was true, I had to keep his ambition going. I announced to the group that we were going to reunite with the rest of the colonies of Moonbloods scattered in Falana and settle in one area, and that I alone would continue the research for the secret to living forever. I didn't want to take the chance of anyone else to possibly suffer the same fate as the other four leaders by being exposed to harmful energy. I myself would take the risk in continuing the search.
Not too long after I established a settlement for the remaining Moonbloods to live in, I was out researching in an extremely desolate area to the far east of the Everdawn Basin, when I at long last discovered something marvelous. A small chunk of a white, cratered stone was slightly buried in the dirt. It was a moonstone, a very piece of the moon itself that fell to earth. It was above both moondust and stardust in terms of strength and rarity. I never thought I would see one in my entire life. But I knew I was blessed to find it, and it very well had the potential to hold the secret to eternal life.
I took the moonstone back to our settlement and began analyzing it. Using the moonstone and all the knowledge I had accumulated in my years up until then, I was able to engineer a small amount of a potion that I believed would extend a lifetime. Unfortunately, the potion was only enough for one use, so I tested it on myself.
That was over 200 years ago.
Clearly, it's apparent now that the experiment was a success, but back then I wasn't sure if the potion worked or not, so I was still cautious. I wanted to protect Ahrah from vanishing like the other Blades of Elysium had in the past. He could've been the last remaining defense for our race. I thought if there was some location that could act as a kind of sanctuary for Ahrah to be kept safe, and if we ever needed him or he needed to be wielded by a hero, he would be there for us to access.
In my countless travels, I remembered when I learned of the Nimbat clan. As you may know from Fidget, the Nimbats harness a natural magic power that makes up for their small size and reclusive nature. I decided to entrust the Nimbats to look after Ahrah, since their magic would act as a sort of anchor so he wouldn't vanish, should I return to the Life Thread. So I secretly left Ahrah in the care of the Nimbats, but not before instructing him that if anyone related to the activities of Moonbloods was to summon him in the future, he must heed their call. And of course, that's why he came to you when you were created. You were his fated swordbearer.
After that, I returned to the Moonblood settlement, and led my people through over 200 years of a peaceful existence, at least until General Gaius wreaked his havoc on our civilization those several years ago. I still wondered every day what had happened to the remaining Blades of Elysium, and even searched for them at times, but as I got older it became less and less of a possibility. I was satisfied our current situation though, so I didn't trouble the others with things far from our reach. We were doing fine and that's what mattered.
"Does that answer your question, Dust?"
Dust's mind was overwhelmed. "Y-Yes, perhaps a little too much.."
"Well," the Elder started, "Knowledge is a valuable asset. I figured you'd like the full version of the story, otherwise you'd have even more questions."
"That's true," Dust said as he tried to wrap his head around everything the Elder had explained. "..So if we somehow found the remaining Blades of Elysium, my dormant soul could become active again?"
"With the concentration of magic that the united Blades would give off, it's possible, yes. But that is a completely farfetched mission at this time, Mithrarin. We must concentrate on the matter with the Life Thread corruption first and foremost."
"Yes you're right, Elder. So, when is the meeting starting at Aurora?"
The Elder turned upwards to look at a clock on the wall. "About ten minutes. I think Ginger should be done with your new outfit by now, so she'll be here any second."
Then a minute later, Ginger entered the room and pushed the curtain to the side before walking over to Dust and the Elder, carrying some folded garments in one arm and a pair of golden gladiator-like sandals in the other hand. "Hi again Dust, Elder."
She moved over to Dust and handed him everything she was holding as he stood up. "Hope you like it, Dust. I tried to make it very.. you."
"Thank you for doing this, Ginger, I'm sure it's great," Dust responded with a smile, as Ginger smiled back.
"Ahem, now then," Elder Gray Eyes started as he slowly got up from the cushion he was sitting on. "Dust, Ginger and I will go to Aurora; the meeting is at the front gate, so get changed and I'll gesture you to come on stage when you arrive. Everyone will be so excited to see you."
"I'm excited to see them too.. it'll be nice."
The Elder started walking towards the curtain. "Yes, it will be a great moment for all of us. Let's go then, Ginger."
When they left, Dust was left alone behind the curtain with Ahrah. He sat back down and closed his eyes for a bit, getting lost in his thoughts.
Ahrah spoke up. "What is it, Dust?"
He held his hand to his head, rubbing it. "I'm.. just trying to process this information. It's so much to think about. What if the source of the Life Thread corruption has to do with the other Blades of Elysium missing? ..But then why did it take this long for it to become so relevant.."
"Even I do not know, Dust. But the answers may lie somewhere out in Falana, so we must take any leads we receive, and for now, that's the one Corbin gave us."
"I hope so, this whole situation really is a burden. I just want everything to be alright for everyone after our hard work," he responded as he began to unfold the garments Ginger gave him.
Ahrah comforted him. "I know it will, Dust."
He laid the clothes out on the table. The new outfit consisted of three parts. One: a gray long-sleeved shirt with black-colored cuffs, two magenta stripes down the middle that could zip open, a turquoise and magenta striped band around its hips, and a slightly ripped bottom, it was a bit like his old one but without the vest; two: a black poncho-like cloth that went over his shoulders, covering part of his upper arms, neck, and chest, which also had a ripped bottom all around; and three: the golden gladiator-style sandals. The ripped parts of the shirt and black cloth were reminiscent of his old satgat hat. In addition to these, he still had his turquoise pants from his regeneration.
Dust lifted the heavy cloak off of his body, and after shaking a bit of sweat off his fur, he picked up the gray shirt and put it on, following with the black cloth that went over it. The upper area of the cloth felt skin-tight against his neck, but was made of a material that breathed perfectly, as did the rest of the outfit. Rolling up the ends of his pants a bit, he leaned down and pulled the gold sandals onto his feet, wrapping a strap to the back of his ankles and more straps around his lower legs. He then picked up Ahrah from leaning against the table and rolled his pants back down.
"Well, time to face everyone.."
At the front gate of Aurora Village, a medium-sized wooden stage was set up, complimented by a large banner overhead which exhibited the gold-colored, ruby gem-centered Elysian emblem, a symbol of the Elysian Kingdom and Moonbloods alike, along with ornate designs on either side. Elder Gray Eyes was in the center of the stage, along with Ginger and Fidget, and the mayor of Aurora, Bram, accompanying him. In the crowd was the entirety of Aurora's warmblood inhabitants, along with a large amount of Moonbloods mixed in, who have made their home in Aurora over the last five years. Elder Gray Eyes was already speaking to the crowd, now briefly retelling the events leading up to and surrounding Dust's death.
"..Our Sen-Mithrarin put up a valiant fight against General Gaius and was eventually victorious over him, but not without sacrificing himself to liberate our Moonblood race. Even though we saw his spirit rise out of the volcano, we could not keep up with it, and we lost its trail. For five long years, we thought that Dust had disappeared from us for good. But, a miracle has br-"
It was that moment when Dust was walking up behind the crowd.
"A miracle has brought our savior back to us!" Elder Gray Eyes announced as he gestured proudly to the back of the crowd. Everyone turned their heads and then their whole bodies when they saw Dust in the flesh, immediately cheering loudly right after. Dust was a bit overwhelmed, but maintained his stoic expression as the crowd parted when he started moving toward the stage. As he walked through, he saw many familiar faces including Bean and Calum, the shop owner Mordecai, the equipment supplier Fale, Moska and Sarahi, the schizophrenic Reed, the Moonblood army commander Sanjin, and Corbin's sister Colleen, among many others. They were all so happy to see Dust, and he was truly just as happy to see them.
When he came to the stage, Dust stepped onto it and stood next to Elder Gray Eyes, turning back to the crowd. The Elder then continued his speech.
"The savior of the entire Moonblood race, Sen-Mithrarin, has been reincarnated, and is here to help us once again in our time of need," Elder Gray Eyes announced, then hesitated for a bit. "Do not fear.. but there is a disturbance with the Life Thread."
There was some murmurs in the crowd, but they continued listening.
"We have been doing everything in our power to figure out the source of this dilemma, but now that Dust is alive once more, I'm confident that he will again show us great results!"
Again the crowd cheered. Dust was a little taken aback that no one there showed too much concern for what's happening to the Life Thread, but that just made him realize how much these people really depended on him and trusted him with protecting them. He was, and is, their hero.
"Would you like to say anything, Dust?" The Elder asked, stepping to the side while Dust moved to where he was standing.
He paused for a moment, when Fidget flew over to him, landing on his shoulder and nuzzling his cheek. Dust turned his head to her and smiled a little, before he started speaking.
"..I just wanted to say, I missed you all so much. Even if I wasn't conscious while I was gone, I immediately thought of everyone the very moment I could think again. I.. I do not know how I'll be able to fix this problem that's facing us, but I'm going to use all of my knowledge, skills, and my very soul to make sure everything goes back to normal. I promise I will not let anyone else get hurt ever again."
The crowd slowly started applauding, which erupted into louder applause and cheering. As they went on, Ginger ran over to Dust and embraced him tightly while Fidget joined, with Elder Gray Eyes and Mayor Bram smiling humbly at them. As the group started to quiet down, the Elder took out an adornment of some kind from his coat and walked over to behind Dust, while Ginger and Fidget let go of him.
"Now, Sen-Mithrarin! By the honor of the Elysian Kingdom and the entire Moonblood clan, I hereby dub you.. Royal Guardian Dust!" Elder Gray Eyes shouted as he lifted the adornment into the air, then put it around Dust's neck. It was a scarf-like object that rested on Dust's shoulders close to his neck, which hung down in an upside-down triangle shape to his chest in the front and between his shoulder blades in the back. From the back, there were two long ribbons with diagonally-forked ends that flowed downward to the back of his knees. The entire adornment was light gold with slightly darker gold-colored trim all around. In the center, over Dust's chest, was the same Elysian emblem from the stage's banner, which was also the same one present on Ahrah.
Dust lifted the center of the "scarf", stared down at the Elysian emblem, then looked back up. "Thank you, Elder.. and thank you, everyone."
For a final time, the crowd praised Dust, while Ginger and Fidget hugged him emotionally once again.
