Chapter 1
Prologue: Present Day
Adira: "Remember.. when we first met?"
Adira lifted her head as she looked up, letting her eyes meet with Hana's. Hana reaches her hand, caressing the side of Adira's cheek.
Hana: "I'd never forget. And you wouldn't let me, even if I tried!" Hana giggled as she held her close. Adira smirks.
Adira: "We would never have made it to this land without you."
Hana: "You mean without you."
Adira: "You're the reason. You saved so many lives, Hana."
One day Adira was logging for wood and Hana was on the search for sacred seeds, those that would restore plants and crops without needing water or fertile soil, because of the drought that's currently inflicted on their land. On their search, they stumbled upon each other's paths. There was a bright blue light emitting from the roots under a tree. It caught both of their attention, and their eyes quickly met.
Hana: "I've never seen anything like that before."
Adira's eyes widened as she tried to grab it, but it bursts suddenly into a ball of bright blue light. It immediately races to the edge of their island leaving a trail of glittery, glistening light to follow. Adira tries to hurry and follow it in time before it escapes.
Hana: "Hey wait!" Hana grabs her arm before Adira had a chance to catch it.
Adira: "I almost had it! What was that for?! Now it could be lost forever." Adira's eyes stared into the distance at the light, defeatedly.
Hana: "We have no idea what that thing was. For all we know it could have been dangerous."
Adira: "I felt it. It was like it wanted to help. Like it was.. alive?"
Hana: "Help with what?"
Adira: "Look around you, we have a small island with a village that keeps growing."
Hana: "Why do you think I'm out here? I'm looking for the sacred seeds of the Elders."
Adira slowly looks back to the trail of light and then to where it wandered off to.
Adira: "Was that a sacred seed?"
Hana: "No. I don't think so. But based on the relics we found from this land, they mentioned a light."
Adira: "So then let's go follow it!" Adira tightens her satchel and leather straps to her supply pack to get herself ready to chase after the trail again. Yet Hana still stops her before she does.
Hana: "Be careful. Do what you must, but there is much more at stake if we tamper with what we don't understand. I need to consult our village chief. Who will I tell her is following the light?"
Adira: "Adira. And who is my messenger?"
Hana: "Hana."
Adira: "If I don't make it back here by dawn, something will have happened to me."
Hana: "See you at tomorrow's light. Good luck."
Adira hastily runs after the light's trail. Hana lingers her gaze at her, amazed at her bravery but stunned by her foolishness and yet hoping for her to reach back safely.
Adira reaches the island's cliff and begins marking her trail. Making sure her gear is secure, she begins climbing down the black stone ledges on the side of the cliff and uses the wooden roots and vines to help lower herself down. She finally reached the seabank where the waves crashed against the large rocks along the cove.
Adira: -I better not be taken away by this- she thought.
She takes one of the fisherman's sailboats resting on the sand tied up on a post. She unravels the sail, begins to take off, and casts away on the sea, leading her to a destination unknown.
The light glistens on top of the sea, angling towards the east. Thankfully, near the opposite direction where the sun is setting. To her surprise, it doesn't look like she has much time left to travel by sea for long. But, it was hard for her eyes to make out exactly what was in front of her because her sailboat was about to turn into a heavy cloud of mist above the water. There was a tiny island she was coming closer to, which was completely hidden from the rest of her village. No one knew this was here.
She picks up the rope swinging it to land on the island. The waves were much more calmer here, but she had to make sure the boat was secure. She created a makeshift post to tie up the boat before she ventured deeper on the island.
Adira finds herself hesitating at this point, remembering Hana's warning about tampering with things she doesn't understand. But there's a good reason for her to be here, to at least try.
Adira: -I am stronger- she reassures herself to snap out of it.
The trail seems to stop at a cave.
Not knowing what awaits her inside, Adria cautiously approaches with her hands pressed against the outer rock as she draws nearer. She peeks her head in the cave and finds the familiar blue glow leading into a tunnel.
To her surprise, it's a necklace. Adira walks over to it slowly, almost hypnotized by its blue glow.
Adira: -This must be from the elders- she thought.
Adira ponders whether it would be wise to take it, not knowing if it belongs here. Then she remembers Hana and her mission to find the seeds, and this may help find them. It may be the light that was explained to help.
Adira takes a deep breath.
Adira: "Here goes nothing."
Adira touches the stone inside the necklace, feeling its energy. It was alive. All of the sudden, she was lifted by a mysterious force of energy with her spirit glowing within her body, just like the stone. She felt a connection like none other. Blue light dances around her body. Adira feels its power within her now. In the next moment, the energy puts on the necklace for her and then the light begins to sink into Adira and remains on the necklace's stone.
Adira: - I have to get back and tell Hana -
But just as Adira tries to leave, she hears an echo of a strange noise, a bad noise. Sounding like a combination of croaking and creaking, covered with the dreadful feeling of darkness.
Adira: - Oh what now...? - she thought to herself, annoyed.
Red embers started to appear, following a corpse of something tied together with wood and vines and fiery red burning stones, with a terrible stench of death, this thing looked alive but wasn't. Adira quickly darted away pulling out her large hammer ready to defend herself and the necklace. A few more of them appeared and leaped over to her. Adira realized they were coming for the necklace she had taken.
Adira: "I need this! I'm sorry but you're not getting it back!"
One tries to lunge at her and Adira swings her hammer at it, smashing it to pieces. Another launches a blazing red burning energy beam towards her, she leaps out of the way and charges her hammer at it. She misses, hitting the ground instead, which to her surprise, pulses a surge of blue light throughout the ground. The other two red corpses disintegrate.
Adira runs back to the boat and starts sailing back before dawn.
Back at the village:
Hana speaks with the village chief, Sida about what she saw in the forest with Adira, seeking guidance about what to do about the strange living light.
Sida: "A living light?"
Hana: "That's how Adira described it, she felt it alive, it had some kind of connection to her. I can't explain why."
Sida: "And you're sure this light is the same one the past villagers described in the ruins?"
Hana: "Possibly. I'm still not sure, but I do want to see what Adira found after following it, if she makes it anyway."
Sida: "If she makes it? What makes you say that?"
Hana: "That light... Could be dangerous, it seemed like a very powerful energy. One that I'm not sure is safe. It did create a trail for us to follow. I'm not sure why and that's what we hopefully will learn from Adira."
Sida: "Then we must hope she has learned the truth about this light, and why it's here."
Hana: "Do you know much about Adira, my Chief?"
Sida: "A brave yet eager Woodsmith, with the stubbornness pride of a dragon. A fair maiden as well, but not the type to bear a family. She's more of a hard worker, she does all the woodsmith work by herself. She could learn a lot from you Hana, and you from her as well."
Hana: "And what pray tell could I learn from her, my Chief?" She scoffed.
Sida: "One of Adira's strengths is her ambition, she never shies away from the tasks that are necessary, or oftentimes scary. You often exercise caution, when sometimes we need action. This is one way you can learn from her. I believe you and her could make a great team and save our village together."
Hana: "Yes Chief Sida, thank you."
Hana exits the Chief's Dome, and heads home. Hoping she will see Adira back to the place they met in the forest at dawn's light, as she still hasn't returned from her journey.
Hana: -I can't believe anyone would be so foolish to go after something like that with no plan, no map, by herself- Hana contemplated so many things about Adira that night, but she also thought about what Chief Sida had said. Hana is the type to be cautious, but she would have thought that meant she was responsible.
Hana: -Enough, I have to put this to rest.- As her mind kept spiraling, it was time to put an end to these thoughts. All that she can do, is do her best to work with Adira to help save their village.
Dawn
Hana finds Adria sitting hunched over at the same place in the forest where they met. As she draws nearer, she notices the same bright blue glow that they found at the same spot yesterday, but this time it was in Adira's necklace.
Hana: "In all my stars... How did that get there? Are you okay? What happened?"
Adira: "I was wondering if you'd show up. I was starting to think I was getting stood up. And yeah I'm okay."
Hana realized she said that not in a sarcastic way, but in a way that she's probably been stood up a lot in the past and she would have been sad about it.
Hana: "It's okay, I'm here now. Sorry if you were waiting. You did make us worried you know, I didn't know if you would make it back... And... You're bleeding!!"
Adira: "Oh yeah... That. There's a lot I need to talk to you about."