by Ivory Autumn
Sounds like shattering glass echoed through the air as the shafts of light from the cracks in the darkness grew wider, and the darkness began to splinter. The Fallen howled out one long, and last time, his cries echoing throughout the world as he tipped over the edge of the tower, and fell, striking the ground in a terrible quake. The ground shook. Cracks opened up in the earth and consumed the spawns of darkness that The Fallen had released. The earth groaned one last time. Then in one quick moment, as The Fallen fell, the darkness gave way, and split completely, fracturing into millions of pieces like the shell broken from the inside out, its thick casing vanishing as the light came shining through. The raging wind created from the open void ceased, and the sheet of blackness on the tall tower vanished into itself and disappeared in a great explosion of light, sending every orb, every constellation, and every piece of light that it had stolen, back from whence it came, causing a great calm to settle over the entire world.
And there it was. Blinding, brilliant, solid and warm. Light. Though no one was sure where it came from. It was as if it had always been there, and always would be, like the hope and light that had settled on them in the darkness. Such a day no one on earth had ever imagined. If you could call it a day. In that moment, all struggles came to a standstill. All fighting ceased. All eyes were turned up. All hearts that had throbbed together felt as if a great weight had been lifted.
The dark curtain had been drawn back. A great calm rested over the land as the light of peace ushered over the world. Light had been born once again. It felt as if it was the first day of time, where all things had become new, and the clock was slowly beginning to recalibrate, slowly beginning to tick and organize itself.
Freddie stared out to the east, looking for the sun. But it did not rise there. “Where is it?” He breathed, feeling suddenly very nervous. “Why won’t it come?”
“Over there,” Ivory cried, pointing to the west.
Freddie jerked his head to where Ivory pointed, watching in amazement as beams of yellow sunshine crept over the mountain. The sun was rising in the west. Freddie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “It’s pattern has changed.”
“Yes,” Ivory murmured, her eyes serious, and shining. “I suppose we all have.”
Freddie, Ivory and Talic sat together on the edge of the tower, watching with awe, as the new sun slowly, gradually, without much fanfare, without any noise to call attention to itself, rose over the west mountains, bigger, brighter, warmer than ever before---its yellow light spilling over the land, washing away every shadow, and baptizing the land in its pure, new, brilliant light.
How big, and beautiful it looked to Freddie. The light poured over the land dissolving the shadows, and cauterizing every dark infected crag, illuminating every dark corner. Freddie felt a strange melancholy feeling wash over him, as he gazed at his friends, and then at the new sun. From here, on out all things would be changed and different---in a way that was new, and old, like things had finally returned to their proper place where they had once been a very, very long time ago.
But that was always the way of things.
Chapter Fifty-one
Sight
“She is gone” Sterling shouted, trying to pull Lancedon away from Coral’s body. “Your men need you! Do you not hear the cries of your men?” He signaled outward where soldiers struggled all around them, battling for their lives. The air was thick with smoke and darkness. Darkness surged through the ranks of the army of light, seeping in through the leaks of doubt and dismay. A cry of fear rang throughout the ranks of Lancedon’s army, as doubt and fear pressed on them. In this darkness, without Lancedon’s courage, without his vision, and strength, all seemed hopeless.
“You must stand!” Sterling insisted. “You must!”
Lancedon shook his head. “No…I cannot…” He turned and wept, cradling Coral’s body in his arms. “I killed her. I killed your sister. I did this.”
“No!” Sterling shouted. “War, did this. The darkness did this. The darkness we must now fight!”
Lancedon cradled Coral’s head in his hands, and rocked back and forth. “It is finished. I can no longer fight. Let the darkness overtake me!”
“You must fight!” Sterling shouted, shaking Lancedon by the shoulders. “You cannot lose hope! Come! Remember the brave words you spoke to your men, and apply them to yourself.”
Suddenly struck by Sterling’s words, he looked up from Coral’s body, and nodded, still clutching her hand. “Yes, you are right. I must fight! I cannot lose hope!” He draped Coral’s body in his arms, and followed Sterling through the tumult of battle.
“Here!” Sterling shouted, grabbing a riderless horse. “Get on!”
Lancedon lay Coral down on the ground, and stood tall. He took Sterling’s hand and they both mounted the horse.
“For freedom!” Lancedon shouted long and loud, lifting his eyes to the sky.
An echoing call of renewed hope and brilliance resounded as Lancedon’s men saw their blind leader no longer hidden by shadows. “For truth, for light! Onwards, men,” Lancedon shouted, his voice echoing with power across the darkness. “ONWARD!”
The moment he spoke the words, his body glowed with renewed light, and a terrible rumble sounded from somewhere far off. An amazing flash of light rolled through the air, scattering the shadows in every direction. A terrible black hole opened up in the sky, and with it, a powerful wind howled, washing all the shadows together, tossing them into the black tear in the sky.
A loud roaring sound, like fire, filled the air as something brilliant shot across the sky and collided with the darkness, with an earth-shattering crack so loud and commanding that all came to a hesitating standstill. The earth groaned and shook. It was as if the very sky had cracked, and fractured into a million pieces.
Then, like a whisper in the night, like a dream that did not seem real, but felt real, light began to pour through those cracks in the sky, slowly at first, as bit by bit, the darkness fell away.
With each beam of light that shone through, The Fallen’s armies retreated, hiding from the light, seemingly vanishing into the darkness that was now slowly fading. A great calm fell over the land. All sounds of battle ceased. For there was no one left for the army of light to fight.
“What’s happening?” Lancedon demanded, feeling the great pull of darkness and shadows roll away.
Sterling glanced back at Lancedon, his eyes wide. “The darkness has fallen away!" he shouted, "and the sun, it rises. But in the...west.”
Lancedon slowly slid off the horse, lifting his blind eyes to the light that was rising in the west. He held out his arms and welcomed its coming, feeling its cleansing rays wash over him, casting out all darkness. His eyes tingled and began to burn with warmth that was cleansing and powerful. The longer he stared in the direction of the rising sun, the more his eyes began to burn and itch. The darkness Morack had breathed over his eyes, began to crack under this new light. Color, hue, and light began to enter into his vision. Without realizing it, tears gleamed in his eyes, fully washing them clean of darkness and shadows. In a moment, the darkness that had cast his eyes under a shroud slowly lifted, like a heavy fog touched by the warmth of the sun. Moment by moment, second by second, this new, burning, brilliant, pure light cleansed him. No longer was he trapped inside the darkness. He began to see light and color and dimension.
The sun slowly came into focus, so brilliant and warm, and cleansing. He could see the blue of the sky slowly coming into focus behind it, and the fields and mountains beyond. He held his hands in front of his eyes, seeing them for the first time in a very long while. The blood from Coral’s wound staining them vanished in the light of the sun. His eyes filled with wonder. The ice had melted away beneath their feet, replaced by a lush grassland filled with dazzling starflowers. He could see Sterling, tall, strong, and unwavering sitting atop his horse. He could see his great army of light that had come together, under the rising sun. Their swords and armor glimmered in the light of dawn.
Their numbers were far greater than he had imagined. The sight of them filled his heart with joy and gratitude. A thunderous shout of joy rang throughout the ranks of the army, beginning at the youngest soldier, to the eldest, until the whole earth was filled with this joyful cry.
Lancedon’s heart instantly went to Coral. He turned, and ran to the spot where he had left her, and knelt by her side. Where she lay, the sun’s cleansing light had not reached her. “Oh, that you could see this new day as I now can,” he breathed, cradling her cold form to him, listening to his army of light cheer as the sun rose higher.
Then, ever so gently, hardly noticeable, the rays of the sun gleamed down on Lancedon and Coral, in a glorious ray of light. As the light from the sun reached out over the land and touched Coral’s body, her wound healed. Her eyes fluttered opened. “Lancedon?” she sighed, reaching out her hand.
Lancedon stared down at Coral, his face filled with tenderness and surprise. She was far more beautiful than he remembered, far more an angel of light than he ever had realized. “Coral?” he faltered, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. “You’re alive!” Tears flooded his new eyes, as Coral’s life came back into her body.
“You can see,” Coral breathed in wonder, gazing into Lancedon’s now clear, beautiful eyes. She wiped a stray tear that fell down his cheek, and smiled up at him.
He laughed and kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and then her lips. She pulled back, and stared at the sun, the sky, and all the beauty surrounding them.
“Kiss me again,” Lancedon said, pulling her to him.
Coral turned her lips into a warm smile. “Lightning never strikes the same place twice, especially in the same day.” She laughed and kissed his forehead instead of his lips.
A great mist rose up from the ground as the snow and ice evaporated, giving a dreamlike appearance to their surroundings.
Then, as if to add to the beautiful surreal feeling, Sterling came walking though the mist, his face bright and happy, linked arm and arm with Lancedon’s sister, Page.
All were reunited once again.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Dawn
Everything had renewed itself, and changed from the way it once was, to something better, something new and stronger.
Freddie felt this. Ivory felt this, and so did Talic. No. None of them would ever be the same again. So the sun too, had grown in size, in brilliance, and in the way it moved, rose, and set.
Light shone over the earth, on all people, on all nations, pure, undiluted, unfiltered, and blindingly brilliant. But still they looked on, they too had been changed, their eyes and vision had been expanded. Just moments before, their whole bodies had been filled with light, so they did not shrink away from it when it came to embrace them. They gravitated towards it. They reached out their hands as if to touch and mold it. The light was so concentrated, so thick, so beautiful, so uncensored. It seemed to grow and expand. It was so beautiful that all those on earth gazed at each other amazed at what they saw, and amazed at the beauty of each other.
Everyone was transfigured by this light, made better, as if they somehow began to see themselves and everything else for what it truly was---light. Nothing was hidden, nothing was obscure. It was a moment of all moments, a day of all days, a morning to surpass all mornings, new pure, innocent like a babe whose skin was soft, fresh, and whose face was full of light.
Freddie stood, and looked all around him at the brilliance, letting it wash away the shadows and mists of darkness that had clung to him. Ivory, and Talic’s eyes glistened with tears. Their faces held the same wonder his did. The darkness had fallen away, and the light had transformed them. Their faces were no longer dirty and oily, their clothes no longer torn. All was new, and clean, and beautiful. They studied each other for a long moment, then cried out in laughter hugging each other in exclamations of joy.
Then as suddenly as joy filled their hearts, their minds went to Andrew. His body lay where The Fallen had once stood. His body had not changed in this light, his skin was a splotchy color of coal. Freddie could see every bruise, every scar. Andrew’s hand lay outstretched, and forever still as if still reaching for something. His clothes were torn, and laced with blood. All the light had gone out of his body. Everything Andrew once was, was used up. The Andrew Freddie had known was not there. He had gone somewhere far, distant. To where? Freddie wondered.
Ivory knelt down and stroked Andrew’s hair away from his face, her eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Andrew, Andrew,” she murmured. “I wish you could see what I see. We did it.”
“We did it,” Freddie said, kneeling by Andrew, his eyes glistening with emotion. “We did it. All of us, together.”
The moment he said those words the earth rumbled. A gust of wind rolled over the land as a tremor rocked the ground, and a flare of light exploded above them in the sky.
Freddie lifted his eyes, in wonder, as a fiery chariot shot across the sky, drawn by a magnificent horse whose body looked as if it was made out of the dust of stars and remnants of lost galaxies that could break out into speeds unknown to human comprehension. This flaming chariot wound its way through the sky and veered down to earth, coming to a fiery stop in front of Andrew’s body.
From this chariot, a man stepped, whose brilliance and light emanated from him like the sun, creating a warm blanket of comfort to fall over all who stood near him. He gazed at Freddie, then to Ivory, and lastly Talic. His eyes were affectionate and inviting. His face looked like it was carved out of pure beautiful light that shone and gave and expanded. His whole being was golden orange and red. His clothes shimmered and gleamed in shooting shafts of light. Around his waist was the gleaming belt of Orion, returned to him at last. Each of the three stars in the belt gleamed warmer, and warmer their light growing brighter with each moment. He stepped from the chariot, his flowing robes spilling behind him in rich, golden clouds. He paused and glanced behind him, motioning for something within the chariot to come nearer.
“Oh, heavens! You’re all alive. I can’t believe it!” Gogindy called, bounding from the chariot, his whole frame quivering and shaking with joy. All his whiskers had grown back under this new light, doubled in volume, glistening a beautiful glossy white. He stood on his hind legs, tall, fluffy, and every inch the noble Twisker he was. He had never looked so well-groomed and sparkly. His whiskers were fluffed and powdered with light. He bounded excitedly over to his friends, crying, and laughing.
“Oh,” Gogindy whimpered, his gaze falling on Andrew’s remains. “I had hoped...”
“Be still,” Orion murmured, standing reverently over Andrew’s remains.
Everyone was silent and apprehensive.
Orion’s face was warm, and full of conviction. “There is no real death to those who bear light inside their soul. To those who give their life freely, take their life up again, forever, to grow and expand. There is no real end. Light endures forever.” Orion bent down, kneeling before Andrew’s used up body. Orion’s face was grave. He stared down at the boy, then up at Andrew’s friends, his eyes passing over them, and settling on Freddie. “All of you have given the best that was in you, and none withheld the light you were given. You all have earned your place in the sphere of eternal light. Yet, your time is not yet. But Andrew’s is just beginning. As with all things, the seasons and the cycles of life, we change and become new, growing from one glory to another. You see how the new sun rises in the west. It, too, has changed, as have you all. The Fallen, though filled with lies and deception, spoke the truth when he said that all beings have a spark of light inside them. But what he did not know was that only by giving it do we make it brighter. That was what Andrew gave. Without his sacrifice, the glory of this new day would not have been. Andrew was given an extra portion of light. And with all beginning nebula, he has passed through fire, wind, water, ice, intense heat and pressure, faced the darkness of The Fallen himself, yet he stood, unyielding. He stood alone. He stood brightly. He gave everything, every ounce he had, even t
o go so far as to let the power of the sword he held pass to another. He did not keep it to himself. He did not yield. He gave his life freely. And just as The Fallen has passed away, a new star has been born. It is true that Andrew was born a half star. But he is no longer half, but whole. His old self has melted away and is renewed, changed into the self he was born to be. No, don’t be sad. For this parting is but a brief one. For you will see each other in the sphere of eternal light when you have all been changed, and you have outgrown this mortal realm. But remember this, it is up to you to decide how much light you will give or take. Just remember, that not all stars gleam with the same radiance, and that light, once created, can ever really cease. As with you, it will live on and can never die. Only when it is kept isolated, unused, and ungiven, does it diminish.”
Orion leaned over Andrew’s broken body, and grasped the boy’s still, outstretched hand. “Now is the Last Summoning! For I summon you, Andrew, to the heavens where you rightfully belong. Your light will shine forever. It will be fixed where The Fallen’s own light left the sky empty, where he pulled down others with his fall, trying to hoist himself up in the ashes of stardust. Oh that darkened void, how he has tormented the world. But no more. HE HAS FALLEN at long LAST!” His voice was full of fury and judgment. “Yet…” he went on. “Yet, in the darkness, a light was being forged. Through The Fallen’s pressure and the heat of his fury, a new star far was formed, a galaxy brighter than ever The Fallen was, or ever could be. The darkness has birthed a light, one which will never go out. Awake, and I will take you with me, Andromeda, for that is your new name.” Orion pulled on Andrew’s hand, lifting him upwards, while blowing a warm breath over his body. At the touch of Orion’s breath Andrew’s old skin cracked, like a thin shell, and fell away in a mist of dust and ashes. As the ashes fell from Andrew’s body, a yellow, golden light shone through, revealing a glowing, beaming, transfigured spirit---a body made out of light, clothed with robes of purple galaxies. His face shone and burned with the light of his soul. His body was whole, healed, and filled with the light of happiness.
