Twenty years ago

***

The sun gleams brightly in the sky.

The land below bustles with life.

The Doms frolic in the fields, which are full of Pyre Flowers. They extract energy particles from the flowers and fling them playfully at each other. Other Doms bask in the sunlight and recharge their energy cores, which shine with a bright light.

Nearby are large beings that seem to be made of light. These are the Celestes, the creators of the Doms. They possess three energy cores: one in their chest and one on each shoulder. They stand by, watching over the Doms like protective parents, occasionally taking part in their antics.

In Lightingale Forest, a young Avalon searches through the trees and shrubbery. He seems perplexed that he can’t find what he’s looking for.

The trees within the forest contain bright-blue veins that have energy from the ground coursing through them. The shrubbery and flora have a strong, aural glow about them, and the air is fresh with the scent of sweet flowers.

The Lightingales perch among the trees—large, majestic birds with four wings and a single energy crystal in their foreheads. Their bodies emit a thin shroud of energy particles, giving them an ethereal appearance.

As Avalon continues his search, a bush behind him suddenly rattles. He quickly turns around, startled. Slowly, he approaches the bush, stopping mere inches from it. He takes a deep breath and then dives in headfirst. He riffles through the bush frantically, but he soon stops, realizing nothing is there.

Confused, he looks around him once again.

Just then, a young Jeyes drops down from a branch above Avalon, landing on top of him. He turns his head to look at her, slightly agitated as she giggles at him.

“Failed again,” she taunts him before scurrying off.

“How do you keep doing that?” Avalon shouts as he gets up and proceeds to follow, determined to catch her.

The Lightingales watch as the two Doms run past below them, and then they spread their wings and take to the skies. Avalon and Jeyes stop and look up to watch the Lightingales flying high above them. The birds leave behind a trail of sparkles as they soar higher and higher, as if trying to reach the sun.

“They’re so pretty,” Jeyes says in awe. She thinks for a second and then looks back at Avalon, her eyes wide with excitement. “Hey, let’s catch one!” she exclaims.

“Catch one? We can’t do that,” Avalon retorts.

“Stop being so doubtful,” Jeyes says. “Now come on!”

She grabs Avalon’s hand and drags him along as she dashes after the Lightingales.

The duo eventually exits the forest and emerges near the edge of a large lake at the bottom of the Allenheurst Falls. The falls flow from an enormous cavern, and a mountain-like path leads from the cavern down to the lake. The surface of the lake shimmers with the light of the sun, and large geysers of water occasionally shoot up. The falls themselves glisten in an unnatural, magical way.

Jeyes looks up as the Lightingales fly out of sight. Determined not to lose them, she runs over to the edge of the lake. When she looks back, Avalon is still standing in place, hesitant to go near the water.

“Come on,” she yells. “They’re getting away!”

“Can’t we just go the other way?” Avalon asks.

“No, because then we’ll lose them,” Jeyes says.

“But we already lost them.”

“That’s because someone is wasting time. Now come on!”

She turns toward the lake and waits, perfectly timing her jump. The water in front of her begins to bubble, and she leaps. A column of water shoots out and catapults Jeyes into the air. She yells in excitement, obviously enjoying herself.

Another jet of water shoots up, and she lands on it. As the geysers continue to erupt, Jeyes continues to jump from one to another, essentially hopscotching across the lake. She reaches the other side and turns around, expecting Avalon to be right behind her. However, Avalon hasn’t budged.

“Really, Avalon?” she shouts in disbelief.

“But that looks hard!” Avalon shouts back. “And scary!”

“Stop being such a baby. You can do it!”

Aggravated, Avalon fearfully inches toward the edge of the lake. A spout of water shoots up in front of him, startling him, and he falls to the ground. Jeyes chuckles to herself on the other side of the lake as Avalon gets up and dusts himself off. Angrily, he leaps just as water springs up beneath him and sends him flying into the air.

Jeyes watches with anticipation as Avalon’s body soars—and then falls with a loud splash into the lake.

Avalon thrashes about in the water, struggling to stay afloat. Jeyes shakes her head as she dives into the lake to get him.

***

It’s evening, and the sun is setting in the distance, bathing the sky in orange and purple hues. Jeyes stands on top of Mecco Hill, which overlooks the Pyre Fields. She watches the beauty of the sunset unfolding before her.

She closes her eyes. In her mind, she imagines herself standing directly in front of the sun. She takes a deep breath, feeling relaxed and at peace. She then begins to hum quietly to herself. Jeyes imagines the sun responding to her humming as it flashes brightly. Her humming soon turns into a full-blown melody, and the sun begins to grow brighter and brighter in response. Jeyes continues singing, her confidence growing as the sun glows more radiantly with every passing note. Jeyes keeps going until she reaches the finale of her song. When she finishes, the sun flashes brightly, illuminating the sky around her. She takes a bow as faint clapping is heard.

The sun glows brighter and brighter, eventually engulfing her in its light.

She opens her eyes.

She’s still on the hill.

And the sun is still in the sky.

Jeyes sighs and then spots a Lightingale flying through the sky. She grows envious of it as it flies in the direction of the setting sun. She begins to hum as she watches the Lightingale, but she is interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the grass behind her. She turns and sees Avalon.

“Hey, Avalon,” she says.

“Hey,” Avalon says as he sits down beside Jeyes. He spots the Lightingale in the sky. “I’m sorry about earlier,” he says apologetically. “I know you really wanted to catch one.”

“It’s okay,” Jeyes says, brushing off his apology. “We’ll get one next time, right?”

Avalon smiles and nods his head.

“So, were you daydreaming about singing to the sun again?” he asks.

“Yep,” Jeyes answers nonchalantly. “This time I even got a standing ovation.”

“Get any whistles?” Avalon asks as a follow-up.

“No whistles,” Jeyes says. “Next time I daydream, I’ll make sure to imagine some!”

“Okay,” Avalon says, laughing to himself. The two then sit in silence, enjoying the sunset.

“So, do you think you can find a way to sing to the sun?” Avalon asks after a moment.

“Yep,” Jeyes says with no hesitation.

“How?” Avalon asks.

“I don’t know,” Jeyes says, shrugging her shoulders. “I mean, I saw a really big mountain in the distance one time when I climbed a tree in the forest.”

“Was the mountain tall enough?” Avalon asks.

“Don’t know that either,” Jeyes says. “But we’re gonna find out one day!”

“We?” Avalon asks, slightly confused.

“Yeah!” Jeyes shouts enthusiastically. “We’re gonna do it together!”

“Wouldn’t I just get in the way?” Avalon asks.

“Nope,” Jeyes says. “Together, we can do anything we want! Besides…”

Jeyes pauses in the middle of her sentence, her demeanor shifting.

“I’d be afraid to do it by myself,” she says. She then looks at Avalon. “You’re gonna help me, right?” she asks, slightly worried.

Avalon hesitates but then smiles.

“Yeah!” he shouts wholeheartedly. Jeyes smiles, relieved.

“So, can I hear a song?” Avalon asks eagerly. Jeyes closes her eyes and begins to sing. Avalon closes his as well, taken in by the melody and her voice. She opens her eyes briefly and is pleased to see Avalon enjoying her singing. She keeps going as the sun sets behind the horizon, leaving them as two dark shadows on top of the hill.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3“Survival”