Chapter 2: Dominion of Darkness

It was bright. There was nothing to be seen around me except for a pure whiteness that seemed to expand without end towards every direction around me. I wasn’t even sure if there was a ground.

‘Am I even standing? I could be upside down… I feel like I’m floating in space.’

The moment I thought this, I plunged into darkness.

‘Wha—’

White turned into gradients of gray, and then black. Nothing was left except for me and the darkness. I could not tell where I was, only that nothingness had enveloped my entire space.

‘Take me back!’

I tried to reach back up, but there was nothing to grab.

‘Are you serious? I hate the dark…’

*Sigh*

I was alone again, but I felt relieved. Those demonic eyes weren’t here, and my eyes seemed to have returned to normal.

‘Well, it’s not like I can see anything anyways. My hands seem to fine though, and my legs too. What did that guy do? That strange energy…’

Before I could ponder any more, a faint glow of light peeped through a tiny hole in the shadows. It was faint but obvious in contrast to the surrounding darkness.

The light was drawing my attention. On the blank canvass of my field of vision, there was nothing else for me to look at, so I focused on the light in front of me.

‘Huh? Is it my imagination or is the light growing bigger?’

…

‘No, the light isn’t getting bigger. The hole is!’

Cracks formed in the shadows around the hole which grew longer and more erratic as the light forced its way into the darkness. The darkness was splitting, and more light was invading the darkness, but the darkness was strong, pushing back the light through the open hole.

I tried to run towards the light, but the light only got further. The darkness was expanding faster than I could run. In a last attempt towards the light, I sprinted as fast as I could, but it was too late. The darkness had overshadowed the light.

Once again, nothingness enveloped me.

‘Alone again…’

…

“You’re not alone.”

Startled, I turned towards the voice, and asked, “Who are you?”

I could not see in the dark, but I knew someone else besides me was present. From the sound of its voice, it was a girl.

‘Where did she come from? Did it have something to do with that strange light from before?’

“I was able to sneak into this domain through the hole I formed when I broke in with my light.”

Although darkness hid her body, her voice alerted me of her presence. I could not see her, but my mind drew the silhouette of a girl in front of me. A strange feeling, somehow, I knew her.

I approached her, but she stepped back and said, “We meet again, but it’s a shame you cannot see me.”

Wanting to see her face, I tried to approach her again, but she moved away in unison.

“Why won’t you let me see you?”

“It is not I that hides from you, but you who cannot see.”

Confused, I asked, “What do you mean?”

“You have forgotten, but I do not blame you. You have always forgotten, but this time, you cannot forget. This war between Clautz and Kyrie will change you forever.”

“How do I remember?”

“I will be your guide, your guide out of the darkness and into the light.”

“But why you? Who are you?”

“I am your guardian. Never forget again!”

As she said this, her body dispersed into the darkness, and I was left alone again.

‘My guardian? That doesn’t explain anything!’

I tried to remember more. My head was spinning. Everything was twisting and swirling around me. The darkness was fluctuating into light and back as I focused on remembering who she was.

…

‘Ah! That’s right!’

I yelled out in joy, “I remember! Your name is Cura!”

Celebrating in joy, the darkness broke, and light prevailed. The whiteness returned, and Cura descended. Covered in a magnificent array of light, she floated towards me with her dazzling white wings fluttering in the air. It was hard to see her face because a hairpin restraining her wavy golden hair was beaming a bright white light.

It looked as if she were wearing a small sun on her hair.

I could only respond with one word: “Beautiful.”

When she landed in front of me, she looked and said, “Gratus, I am glad you remember me, but you must never forget again, for I am your light, your only guide through the shadows of darkness.”

‘How did I ever forget such a beauty?’

“Don’t worry. I don’t think I will forget, but I must ask, why have you come to me now?”

“Guardians are intangible beings that cannot be sensed unless they merge with a host. The man you met before was my vessel. In order for me merge with you, I needed him to cast a spell on you.”

‘So that’s what that spell was…’

“But now that you have met me and I remember you, what are you going to do?”

“The reason I needed to contact you was to help you regain your powers.”

“My powers?”

“Yes. Although you don’t remember, you used to be one of the greatest Caelestis alive.”

“Caelestis?”

“There are many different forms that a human can take, but it depends on which path they choose. A human who wants to become a Caelestis must first become a Caste by undergoing a ritual called Sanctimonia.

A Caste can wield the basic powers of light which allows them to heal or protect another person. After a Caste masters the basic powers of light, they can choose how they want to use their powers.

If a Caste uses their powers to support people, they can become a Caelestis, which wield more advance types of supporting spells. If a Caste wants to purify the world of evil, they can become an Imperiosus, which hold the most destructive types of holy spells.”

Excited, I exclaimed, “Wow! So I used to be a great Caelestis?”

“Yes, but now you are lower than a novice Caste.”

…

‘So blunt… I guess I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.’

“How can I get back my powers?”

“You must first find the Recorodor.”

“What is that?”

“The Recorodor is a massive library that records and holds everything you have done in your life.”

“Wait a minute, a massive library? I’ve never seen such a thing in my life, and even if I do find it, how will it help me?”

“It will help you regain your memories.”

Trying to comprehend everything, my mind spun in circles. I wanted to question her more, but my mind felt light. I was dizzy. My body staggered and my vision blurred. I stared at Cura’s silhouette until she disappeared. All that was left was light.