A crackling fire lit the scene before him. Evan watched his friends around the campfire with a warm, content smile on his face. At first it felt as though he had been transported to this moment, until his younger mind took over and he was really there, as if for the first time.

They were sat in a sandy-grassy patch several yards away from the beach, between a wall of low rocks and a collection of dense trees and bushes. From here they had a good view of the dark waves crashing onto the beach.

Rikan was playing the oouletra. His long green hair hung loose as he plucked the strings of the wooden drum resting on his knees. Though he tended to be quiet and introverted, Rikan had always been able to express himself best through music. At the moment he played an old children's lullaby they all knew, but in a slow, lower key that gave it a haunting quality.

Wispy tendrils broke off from the fire and wavered into the starry night sky, bathing the area in a warm, red glow. Across from Evan he could see Reisa through the fire, hugging her knees. While Marassy preferred to roll her hair up, or keep it in a long braid, Reisa always wore her hair long and loose, bordering her face as it did now.

Nat shifted beside him. "A crown for your highness's thoughts."

Evan blinked. He bit back the anger that usually sprang from the 'your highness' title, which usually came as a taunt from others. "I was just thinking, Nat. About how I believe I will always treasure this moment in time."

Tilting his large head, Nat said, "You are in a funny mood today."

Evan raised his brows in response.

"Away in your dreamland," Nat went on. "I assume that if you truly treasured this moment, you would want to live in it. Study every detail to better remember it."

Evan nodded towards the beach. "I am studying the details."

A smile grew on Nat's broad face. He stretched his legs and leaned back on his elbow. "Oh, I see you are."

"You see?" Evan asked.

Another smile from Nat. His brow furrowed in an uncharacteristically sympathetic manner. It was a look that seemed beyond his years. "Listen to me, Evan. We all know how you feel about her. Now I will admit that I fancied myself a suitor for her. But honestly, now we have grown some, I see her in a different light. By a firelight, if you will."

Evan gave him a confused look. "Her who?"

Nat's eyes widened. "Her–the Matron Saint of Old Farmers." He thumped Evan on the arm. "Reisa, you swirl. That's who."

Evan rubbed his arm, smiling. Nat was getting stronger. "I see. Okay, then."

This was what Evan liked most about Nat. He may play the boisterous fool within a group, especially around girls, but he could be a deeply intuitive person when spoken to alone.

"She likes you too, you know," Nat said. "Anyone can see it. You should just tell her how you feel."

Evan considered this, and then eyed Nat warily.

Nat laughed at the look. "No jest. She no longer holds my interest. To be honest, she somewhat irritates me. But I have a feeling that those traits that swat me are the very same that you hold so dearly."

Evan eyed Reisa through the wavering flames and felt a familiar longing. Every time he looked at her, his heart sank. Every time. He had never seen such a godly vision so singularly personified in a person. A warm swelling expanded within him, tingling through his body.

They had caught the Spira Spark together, all those years ago. Back then, Evan thought it was a clear sign that he and Reisa were destined to be together. It was as simple as reading an event that has already come to pass. Now he had grown some, he had become less certain of their connection, and yet even more enthralled by her.

Jubile's dark form came trundling towards them from the beach, his steps throwing up sand.

"They arrive," he said in heavy, excited breaths. "The Lights have acknowledged our good deeds.

Marassy perked up. "You saw them? Are they really coming?"

Jubile gestured back towards the beach. "Behold, their glow lightens the sky."

The tall rocks by the beach were rimmed with a faint purple light. The ground there was slowly shifting from an indistinct darkness to a purple glow.

Rikan stopped playing. Nat stood, and then so did the rest of them. They watched in awe as the purple glow lightened the night sky over the beach.

A large boulder cleared the rocks, turning slowly. It glided over the beach around a hundred feet in the air.

"Oh my!" Marassy exclaimed, cupping her hands over her mouth.

A second boulder followed, tumbling smoothly through the purple glow, as if floating on waves of light. But then, that was what was happening. These were the famed Lights of Moon Bay. A rare combination of electromagnetism and a lingering magic in the area. They were said to show on some nights in the summer, when the atmosphere was right and the gods favoured their presence. Evan had no doubt they would pick the right night to see them.

Several boulders now floated over the beach, some larger than a house, some as small as a person.

"I have to get closer," Nat said eagerly, and broke into a run towards the beach.

"Wait," Jubile called back, and started after him.

The girls shared an excited look and then took off towards the floating rocks.

Rikan placed his oouletra down and then shrugged at Evan, before he too started running.

Evan joined the others on the beach and looked up breathlessly. The giant boulders soared over them, moving along the wavering stream of purple light that cut through the sky for as far as they could see in either direction.

"They are more beautiful than I imagined," Marassy said.

"Truly a sight," Jubile said.

"Praise be to Evan, "Rikan said, looking over at him. "For the idea to gather us all here to witness such a marvel."

The others agreed. They all continued to look up, taking in the sights.

Evan was elated by their favour. In that moment, he couldn't help but see himself as the future King he was destined to be, praised by his loyal, loving subjects.

A pool of water in the sand drew his attention. He leaned over to see his reflection in the glistening pool. His dark form was highlighted by the purple light over him, the image undulating and distorting from the shifting water. It was a strange moment, as though he were looking down at another person. As if his reflection were looking at him.

Another head appeared within the pool of water and he turned suddenly to see Reisa.

"Oh, sorry," she said, holding a hand to her chest. "I did not mean to... Evan, are you all right?"

He realised he was breathing heavily. He composed himself and said, "Quite all right. Now."

She gave him a weak smile. She was a vision in the purple light, her features highlighted in a heavenly soft glow. "You seemed lonely, over here on your own."

Evan wasn't sure what she meant. They all seemed to be gathered fairly close together.

"You know," Reisa began, and then hesitated. "It had occurred to me later on, far too late, that your offer of visiting Moon Bay was meant for the two of us. I had assumed you meant as a group, of course, because why would you suggest just the two of us? I have only ever known you with Nat, or Rikan. Or even Jubile."

"The misunderstanding was mine," Evan said, attempting to keep his voice even, despite his pounding heart. "I should have made a group offer from the start."

"No, no. You are correct. Us Guardians of the Sansa'laa must know each other better." She gave him a mischievous smile. It had been over eight years since they caught the Spira Spark. While Evan had hoped it would have drawn them closer together, it had felt like he and Reisa had instead grown apart somewhat over recent years. But that smile brought him back to that day.

"I do enjoy your company, Reisa Val'rae," he said. It was strange; his startling honesty did not phase him. "I would take it along with everyone in Therapia, if I must."

Reisa took a careful step closer. "You are very sweet, Evan."

A light laugh burst in the air. Evan startled and turned at the sound. Jubile was rolling in the sand, laughing at Marassy and Rikan. Marassy sounded defensive to whatever jibes Jubile had thrown at her, which incited more laughs from Rikan.

"I believe Marassy needs some female support," Reisa said softly. She glared at the laughing boys and turned back to him, her features softening. "You are one of the good ones, Evan."

They held each other's eyes a moment longer - Evan at risk of becoming lost again - before Reisa turned and made her way to the others.

Evan breathed out a long-held sigh. He felt electrified. He still wasn't sure what had just happened between him and Reisa, but he knew that something had changed with them. Things would be different after this night, that he was sure of.

Once again he saw himself as an older man, King of Therapia. And Reisa was at his side.

Nat lumbered over. He stifled a few lingering laughs and nodded to Evan.

"That looked like an interesting conversation between you two."

Evan simply looked at him.

"Far more interesting than the sights of the Lights, I would imagine. For some, anyway."

Evan smiled. "For some."

Nat laid a hand on Evan's shoulder. "The winds of change ever shift."

"And may they shift in your favour," Evan said, finishing the old saying.

"And in yours," Nat added.

They both quickly added, "Especially when you break wind," and burst into laughter. It was a childish joke, one they had relished in saying when they were younger. Now they were nearing the end of their Prime adolescence, almost fifty years of age, it felt as though they would have put such childish things behind them. But perhaps they could still be children for a while.

Evan and Nat joined the others. The mood was high and good-natured. They spoke of past times and joked with each other, sharing stories, commenting on the scenery around them.

The floating boulders eventually grew sparse, and the purple light dwindled in their wake, slowly ebbing and fading into nothing. The stars reclaimed the night sky. A bitter chill came over them soon after, and they ventured back to the warmth of the campfire.

Evan attempted to situate himself close to Reisa so that they could talk more, but Marassy and Jubile held her attention. She didn't even look at Evan once as they sat back around their camp. He sulked back to his bedroll, lost in his thoughts.

Rikan collected his oouletra and began a soft melody. It had become a tradition, on the nights they would spent together - usually in Evan's castle - for Rikan to play this traditional bed-time lullaby. Some of Evan's fondest memories were of falling asleep with the song playing.

His eyes were drawn to the darkness of the nearby bushes. Within the empty blackness, he caught a green glint. A glow that could be seen through the long blades of grass.

Evan leaned closer to Nat beside him, keeping his eyes on the green glow. "What do you think that is?"

Nat raised his head. "Where am I looking?"

Evan nodded towards the light. "There, in the bushes. The green light."

Nat squinted in that direction, and eventually said, "I see nothing but darkness. You are not twisting elderly, are you?"

The green glow shifted, merging with the bushes and becoming lost in the darkness.

Evan turned to Nat, finding his slanted eyes watching him expectantly. "Must have been nothing," he admitted.

Nat laid down and settled with resting his head on his outstretched arm. "Tomorrow, young lord. I will help give you two some time alone, if need be. But for now, we will sleep, and dream of bosomy maidens." With that he rolled over and nuzzled his arm.

Evan stared into the flames for some time, becoming lost in their mesmerising dance.

Both Rikan and Jubile settled into their blankets, leaving Evan alone with the girls. They were still sat close together, locked in conversation. Reisa still had not looked at him. Not wanting to remain sitting on his own across from them, Evan lay down on his blanket and looked up at the star-filled sky.

To keep his mind away from the girls, he attempted to name the constellations he saw, recalling his astronomy lessons. He eventually fell asleep with images of Reisa in flames flowing through his mind.

At some point in the night, he regained consciousness and became aware of his surroundings. The cold air told him the fire had died down, and he could no longer hear the crackling flames.

In the vague fog between sleep and wakefulness, he thought he heard a rustle nearby. A shifting in the dirt, like something dragging.

A scream ripped through the air.

Marassy.

Evan bolted up. The girls were scrambling from their bedrolls. Between them, a dazzling green light shone bright.

Evan froze as he focused on the scene. The glowing orb hovered over Reisa, and he realised that she wasn't scrambling back, she was being dragged.

"Reisa!" The cry left Evan as he shot to his feet.

The green light shifted in the air. Somehow, he felt like the light was looking at him. Evan leapt over the glowing coals and ran towards Reisa. Her legs kicked in the air, her body twisting as if trying to free herself from the light's hold. In an instant Reisa's flailing body shot away, the green orb becoming a stream of light as it dragged her into the darkness of the bushes.

Evan doubled his speed and charged into the bushes. He was aware of his friends calling out as they followed, but he ignored them all.

He rushed through the tall grass as best he could, although the only light he could see by was the green glow taking Reisa.

He hoped Nat was nearest, as he was the oldest and only one of them that had some knowledge of sorcery. It was only a basic understanding of practical sorcery, but they may need it when they reached the light. Evan cursed himself for being too young to have begun studying sorcery.

Marassy called out in breathless shouts. "Evan, where are you going?"

"The light," Evan called back.

"What light?" she cried.

Evan's focus remained ahead.

"Evan, what light?" Jubile shouted, his voice shrill with fear.

Trees and branches streamed by as Evan continued his pursuit. Reisa needed him. That was all that mattered.

The green light paused, several paces ahead now. It lowered close to the ground before shooting up into the trees.

Closer now, Evan finally saw something within the light. As it bounced from tree to tree, a thin, gangly form could be seen, spindly legs flailing as it flew through the air. It appeared to be the size of a small person or a child - it was hard to tell from the bright light surrounding it. A second later it was lost in the darkness above as the light faded.

Evan jumped over a log and landed several paces from Reisa's body. He fell beside her, bringing her head up carefully. His lips quivered as he inspected her for injuries.

"Rei..." her name left him in a soft whimper.

Not knowing what else to do, he shook her, hoping to get a reaction. She remained motionless, her eyes closed.

Leaves shifted behind him as his friends arrived. Nat had a hand raised high, a faint white light glowing in his palm and illuminating the area in dull shapes. They huddled over Reisa, talking over each other and looking from one to the other for help.

Reisa remained limp in Evan's arms.

Tears welled up as he looked over her delicate face. She looked peaceful. Like she was sleeping.

Rikan checked her neck for a pulse. Then he felt her wrist. Then he leaned his ear close to her mouth. He looked up at Evan.

"She breathes," Nat said, his eyes wide with confusion and terror.

The rest had been a blur for Evan.

He would later recall images of them carrying Reisa's body back to camp, flying back to his castle and calling the Grand Healer. They pleaded for help and explained their ordeal to the grown-ups, each describing a different part and making no sense to those who listened. Evan became numb to it all, lost in a stupor. He could only clearly focus on Reisa's pale, beautiful face, locked in a peaceful expression.