Karna and Sora stood on a big hill. Both were in awe as they looked upon the Kingdom of Sobloeze. It was built on a massive isthmus. Buildings, high and low, were in great abundance. There were trees, bushes, ferns, and all sorts of other things planted on the top of those buildings. Most notable were the massive castles that sat on elevated plots of land hundreds of meters high. Boats docked on ports, and the nation was bustling with life. Karna saw thousands of people going about their daily lives. The two eagerly ran down the hill to visit what they thought looked like something out of a dream.
"Woah, Sora, do you see this?" Karna looked around and saw various shops, huts, and other facilities. "It's incredible! When Lucia was going on about how bad things were in her kingdom, I thought she lived in a hellhole. I never thought Sobloeze would be so beautiful!" Sora nodded. "Yeah. It's so prosperous here." A middle-aged man handed him a flyer. It detailed an event happening in two hours from now. "The Spear festival! An event that will determine our next Cahaya, the destined savior of mankind!" Written on the flyer was the location: some ruins on the second layer of the Chasm. "What do you think, Karna?"
"I think we should go there. If it's about the Cahaya, I have a feeling Lucia will be there." The two continued walking until Karna spotted something. On the rooftop of a small house was a Kegare, the one that appeared in Allesium. He nudged on Sora's shirt and pointed towards it.
Karna jumped on top of the building with help from Sora, then the two chased it until it eventually stopped in an alleyway. "It's you brats again." It turned away from the two. "I would love to get back at you for hitting my eye, but I've got bigger things to do." Karna drew his sword. "Wait! What is it that your after?"
"I told you, boy, I just want some amusement."
"Oh, so Lucia suffering is amusing to you?" The Kegare grinned. "Indeed. Although I'm not after head anymore. But that doesn't mean you should watch out. Plenty of people are after her head. Things are only getting more exciting from here." He laughed with glee as he vanished into the shadows.
A man looked out of a window. He was a noble, so he lived in one of the massive castles elevated above the ground. He sat at a table capable of seating twenty. Sitting near him were five people. They were dressed in black and wore both a mask and a cloak to conceal their identity. "You summoned us here?" one of them asked. The nobleman nodded. "Yes. My name is Cornelius. I called you here regarding the head of our princess. How much do you want?"
"Two thousand gold bars will do," said a woman.
"So you want to become nobles yourselves, eh? Very well then, you'll get your payment after you bring me her Highness's head."
The Spear festival was an annual celebration in the Kingdom of Sobloeze. The people and the Kami danced as they remembered the Cahaya. The party started right after a Chahaya was named. The title would be given to anyone who could pull the spear out of the ground. Unfortunately, nobody had done so for the last thousand years. The festivities stopped as people forgot about the Cahaya and feared the impending rise of darkness.
Karna and Sora watched as a crowd of people gathered around Lucia. "My people! Today is the last day of the Spear festival, the final day to find our Cahaya! The darkness is rising. I pray that today, one of you will become our destined hero!"
The people cheerily clapped, but Sora sensed something amiss. Something about this atmosphere feels unsettling, he thought. He looked around and saw a group of middle-aged men. The reason they caught his eye was that their appearance was in stark contrast to everyone else. Their bellies were round, and their clothes were pristine. Most of the people were in rags, yet they were decked in jewels. So that's a noble, Sora thought. The figure of a young woman with blue hair appeared next to him. "I sense the darkness in them," she said. Sora turned to her. "Niyai?" The woman nodded. "Yes. I have shown myself to you so that I may warn you. The darkness grows ever closer. Watch out!" Her body condensed into a blue light that went inside Sora's chest. What did she mean by that? Is she saying those noblemen are scheming something?
Just then, a Kegare demolished the walls of the temple and roared. It was a massive black boar with no eyes. "A Ngepet!" Someone screamed. People frantically ran as the Kegare stepped on and ate them. Lucia called for the barongs to fight, but her voice was drowned in the chaos. A woman with flaming red hair called for a guard to escort the princess, but a nobleman stopped her. "What do you think you're doing? The princess can handle herself! What we need to do is to help the other citizens get out of here safely!" The woman clenched her jaw and pushed the man away.
Lucia sidestepped as she avoided a knife thrown at her. A woman came from behind her and almost slit her throat. A mask hid her face, and she concealed herself in a cloak. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, Your Highness. No hard feelings, but I've come here to kill you." She charged and thrust her knife at Lucia, who parried it with a sword.
Karna looked around, thinking of what to do. He saw Lucia engaged in battle and rushed to help her. "Lucia!" She turned around. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to help you!"
"No, don't do that!" She ducked, barely avoiding a kick in the face. She grabbed on to the leg. "Go to the spear! If you can defeat that Kegare, you can save everyone!" Lucia threw the assassin away from here. "Don't just stand there! Go!" Karna heeded her words as he ran towards the spear.
Only the spear's handle was above ground. It was black, with red flame designs swirling around it. There were red feathers on its tip. A man appeared before Karna. Both his hair and eyes were the color of an ignited flame. He looked young, but Karna had a feeling he was much older than his appearance showed him to be. "Are you a Kami?" The man nodded. "Yes, I am Visavi Shakti, the king of all the Kami and the one who wields the sun. I can tell you're the one."
"The one what?" Karna asked, perplexed. "The Cahaya, of course. Only the one who has been chosen can see or hear me. Before you pull me out, may I ask a question." Karna nodded as the man began speaking. "What is it you seek?"
"I want a better world, one where darkness is shattered by the light, and everyone can live in peace." The man nodded. "I see. But think before you accept the role. As the Cahaya, you will be tasked with a massive burden. You will grovel in unimaginable agony and despair while seeing the cruelty of the world. Can your determination to make your desire a reality overcome that?"
"Yes, it can." The man smiled. "Very well. Then, pull out the spear." Karna grabbed onto the spear, and he felt a massive surge of energy surrounding him. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw that he was flying in the air. Wings made of pure flame formed on his back and his hair became red. Flames encircled his body and became a sort of armor in the form of a chest plate and greaves that covered both his legs. Karna saw the spear in his right hand. It had three long prongs, and each was curved. They were colored red and black in some patterns. The whole spear was the size of a man. Lucia and everyone else watched, incredulous at the powers of the Cahaya.
Karna heard Visavi Shakti's voice in his head. "Welcome, new master. What would you like to do?" Karna pointed at the Ngepet. "I see. Master, you already have more than enough power to wipe out that abomination, but if need be, say my full name, and you will obtain a strength unlike any other." His voice disappeared. Karna looked at himself with disbelief. Did he just say I can become even more powerful? The thought was pushed out of his mind as the Ngepet looked at him. That doesn't matter now, he thought. I need to get rid of that Kegare. "Visavi Shakti!"
Karna's wings radiated a stunning light that blinded everyone. The Ngepet backed away in fear. It tried to run but was slashed to pieces in an instant.
Sora looked in awe at Karna. "You were right, Grandfather. Karna really is the Cahaya." He ran to him as Karna collapsed on the floor.