Luminous held her stomach, Nightdread hit her pretty hard and she still felt queasy.
"Dang nabbit kid! It's hard to see the bright side in all this!" Yelled the Dawn of Fate, amongst all the corrupt that surrounded them.
Leaning up against the tree. Her eyes glazed as she stared off into the distance where she saw the gray mouse in the red sweater vest again.
"I...don't understand...who are you?"
The mouse then tapped his shoulder. Luminous glanced over towards her own shoulder noticing the heart-shaped button for the first time since she lost her memory.
"Huh?"
"No! Don't!" Screamed the Dawn of Fate.
Luminous unconsciously pressed the button. Dark magic burst from it, her pink button pajama top with the black shorts replaced with a pink leotard and red metal breastplate, and metal boots.
Luminous looked down at the metal arm guards. The dark magic weaving through their cracks and around the rest of her armored body like electricity.
All the corrupt with their bulbous features stopped attacking and stood around watching her. It was as if they were subjects waiting for their queen's next commands.
"Oh, so you've decided to play dirty after all?" Snead Nightdread throwing his hands up. "What happened to being a goodie two shoes? Taking the moral high road too good for you now princess?"
But Luminous just stood there, the darkness buzzing around like electricity. She couldn't focus, the corrupt angry, scared, hungry voices were all trapped in her head. She couldn't get their buzzing out of her head!
"You and all your fake morals piss me off!"
Nightdread ran towards Luminous. His boot was near her face in an instant. Luminous put her armguards up to block. The hair crack on her armguards splintered into pieces as his boot connected with it.
Luminous skidded, her metal boots tearing up the grass until her back hit the dome.
"Look up!" Yelled the Dawn of Fate.
Luminous looked up and saw Nightdread leaping for her. She caught his fist in her hand. The dark electricity buzzing around her growing more rampant.
The night blue flowers around them began wilting and turning black.
"My flowers! What did you do you wench!" Yelled Nightdread.
Luminous looked past him at the mouse as she begins to remember who he was. She began remembering everything. From the time the red prince had helped her out of the fountain after Maybell pushed her in, to the time she and the red prince first spoke to Chasm when he came to live at the red kingdom.
Up until the night at the palace when the corrupt took over. And...
The red prince and Chasm were kidnapped.
Luminous felt her skin boil. She glared at Nightdread her blue eyes piercing through him. She could feel the corrupt voices get louder and louder in her head.
"Where are the red prince, the brown princess, and chasm?" She yelled.
"Oh, you're here about that?" Laughed Nightdread. "Well, then you're too late. I already shipped off the brown princess, the red prince wasn't my charge but probably the same answer for whoever was charged with obtaining him."
Luminous' face paled, shipped where? What was going to happen to them?
"Oh come on now what's with that face? Do you happen to be a member of the red court?" Asked Nightdread. "Don't worry, whoever took the red prince did you guys a favor. I mean it would be a curse to put a king on the throne with your guy's luck right? The curse of the red king bloodied his fingers as the name on his ring."
"He's not cursed and I don't agree that his disappearance is a blessing!"
Luminous screamed as the corrupt bit Nightdread around the ankle. He jumped back, but he was surrounded by the corrupt at this point.
This was going to be impossible! Though Vainglorious, he glared at Relic's outstretched hand from where he was sitting on the sandy beach.
"Trust is a two-way street." Repeated Relic. "If you want to bring back the sun, you're going to have to put your trust in me."
Vainglorious looked from the stranger's hand to his feet.
"It's embracing…" Vainglorious mumbled.
Relics eyebrows knitted together, looking almost like white hairy calipers on top of his chocolate collared eyes.
"Embracing?"
"I mean we're naked. How could this not be embracing?"
"I see, you are too young to cast this kind of spell. To be able to do a ritual like this you would need to give it your all, you need clarity and convection no matter what. That means breaking down your walls and feeling comfortable in your own skin. It also means giving in to your human nature. Which are things that can only come with age. You're not ready for that kind of convection, and that's fine.."
"You can't tell me what I am or not ready for!" Vainglorious jumped up feeling his blood boiling. "I am ready! This is just stupid! Because I am strong enough and you know it!"
Relic covered his smirk with his hand. He shook his head, his long locks of white hair swaying back and forth on his back.
"What?! What do you find funny about all that!?"
Vainglorious balled his hand in a fist punching the older man in the abdomen.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Said Relic cupping Vainglorious' fist in both his hands. He knelt down to Vainglorious' eye level."It's not all about being strong. Here since you're kind of like my apprentice, let me lead you?"
Vainglorious glared at Relic. His stupid smile reminded him of stupid Luminous. Now that he thought about it, this whole not bothered by nudity thing reminded him of Luminous. Note to self, going to kill Luminous. He thought as he reached for Relic's hand letting him help him up.
"Okay, I'm going to go slowly at first." Said Relic.
"If you're going to lead then lead." Snarked Vainglorious.
"Okay then repeat after me." Smiled Relic. "When darkness becomes light."
He sprung Vainglorious around holding his hand out at arm's length.
"When darkness becomes light." Repeated Vainglorious.
"all things hidden vanish in the night." Said Relic as he began walking around in a huge circle.
"all things hidden vanish in the night."
"Like a flicker of a flame"
"Like a flicker of a-"
Relic raised his and Vainglorious' arm up to the sky startling him slightly.
"Flame." Vainglorious finished.
"a little moth dies without a name."
Relic took both their hands bowing to the ground.
"a little moth dies without a name."
After bowing Relic switched hands with Vainglorious beginning to walk in a circle in the other direction.
"When darkness becomes light."
"When darkness becomes light."
"all things hidden vanish in the night."
"all things hidden vanish in the night."
Flames began to spark up the ground around where Vainglorious and Relic were walking. Dancing in time with them.
"Like a flicker of a flame"
"Like a flicker of a flame"
The flames jumped up as Relic and Vainglorious reached their hand to the sky. Vainglorious' gray eyes widened as he felt the intensity of the magic engulfed his body. But it didn't hurt or burn. Just felt overwhelming.
Shaking, his breathing became heavy.
"Don't carry this power by yourself. Pass it to me quickly!" Yelled Relic.
Vainglorious opened his mouth to yell at him about not looking down on him. But saw the worried look on Relic's face before another intense wave hit him.
Vainglorious quickly transferred the power to Relic who seemed to handle the full force of this spell without flinching.
Relic closed his eyes as the flames danced around him.
"Little mouth dies without a name." Relic opened his brown eyes that glow in the vermillion flames.
Vainglorious looked at Relic and saw how he was beginning to disappear into the flames. Becoming one with them.
"You're not bringing back the sun are you? You are the sun." Said Vainglorious stepping away, his eyebrow raised at the older witch. "You're sacrificing yourself to become the sun."
"You figured it out." Smiled Relic. "But of course you're a smart boy."
"But why?!"
"Why…" Relic repeated putting his hand to his chin in thought. "I suppose if you would have told me something like this would happen at the beginning of my story I wouldn't have believed it myself. I used to be so full of hate and vengeance for the vampire race killing them until I died would have been enough. I suppose if for any reason that was my original one for taking up the Dawn of Fate. But as time went by and the more and more I saw of the human race, the more and more I wanted it to find a way to thrive. This spell and my mission became less about revenge and more about. Well, you. Giving people like you a chance, Vainglorious."
"I don't understand,"
"What don't you understand?"
"Why would you do that? You get nothing out of it."
"I wouldn't say that. You're surviving in a reality where you're not hunted, eaten, or enslaved by vampires."
"Ya, but you foolishly died and got nothing out of it. What did any of this do for you when You're dead? What you did was stupid and got you nowhere."
"It's not about me. Being a welder of the Dawn of Fate was never about me."
"Why else would you do it if not for you!"
"It's okay, someday you'll meet someone special to you. Then you'll understand."
Relic then became a part of the flames rising higher and higher in the sky. Vainglorious stood on the white sandy beach, his fist and teeth clenched.
"I'll never understand!" He shouted up at the sun.
"Never!"
Nightdread was surrounded by the corrupt as they began clawing and biting him.
"I wouldn't blame you if you let him die. No one would miss the cursed red king." Taunted Nightdread stepping on the corrupt until there was a distinct pop.
"That's not true!" Yelled Luminous.
Tears began leaking out of her eyes. The darkness buzzed around her body. The corruption became more rampant biting and scratching at the vampire.
"Woh short stuff, calm down." Said the Dawn of Fate. "You're getting too emotional!"
She remembered the prince's smile on his face. The freckles dusted on the bridge of his nose and his cheeks like stardust.
"I miss him!"
Screamed Luminous charging at Nightdread. Nightdread smirked, catching her fist in his hand. He then grabbed her arm, throwing her against the dome.
Her armor disappearing back into her armor button. The dome cracked a little more. Nightdread pinned her against the cracking dome under his boot.
"I'll kill you!" Screamed Luminous clawing at Nightdreads boot.
"Luminous!?" Yelled Dawn of Fate shocked.
"Hahaha! I knew you had some darkness in you!" Laughed Nightdread pressing his foot down harder on her. "But don't worry. You won't have to worry about that much longer anyway."
The dome couldn't take the pressure anymore and it cracked. Luminous fell backwards onto the grass below white lily petals flowing around where she landed.The sunlight poured into the room.
"AHH!"
The vampire screamed and his deathly pale skin began singeing as the sun touched it. He quickly turned into a bat.
"Quickly kid grab…"Dawn of Fate stopped when he noticed Luminous laying on the ground her eyes crossed. "Oh uh...that doesn't look good…"
Nightdread flew in between the cracks of the ebony wall and out of the room.
"Luminous!" Yelled Concord running into the room afterwards. "Lumi-"
His brown boot stepped on something slinder. Bending over he dusted the shiny golden metal off to find that it was a perfectly good pair of pipes.
"We're over here!" Called out the Dawn of Fate.
Concord shoved the pipes in his back pocket running over to Luminous and the sword.
"Luminous are you okay?!" Asked Concord kneeling down next to her.
"There are pretty spots in the sky…" Slurred Luminous.
"That doesn't sound good…"
"That's not the half of it." Said the Dawn of Fate. "We're missing Nightdread and the pipes of gluttony."
"Pipes of gluttony?" Asked Concord.
"The pipes used to control the corrupt. They can control people's appetites and make them hungry. It can become dangerous if left in the wrong hands."
"Hungry you say…"
Concord thought about his tavern. If he had a way to draw people in, making them a little hungrier somehow. Then he wouldn't be losing money anymore. Wouldn't have to worry about working for his older brother.
"You haven't seen them have you?" Asked the Dawn of Fate.
"Oh, uh actually I…" He clutched the pipes behind his back. "Was wondering where Vainglorious was."
Luminous' eyes snapped back into place. She jolted up onto her feet instantly.
"Vainglorious!" She looked around the sunlight dome. "The sun's back, he should be back right?! You don't think he got hurt right? Where is he?" She ran over to the river where Vainglorious's body was. "Vainglorious!"
She saw the young white-haired boy with his back turned to her with his clothes clutched in his hands.
"Lu''Lumi-"
Luminous hugged Vainglorious tightly to her. Rubbing her check on the top of his snowy white head.
"Oh Vainglorious I was so worried about you."
Vainglorious' snow white face flushed bright red as Luminous inadvertnly pressed her chest into his face.
"La laecher!" Screamed Vainglorious stepping on her foot as hard as he could.
"Oww! Why?" Cried Luminous jumping back.
"Because I told you not to look, or hug me you leacher!" Screamed Vainglorious, picking up his clothes and running behind the waterfall.
"But…"
"I'm not going to lie short stuff your hugs are kind of awkward." Said the Dawn of Fate. "Please stop."
"But why?" Pouted Luminous.
"I'll hug you if you want Luminous." Said Concord holding his arm out.
Luminous went in for a hug squeezing her face into his upper abdomen tightly until she noticed something missing.
"Concord! Your robot arm!" She jumped back looking at his empty sleeve.
"Oh, that old thing. It was rusting. I ment to get it replaced soon anyways." He lied. "It's not a big deal." He shrugged.
"Are you sure you're able to afford a new one working at a slowly declining tavern?" Asked the Dawn of Fate.
"Ya, you should come on our adventure with us." Smiled Luminous.
"I would love to but I do have a tavern to run." Smiled Concord. "I'll be fine. I'll put Barrett to work and pay him good so him and his grandma could be fine too. Besides." He said unconsciously grabbing at the pipes of gluttony hidden away in his back pocket. "Something tells me my luck is just about to turn around."
Authors Note: Okay so I'm still editing this next arch around so it might actually be a while before I'm able to post the next chapter. So thank you all for reading this far and see you next update! :D