The night was silent once more. It has been a week since the beast tide and it was quickly becoming apparent that the wildlife in the Eastern Region had experienced a sharp decline, assuming they had not been entirely wiped out. The nights were peaceful and the days were safe.
In the sky above, one would see the twin moons shining brightly and freely, one blue and the other gold. It brought a rare serenity to the lands of Corrin beneath it as, for the first time in months or years, the moons were not veiled behind the curtain of Prismatic aurora. They and the stars were the only ones casting their light upon Corrin tonight.
Light...
A hand was lifted overhead showing the softly glimmering bangle hanging from the wrist. It seemed just as entrancing as the twinkling starlight as though it belonged out there in the unknown expanse. But it remained within arm's reach, a gentle reminder of... something.
A soft sigh came from Lily as she brought out her communications device, something of a cross between a phone and an actual computer. Made by Kalisto, it was dubbed Oratio, the next generation Prisma-powered personal device with a whole host of practical features. It was something that Lily's brother gave to her back when he was still working as a Contractor.
She peered into the screen of her oratio only to find notifications and messages from some of her apps and her friends, but none from the person she was waiting for. They had only really met this day, but she had felt an undeniable fascination toward him.
Him leaving was a huge disappointment for her, but hearing him say that he will come back to visit filled her with giddy excitement and impatience. It had barely been half a day since he left and already she was missing his company. And why would she not when he had managed to make her feel comfortable with just his presence alone. She was admittedly smitten, and it was the first time in her life that she had felt that way.
Lily turned her gaze down to the streets as she noticed a silhouette approaching her house. As the silhouette stepped into the light, she found that it was her brother coming home from a long day's work. She got up and went to welcome him home.
Lily's brother, Leonel, was a retired Contractor of the Guild. He now served as a doctor in Melchior with close ties to the Governor's family. Due to this, his responsibilities extended outside of just his clinic which he often leaves to his sister to manage. During the beast tide, he had been working nonstop for several days, only getting a few minutes to an hour of rest every so often. Things were finally settling down, however, and he would finally get his much needed rest which is why he came home tonight.
Lily walked up to him, hugging him tightly before helping him carry his things. To Lily, her brother was not just her sibling. He was also her parent who raised her since young. He did not even choose to have his own family simply because Lily was enough for him. The experience of having to raise someone all by himself was both an enlightening thing and a tremendous ordeal that he did not want to experience even a different version of it again.
After cleaning himself up in the shower, Leonel sat down in the kitchen as Lily brought him his food. It was braised worg along with some local vegetables grown in Therion. It was Leonel's favourite as he had developed a taste for worg meat when he often them during his time as a Contractor. And although they were edible, the general populace did not really eat them. Even for Leonel and Lily, they rarely ate worg and reserved it for special occasions. And this made Leonel look at his sister inquisitively.
"Alright, spill it. What's going on? Why are we having worg tonight?"
"I... I met someone."
Lily said shyly. She honestly did not even think about what she had cooked until her brother mentioned it. It was as though her mind had just automatically decided that she should cook worg. She was indeed happy and thought that it was a special day, but she did not intend to have a celebration for it. Now her brother knows and she had to endure her embarrassment.
"Well, congratulations. At long last, my little sister has a boyfriend. So what's he like? You know what, you should bring him home one of these days. I want meet to him and judge him myself."
Leonel spoke with a monotone as though he could not be bothered to care. In truth, he was sighing in relief. He had been telling his sister to find a partner for herself so she would have someone to care for her when he was gone. He was much older than her after all. And pretty soon, he would leave her all alone in this unforgiving world. And he did not want that. So this news was indeed a great load off his chest. Lily, knowing her brother's thoughts, harrumphed at his feigned apathy.
"He's not my boyfriend... yet. But he's a really kind man. He even gave me this to protect me. He said it has his power inside it and I could use it whenever I need it."
Lily raised her right hand and showed her brother the bangle. Leonel had been very tired when he got home and was not paying much attention so he did not notice it until now. But the moment his gaze landed on the bangle, his eyes grew wide as his face turned a little ashen.
"Caro mundi...! Where did you get this thing?!"
"What...? He... gave it to me."
Lily answered hesitantly and confusedly. This was the first time she had seen her brother react like this. It was as though he had seen his worst nightmare come to life. And as far as she knew, her brother feared nothing. Seeing him this shaken made even Lily afraid, but she did not know what to be afraid of.
"What is caro mundi? What are you talking about brother?"
"Caro mundi... is the flesh of the world. You call it Prisma, but what you usually see of it is not the real thing. Those are amalgamations, impurities. But this... this is real!"
Leonel and Lily stared at the bangle on her wrist. It remained quietly there, glimmering softly even amidst the light in the room. It was as though no light could ever mask its enchanting beauty. But deeper than that, the bangle itself was a clear vessel, a crystal of unknown depths carrying a power of unknown potency. This was true Prisma. This was caro mundi.
"This shouldn't exist here. It's simply not possible. I'll ask again, Lily. Where did you get this thing?"
"I told you, he gave it to me. He held my wrist and created it right there and then. He left his power inside and said to only use it when I need to protect myself."
"Created... no. No, not again! They're here... and they're awake!"
Leonel rose up as he spoke with a manic delusion. His eyes had completely lost focus of everything around him and seemed to see something else, something that could only be found in the deep recesses of his memory. He felt the need to pack up and leave immediately, but what point is there to doing that anymore? They had been found. No matter where in Corrin he and his sister ran to, they would be found. The bangle was a message, of that he was certain. The thought of leaving Corrin came to him, but how in the world would they even do that?
"Borther! Tell me what's happening?!"
Lily finally had enough of her brother's panicking. She could not understand the reason for his fear. The bangle was a gift she received from someone special. It was not an object of terror, that would be a disrespect to its creator. But Leonel looked at her with a stern gaze as he spoke with a heavy tone.
"Lily, get rid of that thing immediately. We may not be able to hide from them, but at the very least, we shouldn't let them keep watching us through that thing."
"What are you talking about?! I'm not doing anything until you tell me what's going on!"
"You're still too young to understand! Just do as I say and I promise, you will be safe."
'Still too young', this was the same phrase Lily had heard from her brother over and over again whenever she asked about their history, whenever she asked about their parents or about why they were here. Of course, she was not asking about why they resided in Melchior but rather why they were in Corrin. She knew enough to know that they did not come from this world. They were outsiders seeking refuge. But why here in this barren land devastated by Prisma? Again, her brother refused to answer. But this time, she stood her ground.
"I'm over seven hundred years old, brother. When will I be old enough to know? When you're dead? When I'm dead? Or when the world is more dead than it already is?!"
Leonel fell silent at his sister's sudden outburst. She was angry, he could tell. And her anger was justified. It was just that he could not bring himself to tell her these things as they were a great shame to him. And he did not want her to bear that shame as well. He thought it would be best if she never knew. She could just continue living her life in Corrin the way she liked. She need not worry about this filthy shadow that they had already left far behind. Or so he thought.
Looking back at the bangle on Lily's wrist, Leonel finally realised that the shadow had followed them. And now, it was calling once more. With a sigh, he sat back down in defeat as he looked at his sister with an even more exhausted expression.
"You're right. It's time for you to know... the history of our people. It all started with a desire, a dream... to live for Eternity."