Venture; Shadow

16. ShadowCasters pt1

There was nothing but us and the purple fairy in that new and unknown realm. We dropped our weapons and our anxiety was soon taken over by a sense of safety and warmth. We have finally found it. I could not believe it. The Ilumnia is right here with us. It must have read my thoughts as it said,"I have been waiting for you".

It sounded wise and loving with a bright purple aura radiating from it." I know you must have lots of questions unanswered and you have came to the right place, ShadowCaster". Gasps filled the air as I sucked in my breath as well. Acer and Axel begin mumbling at once.

"So she is a ShadowCaster", "Were all the stories true?Did her kind-" They were stopped mid sentence as Sky and Hunter nudged them while I stood frozen in place.

Another dark purple wolf-like apparition appeared in front of us, encircling us with it's long flare tail and nudge my face gently with its head. It seemed so graceful and so familiar. "Bron?", I patted its head without hesitation, knowing confidently that it was indeed my adorable canis companion.

There were so many questions I would like to ask. I too would like to know wether my kind killed? Were they as evil as the stories said they were? Am I the only one left? However, no words came out of my mouth as I stumbled trying to assess my current situation.

The others got really silent, sensing the heavy atmosphere now filling the air as the Ilumnia floated down to where I kneeled and said "Yes, you are a ShadowCaster. The last one standing. And it is your responsibility to right the wrong that was done upon your kind. Finally, I have been waiting for centuries for this moment. The moment when everyone will finally know the truth of this peace-loving linkgen."

Everyone stared at her wide-eyed as she began to explain,"The small but prosperous and peaceful kingdom of Kuro was the homeland of all ShadowCasters, the guardians of the Ilumnia Stone. Its history and the truth behind the great battle against the LightBringer was erased from existence. All the books, stories and journals about ShadowCasters were destroyed.".

"What's left is the myths and folk stories that the Light Bringers forced others to believe." She was staring at each of us one by one as though she was examining us. However, she paused awhile when her gaze fell upon Hunter.

"As the myths were told, the two kins LightBringers and ShadowCasters were really close. One day, the ShadowCasters leader, Luminary of the Shadow's wife was cursed by a dark force and he desperately seek for help from the grand clerics of the light but they refused to help they fear the power of the dark force."

"Feeling betrayed and backed into a corner, he delved into the darkness and begin absorbing life sources from living things to heal his sick queen. Eventually, his evil deeds engulfed him into the darkest and deepest shadows. He began to kill innocent people as sacrifice to feed his growing hunger for darkness."

"Then, noble Knights of LightBringers defeated him and put an end to his madness. That was what you all were told of as a kid. Am I right?",she said seriously.

Her gaze soften with grief as she continued,"However, truth be told that although the Luminiary of the Shadow did tap into dark magic, he managed to control it. In fact, he was the only person in the entire realm who could control it. All he used it for was to heal his beloved queen and he never intended for anything more."

"He was a kind and generous leader who was willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of his people. However, afraid of the stability of their own kingdom, the Light bringers barged in and a huge warfare took place. They killed the king and the entire royal family. The Luminiary of Light ordered just about that but his advisor, the Grand Healer wanted more than that."