Chapter 1
Silence is deafening.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJjPxkW2Zs
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6giyLAlLzZ
Nothing but silence and darkness, and together they form the loudest composition there is. I try to get myself to my feet, but my legs give in beneath me. I fall with a thud back onto the ground. The earth is damp and chillingly cold.
Where am I, really?
I strain my eyes as hard as I can. Still nothing to see. Only darkness. I reach my hand out, and my fingertips brush against something. Something soft—and warm. I pull my hand back instantly. I sit there, thinking about it for a moment. Then I gather my courage and reach out again.
Slowly, carefully, my fingertips feel their way forward. Eventually, my whole hand makes contact. My hand moves to the left, and a massive shock runs through me.
It’s a living being.
I feel air being drawn in and pushed out. A warm breeze every other second. I try not to wake whatever it is, so I slowly pull my hand back. But then I think about it.
What if it could help me…
I’m torn between trying to speak to whatever it is, or just leaving it alone. It feels like an eternity before I make my decision. I decide to speak. I let out a quiet breath and gather my courage.
- “Hello?” I whisper softly. No answer.
- “Hello?” I say again, a little louder. Suddenly, I hear something move. My heart starts pounding.
Du dung, du dung, du dung.
- “Hi,” comes a weak, fragile voice. It sounds like someone in great pain. I immediately think about how to respond. I follow my instinct.
- “Who are you?” I ask, curious and gentle.
- “I… am… Calian.” It’s a male voice. The pauses in his speech suggest exhaustion. I need to know more.
- “Are you okay? What happened?”
- “Yes, I am… okay. I am… hurt. I beg you… help… me,” Calian says desperately. I know I must help. What if he can help me get out of here? Besides, you can’t just leave someone who’s wounded.
- “Where does it hurt?”
- “My right… leg.”
I feel my way forward, trying to find his leg, but it’s nearly impossible in this darkness. My hand slides along his body. Exhausted, worn down. I wonder what he’s been through.
What could cause this much pain? My hand moves further down, and then I touch something wet.
It’s blood.
- “Ah!” Calian cries out, his voice consumed by pain. I’ve touched the wound. I know I must fix it somehow, but how? As my thoughts race, I hear something.
*Click.
A door opens. I immediately lie down, as still as a frozen statue. I whisper for Calian to do the same, but he already has.
Light crashes in. It’s so blinding it hurts even with my eyes closed.
Who was that?
I hear heavy, slow footsteps. They come closer and closer. Louder and louder. I feel a hand grip my arm firmly, eagerly. I’m about to scream, but I bite it back hard. The burning hand lifts me, placing another arm beneath my knees.
I take the chance and open my eyes just a sliver—barely a crack, thin as a piece of paper.
Who was it?
I look closer.
It’s a lavoxy.
What was it doing here?
It’s a male lavoxy.
What was he doing on Lumenera?
They don’t belong on this planet. They’re not allowed here. It’s illegal. They’re supposed to be on Varkuun. I’m utterly speechless. My jaw nearly drops. My heart starts racing again, faster and faster, louder and louder.
- “I know you’re awake,” the lavoxy says.
My heart jumps up in my throat. I can’t breathe.
How did he know?
I’m terrified out of my mind. Sweat beads on my forehead and runs down my back. I’m drenched.
- “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I’m here to save you.”
My heart sinks slightly back into place. But I can’t understand why a lavoxy would help a nathrix. We are sworn enemies.
A lavoxy is one of the four species in the universe. They’re known for sowing discord. Their bodies are filled with glowing stones, and their hearts are made of molten lava. Their home planet is Varkuun—a terrifying world to us nathrix. Varkuun is covered in volcanoes. Some lavoxies even live inside them.
But we nathrix are the opposite. We live in harmony with nature. Our hearts are formed from the most vital plants of our planet. Nathrix belong to Lumenera—one of the most peaceful planets in the universe. Pure nature. No fire. Only living plants and endless sunlight.
I still remember when I was little. My very first memory of Lumenera. The first time I opened my eyes and saw the beautiful planet. I catch myself drifting into a daydream. I have to snap out of it and stay alert.
I shove as hard as I can against the lavoxy’s chest. I crash down onto the cold, damp ground. I spring to my feet in a flash. My vision spins. I plant my feet, ready to attack.
Over my dead body.
- “Calm down,” the lavoxy says quietly, exhausted. “I told you—I’m only here to help.”
I hiss, tears filling my eyes. I glance back at Calian. He’s still lying there in unbearable pain. I turn back to the lavoxy. He looks irritated—disappointed.
- “What will it take for you to come with me?” he asks, drained. His exhaustion runs deep in his voice.
I remain in my fighting stance, jaw clenched, brows lowered.
- “What’s your name? Who are you? What do you want? What are you doing here?” I fire off. I need to know everything before I go anywhere with a lavoxy.
- “Okay, okay, calm down! One question at a time. We don’t have much time. My name is Vexar. I am a lavoxy, but I’m here solely to help you nathrix. As you know, we lavoxies caused countless brutal deaths among your people. I am deeply sorry for that. I understand why you don’t trust me, but you must. I beg you. I’m here to save you. My superior, Pyrath, is on his way to wipe out all nathrix on Lumenera.”
My jaw hangs open. I’m speechless.
- “Wipe us out?!” I shout in despair.
- “I’d love to explain, but we don’t have time! Come on!” Vexar urges.
I give in.
- “Wait!” I shout.
- “We can’t leave Calian. He’s badly hurt!”
- “Fine,” Vexar says reluctantly. “Then hurry.”
I spin around and sprint back to Calian. I try to lift him gently, careful not to cause more pain. He lets out a small whimper but comes willingly, dragging his exhausted body behind him. Heavy, slow steps. Too slow.
I lift him with all my strength and carry him. I’ve never carried anything this heavy before—but he’s coming with us. He can’t be left behind.
We start running. Faster. We’re inside a dark, horrifying cave. This doesn’t look like Lumenera at all.
- “Where are we?” I ask breathlessly.
- “I know it doesn’t look like it, but we’re on Lumenera. This is one of Pyrath’s secret caves. This is where he keeps his hostages,” Vexar pants.
Hostages?
Was I a hostage?
How did I even end up here?
It all comes flooding back at once. My memory overwhelms me in sharp flashes—lavoxies, grabbing me, putting something over my head.
Now I remember everything.
My eyes fill with tears. One slips down my cheek. I stop completely. My legs tremble. More and more. Faster and faster.
They give out.
I drop Calian. He lets out a loud groan. I don’t even look down. I just stand there, staring into nothingness. The voices around me fade away. Silence takes over. Everything crashes over me like a tsunami.
I can’t take it anymore.
Tears pour down my cheeks like a river. I’m still in shock, completely frozen. Everything is too much. What is happening?
Slowly, the voices return. Reality seeps back in.
- “Are you there?! Hello?!” Vexar calls, worried, while his voice is fading louder back in my head.
Only now do I realize I’m lying on the ground, shaking. I can’t control it. It feels like electric impulses coursing through me again and again. I’m so overwhelmed I don’t even feel pain.
- “What’s happening? Are you okay?!”
Gradually, my body relaxes. My muscles loosen and let go.
What on Lumenera just happened?
- “Yes… I’m okay. I don’t know what happened. Everything just came flooding in at once. I… can’t explain it.”
- “You were just completely away. It was crazy. I did not know how to help you. I don’t even know your name. By the way,” Vexar says, “what’s your name? I never got it.”
- “Odelia… that’s my name.”
Chapter 2
We have been walking for a while through the underground cave system when I notice plant life. It is only now that the sun reveals itself in its full form. Green, flowering plants—exactly as Lumenera has always been. I can still feel the shock lingering inside me. My mind remains on high alert after everything that has just happened.
If Pyrath truly wants to wipe us out… why does everything look so alive?
- “This is my place,” Vexar says. “Pyrath won’t find us here. I made sure of that.”
- “So, you’re absolutely certain it’s safe?” I ask, sceptical.
- “One hundred percent,” Vexar replies.
We arrive at a small hideaway. A single tree. Lush leaves, freshly bloomed. At the base of the tree, a small plant illuminates the roots. It glows with a warm orange light, creating a comforting atmosphere with its radiant core.
It’s my favourite plant. A flushi. I have at least nine flushies back home. A flushi is simply the best plant on Lumenera.
- “Do you know this is my favourite plant? A flushi,” I say to Vexar.
- “A what now? I just picked a plant that gives off light,” Vexar says, shocked.
- “You just picked a plant because it gives light?” I say, confused. “Flushies are fascinating. Not only do they emit light, but they’re also one of the most important plants on Lumenera—and one of the most secret. I’m one of the only nathrix who owns flushies. They’re healing plants. And now that we’re talking about healing, we can use them to help Calian!”
- “You can heal with them?!” Calian asks. “How? Does it hurt? How long does it take? Is it dan—”
- “Calm down,” I interrupt. “There’s no reason to be afraid of a flushi. If there’s anything we should fear, it’s Pyrath.”
Calian’s expression softens. He realizes it’s a little childish to be afraid of a plant. Still, his heavy groans betray the pain in his injured leg.
- “Sorry…” Calian whispers quietly. The fear fades from his blue-green eyes.
- “I agree with Odelia,” Vexar says. “We should start figuring something out.”
All three of us go inside. Vexar gives us a quick tour. We sit down, exhausted, at a table. He asks if we want something to eat. Calian and I nod eagerly, we’re starving. Vexar stands up again, bracing his hands on his knees, and goes to look for food.
I glance out through a tiny window. The sun is setting, bathing everything in a golden-orange glow.
- “Can the plant really heal things?” Calian asks quietly, doubtfully.
I turn my head and meet his eyes. There’s something about them—the blue and green hues. Water and nature. You can get lost in them. I quickly pull myself away.
- “No, no, I was just joking,” I say sarcastically. “Of course it can heal.”
- “Then… can we try healing my leg?”
I hesitate, then give in. We must do it before the day ends. Flushies only work during daylight. I nod to Calian and slowly move toward the door.
Just before stepping outside, I lean my head around the doorframe.
- “On a scale from one to ten, how much does it hurt?” I ask.
Calian thinks, examines the wound, thinks again.
- “I’d say… an eight.”
I get a little suprised. He’s doing well if it’s an eight. I begin extracting the sap from the flushi. If the pain is really an eight out of ten, we’ll need a lot of it.
The sap is orange and thick, slightly translucent. You can see tiny air bubbles suspended inside. It’s sticky, almost like blood, only thicker.
I return to the tree and sit beside Calian. He plants his hands on the chair and straightens up carefully. I ask him to rest his leg on my lap. His leg drops heavily, exhausted. He lets out a small groan. His leg has been in pain for nearly five hours. I begin spreading the flushi’s sap over his wound.
- “ARGH! It burns!” Calian shouts.
I jump, my heart starting to race again. That’s when Vexar returns. He’s carrying three leaves with beetles and plants on them. They glow faintly but have no pulse. It doesn’t look appetizing, but right now, all food is nourishment.
- “What’s going on out here with all the shouting?” Vexar asks, confused.
Calian groans again as I apply the second layer.
- “It’s just Calian being a cry-baby. I’m healing his leg,” I say calmly.
- “Hey! I am not a cry-baby!” Calian protests.
“Enough fooling around. Eat something. We need to get out of here. This place isn’t exactly safe.”
Vexar immediately clamps a hand over his mouth. He looks like he’s choking on his own words. He realized he difienntly shouldn’t have said that last sentence.
I freeze in shock. Didn’t he say earlier that this place is safe?
- “Excuse me, but didn’t you say this place was safe?!” I snap.
Vexar shrinks back, clearly realizing he shouldn’t have said that. Still, he forces himself to speak.
- “Uh… maybe I… lied a little…”
- “A little?! You don’t just ‘accidentally’ lie!” I shout angrily. I can’t believe he puts us in even more danger.
- “I just wanted you to have something to eat…” Vexar stammers.
I’m boiling. Smoke might as well be coming out of my ears. It feels like a volcanic eruption is about to burst from my skull.
- “FOOD?! IS THAT WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT?! MAYBE WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE SAFETY FIRST?!”
Vexar retreats further, curling in on himself like a dog that’s just been scolded.
- “I’m sorry,” I say more calmly. “I know you just wanted us to eat. But finding safety comes first.”
Vexar slowly straightens again. I think he can tell I’ve calmed down.
- “There’s no point in prioritizing food if it gets us captured. We can always find food later,” I explain.
I glance to my side. Calian is sitting there with his mouth wide open. He’s shocked by how angry I became. It’s written all over his face. There is fear in his blue and green eyes. The nature and the water are curling together. He’s afraid to move at all.
- “It’s okay, Calian. I would never hurt you,” I say gently.
He finally relaxes.
- “Does your leg still hurt?” I ask.
Calian looks down carefully, every movement cautious, as if afraid I might explode again.
- “No… surprisingly not. Look. It’s healed,” he says, surprised.
- “That’s how flushies work,” I reply.
- “We should settle in for the night,” Vexar says. “We need to be rested tomorrow. We must find a place.”
I scough, thinking he is the only one responsible for us not having a safe place tonight.
- “Are you sure it’s safe to sleep here tonight?” I ask sceptically.
- “For the night. This time, I’m sure. And I mean it.”
I can hear the sincerity in Vexar’s voice. I choose to trust him. We lie down on the ground, using leaves as bedding.
-“Goodnight,” Calian whispers.
-“Goodnight,” Vexar replies.
-“Goodnight,” I say last.
Are we safe for the night—or can Vexar truly not be trusted?
and then Add to home screen.