The young light mage tossed and turned in his bed, unable to stop dreaming about the stars and what they held. As he slept, pink and blue light crept out from his fingers and streaked across the room like an aurora, leaving a glimmering trail in its wake. It hung in the air just above the balcony rail and waited, like a dog eager to go outside. Eventually, Zachariah couldn’t fight his restlessness, and threw the sheets aside. Frustrated, he buried his head in his hands and groaned. The sun was still long from rising above the horizon, and the crescent moon rested between the distant mountaintops. He muttered a few tired swears and put on some warm clothes from his closet, washed his face and trotted over to the balcony. A look of shock quickly painted his face to find a beating heart made out of light hovering above the railing. The mage looked down at his chest, finding the glowing tether connecting him to the light, and quickly reached out to grab it and take it back. But, the heart was elusive, and staggered backwards out of his reach. Zachariah came closer and reached out once more with both hands, but the heart zoomed out of place. The man nearly fell from the balcony, haphazardly holding onto the edge. He called for his magic, trying to pull the light closer to him, but it resisted and sprang away like a slingshot. His heart flew into the dull night sky and left behind an aurora stretching across the expanse of the sky.
Orange lanterns lit below in the houses and streets of people who saw the pink streaks across the sky. Residents below looked oddly up at the light mage, who still stared up at the sky and the dimming tether that connected him. A sudden chaotic, panicked feeling coursed through Zachariah’s veins, followed by a sharp pain in his chest. He groaned and realized what he needed to do, and stormed back into his condo. He heaved on his white jacket and boots, then ran towards his balcony and leapt over the edge, falling through the night only to catch himself aboard the Starlight Surfer and follow the glowing heart into the night sky.
***
He soared for miles and miles without tire, wondering what magical force had possessed his heart to leave in such a manner. Or was there an enemy out afar that had placed a curse on him? Perhaps it was the phoenix missions he had taken; he disrupted some natural order and now the universe was coming to pay him back. Nonetheless, he needed to retrieve his heart before his life ran out. As of right now, it was looking like he had until sunrise to do so. There was no telling where it was headed, but all Zachariah knew was that he was close to it when he felt a sudden surge of vitality return to him, like life itself was being restored. But, as the distance between the two expanded, he felt the opposite way; as if he was dying. They passed over township after township, like a shooting star across the night. Residents below opened their windows as he passed, wondering what on earthland was happening. Children made wishes, some adults as well, but Zachariah merely kept chasing after.
Eventually, they came across a section of the world Zachariah had only heard of in legends, and was aptly named the ‘Unknown Lands.’ He could travel no further, and realized that neither could his heart, and the two crashed landed in the forest, no visible way out. The ground was moist and warm, and the sound of a river nearby echoed throughout the gorge. The trees were taller than life and crawling with nightly creatures; namely cats and large scorpions. He could see the glow of his heart in the distance, like a light on the horizon. It would seem as if it couldn’t travel any farther away from him than Zachariah could travel from it, and kept a distance where he was strong enough to travel and fight, but far enough to feel constant fatigue from its absence. Zachariah pried himself free of roots and vines, then held up a pyramid of light in his hand to see, though the shadowy aura of the Unknown Lands somewhat masked its glow.
Zachariah could hear music and see firelight in the distance, and so followed it until he came across a river, where he could see a reflection that was not his in the water. It very much resembled him, but was sickeningly pale and had messy torrents of hair. He was adorned with neon, retro garb and had an empty, white left eye. The man in his reflection shot him a devilish grin and when Zachariah washed his face, disappeared. After causing a disturbance, all he could see was himself again, and Zachariah wasn’t sure what frightened him more. He began to remember something that happened to him some time ago. On his visit to the planet Shinku, he dabbled in the dark side of things, and it only made him crave something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It could have been power, control, ecstasy, but Zachariah never thought too deeply of it, as he didn’t want to nurture this evil within. For the first time in a while, the night was truly cold for him, and he immediately sought shelter by the fire in the saloon.
It was inside that he saw the man from his reflection earlier, and a shiver of fear ran down his spine. He was as tall as Zachariah, had the same colored hair, save for one midnight colored streak, and had a sharper, more angular frame. Zachariah felt his life force rise again, and realized his heart must have been nearby. He sprang to his feet and checked outside. The moon was bright enough that the saloon didn’t need flames. He scanned around for a neon glow, but came across nothing. When he decided to return inside, cold grey light flooded the area, filling the air with sharp tension.
[1024/2000]
Orange lanterns lit below in the houses and streets of people who saw the pink streaks across the sky. Residents below looked oddly up at the light mage, who still stared up at the sky and the dimming tether that connected him. A sudden chaotic, panicked feeling coursed through Zachariah’s veins, followed by a sharp pain in his chest. He groaned and realized what he needed to do, and stormed back into his condo. He heaved on his white jacket and boots, then ran towards his balcony and leapt over the edge, falling through the night only to catch himself aboard the Starlight Surfer and follow the glowing heart into the night sky.
***
He soared for miles and miles without tire, wondering what magical force had possessed his heart to leave in such a manner. Or was there an enemy out afar that had placed a curse on him? Perhaps it was the phoenix missions he had taken; he disrupted some natural order and now the universe was coming to pay him back. Nonetheless, he needed to retrieve his heart before his life ran out. As of right now, it was looking like he had until sunrise to do so. There was no telling where it was headed, but all Zachariah knew was that he was close to it when he felt a sudden surge of vitality return to him, like life itself was being restored. But, as the distance between the two expanded, he felt the opposite way; as if he was dying. They passed over township after township, like a shooting star across the night. Residents below opened their windows as he passed, wondering what on earthland was happening. Children made wishes, some adults as well, but Zachariah merely kept chasing after.
Eventually, they came across a section of the world Zachariah had only heard of in legends, and was aptly named the ‘Unknown Lands.’ He could travel no further, and realized that neither could his heart, and the two crashed landed in the forest, no visible way out. The ground was moist and warm, and the sound of a river nearby echoed throughout the gorge. The trees were taller than life and crawling with nightly creatures; namely cats and large scorpions. He could see the glow of his heart in the distance, like a light on the horizon. It would seem as if it couldn’t travel any farther away from him than Zachariah could travel from it, and kept a distance where he was strong enough to travel and fight, but far enough to feel constant fatigue from its absence. Zachariah pried himself free of roots and vines, then held up a pyramid of light in his hand to see, though the shadowy aura of the Unknown Lands somewhat masked its glow.
Zachariah could hear music and see firelight in the distance, and so followed it until he came across a river, where he could see a reflection that was not his in the water. It very much resembled him, but was sickeningly pale and had messy torrents of hair. He was adorned with neon, retro garb and had an empty, white left eye. The man in his reflection shot him a devilish grin and when Zachariah washed his face, disappeared. After causing a disturbance, all he could see was himself again, and Zachariah wasn’t sure what frightened him more. He began to remember something that happened to him some time ago. On his visit to the planet Shinku, he dabbled in the dark side of things, and it only made him crave something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It could have been power, control, ecstasy, but Zachariah never thought too deeply of it, as he didn’t want to nurture this evil within. For the first time in a while, the night was truly cold for him, and he immediately sought shelter by the fire in the saloon.
It was inside that he saw the man from his reflection earlier, and a shiver of fear ran down his spine. He was as tall as Zachariah, had the same colored hair, save for one midnight colored streak, and had a sharper, more angular frame. Zachariah felt his life force rise again, and realized his heart must have been nearby. He sprang to his feet and checked outside. The moon was bright enough that the saloon didn’t need flames. He scanned around for a neon glow, but came across nothing. When he decided to return inside, cold grey light flooded the area, filling the air with sharp tension.
[1024/2000]
