He steps into the snow. The cold almost reaching beyond the light, which protects him, but he isn't phased. He keeps walking, until the first rays of sun disturb the ongoing, harsh storm surrounding him. It's the mark of the second sun or third day since he left the Link.
After some time, the blizzard stops, and so does he. In front of him, he can now see in the far distance tall hills, reaching the skies and maybe beyond. He can't tell; those are mountains. Two mountain ranges, each about the same height, parallel from one another, going further south and forming a valley or passage between them. "Perfect," Kilon thought as he sat down. "There is only one way from the looks of it through the passage, so the beast can only be behind or in front of me once in there," he whispered thoughtfully to himself.
Kilon took in the surroundings. The usual critters could be seen plucking their heads from underneath the snow or flying high above the ground: icicle turtles, stormhawks, starstags, horned rabbits, and such. From where he stood, Kilon could see a bit ahead, a portion of ice that covered a body of water. Interested by what could live below this frozen landscape, he walked and took a look. Below the ice, he could see a fish, from time to time, swimming aimlessly. He also witnessed as a creature with blue light attached to long membranes erecting from its head and spine, would use its two mandibles around the mouth to snatch and swallow whole fishes in a blink. It was so fast, Kilon couldn't follow with his eyes, and the power of those mandibles was enough to completely crush anything that dared stand between them. Kilon wondered, "Maybe the beast hunts in a similar way," as he tapped the ice with the antler he held in his right hand. The creature, which he named grabber, swam away quickly following the disturbance.
Kilon stood down after observing the grabber to practice his wind manipulation. Now that there were only breezes of wind, it was the perfect opportunity to refine it, as these slow and soft winds would help develop a sensitivity for it. His practice, although short, was fruitful; now Kilon could feel the slow winds and manipulate them. He thought, "If I can gather a bunch and sweep them around, I could create a strong current or spin them so fast they would gather other winds and form a tornado." But the blizzard would start once more, disturbing his peaceful practice.
As Kilon walked some more, letting the blizzard envelop him, he stumbled and cut his leg into a rock. Following the cut, small sparks would disperse from it and disappear into the blizzard. The sparks would heal the cut quickly, but a small sense of loss was felt across his body. It wasn't the first time he would stumble or fall, be it because of a rock or a sleeping icicle turtle. The cause of his following distress and interest was that he never got injured. Kilon's body could withstand those as it adapted to the harsh environment. As he used his wind manipulation to clear some space around him, he could see a purely black rock, standing like a sore thumb amidst the snow, yet as hard to see as anything else during a blizzard. Kilon approached it and touched it with his finger, which almost cut him. "Something this sharp could cut through about anything that lives in these lands," Kilon figured. But as he looked closer and brushed over the snow around it, he fell back, scared by the scene in front of him. It was the skeletal remains of one of his brethren, buried underneath a layer of thick ice, and, in their left hand, trying to reach for the surface, the curved claw of some unknown creature. After a closer look, he could tell which brother of his was; it was Alvaraan, the next tallest Lightborn after him, one of the first to leave the Link. It seemed that Alvaraan had the same idea as Kilon and tried to reach for the mountains but was probably killed or trapped underneath the ice before he had the chance. Looking at his bones, Kilon could see a large cut across his face on the right side, while the hand which held the claw had it partially cut through by the claw, with the pointy end towards his palm. Kilon was cut by the thicker, duller part at the end which erupted from the ice.
Kilon had a surge of feelings within him: sadness, anger, curiosity, fear, all swirling and rustling his mind. As he stood there for a while, the early sun went by, the blizzard calming down towards the end, and the night and day met once more at the middle. Kilon, deep within thought, finally snapped out of it. He approached the remains of his brother, standing above, he placed his hand on top of the ice, he prayed, lifting himself a bit above the ground, then looked down at his brother. "Your sacrifice shall not be wasted," as he said that, he grasped at the light following him, pulling it strongly into his body, letting a powerful surge of energy and warmth engulf him. Then, with his hand on the ice, he let the energy accumulate in the palm of his hand and let it melt the thick layer of ice. Although it took some time, he successfully freed the remains of his brother. Kilon gently lifted the heavy bones of his dead brother. The bones of a Lightborn were almost glass-like, formed by countless strands of opaque matter, which would make a distorted vision when looked through. As light would shine through the bones, it would make rainbows below them, little sparks seemingly escaping from the bones - a beautiful phenomena for an otherwise grim situation.
"Oh brother. If only you would've waited for me...if only I could've solved the problem sooner....if only. No...it doesn't matter now. Does it brother?" Kilon was talking to these inanimate remains, hoping for a response, although he knew better. He let a soft sob as he said, "How I wish I could've been next to you, show you the path, not let you die alone." Then, gently, from within his eyes, lights would shine through, sparks following gently and falling on the skull of Alvaraan, as the winds of the blizzard would start blowing once more, Kilon let it envelop him and his dead brother as he cried while hugging the bones on his knees.
"Why...why do you want us to suffer? Why must we endure, Creator?! Lamines!" Kilon cried to the sky. "Is this why you made us?! To struggle, suffer, and then die?! What have we done to deserve it?!" Kilon kept crying, enraged. Although, he knew, it was he who wanted to go beyond the light, find out what's out there. And it still wasn't enough; he wanted to go beyond the light's reach, see even more. Now that he found out, his soul couldn't take any more of it, the bones of his dead brother weighing heavily on his arms, and his mind shattered into pieces.
As he let his rage, sorrow, and sadness get out, he recalled why he was here, why he, who stood taller and brighter, must succeed. It was for his brothers and sisters. It wasn't just for him to find out what's beyond the light; it was for all of them. If he didn't succeed, how many more would die? Would anyone make it out? All these questions refueled his spirit. Kilon couldn't just sit there and let these lands consume him, let that beast do what it did to his brothers, sisters, Alvaraan.
So, Kilon picked himself up. He pulled at the light once more, infusing himself with more energy, then channeled it through his hands as he grasped at the winds. With swift motions of his hands around his body, he led the winds around him and up, more and more, until a large space was clear all around. His eyes sparkled strongly as the light, which he had before leaving the Link, returned even stronger. "Let's go, brother." Kilon said firmly and loudly, sensing the presence of the beast near him. He used his wind manipulation to carry his brother behind him in the air and set forth towards the mountains, half a sun away.
The sight following Kilon was beautiful, frightening, sad. The Lightborn which stood in the middle of the storm, the show of power as the Lightborn masterfully swept the storm in a large area around himself, the bones injured by the claw in the hand of his dead brother and the looming tall mountains which closed in as Kilon approached. It all painted a picture of a journey that was closing in.
Night was already long upon him, and now, he stood at the entrance into the valley. The mountains were steep and their peaks couldn't be seen from where he stood, while winds would sweep through the valley with force forward. Kilon could tell, that if he were to come from the other side, he would probably need a lot more power to simply stand, let alone walk. Now that there was only two way the beast could come from, Kilon could tell it was behind him, a disadvantage if he were to step into the valley. Knowing that, he first lay down his brother's bones at the bottom of a mountain. He then pulled the claw from his hand, cutting his own in the process and healing shortly after. As he held the claw from the duller side, he started to cut at the antler he carried over, removing from the top sides, which the starstags use to dig with, and formed a strange staff with finger-like endings, counting five in number. Then, he used the claw to carve within the middle of the staff from the top, so that the bottom, thicker part of the claw could fit through, replacing two "fingers" and taking their place. Then, he picked a rock nearby and melted a part of it inside the staff, which proved easier than melting the ice, that acted as a sealing factor for the claw to stand fixated, the antler's insides proving hard to melt due to the imbued minerals over the years by the stag and perfect to pour the melting stone. Kilon now had the weapon with which he could kill the beast. The claw protruding from the staff, as the smaller "fingers", one to the left and two to the right, would make for an odd, yet terrifying weapon, with a hilt made of brown matter and shining stones, while the blade, made of a dark-shining material, the perfect spear in such environment.
"Wait for me Alvaraan, I will return." Kilon whispered to his brother as he kissed his forehead, then, to be able to come back to his brother, he detached from the light a small strand, which he attached to Alvaraan's chest, the two strands of light now connected.
As Kilon left his brother's remains, behind him, at some fair distance, he could see within the storm for a brief moment, the large, looming shape of the beast, standing on two limbs and staring at him.
"Come beast, it is here where you'll finally have peace." Kilon subtly said, his back turning, as he stepped into the valley, the shape of the beast, now standing on all fours, passing a while after Kilon by Alvaraan's remains and into the valley.
Kilon walked for a while, sweeping with the winds across the valley and slightly floating at times, then stopped. The darkness inside the valley was worse than outside, as the light of stars could only reach so much in the depths of this forsaken place. His breath was heavy, but his light strong, his body would let twitch in a primal fear as the looming danger was encroaching upon him, yet his minds was calm. Kilon, with his spear in hand, could feel every part of it, the wood-like antler handle, the many, various minerals enriching the spear, the old, sturdy, sharp claw at the top. He could feel the cold ground through his mind, the sweeping winds and the light of the stars which slightly shone upon the valley. He could feel even the silence, besides the wind's whistles, that surrounded this place where life didn't dare to exist.
As he felt the moment draw closer, Kilon planned a surprise, he surged the energy from the light through his body and let it shine strongly, lighting up a whole portion of the long valley, allowing him to see everywhere around him and blind anything trying to assault him. But, as he did that, the beast lounged forward, now in his vision, he could see it, three times in length his height, large fat body, black, sharp claws on all four limbs, two larger paws at the front, fur which changed according to the amount of light covering it's body, two large black eyes adjusting to the blinding light which he cast from within, two small ears on it's head, a long, large mouth with few teeth, of which all were meant to grab and tore. To Kilon's surprise, and pleasure, the beast overreached, whether because it was used to hunt larger prey or that the light made it hard for the beast to discern how tall he was or it didn't account for the powerful winds, Kilon didn't waste a breath, and, as the beast got over Kilon, he slashed at the belly of the beast by pushing his staff upwards and then in front and down in a fluid motion, it didn't cut deep enough though, barely getting below a layer of fat and skin, the beast also didn't waste a moment, while arching over Kilon, it kicked with it's hind legs, it's claws marking Kilon's back with nine slashes, one claw was amiss.
Kilon fell on his face, the beast stumbled across the ground, a small crack following after. Both were injured. Although Kilon's body could heal, the wounds were closing slower than prior injuries, whether that was because of the amount of wounds that healed at once or the energy it needed to expend, Kilon knew he couldn't afford to get too injured. The beast on the other hand, has suffered a minor injury across it's belly, but the worst was it's left hind leg, on which it landed hard and broke a couple fingers, making it harder to step and lounge with. Both raised up, Kilon slightly bent forward, his back still burning with pain, the beast awkwardly standing on all fours, growling in pain, but yet to give up. At a closer look, Kilon could see it's missing claw at the front, the right eye which didn't seem to know where to look at, it's scratched up nose, to the sides scars of missing, forcefully pulled fur and a bit of exposed bone between the ears.
"Damned be beast! How many of my siblings' lives have you claimed to get those wounds?! They were naked and alone, and you seized them for yourself, didn't you?!" Kilon screamed and frowned, as sparks would erupt in anger from his eyes. The beast roared and kicked the ground, it's old wound and the creature in front of it reminding it of some bad past. It also recognized it's claw that now adorned Kilon's staff, making it angrier.
Both were readying themselves. Kilon put his spear in front of him, holding it with his left hand, as with the right, he started to gather the winds. The beast was pacing and kicking the ground, watching cautiously and awaiting it's moment to strike. Kilon knew that, thanks to his siblings, the beast was not in peak condition, from the leg, to the eye, to the missing fur, those were all opportunities created by his siblings, meaning, he had a chance to kill it. The beast on the other hand, has never met anything like Kilon, his ability to cut, blind and stand against it without running, were all things which stroke fear even in this apex predator. Now it was too late though, the beast was the one against the wind, and the only way back to it's home, was by killing this strange being which tried to stand above it.
Kilon has done his preparations, the beast stopped pacing. A moment of silence followed, the whistles of the wind were strong, then, for a moment they were interrupted, as if the winds themselves were witness to the unfolding scene. The beast lounged first, like before, but Kilon was ready for it, the broken fingers made the lounge less powerful, allowing for Kilon to react, and, with a wind sweeping from below his feet, Kilon lounged up, his spear acting as a pivot. The beast went forward, as Kilon went above, pulling the spear from the ground, then, with both hands and plunging forward, Kilon pierced the back of the beast at a curved angle, akin to slashing, and held onto the now stuck spear at the back of the beast. As the beast landed with Kilon on it's back, it let out a powerful, painful roar. It started to shake violently from side to side, Kilon not letting go, between each shake, pulling the spear and slashing at the back.
Kilon knew this was the end, as blood would spurt on his face from the beast and his body would get soaked into it, making his light shine red. But the beast was not done, it lifted itself onto it's hind legs, completely breaking it's left paw without a care. Kilon held for dear life onto the spear, then, the beast lounged backwards, the power of the lounge more so than any before, showing the desperation of the beast. The lounge placed the beast on it's back, and Kilon faced the ground with his back at it and the face at the beast, it's weight crushing him as he hit the ground with both the power of the lounge and the weight of the beast behind, which was eight to ten times greater than his own.
"It's...so heavy. It hurts all over...is it over yet?" Kilon at the brink of losing consciousness as, through his blurry vision and shattered bones, could see and feel the beast move away from his body, bleeding from all over and barely walking, the spear falling off of it's back. He lifted his right hand, the only part of his body which didn't get between the ground and beast. He tried to see it, but it was hard, the red light from his bloodied hands barely lighting up. "I guess...this is it. I'm sorry...brothers...sisters...Alvaraan. I-" Kilon thought sorrowfully "I so wanted...to see it. What's beyond...the light...the frozen lands."
A strand of light, small, thin but warm. It grasped at his broken body, it healed his left arm and right leg, then disappeared. Kilon regained awareness "Was that?" Kilon could no longer feel the way to his brother. With the beast still in sight, he knew he had to finish it so he crawled to his spear, placed it in front of him, holding with both arms and legs, then screamed. He didn't say anything, it was too hard to say anything and too painful to articulate, the scream conveyed a simple, universal message "I'm not dead yet.". The beast knew that scream all too well, as it survived countless years. It knew that was the sign of a creature ready to die. So, it responded with an angry, tired roar, painfully turning towards Kilon.
Kilon could barely see, his vision blurry and red. So, he closed his eyes, let himself feel the ground. He knew the beast couldn't leap anymore, and he was right, as the beast rushed awkwardly towards him. The beast could see the barely lit up Lightborn with his spear standing between them, so it used it's full weight to let it's heavy body push forward, as it's claws made way for Kilon's long neck and it's open mouth for his head. But kilon still had a small trick up his sleeve, and, with a gesture of his hand and one last spur of power, he swayed the beasts head with the open mouth towards his spear, which stood firm and still, letting the weight of the beast to the job for him, piercing through it's neck from the inside to the outside, cutting at it's spine. The beast's paws, almost like an instructed response, slashed at Kilon's right arm, leaving three large marks. But it was futile, Kilon was looking straight into the beast's eyes, letting it know, with literal sparks in his eyes, that he will live, as where it will die.
The beast struggled a bit more, before finally stopping, the blood forming a pool at Kilon's feet. In this position: the beast's head stuck in the spear, it's claws hanging by the right arm, the spear held by his arms and leg, while he let his long neck bend forward and head touch the top of the spear, Kilon slept.
"So warm and bright." Kilon mustered to think, as the rays of the sun touched his injured body. His bones were almost healed, while the slashes on his right arm healed in a bit of an odd way, as the claws of the beasts obstructed the process, leaving scars. He could finally muster his strength, lifting himself up, the spear falling down with the head of the beast and body following, letting the winds breeze and touch Kilon's body. Kilon felt strange, he managed to defeat the beast and avenge his siblings, it was accomplishment that which he achieved. It's something he dully sensed when he managed to escape the stormhawks, but so much stronger that it made him smile, sparklets or tears following down his cheeks as he looked up and felt amazement. Then, a sudden surge of fear and dread for a few moments once he realized how close was to dying and looking down at the dead beast. It was the mark of a hunter, warrior and of a being that now could go beyond these freezing lands, as it tamed the wilds.
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