[Chapter 12] - Light and Shadow - Part 3

Year 953, day 080, the territory of Ruhm , City Ruhm , 10h.

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At the door of the hotel, Roldi and the children wait for the cart they hired. The flowers of the many trees bloom throughout the city.

— It's late ... That way we will lose the entrance.

Confused, Whiger asks:

— If it's a festival, we don't have to arrive early, do we?

— Yes Yes. — Roldi replies. — But in addition to the festival, there will be a very interesting presentation that I need you to watch. — The brown wagon covered by a white tent approaches the group. — Finally arrived. Come on children!

Before long they reach their destination. Kalui sticks his head out of the wagon's tent and is dazzled by the view. The square with a small wooden platform in the center, slightly filled with apparently upper-class people. Looking ahead, other carts and carriages prevent him from continuing.

— Roldi! — Kalui exclaims . — Let's go! We are already very close.

— Good idea, kid.

The beautiful square is surrounded with stone railings, preventing anyone from entering it. The strong gray-haired man approaches the railing and asks one of the many guards on the other side:

— How do we get in?

— Do you have your identification? — Asks the blue-eyed guard. He watches the children closely, from head to toe. — Children don't have to.

Roldi takes a stiff, stamped paper out of his pockets, smaller than the palm of his hand.

— This one, right? — He hands it to the guard.

The blue-eyed man examines the paper and snaps his fingers. Next to that, three of the stone bars descend to the ground, freeing the group's passage.

— Good festival. — Says the guard.

Walking through the crowd, Roldi and the children pass with difficulty among the people to get a place relatively close to the dais.

Half an hour later, with the square now full, the thick and long stone bars descend to the passage of a beautiful white wooden carriage, full of gold details.

Musicians climb onto the platform and start playing their trumpets and drums.

Ten guards surround the vehicle, driving the population away. The driver gets out of the carriage and opens the door. From her, a beautiful blue-eyed boy jumps out excitedly. He has light gray hair, straight to the ear, as well as sun-tanned skin; dressed in a sweatshirt and white pants, close to the body, both without pockets and detailed with shapes similar to pointed boomerangs, scattered in disarray.

The population opens a free corridor for the boy to pass. Everyone in the square, including the seemingly noblest ones, prostrates themselves towards the boy.

Roldi sinks the heads of the three children, making them prostrate quickly.

Whispering, the strong gray-haired man says:

— Stay like this until he gets up there.

After getting on the platform, the confusion begins.

— Hikari ! — Screaming many women and girls steric .

One of the blue-eyed guards raises his arms and, at the same time, a wide stone pillar breaks the platform under the boy, lifting him high.

The boy opens his arms with a huge smile on his face. When you open your hands, a strong light emanates from them.

— Good morning, people of Ruhm ! — Shouts the enlightened boy. — Winter is unfortunately over! Will the cool, humid climate be needed? Yes! Of course! However, towards the end of winter, you will see my show!

Many women scream in hysteria.

— It is worth it! Isn't it worth it? — Asks the boy at the top of the pillar.

Countless mirrored papers are launched into the air.

Kalui and Kahyu open their eyes wide, amazed by the spectacle that has not yet started. Whiger is also curious, intrigued, holding on to maintain a serious and focused stance, like Roldi's.

Hikari is short for his age and very young, but even so, everything about him is tall; his confidence, charisma, eloquence and even his charm.

— Watch out for the view! Prepare your minds and receive this gift from Elfen !

The musicians stop playing. The audience vibrates. Some frowning and tense nobles retreat, moving a little away from the crowd.

The boy at the top of the crowd raises his right hand and begins to suck the light, forming an orb of darkness.

— What is that, Mr. Roldi !? — Asks Kalui , pulling the man's clothes.

— Watch very carefully. — He answers.

The orb begins to expand slowly as the excited boy screams:

— Meet a friend of mine! The darkness!

What was slowly increasing, suddenly grows at high speed, swallowing everything and everyone inside the square. For outsiders, it looks like a simple black ball has emerged. For those inside, the absolute nothing is all that's left.

— My God! — Some people scream.

Kalui takes his hand over her face, trying to see her. Frightened by not succeeding, he asks:

— Guys ... you are there, right?

— Yes! — Your friends respond.

The dome of darkness slowly regresses. As soon as the darkness passes through the children's eyes, they can see again. Watching the ball slowly return to Hikari's hands .

— You want light, don't you? — Asks the boy at the top of the pillar.

— Yes! — Respond to the audience.

Again, darkness takes over the great square. The thousands of people are frightened, because they thought that now it would be enlightened.

The boy's hair begins to shine like the sun, illuminating everything in place and making the papers reflect the lights.

Kahyu looks up and realizes that everything around him is still black. The light coming from the child does not pass through the dark dome. From the outside, it still looks like a black ball has completely occupied the square, but inside, Hikari's hair completely illuminates everything.

"What's up? Not to understand anything ... " , thinks Kalui .

The boy of light embraces and contracts, with closed hands. Beams of light begin to escape from your fists, after your mouth, eyes, ears and skin pores.

— Get ready! People of Ruhm !

He opens his arms sharply and colorful rays of light rip through the dome of darkness. The lights curve and gradually form a dome of light, similar to a gigantic rainbow.

Colored lights coming from the dome start to turn on in front of the Hikari , gradually taking shape until it becomes an animal.

— With you, an Argentavis of light!

The people are going crazy. The distant nobles show extreme concern, while Roldi only shows a simple nervous smile.

The animal of light disappears and another one begins to appear.

— Now, a human!

A person of light appears in front of the boy and explodes in beams of white light that leave a large hole in various areas of the dome, undoing it.

The population claps like never before.

— For the grand finale ... — He raises his arms high. — That night falls in Ruhm !

A large black ball appears over Hikari's hands . It begins to expand at several meters per second, swallowing everything it touches. Many people scream, frightened.

Kalui watches the darkness coming towards him, excited, anxious and also frightened. He stretches his arm forward and sees it being swallowed. Upon entering the dome completely, he realizes that everything is illuminated by a starry sky.

The black sphere continues to grow and expand for kilometers, swallowing up a large part of the city. Roldi and the frowning men start to break out in a cold sweat, watching the starry sky expand beyond the horizon of their vision.

People in the city center are extremely frightened by the black wall. Most do not have the courage to try to enter total darkness. The few who enter are surprised to see that it is as clear as a moonlit night.

In the square, Hikari shouts excitedly:

— Dawn!

It spins elegantly as two large, steady rays of white light are released from the boy's two hands, completely destroying the giant dome of darkness.

The boy leans forward, showing that his show is over.

The audience screams, whistles and applauds like never before. The three children react like everyone else, applauding and cheering. Roldi, on the other hand, smiles very similar to some wealthy nobles of the place, tense and nervous.

Later, at the hotel, the four meet in the room of 106. The children are still amazed by the performance.

— Do you know why this presentation happened? — Asks Roldi.

Children shake their heads saying no.

— I'll be brief ... — Roldi sighs. — Elfen is the greatest power, you know that. They take over the world and everything revolves around them. Fortunately, they have always been the fairest country. Elfen already has a light elemental, a very powerful one by the way. However, as they discovered today, they have one more elemental of light and this one is exaggeratedly prodigious. This presentation now, was made here for a few reasons. Can you imagine?

The children again shake their heads.

— Ruhm is a small country compared to the other three. Besides having the least power and being dependent on Elfen for everything, since he is surrounded by his territory in all directions. That's why it was done here, for safety and impact. The people who watched this today, will tell as many people as they can and it will reach Stron's ears . Mercy is allied and protected by Elfen , Ruhm is submissive to Elfen , Stron is the only country that dares to attack in any way. Thanks to this incredible and frightening presentation, Stron will have to think ten times before starting to suggest any kind of attack. Basically, they prevented any upcoming war or friction, with just one show.

— Ooh ! — exclaim Whiger and Kalui .

— I already knew! I just didn't want to ruin the explanation for the two nerds here. — Says Kahyu .

Whiger scornfully looks at his sister and replies:

— Only those who can fly can talk to me.

The girl widens her eyes in fury and is interrupted by Roldi:

— I need to say one more thing. — He leans forward, looking at Kalui . — We will move to Elfen tomorrow and I will hire a teacher for the three of you. If I'm not mistaken, enrollment opens from the moment the child is ten years old. Kahyu is already twelve. As for you, I don't know if you have nine or ten, but it doesn't matter much. There is no way to find out. The question is: Kalui , are you going to enroll in advanced school at the end of the year or are you going to wait for my friend?

Whiger and Kahyu pay close attention. Confused, Kalui asks:

— What you mean?

The girl laughs softly as Whiger rolls his eyes. Roldi raises his hand to his face and says with a sigh:

— Did you forget that in a few years a friend of mine would come to train you?

The boy looks this way, looks the other way, thinking.

— I remembered! That! Truth!

— So ... There are some things you need to know. I have already sent the encoded letters telling me where I am going. My friend will only come if the army is on its way to that location. If it's okay, he won't show up to warn me about anything. So you have a choice to make. Will you enroll in school and learn from Kahyu or will you wait another year for my friend? Remembering that he may not appear.

Without blinking, with fire in his eyes, Kalui responds.

— I'm going to school!