Chapter 1

A tan boy with brown hair jumped from one rock to another as a temple became visible to him. "Hey, Sora, check it out!" Another boy, with messy black hair and blue eyes, hovered in the sky before landing on a rock. "Karna! How many times have I told you not to be so reckless! You're not a barong! You could die if you fall from here." Karna pointed towards the temple. "Yeah, yeah, but look! We found another temple. Wanna check what's inside?" Sora rolled his eyes. "And now you're trying to change the subject, as usual."

Karna and Sora stood next to the entrance of the temple. A large mural was on the doors. It depicted a man with a spear, the sun above his head, and something shrouded in darkness. Karna recognized the picture. "Hey, this is from the Celestial records!"

"You mean that book you always read in Gramp's library?" Sora asked. Karna nodded. "Yeah! The mural shows the story of the Cahaya, the guy with the spear. He has the power to control the sun, and I think the thing covered in darkness is the Kegare." Sora considered what he said. "So, you think this temple has something to do with the Cahaya?"

"Mm-hmm."

"It's an interesting theory. Shall we go inside, then?"

The temple was mostly dark, with only a few torches on the walls providing light. The walls had murals on them, but parts were missing, as there were holes in the wall. Water dripped from the ceiling, and it was the only thing that made a noise. Karna grabbed one of the torches.

"What are you doing?"

"It's hard to see, so I thought taking one of them would be a good idea."

"Considering how much time we spent exploring temples and ruins, it would be a good idea if you checked for traps." Sora grabbed a torch as well, and the two continued moving forward.

The two stopped walking when they saw three doors in front of them. Sora pushed, but they wouldn't budge. "I think there's some kind of hidden trigger somewhere." Karna waved his torch. There were two unlit torches on the wall, which Karna proceeded to light them up.

One of the doors made a loud rumbling noise as it slowly slid up. Sora looked around. "I'm pretty sure there are more triggers. You want to look for them or go through the door that opened?" Karna pointed to the path open to them.

As they continued, the walls themselves started lighting up. A vibrant blue light lit up the once dim temple. "Woah." Karna looked in awe. "Who do you think made this?"

"Not humans, that's for sure. They don't have the technology for this. It was probably some Kami." Karna walked until he stepped on a trap. "The floor started collapsing, and Karna began falling.

Sora closed his eyes. "Aid me, Niyai Loro Kidul!" A staff appeared in his right hand. A blue aura surrounded him, and his hair had converted to that color.

Sora swirled his staff. Water began forming in the air. Sora shot a stream of it below Karna, which cushioned the latter's fall. He then hovered down to where Karna fell. "You almost died there. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, thanks to you." Karna took Sora's hand and got up. He looked around and was shocked to see a girl buried in debris. She had long blond hair, which was now splattered with blood. Karna put two fingers on the girl's throat. "Thank God. She's alive. But she'll probably die if we leave her here. We should take her back with us."

"No, we shouldn't. Gramps would kill us if we did that."

"Sora, look at her! She's going to die if we don't help her."

"But we don't even know who she is."

"We have to do something at the very least."

The girl opened her eyes. What happened? she thought. She was surprised to see that she was on a bed. Where am I? She looked around the room she was in, which was quite dull. Only the bookshelf at the right corner of the room caught any attention, with its collection of books. Other than that, there was only a single table in the center with a lamp on it. The girl tried to get up, but she felt a massive jolt of pain in her right leg that kept her firmly stuck in bed. Guess I'll be stuck here, for now, she thought. Just then, someone opened the door.

Karna walked into the room and sat next to the girl in the bed. "Hey, I'm Karna. You are?" The girl ignored his question. "Where am I?"

"Oh, you're in Allesium, my hometown." The girl then locked her arms on Karna's neck in a chokehold. "Are you an assassin? One of Cornelius's spies?"

"No! If I wanted you dead, I would've killed you when I saw you. Why would I even let you rest on my bed if I wanted that?"

The girl realized he was right and quickly let go of him. " I'm really sorry." She put her arms up as if bracing herself for a punch. Karna was perplexed by her actions. "Um, what are you doing?"

"You're going to hit me for that, right?" Karna chuckled. "No, not at all. I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?" Karna shook his head. "I just want to know why you were in the temple and what happened to you." The girl sighed. She explained that she was looking for any information regarding the Cahaya and the Chasm. "The darkness is rising from the Chasm. I can feel it. Day after day, Kegare show up, and they're getting stronger every time. My soldiers are struggling to keep them at bay."

"Wait a minute, did you just say your soldiers? Are you a noblewoman?" The girl nodded. "I am Lucia, the princess of the nation of Sobloeze. Even the strongest barongs are struggling with the Kegare, which is why I was in the temple. I saw the mural on the door and thought I might find something there."

"You mean information relating to the Cahaya?"

"Yes. Ever since I was a little girl, I've read many stories about the Cahaya, like how he would lift the legendary spear and defeat the darkness."

"Did those stories come from the Celestial Records, by any chance?"

Lucia's eyes lit up. "Yes! You've read it too?" Karna nodded. "Many times." The two went on to discuss those stories, starting with the creation of the universe. "The stars fought the darkness, which resulted in a massive burst of power that created the world we know today." Lucia nodded. "The darkness fled to the Chasm, and the stars that fell to the Earth became the Kami?" Karna nodded. "Yep. It's because of them we can live another day. A Kami can fuse their soul with a human's, and that entity is what we call a barong.

"You seem to know so much about the Kami. In Sobloeze, we only know that the Kami can lend their power to humans, but that's it." Karna smiled. "Well, you'll be able to learn a lot about them here in Allesium. Aside from my brother, I'm the only human here."

"Wait, the ONLY human? Everyone in this town is a Kami, I presume?"

"What else would they be?" Karna felt a presence near him. He saw a shadow loom near the door. Oh yeah, Gramps is going to kill me for this. "Well, Lucia, it was nice meeting you. I'll talk to you later."

An elderly man stood in front of Karna. He was short, half of Karna's height, but his steely gaze alone was enough to make him intimidating. "You fool! What did I tell you about bringing humans here! They're nothing but trouble!" He smacked Karna with his staff multiple times.

"Ok, Gramps, I'm sorry! But she was going to die! I couldn't just leave her there. Besides, Sora and I are humans, and you don't have a problem with us."

"Your brother is a barong. He has already infused his soul with that of Niyai's, so he's not a human."

"But I'm not a barong."

"That, boy, is an entirely different matter. You'll come to understand in time. However, the girl is nothing but a plain human. Since you already brought her here, she can stay until she heals. But she must leave immediately afterward." Karna reluctantly nodded and walked off.

Sora walked in front of his grandfather. "Don't you think you were being too harsh on him?" The old man considered his words. "Perhaps. But Karna is very special, which is why I fear for him. As I'm sure you know, Karna is very kind-hearted. It's a mixed blessing. Those who are too kind always run into trouble."

"I agree with you on that, but I don't think an injured woman is going to be causing any problems. By the way, how exactly is Karna special?" The old man paused. "I couldn't believe it at first, but now I am sure. Sora, I ask you, please watch out for Karna in the future." Sora was surprised to hear his grandfather speak in such an urgent tone. The old man was usually very calm. "Gramps, I can't do anything if you don't tell me what's going on." The old man sighed. "I dreaded this day. Very well, then. I'll tell you about Karna's fate." The two discussed in the thick of night as Karna and Lucia quietly slept.

Lucia bowed to Karna. "Before I go, I cannot stress how thankful I am for your help. You didn't even know who I was, but that didn't stop you from helping me. On the other hand, I was suspicious and attacked you."

"I told you to forget about that." Lucia looked down at the ground. "I know, but I still feel guilty about it. I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me." Karna shrugged her off. "It's alright, really. I'm not mad at you for that. Oh, there's something I'd like you to have." He pulled out a choker. It had a little sun smiling on it. "This is a good luck charm the Kami wear. The sun represents the hope they have in the Cahaya." Lucia immediately refused. "You've done so much for me already! You don't have to go so far."

"Nonsense. Besides, I have a feeling you'll need it." Lucia graciously took it and went on her way. However, things took a turn for the worse when Sora delivered grave news. "We've spotted a Kegare in the village!" His grandfather led the other Kami to look around for it, while Sora and Karna looked in another direction.

Karna was the first to spot it. He signaled to Sora, as the two hid behind a boulder. One massive eye constituted most of its face, and massive spines jutted out from its back. The Kegare was no bigger than a human. "What do we do?" Karna asked. Sora thought of a plan. Karna would charge at the Kegare as a decoy, while Sora would wait for the right time to shoot it with a massive stream of water.

Karna charged at the Kegare. Meanwhile, Sora built up a swirling mass of water. He divided it into three and shot a stream from each at the Kegare. The Kegare swiftly dodged all three. "It's too fast!" The Kegare swung his arm at Karna, who stopped it with his sword and slashed his eye. The Kegare fumbled back, enraged. But before it could do anything, Sora shot a massive volley of water at it, cutting off its right arm. Karna lunged, but the Kegare jumped back.

The Kegare laughed. "It's been a while since I had this much fun." Its voice sounded more like a screech, broken, and ragged. "But there is much more to come."

Karna stared it down. "What is it you want?" The Kegare laughed. "Oh, nothing but amusement. Although I have to say, it's been more fun here than I thought."

"Are you after Lucia?"

"Following her is amusing, but there are more exciting things to enjoy." With that, he dissolved into darkness and howled as the wind blew him away. Just then, his grandfather appeared. "Karna! Sora! There you are!" Karna briefly explained what happened to him.

"I see. So the Kegare is gone, then?" Karna nodded. "Good. It seems that Noah is critically injured. He might even die." Karna clenched his fist. "Sorry, gramps, you were right. This all happened because I brought Lucia in, right?"

"No, don't say that. There's nothing wrong with wanting to help someone in need. It's selfish to worry about only your own people, although it's certainly understandable. Bringing that girl here may have actually kept that Kegare from entering. I'm just glad you and your brother aren't injured. I have to tend to Noah now, so I'll see you later."

Karna wore a hood over his head as he slipped on his backpack and began walking. "Where are you going?" Karna turned around and saw Sora. "You're going to find Lucia, aren't you?" Karna nodded. "She forgot something here. Besides, I'm curious. I've never been to a kingdom before." Sora chuckled. "If you say so. You're just concerned that her life is in danger, right?" Karna blushed. "Maybe."

"Well, mind waiting here for a bit? I'll get ready and we'll go together." Karna's mouth dropped. "Sora, are you sure?" Sora nodded. "Yeah, I can't just have you go off on your own. You're going to die without me."

"Thanks a ton, Sora!" Sora smiled. "Yeah, sure. Besides, I'm worried about that Kegare that showed up. It's clearly up to no good." He went home, then came back with wearing the same black cloak as Karna and wore a backpack as well. "Shall we get going?" Karna nodded, and the two began their journey.