A Ray of Light

Up thousands of meters in the sky above the Southern Sea, far higher up than the clouds dare to reach, suspended in the air is an archipelago made up of tens of floating islands. On this archipelago dwells a certain race of legendary warriors known as Sunbringers.

Despite there being so many theories about where the Sunbringers live, or about their origins, nobody has ever discovered the Sunbringers homeland. Obviously, part of the reason is because of where the islands are located in the sky. No sane person would ever think of traveling up high above the clouds to find the possibly non-existent dwelling of a race of ancient warriors that can quite literally kill you with a glance.

However, another part of the issue lies in the fact that the archipelago is located above the southern sea. Of the world's Seven Seas, the southern sea is the most deadly and least travelled. Above the Southern Sea are permanent thunderclouds, which cause the ocean to in a permanent night, as well as there being an endless thunderstorm constantly brewing above it. Along with this, the Southern Sea's waters are completely unpredictable, and could go from there being not a single wave for miles to there being a massive tsunami or tidal wave. Due to this, any country that borders the Southern Sea has set up giant walls to prevent any tsunamis or tidal waves from destroying them completely.

Ray walked over to the edge of the island that he lived on before taking a seat, his legs dangling over the side. He placed his hands at his sides, feeling the soft blades of grass with his palms and fingers.

"14 years… that's how long I've waited for this opportunity." Said Ray, looking downwards towards the dark thunder clouds that blocked his vision of the sea far beneath him. While looking down at the clouds below, Ray thought back to all of the legends and stories that he had been told about the world below ever since he was a child.

What ray was most excited about the prospect of were the heavens claws, a set of ten claw-shaped mountains that reached so high in the sky that they were said to pierce even heaven itself.

Ray's life ambition ever since his father told him of these mountains was to be the first to climb them all; he wanted to look down at the world below, his sight stretching onwards for miles and miles, not blocked by clouds like it was up on the archipelago.

As one who had inherited the Grand Chief's bloodline, Ray had a unique appearance, even among Sunbringers. Unlike most Sunbringers, who had green, plant-like skin on their hands and lower arms, Ray's skin on his hands and lower arms was the same color as the rest of his body, being a deeply tanned beige. Along with this, in contrast to normal Sunbringers who had fiery orange hair, Ray's hair was a shade of blonde so bright that it appeared to be bright yellow. Lastly, below both of Ray's sapphire colored eyes were three bright yellow horizontal slits in his upper cheeks.

He sat back with a sigh, looking up towards the beautiful night sky, which was decorated with countless glimmering stars thousands of light years away. Directly above his head was the moon, which looked close enough that if he reached out his hands, he would be able to touch it.

"I'm pretty sure that Mom and Fleur know that I plan on leaving the archipelago, so I hope they don't take my departure too harshly. I've already told Violet and Gamma many times about my dreams and aspirations, so I know that they both know by now. They're both a little bit of a crybaby sometimes though, so I hope they don't get too emotional." Said Ray to himself with a wistful chuckle.

"What's that about us being crybabies?" Said an annoyed female voice from behind him.

"Oh, hey Violet, I was just talking to myself. You know, trying to set the tone for the readers and stuff."

"Gamma and I really thought you were going to do the Ceremony without even saying goodbye to us. We searched all across the archipelago before we found you here." Said Violet, ignoring what Ray had just said. "Isn't that right, Gamma?"

"Yeah! We even went to the islands that bordered this one to look for you!" Said Gamma in his childlike, high pitched voice.

Ray stood up and dusted off his shorts before turning around to face his friends. Violet, being only a few months younger than Ray, had a similar height to him, despite the other differences in their physical appearance. She had bright orange hair that reached all the way down to her hips, and on her hands and lower arms was a layer of green, plant-like skin. The white space around Violet's aptly colored eyes was slightly red, showing that she had just been crying. At Violet's side was Gamma, a short boy who was Violet and Ray's junior by a few years. He had short hair that was a shade of orange just a bit brighter than Violet's, and the skin on his hands and lower arms was a slightly darker shade of green. The white space around his bright green eyes was, like with Violet, a bit red.

"You guys are crying already? I haven't even left y-" Said Ray in a joking manner before he was suddenly cut off by Violet rushing forward and embracing him in a hug.

"I don't want you to leave." Said Violet, the water beginning to flow out of her eyes once again. "I might never get to see you again, Ray. I don't want that to happen. Why not stay for now and leave later, like what your dad did?"

"You know that I can't do that. If I did that then what would happen to Mom and Fleur? I'd rather leave in the correct way, instead of abandoning both my family and the entire race of the Sunbringers." Said Ray in a pained voice since he knew he wouldn't be able to see Violet for a while. "And plus, you already know where to look for me. Even if I do get a head start, I'm sure that we'll eventually meet by one of the Heavens Claws."

"O- Okay, Ray. I'll do that. I'll make sure to find you once I descend." Said Violet, tears still in her eyes.

Ray pushed himself out of Violet's embrace and walked over to Gamma before placing his hand on top of Gamma's head.

"And Gamma, I'm sure you know what to do." Said Ray with a proud expression and tone.

"Yes sir!" Said Gamma while giving a salute to Ray. "I will make sure to honor your commands, General Ray!"

"I hope to see you both again someday." Said Ray before sprinting off towards the town square, with a single tear falling from his face as he ran away, leaving Violet and Gamma standing there with tears in their eyes, watching their best friend disappear as he entered the village for what very well could be the last time.

"Gamma, let's get to sleep." Said Violet, walking slowly back towards the village, with Gamma following closely behind her, each of them not saying a single word as they walked back.