Short story - Alignment of the eclipse

Everything started in a little city… The human city of Greenwood. It was an ordinary sunny day in the peaceful little city near the mysterious green forest…

The happy birds chirped… The cute horned rabbits played hide and seek with a few hungry giant lizards… And the crafty shadow foxes appeared here and there while kidnapping little horned rabbit cubs…

While the little ones played in the forest, the peaceful human city was as busy and noisy as ever…

The little kids ran around the streets, the adults could be seen doing their jobs, some of them carried stuff around the city, others were training in the training grounds, while the free mercenaries or hunters were either enjoying a break or preparing to leave the city and start a new day of adventure, filled with infinite possibilities but also deadly dangers.

With a population that barely reached one hundred thousand inhabitants and surrounded by a 50 meters tall grey-coloured wall with a few weird white symbols inscribed here and there, Greenwood city could be said to barely reach the necessary standard to be called a city of the Golden Sun Empire.

There were two 100 meters tall and one 150 meters tall black towers in the city. Differently from the walls, the symbols inscribed in the towers were purple, any ordinary human would get headaches after looking at the symbols for too long… Tall, imposing towers built with black coloured bricks, inscribed with dangerous-looking purple symbols here and there, and… As if everything previously stated wasn't enough for you to guess what this place was, the atmosphere around those towers looked so heavy that any common mortal wouldn't be able to stay here for more than an hour before passing out.

Those are the towers of three spell weavers, also commonly called mages.

A few white-robed young men walked in and out of the black towers, and sometimes, even a few grey-robed mysterious-looking people could be seen walking in and out of those towers, but every time one of those grey-robed men appeared, every white-robed young man acted respectfully while trying to please them.

Meanwhile, the common citizens bowed, mumbling something as if their life depended on those grey-robed people's moods… Not that they were entirely wrong since not even the Great One knows what mages usually think.

Within a yard in front of a warehouse located in the outer part of the city, a few people were unloading colourful crystals from a wagon made of sturdy-looking dark wood, carrying them to different platforms with a circle formed by white symbols.

The people were putting in each platform the crystals of the same colour, and, from time to time, when within a platform fifty or so crystals were gathered, the white symbols would light up in a silver flash, making the crystals disappear in the process.

The people working in this warehouse were of different ages but all of them were adults…. Well, all but a little girl.

She was wearing a dirty grey robe that looked of poor quality and she was drenched in sweat while working under the sun, but even though she was suffering more than anyone else, there was a slight smile on her face.

She carried the crystals to their platform at a steady pace, no trace of indecision could be seen in her movements, giving off an aura of resolve as she walked around the yard, which made for a cute image considering her age.

She was around 140 centimetres tall with jet black hair falling freely on her shoulders.

Her eyes' irises seemed ordinary auburn coloured but if someone were to look carefully, it would be possible to notice a barely visible deep purple light pulsing every few seconds.

That little girl appeared to be around 10 or 11 years old but differently from her peers that were fooling around the streets, she was working and slowly accumulating energy crystals to achieve her dreams….

The little girl continued working until a middle-aged man called her out after entering the yard. He was bald and emanated a friendly aura with a calming effect on surrounding people, he also wore leather armour while two long knives could be seen hanging from his waist.

He was carrying a big sack over his shoulder as he happily called out everyone to eat something together.

"Let's eat something, you guys have already done enough for this morning!"

While the people in the yard walked toward the middle-aged man eying the big sack like starving wolves, he called out the little girl in the distance that was already sneaking away without saying anything.

"You too, little Yuri, you won't last long if you keep skipping meals!"

Yuri turned around and replied with a wronged expression.

"But I must return home to meditate, I know I am really close to a breakthrough and-"

She was cut off by the middle-aged man as he interrupted her with a thundering roar.

"No buts! It's the eleventh time you say to be close to a breakthrough and try to skip a meal or rest time because of it… For the Great One sake, how can a kid be so obsessed with the path of energy control?"

Seeing the pitiful expression on her face, he could only hastily think about a solution before talking again with a dissatisfied expression.

"Ahh… forget it...It looks like I will have to eat that fire cow meat capable of increasing fire-element affinity alone… what a pity…"

Yuri perked up hearing him talk about spiritual food and walked near the middle-aged man as a sweet smile appeared on her face.

"Uncle Sebastian, don't worry, I will definitely help you finish the food!"

Less than half an hour later, the group already prepared and ate everything as Yuri happily walked out of the yard after saying goodbye.

A few minutes after walking in the streets, a black-robed man appeared out of nowhere in front of Yuri, carrying an invisible pressure as his gaze locked upon Yuri's eyes.

That invisible pressure and strong cold aura emanating from the man displayed his identity… He was definitely a true mage!

The mysterious black-robed mage looked like anything but ordinary, from his icy-cold aura to his luxurious black robe adorned with silver decorations that gained a crimson hue in the dark.

The most conspicuous decoration was the fist-sized silver flaming circle on his chest. That symbol represented the members of the eclipse guards, the most powerful military group under the direct control of the imperial family.

He was around 180 centimetres tall with ash-coloured short hair.

A shadow covered his facial features, leaving only his mouth and golden eyes uncovered.

Although he seemed to be young, the intense aura released by his body demonstrated how his physical appearance and his true age didn't match at all.

Not only that… Yuri also realized that he wasn't an ordinary mage, the natural energy of the world around him looked extremely thick and heavy.

Although natural energy is everywhere, it unconsciously gathers around treasures or powerful individuals.

The mage stood still for a few seconds, expressionlessly looking at Yuri's eyes while the passers-by froze seeing the symbol on the mage's chest.

On the other hand, Yuri didn't recognize the symbol and curiously looked at the mysterious mage.

The mage only spoke after noticing the shocked expressions of the passers-by with a slight smile on his face.

"We should find a more reserved place to talk, shouldn't we?"

Only then Yuri gasped and her expression changed as if realizing something….

She stuttered with a shocked expression as if a huge realization dawned upon her.

"Y-you are one of them! Are you one of the legendary kid abductors that aunty Layla warned me against?!"

When the passers-by heard her, they gulped and tried to silently get away as soon as possible.

The mage's smile cracked but decided to ignore the disrespectful kid in front of him and continued talking as if nothing happened after releasing a bit of his cold aura, causing shivers to run down Yuri's back.

"If you don't want to, so be it. Anyway, what is your name, young lass?"

After a soft and embarrassed "ahem", Yuri finally managed to force herself into being serious. She hastily performed a slightly formal introduction, bringing her closed left fist over her heart.

"I am Yuri Light from the Starlight Tower"

After saying her name, the ethereal symbol of a tower surrounded by countless little stars appeared over the back of her left hand.

The mage was a bit surprised, not expecting Yuri to be from a noble family.

"No wonder you were so carefree in front of a mage, you must have been adopted by that old hag, Layla…"

Yuri immediately denied the mage's words without a second thought.

"Did you just call aunty Layla old hag? You must be confused, aunty is still eighteen years and a few months old!"

The mage simply shook his head while murmuring something like "… A few thousand months...", but no one heard him.

Yuri didn't understand what he said, so she decided to go straight to the point and speak with a serious tone again.

"Sir, I doubt you came here to only ask about my name, may I inquire about your purpose?"

The mage replied while smiling slightly.

"Oh right… Where are my manners? You may call me Master Arthur Ifrit, as for my purpose… My purpose is to take you in as my direct disciple. Tell me, what is your greatest desire?"

Yuri narrowed her eyes as if she already expected this answer and replied while trying to keep a serious demeanour.

"Don't think that I would accept any random mage as my master. If you want to become my master, you should at least show me if you are worthy… As for my greatest desire… "

Yuri stopped as she recalled what happened years ago….

-----

In a dark forest, a hooded injured man ran while embracing a little girl… The little girl, Yuri, was looking around confused and scared as a few shadows slowly surrounded them while waiting for the exhausted man to collapse.

The man didn't last long and fell to the ground, exhaling his last breath soon after.

The little Yuri, trapped under the weight of the man, could only quiver in fear as the shadows slowly approached her position.

Fortunately, before they could reach her, something appeared in front of her… Or better, a two meters tall four-tailed silver fox. The surrounding darkness got immediately swept away as the fox's tails radiated a purifying white light.

As for the shadows, they ran away in fear as soon as the fox appeared. Fortunately for them, the silver fox ignored them and approached the little Yuri.

After inspecting the little girl in front of it, the fox decided to pick her up, put her on its back, and sprint toward a white tower which could be seen far in the distance.

---

Yuri stopped thinking about that old memory and a few seconds later she resumed speaking with a wide smile and shining eyes.

"I will become a beast tamer and gather an army of cute spirit beasts, just like aunty's pack of silver foxes!"

Just as Arthur was about to reply, he stopped moving as if he sensed something.

Arthur slowly raised his head toward the sky as he softly said something that only Yuri could hear.

"It looks like they did it… What will happen now depends entirely on what awaits on the other side…".

He was looking toward East in deep thoughts as his brows furrowed and multiple thoughts flashed through his eyes.

After a few seconds, he shook his head as his eyes fell once again upon the young lass in front of him.

His lips formed a slight smile as he looked at her inquisitive eyes… Yuri was a really smart(?) kid and immediately noticed his strange change of behaviour.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and ask another question, Arthur talked while maintaining a slight smile.

"Come, let me show you something interesting".

After saying this, he raised his right hand toward the sky as an ethereal blue circle appeared around them with a few weird symbols… A few seconds later, before Yuri could recover from the surprise and say or do anything, they disappeared in a silver flash.

At the same time, over the grey walls surrounding the city, a few guardsmen lazily looked at the green plain between the city and the green mysterious forest.

The silver flash that suddenly appeared over the wall startled them at first, but they immediately gripped their crossbows, ready to fight the unknown enemy.

However, the alarmed guardsmen calmed down upon noticing the symbol on the black-robed mage's chest.

They bowed while saluting almost in sync. "Greetings, Your excellency Eclipse guard, how may we serve you?"

Arthur waved his hand as he dismissed them without any thought. "Rise, don't worry about us, I'm here just to let everyone appreciate an interesting sight".

The guardsmen raised their heads and looked at the newcomers with complicated emotions…. Respect, awe, but mostly fear…. After all, each of them knew how the power wielded by the weakest eclipse guard isn't something they could even fathom.

Arthur ignored them and walked toward the edge of the wall, looking at the green lively plain between the city and the mysterious forest.

He sighed as Yuri silently followed him and looked amazed at the beautiful sight in front of them.

"It's a pity, this sight won't last for long".

Before Yuri could express her puzzlement, the sky darkened as if to answer her. Dark clouds covered the land before anyone could react while darkness engulfed the city.

The sunlight disappeared, leaving only the light crystals illuminating the surroundings with their golden light.

While everyone looked at their surroundings with stunned expressions, light tremors shook the city filled with confused people.

The light tremors slowly grew in intensity as shadows appeared one after another in the distance… As the ever-growing number of shadows approached, the nearest ones revealed their aspect to the terrified sentinels over the watchtowers.

Soon after, war horns echoed across the city as the confused guardsmen hastily took their crossbows and went up to the wall, preparing themselves to face the horde of horrifying enemies spotted by their comrades over the watchtowers.

Yuri looked curiously at the incoming monsters, she knew that as long as she stuck near the all-powerful eclipse guard she would be safe, no matter what happens to the city.

There were hundreds, if not thousands, of beasts marching towards the city, each of them seemed to be from 1.5 to 2.5 meters tall and looked like giant centipedes with the joints of their grey carapace covered in dark blue long fur.

Arthur, seemingly unfazed by the nearing horde of beasts, stood there with his usual smile. Suddenly, he disappeared without a trace as if he had never been there in the first place.

Yuri and the guardsmen stood petrified as their hope for survival disappeared from the top of the wall, only to silently appear on the ground an instant later.

A sabre with a dark-crimson blade appeared in his right hand in a silver flash as he gathered the nearby natural energy toward his feet.

Less than two breaths later, he dashed toward the incoming horde, leaving behind only a few yellow-coloured energy marks on the ground.

His movements, fast enough to not allow anyone to follow them with naked eyes, brought him closer and closer to the enemy as if he kept blinking from one position to another.

When Arthur reached the horde, a beautiful sight could be admired from the city walls…

A single sword that emitted a crimson flash for each swing, a splash of blood that flew in the air, and the shrieks of the confused beasts.

Bright yellow marks appeared on the ground one after another while crimson flashes illuminated the dark area. Blood splashes followed soon after.

Arthur's blurred silhouette flickered from one position to another, while from the walls, it could be seen that he was creating a blood path toward the heart of the horde.

Each time his sword flashed while reaping a life, the blade looked a little brighter as if sucking the life force out of every slain beast.

By the time the seemingly endless sword dance reached a halt, he was at the centre of the horde and the blade was already bright red.

A pair of ethereal golden wings appeared on Arthur's back as he took off accompanied by a sonic boom and flew vertically toward the sky.

A few breaths later, Arthur pointed his sword toward the ground as his golden wings calmly flapped behind his back, keeping him hundreds of meters over the ground.

A few words softly left his mouth… Words that no one should be able to hear from such a distance echoed in everyone's minds like thunder…

The mage's words travelled through the natural energy, spreading his will and showing authority over natural energy that no ordinary mage could compare to.

[Just like in the beginning there has always been darkness....]

Like a subject answering their monarch's summoning, the natural energy in the atmosphere all around the region gathered toward Arthur.

At that moment, the previously harvested energy within the blade gathered at its tip creating what looked like a simple tiny black dot.

That inconspicuous dot started to rotate and the surrounding atmosphere became even colder as the remaining light around the world seemed to be sucked within that dot.

In an instant, what looked like an irrelevant black dot became an infinitely small black hole that greedily devoured all the natural energy and light in the region.

This phenomenon that lasted for what looked like an eternity, in truth, only lasted an instant before stopping.

In the blink of an eye, the natural energy all over the surroundings of the city disappeared into nothingness.

[...Light shall always appear to wipe it away]

As Arthur finished the last set of words… A spectacular sight unfolded in front of everyone.

A sight that Yuri inscribed in the depths of her soul, a sight that she would never forget.

A man flying alone in a world of darkness... With a pair of ethereal golden wings spread open on his back, golden irises radiating a pure golden light, a bloodied shining sword that illuminated the surrounding with a crimson light… And, a little black hole at the tip of the sword.

That was the last thing Yuri could see before a blinding light descended over the city.

White.

The only colour in the world seemed to become white as no one could see anything else.

Time seemed to lose every meaning as no one could see or feel anything but warm energy embracing them.

An unknown amount of time later, everyone began to slowly see the colourful world around them once again.

Once again, the sunlight shined over the city as the azure sky replaced the dark clouds that didn't leave any trace behind.

This day, just like it began, returned as an ordinary sunny day in the peaceful little city near the mysterious green forest…. Only…. A wasteland with a huge crater at its centre appeared where a beautiful green lively plain used to be.

Arthur descended from the sky with a teasing smile as he neared the stunned Yuri.

"So? Will you accept this "random mage" as your master?"

Yuri hurriedly bowed as soon as she recovered from the shock while speaking with a trembling voice "Di...disciple Yuri greets her master!"