Last time on Sunblighted:
Tev is interrupted by her mother, Bew, who mistakenly assumes that Lih is a guard for a group of performers known as ‘The Troupe of Tomorrow.’
Lih and Tev are forced out of the Inn, and Lih is fascinated by the new innovations of the world.
When Tev and a local fall into an argument over what truly protects their home, with the snap of his fingers, Gefrol makes his return.
“I made this?” I said in disbelief. “What did you do …” the words dissolved on my lips.
“Okay, okay, one at a time.” Gefrol wagged a finger in my face. “You changed the fate of the world the moment you became Sulumim.” He smugly clasped his hands behind his back, wearing a thin smile. “But not enough. People are still confused about who really controls the fate of the world.” He grabbed a honey stick from Mol’s frozen hand, and took a bite out of it. An almost exaggerated satisfaction washed over his face, but it is impossible to tell if he even truly feels those emotions. “Mmm, yeah, these really are best fresh. Anyways,” he let go of the stick and moved closer to me. It floated in the air behind him. “You cannot get too attached. All you need to do is ensure that humanity makes progress, then we can continue onwards.”
“Continue?” I said. “I have not even started. I need to learn more about all this,” I looked at the plethora of houses with colorful rooftops and noticed the decaying temple-like structure at the bottom of the steps. “How it all came to be—”
“It is not worth it.” Gefrol sighed. “They got too many details wrong. They do not actually believe in you, not the masses, anyway. They will not even remember you after this.” he shook his head. “The goal of the Sunblighted is to become the savior, and since you missed your chance as a child to be raised as such; before the Shades became almost invincible, we are going to have to find another pillar of hope, to change the world once more.”
“I understand that my actions changed the world, in some sense.” I trailed behind Gefrol across the town. I saw children staring at performers, their spears of fire tossed and frozen in midair, people sitting at crossroads mid-conversation, the air missing from their breaths. The only sounds came from the steps Gefrol and I took, but only my breath moved the air. “But I was not born a warrior! I did not even defeat the Shade.” I shook my head. “It was Canthi.”
“Oh, but you are! It was the true fate of things that brought Canthi to save you.” He said as I followed his aimless wandering. “You were saved by Canthi in the past because you are meant to be a warrior. If you died then and there, well,” he stopped walking across the streets and headed straight down the steps. “It would mean that there would never be another savior.”
I turned to follow, anxious to know what he meant. Eventually, we ended up at the bottom of the town, where a bridge connects the town and the temple. Gefrol stopped walking and gestured towards the vast building. The temple’s empty windows emitted a strained orange glow, like a dying hearth.
“Look up through the roof of that long-forgotten temple,” he said. “Then you will know who they speak of.”
SNAP
In a blink, my scenery changes back to where I was standing before Gefrol showed up. The wind rustles through branches, Mol and Tev are still arguing, the sounds of steps and voices carry through the town, and the crystallized honey is still in my mouth. I look over at Mol, and she still holds the stick that Gefrol took. Or, I muse. He never took it at all. It is as if the world does not know of his existence when he freezes time.
I grab Tev by the wrist. She looks up at me, and almost breaks my hand. “What is it?!” she says.
I point toward the multiple elevations of downward leading crossroads. “Is this the way to the temple?” I say.
Her face transforms from an angry glare, to stone-emotionless, to complete surprise. “Yes, right, I was almost distracted by these—” she stops speaking and waves her hands absentmindedly at the couple.
“Whatever, forget them,” If Gefrol is right, that will not matter anyways, I think, regretting the words instantly, before settling the conflict in my mind. We head straight for the temple, avoiding any distractions. I step onto that dark wooden bridge, and Gefrol stands there, like he had never moved from that spot.
“I knew it,” says both Gefrol and Tev at the same time. Tev hesitates, so Gefrol continues: “I knew I forgot something. Good thing you remembered the girl.”
“And I knew you were not just some vagabond traveler.” she says. “I kept him safe. I answered his questions. Now hold your half of the bargain.”
“Bargain?” I turn to Tev as she turns her eyes away from mine. “How much of my fate was spoken behind my back?”
“Nothing serious.” Gefrol says. “Thank goodness what you both want involves the same process,” he gives Tev a shallow smile and pushes the door of the temple open. “At least, by way of the ends justifying the means.” He gestures to its flickering insides. “Make thy presence be known, maybe some answers will arise.”
As we step through the doorway, shallow lights dance, illuminating the shadow-filled temple, and a few candles stand alight within black mesh cages that are mounted on the musty walls. Despite the structure’s massive stature, it feels much smaller when stepping inside, like the corners are filled with a physical darkness that makes it difficult to breathe. Within the heavy shadows, starlight trickles in from windows up high.
“Oh, Tev, it seems like you brought a new friend.” An old man in a discolored habit speaks in a high-pitched tone from across the room, where an arrangement of candles are placed on a raised surface. He walks closer, swimming in and out of the flickering candlelight. “It seems like today has been an interesting day, after all. Ho ho!” He strokes his white beard and chuckles. Tev immediately crosses the room and launches into the old man’s arms for a hug. They stand there and talk to each other—
“This is the world they live in.” Gefrol speaks into my ear. “But we need to find your true purpose. This,” he points to the two of them, “is what you are fighting for. Over and over, you will fight for people to live lives of love.” I look at Gefrol, but his eyes are stuck on Tev and the old man’s bright laughter. He blinks, and abruptly all sympathy falls off his face. “Ok! Enough reunion time! Vys, remember what I asked for?”
“Oh, right. Tev, there has been a new discovery.” The old man, Vys, pointed above the raised platform of tables. “This man, Gef, was able to translate the scroll with the four emblems.” He then points above the platform, where I see four looming shapes outlined in silver—
“Star, Horse, Moon, and Sun.” I say automatically. My hands suddenly get agitated, as if they are looking to trace something. My left hand reaches for the scarf covering my neck, and pulls it off, revealing a birthmark that matches one of the symbols. I remember—
On the damp grass, as Sulumim, I had blindly caressed four wooden objects in my pocket, lamenting my woodworking abilities, but first calling them by names. I trace the circular line and all its jutting wavy lines, repeating each name I heard, trying to invoke some sort of meaning.
“Star …” No. “Horse …” No. “Moon …” No. “Sun—”
My fingers freeze, my eyes stuck on Gefrol’s wide grin, but I was not looking at him, I was looking within. I stare with disbelief at the stone wall within my mind, as the rocks began to crumble, failing to hold back those unwanted memories, they begin to flood my mind’s eye in an instant—
“Hey Lih! Where did you get that scar, huh?” I was entering one of the avenue tunnels in the Cavedom, called Grisuē, which was between my village, Relk, and the neighboring one, Nuhē, when I noticed the usual group of lackeys following me from behind. At age 15, I was sent alone into the depths of a cave, searching for any leaks in the walls of the soon-to-be flattened cavern for easier carriage travel. It was imperative that I do this job.
“Did you think you looked better with a shitty cattle brand on your neck?” a different voice spat out from within the group. At that point in my life, I felt prideful in my work, despite the constant harassment.
I was told by the elder, Ser, my caretaker, that when they found me alone at the maw of the Cavedom; a baby swabbed in rare silk, the elders tore the silk from me and gave me a ragged cloth to keep me warm. No one knew where I came from, nor what the birthmark on my neck meant, so the elders didn’t stop to provide for those they cared for first and foremost. But Ser swapped it back, wishing to see me grow. She gifted me with the value of working hard, as well as a fine knife to remember her, the sharp woman that she was.
While I was known as “the boy with the branded neck” since birth, she did not call me that. She named me. Called me Lih, saying it meant Light Bringer in the ancient tongue, back in the ancient time, when names used to have knowledge behind them, when words were written to be understood and not just spoken. She taught me what the names of the people around me meant, and how they describe or oppose the natures they exhibited. That was how I understood people. Eventually, Ser passed on when I turned 10. That was when I began working. That was when I needed her the most; when my understanding of people became tested.
I learned that the adults watching over us liked to keep me separate from the rest of the apprentices, probably at the request of the elders. All that did was make the other apprentices question me, harass me, place themselves over me, all while the uncaring watchman was conveniently not looking our way. And yet, I worked extra hard to cover for the missing supplies that those bastards would not provide. Because Ser taught me that the only way I can prove myself here is not with fighting, but with helping the Cavedom. When she died, I learned that solitude meant that no one got in my way, and working with others was always met with disappointment.
So when I was finally given an assignment of equal impact for the effort I had always provided, and the reward being just as great, I knew I was doing something right. But then, the further I walked through the torch-lit cave, the faster those troublemakers caught up to me. One by one, they started kicking up dust in my face, laughing and circling me, calling me names:
“Bastard.” They kicked up dirt. I walked. “Orphan.” One of them grabbed my shoulders and tried to push me, but I shook her off and continued to walk “Shade-spawn.” They threw rocks, but they always fell just behind my heels. “Wretched.” They spat at my steps as I ran away. They tried to chase me, but I was faster, and they were not interested in following me deeper into the cave.
As I ran, I felt the surge of my emotions, and when it bubbled over, with an outburst of strength, I punched the wall with my right hand, cracking the stone and cutting my skin.
SNAP
My eyes shot open, staring at the ceiling from the cold ground. How long was I—
I snapped back to reality, my head pounding. “What … how could I forget …” I sat up on the freezing hard stone, and rested my head in my hands. “Wh-why can I not remember!” Tears welled up in my eyes. “It is like the mental dam has been plugged back up, but the waters that are my memories pool around my feet. I can look down and see who I was, but,” I lifted my head and stared at my trembling hands.
Gefrol, from behind me, spoke up. “In your quest for revenge, you have forgotten what makes you, you.”
He sighed. “And no one else can find that for you.”
“Why not just, use your godlike powers then!?” I shouted over my splitting headache. It pulsed through my head like my heartbeat was trapped in my mind. “You seem to know a lot!”
“I just told you, no one else can find that!” Gefrol pointed at my head. “Whatever is holding you back, is in there.” He swung his arms around, gesturing wildly at the empty temple. “And this is not what we need. We need a real reminder of your destiny. We need to give hope back to the people, more change to the world, so you can kill the source.” Gefrol pointed at my neck. “Because even if you do not believe it, I know for certain one thing about you.
SNAP
“You are the Sunblighted.” he says, as the four of us stare up at the four symbols, their shadows pressing onto the floor on which we stand. “You can figure out how you got the idea of revenge later. But for now—”
“I have a duty.” I say with wide eyes, thinking about Sulumim, and his sacrifice for the future. “And only I can do it.” To protect the future. The future he died for.
“I must.”
End of Chapter 10
End of Part 2: The Half-Empty Hero
Author’s Note: Year one complete! Sort of! It’s not like this was planned or anything. I just thought it would be fun to write a serialized fantasy epic in the Brandeis Hoot. I have to give kudos to my personal editor for sticking with me through thick and thin, the freshman I asked last second to help when my personal editor got too busy (it’s for these chapters, wonder if anyone can tell…), as well as Editor-in-chief Jenna Lewis, Head Copy Editor Michael Sun and everyone else at the Hoot for humoring this idea, as well as more thanks to Jenna for doing so much work as a senior to get this Magazine off the ground. Here’s to more years of Sunblighted until I graduate! I don’t actually have a clue if anyone actually reads these. So I’m opening up a Q&A here. Send in a question, and I might answer it next year. You can catch up on the rest of Sunblighted online on the “Tales from the Empty Notebook” page at brandeishoot.com/author/mgmail-com/.
See you next year!
-T.E.N.
