Chapter 2 - The Celestial Wanderer
Long before the Tower of Fangs. Long before the White King. Long before the wars of gods and kings. There was only the sky. Endless, Silent and Beautiful. And from that endless sea of stars something descended. A streak of silver crossed the heavens. Not a falling star nor a comet. Something alive. Something divine. The clouds parted softly around him. Moon drifted downward through the morning sky. Young. Beautiful. Innocent. A celestial. Not yet a god. Not yet a legend. Merely a boy, a traveller. His long jet-black hair flowed behind him like liquid silk, reaching nearly to his calves. The sunlight painted silver highlights across its dark surface. His skin was pale as fresh snow. Untouched. Flawless. His eyes deep black pools that seemed to swallow the light around them. Ancient. Yet somehow childlike. Curious. Wonder filled them now as he gazed downward. The world spread endlessly beneath him. Forests. Mountains. Lakes. Rivers. Life. So much life. Moon smiled. A genuine smile. Soft and Wonderstruck. He had never seen anything so beautiful. The heavens were vast. But orderly. Perfect. Predictable. This world felt different. Messy. Wild. Alive. The scent reached him first. Pine. Rain. Earth. Flowers. Things the heavens did not possess. Moon inhaled deeply. His eyes widened.
"Beautiful."
His voice carried no power. No command nor authority. Only awe. Below him stretched the ancient continent of Elyria. Not the Elyria of kingdoms and castles. Not the Elyria of war. This was a much older world. A world still ruled by spirits and old deities. A world where ancient gods walked openly beneath the trees. A world where monsters slept beneath mountains. A world where magic flowed through every river and root. Moon knew none of this. He only knew he wanted to see it. The young celestial descended slowly. White and silver robes drifted around him weightlessly. Across his shoulders hung a long heavenly sash of silver silk. It floated behind him like moonlight given form. His only weapon. Though Moon himself barely understood that. Violence had never interested him. The clouds finally parted completely. Moon emerged beneath the morning sun. Below him stretched an endless forest. Trees older than kingdoms. Their canopies spread like a green ocean across the world. Silver rivers glittered between the branches. Massive mountains rose in the distance. Lakes reflected the sky so perfectly they appeared like mirrors. For a moment Moon simply hovered there. Watching. Listening. Feeling. The world breathed. He could feel it. Every tree. Every stream. Every animal. Life flowed through everything. The sensation made him laugh. A bright sound. Light. Carefree. The sort of laugh that would eventually disappear from the world. But not yet. Not today. Today he was simply Moon. A traveler. A wanderer. A curious boy seeing the world for the first time. He drifted lower. Birds flew around him. Tiny creatures made circles through the air. Several landed briefly upon his sleeves. Unafraid. Moon watched them curiously. One particularly brave little bird landed atop his head. Moon froze. The bird chirped. Moon blinked. The bird chirped again. Then flew away. Moon touched his hair where it had stood. His expression became one of complete wonder. The bird had chosen to land there. Voluntarily. The thought delighted him. Below, the forest grew closer. Moon finally touched the earth. Bare feet settled gently upon soft moss. The world seemed to pause. A breeze moved through the trees. Leaves whispered overhead. Sunlight danced across the forest floor. For the first time in his existence Moon stood upon the world. He looked around slowly. Every direction offered something fascinating. Flowers bloomed beneath ancient roots. Butterflies drifted through shafts of golden light. Strange luminous insects floated among the trees. Everything felt alive. Everything felt precious. Moon knelt beside a patch of tiny blue flowers. He studied them carefully.
His dark eyes reflected their color.
"So small."
The flowers swayed gently. Moon smiled. The flowers were beautiful. The rocks were beautiful. The trees were beautiful. Everything was beautiful. How could anyone become bored in a place like this? The young celestial stood. Then began walking. No destination nor purpose. Only curiosity. Hours passed. The forest changed around him. Ancient oaks gave way to towering pines. The terrain rose slowly. Streams crossed his path. Moon paused at each one. Watching fish. Watching insects. Watching sunlight sparkle upon the water. Once he spotted a deer. The animal froze. Moon froze. Both stared at one another. The deer eventually approached. Moon looked delighted. The deer sniffed his sleeve. Then calmly wandered away. Moon watched it disappear. His smile remained long afterward. He felt happy. Strangely happy. The world seemed endless. And he wanted to see all of it. As evening approached, Moon emerged into a wide clearing. Grass swayed beneath the setting sun. Wildflowers painted the field with color. Gold. Blue. White. Red. The sky above had begun turning orange. Moon stopped walking. His breath caught. The sunset. He had never seen one before. In the heavens, light remained constant. Perfect. Unchanging. This this was different. The sky burned with color. Clouds became rivers of gold and crimson. The entire world seemed to glow. Moon stared upward. Speechless. Then he laughed again. A quiet laugh. The laugh of someone discovering happiness. The young celestial spread his arms. The wind caught his robes. His hair danced around him. For a brief moment he spun through the field like a child. Alone. Free. Unburdened. The setting sun painted him gold. No gods. No destiny. No betrayal. No sorrow. No White King. No Dark King. No Blood Wraith. Only Moon. Only wonder. Only joy. As night slowly descended upon ancient Elyria, the stars began appearing one by one overhead .Moon looked upward. Then toward the endless forest ahead. The world stretched farther than he could imagine. Filled with mysteries. Filled with adventures. Filled with people he had not yet met. Friends. Enemies. Love. Tragedies. Legends. All waiting somewhere beyond the trees. Moon smiled. Then continued walking beneath the first stars of evening. Unaware that his journey had already begun. And unaware that one day the entire world would remember his name.
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