The day began like any other. Wing trailed behind Zhen wherever he went from the first light to the last, or would've been the last light had the sky not darkened. Light was extinguished in the middle of the day. Nothing could be seen when Black Day arrived.

   Wing had been three years old when Black Day arrived seven years prior. Zhen was twelve, just before he became "The Warrior". For the both of them, it was the beginning of the significant changes in their lives.

   First, Wing's mother and Zhen's father were blessed as gärds. Secondly, taking advantage of the prolonged darkness, the great beast took the lives of many people, one of whom was Wing's father. Thirdly, when the gärds failed to return from the Lighting Tree, Wing and Zhen became orphans. As a result, Wing was inaugurated into Zhen's family, as was instructed by the elders of Solum and Unda with the knowledge the Priestess had given.

   It wasn't strange to find Wing following Zhen at every turn. However, when light was swallowed by darkness, Zhen knew he would have to say goodbye to the young boy he called his little brother for he would never take the child out into the wild dark abyss.

   "Zhen?" Wing called out, distressed by the phenomena.

   As the boy called out to his teacher, a sudden burst of light and the tingling of small bells penetrated his senses. Now, before Wing stood a glowing Zhen.

   The nineteen-year-old was enveloped in bright green light. As he walked, lanterns lit up. He proceeded to the north, towards the tree at its peak. When he turned, he found the familiar image of Wing following his steps.

   "Welcome, oh beloved Seed and my friend, King Zhen," a fair-skinned woman greeted him.

   She winked at Wing just as a crowd gathered together.

   Wing nodded in response to his aunt.

   "My dear friend," Zhen wrapped his arm around her for a moment.

   The woman, Princess Pola, cleared a path for the three of them, and the people bowed in respect. She led them a little further in before pulling Zhen to the side.

   They spent a few minutes of private conversation. Once in a while, they exchanged smiles which everyone took as a sign of good faith. After a long discussion between friends, Pola led Zhen and Wing into the greeting hall to meet her family.

   Her husband came forward first, then her two offspring, Nou and Sun. Following them, towards the steps to the throne, the King and Queen of Anima, Pola's parents, ascended.

   The first allowed Zhen to show his respects before kneeling to show theirs.

   "We welcome the Seed of Solum, King Zhen into our home. May your stay here be comfortable before your departure."

   As their talk died down, Zhen turned to the people of Anima who had followed into the throne room.

   “Welcome, oh beloved Seed!” The people shouted in unison.

   Zhen proceeded to light the lantern of Anima, continuing down the stairs. At the foot, he met the friendly smile of his best friend, Cini, Head of the Ignis Knights. 

   Cini's formal wear rarely got any use. Once he'd put it on for Pola's coronation and another for his coming of age. It had shrunk over time, the sleeves shorter than they ought to be, and the pants rode up now and again. Thankfully, he'd already reached close to peak puberty by then, so the discrepancy was only noticeable to the most discerning eyes.

   "I greet the beloved Seed." 

   He brought out a metal cone where coal was piled inside. They first exchanged formal curtsies, and then Cini cast his magic on the cone, lighting it into a torch. Zhen thanked him, holding the torch with both hands, and blessed it with a magic only he had.

   Light burst from the palms of his hands, engulfing the fire and the metal cone.

   "This light shall never extinguish until I perish," he recited and handed the torch back to Cini. "May you light the path as my Ignis gärd."

   The Seed descended from the Anima Palace. As he passed lanterns, light marked the path for those following him and washed the darkness away.

   Many people greeted him holding candles and personal lanterns for the Seed to light.

   "Thank you," a boy in a warrior's gear said.

   At the end of the road they walked on, tied to the dock was a boat ready to carry the Seed through the floating homes of the Unda. By the boat was a woman clad in a dark ceremonial robe, embroidered with white thread. As Zhen drew closer, wisps of his light magic drifted towards the robe. Little by little, the dress lit like a lantern until the light reached the face of the woman. She was smiling at him; her premonition was no longer a dream.

   He approached her, taking strands of her hair in his hands. His lips placed a delicate kiss on them before speaking.

   "Hi."

   "Green," she touched the light surrounding him, "How beautiful."

   "The color of my heart."

   She stepped closer to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

   "My beloved Seed. I welcome you to the seas."

   They boarded the boat together. Cini and the rest followed on their boats, carrying their light. Wing followed his aunt closely.

   He'd never seen the Passing of Light before. In the stories he'd been told, he couldn't grasp the importance of the ceremony. However, when the darkness took over, he understood, finally, that light could only come from Zhen.

   "You," Zhen reached for Jei's face once more, his hand brushing her cheek and then the lid of her eye.

   Green was the color of her iris. Green was the color of his home.