Six years later. 

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(Seira’s Pov) 

The morning sun made everything glow a soft gold over our peaceful town. The tall trees around the village, all twisty and beautiful, seemed to shimmer in the warm light. Inside one of these pretty houses, I sat by the window, curled up in a large, comfy chair. My favorite book was in my hands, “Tales of the Farthest Star”. It was all about a hero named Aelion and his brave adventures. I’ve loved this story for as long as I can remember. 

The pages talked about mighty heroes, kings, huge battles, and monsters from long ago that were all long since gone. It was about Aelion, the hero from a thousand years ago, who traveled far away to the place called The Last Horizon at the world’s edge. There, he fought the first demon king, Nalu. A lot of people say it’s just a fairy tale, but it fills my heart with excitement every time I read it. 

"Seira, honey?" Mama’s voice called from the other room, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Your friend Kailu is at the door." 

I looked up and my frown turned into a big smile. Kailu was my best friend, and when he came over, I knew the day would be full of fun! I quickly put down my book, leaving it open on a page, highlighting a single specific line: 

"…when I rise again from the ashes of this world, I will reclaim the heavenly realms and bring order back to The Cosmic Plane..." 

When I ran to the door, I found Kailu waiting. He was bouncing up and down on his feet, all excited, and his hair was messy from running around. He had bright eyes that sparkled with energy. Standing next to him was Arun, strong man who worked as the captain of the village guards. Arun always looked after us and the other children when we went out to play, and he had a strong, kind face that made everyone think twice before crossing him. He was the kind of person you wouldn’t want to mess with, but he was always nice to us. 

"Seira! Do you wanna come pick flowers and veggies with me for my mama and papa?" Kailu asked, his grin so big it made me laugh. 

I nodded, smiling. “Can I go, Mommy?” I called to my mom, my voice full of excitement. “I wanna help too!” 

Mom came to the door, her golden hair glowing like the sun. She smiled at me, and I could feel how much she loved me. “Alright, but you have to be careful, okay?” she said in her soft voice, but I could tell she meant it. "And don’t go past the village borders." 

"I won’t, Mommy. I promise!" I said, running to give her a hug. My little arms wrapped around her waist, squeezing tight. 

She bent down so she was eye level with me and kissed my forehead. "Good girl. Now go and have fun, but listen to Arun, and be back before the sun goes down, alright?" 

I nodded eagerly. As I was about to run off with Kailu, Mama called out to Arun. "Arun, make sure you protect them with your life." 

Arun gave a serious nod, but he smiled too. "I swear on my honor as a soldier, Zal. I’ll keep them safe. No harm will come to them." 

Satisfied, Mom waved us off. I ran up the hill with Kailu, heading for the forest just at the village borders. Arun was close behind us, always keeping a lookout for any trouble. 

The afternoon sun made everything look pretty, like the forest was covered in dancing patches of light. Kailu and I picked flowers and veggies at the beginning of the woods, laughing and having fun. The fields were all located at the village borders, they were so full of herbs, veggies, and wildflowers, all the things people used every day. Beyond those fields was the edge of the village and the start of the forest, where everything changed. Beyond that line was the wild world. 

I knelt in the soft grass, picking bright yellow flowers, giggling as Kailu tried to fit too many veggies into his basket. His funny, messy attempts made me laugh even more. 

“Hey, Seira, look!” Kailu called, holding up a bunch of wild carrots. The orange roots hung funny. “I’m gonna take these home to papa! He loves carrots.” 

I smiled really sincere as I watched Kailu. “Your papa’s gonna be so happy, Kailu!” 

We played and worked in the fields, and it felt like time went really fast. The sun started going down, and the shadows on the ground got long. Arun, who’d been standing watch a little bit further away, looked up at the sky. “Alright, kids, it’s almost time to go back,” he called out. “We don’t wanna be out here when it gets dark.” 

I was standing up, brushing the dirt off my knees when I saw Kailu. He was standing still, like he wasn’t moving at all, staring straight ahead. His eyes were huge, and his face didn’t look like anything. It was like he wasn’t even there. 

“Kailu?” I asked, taking a step closer. My chest got all tight like something was wrong. 

Kailu didn’t say anything. His body was still stiff, like he was a statue. His eyes were still looking at something far away. I looked where he was looking, but I couldn’t see anything, just the trees far away. Then a chill ran through me. 

Arun saw something was different and ran over. “Kailu, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice sounding serious, like he was worried too. 

Before anyone could do anything, Kailu said something really quiet. So quiet, I could barely hear it. 

“…K-Kailu… this way…”