Before True Light: The Awakening 2nd Edition

by Sarah Buchynski

Although the destruction had moved on, the destruction within Izanami’s heart had not. Izanami and Kyros had been hiding at the military camp for over a month now, after the confrontation with Xenon. Xenon’s bloodshed had finally seemed to subside. The great cities within Crescere, Alexandros and Nero Polis, were in ruins. Xenon had enslaved the people of Crescere and murdered all who opposed him. The people were afraid. Burmeka was no more fortunate. All who opposed faced certain punishments. Scouts had carefully retrieved this information and reported their findings at secret meetings. Eventually, Izanami stopped attending these meetings. Her heart could not bear any more terrible news. She had failed, and her actions had made the situation devastating for everyone. In Izanami’s mind, all who had died by Xenon’s command… their blood was really on her hands.

  The situation was beginning to turn chaotic at the camp. The refugees were demanding to know what, exactly, was happening, and why they were not allowed to leave the camp. However, Kyros was certain that, if they realized the full extent of the truth, their panic would make the situation worse. Being a small camp, word travelled quickly. Unfortunately for Izanami, the survivors eventually discovered she was the one that led many of their loved ones into battle, never returning to them. Eventually, Izanami fell into such deep despair that she isolated herself from everyone, including Kyros. She refused to eat and barely slept.

  Kyros tried to comfort Izanami as much as possible, but the only one that ever understood her fully was not here to save her. Izanami and Zane were very close; probably closer than either one of them actually realized. There were times when Kyros thought it would help to expose his secret to her, but was uncertain if she would actually believe him at this point. What if she just saw it as an empty attempt to comfort her? Her spirit had been broken. The fight was not over yet, but Izanami needed time to recover, mentally.

  Kyros never pushed her. He believed that she would not deny her duty as a Warrior of Light and that she would come around when she was ready. Besides, they could not effectively launch an assault at this point in time anyway. Xenon had a firm control over the two kingdoms, and reigned with tyranny. King Cornelius had been executed by Xenon. Within the ruins of Alexandros, the captive citizens were forced to watch the execution. The King was decapitated and Xenon threw his head into the crowd. He told them that, if they did not want to end up like their king, they would have to serve him. He did the same with the Burmekian king, whom he had used as a pawn in his quest for madness.

  All that Kyros could do for Izanami, in the meantime, was watch over her. There was so much uncertainty. Kyros, along with the military volunteers, tried to keep as much structure and routine as possible, and acted as a type of interim government to keep the people lawful.

  It was several months since the confrontation with Xenon. Sanguines, and worse, stalked the land continually, making it extremely dangerous. Izanami had made little to no progress in her mental recovery. Kyros kept hoping she would return back to her old self soon. However, part of him knew that the longer it took, the more likely she would never be completely the same. All he could do was hope that Izanami would be able to find herself and get herself out of her pit of despair. She needed to stop blaming herself and stand up once again to the fiend, but only when she was ready. The path to face Xenon would be a hard and painful one. Right now, it was not a reality.

  One night, a treacherous blizzard struck the camp. It would have been considered suicidal to leave the shelters in such a storm. That night, Kyros had come to check up on Izanami after the storm hit. He would often come in the evenings and talk to her, even though she seldom spoke back. That particular night, Kyros was telling Izanami stories of his growing up under the mentorship of the late king. Izanami sat by the fire and watched it dance. She always watched the fire as he spoke, and he was never quite sure if she ever actually heard anything he said. But, he persevered. As he continued with his monologue, she continued to watch the fire. Suddenly, Izanami turned to him and said, “We’re going…”