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It was early morning. The crimson sun already risen, colouring the clouds with a crimson hue. Inside the Ward family, life had already begun.
Thud!
A door swung open, revealing Laura in a bright yellow dress adorned with white flowers. She stepped inside, her fingers working clumsily to tie her shoulder length hair. After a few failed attempts, she let out a small sigh.
Stepping further into the room, she noticed someone resting his head on a wooden desk —his long black hair looking slightly disheveled. She walked over quietly and began to adjust his hair, with a smile.
She continued this process, until a voice came from behind.
"Laura don't disturb your brother," Kelvin said, appearing at the doorway with his usual calm smile.
Laura removed her hand, but didn't look away from her brother. "Is he not going to church?"
Kelvin sighed and took her hand, slowly pulling her towards the door. "Leave your brother be. He's been through a lot lately. And besides we need to get going, before the crimson sun fully comes out."
The siblings left, their footsteps fading down the hall.
After an unknown period of time, Lumian slowly raised his head up. His face, was covered in a layer of crimson viel, from the light coming from the window.
He sat quietly for a while, his fingers crossed under his chin, gazing at the window. From there he could see cars moving down the street and children laughing and giggling as they walked hand in hand with their parents.
With a soft sigh, he finally stood up, stretched his arms, and walked toward the bathroom to wash up. A few minutes later, he stepped out, with a towel draped around his shoulder, and water still dripping from his hair. Moving to his Wardrobe, he opened it and stared at the contents inside — a few neatly folded shirts and trousers.
"Ugh... that 500 pounds I deposited, I'm not sure how to spend it." His eyes moved to the six outfits hanging from the rack. "Maybe Laura was right I really need new clothes." He said with a self deprecating smile.
...
Once he was dressed — black shirt, black trousers, and a matching coat — he stepped outside. The street were already alive with motion, people rushing about their day. Locking the door behind him, he tucked the key into his pocket and began to walk, blending into the blur of morning life.
...
As Lumian down the streets of Cornerstone, taking in the calm scenery of the morning, he gradually slowed his pace before stopping altogether.
Truth be told, he had no idea where he was going. He debated between going to church or dropping by a friend's place.
"Should I go to church and meet Kelvin and Laura...?" He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No! That'd be way too embarrassing."
Rejecting the idea, he continued walking, this time more leisurely.
Suddenly he bumped into a tall, broad-shouldered man. "Ah, sorry sir," Lumian quickly apologized.
The muscular man scowled at him. "Watch where your going fool."
"Of course, sir. I'll be sure to do that." Lumian replied with an awkward smile before walking past.
"Yes, I really am a fool. His mouth twitched slightly. "I barely even know what happened in the second age. The only thing I actually understand is the St. Mary text... and if it wasn't for that Sunday school teacher, I wouldn't even know that much.
He rememberd a memory of his old teacher waving a cane. "Those days were terrible," He muttered.
"Lumian Ward."
Just then, a familiar voice called out behind him.
"Hm." Lumian turned his head curiously, and saw a man with short black hair and glasses, standing a few steps away. A face of recognition appeared, followed by a smile. "Mr. Walter?"
The man adjusted his glasses and walked toward him. When he reached him, he gave a kind smile.
"Lumian," He said warmly, looking him up and down, "You've grown so much. What a fine young man you've become."
Lumian chuckled awkwardly. "Mr. Walter, I didn't expect to see one of my teachers here." He looked around before asking, "What brings you to Cornerstone?"
Mr. Walter smiled and pointed to the house beside them. "I live right here." He came close to the door and added. "Would you like to come in?"
Lumian returned the smile and nodded. "Of course, sir."
Together they entered the house.
...
Inside, a man with a receding hairline sat on one of the chairs, reading a newspaper.
Mr. Walter walked over and tapped his shoulder lightly, making him look up. "Walter, you've already finished watering the plants?" He asked before turning his gaze to Lumian. "And who might this be?"
"Mr. Whitefield, do you still remember me? I'm Lumian Ward—from Harport High, the set from four years ago."
"Set from four years ago? Those kids gave me so much trouble back then." He muttered inwardly, but outwardly, he grinned as he extended his hand. "Ward, it's really you! You've really grown a lot. Tell me, have you found a job yet?"
Walter smiled as he excused himself. "Alright then, make yourself comfortable. I'll go get us some drinks."
Whitefield leaned back slightly, resting his chin on his Left hand. "You still haven't answered me—what kind of job did you get?"
"I work at the Moonlight Watchers Faculty," Lumian replied. "We mostly protect individuals, inspect, and interpret information." He deliberately left out the fact that it was connected to the church.
Whitefield nodded and asked. "So how much are they paying you?"
"10 pounds a week." Lumian simply replied.
"That's good, that's good," Whitefield said in a relaxed manner. Spreading his arms along the backrest, he continued. "You're a big boy now. With you and your brother working, your family should be doing alright."
He gave Lumian a thumbs-up. "It's good to see one of my old student, making it out there. Keep it up."
Soon after, Walter returned with three glasses and a bottle of wine. "My wife doesn't like it when I drink," He said as he poured. "She says, I act crazy when I get drunk — heh heh."
He filled Whitefield glass first, then poured one for himself. When it came to the last glass, he looked at Lumian.
"Lumian, how old are you again?"
"I'm twenty-two, sir," Lumain said with a small, awkward smile.
Walter smiled and poured the drinks anyway. As he set the bottle down, he noticed something around Lumian's neck. It was winged-shaped pendant. "Lumian... your a follower of the Skywalker?" He asked.
Lumian looked slightly surprised. "Mr. Walter, you know about the church?"
Walter chuckled. "Of course I do, I might have been your math teacher back then, but I've always taken an interest in ancient studies."
He took a sip from his drink, and continued, "The Church of the Skywalker, appeared publicly during the descent of the Crimson sun. It's not that they didn't exist before — they were more of a hidden church."
He wagged a finger and said with a smile. "Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not judging anyone beliefs. Everyone's entitled to their faith. I'm just sharing some of my research."
Lumian nodded in understanding, then shifted the topic. "Mr. Walter, since you've done your research... could you tell me what happened in the Second age, after the Age of Beginnings."
...
"Hm, the Second Age?" Walter repeated. Chuckling, he added. "A follower of the church is asking me questions, hehe."
Lumian rubbed the back of his head, with a small smile. "Well... I didn't really get that part."
"Hehe." Walter laughed and paused for a while, before finally speaking. "The Second Age, otherwise known as the Age of Divine Intervention... It was basically the time of the iron age. It was said that during that time, a huge disaster befell the earth, and only the gods protected humanity from complete annihilation. During that era, the earth was ruled by the God of Beginnings, and humanity basically thrived under his rule. Of course, that's only one piece of what happened during the Age of Divine Intervention. There's more I'm trying to research, but yet to discover."
He rubbed his chin and turned to Whiteley. "Whitefield, do you know anything about that era?"
"I've not heard of it actually," Whiteley said, as he rubbed his head with his pen-wielding left hand.
"Alright." Walter said with a chuckle.
Lumian smiled and quickly thanked both of his teachers, as he had understood a part of the second age.
Walter replied, "No problem, Lumian. Once a teacher always a teacher." He adjusted his glasses and added, "Learning never truly stops."
Then shifting the conversation, Walter asked, "Do you know the recent gossips surrounding Patrick Lacey and Selene."
Lumian brought the glass close to his mouth and frowned. "The Selene incident... I've heard about it. They said that when they went to her home, they found her, her sister, and her mother all dead, with their bodies brutally destroyed. When reported, they released a public statement, saying it was r*pe and violence, but I find that statement very problematic."
"Why's that Lumian?" Whitefield quickly asked.
Lumian gave a half smile. "Well, first, there weren't any signs of missing items, nor any signs of struggle. It looked like they peacefully accepted being r*ped and killed, hehe."
"Yes, I also heard that statement from one of my friends," Walter said.
"And what about Lacey case? I heard he went missing." Whiteley added.
"Yes," Walter replied. "Lacey is the son of Duke Joshua. His dissaperance has sparked alot of curiosity."
Lumian then smiled as he stood. "Alright, sirs, I better start going. I've been here since eleve, and it's already three."
Walter smiled and stood up too. "Alright, let me escort you."
As they walked towards the door, Walter's gaze stayed on Lumian back. A thought crossed his mind. "Hmmm, my previous student… it would be nice to get him something, but what?"
...
Just as Walter was deep in thought, his eyes suddenly lit up as he saw a clothing store across the street. "That's right! It'll be nice to buy him something. New clothes sounds just right!"
Lumian, who was just about to bid farewell, was stopped, as Walter tapped his shoulder. "Lumian, how about we go check out the clothing store across the street."
Lumian chuckled, as he scratched the back of his head. "Mr. Walter... are you planning on buying me something."
Walter chuckled heartily. "That's right! You caught me. But come on, a new set of clothes, wouldn't hurt anybody right?"
Lumian gave a self deprecating smile and muttered. "Sir, isn't that a waste of money."
"Nonsense," Walter said as they crossed the street. "I'm just looking after one of my old students."
"Thank you sir," Lumian said sincerely.
...
They soon arrived, and entered the store. Inside were racks of clothes, lined on both sides, and in front were colours and fabric, neatly arranged.
"Good afternoon, sirs, how may I help you today?" The salesman approached with a smile. He was dressed in formal clothes of black and white.
Walter thought for a moment, before replying. "Just show me your best pieces."
"Of course, sir," the salesman said, leading them forward and gesturing toward a row of neatly hung clothes.
Walter pulled out a black suit with good trim. "Hmm.... how much for this one?"
"Thirty-five pounds, sir." The salesman simply replied.
Walter mouth twitched slightly. He chuckled and kept the suit back. "Outrageous. You might as well tell me to rob a bank."
"That's almost three weeks' salary..." Lumian Inwardly complained.
Walter then picked another, this time it was a bright green shirt. "What about this one?"
"Fourty pounds," the salesman replied, seemingly concerned that they would not buy his goods. "Should I reduce the price? Customers, have been decreasing lately, because of competition from other shops. He closely sized them up and continued his inward thoughts. "And this people, seem quite influential, maybe..."
"Sir, I can give you a discount of twenty pounds." The salesperson said.
"Oh? Really, that's so generous of you." Walter replied in slight surprise.
After some back-and-forth, Walter paid for the shirt, and it was neatly bagged.
Outside, Lumian thanked him genuinely before heading home.
By the time he arrived, the crimson sun had already gone down, leaving shades of crimson. Around six, in the evening, he joined his siblings for dinner and casual chatter before they all washed up and went to their rooms.
...
Later that evening, Lumian sat cross-legged on the floor, a candle burning before him. He placed another candle in front of it, forming a vertical line of two flames.
"Tomorrow, will be a new week, and when I'll take my first potion. He sighed, and continued, "And I don't really know the procedures required. I need to really prepare myself... maybe someone from the organization can help me understand the process."
He took a deep breath, then began to chant in a low, ethereal voice:
"When twilight gleam and people rest,
Through the unseen we find our ways,
We walk the hidden come what may,
To realms unknown where secrets sway."
...
At that moment, a deep black glow suddenly surrounded him, growing larger and larger like a tide of wave, until he was nowhere to be seen.