LUMIS
Lumis, the capital city under the rule of House Luminara, was a spectacle beyond imagination. Neon lights and towering holographic displays filled the skyline, washing the streets in shifting waves of color. Hovercars streaked through the air like shooting stars, while beings of countless races and species crowded the marketplaces below, trading goods, stories, and secrets.
"This is amazing," Elias breathed, his eyes wide as he took in the endless motion and light.
Vex smirked beneath his hood. "Don't let the shine fool you, kid. Lumis isn't a city of muscles—it's a city of minds. Around here, knowledge is power… and power decides everything."
Towering spires of crystal and steel stretched toward the sky, each etched with glowing runes that pulsed softly like living veins. Massive academies stood beside research towers, their entrances guarded by scholars in flowing robes and mechanized sentinels humming with arcane energy. Floating platforms carried students and merchants between districts, while giant projection screens displayed formulas, star charts, and arcane symbols instead of simple advertisements.
Elias noticed how people spoke—measured, careful, always watching and listening.
"Everyone here looks like they're thinking about something important."
"They are," Vex replied. "Every deal, every conversation, every step in Lumis can shape the future. Information is their true currency."
They passed through the central plaza, where a colossal statue of a robed woman holding a glowing tome rose from a fountain of light. Beneath it, apprentices debated theories while drones hovered nearby, recording and analyzing every word.
Elias tilted his head. "That must be Aurora."
Vex nodded. "High Priestess Aurora. Founder of the Grand Arcanum and ruler of House Luminara. Her husband, Lucius, built most of these towers. Together, they turned Lumis into the mind of Nocturna."
A sudden burst of light erupted from a nearby platform as mages tested a new device. The air shimmered, and a small rift opened and vanished in an instant.
Elias stepped back. "Was that… a portal?"
"Prototype," Vex said calmly. "Here, failure is just another lesson."
As they walked deeper into the city, Elias felt a strange pull in his chest, as though the city itself were watching him. The hum of magic and machinery blended into a single rhythm, and for the first time since arriving on Nocturna, he felt small.
"So this is where forbidden experiments happen?" Elias asked quietly.
Vex's expression darkened. "Yes. And where truths are buried just as easily as they are discovered."
Elias looked up at the glowing towers piercing the sky like artificial stars. He couldn't shake the feeling that Lumis would one day hold answers about his past… and dangers he wasn't ready to face.
"We need to check in with an old friend of mine," Vex said as they approached a towering spire. "She might have information that could help us."
Inside, the tower was just as breathtaking. The lobby blended sleek modern design with ancient elegance—towering crystal columns rose toward a domed ceiling, while intricate mosaics depicted the long history of House Luminara. Scholars, mages, and celestial symbols shimmered faintly within the stone.
Vex approached the receptionist, a woman with a translucent holographic interface embedded in her forearm.
"We're here to see Lyra."
Her fingers danced across the glowing display. "She's expecting you. Please proceed to the top floor."
Moments later, they stepped into a glass-and-light elevator that shot upward in near silence, the city shrinking beneath them in a blur of color.
The doors opened into a vast office with panoramic windows overlooking Lumis. Towers of light pierced the clouds, and air traffic flowed like glowing rivers.
Behind a rune-etched desk stood a woman with sharp features and long silver hair pulled neatly behind her shoulders. Her eyes gleamed with intelligence.
"Vex," she said warmly. "It's been too long."
"Lyra," he replied, returning her embrace. "Still ruling from the highest tower?"
She smirked. "Old habits die hard."
Vex gestured to Elias. "This is Elias. The one I told you about."
Lyra studied him carefully. "So you're the young man Vex has been hiding from the world."
"I… guess so," Elias said.
A faint smile curved her lips. "Interesting. Very interesting indeed."
Lyra leaned back against her desk, folding her arms as she studied Elias.
"So… you're the boy who survived Chaos."
Elias shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't exactly have a choice."
"Few ever do," she replied. "Most who touch Chaos energy lose their minds. Or their souls."
"He didn't," Vex said firmly. "He endured it."
Lyra's gaze flicked to him. "Endured it… or absorbed it?"
Silence hung between them.
Elias felt a chill crawl up his spine. "What's the difference?"
Lyra walked toward the window, staring out at the glowing city. "Enduring Chaos means surviving exposure. Absorbing it means it becomes part of you. That makes you rare. And dangerous."
"To others," Vex said. "Not to me."
Lyra turned back. "That's exactly what worries me."
She tapped a control on her desk, and a faint hologram of shifting symbols appeared between them.
"I've run simulations based on what Vex told me. If the wrong people learn what you are, they won't try to kill you. They'll try to claim you."
Elias frowned. "Who would want that?"
Lyra's expression darkened.
"The former Patriarchs of the Five Houses."
Vex's jaw tightened.
"They lost power," Lyra continued. "And they blame House Blackwood for it. If they discover you are his disciple—his heir—you won't be seen as a person. You'll be seen as a weapon."
Elias swallowed. "So what… I just hide forever?"
"No," Lyra said. "You learn."
She stepped closer, her voice lowering.
"You train your body. You train your mind. You learn politics, science, magic, and deception. Because strength alone will not save you in Lumis—or anywhere else."
Vex nodded. "Power without control is suicide."
Lyra's lips curved slightly. "And control without knowledge is ignorance."
She looked back at Elias. "Tell me something, boy. Why do you want to grow stronger?"
Elias hesitated. Then spoke quietly.
"Because people I care about are suffering… and I don't want to be helpless anymore."
Lyra's gaze softened, just a little.
"Then you may survive."
She waved a hand and a thin band of light appeared around Elias's wrist—flickering, then stabilizing.
"This will grant you restricted access to Lumis. Libraries, training halls, and lower research sectors."
"Restricted?" Elias asked.
Lyra smiled faintly. "The forbidden floors stay forbidden."
Vex snorted. "Still hiding your darkest toys?"
Lyra met his eyes. "Still trying to protect a future that may not want protecting?"
Another silence.
Then she looked back at Elias.
"Welcome to Lumis, Elias Blackwood. Try not to rewrite reality while you're here."
Elias blinked.
"I'll… do my best."
Later, as they moved through the bustling streets, gathering supplies for their jungle retreat, Elias noticed a massive poster plastered against a wall.
A competition—held once every decade.
His eyes lit up as he read the details. Trials of strength. Tests of intellect. Battles of skill and spirit.
"I knew this would catch your attention," Vex said. "I already had Lyra register your name."
Elias grinned. "Elias Blackwood… I like the sound of that."
"Just remember," Vex warned, "don't reveal everything. We stay subtle."
Elias smirked. "Low profile… for now."
With three months until the competition, they returned to the jungle to train.
Back at their retreat, Elias entered deep meditation. Chaos energy stirred within him, leaking outward like black mist.
Unnoticed, the dormant beast egg nearby began to tremble.
Dark patterns etched across its shell, glowing with ancient symbols.
As Elias's energy surged, a bond formed between them—Beginning and End entwined.
What felt like moments stretched into nearly three months.
When Elias finally opened his eyes, something new stirred within him.
Beast Soul.
He could feel the spirits of beasts… hear them… draw upon their power.
The egg pulsed softly.
Their fates were now one.
And with that bond, a new era quietly began.