Light caught Starlight's face; his features projected a concerned look. He was sitting on a rock, holding a bottle of water. His eyes moved between the fire and the five people huddled around each other on his right.
After Starlight stumbled upon the cohort and explained his story -excluding the part about the Trial, Void, and the Hex- they sat him down.
Afterward, the five walked out of earshot, discussing whether he would be allowed to stay.
Each time they glanced back, their powerful gazes met his own, chills ran down Starlight's spine. He quickly turned away, avoiding their stares.
After a few minutes, Starlight glanced to his right and spotted the same man who had first talked to him, walking right towards him.
Starlight immediately felt nauseous. 'What if they didn't accept him? What would he do?'
The man walked closer, stopping right in front of Starlight, smiling down at him. Starlight shivered. 'This is it.'
"Well, the group has cast their vote: two against, one abstained, and two in favor," the man said.
Starlight's face grew pale, sweat formed on his skin. He stared into the man's warm eyes, fear glowing in his own.
"But worry not, my boy. You can stay! As the leader, my vote counts as two." He grinned.
A wave of relief rushed through Starlight's body. Instantly, he calmed down and raised his hand to wipe his brow.
"Thank you." Starlight exhaled in relief. A smile formed over his face.
The man looked back down at him and smirked; a small flame lit up in his eyes.
"Now for introductions, my name is Godric of clan Scales. But you can call me Godric."
A young lady with flowing white hair and light green eyes walked over to him. Her armor and smooth, pale skin reflected light from the fire. A long sword lay in its scabbard hanging around her waist. She walked over beside Godric and looked straight into Starlight's jet-black eyes.
"Liriel, of clan Tooth," she said.
"H-hi, I'm Starlight, b-but you can call me Star," Starlight replied, stuttering over his words, blushing slightly, stunned by her ethereal beauty.
Liriel looked at him, her eyes swallowing him like grass does to fallen leaves in the autumn. She softly smiled and walked over to another rock, sitting down.
Two more people walked over and passed her: a man with braided black hair, his hazel eyes contrasting with it, bandages wrapped around his bulging biceps, and a pearly blue pendant around his neck. Beside him was a woman who looked almost identical to Liriel, if not for her short hair and blue eyes. Like Liriel, she had the same metallic armor on, but with a spear hung on her back. They stopped in front of him, the man bumping shoulders with Godric.
"Hey, Star. It's nice to meet you! I'm Aster of clan Claw!" He wore a wide smile, showing his pearly white teeth that contrasted with his dark skin. "This is Lyra of clan Wing, Liriel's cousin. You can call us by our first names."
Starlight nodded with an uncomfortable smile on his face. He wasn't sure if he was safe here. Two people had voted for him not to stay, and everyone seemed too friendly, well, except one. He still politely responded.
Following the encounter, both people walked away, leaving only Starlight and Godric, along with another man who stood far away.
"You can just leave him; he won't bother you. His name is Bram of clan Tail; he's not really that friendly." Godric chuckled.
Bram looked at Starlight, his dark red hair flowing in the wind like a river of blood. The man looked at Starlight, staring into his eyes, then averted them like nothing had even happened.
"You must be hungry, we just cooked up some meat from a wild beast, want some?" Godric asked.
"Yes, please." Starlight politely responded. He pondered on what type of meat it would be and if by wild beast did they mean monster?
...
Sometime later, the man returned, holding a bone wrapped in meat, and handed it to Starlight. He took a bite of the food, ripping off a piece and slowly chewing it in his mouth. In his other hand was a thin blanket and pillow. Godric smiled, watching the child devour the food.
"So, Star, I guess there are some things I need to tell you," he said.
Starlight continued eating but looked into the young man's eyes.
"The five of us are the Champions of White City, chosen from our own clans, each who rules over an aspect of the city and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, tragedy fell before us, and we were sent out to the forest to obtain the Blade of Light." Godric continued, his face slowly becoming gloomy.
'Blade of Light?' Starlight thought to himself, but didn't inquire, not wanting to interrupt the man.
"After retrieving the dagger, we set back out to the city, but as you can see, we are stuck."
Starlight stared at Godric, whose expression was hard as stone. Godric noticed his gaze and quickly shifted into a happier mood.
"Well, anyway, we're heading to bed. Lyra is on lookout tonight, so you don't have to worry about being attacked by the forest tonight."
"Attacked by the forest?" Starlight asked.
"You didn't know? After Orpheus brought his curse, the entire forest turned deadly at night, coming alive and attacking anyone unfortunate enough to be wandering around."
"Orpheus? And his curse?" Starlight asked, attempting to remember any Orpheus or curses from his teachings in the government.
"Yeah, Orpheus, the Archon of Darkness." Godric replied, "And his curse caused the city and the surrounding forest to turn deadly at night." He hesitated for a moment before saying, "It was her who brought Orpheus on us."
"Who is 'her'..." Starlight asked
"Ah, she is a..."
Crack!
A log in the fire exploded, cutting off Godric. He looked at Starlight, opening his mouth again, then closed it. A blank expression fell on his face.
"I'll tell you later," Godric replied as he walked away, his face growing pale. "Go to bed."
'That's it, that's all he's going to tell me!' Starlight thought, skepticism rushed through his mind.
...
Starlight sat there, staring at the thin blanket and deflated pillow resting in his arms. His gaze lay on Godric. Still questioning himself about who the mysterious person was.
He rose and walked around the site, and searched for a spot of thick grass. He placed down his pillow and turned around, then plopped down on his makeshift bed. After lying there for a second, making sure it was comfortable enough, he then pulled his blanket over the top of his body.
"Huff," Starlight sighed, "I want to go home," he whispered to himself. He stared at the fire, in all its blazing beauty, his eyes slowly growing heavy and his body going limp.
He fell asleep.