Nieth the cursed light
The Fire God sat on his throne before rows of Light soldiers. They had golden halos and golden wings. At their head was Nieth, their leader. The Fire God signaled to his soldiers.
"It's time… The end of the world and humanity has come… The day of reckoning is here."
The Lights descended to earth, bringing ruin. They killed humans, billions of them. They killed animals and plants. But one day, Nieth—leader of the Lights—fell injured in a village, mistakenly struck by his own soldiers. His wings withered, their gold tarnished.
Reluctantly, an old woman and her husband, like all the villagers, shut their doors. But none could ignore Nieth's agonized cries as he lay there like a wounded bird. Eventually, they helped him despite their fear, taking him to a nearby farm. They treated him, cared for him.
And Nieth, that wicked Light? He repaid them by becoming infatuated with the young human women who stayed by his side. For a hundred years, Nieth decided to disobey his god and stayed on earth, ruling the remaining humans with unmatched power. Nieth and his soldiers tainted pure human women with their Light blood. He ate human food, drank human drinks. But humans united—just as those villagers had once united to help him—rallying behind a fierce human leader who killed Nieth.
Humanity was freed from the oppression of the Lights. Nieth's corpse remained on Mount Frata, used by powerful human rulers to build a strong army, protecting humanity from any future tyranny.
The dead humans on the stage rose from the ground, and the abused women stopped crying. Nieth stood side by side with his victims and killers—they all bowed, holding hands. The audience before the stage cheered and clapped. Children shouted, "Again, again!"
The narrator laughed. "All right!" The actors smiled and waved to the children. The actor playing Nieth knelt, addressing the kids. "Oh, how mean! You want them to kill me again?"
The children stepped back in fear, but one girl stood firm, saying, "Stay away from my brother, cursed Nieth!!"
The women laughed, and the actor exclaimed in mock horror, "What! I'm not Nieth!" One actress added, "Stay away from us, Nieth—listen to this brave girl!" The girl glared, and their laughter grew.
Standing at the edges of the square, members of the Black Wings and Iron Hands of the second squad carried weapons, watching. Seeta stood, eyeing the festival around her. She noticed an old woman in a red dress and headscarf, sitting before a table filled with fabric dolls and sewing colorful dresses for them. The dolls had braided fabric hair, red cheeks, and small red lips. Little girls gathered at the table, fascinated by the dolls.
The old woman said to a girl eyeing a doll in a green dress, "Do you like this doll?" She held it near the girl's face. "She looks like you." The girl tugged on her mother's skirt, whispering, "Mom, I want her, please!" Her mother frowned at the price—one Kirto—looking disinterested. But the old woman added, "Each doll has a charm to protect from fire's harm. Your daughter is beautiful and will grow into a lovely young woman. She'll have jealous friends who might wish her ill!" The mother took out a Kirto. "If I buy you this, no candy from the stalls." The girl nodded eagerly, "Okay!"
Seeta thought of her little sister—She would have loved these dolls… Karo… She would have loved them. Actually, I would have loved them, too. She muttered, "This day is so different from ours in Bial."
Mika stretched his back, muttering, "Ah…" He glanced around at the couples and groups attending the festival, some holding hands, dancing in circles to the music. Girls wore slightly worn but beautifully patterned dresses. They spun, and their skirts billowed. He watched them steal quick kisses behind the food stalls, hidden from adults.
Maybe I'd have brought Seeta here if I'd ever come to this festival…
Mika looked at a nearby stall filled with homemade candies. He checked to make sure no one watched him, then sidled up so his back faced the stall—snatching a few pieces and slipping them into his pocket. Seeta saw, her eyes going wide.
She said quietly when he returned, "A thief, too? Wow!"
Mika hissed, "Shh! Don't rat on me!"
Commander Sabana said sharply, "Seeta, don't lose focus. Do you see any black souls here?"
Sabana had a fierce, narrow face, her hair in a ponytail with shaved sides. Seeta quickly focused, activating Nieth's eyes. A third eye appeared on her forehead, with two more on her cheeks below her own.
Seeta scanned the crowd, seeing white auras surrounding everyone. She should report if she spotted any black auras—those belonged to Light descendants.
She said, "I don't see any black auras here, Commander."
Commander Imimka asked Mika, "What about you?"
Mika, with two circles of eyes crossing his face, said, "I don't see any black auras."
Sabana and Imimka exchanged bored looks. Imimka moaned, "Ugh, we're not even allowed to enjoy the festival? I really wanted to come here this year."
Sabana maintained her vigilance. "We literally learned this first thing in the academy! We guard gatherings and places black souls might attack. This is the festival celebrating victory over the Lights. What else did you think?"
Imimka said irritably, "That's news to me."
Sabana gave him a look of disbelief, then muttered, "How did you even graduate?"
Elsewhere in the festival, stalls offered a variety of foods: shredded carrots with sugar, dried fruits, crispy potato pies. Arlo, standing with his leader Noel, used Nieth's scattered eyes across his face to watch the square. He'd never tried these festival foods. Perhaps I'd have brought Inini here. She could eat until her cheeks were like they were when she was eleven—full and rosy. Maybe we'd have played with kites or a ball, like other kids…
A ball rolled up to Arlo. He bent to pick it up for a child. The kid's smile vanished the moment he saw Arlo's extra eyes. A woman ran over, snatching her child away. "Stay away from these Light descendants! Do you hear me?!"
Arlo stared as she led her child away in anger. Why? Why is she looking at me with such hatred?
His heart pounded, scanning the unfriendly faces. They hate me. They don't want me here. Arlo struggled to breathe. Noel gripped his shoulder when she saw him, "Arlo?"
He didn't respond, couldn't hear her. His breathing was shallow. She stood in front of him, saying more gently, "Arlo, are you okay?"
He saw her worried face, and his heart began to calm. He murmured, "I'm sorry."
Noel smiled. "It's okay." She glanced around. "I get nervous at this festival, too—too many people."
Arlo managed a smile. Noel then said eagerly, "Do you see any black souls?"
Arlo scanned around with his eyes, arranged like a bow from his forehead to his jaw. "No. There's none."
Noel stretched. "All right, if there aren't any black souls, we can take five minutes to rest." She leaned close, face mischievous. Arlo took a step back, startled, until she asked, "Can you show me your wings now?"
Arlo laughed nervously. "Commander Noel, I've told you, I don't have wings!"
Nearby stood Ayk with his leader Ino, both also on guard. Ino patted Ayk's shoulder. "Stay alert, Ayk. We don't want anyone here getting hurt."
Ayk replied firmly, "Yes, Commander Ino!"
He thought, Skiki would've loved to come here to sell her baked goods. She'd earn good money. I'd help, but Mika would just chase girls all day, demanding money at day's end. Skiki might not have the best fruits or vegetables, but her bread is amazing…
Commander Sol called out to Commander Heemi, who stood beside Inini. "Heemi!"
Heemi replied, "What, Sol? Do you need something?"
Sol said, "No, but you can take a break if you want. I'll handle these two."
Heemi gave a sarcastic laugh. "It's all right. I can handle a few more hours."
Sol grew tense. "I didn't mean—"
Heemi chuckled. "I know." Then she said, "Inini, do you see any black souls?"
Inini watched the festival's carefree girls. She'd never attended anything like this. If Bial had such a festival, maybe I never would've worked for Azar… maybe I'd have been a candy seller or an actress in the play. Something else…
Heemi repeated, "Inini…"
Inini snapped to attention, "Yes! Oh—black souls!"
She activated her vertical Nieth eyes along her forehead, seeing only white auras. "No black souls."
Sol said, "Fojta, stay alert."
Fojta, with a line of eyes below her own, replied coldly, "No black souls here."
She thought, All this dominant white… as if their happiness keeps them pure. Is that why my spirit is black? This white color… it's so annoying.
Nier and Elir stood with their leaders, Berko and Rin. Nier smiled, watching the festival with excitement. It really was beautiful—children's laughter, food, games. If only the children of Bial had experienced this… Nier thought he'd have seen this play a hundred times, eaten sweets until I got sick, dragged Elir along to play every game, brought my little brothers every year… But none of them had ever attended.
Rin said to Berko, "This is our first time missing the festival, huh?"
Berko replied mockingly, "We're in the army now, and you're still thinking like kids, Rin. Focus on your mission."
Rin laughed nervously. "I didn't mean— All right…"
Nier kept gazing around. He pictured his younger brothers with balloons shaped like animals, popping them over and over, crying for more. The balloon seller shaped the balloons, making animal sounds for the laughing children.
A little girl demanded, "We want a magic trick!" The kids shouted, "Yes, show us another one!" The man pretended to be exhausted, "You kids are wearing me out! But all right." He opened a box. "Are you ready?" The children leaned in. He opened it, and a golden-beaked bird flew out.
They all squealed with delight, drawing a larger crowd. "That bird…" Rin gasped, "It's the golden-beak bird!" Nier asked, "What?" Rin explained, "I've heard stories, but never saw one. They say it got a golden beak from pecking Light wings to help humans during the war!"
Nier listened intently—until a sudden, sharp pain jabbed his side. What happened? Did the bird peck me? He looked around, seeing Elir's furious face first. Nier followed Elir's glare to Berko, who stood holding a weapon, glaring in a frightening voice.
Berko said, "Why are you talking without my permission?"
Before Nier could reply, Elir had seized Berko's hand, anger dancing in his eyes. Nier knew that look well. Berko hesitated, the rage in Elir's eyes rooting him in place.
Berko shouted, "Rin! How dare you let your subordinate speak to me like this—and worse, put his hands on a commander!"
Rin looked worried. "Elir…" His voice drowned in the children's excitement as the golden-beaked bird flew around. One boy raised his hand for the bird to land on.
His sister laughed, "It likes you!" She didn't finish her sentence before a piece of hot, sticky flesh hit her face. Her vision turned red. She wiped away the hot chunks, searching for her brother… but saw only a headless body. His head had exploded. Those pieces of raw meat… his eyes, his cheeks. She realized it with a scream.
The balloon seller stumbled backward, crashing into the birdcage, freeing more golden-beaked birds that spread through the festival, exploding.