Chapter 2 – The Voice of the Lost King
(Arc 1: The Awakening of Lumora)
A faint breeze brushed against Arin's face. The air smelled different—fresh, sharp, and ancient.His eyes opened slowly, the world swimming into focus. Towering trees surrounded him, their leaves glowing faintly with silver veins. A dim light shimmered through the fog, as if the forest itself was alive.
"Where… am I?" Arin muttered, pushing himself up. His school uniform was covered in dust, and the last thing he remembered was that blinding flash of lightning.
He touched his head, heartbeat racing. "Was that… a dream?"
But then he heard it—a voice, deep and echoing, carrying through the forest as if the air itself spoke.
"Arin Kaito… you have crossed the veil of worlds."
Arin froze.The sound wasn't coming from any direction—it was everywhere.
"Who's there?! What is this place?" he shouted, looking around desperately. But only silence followed, broken by the soft whisper of the wind.
He tried walking, but every direction looked the same—trees stretching endlessly. His footsteps crunched softly against glowing moss, and each breath he took felt heavier than before.
"Do not fear," the voice spoke again, gentler this time. "You stand in Lumora, the world that once slept beneath the stars."
"Lumora?" Arin repeated, disbelief in his tone. "This can't be real… I just want to go home!"
"Home…" the voice echoed, fading for a moment. "Even the lost seek home. But fate has chosen you, Seeker of the Forgotten Path."
Suddenly, a beam of pale blue light shone before him. From it emerged a floating crystal—cracked, glowing faintly. It pulsed once… twice… and a symbol flared on Arin's right hand, burning faintly gold.
"Agh—what is this?!" Arin shouted, clutching his hand. The pain was sharp but fleeting, leaving behind a strange mark that looked like intertwined circles.
"That mark binds you to Lumora," the voice declared. "It will guide you… and test you."
Before Arin could reply, the light flickered violently. The crystal shattered into fragments, scattering like dust in the wind.
The voice faded—
"Seek the ruins beneath the twin moons… and you shall find me."
Then—silence.
Arin stood motionless, the strange forest whispering around him. He looked down at his glowing hand, trembling.
"This… this isn't a dream anymore," he whispered.
Above him, two moons rose slowly in the darkening sky—one blue, one crimson.And in their glow, Arin Kaito's journey in Lumora had begun.