A Radiating Shadow of Light part 2

I woke again. This time I didn’t see a purple night sky. I saw the ceiling of a small room. I was in a small bed. Next to my bed was a lamp and some white clothes. I get up and put the clothes on. They are kind of loose on me, but I don’t mind. I glance at the mirror next to the mirror and see my reflection. I have jet black hair that covers my right eye. My eyes are a mix of red and purple, as if my eyes hold two identical galaxies. When I’m done fixing my hair, I open the door and find Lucio standing there. He wears what looks like an army uniform and a white band on his head.

“Good Afternoon, Aren!” he says cheerfully. I glance at the sheathed sword at his side and realize mine is missing.

“My sword-” I start to say but Lucio interrupts.

“It’s being repaired and polished.” he says. He pulls out a letter and hands it to me. “This is for you.” I hesitate to take it. Could I even read it? What if it’s in a different language? What if it’s execution order? My hands tremble while I reach for the paper.

“Who it f-from?” I stutter becoming nervous on the inside. He grins.

“Don’t worry Aren. It’s from the King.” he shifts his body as if he’s tired of standing around. “Let’s go to the dining room and you can read it there.” He starts leading me down various hallways until we reach the dining room. It’s a big room with a long table in the middle. On the table, there are plants lined up from end to end straight down the center. There are a few servants scrubbing the floor next to the table. One of them looks at me and smiles.

“Have a seat. While I go get you something to eat, you should probably read that letter.” And with that, Lucio leaves.

I open the letter and start to read:

Aren,

As a King I am honored to have you as our guest here at the capital city, Shirianne of Equibelle. Equibelle is the planet you are on. There are stories that say you’ve lost your memory. Until I can confirm these stories, I ask that you remain in Shirianne til I can see you in person. Unfortunately, I’m away at a council meeting for awhile. Lucio will take care of all your needs.

-King Arsencio

I fold up the letter and put it in my pocket. I wish the letter had more information, but the way it was written sounded like the King was in a rush to write it. I glance at one of the girls scrubbing the floors.

“How long have you lived here?” I ask, breaking the silence. She looks up at me with dark green eyes and smiles.

“My whole life. I just finished training as a doctor. I’m working here to earn money so I can move away to study other medicine.” she says with a strange accent.

“Can you tell me about Equibelle?” I ask.

“Equibelle has been our home planet for fifty years now. We found it out of hope and desperation. After having our other home planet destroyed, we changed. We became more kind to the planet that saved us, and it has been our home ever since.” she says this as if she were telling a tale.

“Who found this planet exactly?”

“Humans, like you and me. Their planet, Earth, was burning. So they gathered as many people as they could onto flying ships and left, seeking another home. They found it, and our species continued. There were a few wealthy groups that refused to unite with the rest of us and made home on the two moons in the sky. No one has heard from them ever since. Many think they died trying to survive on their own, but I think they are still alive.” she smiles at that thought, and continues scrubbing the floor.