Chapter 5: my birth

Where am I? What am I doing here? What is this place?
Here I stand—and there stands a man. Should I walk toward him?

As I slowly approached the man, I noticed how happy he looked. Beside him stood a woman, equally joyful, smiling with gentle grace. The lady had long, flowing silver hair that shimmered like moonlight. Her eyes were sharp, feline-like, and glowed with a rare golden-silver hue. She radiated a peaceful warmth as she stood beside the man.

“Hoshi... Hoshi Luminar,” the bearded man said softly, cradling a small baby in his arms with immense joy.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Why am I here?” I called out.

They didn’t respond. Instead, they walked through me—like I wasn’t even there.
Am I dead?
No, I don’t think so.
Maybe it’s one of those dreams... or maybe, just maybe...

Wait—that man... he looks familiar. I’ve seen him before—only in dreams.
What’s he doing here? And that baby?

I stepped closer, trying to get a better look. As I peered down, I finally saw the baby’s face. He had different colored eyes—just like mine. His hair, silver and radiant, resembled that of the woman who gently held him. She carefully rocked him to sleep.

“One day, he shall rule alongside his father,” the man said proudly, voice filled with hope.

Suddenly—I woke up.

There stood Rose and Lyra, both looking at me with expressions full of hope and relief. Rose had soft hazel green eyes that shimmered like glowing Emeralds. Her long hair, a cascading hue of deep red, fluttered gently. She looked fragile but strong, like a flower rooted in stone. Tears filled her eyes as she smiled at me with joy.

Lyra, on the other hand, stood tall and composed. Her aura was calm but powerful. Her pale silver hair danced lightly in the air, matching the glint of her intense, almost glowing violet eyes. She looked at me with her usual amused smirk.

“Mind giving me some personal space?” I said groggily.

Rose let out a soft laugh, still overwhelmed with emotion. Lyra tilted her head with a teasing smile.
“I swear, you could’ve been dead by now,” she said flatly.

“What do you mean I would be dead?” I asked, confused.

“You’ve been asleep for more than four weeks. We were certain you were going to die,” she explained.

“Well… I’m not going to die. Not now. Not while he’s watching over me,” I muttered, rising slowly from the bed.

I staggered toward a mirror. My reflection stared back at me—silver hair slightly unkempt, and eyes... two different colors, both glowing faintly with something unexplainable. My hand reached out, instinctively searching.

“Umm... where’s my mask?” I asked.

“It’s in pieces, remember?” Lyra replied. “After our battle with the demon lord’s creation—the Fifth Mask?”

My eyes widened. The memories flooded back.

“I summoned the beast again... but this time, it carried hatred—intense, raging hatred. It was a beast of wonder and wrath. And you, Lyra—you left us to die,” I said coldly, turning toward her. “You abandoned us when we needed you most.”

Lyra’s expression didn’t change. “If I had stayed, you all would be dead,” she said sharply. “Rose told me that whatever came our way, she could handle it.”

“Well, she certainly didn’t have it under control,” I snapped. “She almost died, as you saw for yourself.”

“Her power was too much for her body,” Lyra responded calmly. “That’s not her fault.”

“And you, Masked One—you’re the weakest among us,” she continued. “You don’t even understand your own power. Or your own emotions.”

“Stop!” Rose commanded, stepping between us. “Enough fighting! Let Lyra explain about the demon lord’s creations.”

“Oh yes... the demon lords,” I muttered.

Lyra took a deep breath. “As we know, we already fought and defeated the fifth strongest among the seven. His name was Throkos—the bearer of the Mask of Sadness. Naive, yet terrifying. He delighted in hearing humans scream. We encountered him by accident. He would’ve killed us if it weren’t for you, Masked One.”

“Useless information,” I said. “Tell us about the rest. How strong are they? What are their powers? We need to know if we’re going to wipe them all out and save the humans.”

Lyra nodded. “If you’ll let me finish, their names are:

Zhilak

Korthok

Dorthys

Malkor

Throkos (defeated)

Veknor

Xyko

Each of them bears a unique mask. Throkos’s mask, when worn, allows you to see their past. But beware... the emotions are overwhelming. You must not be consumed by them,” she warned.

“So... if I wear the masks, I’ll be able to control my powers?” I asked, intrigued.

“It’s possible,” she replied, “but again—you mustn’t let the hatred inside them take control.”

“I’m willing to try,” I said.

“How about we test it out?” Rose said brightly, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Let me grab my armor,” I said as I made my way to the corner of the room. My samurai outfit hung waiting—sleek, black, trimmed in gold, battle-worn, yet powerful. I put it on carefully.

“We’ll go to the woods,” Rose said. “Where no one can get hurt.”

As we walked out, I reflected on the dream—or maybe memory—I’d had. I looked at Lyra, walking beside me with her silver hair catching the wind.

“Hey... have you ever wondered why our hair looks the same?” I asked slowly looking at Lyra who seemed to enjoy every step she took walking to the cruel woods

She glanced at me with a smirk. “Yeah. I noticed.”

“And you never thought to mention it?”

She laughed.

 “You looked just like the woman in my dream. Are you the one who was holding me as a baby?”

Lyra burst into full laughter. “You think I’m your mother?” she said, clutching her side, unable to contain herself.

I stared at her, unamused.

“Your father and my master—had you when I was still a child,” she finally said, tilting her head down wiping a tear from her eye. “And yes, that woman was my big sister. She was the strongest mage who ever lived it's said her power reached the of a celestial being just like your father .I know everyone speaks of her as a great hero and all powerful little do they know that my sister was actually carrying gentle and sweet she taught me everything I know today and the reason am a strong mage today I will follow in her foot step but Then your father appeared out of nowhere. They got married, and soon after, they had you.”

I froze. “And you only tell me this now?”

“Yes,” she said. “Because you had to figure it out on your own.”

She paused, her voice softening.

“My sister, your mother... she gave so much of her life force to bring you into the world. Celestial beings are powerful, and giving birth to one is no small task. She aged rapidly and... died a few months later. In her old age it was so painful to see my own flesh and blood slowly die out infront of my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it.”

“I thought we celestials were born from stars and the prayers of humans,” I said, confused. “That’s what Father told me.”

“Well, clearly he lied. You were born, just like the rest of us. But you carry divine power—so much power that your very existence holds this world together.”

“Oh... I see,” I whispered.

“And here we are,” said Rose.

The forest seemed dull and heartbroken all we could here are raging beasts far into the world but that raging sound was covered by the sweet beautiful majestic songs of the birds every single bird played it's own tune 

Lyra stepped forward, holding the mask in her hand.

“If I lose control... kill me immediately. Right, Rose?” I asked slowly taking the mask from lyra.

Rose’s face turned serious. “I’ll have no choice,” she said quietly.

I nodded.

Then, slowly... I put on the mask.