Chapter 10 - Twilight
The light from the projection flickered — shifting from gold to pale white.
Damon's eyes followed the images hanging in the air. They didn't feel like stories anymore. They felt like memories — raw and real.
He leaned forward, the dog resting its chin on his arm, both watching silently.
His mother's voice softened.
"It started with a conversation… about apples."
And as her words echoed, the light formed shapes — a marketplace, laughter, the smell of fruit carried by the wind.
A man stood by a stall, bartering over apples.
This...is where Gamishi's story begins.
Gamishi stood at a market stall, bartering over a basket of fruit. His son tugged his sleeve, laughing.
The man had eyes like sharpened steel and a calm smile that made strangers trust him.
A man approached — tall, cloaked in grey. His voice low.
"I'm guessing that's Kroxus in human form" Damon stated.
"Yes" his mother replied. "Watch carefully."
"The apples this season aren't as sweet as they used to be," he said.
Gamishi didn't look up. "That's because most eterna users fled with Saro. Our crops lost their touch."
The stranger hummed. "Makes sense. Oh—where are my manners? My name's Kalev."
Gamishi nodded politely, still focused on the apples.
"You don't seem like a local, Kalev."
Kalev smiled. "Maybe not. But I can offer something you'd want. For you… and your family."
Gamishi finally turned to him, one brow raised.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kalev leaned closer. "When was the last time your sons had a true taste of what this earth has to offer?."
Gamishi's hand tensed. He signaled to his son, "Haruki, go play near the fountain."
When the boy left, Gamishi turned — his tone sharp. "Talk."
Kalev chuckled. "Straight to business I see"
"Walk with me" Kalev said. Calm but commanding.
Gamishi obeyed.
After a couple minutes of strolling.
"You said you had way, Kalev — a way for things to go back to the way they were"
"Kalev?" asked Kroxus. "Oh yes...that's me"
Then his face flickered. The calm grin twisted, his skin shifting like smoke.
And suddenly, Gamishi wasn't looking at Kalev anymore.
He was looking at Saro.
Gamishi stepped back, eterna flaring from his hands like fire.
"You're supposed to be gone Saro, why are you back?."
Saro smiled. "You need not fight anymore, Gamishi."
"The children on this planet are thinning. The soil's dying. You see it too, don't you?"
"The soil's dying because of you!" Gamishi shouted. "All the blood you spilled! You poisoned it!"
Saro's expression didn't change. "You call it poison. I call it progress."
"Gamishi we are similar than you think"
"I am nothing like you, you bastard!" Gamishi yelled.
"Hmm, I only offered you fruit not fire. Yet you've offered me flames so far"
"Watch"
Saro's eyes glowed faintly, a crimson ring swirling around the iris.
Gamishi felt it before he saw it — the pressure in his head, his vision flashing.
Suddenly he was seeing things — his home, his wife Yuki, his sons.
And around them… soldiers. Cloaked. Watching.
"See?" Saro whispered. "I'm keeping an eye on you. For security reasons, of course."
"Stop!" Gamishi shouted. His voice broke. "Please… leave them out of this! What do you want from me?"
Saro tilted his head. "So you do understand."
He smiled. "We leave at sundown. Say your goodbyes. Soon your eyes will be open to the error of your ways."
And in a blink — he was gone.
Gamishi's heart raced. He ran, faster than his lungs could carry him.
"Haruki!" he shouted, grabbing his son mid-play. "We're going home."
"But I just started the next round!" the boy whined, laughing.
Gamishi didn't reply. His grip was tight — desperate.
He could still feel eyes on him.
And when Haruki glanced back, through the crowd — he saw him.
Saro.
Smiling.
The world slowed. The smile burned itself into the boy's memory like a scar.
At home, Gamishi burst through the door.
"Yuki! Akira!"
His wife turned, startled.
"It's only been a few hours, my love. I didn't know you missed—"
He kissed her — hard, sudden.
"Yuki… there's trouble."
Her eyes widened. "What happened?"
"I saw Saro," he said quickly. "He's here. He threatened you and the boys. I have to go to him before sundown."
"Go to him?" she whispered. "No… why not tell the council?"
"Because more will die! They'll fight without knowing what they're up against!"
She trembled, gripping his arms. "You can't just leave us!"
He looked at her, eyes soft, voice breaking.
"What's worse, Yuki — my death, or you and the boys suffering alone?"
She shook her head. "Don't say that."
Her hands pressed against his chest — she could feel his heart racing.
He smiled faintly. "The world was perfect once. Maybe I can remind him of that."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Promise me," she whispered.
He hesitated. "Yuki…"
"Promise me," she said again, her voice cracking. "Promise me you'll come back."
Gamishi took her hand, pressing it to his chest.
"I promise."
He kissed her forehead. The two boys watched quietly — one confused, one scared.
Yuki buried her face into his shoulder. "Please come back."
He didn't answer.
In a couple hours….
The sun was already sinking below the hills.
And in its fading light, Gamishi walked out — his shadow stretching long behind him.
Back in the throne room, Damon's mother stood silently for a moment, the light dimming again.
"That's where it began," she said softly.
"The war that would burn through all three planes." "But that was only the beginning"
Damon leaned back in the chair Hazel had made from eterna. The dog scratched behind its ear.
"So Gamishi went to meet him," Damon said. "Knowing it was a trap."
"Yes."
"Then he's either brave," Damon said quietly, "or stupid."
"You'll understand why soon enough." his mother replied.
The dog barked. "So basically, moral of the story — don't trust creepy apple guys?"
Hazel giggled. "Exactly, little one."
Damon looked up at the dragon symbol above.
Its shadow framed his mother with near perfection.
And for a moment, he wondered which side she stood on.
The thought lingered longer than it should have.
Her eyes were calm, something in them looked odd. But her tone had the weight of someone who'd chosen a side long ago.
He wondered if, this whole time, she was speaking to him as the Queen.
The dog yawned beside him, tail flicking.
"Guess bedtime stories hit different here," it muttered.
Damon almost smiled — almost.
"Damon, Gamishi's story is not over" his mother said in a serious tone.
If its not over, he thought, then what comes next?
End of Chapter 10– Twilight.