Family Ties

As Ray ran back to the village, he couldn't help but to observe his surroundings. To his left was the training ground for all of the young Sunbringers that lived on the island. He had countless memories of this place, and the ground was littered with countless craters all over from the clashes of aspiring warriors.

He then looked to his right, where there was a farm and an apple orchard. Once a year, he would go apple picking with his mother and his younger sister, Fleur. He remembered the time when he got lost as a 5 year old and sat on the base of a tree, crying for someone to help find him. It wasn't until a few hours later when his dad finally found him sprawled out on the ground fast asleep, using a pile of moss he had gathered as a pillow. His father had picked Ray up and carried him back to the village, still asleep in his arms, after which he had tucked Ray into his bed so he could sleep more comfortably.

Ray stopped right in front of the village entrance with a quick sigh and ran around the side of the village until he found an obscurely hidden cave right beside the village wall. He ducked down and entered the cave, before opening a wooden hatch that served to keep it hidden even further.

He jumped down through the hatch into a massive cavern with a large rock sitting in the center. On the rock were countless slice marks, giving it a worn out appearance.

His mind flashed back to one moment, 8 years ago. It had been the day just before his father had left when he introduced Ray to this cavern.

"If you ever want to leave this place, don't do it before you obtain what's inside that stone over there!" Had said his dad with a chuckle before ruffling Ray's hair with his hand. "You come from a long line of legendary figures, each of which has carved their name into history in their own unique way. And it all starts with breaking one of these stones."

"Dad, today is the day I'm breaking this stone. And I won't do it in more than a single swing." Said Ray, as the light began to bend around his waist, revealing a snow-white sheath with a sword inside of it.

Ray pulled out his sword, revealing a spotless, silvery blade which shone with the dim moonlight that protruded into the cave from the open hatch above.

He walked over to the stone without making a sound, stopping just before he entered the right distance to be able to cut the stone.

Ray closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them and glaring at the stone. He brought his sword back to his waist before stepping forward to slash the rock with a slightly upwards trajectory.

His sword easily passed through the rock exterior of the stone. However, as his sword approached the middle of the rock, he heard a clang and a sizzle as his sword made contact with a hard, metal substance.

The top half of the stone slid off, revealing a sword made of a pitch-black metal-like substance. Ray looked towards his own sword to find that it had snapped in half while making contact with the handle of the blade contained within the bottom half of the stone.

He threw his sword to the side before slowly walking over to the stone. Unlike before he had cut the stone, Ray could now feel an intense heat radiating off of it, despite his extreme level of heat resistance due to being a Sunbringer.

As he walked even closer to the stone, the heat intensified even further, and as he now stood directly in front of the stone, the heat felt so intense that Ray felt as if his skin had begun to just melt off of his body, exposing his fleshy insides to the world.

However, when Ray looked towards his own body, he found it to be completely fine, as if the burning sensation he felt was just a mere illusion.

With a newfound sense of assurance, Ray brought his hand up and placed it on the handle of the blade. Suddenly, his vision began to blur before going black.

Ray found himself within a completely black void, floating in a sea of nothingness, unable to move in any direction.

"Wh- Where am I?" Exclaimed Ray out loud with a mix of shock and fear in his voice.

A bright light flashed from in front of Ray, blinding him temporarily. Ray covered his eyes to protect them from the light, and when the light faded and he removed his hand out from in front of his eyes, he saw a blurry, white silhouette standing directly before him.

"So you're going to be my wielder." Said the silhouette in a feminine voice. Ray tried opening his mouth to respond, but found himself unable to make any noise.

Suddenly, there was another flash of light and Ray found himself back in the cave with the sword in his hand, it's blade contained in a black sheath with orange, vein-like patterns running throughout it like rivers of lava. Ray felt a sudden pain in his head as he began to lose his memory of what had just happened.

"Ack- What just happened?" Said Ray, staring in shock at the blade now in his hand.

A bell resounded from above, signaling that it was now 5 minutes until midnight.

"Shoot, I've gotta go." Exclaimed Ray, absentmindedly placing the sheathed sword at his waist before jumping up through the opening above him and closing the hatch, exiting the cave afterwards.

Ray began to sprint towards the massive mahogany doors that served as an entrance to the village, paying no attention to the masterful craftsmanship that was displayed with the doors.

Ray ran through the main street of the village, not looking to either side, where many bars and inns had their doors open and light shone through their windows, laughter and voices resounding from inside.

Ray made his way to a circular opening in the middle of the village, where a sundial was located in the center with an old man standing directly next to it.

The old man had greying hair with a slight tinge of yellow still giving it some color. Below the man's blue eyes were three horizontal, yellow slits, just like the ones on Ray's cheeks.

"Ray, there are three minutes left before midnight. It seems like your characteristic of arriving just on time hasn't gone away yet." Said the old man in a raspy voice with a hint of laughter.

"Hey, Grandpa. Sorry for being so punctual all the time." Said Ray to the old man.

"Are you ready to hear about what you have to do for the coming of age ceremony?" Asked Ray's grandfather in a serious tone, the laughter that had previously been present disappearing from his voice altogether.

"Sure am." Said Ray in an assertive voice.

"Alright. I'll only say this once, so pay attention." Began his grandfather, as a crowd of people began to gather around them. "You must make your way to the grand chief's family burial grounds along the route that leads from the southern exit of this village. Along the trail are three Sunbringer warriors who you must either defeat in battle or escape from to move along on the trail. I will be waiting for you at the burial grounds. If you do not make it before dawn, in 5 hours, you will be considered to have failed and will not get to choose whether to stay or leave, and will have to stay here at the archipelago. Do you consent to this trial?"

"I do." Responded Ray in an unwavering voice.

"May the guardians be with you. You may begin the ceremony." Said his grandfather, as Ray sprinted off towards the southern entrance of the village after his grandfather had finished speaking.

A middle aged woman emerged from the crowd of people. She had dark green hair, showing that she had reached at least the sixth level of Sunbringer cultivation. Her eyes were an emerald green, and had a look of worry in them. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Is this really fine? His ceremony is much more difficult than that which is given to anyone else. Most people only have to make it to the burial grounds, not fight warriors on the way there." Said the woman in a worried voice. "One task is difficult enough. Two is nearly impossible, don't you th-"

"I understand your worry, Virgo, but for Ray to even be capable of attempting to accomplish his ambitions, he must be at least capable of this. You do understand just how daunting the task of climbing the heavens claws is, do you not?"

"Yes, but-"

"Do not question my decisions. Whether Ray succeeds or fails is only up to him now." Said Ray's grandfather, cutting off Virgo once more before walking off towards the eastern entrance to the village, leaving the crowd in a state of pure shock.