The Land Of The Dying Sun

*Contains violence and strong language*

It had been eleven years since the Light-beings, the Hikarijin, arrived on Earth and the skies turned dim, casting an eerie shadow over the world. The once vibrant sunlight became a distant memory. Nobody knew what planet they came from; if they even have a home planet; or if they are a nomad species who travel from star system to star system to extract energy from the stars that sustain the locals existence. They silenced Earth’s leaders or anyone who tried to war with them. The Hikarijin held the world captive, or what was left of it, threatening the locals with starvation and hypothermia. Their rules were simple, “Welcome us as your Gods, and in return, we shall keep you fed and warm”. The people of Aomori were some of the few to accept the Light-beings as their Gods. The people’s devotion to them was strong and “genuine”, some might say. Although since the arrival of the Hikarijin, many had been imprisoned or killed for insubordination.

Sora sat in a bench at Heiwa Park. It was the last day of the Aomiri Nebuta Matsuri, their summer festival. The only festival the Hikarijin allowed the people to celebrate, with the condition that it was to celebrate the union of the Aomori and Hikarijin’s culture. Sora appeared to look like any other middle-aged local to Aomori, with salt-and-pepper hair , neatly trimmed and graying at the temples. Although he appeared this way, he’s true form was a lot less human. He sat by himself, waiting patiently for his purpose.

Hana Tanaka was an elderly lady in her late seventies. She sat next to Sora, and drank from a cup of warm apple cider. “Very cold August day, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Very cold and dark for an August afternoon, indeed” Sora replied. He was watching the entrance to the park attentively. Awaiting the Hirakijin ahead of the festival floats.

“Sorry, I don’t seem to recognize your face. Where in Aomori do you live?” She questioned.

Sora hid his annoyance. He managed to avoid these sort of questions all day. The people of Aomori kept themselves to themselves, so small talk was easy to avoid. “I live a few minutes from the park. I am a journalist and don’t go out much” he said quickly.

Hana had a puzzled look on her face. She had lived all her life in Aomori and knew almost everyone. Luckily, before she was able to ask more questions, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Astraia, one of the five Hikarijin in Aomori. She floated towards the park, her body emitted a soft, radiant glow on her pale blue skin. She looked beautiful, yet terrifying. Astraia stood before the park and extended her arms forward signaling the start of the prayers. Prayers were mandatory every morning and during festivities. Everybody, apart from Sora, started praying.

“O radiant Light-beings, we humbly offer our reverence to thee. Bless Aomori with your luminous grace, for it is in your brilliance that we find sustenance. May your energy cores pulse with vitality, nurturing our essence and providing us warmth in the embrace of your radiant aura. Grant us the gift of your nourishing light, that we may thrive under your benevolent watch. Astraia, Kiran, Solariel, Eclipsis, Pharos, may your luminance never wane, and your presence always shine upon our land. We pledge our devotion to you, seeking your continued blessings for our shared existence. O Hikarijin, guardians of light, we offer our gratitude and prayers for your enduring health and vibrancy.”

The people bowed and Astraia bowed back. She opened her hands and warmth spread all around, only for seconds, but enough for the very devoted to start crying with joy and bow to her a few more times. Making it look like they were in a metal gig for people with neck pain.

The warmth left the people, but not Sora. His body remained warm, but it didn’t bother him the slightest. Hana Tanaka seemed to feel his warmth. She stared at him, a shocked look on her face “The Messiah” she whispered. He ignored her, avoiding her questioning. She continued, “The warmth coming from you. Like the Messiah from our dreams”

“Oh look! The floats are coming” Sora said walking away from Hana. “Hm, so the Alliance warned them I was coming, but failed to tell me about it” thought Sora. Sora was an Astro Warden, sent by the Cosmic Oversight Alliance. An organization that stretches its influence across the universe, acting as an authority in maintaining peace, order, and justice in the vast expanse of space. For centuries now, they’ve been trying to reason with the light-beings. Suggesting unoccupied star systems for the survival of their species. Alas, some refused, claiming the Alliance was nothing but a conspiracy to overrule the cosmos.

The first Nebuta float entered the park. Reaching up a few meters, made with handcrafted paper art. The floats that once were painted with scenes from Japanese folklore and historical events, now were painted with images of the Hirakijin. The floats were adorned with LED lights that lined the edges and interior to enhance the vibrant colours of the artwork. The lights were powered by the other four Light-beings following each float. The Hirakijin remained oblivious to the warden standing in the shadows near the bench, allowing Sora to bide his time strategically.

“PEOPLE OF AOMORI. THE MESSIAH HAS COME TO SAVE US” shouted Hana Tanaka.

“Shit” said Sora pulling his Aether Disruptor from his pocket “I wasn’t ready yet, lady”. Eclipsis, the youngest Hirakijin and closest to Sora, attempted to flee upon noticing the weapon. Sora pointed the disruptor his way and fired. A focused beam of energy shot from the barrel of the weapon. This beam was tuned to resonate with the unique frequencies of the energies wielded by the Hirakijin. Its function was to instantly disrupt and nullify their powers.

The crowd panicked, creating chaos as they fled to safety. This gave Sora time to hide as Kiran scanned the crowd looking for him. Astraia was flying back, unaware of what the ruckus was about. She locked eyes with Sora. who was hiding behind a stall that sold warm apple cider, but before she could figure what was happening, Sora shot her, the radiant glow from her skin vanished as she fell to the ground. Her energy was drained making her weak and unable to stand. “Kiran! It’s a warden, he’s here” she tried to shout, but her voice was weak.

“Three down, two to go " said Sora as he quickly pointed his disruptor at Kiran and shot him before he had time to react. Kiran fell on top of the float, destroying it with the impact. Sora walked up to him.

“Oops! That took the Earthlings ages to build. They won’t be happy with me” Sora mocked “Ahh, here comes your friends.”

Solariel and Pharos were zooming towards the park. With a swift movement, Sora fired at both of them. Whistling and flipping his disruptor into the air and catching it, Sora walked towards Pharos. The crowd was gone now.

“I take it your the leader of this circus?” asked Sora

“Don’t look so happy, Warden. There is more of us on Earth. The other Light-beings are on their way here as we speak” Pharos said

“Oh don’t worry, there’s more of us too”

“Are you going to kill us, Warden?” asked Solariel, with tears in his eyes.

“Nah. We don’t like killing. The Earth people can decide what to do with you. With the strength you have now, I doubt you can even beat a human toddler at an arm wrestle. Although you will die eventually now that you don’t have the ability to take energy from the sun” replied Sora. He left the Hirakijin on the ground, walked towards the park entrance, then disappeared into thin air.

The Cosmic Oversight Alliance were hovering near Earth awaiting the return of the wardens, their ship facing the dying sun. Beams of radiant light extended from the ship’s energy-collecting rays, reaching towards the sun’s core. The beams seemed to weave into the very fabric of the sun, as if returning borrowed energy to its source.