Not Children Any More

With each day, with each sunrise there is whole world dying. Within each sunset, there is new world being born. Not only light exists as something beautiful, darkness can also be gorgeous if you open your heart and allows yourself to see it.

The Land of Dawn is divided in two parts.
One part is light, one part is darkness and the two manage to maintain the balance needed to keep the world going.
Each of the two has its civilisation and is divided into many smaller parts as if they're organs of a living organism. One symmetric half is light, one is darkness.

If any of them becomes too powerful, the world will collapse. Darkness needs light and light needs darkness, none can exist without the other, but, of course, there is something in the middle, something that has the power to control both sides.

Onmyouji family has been the border between light and darkness for ages as the family that owns Seimei umbrella. It is an ancient relic that owns power of yin and yang, the sign of unity between forces of good and evil - light and darkness.

But there is a deeper meaning hidden behind the yin and yang symbol on this artifact. It is saying that in darkness there is some good and in light there is some evil and only the master of yin and yang arts is able to master skills required to control all of them through the umbrella.

One of them is Kagura. Since she is daughter of Onmyouji family with the most potential, she has received the umbrella as a gift. Although very powerful as she is now, there is much more she needs to learn to master the ancient arts of combat and achieve the status of legendary mage as her ancestors did.

She is a beautiful young girl that is growing each day, like a lotus flower that is the symbol of family after all. She has long white hair that is often decorated with a blue garland. She has pale skin and piercing blue eyes. Her kimono is also blue, reflecting her personality - calm and steady in most occasions. When all put together she is really alike a lotus flower, soft and gentle but also in need of a gently hand to guide her through dangerous world.

She is lucky to have that person to help her in her journey - her childhood friend, also appointed for her private guard by her parents, Hayabusa. His duty is to follow her wherever she would go and make sure she is alive, healthy and safe.

The two partners have traveled across the land, working and training secretly as the leading family has always been and will be enigma for all other people of the world.

As always, they are training early, before the dawn, when the powers of both darkness and light are equally strong, in a place hidden from curious sights. Only like that Kagura can release her full power. The two are sparing in a little clearing in the woods.

They are both ready. Kagura is standing on one side with her umbrella in hands. It is glowing slightly showing off its magic power - it is necessary for all spells she can do. The umbrella looks pretty simple. It is a blue umbrella with yin and yang design on the top of it and few pedants overhanging from the edges.

The boy was standing on the other side of the clearing, gripping his long blade while he was observing his rival. He was wearing a black armoured uniform with several red details. A long scarf covered his mouth as there was a golden trident symbol on his helmet.

"Ready to begin whenever you are Kag!" He said calling her by nickname he has given her when they were still kids. Those were good old times when nobody was asking them to do anything. They were free as birds and able to live without pressure of the outside world.

She soon started by sending her umbrella forwards, closer to her target. Hayabusa is relying on his blades and physical strength while Kagura is relying on her magic abilities and power of Seimei umbrella. Unluckily for her, the boy successfully dodged her attack and he threw several shurikens in her direction.

The girl thought fast. With a move of her hand, she disappeared as the umbrella glew brightly and she appeared where the umbrella was levitating, quickly picking it up and sending an energy wave towards Hayabusa from the behind.

As a skilled ninja he is, he dodged in ease using some magic himself turning into a shadow and jumping to Kagura's location slashing with his sword at the girl, hoping she would manage to deflect his attack... Perhaps, that way of thinking made his attack weaker?

Kagura remained calm, she left the umbrella there as she herself glided away from the blade keeping safe distance. Hayabusa tried following her but he could feel a strong bond between the umbrella and him and it was just pulling him harder as he tried to free himself from its grip. The umbrella was drawing his energy as the bond became stronger and stronger. In the end, it pulled him to the umbrella, sending him roughly onto the floor.

Kagura then recalled the umbrella back to her as she watched the boy on the ground. She knew him well, receiving a hit could only make him fight back harder.

As expected, her got up with additional will to win this little battle. He then turned into shadow again but this time, not just flickering to behind the girl's back but also landing few hits while moving. She couldn't defend it.

The girl fell to the ground. She was still physically weak and couldn't take much. As she fell, the ninja pointed his sword at her neck. Although he suffered more damage, she wasn't able to do anything since one move would result her death. They stood like that for a moment before he pulled away his sword and held out hand for her to grab.

"You fought very well. I'm impressed by the ways you dodged my attacks. You almost got me at some points." He said as he pulled her up.

"Thank you. I think that you also improved a lot since we started doing this. Before, you'd be done as soon as I got you with that last move but now, you just get up and keep fighting." She smiled.

He chuckled slightly and said: "I really appreciate all you say but it is really very easy. It isn't a secret that I would keep fighting 'til my last breath to impress you."

He took her hand as he stared right into her eyes trying to send her a message but before he could say anything else, Kagura shook his hand with an innocent childish smile as she said: "I'm very lucky to have such a great friend like you."

The girl either didn't realise or she simply ignored his attempt to flirt and show her the feelings he had for her. Maybe it was the best for their journey... or it just hardened the burder the boy needed to carry. At that point, nobody could know.

Just like that, they stood there recovering from the spar, the dawn was breaking while the rest of the land was slowly waking up. The two seemed to be in their own movie, keeping away from other businesses in the Land.

But not every story is that happy...

***

"What is a creature of light doing here?!" A man in black armour yelled. His body could be seen under his armour so nobody could see his facial expression but the voice was enough to show his anger. All they could see was a helmet and some green light emitting from under it. It was apparently not his skin though...

The person he was talking about approached as he bowed to the man in armour. "I'm sorry, my lord but I think you have underestimated me. I might be born on the side of the light but I serve to you only and nobody else." He said.

The person was wearing a shiny uniform with a blue rose and cape flying behind him. He has long wavy golden hair the shone under soft light of candles that were lighting up the dark room the two were in. By his belt, there was a sword holder where a mighty rapier, that glew slightly with a turquoise glow, was hanging as he moved. It was decorated with pure gold and enchanted by the most powerful mages in the world.

One more person approached to the two from the shadows. "Lancelot, am I right? The knight specialised in fencing, huh? Why would such a honorable being even wished to join us?" The lady asked.

Her appearance was frightening as she had medium straight white hair and big black horns striking out of her head. Her dress was also black her scarlet cape was flying behind her in abeyance. She also had small wings, like a real demoness she was.

After she approached enough and stood next to the figure in black armour, their guest Lancelot bowed to her as well before answering her question. "The answer is very simple. I want power and that is not something light can give me. All I ask you for is to teach me how to use magic in my favour and I will serve to you and only you, my Lord and Lady."

"You pathetic humans... You always slide with the powerful ones wanting to gain more power than you already have..." The man in black armour crossed his arms after stucking his long green black blade in the ground.. "You know that all I want is the Codex of Apocalypse, more than anything I want to become the fallen angel I used to be and you're using it to make me make you stronger, aren't you?"

Lancelot grinned. "Let's say I help you with that, you get the book, or whatever it is and I get power I wanted, fair and square and we both get what we want."

"Hm... What do you think Alice?" The man in black armour asked the lady who was standing next to him for her opinion

The demoness crossed arms. "I think he could be useful but he could also be very dangerous. It is your call, my Lord, but I tell you, if you accept him, he could help us a lot with getting the books we need from Swan Castle library... Think about it Argus"

Argus nodded in agreement. "I agree with that but is it worth taking risk of having a spy inbetween our people? I don't want to risk everything we have been working for by bringing in somebody like him..."

The dark stone dungeon went silent as the stones in walls and floors impatiently waited for the answer. Candles were silently burning and water was dripping from the ceiling while chains were hanging from the walls reminding Lancelot of what happens to him if they don't accept him as one of them.