[Falla]

Nox Nocturnalis
Festival of the Night

There was a brief squeak of feedback over the speakers as Katrine Dmitriev took the microphone, standing near the banquet table on the far end of the decorated town square. The entire square was made up to emphasize light and dark – the dark storefronts were covered in nets of tiny lights to mimic the stars that twinkled in the open sky above, the twenty or so dining tables were covered in black velvet tablecloths, and on each one of those tables were three lanterns of the same design as the ones they would soon be floating downriver.

“Alright, everyone!” she called out, “We’re going to eat until midnight, and then it’s time for the lantern ceremony! Enjoy your delicious meal; bask in the wonderful decorations – you have Lesallia Surish to thank for putting them up! Give her a round of applause!” There was a roar of applause as Lesallia stood from her table and took a small, rather hyperactive bow, cheerful as ever. When she was finished and the applause died down, Katrine continued: “Now, we owe the success of tonight’s Nox Nocturnalis to our very own Ryuko Sunder, so if you get a chance during the festivities to thank him, do so. He’s planned everything you’re enjoying tonight, from the meal to the placement of the tables, to the schedule for every event… He’s kept us all in line and made this night possible, so thank you Ryuko!”

Ryuko stood and nodded at the crowd, smiling wanly. He sat down before the applause even ended, and Katrine finished up her speech.

“Now, eat, drink, listen to the music I’ve arranged for you, and enjoy your Festival of the Night!”

The night air was filled with the clanking of dishes and the light murmur of conversation. Sweeping, airy music that fit the mood and the night perfectly filtered through the speakers that were tied to each lamppost around the town square’s perimeter. Ryuko, ever the perfectionist when it came to these traditional holidays, barely touched his food as he observed the festivities, making sure everything was going according to plan. Just as he was mentally timing the dinner according to the lantern ceremony at midnight, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Ryuko turned to see Virgil Marks standing beside him, a plate in hand as apparently the other shopkeeper was already on his way to get second helpings of something.

“You seem to take this very seriously,” said Virgil, smiling warmly as he motioned to the entire town square.

Ryuko sighed. “It’s part of my culture,” he said simply.

“You know I don’t even understand what all this is about?” Virgil’s smile turned into a bemused frown.

“It’s a celebration of our moon… Toamna.” Ryuko looked up at the aforementioned moon, full and bright in the night sky and just over the Western River.

“The legend is that Toamna is where the dead rest. They are guided by the Twins of guidance, Faust and Falla, who wield the Fati Luxphera orb as a beacon for lost souls… To celebrate the myth, we light the lanterns – which symbolize both the light of the Fati Luxphera, and the souls that it guides – and let them float down the river – which symbolizes the darkness of death and the night sky where Toamna shines. It is an old tradition, dating back from before it could even be written down…”

Virgil chuckled, patting Ryuko on the shoulder, “You’re so old-fashioned, you know that?” He shrugged. “Well, it’s good for business, anyways. Have a nice Festival of the Night, Ryuko. Thanks for all this… And thanks for the story…”

As Ryuko watched Virgil walk to the banquet table, he hoped desperately that not everyone was so blasé about the traditions he held so dear.

____________________

At midnight, the moon was as high as it would ever be and the sky around it was as dark. It almost seemed like the stars had extinguished themselves in honor of the ceremony. Ryuko distributed the lanterns and Pandora Karsalia lit them – a team that Ryuko was less than happy about, but the others were busy either cleaning up or had families and friends of their own they were celebrating with – as all the townspeople waited for everyone to finish getting their lanterns before setting them on the river.

As the last lantern was lit and all the people were lined along the river, it happened: a bright flash in the sky, followed by a rain of sparks that shot in every direction. For a short time, everyone looked pleased and a spattering of applause broke out. They thought it was all part of the festival, and for good reason – the sparks were perfectly timed with the beginning of the lantern ceremony. Ryuko knew better, however, and soon the townspeople did as well.

The sky went dark again for a heartbeat before an even larger, even brighter flare of light lit it up again. This light came down, down, down – it got closer and closer to the crowd of people, who scrambled away a distance until they knew whatever it was wouldn’t strike them. The expressions on the shopkeepers – the ones who had organized the ceremony in the first place – told everyone that this was not according to plan.

At first, the light was so bright that they couldn’t see what was at the center of it. Then, as it landed right in the moon’s reflection on the river, they all saw what it truly was: two people, one carrying the other in his arms, who were pale white and glowing. The male figure was the one carrying the other, a female, and, completely ignoring the fact that he was almost waist-deep in the river, he looked at the line of stunned citizens. He had the bluest eyes of anyone Ryuko had ever seen, and the palest skin, the whitest hair…

“I am Faust,” said the male, whose voice was powerful and refined. “This is my sister, Falla… We are the Twins of Guidance and we dwell in Toamna, the moon. It is of great importance that we reveal our existence to you now, People of Karin, for we desire your help.

“Something grave has happened. The Dark God Braen has shattered the Fati Luxphera, the orb of souls, in an attempt to reignite the fires of war…”

Finally, the ethereal figure stepped from the river and onto the grassy riverbank. He set the woman – Falla, his twin sister – on the grass gingerly. She still had not opened her eyes, but Ryuko knew that they were as unsettlingly blue as Faust’s. Falla clutched something in her hands, and Faust gently pulled away her grip.

“These are the shards of the Fati Luxphera,” he said. Tiny, crystalline shards rested in Falla’s palms, and several people gathered around to get a closer look as he displayed them. “We must find the rest of these, and repair the orb… I must watch over my sister – I will help as much as I can, but it is of you that I ask this task, my People. Help us repair the Fati Luxphera; help us guide the souls that it cannot… until it is whole again…” Faust seemed to stare each one of them in the eye, though it was impossible for him to do so. His seriousness and desperation permeated every word.

“Do these things for us, and your assistance will be repaid in full.”