This is a filter Chapter, telling you, the reader. The backstory of Akari Homeland
Long ago, before the world was torn by shadows and strife, there existed a beacon of hope, 'Solmara', the City of Eternal Light. Built upon sacred ground where the divine once walked, its people flourished under the guidance of The Luminara Order, an ancient sect of mages chosen by celestial forces.
Their magic was unlike any other, pure and radiant, a gift from the heavens themselves. They were healers, protectors, and guardians of balance, wielding the very essence of the stars. To be chosen as a Luminara was an honor beyond measure, for it meant carrying the weight of the world's last divine power.
Among them was Akari, the youngest disciple in centuries to bear the mark of the Celestial Runes, a testament to her boundless potential. She was raised within the grand temple. Her days spent studying sacred texts, mastering the art of healing, and learning to summon light as effortlessly as drawing breath. She dreamt of the day she would take her place alongside her masters, defending the world from the creeping darkness that lurked beyond Solmara's golden gates.
But fate is cruel.
One night, beneath an ominous Blood Moon, the sky darken, thick black clouds, started to form. The radiant barriers that had safeguarded Solmara for centuries flickered…it started to crack more and more, and then the 7 layers of the barriers, shattered.
From the abyss beyond the Veil, they came.
Twisted, living shadows, creeping through the city like an unstoppable tide. No blade could cut them. No fire could burn them. They devoured the very light itself.
The battle was swift. The High Sage, the leader of the Luminara, called upon every last drop of his power to fight back. One by one, the mages fell. Ancient spells turned to dying embers, divine light swallowed by a void that knew no mercy.
In the midst of it all, Akari stood frozen, helpless, her hands trembling as she watched the only family she had ever known fall before her eyes.
And then… the High Sage turned to her.
His once-strong hands, now weak and shaking, traced glowing symbols upon her right arm, a final gift, a final curse, like a double edge sword.
"You must live… the light must not fade…"
Her protests were drowned out as reality twisted around her. A portal ripped through space itself, swallowing her whole.
When she awoke, Solmara was gone.
Her home, her people, reduced to nothing but ashes and silence.
Now, years later, she wandered, hiding the runes that marked her as the last of the Luminara. They were both a blessing and a beacon, the key to an ancient power long forgotten, but also a glowing target for those who sought to erase the last remnants of the light.