The Ytherrian Luminary

The battlefield was silent, the air heavy with tension. Xalin stood in his Luminary form, his markings glowing brilliantly as his eyes, pure white, radiated with power. Roran, weakened and panting from the relentless onslaught of Liras blood arts, staggered but refused to give in. His shadowy form flickered around him, but there was something darker stirring within his gaze.

"I guess I have no choice," Roran muttered, his voice shaking slightly but filled with resolve. "If Im going to win, Ill have to use it."

Xalins glowing eyes narrowed, and a chorus of voices, deep and ancient spoke through him. "What are you planning, Roran? That power doesn't belong to you."

Roran ignored the warning and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small objecta gnarled, disfigured finger, ancient and crackling with dark energy. A shiver ran through the air as everyone felt the oppressive, evil presence radiating from the relic.

"This presence..." Xalins voice rumbled, sounding like the unison of several people, deep and ominous. "Crotus' finger."

Before Xalin could move, Roran smirked and devoured the cursed object. The moment the finger entered his body, Roran screamed as waves of dark energy surged through him, his shadows warping and twisting wildly, growing thicker and more chaotic.

Crotus, the ancient spirit of darkness and destruction, one of the primordial forces of the universe, was awakening within him.

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### The Beginning of Light and Darkness: The Tale of the First Luminary

As the dark energy of Crotus began to engulf Roran, Xalins mind drifted to memories that weren't his memories of the First Luminary, the being who had first hosted the spirit of light to combat Crotus. Xalins connection to the Luminary Spirit, known as Raelos, allowed him to access the past, to understand the long history of the eternal battle between light and darkness.

Long ago, before civilizations rose and before the elements were mastered, the universe was born from two primordial forces: Crotus, the spirit of darkness and chaos, and Raelos, the spirit of light and order. These two forces existed in eternal opposition, each trying to bring balance to the universe in their own way.

Crotus, with his ever-hungry shadows, sought to consume all life, believing that true balance could only be achieved through ultimate darkness and the erasure of all conflict. His belief was that only through the annihilation of everything could true peace be achieved no more suffering, no more pain, only endless darkness.

Raelos, the spirit of light, sought to protect life and guide it toward growth and enlightenment. Raelos believed that harmony could only be achieved through diversity, through the coexistence of all elements and beings, each contributing to the balance of the universe. Raelos, therefore, stood in direct opposition to Crotus, shielding the world from the eternal darkness.

In those early days, neither Raelos nor Crotus had a physical form. They existed as pure energy, manifesting through natural forces like storms, earthquakes, and solar flares. Their battles raged across the stars and planets, tearing apart the heavens and reshaping entire worlds.

It wasn't until the arrival of the First Luminary that this battle would take a new turn.

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### The First Luminary: A Battle of Spirit and Will

The First Luminary was not born with great power, nor was he from a noble family. His name was Teryon, a simple man, a wanderer, who traveled between villages, learning about the world and the people who lived in it. He had no elemental powers, no special skillsjust an unshakable belief that all life was precious and that the universe was meant for more than endless war.

It was Teryons heart, pure and full of hope, that drew Raelos to him.

At the time, the world was on the brink of annihilation. Crotus, tired of the constant balance, had started consuming entire continents with his shadows. Villages and cities vanished into the dark void, and no one could stop it. Raelos, unable to match Crotuss power alone, sought out someone who could host his light and use it to fight back.

One fateful night, as Teryon slept beneath the stars, Raelos appeared to him as a being of pure light, a glowing presence that descended from the heavens like a falling star.

"Teryon," Raelos whispered, his voice calm but urgent. "I have watched you for many years, and I have seen the goodness in your heart. The world is in grave danger, and I can no longer protect it alone. I need a vesselsomeone who can carry my light into the darkness and push back against Crotus."

Teryon, though afraid, knew in his heart that this was the purpose he had been wandering in search of. He agreed, and with a flash of brilliant light, Raelos merged with him, imbuing him with the power of the Luminary. From that moment, Teryon was no longer an ordinary man. He became the First Luminary, a being of light and power, capable of wielding the elements and channeling Raeloss divine energy.

But the cost was great.

---

 The Battle of the First Luminary

Teryons battle with Crotus was not fought with simple elemental mastery or physical strength. It was a battle of spirit and will, as the Luminarys light clashed with Crotuss darkness across the skies and oceans of the world.

With each strike, Teryon felt the weight of Raeloss power growing within him, but he also felt the crushing pressure of Crotuss overwhelming darkness. Crotus was relentless, consuming everything in his path, twisting the very air with his malevolent energy. The skies turned black as the shadows stretched toward the heavens, blotting out the sun.

For years, the battle raged on, with entire cities crumbling under the strain of their conflict. But despite his growing power, Teryon knew that simply fighting would not end the war. Crotus was too powerful, too ancient, and the balance could not be restored through force alone.

Teryon realized that in order to truly defeat Crotus, he needed to understand the darkness, to face it without fear, and to accept that light and dark were part of the same cycle. With this realization, Teryon called upon Raelos to merge deeper with him, becoming one with the spirit of light and unlocking the true potential of the Luminary.

In the final battle, Teryon faced Crotus head-on. Their powers clashed in a blinding storm of light and shadow, but this time, Teryon didnt simply push back. He used the power of balance, bringing light and dark into harmony. Instead of trying to erase Crotus, he contained him, trapping the spirit of darkness within a mystical prison deep beneath the earth, sealed away from the world.

But the cost was high.

Teryon, the First Luminary, used up all of his life force in the battle. His body became the prison that sealed Crotus, and his spirit merged fully with Raelos, becoming part of the eternal light. And so, with his death, the Luminary cycle began.

From that day on, whenever the world was threatened by great darkness, the spirit of Raelos would choose a new hosta new Luminary to rise and protect the balance. Each Luminary carried the wisdom and power of the ones who came before, but the battle with Crotus was never truly over.

Crotuss influence remained, festering in the shadows of the world, waiting for a chance to return.

---

Return to the Present

Xalins mind snapped back to the present as he watched Rorans body twist and contort, dark energy surging through him as Crotus power seeped into his very soul. Rorans eyes gleamed with malevolent energy, and his form grew darker and more monstrous as the shadows consumed him.

"You fool," Xalin said, his voice still echoing with the unified tones of the past Luminaries. "Crotus power will destroy you. You've become nothing more than a vessel for darkness."

Roran laughed, his voice twisted and demonic. "I am the darkness! And with Crotus power, I will finally bring true balance to this world through its destruction!"

The battle was far from over. Xalin, now fully awakened as the Luminary, faced a new threat the dark, corrupted version of Roran, who had willingly given himself to the spirit of destruction.

The fight between light and darkness, which had begun at the dawn of time, was about to begin once more.

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