Comic:
Light-Hearted
An alternate title card.
Listen to the music below if you wanna:
i’ll be okay in the end - YouTube
They live in a dark place.
It’s a place named Pluto. A cold, desolate planet far away from the sun. And yet, life touches these barren soils.
Even in the deepest seas, there is life. Creatures that have adapted to the extremely harsh conditions of their environment. So too, there is life that clings here.
The people who live here call themselves Plutonians.
Thousands of years ago, the planet’s landscape was full of lush gardens and forests, with sunflowers stretching for miles.
And then one day, with no warning, Pluto’s sun began to burn out. Slowly, but surely, all organic life began to die in the darkness.
Today, of the many beasts that once walked Pluto, only their skeletons and fossils remained.
Amongst their corpses, a new type of life emerged. Life that could create it’s own light in the deep darkness. They are known as the Lumin.
By the light of these creatures, the Plutonians find warmth and a semblance of the sunlight they once knew, long ago.
(A/N: If you’d like access to the encyclopedia, please click here.)
Long ago, such affliction was unheard of. One merely had to step outside. There was plenty of light to keep people healthy.
Now, they struggled to find enough light to stay alive.
Some were not so lucky.
Without regular light exposure, one would become blind and slow, and eventually die of sickness. Many of the elders die of this affliction.
(A/N: If you’d like access to the encyclopedia, please click here.)
These two Plutonians are making an important pilgrimage across the desert to meet a very powerful Lumen.
They are both members of the Phlegmatic nation, and go by the names Ziggy and Cotory.
Despite their brief respite, they must push forward into the darkness. Their journey isn’t over yet.
They approach the edge of the desert. Here, the land meets water.
The two quietly wait on the shore, at the location the Shepherds told them to.
Eventually, they see light playing across the lake’s surface. They look in the direction of the light for its source.
The light is coming from a ferry in the distance. It slowly approaches the two Plutonians. Luckily, Ziggy and Cotory are still young and healthy enough to see the boat clearly.
As the ferry comes closer, they can more clearly see where the light in coming from.
The riverman has arrived, with bright jars aboard to light the way.
”How much ya got?” The ferryman shouts.
The two unlock their Hearts and show the ferryman two lightflies. After arguing over the price, they settle on 5 lightflies.
The ferryman accepts the trade, and the handful of lightflies are coaxed into the glass jars beside him.
The plutonians climb aboard and are taken to the North Star.
The North Star is the Lighthouse of their nation. It is one of the four lighthouses built in each of the four united countries.
The plutonians are greeted by two Lumen at the lighthouse.
The lumen invite them into the lighthouse. The two Plutonians climb the stairs lined with jars. Lightflies were commonly used as a form of currency. The Keeper of the Lighthouse must be very rich.
The butterflies are stored at the lighthouse and released to feed the Keeper’s partner at the top of the tower.
END OF PART 1
The second group to cross the lake that day are not as lucky. They are older and their vision had already deteriorated, making their travels across the desert much more difficult.
The ferryman has already left, and will not be coming soon. It could be days or weeks.
Yet something shines on them from further across the lake.
It stops moving. They watch the light cautiously. Curious, they come closer to the edge of the shore.
The light is calling to them.
”Hello? Ferryman?” They say.
”Pay your butterflies to cross.” A voice grumbles back.
“You left with the younger ones already. How did you come back so soon?” The plutonian asks.
”Can’t you see it’s me, the ferryman? How skeptical you are…. Have faith…” The stranger’s voice replies.
Grabbing the key around his neck, the plutonian moves to unlock the butterfly’s cage.
He inserts the key into his mask.
His own butterfly sits within the cavity of his face. The plutonian’s precious partner flaps gently.
”Is it the ferryman?! Finally! Open the door already,” Shouts the butterfly.
“Towards the light, love.” The Plutonian says in a reassuring tone.
Other butterflies quickly followed chase after the bravest one.
”I see the moon!”
”Ferryman, are you still there? Can you see my butterfly?”
”Yes, I’m here... We can’t depart until I’ve collected them all.”
A great splashing noise. The Plutonians squint, and see a blur in the water.
A great beast springs up out of the lake and eats up all the butterflies in one swoop.
It slowly begins to swim away without a word.
A Lumin had fooled the Plutonians and taken advantage of their poor eyesight. The Plutonians realized too late that there was no ferryman after all.
They had no choice. They had to wait for the real ferryman to return.
End of part 2.
IDK filler panel, didn’t get to use
Like the other two travelers, they were following the light of the North Star, which is visible for miles across the flat sands. They are almost there.
From here, they can see where the North Star lives. Great hands lift the star up to the sky.
The North Star is the Lighthouse of their nation. It is one of the four lighthouses built in each of the four united countries.
From here, the Lighthouse Keeper Gery observes the events unfolding across the lake. Plutonians continue to gather for passage.
It will soon be more dangerous for them to try to cross. The lighthouse was going out. Darkness would descend soon.
She decides to return indoors. She must try to send a message, using the house’s light.
Within the tower was her partner, a Lumin.
“Hello old friend. I must ask you for a final favor,” Gery says.
She asks the North Star to send a code to the Plutonians across the lake.
”ABORT.” Reads the message blinking from the lighthouse.
The lighthouse was already shining less brightly. Her partner wasn’t going to last long, now.
Gery flashes back to when they first met. As a little plutonian, she grew up alongside many Lumin. Her favorite was a Spiderlight named Dimwit.
In their youth, it felt like they could do anything together.
Now, Dimwit was pregnant and dying. They dutifully send the message until the North Star is no longer strong enough to continue.
The message is recognized, and Gery breathes a sigh of relief. She thanks Dimwit, as the rest of the travelers begin to turn around back. It would be a long time before it was safe to allow them to return.
The spiderlight breaks open with a great crack. Her children would be born and looked after. Gery had promised this.
Dimwit’s eggs spill out across the floor with a cascade of clinks.
That’s all for now. Leave a comment if you liked….
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