Aethelos: The Bastard of Light

(SCENARIO: Streets of Aethelos in the morning. Strong sunlight. Then the large plaza of the Kingdom’s Headquarters, filled with young people.) · The day of the Selection dawned beautiful and sunny, but for Eli Cari, anxiety hung over him like a cloudy, rainy sky. Today was the day of truth — the threshold between the glory of the Solaris Academy and the humiliation of being forgotten. · Eli Cari has short, slightly messy dark-brown hair. Eli Cari has golden/amber eyes. Eli Cari wears a grey training suit with light armor details. · Yana has dark hair of medium length. Yana has green or light-brown eyes. Yana wears modest clothes. · He and Yana walked in almost total silence toward the Kingdom’s Headquarters. Yana was nervous, but she kept the calm expression of Éteris. The two were connected, united by danger, by their Mixed origin, and by ambition. · “We’re going to enter the same school,” Yana said, breaking the silence. “We have to think positive. The training wasn’t for nothing.” · Eli Cari clenched his fist, feeling the Sharp Light vibrating at his fingertips. “Yes, we’re together and we’re going to come out together. Since it’s survival, together we’re stronger. Don’t leave my side.” · Yana nodded. · The Kingdom’s Headquarters was packed with an absurd number of young people. There were veterans trying again, anxious newcomers, and a clear concentration of pure-blood Vindicari who radiated arrogance. The pure-blood Vindicari DO NOT HAVE WINGS. They DO NOT HAVE HALOS. They DO NOT LOOK LIKE ANGELS. They are tall, proud, with golden light auras and arrogant postures. · The noise was deafening, with the media recording the event. Until the Selection representative climbed onto the podium. The silence that followed was almost tangible. · “Ahem, ahem…” · But before he could speak, a muffled voice from the middle of the crowd echoed: · “Ooooh no! Someone stole my lunch!” · Someone replied, irritated: “Shhhiiii! Not now!” · In that moment, Eli Cari smiled coldly. He remembered someone who could have done that: the apple thief. The apple thief has lighter hair (light brown), an agile and light appearance. A small, inconvenient theft — an act of stealth performed right in the middle of the elite. The thief had kept his challenge; Eli Cari had not seen him in the crowd. · The representative coughed, his deep voice amplified by magic. · “Continuing. This year, the Selections will take place in the Forest of Noxi!” · Murmurs and panic exploded in the crowd. The Forest of Noxi was infamous — a wild and dangerous zone associated with the Noxian lineage, full of environmental hazards and shadow creatures. · The representative waited for the uproar to die down and continued, his words like sharp blades. · “…Whoever survives 48 hours in the forest and comes out alive will advance to the next phase.” He made a dramatic pause. “I also inform you that this year no one will be punished for attacking other competitors.” · Shock silenced the entire crowd. This year’s challenge was clear: it was not only survival against nature, but a war of all against all. They only wanted the strongest, the most brutal, the best. · The representative spoke the final words, cold and direct: “All competitors are to go to the forest now, because the challenge begins at 15:00.” · Eli Cari and Yana looked at each other. The plan of “staying together” was now a matter of life or death. The two ran with the crowd toward the forest, where the Shadow waited to test their Sharp Light and their Seed of Groien.