Many years ago, before humans inhabited Lunar, they lived on the Blue Star. The Blue Star--the original home to all humans and living creatures--was very peaceful under the watchful eye of the Goddess Althena…until one fateful day.

A dark entity known as Zophar appeared and began wreaking havoc among the blue planet. Nothing seemed to stand up to his great power…that is, nothing except the Goddess. But even so, Zophar’s power was so great, the Goddess was left with little choice...

Using her great powers, she destroyed the Blue Star, which took Zophar with it. The planet became nothing more than a barren wasteland…but there was still hope for those who had survived this monstrosity...

High above the Blue Star loomed another planet. Althena gathered the human survivors into her fortress, which she then used to travel to the small, isolated haven. She held her hand high as a bright light enveloped around her being, and she shed her brilliance onto the planet. It was only a matter of time before the planet began to change--it began to live.

The humans started over anew, living their life on ‘Lunar’ as they would have on the Blue Star. As time went on, the Blue Star and Zophar were slowly forgotten. New legends took place within this world, the most common being that of the Dragonmasters and Dragons, guardians of the Goddess.

But, like the Blue Star and Zophar, the legends too were slowly being forgotten…eventually the Goddess Althena passed on, leaving behind her children--her world.

Soon, the guardian of the Blue Star arrived to Lunar. It was a girl with powers almost second to none to Althena. Her name? Lucia. And she had come to save Lunar…

Zophar was returning to power and in doing so, he stripped Lucia of her power. Zophar eventually revived into Lunar; without the Goddess or Lucia, it seemed this world was doomed to a similar fate to that of the Blue Star.

Fortunately, the children of Althena stepped forward alongside Lucia. They showed Zophar their power--power that Althena blessed each human with. Zophar was once again stopped…hopefully for good this time.

Lucia, Guardian and Princess of the Blue Star, left Lunar soon after the battle. A human boy followed her to the Blue Star; his desire was to stay by her side for the rest of his life.

Zophar was gone now, and the Blue Star was slowly regaining life…yet even 500 years later, it still remains uninhabited…

LUNAR Awakening

I: Finding

Where am I? It’s so dark and cold…and silent…
What’s…that light? It feels warm…I can hear something…
It sounds like…a song…
Such a beautiful voice…but so very sad…who is singing?
I see something…a person…A woman? Such long, flowing hair…

“Huh…?” Kye sat up and looked around, his emerald eyes barely opened. Grogginess still clouded the young man as tried to collect his thoughts. “Who was that?” He ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair, which was currently in a mess. “What a strange dream…”

“Kye? Kye, are you awake yet?” A voice called out from outside his room; Kye recognized it to be his mother’s voice. At that time, she opened his bedroom door and looked him straight in the eye. “It’s past noon! Zack has been outside waiting for you!”

“What? Oh crap!” Kye immediately jumped out of bed and began to get ready. His mother, Anita, closed the door to give him some privacy.

“Your room’s a mess young man! When are you going to clean it?”

“Soon! Don’t worry, Mom!” Kye replied as he pulled his shirt down over his face and began straightening out the long sleeves.

Arhes was a small village, hidden in mountains and snow. Rumor has it that somewhere a little ways away from the village, there stood a monument honoring the greatest of the Dragonmasters of Legend. Monsters lurked about the outskirts of the village though, and no one bothered to challenge them anymore. Humans just wished to live peacefully, as they have for many centuries.

Only strong adults were allowed outside the village and they mostly left the village to hunt for food. No one has ever seen the monument or knew for a fact if it really existed though. But today, three normal teenagers will journey through the mountains in search of the memorial. And what they find there may change their lives forever…

“Just be sure to be back home by dinner, son.” Anita waved to Kye as he nodded his head, pulling the hood of his cloak over his eyes then marching out the door. The village was rather unusual today; quieter than normal, the air much colder.

“Yo, Kye!”

Kye turned around as another boy, slightly younger than himself, approached. “Ah, there you are, Zack. Ready to go?”

Zack smirked, “You bet I am.”

Zack and Kye have been best friends for as long as they could remember. They both believe they could possibly be brothers almost, if it weren’t for the fact that Zack was half-human, half-beastman, while Kye was pure human. He stood only a few inches shorter than Kye. Partial hidden under his messy, light-green hair were a pair of furry, brown beastman ears, which was how most could tell he wasn’t all human. At first glance, Zack would appear small and fragile. But due to his mixed blood, he is quite the opposite.

“Let’s go then.” Kye smiled as he began walking towards the village entrance, Zack following beside him. “So, did you bring a weapon?”

“It’s not that easy to hide my battle-axe under a cloak as it is for you and your swords, Kye. But--I did leave it hidden near the village entrance.”

“Good thinking. And we’re in luck, it doesn’t look like anyone’s hardly out today. They won’t even notice us leaving!”

“Heh, I know. But let’s hurry outta here anyways!” Zack said as he ran over to some nearby trees and began digging in the snow. It wasn’t too long before he pulled out a large battle-axe, about more than half his size. He strapped it onto his back then looked towards Kye. “Uh, Kye? Behind you…” But before Kye could fully turn around…

“What are you two up to this time? You better not be causing trouble!” said a female voice.

“Ah, c’mon Lana! Give us a break!” Zack groaned.

“Not until you tell me what you’re up to!” she demanded, placing her hands on her hips in a rather impatient fashion. Lana was the youngest of the three and also the cousin of Kye. Her long ebony hair was always tied up in a violet ribbon that matched her violet eyes and dress. Though sometimes pushy and bossy, she cared a lot for the boys and only worried for their safety.

“Okay, fine. We’re going into the mountains in search of the Ancient Dragonmaster Shrine,” Kye answered as he crossed his arms. He didn’t want to deal with this right now.

“What!? Guys, you don’t even know for a fact if that Shrine exists! And even so, it’s ancient!” Lana frowned as she also crossed her arms.

“Well, we’re gonna find out ourselves then. You’re the only one in this village that knows of our true strength. You know we can take care of ourselves, Lana, so don’t worry,” said Zack.

Lana sighed, “Yeah, I guess so. But…”

“But…?” questioned Kye.

“Can I come too? You can’t leave me out of everything forever!” Lana grinned.

“Lana, why-”

“Because I want to! Someone needs to watch out for you boys.” Lana interrupted Zack, who only shrugged hopelessly.

Kye sighed, “Alright Lana. Just stick close to us though. Who knows what awaits ahead.”

“Thanks Kye. I’ll try not to be a burden,” Lana smiled as Zack mumbled something under his breath. “What was that, Zack?”

“Nothing Lana!” Zack teased as Lana growled.

The three then made their way to Lana’s home, so that she could prepare for their trip. The boys decided to wait outside for her as she seemed to take her sweet time. Kye grew impatient fairly fast, then thought of a conversation…

“So. Zack. When are you going to tell her?” Kye grinned.

“Tell her what?” Zack eyed his friend questionably.

“Oh, you know. About how you really feel and all.”

“Wipe that stupid smile off your face! Lana is just a friend! I could never love her! Love is for idiots!” replied Zack, though one couldn‘t be fooled by the red on his face. “Who needs love? I’m happy living to go on adventures like this! I don’t need someone holding me back, like Lana always does!”

“Heh, yeah. I guess you’re right,” laughed Kye. “It’d be nice if she’d hurry a little though. Shouldn’t take this long for her to get a weapon…”

“She’s a girl, Kye. They like to take their time. It’s like they know it ticks us off to wait,” said Zack as he tapped his foot impatiently in the snow.

“Speak of the devil,” said Kye as Lana came out of her home, a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped onto her back.

“Sorry about that, but I’m ready now!” Lana said with a smile.

“Then let’s go already!” Zack then took off towards the village entrance with Kye and Lana following behind him. After leaving their home of Arhes, they headed North, towards Arhes Forest.

“It sure is quiet in here,” Lana spoke softly as the three ventured into the woods. “Kind of gives me the chills.”

“Well, don’t worry. Nothing can harm you with Kye and myself around!” Zack said with a grin.

“Heh, you sure sound protective, Zack,” Kye smirked as he glanced at his half-beastman friend. Zack glanced back, a bit aggravated.

“Cut it out. Like you know anything about love yourself.”

“Of course not! Just like you, I don’t need it!”

“Um, what are you two talking about?” questioned a confused Lana. “What’s this talk of love?”

“It’s nothing!” Zack’s voice cracked a bit as his face began to turn red once more.

Lana smiled, “Are you two in love with anyone?”

“NO!” The boys answered simultaneously.

“Heheh, boys are silly. They know nothing about love until they fall in love themselves. It’s a great feeling, knowing that someone would give their everything just to be with you, don’t you think?”

An awkward silence fell between the three. Finally, Zack broke it. “Lana, have you been in love?”

“No, I haven’t!”

“Then how do you know all that crap?” Zack raised a brow as he eyed her.

“I’m a girl! I just know those types of things!” Lana smiled as she closed her eyes. “I at least imagine it would be a great feeling, though I have not experienced it myself. I’m sure you two would understand someday.”

Zack leaned over towards Kye, speaking softly so that only he could hear, “I think she’s insane. Let’s just hurry and find that shrine.”

“Yeah, I agree,” replied Kye in a whisper as they continued through the forest. Love is not for me, he thought to himself. It seemed like hours had passed as they went on and on through the woods, and eventually it began growing darker and colder. It wasn’t too long before the trio made their way to an exit, only to find themselves caught in a blizzard. “This isn’t good,” muttered Kye as he raised his arm over his head, blocking the wind and snow from his face.

“It’s really cold here…” Lana said between her chattering teeth as she hugged herself within her coat for warmth.

“Maybe you should return to Arhes; who knows what lies ahead,” suggested Zack in a concerned tone.

“No way! You guys always leave me out!”

“Lana, I’m being serious. We don’t want you in any danger!” Zack was starting to get angry.

“Stop trying to get rid of me! Let’s go!” Lana growled as she charged into the storm, the boys quickly following after her. Snow was coming down at an extreme rate, making it difficult for the adventurers to see where they were going or what lied ahead. It wasn’t but a few minutes in that Zack stopped in his tracks.

“…you guys hear that?”

“I can hardly hear anything over this howling wind!” Kye shouted as him and Lana stopped as well. Zack began to worry; of course he would hear things not normally heard. He had the ears of a beastman; the ears of his father. He kept his hand on his weapon’s hilt and stayed alert. Kye saw this and decided to take a defensive position without asking any questions. Lana soon caught on as well and held an arrow to her bow…

“AH!” Zack jumped as a wolf leapt out of the snow towards him. It was no ordinary wolf for its body was covered with thick, sharp ice shards and its eyes were an unnatural red and showed only hunger. They were known as Ice Wolves, and they were only found on Caldor Isle, in the Arhes Region.

“What a monster!” Lana exclaimed, a bit frightened at the sight of the beast whilst unaware of another creeping up behind her. Fortunately Kye saw this and stepped in, slashing at it with his blades. Lana snapped out of her daze and took aim with her bow, releasing the arrow and sending it flying straight into the creature’s head, killing it. Kye smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

Zack had also defeated the other wolf around the same time. He rejoined with his friends, eyeing where the beast once stood. “They didn’t put up much a fight, did they?”

“No…but let’s not worry about it. Let’s just hurry up and get out of here.” Zack and Lana agreed with Kye’s words and the three began their journey through the snow once more. Once again it felt like hours were passing by, and still they found no signs of the Ancient Dragonmaster Shrine. Thoughts began occurring; what if it all really was just a rumor? Was their journey all for naught?

“Hey, what’s that?” Lana stopped and began pointing to a distant object. The boys stopped and tried to see what it was.

“It looks like a rock. Well, better than just even more snow, I suppose,” commented Zack as they began to walk over to the rock for further examination. It was indeed a rock--a big rock. Zack wiped away some of the snow that had covered it, revealing words that were probably engraved on it ages ago. “What’s this? ‘Let Legends of old Live on in our Hearts’…?” Zack scratched his chin. “Do you think this might be a clue that we’re close?”

“I believe so,” said Kye who was already past the rock and climbing up what appeared to be a path up the mountain. The others followed behind him and it wasn’t too long until they reached the summit. From there, they could see almost all of the Arhes Region, and the blizzard wasn’t as bad at that elevation. They could only imagine if the blizzard was gone entirely, and what a beautiful view they could see then.

“Wow, I guess I never really imagined Arhes was this huge. This probably isn’t even the half of it!” commented Zack.

“Caldor Isle itself is still nothing compared to the Mainland. You two have never left Caldor, let alone Arhes, have you?” asked Lana. The boys shook their heads in disappointment. “Such a shame.”

“We will someday though. You can count on that,” stated Kye.

“Kye, why don’t you come with me when I go visit my father? He’s your uncle you know, and you two haven’t seen each other since my parents were still together!”

“I guess if my parents let me…but I doubt they’d let me stay all summer like you do.”

“Then just stay a week like your father always does. I’m sure you can see a lot within a week.”

Zack stepped forward, “Hey! What about me? I’m not family or anything but I’d like to see the Mainland as well!”

“Well, ask your parents when we get back to the village,” answered Lana as she looked over at Kye, who was examining another stone. Lana and Zack soon joined him.

“‘In Honor of the Great Dragonmaster Dyne and Dragonmaster Alex.’ I guess this is it!” shrugged Zack. “Just an age-old stone with words! We were expecting a little more than this, right Kye? Huh?” Zack looked over at his friend, who’s attention seemed to be elsewhere. “Kye?”

“Guys, come quick!” Kye waved his hand as he gestured for them to join in on what he found a few feet away from the monument. When they did so, they both gasped in surprise at what laid before them. A small creature lay half covered in snow. Its bright, silver fur was noticeably ruffled and beaten at some spots, even a bit blood-stained. The creature could very well have been a kitten if it weren’t for the fact that it also bore a pair of silver wings.

“What is that!?” exclaimed Zack.

“A cat with wings?” answered Lana. “She’s hurt pretty badly…is she alive?”

Kye slowly reached out towards the creature, placing a palm on her head. “I think she’s still alive, but barely. We can’t leave her here though, or then she will surely die.” Lana smiled at the fact that Kye was such a softie at heart, despite his tough-guy attitude. Kye slowly lifted the creature up from the snow, then gently wrapped her in his cloak. “We should probably head back.”

“I suppose you’re right. I’m rather disappointed with our finding though, at least the rock bit anyways,” complained Zack. The three turned back and started heading back to Arhes…

Evening was closing in, and the blizzard seemed to have gotten worse. Arhes Forest was in sight at long last, even if hardly seen through the snow. The small creature rested between Kye’s arm and his cloak, seemingly lifeless. Kye could tell she was struggling against death though; he was determined to get back home and out of the storm. Entering the forest would at least protect them from the storm, but was the storm really all that threatened them?

Upon re-entering the forest, the storm did indeed die down. Now came the task of backtracking their way home. Kye led the way, seeming sure of himself whilst his companions seemed to think otherwise.

“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” questioned Lana.

“Sure I do,” replied Kye. However, his answer didn’t seem to please his friends as much as he’d hope. Before long, they found themselves in a clearing; the air seemed to get cooler as they entered, and there seemed to be an eerie presence afoot. A light growl drifted in the once silent air as the three teenagers raised their guard up. Kye then removed the scarf he wore under his cloak and wrapped the creature up within it, then turning to hand it to Lana. “Zack and I will take care of that. You take care of this.”

Lana nodded as she took the creature and held it close to her for warmth. The boys then took out their weapons, their eyes set on a pair of wolves that were slowly approaching them from the other side of the clearing; the same kind of wolves from before, with the same hungry crimson eyes. The only difference from before was that this time, they brought what appeared to be their leader; a larger wolf, with piercing, yellow eyes, and fangs and claws that looked like they were twice as long as the other wolves’. Lana stood to the side, praying for her partners.

Kye and Zack withdrew their weapons and charged at the beasts that stood in their path, engaging battle. The boys went after the smaller wolves first, seeing it would make things easier when fighting the lead wolf. Kye swung his blades left, right, up, down; steel flew in all directions, making it difficult for the Ice Wolf to avoid. However, this wolf had a different strategy from before. The beast jumped backwards before releasing a roar at Kye; in doing so, three of the ice shards shot out of its back and towards the unsuspecting Kye. Kye quickly leapt to the side, avoiding one, then turning sideways to avoid the second. However, the third one was still headed his way, and fast. He hadn’t any time to correct his footing, so he did the only thing he could think of; he quickly dropped to the ground as the shard flew right next to his head, leaving a small scratch on his right cheek, and a slight rip to his cloak upon his shoulder.

“Damn! I didn’t see that coming!” Kye exclaimed as he ran his gloved finger across his cheek, over the wound. He looked at the blood on his glove now, then began to climb to his feet. “Just a scratch.” He wiped the snow off of his body then prepared to engage the wolf once more, gripping both blades tightly. The wolf took an offensive position, snarling its large fangs, then quickly jumping at Kye. Kye dropped to his knees this time, and as the wolf leapt overhead, he thrust one of his swords into its chest. The beast let out a loud yelp as it landed to the ground, where it was to never rise up again.

“YAAHH!!” Zack cried out as he swung his axe at the other wolf, who just simply jumped to the side, avoiding the attack.

Kye took notice of their battle, “Zack! You’re using too much power and not enough speed!” Zack heard Kye’s advice and nodded, realizing his own mistake. He took hold of his axe with both hands and began running towards the wolf. The wolf jumped back and shot two ice shards off of its back and at Zack; the same surprise attack Kye got from before. Zack continued running, though his weapon was quite large, it didn’t stop his beastman-blood from holding back stamina. He dodged to the left, then swung his axe as hard as he could. “No! Zack! Cut down on the power of your strikes!”

But Zack knew what he was doing; he had hit the shard dead on, shattering it. He then leapt to the wolf using his great speed that Kye kept nagging him about. He swung his axe one final time, striking the unsuspecting monster in the head, and killing it instantly. Zack stood up and held his weapon over his shoulder, turned to Kye and said, “I know, Kye, I know. Thanks anyway.”

“Boys! Did you forget something!?” Lana yelled from the sidelines. They looked at her for a moment, then suddenly remembered that one wolf, their leader, remained. The lead wolf’s growls from behind helped them remember it wasn’t over yet. Kye and Zack both picked up their weapons and leapt at the wolf together. Kye swung his blades everywhere as Zack just tried to hit the wolf dead on. However, the ice crystals on this one’s body were much tougher than the others. None of their attacks seemed to have any effect.

The wolf roared loudly, knocking the boys off their feet and onto their rears. “This isn’t good!” Zack yelled out as the wolf swung a claw over his head. “None of our attacks work!”

“What!? Then what are we going to do!?” Lana yelled as she held the smaller creature tightly.

“I think there’s only one thing left to do at this point!” shouted Kye as he barely missed getting his head bitten off.

“And what’s that?” asked Lana.

“RUN!!” and with that, the boys climbed to their feet and began to run as fast as they could. This angered the wolf greatly as it roared once again. The boys quickly ran over to Lana, then the three of them took off together, around the wolf. The wolf noticed this and quickly took chase, letting out a piercing howl that could be heard throughout the entire forest.

“I don’t like the sound of that!” Lana cried as they continued to run.

“Less talk, more running!” yelled Zack as he ran as fast as he could, outrunning his friends.

And that they did. However, the wolf had great speed and was easily gaining on them. Lana was the one behind everyone, much to the wolf’s pleasure. The wolf began snapping at her, making her scream.

“LANA!” The boys yelled in unison. Kye quickly removed his cloak, which had been flapping in the wind wildy from their running. He released it and it flew straight into the wolf’s face, causing it to stop in its tracks to tear the cloak to shreds. The three cheered as they finally saw the exit approaching. Though the wolf had given up on the chase, they never stopped running until they, at long last, saw their village in sight.

They stopped to finally catch their breath and rest. “Boy, that was certainly more exciting than I thought it would be,” said Kye.

“Kye, we could’ve been killed!” cried Lana.

“Yeah, but we weren’t,” grinned Zack as Lana groaned in annoyance.

“Lana, how is she?” asked Kye, referring to the creature. Lana held her out to Kye as he took hold of the creature wrapped up in his scarf.

“Still alive,” she answered. “She’s pretty amazing.”

“Yeah…well, I’m heading home and getting her out of this cold. I’ll take care of her,” said Kye as he cradled her in his arms.

“I think it best if we all head home. It’s probably past dinner by now and our families are more than likely worried,” suggested Zack.

“What!? Past dinner!? That’s not good!” Kye remembered vaguely that his mother told him to be back before dinner. “Dang, I’m in for it now. I doubt I can make things up walking in with this,” said Kye as he looked down at the creature.

“Well, good luck with that. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” said Lana as she turned and headed home.

“Hey, I’ll…walk you home!” Zack turned and began running towards Lana. He looked back at Kye one last time, “Sorry we can’t help. I’ll see you later!” And with that, Zack and Lana were gone.

“Great.” was all Kye could say as he began walking home himself. It was getting dark, Kye couldn’t help but wonder what his parents were going to say about…everything! He opened the door to his home…

“And where have YOU been?” Anita asked, arms crossed, eyes narrow.

“It’s a long story, Mom,” said Kye as he made his way up to his room.

“Well, I expect a story when you come back down to eat. Your dinner’s getting cold!”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll be down shortly!” said Kye as he climbed the stairway to his room.

“…was he holding a cat?” Kye’s father, Isaac, asked his wife. Anita replied with a shrug.

Kye settled the creature onto his bed, still wrapped up in his scarf. After putting his swords away and washing up, he headed downstairs for dinner. It was there he told his parents what had occurred today; the truth. And though they weren’t happy with him journeying out so far, and dragging his best friend and cousin along no less, they were more than happy to see him alive and well and to hear that the others faired well. Kye also explained about the mysterious creature they found and how worried he was for her safety. Though his parents never liked the idea of having a pet around the house, they decided to let Kye take care of her, until she was well.

Kye finally came back to his room, bringing a dinner roll and a glass of milk with him. He placed the roll and milk on his dresser next to his bed, then looked down at the creature. She was still asleep, but she looked a lot better now that she was out of the cold. Kye got on his knees and rested his head on the bed, observing her quietly. She looked like any other cat…but with wings? Kye just couldn’t be certain if he wanted to refer to her as a cat or not. He gently stroked her now dry silver fur.

“Wow, her fur looks like it’s pure silver!” He continued to pet her, her fur glistening with silver with each stroke. Then, the unexpected happened.

Cough! Cough!

Kye was a bit startled by the sound of coughing; it was so small, like an infant cough. He looked down as the cat with wings began to stir a bit, then slowly opened her eyes. Kye was more than happy to see her awake. He looked at her eyes: a bright, crimson red. He had never seen such red eyes before, aside from the ones the wolves had. Her eyes though, they were more friendlier-looking. She looked around at her surroundings for a bit, then looked up at Kye in puzzlement.

“Hey there! I’m so glad you’re awake! I was really worried you wouldn’t make it! You’re pretty strong for such a little thing,” commented Kye as he helped unwrap her from his scarf. “I have food if you’re hungry,” he said as he reached over to the roll.

“Um…thank you…”

“No need to thank me! It’s no prob-…” Kye looked back at the creature, who now sat up on his bed.

“What…?” she blinked as she tilted her head in confusion. “Is something wrong?”

A/N: After many years of planning, I have finally began writing my Lunar 3 Wannabe-Story...Sorry if it's not interesting right now. But hey, most stories don't get good until a few chapters or so in. Hope you enjoy what you see for now though. And if you don't, then please, easy on the reviews, and please, no flaming.