Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Light Through The Darkness: Lyn's Conviction ❯ Where There Is Darkness, There Can Be Light ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author’s Notes: I’m going to guess that most people won’t understand why the story begins the way it does. Well this is actually a continuation from a one shot I wrote. For some reason that one shot got a lot of views. Well for me that’s a lot for that small work I did anyway. I really enjoyed writing that one shot piece and for some reason felt like just doing a bit more with it, however, I didn’t want to touch the original at all cause I think it worked really well as a one shot. So I’m writing this continuation and created a new entry for it. If you enjoyed that one shot then I hope you will enjoy this! If you haven’t read it then I encourage you to read that before reading this. If you don’t… Well that’s ok but you will have missed a lot of necessary info and dialogue.


I awoke from a hard jolt upwards. Pausing for a moment then looking to my side, there was Reika smiling at me.

“Sorry about that Lyn. We must have run over a large rock. You were sleeping so peacefully on my shoulder that I didn’t dare wake you.” She stated after grasping my curiosity.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked confounded by the fact that I was even able to fall asleep knowing where we were going.

“For about an hour now. We’re almost there. You can see the village from here. See?” Said Reika while pointing towards a small plateau where assorted shacks and cabins were gathered together.

The town itself was relatively small. In fact it could have been easily confused with that of a trade outpost where one would go to only for trade commerce. Wrapped around the town was a stone wall supposedly to thwart bandits and unwanted animals but it wasn’t all that high. In the center was a large church bell tower. The bell was reflecting so much of the suns light that it gleamed as a lighthouse would in the middle of an open basin. The road we were on lead down to an arched opening in the wall where a few guards were on duty.

“Calm down Lyn, I told you… They wont find out you’re a demon as long as your with me. Take deep breaths!” Came Reika’s voice after noticing my nervous complexion.

“I’m trying, this isn’t your every day event for a demon ya know.”

I guess my statement was amusing because she started laughing out loud enough that the approaching guard noticed it. He had a sharp composure as if about to pounce on his prey. Well, it was like that at first anyway till…

“Oh… Well if it isn’t Reika! We didn’t recognize you cause you brought a guest with you this time.” Blurted the guard as he walked up to the carriage.

“Ha ha… Yes, well John, this gentleman beside me is my dear friend. His name is Lyn. He’s not from around here.”

“ I see, didn’t know you had any out of town friends... Well Lyn It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you.” I mimicked to ensure a seamless conversation.

“So Reika, I take it you’re here to sell your monthly goods?”

“You know me all to well John. You wouldn’t by chance be interested in buying now would you?” Answered Reika smoothly as if she had been through this greeting many times.

“Well now… The boys and me could probably use a snack eh? Isn’t that right? After all… if Reika made it, it’s the best around,” called out John to the other guards.

They all nodded in succession. The youngest looking one had a demented smile on his face. He apparently was the kind of person who liked to play tricks on people.

“John stop trying to impress Reika. You’ll never get the chance to go to the tavern with her!” Yelled the younger guard in amusement.

“Why you good for nothin…Eh… I’ll deal with you later!”

“John! It’s ok… Take as many navel oranges as ya like! There was a good harvest this month.”

“I see, well ill take a few for us and you can be on your way then.” Said john grabbing as many oranges as he could carry from the carriage.

“Is it ok to let him have so many oranges?!” I whispered over to Reika.

“It is if you don’t want to pay the cargo tax.” She whispered back.

I looked behind me to see the large amount of vegetables and fruits. Surely there was enough cargo here to feed the whole town for a day. I’d heard of taxes before but never really had to deal with them till now. This easy scapegoat of giving a few oranges to the guards in return for entering for free seemed supplemental. Payments without withdraw so to speak. Reika proved to be quite a lot cleverer then I had previously thought.

Turning back to Reika’s smiling face she appeared more devious then I had imagined. A side of her I’d not seen before, it brought up some mixed emotions though saying I didn’t like this side of her would be a lie.

“So you have this side to you as well.” I grinned after whispering back to her receiving a crooked smile in return as if she knew I’d learned something I shouldn’t have.

The carriage strolled into the town. The guards were quickly shadowed by the music and dancing of children and adults alike. People were buying, selling, and basically just celebrating life. I’d never seen a town in this state before. Usually I avoided towns where there were many people out and about or only entered at night, so I never had the chance to witness such things.

“The people… They all look so happy. Like they haven’t a care in the world.” I said giving out a long sigh.

“Lyn… You hold the same possibilities as them. Your life has no limits. You were not branded with sadness and are capable of anything. Maybe it’s time you gave living a second chance.”

“Maybe… so…” I mumbled in amazement as the carriage came to a halt on the side of the street.

This was apparently the place where she normally made shop to sell her goods cause she hopped off and began work on fixating a table beside the carriage.

“I wish I could help you… I feel so useless in this state…” I said staring down at my gimped ankle while still sitting in the carriage letting out a sigh.

“Come now… You are more then useful by just being here!” Said Reika as she grabbed my arm and practically yanked me out of the carriage onto my feet.

“Whoaaa! Watch it! Geez, are you a Valkyrie or a human?!”

“What’s a Valkyrie?” Questioned Reika bewildered by the term.

“Oh uh… It’s nothing…” Came my swift reply.

Why I thought a human would know of such a celestial being is beyond me. Had it really gotten to the point that I’d forgotten I was talking to a human? Sure Reika seems angelic in nature but was still a human. It’s kind of shocking really, never before have I been so lost in reality that I’d forget such things. Reika has some kind of aura about her. It’s too hard to describe at the moment but there is definitely something about her. Something that attracts people, makes them forget their problems, worries and even guilt it seems.

“Mr… Hey Mr… Can I have an orange?”

Looking down in the direction of the voice and the tug on my jacket was the beaming smile of a very young girl. It’s not like she posed any threat or anything but for some reason I was frozen. I couldn’t move or speak and trying just posed weird reactions from my body. Overwhelming emotions were flowing through me. One of them so strong that I felt like patting her on the head and giving her whatever her little heart desired.

“Why of course you can have an orange!” Bolted Reika over my shoulder as she spun me around placing cut pieces of an orange in my rough hands.

“Just do whatever it is your heart is telling you to do! I have faith in you!” Whispered Reika softly into my ear after closing the orange pieces in my hands.

“But… Bu-…!” I murmured while being spun back around toward the young girl still smiling up at me.

“He…” I began though paused looking over my shoulder back at Reika who nodded as if to encourage me again.

“He-here… y-you g-go...” came my jumbled pathetic attempt to talk.

My hands stopped in front of her and opened slowly. The child’s eyes sparkled in delight as she saw the orange pieces appear and reached in grabbing them out of my hands.

“Thank you Mr.!” Said the girl giggling and smiling while looking back up at me.

My hands then moved of their own free will towards her head. I found myself patting her on the head just like I thought about doing earlier. I was so lost in the event that before I knew it, it had just happened and she had run off skipping overjoyed while eating the oranges. My arm and body was still frozen in the position. She was handing out some of the pieces to other kids.

“What’s this… It would appear I’ve discovered a new side to Lyn!”

I spun back around flushed with some weird emotion. It was a potent emotion at that. For some reason I felt like covering my face.

“Oh, you’re embarrassed. Could it be a side of you that I shouldn’t have learned about,” giggled Reika who broke into a full-fledged laugh.

“Shut-up… It’s not funny! I just… I don’t know! For some reason I just felt like patting her!”

“Obviously you thought she was irresistibly cute! So you’ve never experienced this before?”

“How could I!?” I answered somewhat angrily.

“Now now… Calm down. It’s perfectly normal. You’d have to be some kind of delinquent to not want to pat that child on the head. See? Lyn… You have no limits. You brought happiness to that child and even her friends. Misery does not follow you. You have just been so consumed by it that you needed someone to shoulder you through it. Where there is darkness, if there is a will, there can be light.”

Such a convicting statement, it was as if discovering shackles on my body. Was it possible that misery only followed me because I had just accepted it was all I was capable of encountering? If one expects only misery then one will find only misery? If I willed it, could I change?

“If I truly sought out happiness, could I find it? Or… … Have I found it unknowingly and just haven’t realized it?” I whispered to myself looking down into Reika’s eyes.

“W-… What is it?” Asked Reika astonished from my close stair into her eyes.

“I’m not sure, for some reason I’ve been overcome with the notion to pat a certain someone on the head or actually no… It’s stronger then that this time… I think…”

Reika’s complexion was drastically altered by my words. She was now the one covering her face only her lips were covered though. Her eyes were shaky and sparkly as if concerned or afraid but still somewhat excited.

“Um er… well you know… I don’t think I should explain that one to you. That’s one you must discover yourself.” Said Reika as she spun around cringing slightly, from my position it looked like she had one hand over her head and another over her chest as if sick.

“Are you ok…? I’m… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to say anything wrong if I did!” I practically pleaded for some reason.

“No… You haven’t done anything wrong. You’ve just discovered something that you need to understand by yourself. If I were to tell you what it may be, I could be wrong or even worse, it may lose its meaning.”

She still wouldn’t turn around for some reason. I somewhat hated myself for lacking in knowledge. Before all I knew was survival and how to live alone. It’s much different when personas collide. I have no experience at all in that regard. I wished to communicate with Reika like that of an average human.

“Excuse me…? I’d like to buy some of your goods,” entered the interrupting voice through my thoughts.

“Oh of course!” Replied Reika as she frolicked over to the table where the customer was waiting.

We didn’t talk much for the rest of the day. For some reason it was like a barrier had been placed between us. Reika was acting suspicious whenever I looked into her eyes. I’m pretty much sure I’ve done something wrong but she’s said otherwise. I ended up confiding in what she said and hoping we’d go back to normal at some point.

“Oh well if it isn’t Tom! How have you been?”

“Great! We finished the expansion to the cabin last week.”

“Oh! Does that mean it’s almost time?” Inquired Reika shocked, yet radiating glee.

“Yeah soon we will be blessed with another child.” Said Tom blushing and avoiding her gaze.

“Well you make sure Jill eats some of these oranges then!”

Their conversation slowly drifted out of my mind as I began pondering what it would be like If I had just came up to her as a customer for the first time. Sure we would converse like it was nothing but is that truly what I want? Do I really want to converse with her like that customer did? Well he knew her apparently but they don’t sound as if they are all that familiar with each other.

When Reika and I talk together it seems so much more fun and blissful. Sometimes she teaches me things I don’t understand and even encourages me. There is something else there though that I don’t understand. Something caring, gentle, relaxing… I just don’t know how to describe the feeling. It’s beyond me…

“Hey what’s wrong? Want to eat an orange with me?” Interrupted Reika’s soft benevolent voice as I lifted my head up at her.

“Yeah… I could go for an orange right about now.”

As the day passed by more and more customers came. The same child that I gave an orange too earlier came and practically dragged me over to her friends on my gimped ankle. We ended up dancing to the cheery music, or at least they did. For the most part I just ended up clapping and laughing as they did. Every now and then I’d catch a glimpse of Reika peering at me with sparkles in her eyes. It was hard to make it seem like I wasn’t looking at her but I ended up managing some how.

As night came the adults came as well and picked up their children from the Town Square. They talked about me and everyone was really nice and polite to me, some even bowed. It was strange receiving a bow from them cause usually its an arrow if you know what I mean. I can’t even remember the last time I was in the mood to joke with myself.

“Well you certainly had fun today I take it.” Said Reika placing her hand on my shoulder.

I was sitting on a log in the middle of the area. There was a big fire where people gathered around to sit and chat and keep warm through the spring nights conveniently placed next to the giant church and its bell, which glistened from the moonlight. Some drank and some played games involving cards or pieces on a board. Before I knew it Reika had sit down next to me and wrapped a blanket around us both.

“Thanks,” I calmly said while looking into the fire and listening to it burn.

Her head came to rest against my shoulder at some point but I was so caught up in the situation to even react to it. I found myself wishing I could live in this moment forever. If happiness did exist for me, this had to be the epitome of it. I could fall asleep now without a care in the world for the first time in my life.

“Hey Reika…”

“Yes…?”

“I think… No… … I know I’ve found happiness. It’s sitting right beside me.” I stated resting my head against hers.

~fin

Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapter! This will still remain for the most part a short story. I have no intention of dragging this on. Short and sweet for the win cause I got other stuff I need to finish as well, most notably “keep in touch”.