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Xenthos stood in the jail cell below the castle grounds, pacing his ancient room impatiently in his tattered clothes and dark cloak. He had been put in that cell under the charges of attempted tampering of the world’s gate and attempted robbery of an ancient relic in the hidden vault: the Key of Twilight.

“How long have I been in this god-forsaken world of Eternal Night?” he asked himself as he finally sat down against the wall.

The story behind his predicament is this: Xenthos wasn’t from that realm, the realm of the Eternal Night. He was taken from his home realm for unknown reasons. This was several moons ago, equaling to approximately 14 days in the normal world of day and night. Not only that, but he was taken away from his fiancé, Sethain. He was taken in like a guest and treated so, yet all he wanted was to go home. Unfortunately for him, the king of that land had a daughter named Aurora Borella, a girl who had her eyes set on him. She had turned seventeen on the full moon of that fortnight, and there was a ball in her honor. Xenthos had already been researching on finding a way back to his dear fiancé, and he had already made some progress…but it wasn’t enough. As such, he attended the ball in hopes of finding Professor Nicholas Flam – the greatest historian of that world and, unbeknownst to all except Xenthos and a few others, a member of an ancient and disbanded society known as the Order of the Gate – so as to obtain the information that he needed to get back home…


“Some party, eh?” asked a man in a suit and masquerade mask, coming up to Xenthos in a drunken state.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, smiling. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to –”

“Gregory!” he yelled out, walking sloppily to another person.

“Nevermind, then…”

Xenthos, having gone around in an attempt to find Professor Nicholas, finally gave up for the moment and took a seat at one of the tables. This was the masquerade ball for Princess Aurora’s seventeenth birthday, so he heard. As such, he dressed as best as he could: a dark suit, dark cloak with a hood, and white gloves that the inn keeper that rented him a room left for him. His silver hair, long and normally left loose around his head, was pulled back into a ponytail.
He looked into the crystal ball decoration on the table, looking into the reflection of his full moon-yellow eyes and scarred face. Acting on impulse, he pulled his hood over his face.

“Excuse me?” asked a random woman passing by. “Why are you wearing a hood? Everyone else is wearing a mask.”

“I…I let someone else borrow it.”

“Really…that’s generous of you.”

She then left to speak to another person. Xenthos sighed and went to ask for Professor Nicholas again. After two attempts, he finally got an answer from an old woman sitting by herself at another table.

“The historian? I believe he was talking to the king after he and the princess went to converse.”

“Thank you.”

He went to find the one person of them all that stood out the most: King Nocturnus, the tallest man of the kingdom. Along the way, he bumped into Princess Aurora. She looked up into his hidden eyes in apology, when a different look took up residence of her face: excitement at seeing him.

“Princess?” he asked. “Could you please help me find your father?”

“Certainly,” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him through the crowds. “Father!”

The king turned around and smiled at them. He ranged to be around seven feet tall or so, wore a tall suit of purple material and a long red cape, and he had a dark-brown version of Xenthos’s hair.

“Ah, if it isn’t our special guest,” said King Nocturnus as he saw Xenthos and Aurora. “What can I help you with, my daughter?”
“Remember when you said that I could have anything of my choosing for my gift?”

“Yes…have you made your decision?”

“I have. Father, I want our guest to become my husband.”

At this, both Xenthos and the king looked horror-stricken at her, Xenthos being the first to respond.

“WHAT?!!”


“I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that the princess got me arrested,” he grumbled as he looked out the barred window of his cell. “That was…normally, it would be seven days and nights…seven days ago. I seriously miss the day.”

“Hey, guest!” called out the guard.

Xenthos turned around and saw that Professor Nicholas had come to visit him. The man looked to be around his 40’s or so. He wore a brown monk robe and had short, gray hair. In his right hand was a book, and in the other was what appeared to be a bamboo stick. The bamboo caught Xenthos’ attention, but he directed his gaze at the book.

“Xenthos, I’ve come to offer you these,” said the professor. “They could…help ease your mind, perhaps.”

The old man offered them in between the bars. Xenthos went to him and took the items. The guard then led Nicholas back out forcefully. Xenthos looked at the bamboo, approximately one inch thick and four feet long. He put it down and opened the book. Of all the pages in the book, only one had writing on it. It was one that he recognized immediately from his research. He picked up the bamboo stick and read what the book said:

“In the name of the Order of the Gate, bring me to the Gate of Twilight.”

The pages shone light out at him, a light far stronger than mere torch light. It was artificial sunlight. It surrounded him and bathed him in its bright glow. In a split second, he had vanished.

“Glad you were able to make it,” said Nicholas, who greeted him at the bottom of the hill.

The book had transported Xenthos to the very site of Gate of Twilight. Not only that, but now the bamboo was now a large bronze key about 3 ft long and with the design of a crescent moon and sun bound together. There were others around, men in robes like Nicholas’ standing near the gate.

“We took out all the guards,” said Nick.

Xenthos looked and saw all the guards knocked out and tied up in a group near a large tree.

“Thank you,” he said. “Now, what should I do with…this is the Key of Twilight, right?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

Nick led him to the top of the hill. At its peak was a stone archway that led to nowhere, so it seemed. On the ground right under it was a key hole, big enough for the Key of Twilight.

“We’ve prepared a diversion for all of his,” said Nick, pointing up at the now cloudy night sky. “Three…two…one…”

Thunder rolled as lightning tore through the sky and as heavy rain fell from the clouds. Xenthos smiled at the results of what the men had planned out.

“All of you …thanks,” he said to them

“Hurry, before someone sees!” yelled one of them.

Xenthos nodded and turned towards the archway. He walked up to the keyhole on the ground and inserted the key into it. Before he turned it, however, he turned towards everyone.

“You never said why you decided to help me, you know?!” he yelled out over the loud rain.

“You wanted to go home, right?!” answered Nick. “This is the only way home! Now go!”

Xenthos turned towards the key again, and he gave it a turn. The archway filled up with light that stayed in the archway like a door. It was bright, as bright as sunlight. Before walking into it, he turned towards everyone one last time and waved them goodbye. Finally, he faced forward, holding out his arms as if to hug someone as he walked through to the other side…

END OF STORY 1