Written by: Giomaru
Chapter 1: More Than a Storybook
A man sat in his daughter's room, right beside her bed, telling her a bedtime story so she could fall asleep.
"Long ago, in the land of Anglos, there existed a kingdom filled with prosperity and beauty. Its king was kind and generous; all its people lived happily, from the noblest nobleman to the humblest villager," he began. "But one day, he appeared: a massive shadow covering the sky, with eyes red as rubies. A winged monster—the Shadow Dragon. The villagers called him the Darkscale."
The Darkscale destroyed and devoured everything in his path, never resting. The cruel delight on his face made it clear how much he enjoyed the destruction he wrought.
Desperate in the face of this unstoppable threat, the king gathered a battalion so powerful it could conquer an entire nation. The army, led by the king himself, confronted the beast in the Valley of the Windrose. A fierce battle erupted, but it was hopeless. Not a single sword, spear, arrow, nor even catapult could pierce the dragon's hardened scales.
The surviving knights began to lose the will to fight. Even the king fell into despair and, overwhelmed by sorrow, ordered a retreat.
The battle seemed lost… until one knight stepped forward as the others withdrew. He wore white armor and carried a sword shining as brightly as the sun.
The Radiant Knight and the Darkscale clashed. In that moment, time itself became uncertain—no one knew whether they fought for minutes, hours, or days. But in a single opening, the knight drove his blade into the dragon's chest, piercing its armor and reaching its heart.
The Darkscale released a deafening roar before collapsing. The Radiant Knight had won. After the battle, he vanished without a trace. No one knew his name, or where he had come from.
Impressed by the knight's victory, the king decreed that his deed should never be forgotten. And so was born the tale, the story, the legend of a warrior like no other: The Legend of the Illuminated Knight.
A cold morning settled over the city of Brighthaven. At Green Mountain High School, classes had already begun.
Seventeen-year-old Katherine Holmes, pale-skinned and with short black hair cut to her neckline, nodded sleepily over her desk. Her large glasses barely stayed in place as her eyelids drooped, betraying her after another sleepless night. She had been reading until very late, as always.
"Katherine Holmes, wake up this instant!" the teacher's voice thundered.
A chorus of laughter filled the classroom. Kathy jolted awake, still wearing the exhausted expression of someone half trapped in a dream.
"Miss Holmes, this behavior will not be tolerated," the teacher added sternly. "Go wash your face."
"Alright, ma'am…" Kathy murmured, dragging herself up.
In the bathroom, as cold water slid down her cheeks, her memory betrayed her. She remembered the books her father used to read to her when she was little—especially her favorite: The Legend of the Illuminated Knight.
The day moved slowly. When the final bell finally rang, Kathy hurried to pack her things. But the teacher stopped her at the door.
"I know you've been distracted," she said softly. "I understand this time of year is hard for you… it's when your father died."
Kathy lowered her gaze, fighting the sadness still shimmering in her pink eyes.
"But it's been many years now," the woman continued. "You must leave that behind and focus on your final exams. You're a brilliant student; it would be a shame if you didn't get into a good university."
"I understand… I'll keep that in mind," Kathy whispered.
She said goodbye and stepped into the cold streets of Brighthaven.
As she walked, her thoughts consumed her.
It's not easy to forget my father. Ten years have passed, and I still remember his smile, his stories, his warm voice. He was a wonderful man, passionate about his work, and he loved Mom and me deeply. Everything changed when he disappeared on that expedition. I was only seven. The police declared him dead… but in my heart, I still believe he's alive.
At the train station, she sat on a bench, staring at an old photo of herself as a child with her parents. Around her, the walls were covered with flyers of missing people.
Everyone accepted it… even Mom. But not me.
The piercing whistle of the train pulled her out of her thoughts. Kathy boarded and sat by the window. And that's when she saw him.
Among the crowd, a man lifted his gaze. His features… his posture… were identical to her father's.
"No way… That's my dad!"
She rubbed her eyes, disbelieving, but the man was still there. Her heart pounded, and without thinking, she leapt off the train just before the doors closed.
The station grew nearly empty. From a nearby bench, a young man in a red sweater and gray pants watched her quietly.
Still breathless, Kathy wondered if she had imagined it all. But then she saw him again, farther away, entering an abandoned tunnel.
"It's definitely him."
She ran after the figure, unaware that the boy in the red sweater had stood up to follow her.
The tunnel was dark and damp.
"Dad… where are you?" her fragile voice echoed along the concrete walls.
Suddenly, the tunnel dissolved. Before her stretched a forest covered in flowers, just like the one her father used to take her to when she was little.
"What is… happening? Am I dreaming?"
From the entrance, the young man watched her with a furrowed brow. A dark mist seeped into the air.
"That energy… Nox. This is very bad," he muttered.
A woman's voice, like an echo in the wind, whispered to him:
"Help the girl."
Farther ahead, Kathy saw her father sitting beneath a tree with a book in his hands.
"You finally made it, my dear," he said with a warm smile. "I've been waiting for you."
Tears sprang instantly to her eyes.
"Dad… why did you leave us? Why didn't you write? Mom and I needed you so much."
He opened his arms, and she ran to him, but just before she reached him, someone grabbed her shoulder. The forest vanished, replaced by the cold darkness of the tunnel.
Before her stood the young man with long dark hair and glowing crimson eyes.
"What you saw wasn't real. It was an illusion."
Kathy stepped back, confused.
"And who are you? Another illusion?"
"Look closely," he replied.
Where her father had been, a serpentine creature now towered, its eyes glowing red.
"What… what is that thing?"
"A Darkscale. Everything you saw was its trap."
The creature's roar thundered through the tunnel so powerfully she felt the ground tremble beneath her. The air stank of burnt iron and rot. The monster—a giant serpent with black scales and ember-red eyes—opened its jaws and released a nauseating stench.
"That scent…" it hissed. "A Luminari. And the woman… will be my prey."
Kathy stepped back, trembling.
That name… I remember it. Darkscale… from Dad's story!
The monster sneered cruelly, shifting its form back into the father she longed for.
"Come, daughter. Aren't you happy to see me?"
Kathy felt her heart shatter, but the young man stepped in front of her.
"Monster… playing with someone's precious memories… I won't forgive you."
The Darkscale's eyes burned brighter.
"Do not interfere, Luminari! I am the Illusionist. I'll kill you first… then devour the girl."
Black flames filled the creature's mouth.
"Flames of Despair!"
A torrent of black fire surged from its jaws. Kathy screamed, convinced she would burn alive. She felt the heat, the pressure, the stench of ash. She closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek.
But suddenly, the darkness was torn apart. A column of white light erupted violently, illuminating every corner of the tunnel.
Kathy opened her eyes, stunned.
The young man stood at the center of the radiance, transformed. White armor with silver engravings and a red emblem covered his body. His eyes glowed blue—stars in the night.
That light… it feels warm… Is that him?
Her father's voice echoed in her mind:
"And when all seemed lost, the knight appeared with a sword that shone like the sun…"
"The Luminous Knight!!!" Kathy cried out.
The young knight raised his sword, and a sweeping burst of wind extinguished the black flames instantly. The metallic clang of his blade echoed like thunder.
"It ends now," he declared.
The Darkscale roared so fiercely the entire tunnel shook. It opened a shadow portal beneath its tail and vanished, reappearing in front of the knight with a brutal strike.
The Luminari dodged in a zigzag, his armor gleaming with every turn. The monster's tail burst from portals at impossible angles, striking like a storm of whips. But the knight moved with flawless precision, as if he could see the attacks seconds before they happened.
"Die, insignificant pest!" the creature bellowed, multiplying its portals until the tunnel filled with black tails lashing wildly.
The knight twisted, leapt, and evaded, leaving trails of light in his wake. At last, seeing an opening, he launched himself toward the beast's head, sword poised to behead it.
But the Illusionist anticipated him. A portal opened before its face, and the tail emerged with a devastating strike, throwing the knight violently backward.
Kathy gasped in horror.
"No… it can't be!"
The monster grinned.
"You're no match for me, Luminari."
Dazed, the knight pushed himself to his feet. A defiant smile curved his lips.
"Do you really think so? Look at your tail."
The Darkscale looked—and roared in rage. A severed chunk of its tail lay on the floor.
Kathy had seen it all.
"He cut it… even before the strike landed!" she whispered, heart racing. "He's… amazing!"
Fear gleamed in the monster's red eyes.
If this continues, he'll kill me… I must escape. I'll devour more humans, evolve… and then I'll be stronger than this cursed knight.
The knight stepped forward, his blade glowing brighter.
"What is this I sense from you…? Fear?"
The creature roared desperately and opened a massive portal behind itself.
"I won't let you escape!"
The knight lifted his sword, channeling an immense surge of luminous energy. The tunnel flooded with light. Every shadow portal dissolved into smoke. The blade shone with the brightness of dawn itself.
"This is your end… Discipline Ten: Blade of Dawn!!!"
With a battle cry, he delivered a vertical slash. A wave of radiant light tore through the air and struck the Illusionist head-on. The creature shrieked with an inhuman cry as its body disintegrated into nothing.
Silence fell.
Kathy trembled, unable to speak. The knight approached slowly, his figure still wrapped in glimmers of light. He placed a hand on her cheek, a soothing warmth enveloping her.
"Do not fear… it's over now."
Kathy woke with a jolt in her bedroom, drenched in sweat and breathing hard. She wiped the tears still sliding down her cheeks.
"So… it was just a dream?" she whispered. "But it felt so real…"
She turned her head and saw the book resting on her nightstand: The Legend of the Luminous Knight.
"Of course… that's why," she murmured, brushing her fingers over the cover. "I stayed up way too late reading. If I keep dreaming like this, I'll have enough ideas to write my own story."
She stood sluggishly and began getting ready for school. Her morning routine felt like an old habit: uniform, backpack, a quick glance in the mirror, then out into the cold streets of London.
As she walked toward the train station, the dream's echo still lingering in her mind, she let out a small smile.
"For a dream… it felt too real. And also… the young knight was really handsome," she thought, cheeks warming.
At a crosswalk, she stopped for the light to change. On the opposite side, she noticed a woman with her young son. The woman, distracted, let go of the boy's hand to answer a phone call. The child, mesmerized by the gleam of a coin on the road, ran toward it—unaware of the speeding car rushing toward him.
"Watch out!" Kathy screamed.
Time seemed to slow. The car charged forward like a wild beast, the child only seconds from being hit… when a white streak shot across the street in the blink of an eye. In an instant, the boy appeared safely back on the sidewalk, confused and unharmed.
Kathy's eyes widened.
"No way… that light!"
The white flash vanished into the distance.
"What if… it wasn't a dream?" she whispered.
She looked around frantically for the source of that impossible glow—and then she saw him.
Standing atop a nearby building, silhouetted against the dawn light, was the knight. His white armor reflected the rising sun as if it were made of heaven's own metal.
Kathy's heart pounded.
"It's… it's him," she breathed. "The Knight."
He turned his head slightly, and for an instant, their eyes met. Kathy held her breath, feeling as though time itself had frozen.
It was real, she thought in awe.It wasn't a dream. The Illuminated Knight… exists.
Without a word, the knight turned away. His figure began to glow, brighter and brighter, until he dissolved into a burst of white light that blended with the sunrise.
Kathy remained still, her heart thundering. Slowly, a small smile formed on her lips.
"That's when I understood," she whispered. "Some stories… go far beyond a simple storybook."
End of Chapter One.