The Tale of Luan and Saura (short story) [GL]
In the early times, there was only darkness in the World. Alongside Low Spirits or humans, High Spirits were born in the Land to be nurtured as light entities, whose duty was to give light in the sky when the time comes. Certain humans were assigned to assist each High Spirit until they reach the right age to fulfil their tasks.
Of all the soon-to-be light entities, a High Spirit called Luan was given the highest expectations for the extraordinary light she possessed. Polishing her as early as she was little, she was accompanied since then by her Low Spirit assistant, Saura.
“But I’m to serve you, my lady,” kid Saura said shyly to the little lady braiding her hair.
“I don’t want that. Let’s be friends, okay?” Little Luan smiled at the other kid in front of the mirror.
“But we’re different. You are...” Saura trailed off as she couldn’t help but to stare in astonishment at Luan’s radiance reflected on the mirror. It was as if she was glowing as well just by being close to the young lady.
~
For every change of fire stones[1], Lady Luan indeed became brighter and more beautiful compared to other High Spirits. Her reputation became known in an instant and many townsfolk frequented the shrine just to see her do the spirit rituals. No matter how tempted her human admirers were to go further, they did not dare question the law prohibiting romantic affairs between humans and High Spirits. All they could do was to look at their muse from afar, hence putting Saura in a lucky position for being able to get close to Luan.
“You said before we were different, right? What do you think about it now?” Luan glanced at Saura, who at first was reluctant to accept her offer of sharing the same bed with her.
“Well... I don’t know if I’d be confident enough to say differently, but sometimes I just feel I’m not worthy enough to—” Saura stopped when she noticed a change in Luan’s expression.
“I’m sorry La—I mean... Lu...an.” Saura was still getting used to calling the High Spirit without an honorific, as per Luan’s request.
“Is it really that hard? You acting like that makes me really think we are different, even though I feel we are not, at all,” Luan said, a little bit more forcefully.
“It’s easy for you to say that because you’re a ‘Highness’—and not just a regular but a special one—the most special of all. So please don’t feel bad if it’s hard for me to treat you as casually as you like,” Saura explained and sighed.
“You’re my friend, Saura. I don’t want to think of myself as someone beyond anyone, especially when I’m with you. I just want to be a normal spirit like everybody else. Having fun, making friends, without the duty. Without... without this.” Luan stared at the glow from her outstretched arms.
“I know. I’m sorry, Luan.” Saura reached for the Lady’s hand and placed hers on top of it. “I promise I will help you live a normal life as best as I can. And that I will be your friend... forever.”
[1] In those times, glowing stones called fire stones lit up the place they lived. Said stones only light up in the dark and change color when a new period starts (which is equivalent to a new year).
~
After a few more periods, Luan’s brightness already outshone even the brightest fire stones in the land, making her a favorite guest during ceremonies in the village.
“Do I look strange? The spirits somehow look uneasy,” Luan whispered to Saura and drew her shawl up to her face.
“Hey, don’t do that. You’re beautiful, okay? That’s why they’re looking. I bet some just feel envious of you,” Saura said to assure her, even though she herself felt something was unusual. She looked at Luan and fought a strong urge to hold the other’s hand.
When the ceremony ended, both felt relieved to head back to the temple as they could sneak a detour to the forest along the way.
“I’m just too bright now, aren’t I? It seems they just want me here to act as a fire stone substitute,” Luan said.
“Well, if you could do that here then it would be great. It means you don’t have to leave me—I mean, you don’t have to leave anymore.” Saura blushed. “Plus, if you get tired, you can just rest on my shoulder and I’ll hug you tight. Right, short lady?” Saura hooked her arm around her jestingly.
“Geez, I’m not that short. You’re just tall,” Luan said, a blinding light shooting up from her head.
“Hey, that’s cheating!” Saura said, covering her eyes and laughing. “C’mon, stop that already. I’m sorry, okay? Not-too-short lady then—Okay okay I take that back. I surrender!”
Their teasing stopped when a group of elders approached them and called Luan for a meeting. The change of atmosphere when the Lady entered the elders’ tent removed the smile on Saura’s face. The seriousness of the situation finally sunk in to her, slowly seeping away the light that shone her world. The only light she couldn’t afford to lose.
<flashback>
“Why me?” Luan dared ask the Elders the moment the truth was revealed to her.
“You are the brightest and the purest in your line. You are the most suited for this special task, and you alone can do it. For this reason, you are expected to remain bright and pure until the right time.”
“I don’t have any other choice, do I?” Luan spoke bitterly.
“It’s the sacrifice you have to make for the World. We’ll make sure they will not forget the honor of your sacrifice. The World will remember you, High Spirit Luan.”
<end>
“Saura, what’s wrong? You don’t usually bring me to our favorite hiding place for no reason,” Luan said after the two sneaked into the forest after the temple activities.
Saura unfolded a picnic cloth, laid it on the grass, and gestured for Luan to sit first. The Low Spirit then sat next to the lady.
“In other worlds, there are High spirits too, right?” Saura asked while looking at the dark sky.
“Yes. Spirits to light up their world’s sky and to guide those living in their lands,” Luan answered.
“Like you.” Saura’s glistening eyes found Luan’s. “That’s why we’re different, Luan. We’ll never be together again... if you go.”
“Saura,” Luan said, pulling the human in her arms. “We’re not that different. You are bright too: the kind that lights up my entire world, the kind that makes me warm. You make me need no other warmth than what you give me.” Luan hugged Saura tighter.
Saura loosened Luan’s hold to look at her. “Luan, listen to me. I’ve been attracted to you for a long time now. All the moments I’m with you only make me feel as if I’m being pulled closer and closer... and it already pains me to think that you’ll be away from me. I can’t... I don’t think I can live with just looking at you from afar.”
Luan smiles amid the welling in her eyes, “I feel the same, Saura. You don’t know how much I want to stay with you.” She drew the other’s hand to her wet cheek.
“Stay with me Luan... please.”
“Oh, Saura...” Luan burst into tears as if silently asking Saura how. “If only there’s another way.”
<flashback>
“I heard the other attendants talking about a ‘pearl of light’. Is it true that you High Spirits have something like that?” Saura brought up the topic when they were about to sleep.
Luan perked up at Saura’s sudden question. She propped an elbow and grinned. “Why did you suddenly get interested in that?”
The young lady’s playful expression made Saura blush. “It-it just made me curious.”
Luan moved closer to Saura, close enough that the human could feel the lady’s breath on her neck. “I’ve actually been wondering if you’d ask… Do you wanna see it?”
“C-can I?” Saura was surprised by Luan’s willingness as she was quite sure it was something she wasn’t allowed to do.
“If it’s you, then I would love you to see it. But just take a look, okay? No touching.”
Luan giggled as she heard Saura gasped and muttered how the ‘pearl’ shone like a little white fire stone. “It’s beautiful. You’re so beautiful, Luan.” The Low Spirit sighed at the sight before her.
It didn’t take long enough for Saura to feel something strong that wanted to overpower her. But she fought it.
“It’s an honor just to be held by you like this,” she whispered to Luan just before they drift off to sleep.
<end>
“I don’t know if this would work, but let me do this anyway,” Saura said. “Luan, I won’t let you carry that burden alone. So let me share it with you.”
“What are you planning to do? Sau— Aahh!”
“Please let me do something, before it’s too late.” Saura carried Luan to a nearby cave and gently put her down a smooth surface. “Sorry, but I think this is the safest place we got so far.”
Luan, having an idea on what Saura might be thinking, felt bittersweet. “But what if it fails?”
“Then I’d take the blame. For now, we wouldn’t know until we try. Will you let me do it, Luan?”
Saura smiled upon Luan’s reply and both of them laid down.
“Saura…” the Lady moaned as the human moved on top of her. Slowly, it was as if all of their worries had disappeared as Luan felt at ease with the human’s touches.
“I’ll never leave you alone, Luan. Whether here or there, I want to be with you.” Saura closed her eyes as she tasted the light of the High Spirit, intertwining with her.
<dream sequence>
“How would you know if you’re already at your brightest?”
“I would know, Saura. The elders said I would be able to feel it. They also predicted it to be a fire stone change away.”
“So it means, just a little more time before you...”
<end>
“Saura... Saura, wake up.”
The Low Spirit stirred under the blanket upon hearing Luan’s voice. “Hmm... I bet you slept well, Your Highness. You’re glowing,” the grinning human teased as she rubbed her eyes.
“It’s not me, Saura. It’s you... And you’re feverish,” Luan answered, a note of worry in her voice.
~
The elders were disappointed upon seeing the light of the High Spirit Luan diminish tremendously, as if it almost disappeared. They had their suspicions and couldn’t stress more on how it was a terrible mistake for letting her ‘pearl of light’ get tainted, thus losing her ability to produce the brightest and purest of light. Though they were considering Saura’s proposal to take Luan’s place because of the sudden turn of events, they believed it might not go as smoothly as what they had hoped for.
Both High and Low Spirits blamed Saura, on the other hand. Rumors spread that she was envious of her Lady and wanted the honor for herself. They accused the Low Spirit of stealing the Lady’s light. Meanwhile, others came up with theories saying Luan had lost her mind, and pitied her for losing such magnificence to a humble servant.
“I’m worried about you, Saura. We didn’t expect it to happen this way. Will you be alright?”
“Stop worrying, Luan. Since your light transferred to me somehow, I’ll be taking your place and we’re going to be together in the sky.”
“But your light burns. It must hurt and I can’t even comfort you.” Luan could only look at Saura, as the Low Spirit didn’t allow her to touch her.
Saura fought back the pain as what Luan said was true. She couldn’t even wipe Luan’s tears away in fear of burning her beloved’s skin.
“I can bear the pain, Luan. For an impure Low Spirit like me, it’s the price I have to pay to carry such a gracious light. But, the good part is that I get to take away that burden from your shoulders. So it’s worth it.” Saura smiled bitterly.
“It’s unfair, Saura. I can’t just let you take it all alone.”
“Just seeing you up there is enough to give me strength. I bet I’d be blushing all the time because of you,” Saura joked to soothe Luan’s worries.
“That is, if you’d still notice me though. I don’t even know if I’d be useful up there. I barely shine at all now.” Luan frowned.
~
As the fire stones changed from green to blue, the High Spirits flew to the sky to fulfil their duty to provide light to the Earth. Unlike fire stones, each glowed in different colors and could be seen in the sky as specks of light. Still, no matter how plentiful they were, they weren’t able to provide much illumination from their small glow.
However, when Saura rose to the sky, her light enveloped corners and planes, overpowering the light of fire stones, and eventually, illuminated a big part of the Earth. She looked for Luan right away but she failed to see her.
“Luan, where are you, my love?” Saura called out, a fear in her voice.
“I’m here, Saura. Maybe you’re too bright and you can’t see me?” Luan shouted back while covering her eyes from too much light.
“Talk more please, my love,” Saura responded and moved in the direction of Luan’s voice.
It was only until she heard screams of pain that the flaming Saura retreated, and blamed herself for her carelessness. Hearing humans begging not be scorched on the Land, all Saura could do was to distance herself farther from the one she loved and to the World, hoping no harm could be made again.
“I’m sorry, Luan. I can’t get close to you anymore. I can’t even see you. Please let me hear your voice again somehow,” she pleaded.
Luan replied but no matter how loud she spoke, her voice couldn’t battle the distance between her and the enormous burning Saura.
“Well, at least I get to fulfil my promise to you, right? I’ll carry on this duty and make sure you won’t feel alone, Luan,” Saura said aloud to comfort her lover, but more to comfort herself.
“No, let me do my part too, Saura,” Luan said to herself.
Fully determined to help Saura in any way she could, Luan absorbed all the light she could take from a distance. And then, she glided to the other side of the World to illuminate the part that Saura couldn’t reach. That way, she would be able to carry a weight of Saura’s light and to share her duty to the Earth.
Luan gave off a cool crystal light, just enough for humans to see in the dark; while Saura had her warm, bright light illuminating the Land. Low Spirits called the phenomenon Night and Day. They believed Night was to bring rest, while Day was to give hope.
After the first seven Days since the light entities had risen to the sky, Luan noticed her borrowed light diminishing. It eventually wore off after the 30th Day, and since then, Luan travelled to the other part of the World to replenish herself with her lover’s light, trying to get a little closer to Saura each time. Every time she soaked herself with Saura’s warmth, Luan could hear her lover sing or read poetry to declare her love for the Lady.
“Light is hope. I still dream
Of you and me. I believe
No matter how long it takes
We’ll be together again.
When the light’s just enough
And I don’t burn as much.”
“I believe you, my love. Someday... But until then,” Luan played along even if she couldn’t be heard.
“I will keep you safe,” passionate Saura ended her poem with a smile. Proud of her new masterpiece, she felt sure her beloved Luan was able to hear it from afar.
Until now, we can still see the lovers up in the sky. While some humans believe it is Luan’s tainted pearl that is the magnificent ball of light seen during the night, others say it is her eye watching over the Low Spirits as they sleep. On the other side of the world, Saura is seen as a ball of fire giving off light and heat; the ardent spirit who’s still waiting for the time when she and Luan will be together once again.
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