Our world was colorful, much like the Rainbowland you love, Joseph. From the time I could toddle, Wisp would walk me up to the highest hill to overlook our village, and butterflies of every color were floating around fields of flowers. We would spend hours trying to catch them. I'm certain you remember the day when we were nearly killed for doing just that. Our planet was peaceful and raided often. However, we survived. We would try to catch butterflies in the day and watch the stars at night. I remember when Wisp noticed a dimming star one night before I was distracted by light bugs. Childhood was simple. That is until the day Wisp disappeared. I remember that day well. There was a great light one day as we played. Wisp ran after it. I followed behind, begging her to wait up…

"Wisp. Slow down. Please!"

"I wonder what it is. We've never seen a ship like this before."

"Wisp. It could be dangerous!"

"Janice, you've always said you want more adventure. Why not grab it when we have the chance!" Wisp nodded. How could she explain the pull she felt.

"Wisp! Adventure is one thing. It could be raiders."

"Or, it could be something new!"

The light shone brighter than the sun, and a voice radiated from it, "there is a world in need of help." The voice warned, "a dimming world where all color has been stolen."

"The dimming star!" Wisp gasped.

"The world needs someone to save it." The voice continued.

"Why can't you save it?" Janice wondered.

"I can not interfere directly. I can only ask for help. The choice is yours."

"I will!"

"WISP!"

"Janice, don't you see. We've always pretended to go on a grand adventure. Now, we can. We can save a world that needs us. Think of all the ways WE could help. We could make a difference to so many lives."

"...I'm...I'm not sure." Janice murmured.

"Time is of the essence." The orb warned.

Wisp held her hand out to me, inching to the orb, so sure, so certain...she beamed at me with such confidence. I held the worries. I wanted adventure, yes, but I was terrified of the possibility of getting hurt...of Wisp becoming hurt...of making the wrong decisions...the light enveloped Wisp, I...I hesitated...and then-she was gone.

I will never forget the guilt that ran through me alone in the woods that day. What she must have felt when she reached out her hand and I didn't take it. Because of my hesitation, my sister was alone, for years. At least...those were my thoughts at the time...How could I have known….

Time drifted slowly after that and was honestly a blur for a while. I lived every day trying to help people around me in hopes to atone for letting my sister down. And, after a long time, there was a day where I noticed the area seemed...dim. Honestly, I can't explain it well. It was as if the world wasn't as lit up as usual. The day after, it grew darker and colder. And the next day...and the next. Worry grew in my heart. Summer was only waning, yet snow had begun to fall. And, from the first day, I had felt that something was wrong. A deep worry settled into my heart, and I raced through the late summer snow. I cannot tell you where I thought I was going, instinct driving me more than anything.

I stopped alone in a wooded clearing. The snow sparkled around me in a thin layer. Even though the dread, I couldn't help but notice the beauty in the odd, quiet weather. The snow showed with even the smallest bit of light. I circled to note this, but as I faced the way I started, I froze. There, in front of me, was the same sphere that spirited my sister away from my sister so long ago.

"Young Janice." That voice sent chills down my spine and yet set hope in my heart. After all, this is the one who took my sister, but she was also ky chance to see her once again! "Time is of the essence. Light may no longer spread through the universe. Without finding a way to move the light, nearly all light will die."

"That's...that's terrible. Why is this happening?" I asked after the shock of this orb showing again showed up.

"There is an evil force trying to take Spectra for themselves." In our culture, Spectra was a myth of sorts where some believed it to more based on fact than others. But all knew the stories of the planet that all light passed through...our legends state that long ago, there was one light that covered all of existence. Four deities resided on this light. However, these four often fought. South believed conserving the light would lead to a lights long life span. North believed that using more light would dive out the darkness for certain. East believed having the same amount of light, but cutting down the size to conserve energy, giving south another option that south didn't like. West wanted to study the way the light worked, wanting to have the possibility to make more light. None could agree or compromise. They nearly tore the light apart. Realizing the near destruction, the four split the light into 4 pieces and fled to the four directions, which is how the directions came to be. The north too more, the south took less, the west and east split the rest. Unfortunately, this choice causes the middle of the cosmos to quickly grow cold and start to die. The four enjoyed having their own choices and did not wish to combine the light. Some stories even state that they doubted they could combine the light back. So, they met back in the middle and decided their first consensual decision they ever made, and possibly the last: a world made for all of their light to be able to travel through so they could still have their lights to themselves but life doesn't mostly die because of it. Thus, Spectra was made with all four using a few their respective lights and a diamond said to come from the heavens. Imagine finding your own legends and myths are told to you as reality. "There is a hero trying to stop this, but, if Spectra is taken, there needs to be a backup plan. Someone needs to ask the light beings to bring the lights back together. That someone...is you!"

As you can imagine, I was blindsided. My brain immediately reminded me of how slow I was to act on simply helping my own sister. And now, this orb was telling me she chose me to talk to what could he classified as gods! ...I took this about as well as you would expect. "Wha-? No, no no no. I am NOT the wisest person and I don't think I could be able to speak to the light beings. I mean, I couldn't even help Wisp. You were THERE. I am not the girl for this."

"I understand that this may seem a bit...overwhelming. If you will come to the west light and try your best, you will see I am correct. If you cannot convince the west light to help, then I will accept that you are not the one for this, however, if you can convince them, you accept this task. Sound fair?"

It did. I certainly couldn't see anything wrong with this. "Um...alright."

The next thing I know, I am being pulled through a light beam for a few moments before standing on a world in a warm yellow glow. Glowing insects littered the sky like stars. Surprisingly, people were walking around just like mine, all lightly glowing like the insects, all seeming to murmur a bit worriedly. A lot of them looked up at the sky as if feeling the weaker light. I was lead to a modest castle where the orb stopped. In front of me, there was an empty chair. "Why not practice what you think you should say before the light comes in." The orb encouraged.

I breathed. My heart raced. I didn't know anything about this being or how they would take me asking them for help. My mind blanked. How could I even begin?! After an uneasy amount of time, I finally spoke, "your grace. My name is Janice. My world has noticed the light waning bit by bit. We all worry about this. The snow on its own, while beautiful, can destroy our food supply, and if it gets worse, then we would be looking at some sort of age of hunger and cold...many innocent lives would be lost, and I doubt we are the only life that is having this problem. From what I have gathered from a helpful orb, that Spectra is being taken by someone. There are heroes trying to save it, but, if they are not able to save Spectra, we need you and the other 3 light beings to combine the lights to one again. Of course, this is only if Spectra is taken...please...no one wants all life to be lost. If you could at least think about the idea, countless people would be grateful." I was far too aware of the higher tone of my voice, and the shaking of my hands. I was even more terrified about this huge undertaking. I would have to say something like that again to a huge deity.

Then, to my absolute shock, the orb flew above my head, sitting on the throne, and a gorgeous lady sat there in a few short moments. "oh, I absolutely agree." I had been tricked. Her face gave a smug grin. She had completely tricked me, and I couldn't even be upset because I was so relieved that I didn't have to repeat what I said, and, honestly, I would have done the same thing to save in time. So, I was frustrated but...relieved...an odd emotional fight in my heart to decide which one to show. I really don't know which one came across, but she laughed. She explained how our legend was very close to the truth, but she was a bit like me...not wanting to say much either way since she cared for all of the others, but she didn't really want to change anything. She still felt like she should have said something against it, but didn't even when Spectra was being made. "When I took Wisp to help, and realize you hadn't come, I had already seen a bit of a resemblance. As I decided to help a world that didn't necessarily fall into my 'district' in a way to feel close to my siblings. This may be the first time we will have to get together, and with this taking away light, what better time to try!" I wanted to ask why she chose me, but she continued, "and, if we can save the light, then, when we are finished, I can give you what you need to see your sister again. Win-win!" How could I possibly say no after that?! So, with reluctance, I agree to continue on to ask the other three light beings. The lady smiles as if she had no doubt that this would be the case. "Allow me to give you a guide." The lady waved her hand, a glow surrounding every move she made. A girl stepped out, also glowing. Her eyes were like bright yellow suns and her hair matched, "This is Ina. She can help take you to the other light beings. Starting with the south. She also knows of each of my siblings, uhem...differences. she may become an invaluable ally."

It was the first moment where I had any positive feelings about this. It was nice to know I wouldn't be alone in my endeavor, and Ina's smile eased my anxieties. "It's nice to meet you, Janice." She nodded.

"It's nice to meet you too." I nodded, aware of the abounding relief of having someone to share this with.

This, we went off to the south star using Ina's light travel. The south star was a light blue, and much dimmer than the lady's. It was oddly cold for a star, and all of the people wore many clothes. There were hushed voices and distrusting eyes as we landed. These...shadows, I suppose, were lurking in the alleys. They would steal and harm. One of them tried to steal the very chain around my neck. I grabbed a stick, hitting them in the side so they let go...Ina seemed a bit shocked by the whole ordeal…

"I've never seen such strange creatures...nor have I seen someone fight before...that...was amazing. How did you know what to do? Was it instinctual? Do all of your species know how to fight? What do you think those are? You seemed very possessive about the chain around your neck., why is that?" She stooped, blushing before she clears her throat, "sorry...I don't mean to ask annoying questions."

I immediately hugged her. "They aren't annoying. Feel free to ask me anything, just a bit more slowly so I can answer." And she did, "It's customary to take basic self-defense where I come from. It wasn't instinctual per se, but close. Most of the planet has some semblance of training. I am not sure what that was, but I will not allow it to steal from me and this chain means a great deal to me. Wisp gave it to me as a gift. It's really all I have left of her." I have to admit, I cried a little. I had the hope of seeing Wisp again, but my failure to her, and my worry of messing everything up and failing her again...it was a lot on my mind. Ina stopped, confusedly looking at me.

“Your face is leaking.” she noted, wiping a tear off to look at it, “Is this how your kind expresses sadness?” I nodded. She looked down at the tear, “our kind has our emotions shown by our glow. I dim when I am saddened. I am sorry that I have saddened you. Is your sister not on this plane any longer?”

Of course, I shook my head, “Your lady says once we finish asking the other light beings to combine their lights in case of emergency, she will help me find Wisp.” I smiled hopefully, “I admit, this may be on the selfish side on my part. I mean, I wanted to help no matter what because it’s the right thing to do...honestly knowing that seeing my sister after I’m finished is helping to keep me focused ON the task more than anything.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s selfish to want to see your family.” Ina nodded.

“Thanks, Ina.” I smiled. It might not have been much, but that is the moment when I thought of Ina as a friend for the first time.

I decided to keep the stick when I heard a yell for help, and another girl from the south start had her purse taken from these shadow creatures. I swept it’s feet, knocking it down before giving the girl her purse back. Once I finished, I noticed Ina staring at me in excitement, “Will you teach me?”

“Um...Sure. I mean, I can certainly try.”

“How exciting. I can show everyone on the west star how humans defend one another!” Ina squeaked. Her excitement was infectious, and I gave her a small lesson to show her a few basics. She, in turn, told Janice what to expect, “south star is very analytical. He wants things to be as efficient as possible. You may have to think of a way to show that being four separate lights is inefficient.” she warned as we walked to...Well, I wouldn’t call it a castle...it was more of a keep. The south lord looked a bit like the lady, only, like his planet, he seemed dim somehow. “May I help you ladies?” he asked.

“Sir south star...my lordship…” I began, my knees trembling, “There is a problem we are facing right now. Someone is trying to steal Spectra.”

“Oh, yes. I heard about that. From my calculations, it would take any ordinary human a total of no less than a hundred years to be able to make anything big enough to steal a planet, and I highly doubt this person’s great great grandchild will have the same insanity as to steal a planet, I decided it was not worth worrying over.”

“Lady of the west light begs to differ...she believes this is serious enough to have a plan in case this person has more power than you give her credit for,” I say calmly.

“Yes, well, she has always been a worrywart. I run a tight ship here on the south side of the system, using exactly enough light to maintain life, and no more. Judging by West’s child there, she is wasting energy. Her star will only last another 20 billion years under that amount of strain!”

“As opposed to…?”

“My dear, simple human child. Under my strict regiment of light, our society in the south could go on for approximately 25 billion years!”

“Ah.” Janice wasn’t sure how an extra five billion years would help if you were the last star around, but she wasn’t about to question it. However, the talk of numbers gave her an idea, “However, isn’t it true that Spectra spreads your light?”

“I suppose it does.”

“So, if Spectra is taken, then you would have to raise your light quality, making that number go down, correct.”

He fiddled with calculations in his head, “I suppose it would.”

“So...wouldn’t it be MORE efficient to pull your light sources together and-”

“ABSO-LUTELY not. Have you seen north star’s practices with his light? It is simply atrocious. Why, with his mismanagement, the north star won’t last another century! I will NOT trust him with my light that I have worked very hard to conserve for this long. I refuse.”

“And your mismanagement of your people is atrocious!” Janice snapped before she could help herself.

“ExCUSE me?!”

“You are so busy worrying about conserving light that your people are targeted by shadow spirits in the streets! And worse, because you can’t see the devastation on Spectra, you shrug it off because of these numbers. I live in a world that is already seeing the adverse effects of this problem. We have snow before any leaves start falling. If the weather grows colder, we will have nothing to harvest! Your subjects don’t have it much better. You need to care more about people and less about numbers.”

“HA! My subjects are happy as can be, and understand that everything needs to be kept to a minimum in order to preserve life for eons to come.

“And what life will they preserve? A life where they have to look at newcomers like they aren’t to be trusted before even saying hello? I can understand you want to conserve, just like we conserve food in these tough times, but there is a huge difference between conserving and hoarding, and it seems to me your people need more light if you wish to have them live peacefully for that 22 billion years!”

“Ha. I will delight in proving you wrong.” South star. Janice followed him out the door where he could get a look at his society. From the shock on his face, he hadn’t had a chance to see them for some time. “Oh dear...but, from my calculations-”

“You have enough light to keep life going, yes, but there’s too little for your subjects to defend themselves.”

“Yes, well...perhaps adding a little more light to the star couldn’t hurt...I will have to adjust my calculations around….and, perhaps, I will meet with the others...I can not promise that I will agree to combine our light, but I will hear them out...perhaps I can find an efficient way to put a stop to this without directly interfering…”

“That’s all I ask.” I nodded, finally able to breathe again.

Ina ran to hug me, shining brighter than before, “I can’t believe you got through to him so quickly!” she grinned.

“Me neither,” I admitted, and I meant it.

We talked about it the whole way to East star, which was like west star, only much smaller than the other three we went to. The people there seemed happy enough, with compromises being brought up everywhere. Ina wasn’t at all worried for me here. “East is very understanding. Even if he doesn’t agree outright, he will find some way to compromise. You’ve got this.”

East was shorter and fat with a round jolly face, smiling as I told him about the dilemma facing us.

“Oh, dear. I definitely wouldn’t mind going back to one star...less work on everyone, you know...but with south and north constantly fighting...I mean, it’s been so peaceful since we’ve split…”

“Please. It would mean a lot to West and to the worlds being affected by this.” I pleaded.

He thought, walking over to refill my drink, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll go to see them all, and see if we can come to some sort of agreement. If not, at least I tried, right.”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you so much!”

“No. Thank you for coming to see me. It’s not every day I get to give tea to a human.”

Ina was right. It took almost no convincing to get East to try. Having more time than I thought, Ina and I worked a bit more on teaching her how to 0defend herself. Ina was a quick study, learning far faster than I ever did. We stopped to pick and eat some of the fruit which was a bit like Earth plums, only bigger, and sweet, and it would make your teeth glow for a few minutes after you were finished. Ina laughed like crazy when she saw it. After our break, we went to the North star. Ina did warn me though that North would be the most difficult to convince. He had been using the most power from his star and was...stubborn to say the least.

His star was the biggest of all of them, and so bright that it hurt my eyes. It was hot there as well. Red creators formed something of odd homes with what looked like smoldering embers dancing in the sky. Even the people who lived there seemed uncomfortably hot. None seemed happy either. They growled upon seeing the newcomers. They were dirty and sullen, and all of them seemed to have lost the shine that Ina had long ago. Ribs are shown under the skin. Worried for the state of the people, we rushed to the castle. The lord there was busy pouring energy out. “Excuse me, mister North, your lordship. There is a-”

“I have no time for you lot. Begone!” He pushed us out with one sweep. I was, understandably annoyed by the fact that he didn’t even give us the time of day, so I did what anyone would have done in my shoes and marched myself back into his castle, and it was a castle.

“Your lordship, with all due respect, sir, there are planets all over the universe that will die if you do not listen.”

He looked down at me like I was a dog begging for scraps, “Like a tiny insignificant human would understand anything about the universe.”

“West sent me to warn you about Spectra! Someone is trying to take it, and if they succeed.”

“Little human, do you understand what it is I am doing right now? I am using every bit of energy I can spend to keep the darkness from winning against the light that goes through Spectra. Without the light to go through it, Spectra is nothing more than a glorified diamond! Now, please do not bother me again, or you WILL face the consequences, whether my sister sent you or not!”

“Why won’t you listen,” Janice asked.

“Do you listen to the pleas of ants? Of course not, they are beneath you. You, a human with darkness in your heart, always giving in to your dark desires with wars and harming your own kind. You are no better than the shadow creatures I am destroying. I will not ask nicely again.” North warned.

“But, please. So many innocent lives will be-” North swung at me.

“ENOUGH!” he growled before I flew off much further than ever before. I awoke to Ina, tending to my wounds. She was smart enough to think of bringing a first aid kit with her. Something I make sure to remember to do to this day.

“Ina.”

“Shhh. You had a nasty fall. I’m just glad I was able to help you. How are you feeling?” Ina asked.

“I think I’ll be okay.” I was a bit soar in most places, but I would live. We were smack in the middle of the town. It looked as if the people’s houses were no longer taken care of, with edges falling. Ina looked more worried than I was.

“If this keeps up, he’s going to kill this light.” she whispered, “His children are already dying.

They seemed half dead. Their glow was almost completely gone, and they glared at us while I sat up.

“You would do well to get out of here.” One warned.

“We don’t want any trouble.” Ina held her hands up.

“Then GET!”

“My friend is hurt. She needs to be checked before we can go anywhere.” Ina stamped her feet. She helped me up slowly. “You alright to walk?”

“Yeah.” I sighed, ignoring the soreness as we walked. And we walked quite away before I had to take a break because my sore muscles were getting to me, and we rested near a cave in the withering woods. Ina sighed, “He wasn't always like this. The lady of the west said that he was the calmest of all until one day a vicious shadow spirit...the worst they had ever faced, came down and destroyed most of his children. Angry and hurt, he vowed no shadow would get the chance again, and decided more power was needed to keep the shadow away, which was fine until he kept wanting more and more...and honestly started the argument of how much power is really necessary...anyway, Let’s get you a drink of water.” she decided, going into the cave.

A few minutes after, she screamed. Without thinking about my wounds, I ran in. A shadow creature was there, kicking Ina while laughing. Instantly, without thinking, I took the branch in my hands, and I fought him off of her. I hit him sweeping his legs, forcing him off her, and placed myself between her and him. The other light children had come by, probably hearing the commotion or following us to make certain we left. I stayed between the two. My friend was hurt, and I would not allow this thing to hurt her anymore.

“Why not just run. A human can’t hope to defeat a shadow creature.”

“I will NOT abandon my friend.”

They looked at each other, this idea foreign to them at this point. I don’t think I want to know the last time they saw a selfless act. The shadow creature laughed, “So many of you already accepted death, and it’s coming. Your precious lord, so determined to keep us away, paved his own way to destruction. Now, I will destroy the last of your hopeful, and you will all disappear, and finally, the dark will reign.”

“I won’t let that happen without a fight! These people have suffered enough!” I kept at it, and, to my surprise, the light followed my attacks, hitting him with each blow as light child after light child decided to use their precious light resource to help me. After several minutes, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, only a jet black ring where he was. Everyone cheered. I helped up Ina before thanking all of them to help. Ina walked over, curiously picking up the ring.

A loud gasp of pain hit my ears. I turned, and Ina was back on the ground. The hand that touched the ring was black, with black veins crawling up her arms. “INA!” I screamed, tearing the ring out of her hand. It didn’t faze me at all. However, the black veins didn’t stop. I looked through the first aid kit for something. Her breathing became more and more labored. “Hang on, Ina. I’ll find something. I have to. Does anyone know how to heal?”

“We haven’t had the ability to heal in decades…” one of the light children hung their heads. The vines expanded, and her glow dimmed by the moment. Like a spider's web, it spun up to her arm in mere moments, quickly flowing through her body. She fell to the ground, her light blinking slowly.

I looked around, desperately. “Janice.” Ina murmured.

“It’s going to be okay,” I told her. I had no idea if it would be. It was too fast to stop, already down her legs. Her body was growing darker by the moment. I had never felt so helpless. She needed my help, and I could do nothing.

“Thank you for being my friend.” Her eyes closed as the vines crawled up her neck. Her breathing stopped. I froze...Ina didn’t move. I tried to resuscitate...nothing worked. Tears streamed down my face. I screamed. I remember that. Everything else was a blur. I can’t tell you how long I spent in the cave...only that I took the ring, and asked them to give her a proper burial, putting the ring on my chain so it wouldn’t harm any more of the people there, and tucked it under my dress to be on the safe side. I had to finish my mission...for Ina. No one else would die.

I marched myself back to North. North growled when he saw me still there. “You cannot seem to take a hint.”

“I won’t leave.” I said, “Not until you listen!”

“Fine. If you won’t leave, what little light your soul carries can help the north shine that much brighter!” he grinned.

He clashed his scepter with my stick, madness radiating from his eyes. I've never been the strongest fighter. But I held my own with blow after blow through sheer determination. I would NOT give up. But strike after strike, my stamina weakened, and he found his opportunity to knock me to the ground. He took his scepter, touching my chest to draw out my light, and before I could stop him, drew in the ring’s power instead. He immediately screamed out in agony, "a servant to the darkness. Curse you. You planned this from the beginning!" Then, he exploded from the dark energy. The ring no longer existed. Knowing how much pain from Ina's face alone, I could only imagine how much the entirety of that ring pained him before he died. No one deserves that.

All at once, the north star was sucking in power at an alarming rate. I remember screaming behind me, worries that all would die. I knew what I had to do.

I ran to the center, grabbing the scepter, and holding it up, pulling the energy within myself, screaming, “Please, stop. You don’t need to work so hard. You are going to kill everyone!” I felt the light energy flow into me, a normal girl. My hair wasn’t usually this color. It used to be light blonde before this happened. I honestly thought I would die from this. I must have blacked out at some point...Imagine my shock and surprise when I woke up with one question asked from the north light, “How do you wish to use the light.” and I thought, without a doubt in my mind, “To protect and heal.” I don’t know who or what asked me that...and I may never know. There was a mixture of relief and grief in the world. The west light came to me.

“You have done well, young Janice,” she said.

“No...your brother died...Ina died...it was all my fault.”

“My brother died by his own folly...he had crossed the line to madness long ago. Ina was no one's fault, young one. And the light she left behind is a part of you...all the northern light is a part of you.” They pulled the light back into one, talking about what to do with it after finding that the saviors, big surprise here, were able to defeat the one who was trying to take spectra. I was an anomaly, and I knew it. I already felt my tie to the light stronger than ever with the light together again. “Young Janice. We have decided to split the light to four places once more, but, we will check-in and help one another’s place to stop this madness from spreading to our brethren again...the fourth IS technically yours now.” I shook my head, “I am not a leader. I just want to help where I can.”

“Very well. You do seem like more of a guardian.” she smiled at a joke only she knew, “Very well. I shall keep my promise, and give you the means to find your sister.” She showed me the means to go through space on a beam of light to explore worlds. “Oh, dear guardian, before I forget. You are connected to the light that is within you...the light that you chose to save. That light will protect you and serve you as you wish, but if one dies, the other will as well. You did see how the north star reacted when my brother died...so, be more cautious. Until you can pass on your light, at least. Protect it well.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.”