Excerpt from

Chapter 1. Dangerous Foraging

People desired and worshiped luxis with an equal mixture of enmity and reverence. According to the legends, they were remnants of the Black Moon god, who used to revolve around the planet when he was not traversing it in flesh. A celestial shapeshifter, very powerful and abysmally hungry, was defeated in a fierce battle. 

Luxis flowers grew from the shreds of his torn body. Just as their originator, they hungered after and could devour light, whether direct sunlight or light stored in the bodies and cells of living creations. However, perhaps as a means of rectification, they were also given the power to restore lifelight. 

Sænd stopped to retrieve dark indigo clay, which was the best defense against the flowers' hungry gazes. He smeared it all over his body, working swiftly yet thoroughly. The only body part he didn't need to cover up was his face. This was probably the only occasion for which he was thankful for his odd face. 

Sænd set aside the pot with the remaining clay and carefully inspected his camouflage. Satisfied, he took three lungfuls of air, sent a quick prayer, and began approaching the luxis grove. He moved carefully, mindful not to get even a little of the thick clay lifted off by obstructing plants or rocks. Even a small patch of unprotected flesh could allow luxis to latch onto his luminescence.

Just like their legendary forebear, beautiful and black-blue flowers absorbed light of all wavelengths, non-selectively and intentionally, and stored it. In complete defiance of the laws of nature, the accumulated stolen energy didn’t heat them up; rather, it made them de facto undying energy storages. 

Sænd’s hands trembled, but he couldn’t risk steadying them by bracing or tucking them into his underarms. Instead, he tried to relax his mind by thinking about something funny. For instance, about how amusing and frightened he might appear if it suddenly began to rain.

Comical and so dead... Oh no, it is just the wrong kind of funny. Ok, remember Beam running away from a feisty squirrel? That silly pup… Ok, that’s not funny; that’s cute.

Sænd made his way to the ominous flowers, all the while being acutely aware of the clay that had started to dry up. He knew that he needed to leave before the dry clay patches began to crumble like æcalis’ bark.

Sensing his presence, luxis moved their stems to better orient their flowercups in his direction. The stems were undulating, and each elongated petal moved slowly and independently, giving the plant a menacing, poised, and hungry appearance. They could sense Sænd but not see him, so he was relatively safe. 

Only the flower part—the petals and the pistil—was capable of absorbing lifelight, or luminescence. Sænd had to be mindful not to touch those while cutting the stems at ground level. The rest of the plant—the stem itself and the leaves—were safe to touch, dark blue in color, meaty, and impossible to sever without the sharp edge of a knife. Sænd grabbed the nearest luxis steam and carefully cut it at the base. The plant was of good size, but he needed a second one for the desired haul. Only after exhaling Sænd realized he was holding his breath. 

It was odd. Luxis were not reacting to his intrusion as they normally would, undulating their stems and turning their flowercups as if scanning the area to find a foolish offender who dared to cut down one of their own. In fact, it was a quiet grove today. The flower cups were barely swaying; they looked sleepy or lazy.

Oh, great opportunity! I can bring more luxis for nana.

Sænd didn't second-guess his decision; he was too happy to help people back home. So he continued, searching for thicker stems. The flower he aimed for was a couple of meters up ahead. 

Err, here it goes,

he thought as he steadied the stem with a large leaf and did his quick knife work. He was about to shove the cuttings into his voluminous canvas bag when he noticed something very strange about the plants that were covered from his view by the one he just cut down. 

What on earth.?! 

He was lying on the ground. A half-dozen luxis’ flower cups remained on his body. It looked like a macabre, deadly session of cupping. The man was still and dark, devoid of his light by the hungry plants. 

Sænd felt rooted in his spot, paralyzed by fear and morbid curiosity. He has never seen anything like it. The stranger’s dim body was dead and dressed in clothing that was not of the make or style of the Mottled people. Sænd noticed a peculiar-looking foot covering trimmed with fur. It was impossible to tell the person’s original skin color; the final dimming replaced it with a dull gray color. The man’s face was turned away, making it impossible to determine his kinship.

Upon closer survey, it became clear that the majority of luxis in the area were facing the prostrated man, their flower cups gaping open like hungry mouths and their stems rippling in anticipation of satiation.

Sænd reached out to scratch the back of his neck, and a little speck of clay came off. 

Get out now! Or I’ll be next!