The Hex New Dawn

Damiens room was large and spacious, a perk of being the son of wealthy parents, though it comes at the price of feeling a bit lonely sometimes. Especially when his parents weren there to sleep with him, though that is not something Damien would readily admit.

Other than the large bed, some toys, a violin, and a long drapery bearing the silver-grey owl, the crest of the Grayson household, the room was fairly empty. Damien never spent too much time inside, spending his days outside, always exploring and looking for something to do. Coming to his room only to sleep or to find a place to hide when the trouble he makes finally catches up with him.

”Lets get you in bed then, ” Jerimiah said while tucking in Damien. ”So New Dawn, thats a name I haven heard in years, decades even. ”

A large smile graced Jerimiahs lip as he silently reminisced about the past. Damien, ever the curious one, couldn hold back from interrupting his grandfather.

”Where is New Dawn? Ive never even heard about it. I thought there were only five places other than Ac- Acu… Ac- u- men- os. ”

Jerimiah was impressed, Damien had a good head on his shoulder. He was only three, but he was always looking for new things to learn, no wonder he was so interested in New Dawn.

”The world is much more vast than just Journey, ” Jerimiah explained. ”But it is true that Journey is made up of six islands. Our home, Acumenos, the first one discovered of the six. Rich in resources, our land could be said to be the most affluent. ”

Superior, our sister island, and the largest among the six. You might be more familiar with this one, the Daniels twins came from there. I remember you being very friendly with those two. ”

Damien squirmed a bit as he remembered some unpleasant memories he had with the two girls. The younger of the had been quite nice, but the older was little more than a bully.

”Then there is Powercene, a horrid place really, ” Jerimiah continued. ”In time you will probably have to go there, and youll most likely see why I think that way, but for now I pray that you avoid that place. I promise its for your own good. ”

Looking at the boy, Jerimiah could tell he may have said a bit too much. He was well aware of Damiens endless curiosity and Powercene seems to have only peaked it.

”Then theres Devotime! ” Quick to change the subject, Jerimiah continued his geography lesson. ”Yes, it was discovered shortly after Powercene. A nice enough place, but Im not a big fan of the people who live there. Ive never been a follower of their brand of religion, and they do not take very kindly to that. They
e nice people, don get me wrong, but… never mind. ”

Jerimiah stopped to think a bit, in his old age he has started to forget some things, and the names of the other two islands were escaping him.

”In- tel-li-gion and Sheildon. ” Jerimiah looked closely at the boy. Damien shirked away, quickly realizing he said something he shouldn .

”You already knew, yet you were just letting me drone on… You did it so you could stay awake longer! ” Damien started to giggle, confirming Jerimiahs suspicions.

”You little devil! ” Jerimiah playfully tickled his grandson, while Damien vainly tried to ward him off.

”Yes, those are the six islands that make up our home, Journey, but there is so much more, ” Jerimiah said after finally releasing his grandson. ”Land to the North, to the west, and to the south, along with everywhere in between. The east is special though, theres not just land. There are people. ”

Damien listened intently, a rare moment where his curiosity actually stopped him from interrupting a speaker with questions.

”Quiet, are you? ” Jerimiah was expecting the boy to berate him with questions, as he usually does, but was pleasantly surprised by his silence. ”New Dawn, just like the sun, a fitting name for the land to the east. Lets see, Im 60… 63, yes, 63, and at the time I was 19. That means this would have taken… 10…20…30. ”

Damien would usually let his grandfather go on with his counting, the longer Jerimiah took the longer he could stay awake, but he really wanted to hear about New Dawn.

”4-4… 4-4 years. ” Jerimiah was too tired to comment of his three-year-old grandsons mathematical skills.

”Yes, four decades ago. I was the first and the last person from Acumenos, from Journey for that matter, to go to New Dawn, ” said Jerimiah. ”Thats probably because of the Contusis! A collection of great wavs, far greater than any you have ever seen, that expand over the middle of the Blood Sea. Each reaching dozens of feet in height, it is impossible for a vessel to cross those horrid seas. That is if you weren from New Dawn. ”

Jerimiah made sure to put on a show for his Grandson, and for the most part, the young boy was captivated.

”The people of New Dawn have magic, my boy! ”

Damien shot up incredibly fast, startling the poor old man. ”Magic! No way! ”

Its been a while since Jerimiah saw Damien eyes twinkle like this, it always brought joy to the old mans heart to see it.

”Quiet boy! Youll wake your grandmother being that loud, and we both know how that would turn out for both of us. ” Damien quickly covered his mouth and laid back down.

”Yes, magic! Im serious boy, Ive seen it with my own eyes, ” Jerimiah continued. ”Nothing seemed impossible for those people. Even the great waves of the Contusis fell before their power. Im glad that we are friends with those people. Even against just 100 of them, I fear our armies would be slaughtered, especially if she was amongst them. ”

Damien noticed that Jerimiah went into that same nostalgic haze, only this time there was a hint of terror laced in there.

”She? A friend grandpa? ” Jerimiah snapped out of his haze and faced Damien with an incredibly stern face.

”I said that I was the last to travel to New Dawn, but if, for any reason, you take it upon yourself to somehow go there one day, let me warn you off one thing. The women, be wary of them. If I teach you any one thing in this life, please take this lesson to heart. ”

Damien didn have to tell him twice, between his mother, his grandmother, and the Daniel twins, he was well aware of the trouble women could cause him. ”Grandpa tell me more. You haven told me about when you got there! ”

Jerimiah smiled warmly, the twinkle in Damiens eyes only grew, kind of reminded him of the night sky. ”Lets see, its already so late, but I wouldn mind telling you- ” Without any warning the door burst opened and alongside it a loud yawn.

”Im so tired! Wheres my baby? ” A dark-skinned woman, a little shorter than Jerimiah sluggishly entered into the room. She looked like a mess, her braided hair was hastily let down, she wore her dress loosely, and bags formed around her brilliant purple eyes.

”Mari! You
e back, its good to see you. ”

Without missing a single beat, she ignored her father and jumped right on the bed, ”Too tired… Sleep. ” She cuddled right up to her son.

”M-mom! ” Damien squirmed a bit under his mothers embrace to no avail. She had him in a death grip, and she had already fallen asleep.

”Mariah, honey, where did you go? Lets head to bed already, theres no need to bother Damien while hes already asleep ”

A tall, dark-skinned man stopped right outside the door. Unlike Mariah he was well kempt and orderly, he wore a classical silver-grey suit, and a thick pair of glasses. ”Well then, I see that Im already too late. As always, thank you for watching over Damien, Jerimiah. Would you mind if I take over for now? ”

Jerimiah was hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion as he looked at the clock. Well past midnight. ”Please do Johnathan, Ill be with Liz. ” Johnathan smiled warmly at his father-in-law, they never really saw eye to eye, but they could both agree Damien could be quite the handful.

Johnathan squeezed in on the other side of Damien caressing his head, ”Your fathers gone Mariah. ” Barely a moment passed before Mariah opened her eyes and frowned at her husband.

”Well, how was I to know that Daddy would still be here, instead of sleeping with mom, ” she asked. ”Im far too tired to explain why we
e three hours late. ” Johnathan smiled at his wife and held her hand over Damien gently.

”Five hours, ” he said. She could only groan and she cuddled tightly onto Damien.

”You
e still awake aren you little one? ” Damien had stopped struggling against his mother, unable to ignore her warm embrace.

”Im not… tired, ” he yawned.

Seeing a chance, Johnathan knew his son just needed a little push before he could be sent to dreamland. ”Of course not, but maybe if, Mariah? ” Johnathan began to hum a familiar tune, one that Mariah had not heard in some time.

”The Moonlit Knight? ” She asked with a large smile on her face. ”Are you sure you want me to tell it? You sing it better. ” Johnathan continued to hum only a bit louder now. ”All right, fine. ”

Light that persists even in the dead of night

A Twinkle, a Sparkle, a Shining Twilight

The greatest hero of our land

The Moonlit Knight and their band

The Moonlit knight had no face

Covered by iron they left no trace

Why they hid no one did know

But in just three words their character showed

In guile

Our hero was unlike the rest

Tricky and unique they loved to jest

Through not power did they show their strength

But with a heart full of courage to go against fate

In relentlessness

Did they never stop

To achieve their dreams to reach the top

It did not matter what obstacles they faced

They fought on and on until they earned their place

In struggle

10 years did past

In loss, in triumph, they would last

Regardless of whatever they might endeavor

The Moonlit Knight never surrendered

As the song came to an end, Damien laid completely silent, snuggling closely between the arms of his parents. With tired looks on their own faces, Mariah and Johnathan decided against walking to their own room, preferring to stay as they are.

”Goodnight, my sweet prince, ” they said in unison. ”We love you. ”