Short Story: Et Lux in Tenebris Lucet

Short Story: Et Lux in Tenebris Lucet

Let me tell you a story as old as time when the first ever love occurred.

When the universe came to be, there was nothing but darkness, until light broke through a crack in the universe and weaved itself around the dark. Where the darkness spread, the light followed.

Time was everywhere and nowhere as he was the most powerful being among all. He watched as these beams of shades clashed against one another in disarray and created an imbalance in the universe. To contain the light and dark, Time created beings that could control the contrasting shades.

Sol was made with the power to weave luminosity, and in his opposition was Luna, the Goddess of darkness who cast shade upon all.  They were settled on Earth and watched civilisation grow. Luna remained beneath the Earth, her darkness merging with the caves, volcanoes and the ocean, whereas Sol reigned over the land and sky, illuminating everything in his path.

Gradually, as plants grew and animals increased, the darkness and light met once more. Luna’s inky rays merged with the sea and coloured a fish’s tail. An eagle that flew too low caught the fish in its beak and flew to the sky, casting the black shade everywhere. Upon seeing this, the God of light fell into peril for his radiance was being snatched. Sol told the animals of the land, the sea and the sky to discover where this darkness came from.

The ants crawled to the God of light and whispered to him that they saw a being shrouded in darkness. Sol did not believe such a being could exist.

The dolphins swam next, to tell him of a being that created shadows with her very hands. Again, Sol did not believe.

The birds flew to tell him of another deity whose powers only cast darkness and shade. A bird perched upon his shoulder and fluttered its wing to show Sol the ink that dusted from it. 

If the ants, the dolphins and the birds were all saying the same thing, then there must have been some truth to their words. Thus, Sol travelled the Earth in search of this mysterious deity. He sought help from every living being; the animals and the trees guided him in his hunt. He wanted to meet this deity of darkness.

The God of light came across a spider who told him of a cave that had no light and led Sol there. The cave was located where only shadows lay and merged with the ocean. When he finally arrived at the cave, Sol could feel the darkness pulsating through him and draining his powers. Sol pushed past the cobwebs and held his right palm out. Rays of glimmering luminescence radiated from him and illuminated the cave.

“Who is there?” A soft voice called.

“I am Sol. God of light.” His voice echoed against the rocky cave walls, and he stepped further inside.

“Do not step any further, for I will take away your light.” The voice warned.

“No one can take away my light. My light is in every corner of the universe.” Sol claimed.

“And where there is light, there will always be darkness.” The voice whispered.

Sol stood in the middle of the cave, the beams from his hand enveloping everything. He tapped his staff on the ground, and the cave shook from its very core.

“Show yourself.” Sol’s firm voice seeped into every crack in the cave.

Soft footsteps made the God of light turn around. He watched in curiosity as a silhouette appeared from a corner of the cave. Darkness shrouded the person as though they were wearing a gown. Sol waved his hand, and a spark of light was cast upon the being.

Sol was awestruck.

A woman stood tall in the cave. Murky ink wrapped around her body like fine silk, floating at her feet in endless puffs of clouds. A beautiful crown was made out of her inky hair. But it was her eyes that caught Sol’s attention; for where his eyes seemed like honey, her eyes were as dark as the deepest blue of the ocean. Her shadow-like appearance was a startling contrast to Sol’s pale skin and golden hair.

“I am Luna. Goddess of darkness.”

Silence reigned, and the Goddess stared at Sol in suspicion. “Why are you here?”

The God of light replied, “I have come to tell you to stop taking away my light.”

The Goddess Luna raised her palms. “That I cannot help. Darkness will always take away the light.”

To prove her point, streams of deep black seeped out of her hands and snuffed out the light in his palm.

Sol remained composed, and Luna’s fury only met his peace.

“You run away from light. It will not hurt you.” Sol said calmly.

“I do not run away from anything.”

“Then, you will not mind if my light touches your darkness.”

Luna remained still as a sculpture while a spark appeared in the palm of Sol’s hand. The spark flew towards the Goddess. Her eyes glared in rage as the bright beam grew closer. When the light touched the Goddess, her eyes fluttered close, for she had never felt such warmth in her existence. The dark and light shades melded and danced. Sol exhaled for he felt his power merge with hers and unite.

And thus, their love began.

Wherever the two lovers went, a trail of light and dark followed. Luna learnt to admire Sol’s powers. He brought laughter and radiance into her world, while she cast shade in his to balance his ethereal glow. They were perfectly content together.

However, Time had his watchful eye upon them. He observed how the two distinct shades had begun intertwining once more. The different shades could not mix for it disrupted the balance of the universe. The dark and light had to separate for the world to expand and grow, and for humanity to evolve for thousands of years to follow. To solve this problem once and for all, Time created a rift between Sol and Luna; he split himself in two so that there would be two parts of a day, and as a result, day and night was born. The different times of day pushed the two lovers apart, so much that Luna was forced to be cast away into a lifetime of darkness and Sol was entrapped in the centre of the universe with light.

The vivid rays emanating from Sol drained him, so much that he missed the calm shade that Luna would provide him. Sol and Luna could only meet when one had to rise, and the other had to set. They’d see each other from afar and the warmth of Sol’s light would reach Luna and grant her peace just for a moment.

Today the love story of Sol and Luna is merely a story. They are no longer known as deities.

They are the Sun and the Moon.

©  photo from Unsplash

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One thought on “Short Story: Et Lux in Tenebris Lucet

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