Title: When the candle burns out
When the last drop of wax hits the floor, it seems as though everything might stop, everything in motion would cease. No one knows what will happen when that little orange flame slowly expires, we are only left to imagine. It is thought that this would be catastrophic for the undergrounds, causing mass destruction and panic. Deep within this subterranean realm, Avalora stood as an ancient city, hidden within the refuge of the earth’s core, in a massive underground cave. The cave was filled with lush forests, lakes generated by the drip stones above, and multiple cities. The cities were remarkable and undiscovered by the rest of the world. Avalora was special because it was built around the candle. The candle shedded light into the city, and trickled through the whole cave, as if a wave of light was breaking at Avalora, and slowly rushing to the outskirts. The whole city of Avalora was powered and run by this candle. Beyond the candle lit avenues, in the shadow of the candle's glow, lived Cassius. He was a short, but built man that appeared as half his age. His hair was blonde, like the color of sand, and his eyes were as deep blue as the ocean. His defined muscles in combination with his short build made him compact and agile. He was living in a small home in the outskirts with his mother. Living on the outskirts was horrific. Light barely seeped into the furthest points of the underground, everybody that had a home, lived so close together in tiny run down houses with no running water. There were people going mad from your left to your right because of the conditions they were living in. There was a war going on between the City of Eldoria, who mainly controls the outskirts, and Avalora. The war was caused by the distribution of the candle light to the rest of the outskirts that were living in borderline darkness.
Cassius knew the candle could bring peace to the undergrounds in some way, so he packed what little belongings he had, said goodbye to his mother, and snuck out of the outskirts of the city. Cassius was determined to find the candle, which no one in the outskirts really knew where it was. Going through the outskirts wouldn't be as easy as Cassius first thought. With the war going on, the outskirts were in chaos, like an ant colony getting flooded with water. With all this chaos, it made navigating through the outskirts difficult. People were being robbed and beaten in the streets as if there were a purge. Cassius had gotten through the most populated parts, and was now entering the places where the war was really affecting things.
He found himself in a fairly populated town. The shops were abandoned and ransacked. But there were still people moving in and out like it was nothing. Cassius, out of the corner of his eye, spotted a flicker coming from a coin in an alleyway. He found himself wandering towards it, almost as if it wasn’t by his own volition. The alley was dark and seemed to go on forever. Cassious walked in, and kept walking as if he forgot about the coin completely. The alley was damp and grungy, it smelled of mold and rotting food. Cassius could hear the noises of rats arguing over a leftover piece of moldy bread. To the rats, this alley was probably like a local food bank. Cassius’s subconscious brain seemed to lead him to a small open door in the alley. He didn’t know if he wanted to risk potentially his life to go in this door. With all the chaos in the outskirts, anything could be behind that door. He decided to enter through the ominous door. It's dark, pitch black, and smells as though someone had been cooking some sort of burning substance.
“Are you lost?” says a voice just beyond where Cassius was standing.
“Hello?” said Cassius, it was very dark and he could not see anything beyond his arms.
“What are you doing here, and how did you find me?” says the voice. It sounded like an older man, he had what seemed like an italian accent, that was very deep.
“I was just walking through town, and I needed some place to escape all the chaos in the streets.” Cassuis said in a timid tone.
“Oh. Well do you have something for me?” Asked the man suspiciously.
“I have a question. Do you happen to know where the candle is?” Cassius said.
The man, who had gotten into a little bit of light since Cassius came in, looked puzzled. He was a tall man with very broad features. He was old, and had a long white beard that went down to his chest. He wore a cloak, and was carrying a staff.
“Ho-how do you know about the candle?” Said the man. Cassius hesitated for a moment before deciding to be truthful.
"I heard whispers among the people in the outskirts when I was a boy. They say the candle is the source of power for Avalora. I need to find it. I need to understand it. I believe it might hold the key to ending this war.” Said Cassius
The old man studied Cassius for a moment, his eyes seeming to pierce through the darkness.
"You're a brave young man," the mage said, his voice softening. "But finding the candle is no easy task. It's guarded, hidden away. And even if you find it, what makes you think you can bring its light to the rest of the world?"
"I don't know yet. But I have to try. The outskirts don't deserve to live in darkness. There has to be a way to share the candle's light, to bring unity instead of war." The old man sighed, leaning on his staff.
"You remind me of someone I used to know, a long time ago, when the world was a different place. Maybe fate has led you here for a reason."
With those words, the old man began to share his knowledge with Cassius. He explained the ancient rituals that surrounded the candle that protected it. Cassius listened carefully, absorbing every detail. He realized that he needed to split the candle's flame, divide it into smaller parts that could be carried to the outskirts and beyond. In the depths of the underground caves, Cassius and a wise mage tapped into ancient magic, splitting the candle's flame into radiant orbs. Carefully, they carried these spheres to the city's outskirts, lighting the darkness that had long covered the lives of the people there. The shared light ignited a spark of unity, inspiring people and leaders. United by the light, the once divided cities laid down their weapons. Cassius and the shared flame echoed through the underground, becoming a beacon of hope. In a matter of days, the war that had ravaged the city for years came to an end.