It was a new day at Mars High School… and Theo Lumen was homesick.
Theo Lumen watched through his dorm window at the endless red rock in front of him. Then the alarm rang throughout the dorms, and he reluctantly pushed himself up his bed and got dressed. Walking outside, he barely noticed the one or two martians who greeted him as he walked into Classroom 401 and plopped down in a seat somewhere in the third row. This class was Extraterrestrial Beings 101 and has been the hardest one to succeed in so far. How was he supposed to remember how a Gemini Sporal divides? Theo went through his usual motions, fidgeting with his pen and looking up at the Moon that was always visible on Mars. Like it never started, the class ended with the bell ringing again, jolting Theo from his stupor. The days passed oddly fast at Mars High School; it was a blur.
After a full day of boring classes, Theo walked back to his dorm. Two humans, he was pretty sure, were named Sawyer and Milo, and were waving high to him. He was pretty sure they were roommates, but honestly, he didn’t know much outside of his own room. Opening the door to his room, he sat down at his desk and contemplated why he was here in the first place. Time passed almost magically, like it usually did at Mars High School. He spared a glance at the clock at 12 AM, and that’s when he felt it. A thump in his heart, moonlight glowing softly on his skin. Not the distant one on Mars, but rather the feeling the Moon had when he was still on Earth. Theo’s eyes widened as he felt an emotion in his heart that wasn’t his. It was a jarring experience, Theo sitting there motionless, afraid to interrupt this seemingly mystical experience. There was a confronting presence accompanied by it that reminded Theo too much of his mom when she would tuck him into bed every night when he was still on Earth. He felt both longing and good wishes tracing his body. Theo looked up at the Moon, only a thin slice of it visible from the dark, gloomy clouds. As the emotion and presence built up, Theo felt something whisper in his ear, but before it could finish, the otherworldly experience stopped abruptly. Theo stood there, shocked, sweat all over his body as he tried to process what he had just gone through. Waxing Crescent
It was another Mars morning, and Theo woke up to the unending sea of red rock. However, instead of getting dressed and going to class like he always did, Theo flipped through the small box his family had left him before going to Mars. He never opened it, however, scared of facing the loss of his family head-on. This time, though, he needed answers, and nothing online gave him any. Flipping open the box, Theo looked down at its contents, bewildered.
Luminance User Manual
“For those who feel the bond, and those who honor it.”
- Cael Lumen
Stages
The Stirring (Waxing Crescent): First flickers of emotional connection.
The Murmur (First Quarter): Subtle whispers as well as stronger emotions can be transferred.
The Call (Waxing Gibbous): A small conversation can be maintained.
The Pinnacle (Full Moon): Projections are enabled.
Rituals
“I don’t recommend these unless the Luminance is exceptionally weak. They go from least intense to most intense in both effect and harmfulness.”
- Cael Lumen
Memory Jar: Place a photo of your loved ones in a jar and meditate on them.
Light Circle: Light candles around you in the shape of a moon and meditate on your loved ones.
Projection Fast: Stay in a dark room without any light, needs to last 24 hours without any food or water ingested in the process.
It was… a manual? Theo quickly flipped through it, realizing the beautiful connection he experienced was the Stirring Phase of the Luminance. Was the process also expeditable? That sounded…nice. Theo smiled for the first time since arriving at Mars and took out the picture he kept of his mother and father in a jar and sat down on the floor, letting his senses concentrate on his family. Little did Theo know the Moon pulsated with beautiful white light in tune with his breathing. He felt the connection rematerialize and form again the emotions welling up in him. This time, stronger and more present. He smelled his mother’s baked pies again, his father’s oddly metallic scent that he would swear wasn’t there. He also smelled the grass and dirt on his little brother’s clothes whenever he would run outside after it had just rained.
Then he heard it. “We love you, Theo.”
Instantly, Theo felt himself choke. His closed eyes opened the transcendent feeling that penetrated the 250 million miles between them, starting to fade away. Theo instantly closed them again, unwilling to let this feeling disappear. Closing his eyes, he rapidly forced out one of the teardrops that had just begun forming. But just like last time, once broken, the connection wouldn’t be reestablished that easily. The feeling passed away, leaving Theo feeling stupid for opening his eyes. Looking through the window again, Theo saw that the small slice of the Moon had grown into a nice boomerang shape. First Quarter
Theo shivered a little bit from the withdrawal and furiously flipped through the pages again, quickly reading the next ritual needed before closing it up and pulling out 8 candles in the shape of a full moon around him as he lit them up one by one. The red flame he expected did not appear as blue flickers erupted around the room. Theo quickly sat on his lap at the epicenter of the flames and quickly closed up his eyes, both hands on his thighs as he felt the same connection start washing over him again. The Moon’s power intensified as Theo felt its comforting blue glow on his body. The energy nourishes his soul and mind, making it a hub for all connections. That’s when the familiar emotions rushed over him courtesy of his family, the outlier being a slight undercurrent of nervousness that Theo didn’t even notice.
The whispers that Theo expected intensified into a normal volume. “Theo, how’s school?” Theo kept his eyes closed, furiously holding back his tears as he answered his mom’s distinct voice. “It’s fine, Mom, I’m having a lot of fun.” “I’m proud you’ve adapted so well, son.” The strong, resilient presence of his dad washed over Theo, a slight teardrop rolling down his cheek and leaving a wet trail with it. “Thanks, Dad.” Theo was just about to say more when another familiar yet unfamiliar voice interrupted him. “Theo… big brother!” Theo heard his little brother’s newfound voice echo around him. He gasped as he realized that in the short time he had been gone, his brother had learned to talk. “You were the second word he learned. Even before your mother!” Theo heard his dad’s boisterous laugh echo around him, the noise he heard so much around the house seemingly now alien.
Theo opened his mouth to tell them that he was doing amazing, that classes were interesting, that he had a lot of friends, and all the fun things that happened, but before any of that, a horrific cracking sound shattered the fragile connection. Theo opened his eyes to see the candles all knocked over, the blue flame extinguished. Looking up at the Moon, Theo barely acknowledged the cracks spreading its surface as he took in its new Phase. Waxing Gibbous
Theo acted as a drug addict without his personal poison as he roared at the Moon, angry that it had ripped away his family after putting them in front of him for just a moment. Like a savage animal, Theo flipped through the pages, reading through the requirements of the Projection Fast before standing on his chair and smashing his own lightbulb with a hammer. He rushed over to his fridge, grabbed all of his snacks, and threw them out the window, the packages of chips and chocolates drawing out a slow ballerina-like arc throughout the air. Almost instantly, they froze into ice and slowly started their descent. The bags of chips are starting to burst due to the Martian air pressure. Not hardly caring what he was doing, what got him suspended and possibly expelled, Theo grabbed onto his blanket and covered the window with it, fully sending the room into pure darkness. Theo fell backwards onto his butt as he sat in the middle of his room, the shards of glass from the broken lightbulb all around him, and some even making small cuts on his body, all barely even registering in his mind. All Theo could think about was the Luminance and its magical, addictive power as he dedicated all his time to it.
24 hours later, Theo felt it as the Luminance reached its peak, as the blanket he used to block the window was blasted off its position, the overwhelming power of the Moon washing over him. Full Moon
Theo hastily opened his eyes, seeing three shadowy blue ghosts in front of him. They quickly solidified into his family as Theo leaped up from his cross-legged position, the cramps covering his body in the back of his mind as he rushed towards his family, arms outstretched. “Theo, what happened?” His mother tried to stay calm, but the nervousness leaked through her words. “Why are there shards of glass on the ground?” Theo ignored her, moving towards his little brother, reaching out a hand to ruffle his hair, but he flinched backwards and hid behind Dad.
Theo redirected his attention to his dad, the same dad who was always composed even in the face of emergencies, and started to fidget a bit. “Theo, you have explaining to do. What is all of this? Why do you look like you haven’t slept in days?” Theo smiled ear to ear, fully unaware of how deranged he looked right now. “I followed all of the directions in the manual! I managed to make a Pinnacle Luminance! However, the pride he thought he would see from his parents wasn’t there; instead, dread and tension filled the room. “Theo… you went through with ALL the rituals?” His mom hesitantly asked him. “Of course, Ma, I wanted to see you guys again.” His father flinched backwards as if physically assaulted. “All of this, just to see us?” Even his little brother still hid behind their father. “Theo…” Theo’s smile slowly faded as he felt pure exhaustion washing over him, the consequences of his actions slowly settling into him. “I don’t feel so good.” The projections of his family started to disperse, his mother trying to say something before getting fully expelled from Mars. “Theo! Stay saf–.” Theo stumbled forward, his family gone. Looking through his shattered window, Theo gazed upon the Moon, only to see nothing there. ECLIPSE
“Theo. Wake up.” Theo sat up in a pool of silver light, the only thing of note beside the stars above the sole man standing in front of him. “Who are you? Where am I?” Theo drowsily stood up, wobbling a bit from hunger and exhaustion. “I’m Cael Lumen, your ancestor. As for where you are, I’m sure you know better than anyone.” Theo looked around, while the view and texture of the somewhat solid, somewhat liquid silver below him was strange; the feeling of the Luminance was all around him, stronger than he had ever felt, even during his Peak Luminance. “I’m… in the Luminance? Also, you’re my ancestor? How are you alive? Is this the afterlife?” Theo shot off a string of questions, his words slurring. His supposed ancestor, Cael, looked upon him sympathetically. “I’m indeed your ancestor, also the founder of the Luminance. And you, my progeny, have just destroyed it.” Theo felt his mind instantly sharpen up. “What do you mean by ‘destroyed it’? I just drew upon it as you told us to.” Cael sighed; the energy around them also seemed disappointed in Theo’s answer. “The Luminance isn’t something to be drawn upon. It’s a product of grief, misery, and despair.” Theo pointed a finger at the man in front of him, complicated feelings rushing through his heart. “Then why create something so flawed and downright detrimental!?” Cael smiled down on Theo, his voice ever calm. “Because I learned how to deal with it. And I wanted to pass it on.” “Explain.” Theo looked accusatorily at the man who had created this twisted gift. “It would be better if I showed you.” Cael’s eyes glowed silver as the ground below them shattered and exploded, the shrapnel transforming into shards of silver glass floating around Theo’s vision and showing him an image of an Earth unrecognizable to him. “It all started when my mother died.” The Earth zooms in on a younger Cael, hugging a bony woman, tears in his eyes. “I did everything to bring her back.” The vision switched to images of Cael in front of test tubes, smoke covering the room, in front of statues of unfamiliar Gods, and even Cael gulping down strange liquids that caused him to cough up blood.
Theo screamed towards Cael, who still floated just beyond reach. “So you decided to give us something that feels like love but leaves us hollow? I just wanted my family, why did you make it this cruel!” Cael accepted the accusations, even floating down to eye level with Theo, and lowered his head in guilt. He made no attempt to defend himself, instead simply stating. “Because grief made me believe connection had to hurt. You can stop believing that.” The vision switched again. “Finally, I came to realize nothing worked. No amount of money invested into alchemy or any of the religions could help me connect with my deceased mother.” The younger Cael stood in a field, the Moon starting to stir as blue energy washed over the grass and dyed it blue.
“For some reason, the Moon listened. It felt my emotions somehow and became a conduit between my mother and me.” The vision switched once more as a younger Cael wept on his knees in front of a blue projection not unlike the one Theo just witnessed. The vision switched again. “It didn’t last long, and the second loss drew me deeper into insanity.” Images of Cael performing more and more extreme rituals, starving himself within an inch of his life, or hiking onto the highest mountains in an unfated attempt to reach the Moon. “It worked, of course, the Moon always listened. But I soon realized that it was never kindness that connected my mother and me; it was resonance. It was the negative emotions I put into myself and into the world that demanded the Moon to respond in some way.”
The shards of silver disappeared, and Cael and Theo stood upon the ground again. “I didn’t create magic. I created collapse given shape. The Luminance formed because I needed a connection so desperately that it carved a path through the moon. But I never realized how fragile it was… how easily comfort could turn into obsession.” Cael looked at Theo with a conflicted look. “At the height of my obsession, I experienced the first Eclipse. The product of the Luminance not being able to reflect my energy anymore, and instead pressuring me with my own negativity. I only survived by accepting the Luminance for what it was, a moment of resonance, not a replacement for true connection. And that’s when the Luminance fused with my bloodline, passing it on through every Lumen to come.”
Theo found his voice again as he spoke hesitantly to his ancestor. “So this… this curse of a gift started because you couldn’t let go?” Cael didn’t flinch, just nodded. “Yes, and it grew because neither could you. You strained it like I did, going to the point of shattering it. The Luminance exists to remind you of your own emotions and will only be a true connection if you treat it as such. By not forcing it. By not bending it. By not living through it.” Theo swallowed hard, the world around him slowly crumbling as Cael’s apparition started to weaken and disappear. “You haven’t destroyed the Luminance. You just forgot what it truly means. Not power. Now ritual. Not perfection. But rather grief and the hope that we can one day cling onto our connections with gentleness rather than desperation.” Theo wanted to thank his ancestor for his guidance, but never got the chance as the world faded to black. NEW MOON
After returning to the real world, Theo was promptly suspended for destruction of school property, harmful littering, and also having lit candles in his room. He was back in just a week, however, and spent his time with his family back on Earth, as Cael would’ve wanted him to. With appreciation and not desperation. Arriving back at Mars High School, Theo decided to finally talk to the two humans, Sawyer and Milo, whom he had seen a couple of times in the dorms. He quickly became a good friend with them, bonding over their collective love for the Martian Warriors and their shared hatred for the Martian Cavaliers. Realizing just how much he missed by letting himself sink into his own obsession, Theo vowed to move forward from today, making every day more meaningful than the last.
It was a new day at Mars High School… and Theo Lumen was content.
