The Lantern Of Midnight Shore

The sea was quiet the night Elara first saw the man who should not exist. Midnight Shore was known for many strange tales but none as strange as the way the mist moved when he appeared. The lantern she carried flickered as though sensing something both ancient and restless hiding beyond the waves. She had walked this beach every night since her mothers passing. Walking gave her a strange sort of calm a feeling that she was not entirely alone. Yet that night she would learn that she truly was not.

A pale glow formed near the water. At first she thought it was only moonlight bending through the mist but then it stepped forward shaped itself into a figure. A man with dark hair and eyes that shimmered silver like restless tides. His clothes were old fashioned torn at the edges and soaked as though he had just risen from the depths of the ocean.

Elara froze gripping the lantern tightly. Her voice trembled as she spoke. Who are you

The man tilted his head with a sorrowful calm. My name is Caelum. I did not expect anyone to see me.

Elara tried to force herself to be brave though every instinct told her to turn and run. Are you a ghost

Caelum offered a faint smile one that carried centuries of loneliness. Something like that.

The waves rolled behind him but they did not touch his feet. The mist curled around him like an invisible tether.

Elara stepped a little closer curiosity overpowering fear. Why are you here

His gaze drifted to the lantern she held. That lantern used to belong to someone I loved a very long time ago. It called me.

Elara tightened her grip. This was her mothers lantern. She had carried it for years not knowing anything special about it. She felt a strange tingle move across her fingers as though the lantern agreed with Caelums words.

Elara asked softly Did you know my mother

Caelum hesitated before speaking. Not directly. But she carried a bloodline connected to my world. A line of those who can see what others cannot.

The wind shifted swirling the mist into shapes that looked almost like grasping hands. Elara shivered. Caelum seemed unaffected as though this eerie scene was gentle to him.

He spoke again. Every century a descendant awakens the lantern. When it lights for them I am allowed to return. Only for one cycle of the moon.

Elara stepped closer. You came back because of me

Caelum nodded. And now fate ties us together. I am bound to protect the lanterns bearer until the cycle ends.

Elara felt her breath catch. It sounded like a curse and yet in Caelums voice it also sounded like a promise. She studied him carefully. His features were sharp but touched with sadness. His presence felt unreal yet strangely comforting.

What happened to you Elara asked.

Caelum gazed out at the ocean where the waves reflected a dark shimmering glow. I was a guardian of the Midnight Shore long before it had a name. I protected the boundary between the living and the spirits of the deep. But I broke an oath. I fell in love with a mortal woman named Lyria. The spirits demanded a price. To ensure she lived her natural life I was bound to the sea cursed to exist between worlds. And only when a descendant of her line awakened the lantern could I return for a short time.

Elara felt her heart twist. That woman Lyria must have been her ancestor. But the tragedy in Caelums voice felt too raw too human for centuries to bury.

She whispered Im sorry.

Caelum looked at her studied her face as if seeing echoes of the past. You resemble her in ways I cannot ignore. But I know you are not her. And I must not let the past decide the present.

Their eyes met and Elara felt something stir deep inside her. A pull. A recognition she could not explain.

For the next nights Caelum followed her along the shore silent at times talkative at others always careful never to touch her though she sensed he wanted to. He taught her things the ocean whispered to him the names of stars long forgotten the emotions hidden within the wind. She found herself looking forward to each night waiting for him for the way his presence made the world feel alive again.

But something changed on the seventh night. The mist grew darker thicker forming shapes that moved with purpose. Caelum stiffened. They have awakened. The spirits sense your bond with me.

Our bond Elara whispered her heart racing. What bond

Caelum looked guilty. The lantern reacts not only to bloodline but to emotion. The more you feel for me the brighter its flame grows. And the brighter it burns the more my curse weakens. The spirits do not want that.

Elara stared at him breathless. Are you saying that I could free you

Caelums voice broke. Yes. But to free me would bind you. You would become the new guardian of Midnight Shore. You would stand where I once stood. And there is no return from such a fate.

The revelation struck her with a force she was not prepared for. If she set him free she would lose her own life as she knew it. A human could not be both mortal and guardian. She would exist only between worlds just as Caelum had.

Elara shook her head trying to steady her breath. I did not ask for this.

Caelum stepped closer than ever before the mist parting for him. I know. And that is why I cannot let you choose the path I once chose. I would face the curse forever before letting you suffer as I did.

His words were sincere painful and yet the thought of losing him sent a deep ache through her chest.

The spirits attacked at the next tide. Dark silhouettes rose from the ocean shrieking in voices that vibrated through bone and lantern light. Caelum pushed Elara behind him summoning a shield of shimmering silver water. The battle was fierce violent the spirits breaking against Caelums power again and again.

But Caelum weakened. The lantern flickered. The cycle was nearing its end.

As dawn approached the spirits launched a final attack. One broke through the shield heading straight for Elara. Caelum lunged in front of her taking the blow. His form flickered violently like a candle in the wind.

Elara screamed. Caelum collapsed to his knees his voice strained. The cycle is ending. I must return to the sea.

Elara knelt beside him holding the lantern close. Her tears fell onto his fading form.

There has to be a way to save you she cried.

Caelum looked at her with eyes full of longing. There is. But it demands the choice I would never force on you. If you step into the tide with the lantern and speak my name the curse will fall away. But so will your mortal life.

Elara felt her heart tear. She thought of her mother her ordinary life everything she would lose. She looked at Caelum the man who had walked with her in silence shared his sorrow his stories his heart.

She whispered Caelum I cannot lose you.

He shook his head. And I cannot steal your life.

The sun began rising turning the mist golden. Caelum started fading faster.

Elara looked at the tide then back at him. She made her choice.

Caelum she whispered.

But he shook his head fiercely even as his body dissolved into light. Do not speak my name. Live your life Elara. Live the life she would have wanted for you.

He reached out his fading hand brushing her cheek with a touch soft as mist. Thank you for giving me one last memory of love.

He vanished into the rising sun leaving Elara kneeling alone on the shore.

The lantern dimmed but did not go out. Its flame pulsed gently as though holding a heartbeat that belonged to someone far beneath the waves.

Every night Elara returned to the Midnight Shore carrying the lantern waiting listening. Rumors spread of a mysterious figure sometimes seen in the mist watching her from the water with silver eyes full of longing.

They say the tide still calls her name.

And one day perhaps she will answer.