Neverblue

**Neverblue** is a popular folklore of Kamonian origin, which is primarily known as **Karaimai** () in Kamon. The folklore is based on a historical event that is said to have happened in Kamon many eons ago. It is named after the main character Karaimai, a Kamonian woman who lived in Kamon without possessing any magical powers.

## Story of Karaimai

The tale of Karaimai begins with the birth of a young girl named Karaimai, who was born within the deep woods of Pheom. The day she was born fell on the legendary day of black moon, also known as Rayum o Them, a mystical day when no one in Kamon could use their powers. Any magic had disappeared from the world and only human abilities remained. The whole world was stained in dark. The usually neverblue sky was colored black and during night, there was neither the stars nor the moon to be seen. At that night, around midnight, the a girl with pitch black hair and black eyes was born. Since the color of the sky had returned a split second after the girl was born, her parents decided to call her after the sky: They named the girl Karaimai.

Karaimai grew up like any other child in Kamon, however, unlike her friends and family, Karaimai apparently had never developed any magical abilities. The people all around the town Karaimai lived in started to wonder about the phenomenon and suspected the influence of the black moon to be the cause of it. Many people made theories about Karaimai’s missing powers. Some thought that she was the reborn mistress of the moon, who was responsible for the black moon. The myth of the mistress of the moon describes a lady born from spheres greater than the Kamonian earth that envied the powers the deities of Kamon’s oldest beliefs had granted the world’s inhabitants. In order to prove her superiority towards the gods, she cursed the moon and took away everyone’s powers for the day the moon might turn black once again.

Those people who suspected Karaimai to be the reborn mistress thought she could have been sent by the old gods. Sent to the Kamonian earth, without powers, as a punishment for her actions. Others thought that Karaimai could have been a reborn soul from a stray ghost, who had lived among other worlds, such as earth, and had come to Kamon during the black moon. As other humans aren’t supposed to hold magical abilities, Karaimai wasn’t given any to keep the balance. Another theory was thought up by the researchers, also called alchemists around that time. They considered Karaimai’s lack of abilities to be caused by the black moon. She was born within the hours between two different moons. She was born without powers, as she was born around the time when there was no magic all around Kamon. Curious to find the cause of Karaimai’s phenomenon, the alchemists begged Karaimai’s parents for permission to magically examine their daughter. At first, the two declined the requests, but the alchemists kept coming and around the time when Karaimai was 15 years old, they allowed an alchemist of the great castle to examine her.

The tests on Karaimai lasted until she turned 20. The alchemists had used any kind of powers they could think of that could showcase the cause of phenomenon. At her 20th birthday, the magic around Kamon had disappeared one more time. Then, she had gathered enough courage and strength to break free from her current prison and managed to escape. She was running towards the woods she was born and raised, hoping that she would find the life she was longing for; living in freedom without being judged by people just because she’s “special”. Chased by those who didn’t understand, Karaimai reached the forest and wandered around the scenery until she got lost. She listened to the voices of the animals inhabiting the forest. Only from hearing the sounds, Karaimai could understand what they were telling her. They were leading her to a beautiful clearing with a big lake in the center. Karaimai approached the lake and looked at the water’s surface in surprise. She saw herself in front of a blue moon. The eyes of her reflection were inked blue instead of black. In that moment, the young lady understood that she was born from the black moon. That she was indeed special, but differently than everybody thought – especially herself.

Karaimai kneeled down, reaching for the water’s surface. The index finger of her hand touched the water and caused it to move. Then she suddenly heard a voice behind her. She recognized it even though she had never heard it before. She turned around and saw the largest bird of Kamon standing behind her. It introduced itself as Muoresha, the most important god of the old Kamonian belief. “Do not fear. The things that have happened to you were cruel and cannot be excused. Yet, even though the pain you’ve went through, you have found the strength to come here, to meet the destiny that awaits you.”, the bird said. It rose its wings and set towards the sky. Karaimai was overwhelmed by the appearance and had almost been pushed into the water by the whirlwind the godly bird had created. She saw the eagle circling around the clearing. It was far above her head, yet she could hear its words clearly:

“You were born as a symbol of change. The symbol of the birth of a new era of this world. For more eons than any deity could count, this very earth was suffering from a curse, the black moon. If it hadn’t been for the curse, you wouldn’t have gone through your struggle. You could have had a life like your mother, your father and all the friends you could have made. I must apologize. In order to free the world from the chains of the curse, destiny couldn’t find another solution than giving turning the sorrow of this night into a vivid being. You’ve been named after the beautiful neverblue sky of this world. My only request is; please return the color of the moon during the dark night.”

Karaimai listened closely to the words of the deity. She looked up to the black moon and began to question the life she had lived until now. It had always felt empty. She never belonged to Kamon, as no one in Kamon wanted her to be here: after all, she was the curse everyone despised so much. Karaimai turned away and closed her eyes. “I cannot even try to think of helping those who had never seen me as a person, but only as an experiment.”, she said and looked up in the sky, “But I can’t either imagine staying one more second. This life, this world. All I want is to get away from this all. If there’s a chance for me to get away from my sorrow, I will take it. But know that I’m not doing it for the sake of this world. I’m doing it for the sake of a young girl, who could never grow up and be happy simply because she was different.”

With these being the final word Karaimai had ever spoken, she stood up. The white dress she was wearing was blown by the soft breeze of the wind. She stretched out her arms and took a deep breath. Then she slowly walked towards the water. Her toes touched the water, causing small waves to spread across the lake. The waves got bigger the further Karaimai got into the water. With every step she took, the reflection of the moon got blurrier und then completely disappeared, along with Karaimai. She disappeared within the water, only the waves, that got smaller with every passing second remained as memory of her. Soon, the surface would have been calm again. Then, nothing of Karaimai had remained. Nothing. Nothing, except for the Neverblue sky above the lake. The deity landed at the crown of the forest, looking towards the sky. A drop fell into the moon, cleaning the black shade and turning it back into the beautiful new moon this world was named after.

He spread his wings and flew towards the next town. The one that purified the night of darkness shall be reminded and honored. From now on, the story of the girl whose name was the sky above Kamon should be spread all around Kamon, reminding them about their mistakes and the importance of the Neverblue light.

## Trivia

* While it's likely that the story of Karaimai has never happened, many people believe in the myth about the black moon and consider Karaimai as the origin of the name "Neverblue".
* The bird mentioned in the story was most likely an **Aeccola**, the largest known bird of Kamon. The Aeccola are generally known to be close to the lives of humans. Since they tend to avoid towns or other places inhabited by humans, their appearance is traditionally seen as a warning. If someone encounters an Aeccola will experience great sorrow in close future. Yet, the appearance of an Aeccola means that they may be able to change the fates.