“Goodnight sweetie, close your eyes,

Listen to my lullaby.

Look up there, in the sky, Lunar Lightning’s flying by.”

Laura looked up to the sky and saw flashes of white. She looked down and her daughter Alice was asleep. From that moment on, she knew her child would be watched over.

Years later, Laura had disappeared without a trace, and her daughter was finding her way in the world.

Monday morning, Alice waited for the subway, already late for a job interview. People around her could feel her nerves. Her energy was palpable. She noticed the empty radius around her and decided to cool down. In her ear, she listened to one of the messages her mother had left on her phone.

“Calm my darling,

Calm my love.

Listen to the soaring dove.”

Just then, a dove flew over the rails and heralded the train. Alice was now surrounded by people and very mellow. She got on and took it two stops down to midtown. At the base of the building of her interview, she was filled with doubt and fear. Again, she lifted her phone to hear her mother.

“Alice, baby,

Please don’t fear, your dreams are coming very near,

So be the best, like I know you are,

You’re my little superstar.”

Confidence was exploding from Alice. Stepping into the skyscraper, the door was held for her and the doorman felt grateful for the opportunity. She checked in with the front desk, though they were prepared to let her through without doing so. Her interviewer, overjoyed, ignoring the tardiness, came downstairs forty stories to escort Alice to the elevator.

“Thank you so much for coming in, you’ll be such a wonderful fit here. I’m Sasha, I was supposed to do your interview myself, but our owner, C.K. has decided to do it. Can’t blame him, you’re stunning!” 

The elevator dinged and Alice was shown to the boardroom. The office had an incredible view of the city. Behind her was a wall of glass, she could see her apartment in the distance. She was thrilled to be where she was. Then she heard the door of the boardroom open.

A large man in a very expensive suit stood in the doorway and vanished immediately.

Suddenly, he was upon her and his grin turned into a frown. 

“Where is Laura? Where is your mother?” C.K. yelled. Alice shook her head, terrified. C.K. was disappointed, so he shoved her. The force of his push was enough for her body to be launched backwards out of the window, shattering the massive strip of glass that wrapped the entire corner of the building.

In her shock and panic, Alice searched for her phone, only to realize she placed it on the table in the boardroom. She fell rapidly and figured if she was going to die, at least her mother’s words could soothe her. Above, she saw C.K. standing, grin back on his face.

Nearing the floor, she closed her eyes and thought of her mother. She heard her voice and then heard a ‘swoosh’ that was definitely not in her mind. Alice was caught gently by an unknown entity. It wore a black and white, full body suit and she heard crackling behind it. Looking at the markings on its hood, she knew it.

“Lunar Lightning!?” she was so confused that she was no longer in shock. Alice recalled her mother’s lullaby from when she was young.

His voice was heavy and heroic as he placed her on the sidewalk, people on the streets in awe. “You’re safe now.”

But she wasn’t. C.K. watched this all take place and descended from the office above, flashing closer and closer. People ran witnessing his menacing movement and impending arrival. 

Lunar Lightning turned to see the approaching enemy. He fired white and black lightning from his arms, his cape rising with the energy. C.K. easily dodged every attack until he had Alice’s neck in a hand, lifted above the ground.

Before ending her, the corporate-suited villain looked to Lunar Lightning, who paused so as not to incite C.K.’s action.

“Who are you? Where did you come from? Do you have knowledge of her mother?” 

“I am Lunar Lightning. I am from the moon, and I do not. Unhand this woman.”

“No… what do you mean you’re from the moon?” C.K. became bewildered.

“I live on the moon and I serve to protect it.”

“Well, shouldn’t you be there and not here?” A moment of confusion hit him hard, “Hold on… what do you mean lunar lightning? There is no lightning on the moon…” C.K. became frustrated.

“Lunar Lightning is my name. It is also my power.”

“Sure, but how did you come to wield that power?” C.K. started to yell his questions. Alice was slowly placed back down, but still held.

“My power comes from the moon.” Lunar Lightning’s tone didn’t change the entire interrogation.
“Okay, but that doesn’t really tell me anything. If there’s no lightning on the moon, how can you have gotten lightning powers from the moon?” C.K. talked to LL like he was a child.

“There is lightning on the moon.”

“There is not.”

“Then what would you call… THIS.”

Lunar Lightning had summoned an eclipse, the sky darkened and C.K. released Alice to look up. A black-cored, bright strike of lightning traveled quickly from the moon.

“ECLIPSE STRIKE.” Lunar Lightning announced his attack, then flew Alice away from the area before impact.

“Perhaps there is lightn-” C.K. began to contemplate, though entirely wrong. He was interrupted by the silent, yet deafening blast, which sent him flying, his body flashing uncontrollably as he was launched away. The street was obliterated and Lunar Lightning held Alice, watching the lightning dissipate.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“It is my duty.” replied Lunar Lightning, landing on the balcony of her apartment.

“But could you please tell me how you really got your power?” Alice questioned the hero, remembering her mother’s lullaby from when she was a child. She hoped he would have some knowledge of her whereabouts.

He simply replied, “I’m from the moon.”

Lunar Lightning stood on the far side of the moon, hands on his hips heroically. He stared off into space with a completely empty mind. Days passed, weeks passed, months passed. He didn’t move an inch. Occasionally, a thought would start to form, but he’d swat it away to remain concentrated. CK would strike again, LL felt it. Alice wouldn’t be safe until he got what he wanted, her mother.

Back in Big City, Alice had packed up her belongings and moved in with a good friend.

“You can stay here as long as you like. You know I’m barely ever home. This is your house too, now. Truly.”

“That’s very nice, Mundo, thank you.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Hope so.”

Mundo assured her she’d be fine and drove off, he was due for a long season of soccer overseas. Alice toured the mansion which was given to Mundo by the Big City Footies as a welcome gift when he joined the team. She actually got lost walking the halls. The rooms all looked the same and there were many turns that led into kitchens or larger areas.

To get to her room, Alice went out to the balcony and took the stairs down. She looked at the back patio of the ultra-modern home and admired the soccer fields, pools, tennis and basketball courts. A tall, thick hedge surrounded the home, opening only in the front walkway. She felt safe seeing that there was no other way in and plenty of security at the entrance.

As Alice turned her head to look towards the main patio door, her heart sank. C.K. stood with a devilish smile behind the tinted glass. His body flashed and smashed through the large glass wall, though this time, he failed to grab her.

Alice dove away and pressed play on her phone, which she had at the ready since their first encounter. C.K. was a statue, still smiling, but not unaffected by his missed grab. His arm stayed out, his hand in a choking position for just a moment before flashing again. Alice rolled to dodge another grab. Then, one of her mother’s lullabies began on her phone.

“You, my love,

You can do it all.

Remember you’re

my perfect doll.”

The lullaby always seemed strange to Alice. Her mother had recorded so many for her, but this one was one of the especially odd ones. It became apparent why she did as C.K. landed his first hit on Alice, who laid on her back still after rolling.

With a loud thud and a crack in the concrete below Alice, her chest was punched with brutal force. C.K. smiled villainously and held his fist there to see the pain in her face and to hear her scream. Instead of pain on her face, she was completely indifferent. And she didn’t scream. What C.K. heard as a result of his punch was ‘SQUEAK’.

Alice was a doll, her body too soft to damage. C.K. flashed around, throwing and slamming her, but she couldn’t feel a thing. He grew frustrated and let out a scream. Way above them, in the sky, Lunar Lightning should have been flying by. But he was being detained.

“Hold on there.” said a miniscule, crater-pocked moon rock with a big moon rock mustache, the chief of the coalition of bureaucratic moon-mites as he adorably climbed the swarm of tiny moon pebbles that gripped Lunar Lightning’s legs while he tried to fly away.

“I have to go.”

“Did you fill out the necessary paperwork?”

“There is no paperwork.”

The moon-mite chief checked a box and sighed. “Gonna be a long one, team.”

All the other moon mites copied the exact sigh the chief did.

“I’ll do the paperwork when I return.”

“We won’t need it when you return.”

“You don’t need it at all.”

The chief checked another box and sighed in harmony with his team.

“Okay give me the papers.”

“Oh so now there’s papers. Hah.” the stone whipped out a stack of paper from somewhere that was taller than Lunar Lightning.
“This is too much. I MUST GO.” he strained to escape the grasp of the millions of moon-mites holding onto him.

“Too much!? You only have to sign one page.”

“Which page?”

“One of these.” the chief motioned at the stack of paper.

“This isn’t working.”

Lunar Lightning regrettably began to pulsate with black energy. The cute little moon-mites began to let out tiny cries and turn to dust. The chief ran as fast as he could, but was caught as LL’s aura grew. As he flew down to Earth, they all reformed on the surface of the moon.

Alice was beginning to lose the effects of her mother’s lullaby. She began to feel every hit C.K. landed, though not fully.

“You’re beginning to feel more… breakable.”

“Break this!” Alice slammed her phone against the side of C.K.’s thick skull. She had no choice but to forfeit the recordings of her mother’s power so soon after realizing them. It stunned him for a moment and she ran towards the soccer fields to get away.

“Smart not to go back into this little shack. You’d only be trapping yourself in there.” C.K. said, insulting Mundo’s mansion.

The suited villain flashed towards Alice quickly as she ran, but was stopped just before reaching her. Lunar Lightning descended to float directly in front of him. In a moment, he sent projections of himself left and right, which surrounded C.K., their capes all coming together to form a full moon.

Alice was left baffled as C.K. was transported to Lunar Lightning’s home. On the far side of the moon, he flashed at the hero. Each flash, however, was another moment of breath needed. When still, he’d be impervious to the lack of air.

“I implore you to stop this hunt.” Lunar Lightning pleaded.

“Where is Lullaby? You are clearly one of her creations, you must know her whereabouts.”

“Her creations?”

“Ugh don’t tell me you’re not just playing a fool.” C.K. realized he wasn’t. “That girl’s mother can create or alter anything, with just words.”

“She didn’t create me.”

“Then explain how you came to be.”

“What do you mean? I’m from the moon. I’m Lunar Lightning.”

“Look around. Desolation. Nothing is from here.”

“I am.”

“Believe what you will. Help me locate Lullaby and find out the truth yourself.”

Lunar Lightning transported them back to Mundo’s house. Alice stood near the back door, cautious and scared as Lunar Lightning requested her help.

“We need to find your mother.”

Alice stared at Lunar Lightning for a while before fully digesting what he was suggesting. C.K. stood there with a smug grin, as if he just sold LL on the idea of tracking down her mother. Which he totally did. She looked at him with contempt due to his actions. There was no way she would join up with him to find her mother as LL proposed. Her pride prevented her from engaging with him, so she spoke about him to the masked hero.

“Lunar Lightning, why would I want to go find my mom with a psychopath?” She held a cross face.

“You believe me to be a psychopath?”

“Him.”

“C.K. has been reasoned with. His aggression was only a means to communicate his desire.” Lunar Lightning explained.

“He threw me out of a building.”

“You’re fine.” C.K. scoffed at her complaint.

“Would you feel better if he expressed remorse verbally?”

“You mean apologized?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not apologizing.” C.K. quickly shut down the idea.

Lunar Lightning looked at Alice, who was visibly irritated. He then turned to C.K. and grabbed him, spinning his cape to teleport them both to the moon. The suited man was confused; they just came back from the moon. This time, LL separated from him and used his cape to return to Alice.

“Where did you go??”

“Home.”

“Where is C.K.??”

Lunar Lightning held up a finger as an answer to Alice’s question. He then returned to the moon and brought C.K. back to her.

“Sorry.” C.K. sighed.

“What did he do to you?”

“He left me on the moon.”

“Oh, good! Thanks.” she smiled warmly at Lunar Lightning, then back to C.K. “I’ll help you find her… if you tell us what C.K. stands for.”

“I felt it too wordy to have everyone call me Cassius Killmove. C.K. saves so much time.”

“Cassius Killmove? No wonder you’re like this.” Alice said.

“Where do we begin?” Lunar Lightning asked.

“Lullaby vanished, and the only trace she left is you.”

“What good am I? The phone is broken now… and I have no idea where she went. Don’t forget, I spent years of my life looking too.”

“We don’t need the phone.” Cassius jittered forward. “We need your memory.” Both LL and Alice looked to their new ally to hear him out. “She told you lullabies as a child, no?”

“Yeah, none that I can remember, though.”

ZAP! Lunar Lightning directed a bolt of black electricity at Alice’s forehead.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?”

“Try again.” Cassius said, grinning before LL could answer. He shrugged, “It might work.”

“No.”

ZAP!

“STOP!” Alice demanded.

“You have the memory?” Lunar Lightning asked.

“NO… WHAT?!”

ZAP!

“YOU HAVE TO S-” Alice paused for a moment as a memory flooded her mind. “Actually… hit me again.”

“I knew it.” Cassius watched eagerly.

ZAP!

“I have something.” Alice teared up slightly. “I think it’s the last time I saw her.”

“What did she say?” Cassius asked.

Alice’s voice came from deep within. It had a deeper tone and the words could be felt as they left her lips. 

“Rest my young one,

And feel it’s true.

I will always

Be part of you.”

“That doesn’t help.” Lunar Lightning said. ZAP!

“OW!” Alice yelped through tears.

“Wait…” Cassius looked at Alice, pensive.

“What?” Alice asked.

“...she’s part of you.” Cassius continued.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It does.” Cassius paced around, flashing back and forth in the backyard of Mundo’s mansion. “Because of her great power, people were hunting her down to use her.”

“Like you.” Lunar Lightning chimed in.

“Sure.” the suited man stopped pacing. “You have her power, Alice.”

“Maybe… but…”

“You’re my only chance. You have to fix my condition.” he zipped close to her and held her strongly by the sides of her arms.

“That’s why you wanted to find her?” LL asked.

“Do you see me!?” Cassius let go and jittered across the yard again. “It’s torture. I can’t live a life like this.”

“I’ll help.” Alice stated. “What do I need to do?”

“Tell me a lullaby. Just like your mother would.”

“Okay.” her voice was nervous, up until she began the lullaby. Again, her voice transformed.

“Cassius Killmove

Tortured soul

Release your curse

And become whole.”

C.K. looked down at himself and back to Alice - no change. “Try something else.”

“Cassius Killmove

Stuttering motion

Allow your body

To flow like the ocean.”

“Not good.” Lunar Lightning said as he watched C.K. burst into salty water and wet the immediate area under him.

“Ummmm” Alice looked to LL. “How do I fix it?”

“Say another.”

“Cassius Killmove

Now as water

Return to form

With the feet of an otter.”

The water that comprised Cassius reformed into his full form, but with Alice’s words,

he had otter feet. He looked down at his flippers as he caught his breath from the exhaustion of reintegrating.

“Please… stop.” he begged. “Why the flippers??!”

“I guess it has to rhyme.” Alice answered.

“Yes. It seems rhyming is crucial to this power.” Lunar Lightning chimed in.

“Thanks, master of weird powers.” C.K. said.

“Okay, let me try again.

Cassius Killmove

Moving wrong

Correct it now

With a gentle song.”

“Ooh.” Lunar Lightning cooed as a soft symphony played in the air.

“Did it work?” Alice asked.

Cassius Killmove stepped forward, no stuttering whatsoever. He did so a few times and then looked back and forth between the others. “It’s fixed!” He moved towards Alice, but as he did so, his body skipped a few frames. “NO!”

“Oh no. I’m sorry. I think whatever made you like this can’t be fixed.”

“You’re wrong! Take us back. Take us to when I became this.” he grew close to Alice and went to grab her.

Lunar Lightning stepped between them and filled the furious Cassius Killmove with electricity. It didn’t stop him. He dashed forward with such force that the electricity ran through him and out through his fist as he unleashed a powerful punch to Lunar Lightning’s midsection. The moon man was sent flying into Mundo’s mansion walls and into the middle of the street on the other side of the lot.

Alice sprung into action and quickly recited a lullaby to be able to stop Cassius.

“My body a weapon

Indestructible and quick

A perfect tool

To do the trick.”

Spiked crystals formed around Alice’s entire body. She leapt forward at C.K., who dodged her with ease. He turned around and dashed to attack her. His fist got punctured by the crystals and he recoiled in pain.

“Stop.” Lunar Lightning flew over the mansion down towards them. As Cassius looked at him and Alice saw him ready to attack him, she launched herself at the flipper-footed man. With a spiked fist, she bashed Cassius on the side of the head. He was sent into the wall of the mansion and fell onto the floor. Lunar Lightning grabbed him and teleported him to the moon. This time, he had no intentions of retrieving Mr. Killmove.

“Back on the moon?” Alice asked as LL appeared beside her. Her body was slowly returning to normal form.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Can I ask you… She’s a part of you. Does that mean you know how I came to be? Cassius believed me to be one of her creations.” Lunar Lightning questioned Alice.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have her knowledge.”

“I understand.” Lunar Lightning said. “I’ll bring you home. You should let Mundo know about his house.”

“I will.”

Alice thought hard on LL’s request and decided to whisper a lullaby to herself as they flew.

“Lunar Lightning

The moon’s hero

Reveal to me

How you came from zero.”

A vision flashed in Alice’s head, showing her exactly how Lunar Lightning was created. As he placed her down in her apartment, she looked at him and gave him an idea where to look.

“Hey. You’re real. She didn’t make you.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw it.”

“What did you see?”

“It’s better if you find out for yourself.”

“Where do I look?”

“Where do you think?” Alice looked up at the moon. For a moment, Lunar Lightning looked at his home and heard Alice whispering quickly. When he looked down, she was gone. As he admired the moonshine above, he realized he’d have to deal with Cassius Killmove if he went home.

 

Lunar Lightning spun in place, his cape forming a projection vertically with all phases of the moon. After a complete rotation, he appeared on the lunar surface where he most often dwelled. Where he left Cassius Killmove. He was shocked to see that the cursed man was no longer trapped there. Below the spot he was stranded was a ring of ash and some curiously lingering flames. He inferred something either came to help or kill CK, then after a moment moved on to his own issues. Floating around the moon slowly, he caught the attention of the moon-mites.

“Where do you think you’re headed?” said a mustached moon-mite floating around, rolling in midair along with the hero.

“My birthplace. I was told I’ll find it here.” Lunar Lightning answered, then realized something. “Didn’t I disintegrate you?”

“We reintegrated.” The moon-mite chief stopped him in his tracks. “You weren’t born here.”

“How could you know that?”

“We live thousands of years. You’ve only been around maybe a few years.”

“So where did I come from?”

“You’re not wrong when you say the moon. Just not this one.”

“Which moon?”

“Beats me.” the chief looked back at all the moon-mites tumbling around. “Any of you know which moon this guy came from?”

All the moon-mites looked at each other, shrugging in unison. Lunar Lightning broke from the group and went to explore on his own, hoping to find any clue. In one of his favorite craters to linger in, he ruminated on his past. When he traced his memory back as far as possible, he’d reach a painful wall he was unable to pass. As if pounding a hammer into steel, he repeatedly slammed into that wall. Black and white electricity grew around him, expanding to a large portion of the moon, crackling when he’d focus enough on that wall. In the distance, had he looked, he’d see the moon-mites playfully fleeing, some disintegrating at the edge of his waves of crackling energy.

“WHY CAN’T I REMEMBER?” Lunar Lightning shouted aloud, his energy exploding outward. A bolt of lightning lingered longer than the rest, jittering, leading him back to where he teleported to originally. He followed it as it faded, leaving black and white streaks fading in the air. The end of the trail was dead center in the ring of ash beneath where CK was. Electricity buzzed, tracing the circle of ash. Remnants of flame grew and spread until the moon’s surface at the center began to fade. LL flew above it and looked down into it to see familiar light, as if the moon’s shine was emanating from inside. It called to him. Unable to decline, he turned to fly head first into the hole.

As Lunar Lightning entered a different realm, he felt his power grow, as if fed by the place he found himself drawn to. Electricity coming from his body wasn’t violent and destructive, it was alive. It moved like a many-headed serpent and was ever-present around him. Emblems on his suit were illuminated with moon-glow, as did his eyes. The top of his head was visibly radiating energy that he could feel moving in waves. His cape grew longer and wider and his body in general felt larger. In this form, he knew he’d found his home.

Looking around, Lunar Lightning found that the shining he saw was coming from the air of this realm. There was a moon, similar in appearance to the Earth’s, nearby, but smaller. Surrounding it was glowing space and many diverse moons at various distances. They all seemed to slowly orbit a central moon. It was a perfect sphere of moonlight, with a pearlescent surface that dimmed the light coming from its core so that the light wasn’t unbearable. To find his history, Lunar Lightning understood he had to go there.

“Welcome back to the Sanctuary of the Moon.” a voice echoed in the realm. It awoke whatever beings were on each moon. They rose together, facing Lunar Lightning as he made his way drifting towards the central moon. He couldn’t quite make out who or what they were, but they were similar in color to their respective moons, a wide spectrum of appearances. Growing near to the center, Lunar Lightning realized it had been turning towards him since he entered. A massive flat region atop the enormous orb had a monstrous being sitting on a throne at the other end. LL floated high above his end of the flat area, a speck in the air compared to the seated figure, feeling that it was close enough.

“You’ve entered the Court of the Moon King. Speak.” said a large moon-mite beside the throne.

Lunar Lightning hesitated to speak, taking in the sight, memory flashes sparking in his mind. So massive was the Moon King that the hero, who was unshaken by every Earthly evil, was frozen in fear. He sat with a relaxed posture, using both armrests with his white-tipped, clawed hands dangling over the edges. Lunar Lightning saw the back of those hands were pocked with craters, as was every moon in the realm except, it seemed,for the central one. The King had long hair hanging back over his throne’s headrest and flowing behind the chair. He wore a crown of narrow spires, giant stone spikes rising up from a partial stone ring. Each of the spires was a world with many small moons orbiting. His face was pale blue and cold, his eyes bright with the same light as within the central moon. One side of his body was dark, however. His skin on the dark side looked charred and his hair was fuller and jet black. LL gathered the courage to speak, but he couldn’t hide the anger he felt of his lost past.

“What is the Sanctuary of the Moon?”

“Your home.” The Moon King’s voice was calm and still.

“Why don’t I know that? How much has been taken from me?”

“Nothing has been taken from you. You’ve given this up yourself.”

“What do you mean? Explain what you’re talking about.”

“YOU WILL RESPECT THE MOON KING.” the moon-mite stated, colors bursting from the realm, each moon exuding its energy in fury.

“It’s fine. He’s lost.” said the Moon King. “You’re my child. As are all of you.” He motioned a hand around. Lunar Lightning saw all the other beings coming near to witness the Court. “You were born by my will. A universe of Lunar power. A universe filled with the glow of divine moonlight.”

“Who are they?” Lunar Lightning asked, noticing how similar they all were to himself.

“Lunar Aspects. As are you. A God of the moon, with a fragment of my power.”

“And who are you?”

“FOOL! YOU QUESTION HE WHO IS. HE WHO HAS GIVEN YOU LIGHT. HOW DARE YOU-” the moon-mite advisor shouted. Lunar Lightning’s own power expanded in that moment, as did all the other aspects. The Moon King interrupted him again.

“He doesn’t remember, Howard. Easy.” The King patted the head of the moon-mite, which gently bounced him off the ground and upwards, floating up and down for the rest of the conversation. “Many have called me the Tide Bringer, the Light in the Dark, the Ever Glow. I have no name. You may call me the Moon King. My existence is tied to this and every realm containing moons. As you are fragments of me, I am a fragment of the all that is.” He motioned again to the other Lunar Aspects. “These are your brothers and sisters. To name a few, here’s Lunar Flame…” An Aspect shone a fiery red from the distance; a female in a suit very similar to LL’s own - her moon glowing the same color simultaneously. “...Lunar Bubbles…” a bubble covered Aspect shot bubbles all over, which Howard hopped around to pop quickly. The bubble moon surrounded itself in its own bubble, which popped after a few seconds. “...Lunar Fur…” an Aspect with the head of a silly wolf roared weakly as its mildly wooly moon grew out its own fur and then shed it. “All distinct, all my loyal children. You’re the only one who defied me.”

“How so?” Lunar Lightning quivered, growing into the memory.

The dark side of the Moon King instantly spread to cover most of him. The central moon filled with a foggy darkness as well, corresponding with his transformation. “You betrayed me. My generosity. My love.”

“No.”

“Look below.” The Moon King and all the Lunar Aspects looked down at the flat surface on the central moon. It became a screen, featuring the moments Lunar Lightning needed to see, though painful. As those memories came to the forefront of his mind and he watched them play out, he was filled with more emotion than he’d ever felt.

“NO!”