Empty World: Crystalux

The surface of Crystalux is over two-thirds water. The planet has many steep crystalline mountains with shiny spires at the tops. There are about 72 hours each of light and darkness every day. The light itself is special. The clouds on the planet have a prismatic effect on the light so that during the day one can see white light as well as light of every other color.

The two dominant species on this planet are semi-aquatic.

One is “The Illuminated”. They are tall, thin, and elegant-looking. In shape, they look like a cross between a man, an insect, and a tree. Their carbon “Skin” is many shades of grey, with some parts dull like coal and others shiny like glass. Their most distinguishing feature is the top half of their heads which consists of big quartz crystal shards. The Illuminated call day time “The illumination” and night “The Terror.” When light hits their crystal heads they are illuminated — they can access all of the information encoded in the light. That includes information about all that the light has touched as well as messages from the star the light came from. In that way, The Illuminated are like gods.

At night The Illuminated sleep and “The Fell” awaken. They are horrid beasts, apex predators, who consume anything that they can snatch. The Fell control the populations of lesser creatures by eating so much. When The Illuminated sleep they have a psychic connection to all the creatures on the planet but what they mostly see in their psychic dreams is the mindless feeding of The Fell, because The Illuminated have the strongest psychic connection to them. The Fell hate the light, it burns them, which is why The Illuminated sleep in cities whose walls glow brightly when touched.

This short work is a reply to a Microcosm challenge.