The Last Run to Tungol — Now Available
The Last Run to Tungol — Now Available
Written by Md. A. | Illustrated by Lucas
The fourth story in our free illustrated series is live.
The Story
The year is 6340 AD. The Cetacean Collective doesn’t wage war with weapons—they wage it with climate. By manipulating ice shelves and ocean currents, they’re deliberately drowning the last baseline human enclaves. Tungol has fifty years.
Captain Iriya runs supplies through the blockade. Her cargo: miracle seeds bred to grow in salt-poisoned soil. Her secret: barnacle mutations spreading across her skin that would get her executed by her own people.
Tungol’s creed is clear—no enhancements, no mutations, no corruption of the form given by the Maker. It doesn’t matter that Iriya never chose this. Change is sin, regardless of how it came.
When the Cetaceans intercept her ship, they offer three choices:
- Purity: Refuse all change. Drown in fifty years.
- Enhancement: Accept modification. Survive, but betray everything you believe.
- Translation: Surrender your humanity. Become a bridge between land and sea.
Every option is poison dressed as salvation.
Iriya chooses a fourth.
Why This Story
The Last Run to Tungol explores what happens when survival demands you become something your own people would destroy you for being. It’s about climate as weapon, faith as identity, and the difference between change that’s chosen and change that’s forced.
The Cetaceans aren’t villains—they’re executing what they see as environmental justice. The priests of Tungol aren’t fanatics—they’re trying to preserve something in a world that demands constant transformation. Iriya’s fourth path isn’t victory. It’s compromise that costs half of everything.
That felt more honest than most survival stories.
The Art
Lucas delivered four illustrations for this one, including what might be his best cover yet—Iriya and Keth being carried through the depths by the Cetacean commander, the ship silhouetted against glowing water above.
The interior pieces capture Tungol’s desperate, salt-worn aesthetic: the crumbling seawall, the confrontation on deck, the a scene of crops and renewal.
Read It
[READ THE LAST RUN TO TUNGOL →]
Free. Illustrated. No signup required.
Where It Fits
The Last Run to Tungol takes place during the Surf and Turf Wars (6324-6689 AD), when Earth’s uplifted aquatic and terrestrial species fought for control of the planet’s future. This is roughly 1,100-1,500 years before the Lumens emerge and change everything.
Timeline placement:
- ~3,700 years after “The Great Gridlock: Empire of Ash”
- ~1,200 years after “Voidbreaker”
- ~2,200 years after “Aristotle”
Each story stands alone. Read in any order.
More Free Stories
- Aristotle — Two uplifted swine discover communication beyond words
- The Great Gridlock: Empire of Ash — Three emperors. Three generations. One empire built on brutality.
- Voidbreaker — A girl left behind when her family launches for Mars
Discuss
Reddit: r/LumenUniverse
Discord: [link]
The Lumen Universe spans 1.3 million years across 9 galaxies and 18+ sapient species. New stories release monthly.
