《Wishing Upon A Star》 Prologue In the boundary of a country called Akaria, there was a hole that people spread rumors about it being so deep that its end couldn''t be seen. Though, it was also said that a hidden oasis was found inside it. If one were to look upon it, they would find a hint of its truth. The concealed oasis was covered in a thick mist that one would have difficulty looking past it. This would be a great place to live for humans, but pure ekiria attracts too many dangerous beasts. The Beings believed that the end of the Labyrinth is where the heart of the World resides. The humans fear the dangerous creatures that lurk inside. The four-eyed wolf, firebirds, and almost sentient plants are commonly found in it. The humans believed that the Labyrinth was created to mold the spawns of the Beings. The deeper you go, the more menacing the monsters become. Humans had delved it before, but the deepest they have gone is 50 floors. The Beings had reached the end of it and were escorted by the World. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Inside the Labyrinth, a black, oval-shaped cocoon sticks to its wall. It moves and wriggles as if there was a living creature inside it. A tearing appeared in the skin of the cocoon until something that vaguely resembled a human hand came out. Once the being crawled out of its cocoon, an ear-piercing scream resounded in the Labyrinth. A Being of human stature came out. Ekiria could be felt from it. All of a sudden, another hand, not belonging to the other, came out. Now, two Beings came out of the cocoon. One is shorter than the other. The two beings looked like two smiling figures with red eyes and horrifyingly mirrored a human stature. They have no parts that humans have that can identify if they are male or female. Black bones that looked awfully like a wing without its feathers appeared. The wings sprouted between its shoulder blades. The eldest saw a bright verdant forest. It looked towards the youngest and gestured to follow it through the woods. A sound reverberated in the woodland, telling them to come. Someone was calling, and they would answer. Chapter 1 : The Meeting The morning sun shone bright, the leaves of the large trees shadowing the ground. Running footsteps can be heard amidst the forest. The leaves fluttered and shook as two Beings came rushing through the center. They kept running and running until a light that resembled the forest''s end came to view. Slowing their pace, they were met by the bright rays of the sun and a peaceful view of a meadow. Walking their way around, they saw a Being sitting on the grass, enjoying the sounds of the flowing river. Its hair was as white as snow and eyes as blue as the bright sky. It had a cloak embroidered with the emblem of the sun, and the cloak''s color is the same as its white hair. When they drew nearer, they saw that it was female. Her expression was one of disappointment when looking at them. The reason quickly became apparent. "Younglings?" She asked when looking at them, her blue eyes judging them. They don''t know the reason for her to study them. "Younglings?" They simultaneously said, tilted their head sideways, and pointed at themselves. "Younglings," She affirmed while nodding sagely at them. They were younglings, according to the lady clad in white. Maybe that''s the reason she looked so disappointed looking at them. She pointed at herself and beckoned at them to follow her. They can''t resist asking a question. "Why should we follow you?" They said with a grin on their face. "You should know the reason that I won''t hurt you." The lady reasoned. "What is the reason then? The only thing we know is that we once wished upon a star." The eldest argued while looking at her with wary eyes. "So, you wished upon the stars?"She said in disbelief. Now looking at the twins in a new light. "And what''s your problem with it?" The twins asked defensively at the same time and crossed their arms. "Nothing, you just gave me a more valid reason not to hurt you." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Why wouldn''t you hurt us?" "The laws forbid it. I wouldn''t even do it if I could. Our kinds have always interacted with each other to the point we would fall in love with one another. You twins might even fall in love with my kind or those potion-makers." She explained with a wry smile. The twins did think that her soul felt familiar. Her soul was cold, the kind of cold that will freeze you in the deepest winter. Not the same type of cold they were looking for. "Is that why your soul feels familiar for some reason? Like, I know you wouldn''t hurt me, but you''re not her." Surprisingly, the youngest was the one who said that with a hint of frustration and yearning in their voice. "Her?" She said while looking confused for a moment. As she realized something, she looked surprised but all too quickly hid it. The twins saw her reaction and agreed to ask her about it later. "All the more reason to follow me then, I can answer your questions. You had just given me a definite reason to not hurt or kill you. I can''t let your Beloved find out after all." The twins were convinced and proceeded to follow her, lagging behind a bit. The woods gradually claimed the land as they walked. They followed the river. The shrubs suddenly rustled, and the Beings swiftly knew someone was hunting them. They were not idiots to not sense the foreign ekiria approaching their side. The Beings feigned ignorance of the hunter''s presence. It slowly stalked them, hiding in the bushes. Suddenly, the sound of paws running thundering to them resounded in the woodlands. Then a four-eyed wolf with rugged grey fur bounded into their view. The wolve''s red eyes snapped down to look at them. It opened its mouth and let out a blast of frost at them. The twins blinked and raised their arms defensively, but they were safe. Ekiria could be seen surrounding them - white and calm as their master. She swiftly conjured various spears and hurled them at the wolf. Two spears hit the heart, and the others hit the body or the head. The wolf was bleeding out, letting rapid shallow breaths the only indication that it was still alive. It knew that resistance was futile against the monster. The wolf still isn''t dead even if the spears hit the heart. The Being in white draws out the ekiria within the wolf. It finally died. The weapons and shields dissipated as the ekiria used were scattered. Numerous animals could be seen dragging the body away from the battle to eat the wolf in peace. They continue their journey to the base led by the lady clad in white. In a short distance, the cavern was seen. Upon entering, the doors closed behind them shutting the lights out. Walking a few more steps, they were greeted by a spacious room with a round table in the middle. Alchemy tools were littered on another table found on another side of the room. Sitting down at the center table, the three continued their conversation from before. Chapter 2: Tea "Before, we get started asking questions and you answering them. What should we call you? Also, do you have iced tea here?" The older Antoila started while resting her feet on the table and failed. A loud thump was heard, signaling someone had fallen on their chair. The younger Antoila sighed at the older one. A hand suddenly grabbed the edge of the table. The fallen twin hoisted themself up and sat down on their chair. They saw a raised eyebrow pointed in their direction and just shrugged. The lady then decided to speak up before any more interruptions happened. "You can call me Ran. We don''t have any iced tea here. I know you are wondering why I called you to the meadow. The reason was you two were the Antolias we were missing. Now w-" "How did you know we both are Antolia?" The youngest butted in, stopping Ran from continuing what she was saying. Ran pointed at their wings and themselves. "I found out because of your feather-less wings, the feeling of your soul, and the color of it. Antolia is often identified by their soul. Their soul is corrupted. I could go on about how I know you two are an Antolia, but it''s not the topic I wanted to talk about today." Ran reasoned. She stood up and went to the shelf on the opposite side of the alchemical table. The cupboard contains different kinds of tea leaves and took one. "I thought you said you didn''t have iced tea?" The eldest inquired. "I don''t have iced tea specifically, but I do have other kinds of tea." Ran said while preparing the tea. The aroma of tea wafted through the air. Ran walked while holding the teapot back to the round table. She put down some cups and poured tea for the three of them. The three Beings enjoyed their tea for a while. "We would prefer if you call us on our names, not our true names that are too sacred to be said lightly." The older Antoilan once again continued. "And what are these names?" Ran replied. "You can call me A it''s pronounced as ey and not ah." A pointed at the youngest, "You can call her Ark." Ran looked thoughtfully at them. She smiled and cheekily said, "So you finally at least trust me." A and Ark felt amusement coursing through them. It''s not at bad as they thought. "Now, as I was saying before I got interrupted, you twins need to practice your manipulation of ekiria before we start to delve deeper in the Labyrinth. "Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Manipulation but not control? Can we not control ekiria?" Ark inquired, sipping their tea afterward. "We can''t control ekiria since it is a part of the World. We can only manipulate ekiria and get the type we need. Commanding ekiria is literally impossible, considering that we need to also control the World to do it." "So basically, we need to subtly nudge ekiria to get what we need?" The youngest hypothesized. Ran nodded her head to show her agreement. The eldest rhythmically tapped their finger and hummed. They both looked at each other, and the slight hum of their soul resounded. The sound could only be heard by them, for they are twins - their souls are similar to each other. They both agreed on the decision. "What is the meaning of Beloved?" Ark''s question didn''t surprise the Aethiria. Ran was expecting the question sooner or later. She was curious as to why two Antoila would wish upon a star, but she didn''t ask. She did deduce it is something about their Beloved. "Beloved is a word the Aethiria used to describe our partner we spend eternity. I know that Arcana and Antolia use different words to describe them. They are the ones who we trust with our lives, the ones who hold our hearts, and the ones who will walk with us. " "Then could she be my Beloved?" "She is your Beloved. I am also sure that she is an Aethiria like me." Ran told the youngest. "I know you are going to ask how I found out that she is an Aethiria. You told me that her soul is similar to mine." For now, the youngest is satisfied with their answers. Ran tried to pour herself a cup of tea, but unfortunately, nothing came out of it. Ran looked at A, quietly sipping their tea. Ran shook her head at them. It seemed that A was the one who mostly drank the tea. "Any questions left that I should answer?" Ran looked at the eldest as if expecting she would ask a question and behold, they did ask a question. "Why do we need to enhance our ekiria manipulation?" They asked while leaning forward on the table. "Can you even form weapons, or yet trying not to at least flash your soul?" Ran sarcastically said. The twins both winced, and both glared at Ran. She dismissed the glares and continued with her lesson. "To manipulate ekiria, you need to visualize a process that works for you. The process could be slowly drawing a piece of art. It helps guide the ekiria into the shape and elements you want. " She took a deep breath and held her cups, pouring water over it by manipulating ekiria. She gulped the water down. Perhaps in the past, the two Antoila would find it very difficult to manipulate ekiria - for their soul is not one adjusted to the World. "Antoilas would find manipulating ekiria much harder than other Beings. Those who live their life again would find it almost effortless, of course." She then proceeded to point to the twins. "You two remember the experiences of your past lives, but your body will not recognize your past actions. For our practice, we need to get out of this room."