《Guardian Heroes》 I - THE STORY BEGINS The sun was shining brightly as always. Golden light spread throughout the horizon. The morning could not have been more breath taking than how it was. In the state of Gallenhied, in the country of Sallestre, a boy named Whilliam Rubbit lived in the village of Ygmod. It was in the early month of Mear, the second month of the year 309, the third day of the week, Irdis. That morning, Whil was still feeling tiresome waking up so early. With his messy dark brown wavy hair and confused looking wide eyes, he walked out of the room, down the stairs to go to the kitchen like a drunken sailor. But, what kept him awake was the thought of listening to his father¡¯s early morning stories about the great legend of the Creature Guardians. Every day; every morning is filled with extraordinary stories and wonders about the Guardians and the creatures. They are brave peace keepers; brave soldiers that fight only for justice and the welfare of the people throughout the World of Geldar. Their greatest enemy and threat had been Lord Farious, king of the Fallen Realm. His armies were made of pure evil; incarnated from pain, anger and vengeance within Lord Farious himself. Likewise, the land itself is filled with an unbeknown legend about the creatures. They are wondrous beings filled with magic and mysteries. A creature could be made as a companion to mankind. Once bonded, only death will do them part. These creatures come in many forms. Commonly as animals such as dogs, cats, birds and wolves. Some will also appear as magical creatures like unicorns, dragons and phoenixes. But, out of all the creatures that exist, only one is a hippogriff, the legendary creature; rarest of the rare. Each and every creature that exist possesses their own special magical abilities that they will share with their masters. Even so, a creature¡¯s characteristics are rather fickle just as their master¡¯s would be. Those that are evil are not evil by creation, but because of their master. Those are able to find and hold the power of the creatures, known as the ¡®wielders¡¯, are able to command them as they desire. What is craved by the wielders shall be craved by the creatures as well. Back to that fateful morning; back to the small house in Ygmod; back to the young boy wandering down the stairs. He finally reached the kitchen at last. As he looked to his left, he saw the study door closed. He knew his father is in there as it is where he will always be every morning. Whil opened the door slowly. He saw his father sitting by the desk and waddled towards him with his eyes slightly opened, still feeling tired from just waking up. He rubbed his eyes and stretched really hard just to feel fresh. He gave his father such a strong hug, and said; ¡°Daddy, you''ve promised me a special story today,¡± Whil was within such happiness for only his father¡¯s stories can take him to a wild adventure of imaginations. ¡°Alright, alright. I am a bit busy now. Go have your breakfast first. I¡¯ll come and tell you the story after that.¡± Whil was seven years old then. He lived with his father in a small and quaint wooden house. He is the only son of Patton Rubbit and Aurora Rubbit. Aurora, his mother passed away two years after he was born and he only have two grandparents left from his mother¡¯s side living in Joycelm, Esmer and Phillias Dawn. They are the only relatives he had left. On that day, his father has promised him a special tale about a young Creature Guardian and his legendary creature. Many called them as the ¡®Guardian Heroes¡¯ for they have ended the war that has spread throughout all the lands in Geldar centuries ago. After Whil have had his breakfast, his father joined him in the dining room, sitting right beside him. Whil waited eagerly for the tale to be told. The look on his face was only filled with so much enthusiasm. ¡°Alright now, listen well my son. I assure you that this story is to be the best there is yet,¡± said Patton, instilling more excitement in the boy¡¯s soul. ¡°So the story begins.¡± -------------------- ¡°Once, in the times when the War of Realms spreads all over the World of Geldar, everything was nothing but chaos. The war kept on growing for nearly thirty years. But in the end, came the day when everything is going to change for the better. A young orphan boy, in the age of eighteen years old, from the village of Baski, in Gallenhied, has never been anything special in his life but only a common peasant. His name is Eryos Zeiss and he lived in such poverty but never complained about any hardship that he faced. He has only put all his effort into living his life to the fullest in the best way he can, while others will do anything for salvation. In the times of war, things have become hard for the people throughout each and every ten main lands of Geldar; Tamasca, Satonia, Fondra, Rhuddia, Landore, Labion, Sallestre, Aldor, Hymerr and Hercia. Evil itself spread everywhere upon Geldar. Everyone was filled with greed to live a life filled with happiness in times of pure hardship. They steal from each other; murder many innocent lives just to achieve their dreams. As darkness spreads throughout Geldar, many places; cities, towns and villages were destroyed. Unfortunately, the small village of Baski was also attacked. The young boy had no other choice but to leave everything behind and run. After long running, his legs were within pain. The only shelter he could only find was an old gloomy cave in the middle of nowhere. As he entered the cave, he felt so calm and comfortable. He felt rather relaxed as a slight breeze was blowing in the cave. Beneath his legs was a very shallow lake that shines dimly in light of blue all over the cave¡¯s floor. A voice was suddenly heard whispering to the boy¡¯s ears in a calm and soothing tone. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Your name? What is your name, brave warrior?¡± whispered the voice. ¡°I am Eryos Zeiss,¡± answered him, calmly. Suddenly, bright light spreads throughout the cave and figure of a horse with wings appeared from beneath the shallow lake as if it was like magic. The voice whispered to the boy¡¯s ears once more. It called his name and said; ¡°Eryos Zeiss, name me.¡± With no hesitation, Eryos named the creature ¡°Goldeon¡±. As the bright light dimmed, the creature could be clearly seen. It was a brown hippogriff. Its feathers are highlighted with a slight yellow that when the sunlight hits the feathers, it would seem as if they are shiny gold. After they have ventured themselves out of the cave, Eryos climbed on Goldeon¡¯s back and they flew high to the sky. They are able to see all the destructions brought by Lord Farious from sky high. In the thought of making things right, Eryos commanded Goldeon to head north-west of Sallestre, towards Tamasca, where the Fallen Realm is located. It took them three days to reach their destination, crossing the wide ocean and countries with Goldeon¡¯s fast flight. Eryos did not want to stop even for a second for he knows that the lives of innocent people will not wait for another moment to be saved. After long flying, they¡¯ve reached the battlefield. There, flying right above the war ground, he could see hundreds of Creature Guardians fighting with full hope against the Darc Army of Lord Farious. With no more time to lose, Eryos and Goldeon landed in front of Lord Farious¡¯ castle in high hope to end everything. There were no choice of weapons, so Eryos picked a sword from the ground. The sword itself, once used by the Darc Army, is crafted poorly with anger and hate. As Eryos opened the front door, it creaked loudly and echoed everywhere throughout the castle. Then, Eryos called out loud upon Lord Farious¡¯ name and challenged him. ¡°Lord Farious, come forth and fight me. Do you hear me fiend! Come forth and fight me coward!¡± his voice echoed in the castle. Suddenly, from the darkness appeared a humanlike figure as if it was gliding across the floor. As it moves into the light, clearly could be seen, Lord Farious¡¯ face. It is filled with nothing but pain and agony. It is as pale as a dead man would look like. Then, on his left hand, suddenly appeared a sword that is darkly coloured with the souls of innocent lives that he has taken. Grim as he is, the sword is filled with dark and evil magic. ¡°How dare you insulted me within my own realm, my own castle, you worthless peasant! Now you shall die with all your bravery that is in vein! As you fall, so will this whole land and all the pathetic Creature Guardians!¡± yelled Lord Farious in anger. Farious charged towards Eryos; gliding fast across the room. Eryos stood strong with no fear. As Lord Farious gets closer, he filled his arms with powerful dark magic channelling them to his sword. With not a moment to spare, Eryos pointed his sword to the ceiling above him and called upon the hippogriff¡¯s name. Thus, a lightning like flash appeared several times. Goldeon was then fused with the crippled sword that Eryos held. A loud thunder-like sound echoed throughout the grim castle and the sword turned to a majestic blade; hilt made of diamond and the blade itself made of strong titanium with beautiful ancient looking carvings of gold and in Thredenin, a language of old known by the ancients, that said, ¡®vooryel vet syodyen¡¯-wield with trust. It is as majestic as it is strong and perfectly weighed. With one swing, Eryos blocked Farious¡¯ attack. Sparks spread everywhere as the golden metal clashed with the dark sword of Lord Farious. The battle was incredible; the sound of metal clashing could be heard loudly within the castle. Both Eryos and Farious were equally strong. The battle goes on as both Eryos¡¯ and Farious¡¯ stamina were drained. Soon after that, the moment has come, one swing and a slash of the ''Goldeon'' sword, Lord Farious was defeated. All his Darc Army falls with him and turned to dust. The castle floor cracked; Lord Farious and his army were sucked down the crack into the ground and then it closes itself. The skies turned bright again and a loud cheer of victory by the Creature Guardians could be heard throughout the Fallen Realm. From that day forth, Eryos Zeiss and his creature, Goldeon, is forever known as the Guardian Heroes as they have brought peace all over Geldar." -------------------- Next II - TRAPPED The story ended magnificently. Never have Whil heard that legend before, but it was told incredibly by his father. Powerful imaginations rained upon his young and innocent mind. His imaginations projected all the amazing images when his father told the story. Patton was right when he said that it would be the best there is yet. Whil was pumped with so much joy and excitement; for the story opened his minds clearly about the creatures and the Guardian Heroes. Although the story was about something that has passed so long ago, when Whil listened to them, it feels as if he was in the middle of the actions. ¡°Dad, can you tell me more about the Guardian Heroes¡¯ adventures, dad? I''ve fallen in love to hear all about them even more,¡± Whil said to his father with full excitement. ¡°--Eheh.¡± Giggled his father. He was looking down to the floor. Then, he turned his attention to the window on his left. He was looking outside; looking at the wide plane. It was sparkling as the morning dew drops reflected the golden sun¡¯s ray. Whil was still young to know anything that was going on at that moment. But, somehow, in his father¡¯s eyes, Whil could see a hint of anxiety surrounding him. He was as if waiting for something, something really important perhaps. ¡°Dad? Daddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Whil within deep curiosity. Patton turned his attention back to Whil, thinking for a moment. He was as if did not know what to tell Whil; either the truth or make up a lie. Thus, with a heavy heart; ¡°Whil, are you a brave warrior?¡± he asked Whil. ¡°Yeah, dad. Yes I am.¡± ¡°Then, call your pet dog. I have a small and simple ¡®quest¡¯ I would want you to do,¡± said his father. He stood up and walked to the kitchen. ¡°Rover! Rover!¡± Whil called upon his pet dog. ¡°Dad, what is it? What is the quest? Rover is here right beside me daddy.¡± He came back from the kitchen. Held in his hands was a cerulean torch and a box of cerulean energy marbles. He put the cerulean torch on the table and opened the lid. He took out two energy marbles from the box and put them inside the cerulean torch. As he turns the cerulean torch on, he told Whil about the ¡®quest¡¯. ¡°Whil, I want you to enter the storage chamber and retrieve an item for me. Lying deep within the storage chamber is a dark blue scarf. I need you to get it. Can you do that, son?¡± ¡°Yeah dad, I can. I am a brave warrior. But I have to bring Rover with me, because he is my ¡®creature¡¯,¡± Whil replied. Patton smiled for a few moment and then turned his attention back to the window. As Whil looked outside the same window, he could see a group of people with creatures walking along with them. They could be seen as tiny as an ant. They were far across the field and they seemed to be wearing black. But other than that was not clear. ¡°Dad, who are they?¡± ¡°Travellers, son. Just a group of travellers.¡± ¡°Travellers?¡± ¡°Yes. Come quickly. The quest, remember that?¡± ¡°Yeah, but ¡± ¡°No buts. The quest must be done now. Come.¡± He quickly walked to the kitchen where the storage chamber is located. Whil followed behind him. Then, he told Whil to wait for a while. He walked into his study and he anxiously kept everything on his desk inside a box. At the side of the box was written, ¡®IMPORTANT¡¯ in red. Then, he walked back to Whil with a key in his hand. As he was unlocking the trapdoor, he said to Whil; ¡°No matter what happens, do not panic and just stay quiet. Stay close to Rover, he will protect you. Trust your ¡®creature¡¯. Can you do that for me?¡± The trapdoor was opened and there was a flight of stair case that leads to an underground room. It was absolutely dark. He handed Whil the cerulean torch and pushed him into the darkness. As Whil walked down a few steps, Rover followed him. He was shivering in fear and confusion. He was curious; why was my father acting so weird? Why was he so anxious? He questioned himself. -BAM- Whil suddenly heard a loud slam behind him. Jumped by the sound, he turned his head around. The chamber door was closed and the surroundings was filled with absolute darkness. With only the light from the cerulean torch, he quickly ran up the steps towards the door. He panicked and yelled for help. The door was sealed tight. A sound could be heard as if something was being pushed and placed right on top of the trapdoor. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Dad! Dad! Please open the door!¡± ¡°Whil, please stay calm and be quiet. Please. Do not do anything until the door is opened. Stay close to Rover. I beg of you.¡± Whil did not know what to do. He was scared. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He sat by the door and whatever happened outside, could be heard clearly inside the chamber. For quite a while, it was all silence. Whil can only hear the sound of his breath; inhaling and exhaling. Nothing could be heard outside. After a while, Whil heard voices from the outside. He heard people screaming and yelling aloud. Suddenly, booming sounds of explosions could be heard faintly several times. The ground was shacking and dusts were falling down from the ceiling of the storage chamber. Everyone was running; footsteps were echoing all over the underground room. ¡°Haha! Ignitus! Burn them all!¡± Another explosion sound occurred. But now, it was directly above him. His house; his house was being attacked. Whil could see the orange light coming from the fire that was roaming his house through the small gaps from the wooden trap door. He could not hear his father¡¯s voice and for sure that laughter was not his. Above him; sounds of metals clashing echoed throughout the chamber. The people were having a battle; protecting their village, Ygmod. Somehow, what he heard was the people of Ygmod being defeated by whatever or whoever that attacked the village. Screams and yells of fear by the villagers; especially the women and the children, were very loud. He was absolutely within fear. He pulled his dog, Rover, and went down the steps into the deep-dark chamber. He still can hear everything that was going on right above him while he move slowly down the staircase. Whil walked and walked into the deepest part of the storage chamber. He intended to hide deep within the darkness in case the trapdoor was found by the attackers. Every step he took, tear drops were dripping from his chin. He did not know what to do; he did not know anything about bravery in times of horrifying events. So, he kept on walking the long underground tunnel. There were doors at his left and his right but he only kept on walking straight towards the darkness. At last, he reached the end. All around him was boxes filled with many things. But there, right in front of him, an old wooden chest, untouched for a very long time. Covered with dusts and spider webs. The whole chest wrinkled in age and hugged by rusts all over it. It was not locked. With nothing else to do, he opened the chest. Creaked the hinges as it is opened. Inside it contained many books and papers. Whil reckoned they were either very important or just some old papers with writings on them. He did not read any of the contents though. Then, one item attracted his attention. It was a dark-blue scarf folded into a perfect rectangle with a heart shaped bulge in the middle of the scarf. ¡°The blue scarf,¡± whispered Whil to himself. He unfolded the scarf and inside it was a painting of a building. He pulled the scarf to see the whole painting and something fell to the ground. It was a necklace with a small heart shaped locket. He changed his attention to the fallen necklace. He picked the necklace up and opened the locket. The name Patton Rubbit and Aurora Rubbit was carved inside it beautifully. Past memories flew into his mind, greeting him. He stared at the locket for quite a while. Then, he turned his attention back to the painting, it was a picture of a tomb. Written at the bottom right of the painting was, ¡®TOMB OF ANKRELL¡¯. After looking at the painting for a moment, he noticed that it had become quiet outside. Nothing could be heard except his own breath. His heart beat increased in anxiety and curiosity. He folded the painting and slipped it in his jacket. He stuffed the scarf into his pocket along with the necklace inside it. He travelled back the long path to the staircase that leads to the trapdoor. As he walked, he hoped hard that all will be just fine. Even so, he just couldn¡¯t help to still feel fear and unease. Previous Next III - THE FINDING As he reached the storage chamber door, he inhaled deeply, eliminating the pressure that was surrounding him. He tried to push open the door slowly. It creaked and the sound echoed in the chamber. He felt a slight relief to know that the door is no longer locked. He exit the chamber slowly; carefully. In front of him was a large, broken chest; the object that his father put on top of the storage door to conceal it from others sight. "Daddy,¡± his voice was shaking. Filled with fear and grief. Whil looked to his front; his left and his right. He looked in every direction. The cerulean torch slipped from his weak grip and fell to the ground. Glass shattered everywhere. Every single part of his house was destroyed. The only thing that was still standing is the window; the plain glass pane that he and his father looked through before all the chaos happened. The clearing was no longer the same looking through that window. Which was once a lush green field is nothing but tainted beauty. He was so shocked to see such destructions around him. Everything that he came to know is gone. He walked around; looking at what was once haven is now nothing but a collapsed village. At each side, dead bodies could be seen. Whil was scared but could not stop looking at each and every one of them. Looking thoroughly in hope not to find his father among them. Ygmod is now just a rocky land; a graveyard to those that have fallen protecting their village; protecting what they loved. Bracelets that were once creatures, worn by wielders of Ygmod, are scattered everywhere. Broken; cracked in defeat. Besides Whil himself, there were a few more survivors wondering around aimlessly in hopelessness. In their eyes could be seen a cry of desolation and grief. Those that survived were Liam Travern, a thirty year old owner of a restaurant, Polly Canner, a thirty-six year old bachelorette, Quainne and Deanne Burrfield, a forty-nine year old twin, with no husbands, no children, Ray Iruz, a young twenty-two year old adventurer, two seven year old children; Alpherd Shield and Wyomey Brown. Including Whil himself, only eight people survived out of the estimated number of a hundred people that lived in Ygmod. Travern was the first to come to his senses. He called upon all survivors to gather around closer. ¡°Polly! Ray! Come on! Everyone, we have to stick together.¡± As they¡¯ve gathered, Whil stood far and eve¡¯s dropped as he tried to get closer to the group slowly. They were discussing their next move to assure the continuance of their survival. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± asked Polly to Liam. ¡°We have to inform the Guardian Embassy and the Sallestre Council!¡± answered Deanne quickly in fear and anxiety. ¡°Let us think before making any decisions. We have to keep on surviving. There are small children here. The Council and the Embassy are both in Forseed City. We have to climb up and down mountains to go there. Even if we are to avoid the mountains, it is hundreds of miles away from here. With not enough food supply we would not survive to even convey the message to them,¡± interrupted Polly. ¡°The closest town would be Joycelm. It will take us about a day if we walk from here directly to the north-east,¡± said Liam. ¡°Am I right, Ray?¡± ¡°Yes. I can guide all of you there, I know a safer route,¡± Ray answered. Whil remembered that his grandparents live in Joycelm. So he thought that it would be a brilliant idea for the group to go there. As Whil listened intently, Rover barked suddenly. He was snapped from his concentration of eve¡¯s dropping and looked at Rover that eagerly barked at the group of people. The whole group of survivors turned their attention to the loud barking sound. They saw a young boy standing awkwardly from quite a distance. Liam tried hard to recognise Whil from afar. He knows Whil because Patton was his favourite customer. Whil went there once with his father for lunch and that once is already enough for Liam to remember him. ¡°Whil? Whilliam Rubbit? Is that you?¡± asked Liam. Trying to confirm his own guess. Whil nodded lightly. ¡°Where¡¯s your father, Patton?¡± he continued asking. Whil started to tear up again. ¡°He¡­He¡¯s¡­gone¡­I don¡¯t¡­know,¡± answered Whil choking in his own breath; supressing himself from crying. Liam went closer to Whil to comfort him. He held Whil by his shoulders; then he said some calm and reassuring words to him. ¡°It¡¯s okay. As long as I¡¯ve known your father, one thing that is very obvious of him is that he is always lucky enough to survive anything. Take my words for it. He will find you again one day. He will not stay gone forever without letting you know it. Be strong, Whil.¡± Liam held Whil¡¯s chin up and wiped his tears. ¡°Come now. We need to find whatever food there are left to survive. We all need to survive now especially you if you are to see your father again one day,¡± he added. Whil nodded. Strength inside his heart grew a little by Liam¡¯s words. He put on a strong faith that his father is not among the dead yet and that he will meet his father again. They all spread out in two separate groups to search for food for the journey. Whil and Rover followed Liam, Alpherd and Polly. They searched around the destroyed village for anything they can eat to survive for another couple of days. Whil walked around looking at Rover sniffing the ground. Rover stopped by a sack. He made the ¡®puppy face¡¯ to Whil to tell him something. Whil went closer to him to check what was inside the sack. Whil smiled as he saw the content in the sack. It was filled with a small amount of dog food. Whil took some and put them on the ground for Rover to eat. Then, he put the remaining in the blue scarf in his pocket. Whil looked at Rover eating so happily and smiled. He felt so warm inside of him. As for Liam, he went to his restaurant to see if there were anything left for them to bring for their journey. As for Polly and Alpherd, they walked together, scavenging anything they can for each other. The second group consists of the twin sisters, Ray and Wyomey. They went to the other side of the village to search for anything to help them survive the next couple of days. As they were searching, Quainne stumbled upon something peculiar. It was a book. An oddly peculiar book. On the hard cover was writings of old; writings of Thredenin. It was written ¡®Fruun Ur Ublyur¡¯. She picked it up and opened it. Inside it as well was written with the old language on every single page in the book. She could not understand a single thing written in it. Even so, she kept it with her as she had a feeling that it would be of great importance someday. The book was not that thin but not that thick as well. It was quite small. So she slipped it in her small satchel that she always bring around. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. After quite a while of searching, they all regrouped and got themselves ready to move to Joycelm. The sun is above their head and they¡¯ve finished packing up. Ray led them to their destination as Ray was a traveller and he knows the safest way to Joycelm. He kept a highly detailed map in his journal with him all the time. He only travelled around Sallestre so far. Of the two states of Sallestre, that are Gallenhied and Farbos, he have only completed the map of Gallenhied. Luckily, Joycelm is within Gallenhied. So, they left their destroyed village and head straight to find help and salvation elsewhere. After a long walk, the sun is falling closer to the horizon. They stopped to take a short break. ¡°This place seems quite familiar,¡± said Ray trying to remember the way to Joycelm. He took out his journal and had a look at it. He then put it down for everyone to see. ¡°So, you see here, we¡¯ve passed the deep slope just now. Up ahead would be a thick forest. The townsmen in Joycelm called it the Whispering Forest. It is said that¡­¡± Ray¡¯s voice faded in the background as Whil didn¡¯t bother to listen much. He turned his attention to Alpherd and Wyomey. They were sitting so quietly on a big rock. Whil was seven and so were they. They all lost their parents at such a young age. Whil approached them and tried to introduce himself to them. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Whilliam Rubbit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Alph. This is Wyomey.¡± It was short and it was awkward. Quite an ice breaking conversation. The adults¡¯ voices came back to Whil''s attention. ¡°So, it is decided, we are going to follow the Serrumpt River avoiding the Whispering forest,¡± Ray repeated the decisions they have made together. Ray closed his journal and slipped it back in his satchel. They continued their journey towards Serrumpt River. By the time they¡¯ve reached the river, the afternoon deepened to dusk. Everyone was tired, hungry and thirsty. They set a place to sleep and the women ready the food for everyone to eat. After dinner, everyone shared their stories around the warmth of the fire. ¡°I was a teacher actually,¡± said Polly. ¡°A kindergarten teacher. It was fun while it lasted. I love children but never had my own though. I have never found anyone for me yet. You know, my other significant half.¡± ¡°Oh dear. Don¡¯t you worry, child. There is always someone out there for you. I don¡¯t know about us though. Haha,¡± said Quainne laughing while looking at her twin Deanne. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure that you both will find someone too,¡± added Ray. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. We both are getting quite old though. Having each other is already enough so far,¡± replied Deanne to Ray¡¯s statement. While the adults were sharing their tales, the children were doing their own things. Alpherd was walking around, Wyomey was just sitting by the fire beside Polly, and Whil was feeding Rover the dog food that they found back at Ygmod. As Whil was feeding Rover, a voice suddenly appeared directly behind him. ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡± Whil was jumped a little. As he turned his head around, he saw Alpherd behind him. ¡°Oh, Alph. He¡¯s Rover,¡± Whil replied ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted a dog.¡± ¡°Really? Well you can hold him if you want.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± said Alph. He crouched down and slowly stroked Rover¡¯s head. ¡°Beautiful dog.¡± They had their first real conversation. After the adults have cleaned everything up, they went straight to bed. Ray and Liam took turn staying up to look out for any wild animals, bandits or any trouble heading their way. Whil couldn¡¯t sleep well though as he kept on waking up. His surroundings were not the same as how it used to be. Before he fell asleep, he hoped to dream of his father but there wasn¡¯t a single dream that accompanied him that night. Only darkness. The next day came. The sun rises. Whil opened his eyes. He was shocked for a while to find himself on the ground. He thought yesterday was a dream. All the adults were already awake and have packed up most of their things. Whil straight away got himself ready and took Rover with him. After everyone was ready, they continued their journey. The soothing morning breeze followed them along the way. As noon comes, they¡¯ve arrived at Joycelm. As they entered the front gate of the town, the people turned their attention to the group of survivors. One of the townspeople approached them and was shocked to see the messy looking group of survivors. ¡°Oh dear God, what happened? Where are all of you from?¡± Everyone there came closer and closer towards the survivors. Everything became louder and louder. All the voices, all the birds chirping, all the weeping pierced Whil¡¯s ears. Whil covered his ears. He then closed his eyes. But still he can hear everything very loudly and very clearly. He was confused and scared. What is happening? He asked in his head. He screamed. He yelled. But it won¡¯t stop. Suddenly, a female¡¯s voice whispered his name aloud to his right ear. Whil opened his eyes. All the loud noises stopped. He was on a bed. He was in his grandparent¡¯s house. He was in Joycelm, in the town of Drees. Previous Next IV - WAKING UP It was dark and quiet. What a nightmare, he thought. He could feel his tears rolling down the side of his eyes caused by the nightmare. He kept on dreaming about the past lately. It was haunting him again and again and again. What have happened cannot be changed. Everything became only as painful memories throughout the years; eight years. He sat on his bed unable to close his eyes back to sleep. Whil then had a glance at the pictures of his parents on his study table just right next to him on his left. The pictures was given to him by his grandparents years ago when he arrived to Joycelm from Ygmod. He stepped off his bed and headed towards his balcony in his room. Grabbed his blanket and wrapped his body with it. Pulled a chair and sat on it. He gazed upon the stars trying to calm himself down. He turned his head around to look at the time on the clock. It was 3:44 in the morning. It was the early morning of Semdis, the fourth day of the week. It was nearly the end of the year 317. The sun was not even rising yet that morning. The date was 27th of Ningdarr, the tenth and the last month of the year. He turned his head back to the stars. Early dawn stars were glimmering brightly at that moment. Soothing breeze was blowing around. Whil inhaled and exhaled loudly, embracing the beautiful morning. Being unable to sleep again, he went back inside and grabbed Ray¡¯s journal in his drawer at the left side of his bed and sat back at the balcony. Ray Iruz gave the journal to Whil when he turned fifteen a month ago. Whil opened a few pages of the journal and read what Ray has written years ago. Everything was written so neatly with absolutely amazing penmanship. 309, Seldas 24 Semdis - 4:15 p.m. One month have passed since Ygmod. We survivors have tried hard to live our new life here in Joycelm. The people here are nice. They accepted us as soon as they¡¯ve heard what happened to our village. We are all still holding onto each other. Still have the hint of fear inside us all. I don¡¯t know how long it will be until I can journey myself around the world again like how I used to. I''m afraid. I see danger everywhere. I see ¡®them¡¯ everywhere. I don¡¯t know how I survived. I don¡¯t know how we all survived. ......... Whil then turned to another page. He did not want to read the rest. He flipped and flipped and flipped through the journal. Searching for a specific date. Hoping that the date would be in Ray¡¯s journal. 309, Jarfeim 14 Eldis - 8:03 a.m. It¡¯s 8 o¡¯clock in the morning. Everyone is doing nothing. It¡¯s the start of the weekend. Normally everyone would just enjoy their time at restaurants or pubs on Eldis and Herris. So am I. I''m at the Patton Diner at this moment. Looking around, everything seems so calm and quiet. I could actually use a sleep like this. The Patton Diner is really nice. Travern has really rebuilt his dreams here. Having a restaurant with the name of his favourite customer, Patton Rubbit. I would be having a chat with Travern right now, but he seems rather busy running the restaurant with his wife that he married last month, Cecilia Travern. I''m happy for him. ......... - 12:38 p.m. It¡¯s time to say goodbye again. Another one of us is leaving. The first two was Quainne and Deanne Burrfield. The twins moved up North across the ocean to the Country of Labion last month before Travern¡¯s marriage. Now, Wyomey Brown is leaving us. She is moving to Farbos, the second state of Sallestre. Her uncle is picking her up soon. I heard where she is moving to is called the Irving City. A large beautiful city. Her uncle must be rich to actually live there. ......... - 1:09 p.m. She left. We all were there to say our goodbyes. Whil and Alph would probably be the saddest among all of us. They were close friends since what happened five months ago. ......... Whil¡¯s eyes were filled with a hint of sadness. He flipped the pages even more. He skipped a year of the journal and straight to the middle of the year 310. He didn¡¯t want to read each and every page in the journal as he knew that he will have more time in his hands to waste soon. He then went on continuing to read the journal again. 310, Nerdegas 29 Flordis - 9:20 a.m. I still can¡¯t stop expressing how happy I am to be able to see the world again. Nearly a year I''ve been cooped up in fear. But since two months ago, I''ve gained the courage to go back outside to see the world. I¡¯ve travelled old and new places lately. But so far, I''ve never been outside of Sallestre. There have been many changes in cities, towns and villages everywhere. Not just here, but other countries too. News spread about the World¡¯s Revolution, where an era of great changes is upon us. I can see all the evidence that this is all true. The first one couldn¡¯t be more obvious. Joycelm is gaining more and more new buildings and is growing wider and wider. That itself was before I left two months ago. I''ve heard that Joycelm is no longer known as a town but a city now, and not just a city, but one of the fast rising city in Geldar. I wish to see these changes soon when I get back. I''ve also read news of the revolution of technologies. Where lamp posts can now light the streets even brighter and more efficient than before. New vehicles were made, the kind that floats like magic. They were called the hover. They were invented by, Professor Collin Wier. We¡¯ll be seeing many people driving those hovers soon on the road. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. All of these changes are caused by the crystal shards that were found over five years ago by the Achrillics Division; that is the science division working under the watchful eyes of the government called the Guardians. The crystal shards that were found were shipped to Hercia or better known as the Guardian Republic, to be tested for years to know their functions, advantages and disadvantages. Recently, news came out that the crystal shards are to be used to power up cities, towns and villages. Generators known as the Orleon Generator, named after the founder of the energy, Orris Leon, were made to compatibly expand the energy of the crystal shards for the benefits of many. Now, we all just need to wait until the Orleon Generators and the crystal shards are supplied to all the states in each and every country there is. ......... 312, Marfeim 6 Mordis - 4:57 p.m. So much changes and wonders I''ve seen in a very short while. Well, for me it was rather short for the world to change so much. Only two years and everything have changed immensely. A new city was born known as Iris City; City of the Orleon¡¯s Energy. It was built by the Guardians to show their gratitude for the revolution of the world that the Achrillics Division have made. The city is made from pure modern technologies. It is the city of revolution itself. Sky scrapers everywhere and layers of roads climbing on top of each other for vehicles to move on. It is located in the south part of Hercia. Now, many new transportation systems are built. From public busses to huge floating ships for the people to easily move from one country to another. The roads are never empty. Luckily, such inventions make such subtle sounds. The small ones I mean. The bigger they get, the louder it is. Air ships most of all. With all the loud sounds of the engines throttling when it moves, no one will not notice it if it passes by high in the sky. Speaking of changes, I¡¯ve heard that Joycelm have really grew bigger. Now, rumour has it that Joycelm have several towns inside it; Drees, Fender, Serrumpt, Welde, Som and Irveen, the heart of Joycelm. Joycelm itself is officially known as Joycelm City. I¡¯m impressed by all what that small town can achieve until it became a city. A very big city as I¡¯ve heard. ......... 315, Onmineer 35 Irdis - 10:21 a.m. So much I''ve seen in my life, but so little that I''ve gained. Well, mayhap I have gained so little of materials in life, but I''ve gained a lot of experiences in life I supposed. I''ve went to many places, many countries and have tried many things in my life. From climbing the tallest building in Fondra to the deepest part of the ocean in Landore. I''ve discovered many wondrous things in the Eastern and Western of Geldar. Many things but not everything. After I''ve finished my time here in Landore, I¡¯ll take the air ship to Tamasca. The last country that I haven¡¯t experienced yet. Until I''ve done that, I will not be returning to Sallestre. ......... 317, Ygdissir 33 Irdis - 11:15 p.m. It has been long since Ygmod. I am thirty as of this year. This would probably be my last entry. Tomorrow comes a birthday of a friend of mine, Whilliam Rubbit. So, I write this last entry for you as this journal will become yours. Well, by the time you read this it means this journal is yours already. So many things I''ve written in this book. It is the most valuable treasure for me. To give this journal away is going to be hard. That is why I''m giving this to you, someone that I really trust. Someone I know that would keep this book forever and make good use of it and all the information in it. Since it is yours now, write your own experiences in life. Continue this book with your own adventures and stories. I hope that this book will be of great use to you in the future. Happy 15th Birthday, Whilliam Rubbit. ......... Whil smiled after the last entry from Ray. Reading many of Ray¡¯s stories have passed thirty minutes of Whil¡¯s time. It was 4:15 in the morning. He felt sleepy again. So, he decided to go back to sleep. He grabbed his blanket and wrapped it tighter around his body. He closed the journal and stood up from the chair. He walked back into his room towards his bed. He put back the journal in the drawer at the left side of his bed and got himself comfortable on the bed. He yawned, he stretched and he fell asleep. In his second sleep, he dreamt of something else. No longer had the depressing past haunted him. He dreamt of his mother instead. It was back when he was one year of age. They were only fragments of events. One that was vivid was the time his mother held him in her warm embrace. Behind her were bright lights. There were not much details. She was smiling to him. Singing a lullaby to him with her sweet loving voice. Remember the stars, The stars that protect you, Find all the pieces, Remember the past. Follow the light, Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll always be here, Just listen to my voice. Previous Next V - NEW LIFE, NEW BEGINNING Early morning of Semdis. Sun was climbing up the horizon slowly. The time shown was exactly at 8:04 in the morning. Whil was still struggling on the bed trying to wake up. He heard the front door downstairs being opened. ¡°We¡¯re leaving now Whil.¡± Whil heard his grandmother¡¯s voice shouting from downstairs. Esmer and Phillias were going to the Joycelm Square for a very special occasion in Joycelm. It was the annual carnival that Joycelm held for everyone to go. They left and locked the door. A piece of paper was on an end table in front of Whil¡¯s bedroom. It was a little note saying, ¡®breakfast is in the oven¡¯, left by his grandmother for him. After everything became so quiet, Whil knew that everyone was gone and he was the only one in the house at that moment. He opened his eyes slowly and got out of the bed. He looked outside by the balcony and saw his grandparents walking to their neighbour¡¯s house to hitch a ride to the Joycelm Square. Carrying his heavy lazy legs slowly, he walked out of his room. Straight away he noticed the note that was left for him. He smiled and continued his journey to the kitchen downstairs for breakfast. -------------------- At the end of the street was Polly Canner¡¯s house. Polly lived with her sister Shia Canner and her foster child, Alpherd Shield. She adopted Alph since eight years ago when he had no one else to live with. She couldn¡¯t let him live in any orphanage so she decided to take him as her own. That same morning, Alph was busy checking his packed backpack making sure that he didn¡¯t forget anything. He even made a list to help him keep track of everything he needed. He was getting ready to go to a holiday trip with Whilliam Rubbit and Sheila Haze. One by one he ticked in the list as he check though his things. Up till the last item in the list, Alph was absolutely relieved to know he was set to go for the trip with all his necessities. LIST OF NECESSITIES Cerulean torch X 2 Candles X 3 Plastic bags X 3 Match box X 2 Spare shoes X 2 Shirts X 9 Pants X 9 Toothbrush X 2 Toothpaste X 2 Shampoo X 2 Body wash X 2 Underpants X 14 Socks X 14 Cerulean energy marble X 10 Everything was up to his satisfaction. He woke up since 6 in the morning checking everything in his backpack again and again. The items in the list was crossed several times and was ticked everywhere. He inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. Proud of himself, he gave himself a pat on the back and then carried his things to the front door. Polly saw him from the kitchen and called him for breakfast. Alph went to the mirror and checked his pale face and fixed his well combed lushes black hair, then, he went and sat at the dining table and gave a wide smile to Polly and Shia. ¡°Morning, Mum. Morning, Aunt Shia.¡± He greeted them both. They smiled and replied him at the same time. ¡°Morning, Alph.¡± Polly served breakfast and the whole family ate together. They smiled, they joked and they laughed that morning. Everyone had their own stories to tell. Alph expressed about how excited he was about the vacation, Shia talked about her clumsy boss and Polly shared about her hyperactive kindergarten students that she was teaching in Drees¡¯ Playgroup, a couple of blocks away. After breakfast, Alph took his backpack and went off to Whil¡¯s house at 8:30 a.m. -------------------- At the other side of the town of Drees in Joycelm, was the town of Irveen, where there lived a girl from a rich family. Golden long brown hair, beautiful light blue eyes and skin as pale as snow. Her name was Sheila Haze. The fifth princess of the family out of six princesses. Starting from the eldest there were Rebecca Haze and Edna Haze; twins, 24, Rania Haze, 20, Melissa Haze, 19, Sheila Haze, 15, and Ginger Haze, 10. Her parents, both Edmund and Ellen Haze inherited their families¡¯ business corporation and wealth and have lived in such an easy life since. Sheila was well known for her observant and perceptive nature. She saw the world around her in such details and were able to memorise nearly everything easily. Such a gift she had. The first time she met Alph and Whil was seven years ago. At the age of eight, Whil and Alph was sent to school as first year students just like any other eight year old children. There, at that moment, on the first day of school, she approached Whil and Alph. As Irveen and Drees was a neighbouring neighbourhood, the children there went to the same school every year. Sheila nearly memorised everyone that was her age both in Irveen and Drees. Not to say that she absolutely memorised, but she would know familiar faces. Of course, she didn¡¯t recognise both of their faces. So, with the curiosity of an eight year old, she approached them and became their best friend since. It was not just her amazing personality and good looks that have gotten her to be an absolutely interesting gal to be with. It was also because of her very own creature, Gallant. Gallant is a hybrid of a lion and somewhat of a polar bear. White fur and a whole body like a polar bear, but have the tail and the bushy hair of a lion. Gallant was a creature that was known as a Grymloft, an ice elemental creature; able to command ice at will and also a creature of speed and strength. For Whil, it was such an honour to befriend someone who have their very own creature. But with such honour, came a hint of jealousy within Whil in particular. Since he was young, he craved for his own creature. He had Rover for a while, but Rover left him seven years after Ygmod. Buried at the back of his grandparents¡¯ house, Whil was left with nothing to make pretend as a creature anymore. Even so, such jealousy came in a very small amount that sometimes he barely bothered. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. On that same Semdis morning, Sheila had her early breakfast. She put her small backpack in the trunk and got herself ready to leave. In her bag was only a couple of clothes and pants, a toothbrush, a toothpaste, a head-to-toe shampoo and body wash, and some of the things that all girls need. As obvious as it is, she did not packed too much things. Mayhap, it was even too little. Well, it was nothing to be shocked about especially when it comes to the Haze family. With a monthly allowance of a fortune, she can just survive in any city even with not packing her bags with any necessities. -------------------- Whil had his wonderful breakfast left by his grandmother. It was just what he would usually have. An omelette and a couple of his grandmother¡¯s homemade bread. Amazing how something so simple can fill up a boy for a whole morning. Obvious he was not the kind that eat much. After he got himself ready, he took the journal from his room and stuffed it in his bag and got ready for the trip. At 8:36, there was a knock on the door. So early, Whil thought in his mind. He could already guessed who it would be. It was the boy with ¡®OCD¡¯; the only boy that he knows with ¡®OCD¡¯; the only boy with over exceedingly many OCD that anyone would ever know. It was Alph. A perfect guess it was. ¡°The door is not locked,¡± said Whil aloud from the kitchen. ¡°It is locked, Whil,¡± Alph repudiated as the door wouldn¡¯t open when he tried the knob. Whil ran to the front door and opened it. He looked at Alph and with a mischievous grin he said, ¡°I know it is.¡± He looked upon Alph¡¯s large backpack. Whil was rather surprised. Such a big heavy looking bag for just a three days trip. ¡°Is it heavy?¡± ¡°No, not really,¡± replied the na?ve boy. ¡°Really? ¡®Cause it seems very heavy. Like it weigh possibly a ton,¡± Whil continued interestedly; wanting to know how heavy it really was. ¡°You know, sometimes I think people don¡¯t know how strong you really are,¡± thought Whil aloud to Alph. ¡°Doubt it,¡± Alph suddenly replied. ¡°Doubt what?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I think we¡¯re running late. Sheila might be waiting for us already,¡± Alph quickly said. ¡°Late? Haha! We promised to meet at 9. It¡¯s just 8:40 at the moment. Relax a bit will you, Alph. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d get a heart attack one day if you get too edgy.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t jinx it!¡± Whil grabbed his bag by the door and exit. He locked the door and tried to open it to reassure himself that he have locked it properly. The breeze was blowing harder and harder like a hurricane as they walked straight for the front entrance of Drees. It was about a five minute walk from Whil¡¯s house to the front entrance of Drees, one of two only gates into Joycelm City. ¡°Look at this, I got a Grymloft trading card. Haha! Sheila is so going to be surprised.¡± ¡°Sure she will, Alph,¡± countered Whil sarcastically. ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t need that patronising tone of yours. You will never understand the importance of these trading cards in learning the origins and characteristics of the creatures.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure that Sheila won¡¯t either.¡± ¡°There it is again! That thing you¡¯re doing with your voice. It is really not fun to hear.¡± ¡°You do know that trading cards are for playing purposes. They are for fun and games. None of what they wrote on the cards are true. Gallant himself said it already remember?¡± Said Whil trying to convince Alph. ¡°Meh! I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s just cool to collect them all and put it in one book. Then I can look at them again and again in pride.¡± ¡°Just like reading the ¡®Creatures: Their History¡¯ text book in class.¡± ¡°Dear lord! You did it again!¡± ¡°Shush! Shush! Look.¡± Right in front was a beautiful shiny scarlet hover parked perfectly by the side of the road. Probably Sheila¡¯s, they guessed. Then, approached a girl of shiny golden hair softly blown by the wind. She walked calmly towards them. And yet again, another perfect guess. ¡°Well, you boys took your time,¡± said Sheila. ¡°See! Told you we¡¯re going to be late,¡± ranted Alph to Whil. ¡°Calm down. We still made it didn¡¯t we? Sheesh.¡± ¡°Come on, put your bags in the trunk. Let¡¯s go for an adventure.¡± ¡°Wait. Where¡¯s Gallant?¡± asked Whil. ¡°Oh! Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s in the wielder¡¯s bracelet in my purse in the car. You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d leave him did you?¡± answered Sheila. ¡°Haha! Of course not.¡± ¡°Well, get in the hover. Life waits for no one.¡± Ended Sheila. Previous Next VI - THRAARIL UR THREDSYEIL The breeze passed. Temperature was falling from cold to freezing the closer they get to their destination. Then, snow started falling. They were all in awe seeing the transformation from beautiful green meadows to pure white fields. They were heading towards Flourous City; the city that never stops snowing; one of many Gallenhied¡¯s wonders. About an hour had passed. They sang and they gossiped. They giggled and they laughed. Then, they were quiet. Another hour to go. Whil got tired of the silence. He reached for his journal in his bag. As he did, he opened it to read it some more. There, just at the top corner, a paper dangled outside of the used book slightly. It caught Whil¡¯s attention. Whil pulled it out. It bared the Seal of the Guardians from Hercia, the Guardian Republic. ¡°The Guardian Embassy of Sallestre...,¡± he read. It seemed more and more familiar as he continued reading the letter. -------------------- THE GUARDIAN EMBASSY OF SALLESTRE Forseed City 17th Seldas 309, Flordis We have heard of the news. We, the ambassadors of Hercia; the Guardian Republic, and the Council of Sallestre are terribly sorry of what had fallen upon your fate. The loss of your home is our loss as well. Consider this donation of ours as something for you sir/miss/mister/madam to restart your life with. It is our priority now to keep you sir/miss/mister/madam and the other survivors safe as you all might still be in great danger and are of great importance to us in solving this matter. Officers from the Embassy will be sent to keep an eye on you sir/miss/mister/madam. We hope that this does not cause any inconvenience to anyone. Sincerely, Corlin Grant (Head Ambassador of Hercia) -------------------- It was familiar to Whil. He received the same letter once. A letter that seemed to be written by someone who was lazy enough not to bother the gender of the reader specifically. He knew the Council had a more important matter at hand. Even so, a little courtesy goes a long way, thought Whil. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then, he opened them again. Corlin Grant. The signature reads Corlin Grant. ¡°Hey, guys. Who is Corlin Grant?¡± asked Whil suddenly. ¡°What? He¡¯s the head ambassador of Guardian Republic in Sallestre. You knew this. We all got a letter from him remember.¡± Replied Alph. ¡°Yeah, I know that. I mean, was he in the news lately? Somehow I felt like I heard his name quite recently.¡± ¡°If you mean recently by last week, then yes. He was broadcasted in the televiewer last week, on Flordis at 7:16 p.m.,¡± Sheila displayed her strong memory. ¡°He was announcing the arrival of the new Terra-Hover. A huge, battle hover-plane that fits 500 units of ¡®draigs¡¯, few battalions of troops and hundreds of mecha-armours.¡± She continued. ¡°Draigs?¡± asked Whil. ¡°Yeah, draigs. A one seated battle vehicle. Equipped with state of the art phot-rifle.¡± Alph answered. ¡°Phot-rifle?¡± asked Whil again. ¡°Boy, you should start paying attention to the news. Phot-rifles are weapons that shoot out plasma blasts from bullets harvested from the energy of the crystal shards. Corlin said it is all for the purpose of peace upon all lands. I don¡¯t know. Seems a bit fishy to me.¡± Said Sheila. ¡°Fishy? Why would it be fishy? He is from the Guardian Republic. The Guardian¡¯s purpose is to protect. I don¡¯t think there is anything fishy about it.¡± Reacted Whil. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just a feeling. Building a weapon of war for the purpose of peace. Could be good, could be bad. What do I know? Just a feeling.¡± Sheila added. Whil looked at the letter once more. Then, the letter was folded and slipped back in between the journal by Whil. He took out a pen and started writing on a blank page in the journal. 317, Ningdarr 27 Semdis ¨C 10:09 a.m. The journey is getting a little stale. I¡¯m just waiting till we get there. I hope I don¡¯t lose interest in this. I would really want to enjoy my time in Flourous¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ Whil wrote and wrote. He poured his thoughts, experiences and emotions in the journal. He continued Ray¡¯s epic with his own tale to tell. Every word written and chosen carefully. As he writes time passed by quite fast. Before he knew it they¡¯ve arrived in Flourous City. He looked out the window. A huge arc greeted them with a welcoming breeze. They passed the arc and entered the city. What they saw was beyond their imaginations. Buildings liken castles and ice as beautiful as crystals. The city looked like what is in fairy tales. They were all in awe, even Sheila. Suddenly, a loud honk was heard. Sheila quickly stepped on the break. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Watch it, kid!¡± a man in a carrier-hover lifting several crates at the back yelled. The kids giggled a little but their hearts pumped harder than normal as they waved hello at death moments ago. A loud sigh accompanied their relief and they continued their journey towards an inn, the Brisshaw Inn to be exact. It is the finest inn anyone could find in Flourous. As they arrived, Sheila parked her hover and they all unloaded their bags from the trunk. They then went straight to the front door of the inn. It was a huge door for a humungous inn. Above the arc of the door, written in Thredenin, ¡®Virlun Sii Tu Thraaril Ur Thredsyeil¡¯. ¡°What does it say, Alph?¡± asked Whil. ¡°It says welcome.¡± He answered. ¡°That¡¯s it? That looks a bit long to just be welcome.¡± Interrupted Sheila. ¡°Fine. Hmm¡­ Welcome to Halls of Histories. Yup. It says welcome to Halls of Histories.¡± Alph read. ¡°Halls of Histories?¡± Sheila wondered. ¡°Aha! I remember. I read something about Brisshaw Inn the other day. It said that within the hallway of this inn are carvings of important past events. Thus the name, thraaril ur thredsyeil, halls of histories. The carvings are works of art and also a remembrance of history itself.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Said both Whil and Alph. The three entered and their jaw dropped. As true as what Sheila had said, history is beautifully carved along the walls of the inn. Whil and Alph went closer to see them in detail while Sheila walked in daze towards the inn¡¯s registration counter. She looked up the ceiling, at the pillars and even the door frame while walking. Then, she reached the counter. ¡°How may I help you today, Ma¡¯am?¡± said the lady by the counter. Sheila¡¯s daze was snapped by the lady¡¯s question. ¡°Oh! Um. Two rooms please¡­¡± she had a quick gaze upon the lady¡¯s nametag, ¡°¡­Miss Annis. One with only a single bed and the other with two beds.¡± The lady smiled and answered, ¡°Sure. I need you to fill in this form first.¡± ¡°Alright, no problem.¡± While the registration was done by Sheila, Whil and Alph was wondering around looking at the walls. One by one they observed; every curve and every detail of the art work. Then, Whil stumbled upon a scripture of some sort. It was carved in one of the artwork. ¡°Alph, come over here. I don¡¯t really understand this.¡± Alph approached Whil. He turned and looked where Whil was looking. In Thredenin it was written. It was an old poem sung once by the ancients since before the War of Realms even began. Before time itself. Alph read it and it goes; -------------------- Feramyel reril, Raeel u doolyun, Raes ur thres, Os thrae, Nime syaeud, Nime deekud, Tim ser mou, Et miru mae. -------------------- ¡®¡®Beyond veils, Lies a secret, Light of hope, Up high, Many tried, Many searched, Then till now, Is never nigh.¡¯¡¯ ¡°It is an old poem. Or so it seems like.¡± Said Alph. ¡°You know, you should start learning Thredenin soon. One day when you¡¯re old, it¡¯s going to be too late.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t call you for a lecture. I just wanted you to translate the words that¡¯s all,¡± Whil replied the statement. ¡°Plus, I do know Thredenin. Just not as good as you. Ser maesfaar dror voo lumreed uhim, which means, till nightfall shall we converse again.¡± ¡°Yeah, one among few phrases that you memorised. Charming.¡± Sarcasm was quite loud from Alph¡¯s words. ¡°Shut up.¡± As Whil was about to walk away Sheila called from the counter. ¡°Guys, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve got us a couple of rooms for the weekend.¡± They immediately grabbed their bags and left straight towards Sheila. Hey then marched straight to their rooms; Sheila in her own and the boys sharing together. They freshened up and readied themselves for the rest of the trip. Previous Next VII - GUARDIAN REPUBLIC The land of Hercia; the country of hope; the Council of Guardians; the Guardian Republic. It was where all the previous warriors of valour and chivalry came from. This was the land where the first Council of Guardians was formed. Beneath where Whil was, where Sallestre is, is the country Hymerr; and beneath Hymerr, across the ocean, is Hercia. 27th Ningdarr, Semdis, the date that many or any of the Guardian staff have waited. Not just staffs but even ambassadors of different countries, states and cities. From Sallestre, in the Eastern Geldar to Rhuddia, across the ocean in the Western Geldar, they were there to witness the miracle of machinery. In the halls of the Council of Guardians, everyone was rushing to and fro somewhere to another. Everyone was enthusiastic to see the unravelling of the unknown. Many had readied themselves at the ¡®testing field¡¯ right behind the Council of Guardians building. ¡°11:23 a.m.¡­hmm. It¡¯s nearly time,¡± a man wearing purple formal wear said while looking at his wristwatch. He stood in the middle of the hallway; stroking his white hair backwards and tapping his leg while looking left to right. ¡°Waiting...waiting...waiting¡­¡± The number of people rushing seemed to decrease immensely. From hundredth to tenth to only one left. He was still there, waiting. ¡°Where is this fool? He¡¯s taking his sweet time!¡± From the left end of the hallway a figure could be seen; walking towards the man in purple that stood and waited in the middle. He was in a grey robe, silky black hair and such beautiful face for a man. ¡°Hol naye,¡± said the man that approached the other. ¡°Good morrow? I need not your greetings, Thre¡¯adil! Where have you been?¡± ¡°Dare you to disrespect me foul mortal! Remember your place, Esmir.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve promised me that your people will come forth and declare their allegiance to the Guardians. I¡¯ve waited and waited. None ever did come. I¡¯ve promised the High Lord Dorin. Promising to him means promising the whole Republic. What am I to tell him now?¡± Gally Esmir, Mayor of the city, Garrion in Aldor, said with anger. ¡°I am a Thre¡¯adil. Am I not enough to represent my people? What more do you need?¡± asked the ancient race to Gally. ¡°I¡¯ve lived hundreds of years. Can you not take my words as truth when I say that when I pledged allegiance to the Council, it means my people pledged as well.¡± ¡°That is simply not enough. You are not your ¡®whole¡¯ people. You are but a representative.¡± ¡°But is that not what we are all here? One represents Durad. One represents Joycelm. One represents Garture. Others represent their city or country. And one represents the Thre¡¯adil. It is more than enough; it is more than fair as they only represent their own city and country while I represent my whole people that are scattered around the lands; in every ten countries.¡± ¡°It is not about what is fair or not! Your people are everywhere. Your job is to bring each and every leader of every tribe in every kingdom of your race to pledge individually. Each leader of your tribe, or at least one, must be here, not just you.¡± ¡°Mayor Gally. Lord Ebron.¡± A voice from afar called their name. They turned and looked at the caller. It was an old man; Mayor Gilmore Frendil of the City of Gurin in the high mountains of Zalrod of Hymerr; walking so very slowly towards them. ¡°Hol naye, Mayor Gilmore of Gurin.¡± Ebron Rothran greeted him. ¡°Hol naye, Raar Ebron. Why are not any of you at the field? The show is almost starting,¡± continued Gilmore. ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Replied Gally. ¡°We will be on our way then. We just need to stop by my office first, right, Lord Ebron?¡± Ebron smirked and said, ¡°Yes, Mayor Gally.¡± Both Ebron and Gally walked away leaving Gilmore standing by himself. They walked quickly till they reached the end of the hallway. At the end, they make a sharp left and hid at the corner for a while. ¡°Rii ver faemyel un roodyen vom leb so fe yisyetimyesud.¡± said Gally. ¡°You will find at least one king to be represented,¡± ¡°Ae lumar franed rii imeneb.¡± Ebron replied Gally. ¡°I cannot promise you anything.¡± ¡°Me, rii ver! Rii nodyen!¡± Gally said with a hint of threat. He then left in haste. ¡°No, you will! You must!¡± Ebron stood there; he looked at Gally walking away. He then took his leave. They both went their separate ways, but both still ended up at the ¡®testing field¡¯. Noticing each other from afar, they sneered and looked away. Every single staff and every single ambassadors of each country and representatives of each city were there to witness that historical day. They all waited in patience as the High Lord of the Council, High Lord Dorin Wenmer climbed up the stairs to the stage in front of the crowd. Behind him was his trusted advisors and guards, Sir Helvon and Lady Violet Shayne. Behind them, five scientists from the Achrillics Division followed in a straight line. ¡°Welcome everyone,¡± the High Lord greeted while the others took their seat behind him on the stage in front of something covered by a black veil. ¡°I know that all of you are eager to see the unravelling of the draig. It has been announced before but never yet revealed. Today we all are here to witness history being made.¡± Thus, behind him the black veil was pulled from behind the stage. It was a one seated vehicle with a steering wheel and a nostril pointing outward in front of the vehicle. ¡°Finally! I present to you, The Draig! Fully equipped with the phot-rifle! Both utterly new concept of peace and justice!¡± Then, at that moment, a man climbed on the draig and activated it. It floated, hovered like a regular hover would. He then turned the nostril of the vehicle away from the crowd and towards the empty field. ¡°Behold!¡± the High Lord bellowed. Then, being the shout a signal, the man pulled the trigger to fire the phot-rifle. At the moment of the pull, the front of the draig exploded. The man flew backwards by the strong force of the explosion. The High Lord braced himself as his trusted guards covered him. The scientists jumped and lied flat on the stage while the rest of the crowd covered their faces for any debris that might come. ¡°Gasp! Oh, no!¡± went one of the crowd member aloud. The High Lord pushed the two guards aside. ¡°Dear Lord! This is disastrous. Someone get the medic!¡± Among the crowd, Ebron stood and looked. ¡°Mortals,¡± came upon his thought, ¡°stubborn mortals.¡± He turned away from the tragedy and left the ¡®testing field¡¯. He walked fast but swiftly back inside the Council of Guardians building. He walked and walked. He passed through several flight of stairs and a few corridors that seemed identical. As he walked through a corridor that was directly facing the ¡®testing field¡¯, he could see the people still panicking. He sniggered. At the end of the corridor was a room; a huge door was the entrance to another world, a world called, ¡®Head of Thre¡¯adil Division¡¯, or so it said atop the door. Ebron went in and slammed the door shut. He then sat on the chair at a majestic desk. On the table was a plaque; on it written, ¡®Ebron Rothran, Head of Thre¡¯adil Division¡¯. Upon seeing the plaque he turned his chair around facing the opposite direction; the window that was behind him. ¡°Vae so rii aarved sedseed ne? Ae naen thrur so laar tu huulil am rii vom se.¡± Ebron said as if talking to himself. ¡°Why do you always disturb me? I might have to call the guards on you one day.¡± ¡°I mean you no harm. Ae un thri so thodyen koo rii. Et tus ke yab?¡± asked the women that suddenly appeared behind Ebron. ¡°I am here to just see you. Is that so wrong?¡± ¡°Yeseem fyan vimyed rii lonud, vek! Ae thrur sirud rii vomyed umyel ae ver ke es uhim, ¡®riikir four nukel et mar moolud¡¯.¡± Ebron retaliated. ¡°Return from whence you came, witch! I have told you once and I will say it again, ¡®your foul magic is not needed¡¯.¡± ¡°Aekir Raar Ebron, rii mool mar fi ne. Ae uudyer rii emre so lumdesu aekir afu.¡± Added the witch despite Ebron¡¯s clear rejection. ¡°My Lord Ebron, you need not fear me. I ask you only to consider my offer.¡± ¡°Emof! Roor ne fe nukel nol! Mou!¡± the witch angered Ebron. He said every word without even looking at her; showing her his disgust upon her presence. ¡°Enough! Leave me be foul muck! Now!¡± ¡°Ut rii veg aekir Raar. Fon so mar lon so ne vom se fudach faa vas thrur fem afuud umyel yekilyesud. Aekir laemyesird ruudyenel suse umyel suse emre. Feivir.¡± The witch warned Ebron Rothran as if she hoped it might have changed his mind. Stolen story; please report. ¡°As you wish my Lord. But do not come to me one day begging for what have been offered and rejected. My kindness lasts today and today only. Farewell.¡± ¡°So mar frusu riikirkiryef.¡± Ebron had the final blow. ¡°Do not flatter yourself.¡± Ebron peeked over his shoulder a little to see whether she had left. ¡®Gone¡¯, he thought. A slight sigh accompanied his relief. Not even a moment of relaxation, a knock on the door was heard. Ebron quickly responded; ¡°Lon em.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The door was opened and a young lady entered. ¡°Hol naye, Raar Ebron. High Lord Dorin has requested your presence in the High Council in 15 minutes. He said it is urgent.¡± Said the lady. ¡°If it is urgent, why not now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lord Ebron. I am but a messenger.¡± ¡°Now, now¡­¡± Ebron smiled, still looking out the window, ¡°a messenger is all important. Never underestimate your duty. You may leave.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± The lady left and shut the door once more. So many door shutting today; thought Ebron. So many thoughts passing as well; he thought again. ¡°I had better be on my way now,¡± he thought aloud. -------------------- ¡°Be it as it may, I want this settled soon. I was in such embarrassment. You promised me that it would be ready. What happened; what everyone saw was not ¡®ready¡¯. Far from ready, that¡¯s what it is.¡± Ranted the old High Lord towards the Head of Achrillics Division, Professor Fergus Leon, son of Orris Leon. ¡°Your father delivered, make sure that you do. It will be quite a shame if you are to fail him.¡± ¡°Yes, of course, High Lord Dorin. I will see to it immediately.¡± Fergus replied. ¡°Good. Be on your way now. Come Helvon, Violet. We make for the High Council.¡± ¡°High Lord Dorin. Salutations.¡± Suddenly a greeting from a familiar voice. ¡°Ah! Mayor Gally of Garrion. Come, we were about to take our leave to the High Council.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Let us be on our way then.¡± In the heart of the Council of Guardians lies a great hall known as the Hall of The High Council. Every high positioned lords were there sitting in the circular hall. ¡°Announcing the arrival of High Lord Dorin Wenmer of Hercia and Mayor Gally Esmir of Garrion. The High Council will begin with the attendance.¡± Announced the Hall Keeper. He then continued with rereading the attendance from the High Lord of a country following the Lords of the states and then Mayors of cities. ¡°We¡¯ll begin with Sallestre. High Lord Mordell Heim of Sallestre.¡± ¡°Ai.¡± ¡°Lord Carlile Trestin of Gallenhied.¡± ¡°Ai.¡± ¡°Lord Froger Amon of Farbos.¡± ¡°Ai.¡± ¡°Mayor Novelant Urich of Joycelm.¡± ¡°Ai.¡± ¡°Mayor Seserro Volt of Forseed.¡± ¡°Ai.¡± ¡°Mayor Zekiel Adimiah of Flourous.¡± ¡°Ai.¡± The attendance went on for about thirty to forty minutes usually. Every one of them waited patiently for their name to be called. After their name were called, they waited patiently for other High Lords, Lords and Mayors to be called. Protocol is never not tiring and tedious. Some went sighing and some nodding, falling asleep. All ten countries was to be called, and at the moment three was done; Sallestre, Tamasca and Hercia. ¡°Helvon. Violet. Tell me what do you see?¡± Asked High Lord Dorin while waiting. ¡°Leaders of the world, My Lord?¡± Answered Helvon in a question. ¡°Faces of the people, My Lord.¡± Answered Violet more confidently than her husband. ¡°Well, I just see a bunch of sad people. Sad mothers and fathers that want to go back home to their children, their wife, their husband.¡± High Lord Dorin gave his own answer. ¡°These people are here by the sense of duty. It¡¯s just sad that their duty for their country comes first and family after. Life is harsh. Not everyone is as lucky as the two of you. Married couple working together as my advisors and my trusted knights.¡± ¡°That maybe. But still, having a child may never happen for us. The risk of it is unbearable.¡± Added Violet. ¡°Yes. Life is harsh.¡± Ended Dorin. After that, they went quiet, still waiting for the Hall Keeper to be done. They started to fiddle around with their fingers; looked up the ceiling; groping about under the desk; and some already sleeping. Finally, the Hall Keeper was done. ¡°Lastly, Lord Ebron Rothran of the Thre¡¯adil.¡± ¡°Ai.¡± ¡°Now, the Council will commence with High Lord Dorin.¡± ¡°Finally. Welcome High Lords, Lords, and Mayors of honour. I brought you all today to reveal the draig but with no luck. Never mind. Now let¡¯s get on with this meeting. I¡¯ll start with the first agenda. May I call upon Lord Ebron to step forth to the middle of the hall?¡± Ebron was not even surprised to be called forward in the council. He stood up with poise and marched swiftly towards the middle of the hall. ¡°So vas so ae e tu frorimu?¡± asked Ebron as he reached the middle. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°Lord Ebron, I noticed that you are the only representative of your people.¡± ¡°Yes, that is true.¡± ¡°From which city or kingdom do you represent?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± ¡°See, there lies our problem. Thre¡¯adil are just like us all humans. They have separate kingdoms and different kings that rule each place. You cannot be representing every single kingdom there are out there. If so, the whole world should just be represented by me. That wouldn¡¯t be fair now would it?¡± ¡°No, My Lord. Even so, I cannot get any of them to come forth. They are too dwelled up in their own world, their own plain of existence, as if the rest of Geldar does not exist.¡± Suddenly, a man wearing a pinkish robe with a curly hair till his shoulders approached High Lord Dorin and whispered something to his left ear. Then, the High Lord spoke, ¡°Lord Ebron, you are now ordered to leave the Council of Guardians, effective immediately.¡± A shock could be seen on everyone¡¯s face, but was shown very little on Ebron. He was hiding his emotions quite well. ¡°May I ask why, My Lord?¡± ¡°It has come to light that you cannot represent any of your people. You, as my messenger put it, were banished by your father, Lord Mirill Drogan, King of Drainrock.¡± The High Lord replied. ¡°Am I right, Prince Thornwell Drogan?¡± Ebron, who he was, now Thornwell, looked down for a moment. The whole hall was silent. He looked back at the High Lord and answered, ¡°Yes.¡± He took a quick turn and exit the hall in a hasty march. ¡°Well, what an ordeal that was. Now, to continue on with the session we invite High Lord Edward to speak of this burglary issue that everyone has been hearing about.¡± High Lord Dorin continued the meeting. Right outside the hall, Thornwell was standing right in front of the door. He was baffled. For nearly a year he represented the Thre¡¯adil and within that time no one had ever knew. He thought that they will never find out, but he thought wrong. He looked to his right; there he was, the pink messenger. ¡°You! Wait!¡± The pink messenger stopped and turned around. Thornwell got closer to him and started to ask questions. ¡°How did you come by this information? Who told you? Where is he now?¡± ¡°I''m sorry My Prince, but the information was sent to me. It was in a letter from your father.¡± He handed the letter to Thornwell. ¡°And His Majesty requested that you would come home soon.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you. Be on your way now.¡± Thornwell opened the letter and read it; To whoever that come to possess this letter in the Council of Guardians, you are to tell my son to return to Drainrock soon. Make sure he is to return by any means necessary. To my son that might read this, I took back my banishment upon you. You have been forgiven. Lord Mirill Drogan Oddly, his father had written quite a short letter; somewhat like a note. He folded the letter and slipped it into his robe. ¡°Back home I suppose,¡± he thought. He had one last look at the door to the High Council, then, he left. -------------------- Previous Next VIII - EVENTIDE, OLD FRIEND The afternoon in Flourous was like none other. Whil, Alph and Sheila had their lunch and started to decide upon where they should go to sightsee. ¡°Well, that was a good meal. Now let¡¯s dwell on something else.¡± Alph said. ¡°Dwell?¡± Whil commented. ¡°Silence. Now, look at what I found at the inn before we left.¡± Alph took out a piece of brochure; a piece of very colourful brochure. The front said, ¡®Welcome to Flourous¡¯. ¡°Wow, colourful, isn¡¯t it Whil?¡± Asked Sheila. ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Ok, listen, have a look at these beautiful places. Obviously we can¡¯t go to all of them today. So, let¡¯s pick one or two for this afternoon till evening. Then, if we still have time, we¡¯ll go to another place.¡± Whil suddenly pointed to the brochure with a hard tap on the table. The tap startled Alph a little. Sheila giggled looking at Alph. ¡°Here,¡± said Whil, ¡°Let¡¯s go here.¡± ¡°Alright, fine.¡± They left the restaurant in haste and ran to the hover like little five year olds. Sheila started the engine and went straight to Flourous¡¯ Gates of Histories Museum. It was where plenty of Sallestre¡¯s pasts kept for centuries ago and for centuries to come. There, at the entrance of the museum, the threesome was greeted by the doorman. ¡°Welcome. Would you prefer to tour the museum by yourselves of with a tour guide? They are experts of Sallestre¡¯s deepest histories¡¯ vault.¡± ¡°So, how about it guys?¡± asked Sheila. ¡°Sure. With a guide.¡± Whil answered ¡°Yeah. A guide.¡± Alph followed afterward. ¡°Alright, please step in and we¡¯ll get you sorted out.¡± The doorman added. The all went in, the four of them, and the doorman called upon Qweena Emswoth as their tour guide for the day. ¡°Hello. Welcome everyone. I am Qweena Emswoth. You can call me Qweena for short. Since there are only the three of you as my tourists here today, let¡¯s hear your names.¡± ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Whil Rubbit.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Sheila Haze.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Alph¡­Shield-Canner.¡± ¡°Splendid. Now let¡¯s move on with the tour shall we? Follow me.¡± They went to the first exhibit. It was a huge map of Sallestre with nothing marked on it; just a big empty map. ¡°This is the map of Sallestre. Sallestre was founded nearly seven hundred years ago by a group of sailors said to have crossed the ocean from Surthram, now known as Tamasca. They were said to have travelled for the sake of knowledge and expanding their view of the world. But their journey ended in Sallestre as their captain passed away upon arrival. They never continued their journey since. Thus, they claimed the land, named a king and ruled over the whole land. The name of our first king was King Fevrir Duras. Since then, many merchants and dealers from other countries came by this country to bargain and barter over the untouched, riches of Sallestre¡¯s. Many came, most left, and some stayed; they built a house, they built a village, they built a city. All under the watchful eyes of King Fevrir. During the Era of Argoth Duras, Lord Fevrir¡¯s son, several leaders and cities started to rise inside Sallestre; some that he knew of and others that suddenly appeared without his approval. This was brought to Lord Argoth¡¯s attention. Even so, he was a kind ruler and gave everyone a chance. He called upon all the other leaders of cities and small villages. He gave barriers to separate the land into two states, Gallenhied and Farbos. He became High King Argoth, Leader of both States. Then, he elected two leaders from two cities through votes to be crowned as kings of each state. After the election, he set boundaries of each cities that existed and any villages within the boundary of any city is considered to be ruled by the mayor of the city; the mayor ruled by the king; the king by the high king. Any questions?¡± ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine for now.¡± Alph said with wide eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s move on then.¡± The second exhibition awed them a bit more than the first. They were the statues of the Leaders of the Creature Guardians and in front of them was the Guardian Heroes; both Eryos Zeiss and Goldeon, looking so majestic and beautiful. ¡°Do you know these two?¡± Asked Qweena. ¡°The Guardian Heroes.¡± Whil answered almost whispering. His heart was touched deep when he saw the statues. He even nearly dropped a tear. ¡°Ah, good. You know. These two were the greatest heroes during the War of Realms. They ended the war with one battle with the Dark Lord Farious. But, before they came, everything was in chaos. The war broke out three to four hundred years after Lord Fevrir found Sallestre and around three hundred years ago from today. The darkness hits Sallestre six months after it came upon Fondra. Fondra was the first to be attacked as it was nearest to Tamasca, also known as the Fallen Realm at the time. Then during the second month, Satonia was attacked, followed by Rhuddia on the fourth month of the war. During the fifth month, Labion and Landore fell under the dark powers of Farious. Then, Sallestre. After that, followed by Aldor and Hymerr. Hercia was the last to be attacked. The war lasted for about forty-six years. In Sallestre, after the Darc Army landed upon this land, pain and suffering started. Everything fell apart. This was during the fifth generation of Lord Fevrir¡¯s descendant. Even so, the fifth High Lord, High Lord Steaven Duras ruled for about forty years and fell by the hands of the army of evil. During this time as well a civil war broke loose. Each city decided to kill and hoard for the sake of survival. Not just that, beings of corruption and darkness emerged from the depths of Geldar to the surface; Aars and Hafrems. They were monster like beings that resembled the shape of man but fearful to look at. It was a very dark time for us all. After that, one by one the cities fell. The kings of states died in battle and the people were in complete hopelessness. This was just within three years of the War of Realms. At this time, during the third year, during the 20th of Marfeim, on Flordis, the very first Council of Guardians was made in Hercia. This council was built upon the sheer desire to defeat the very source of power that destroyed all the countries. As the Darc Army was made of dark magic, defeating them would be useless as they would be replaced by many other; like clones. Thus, with the help of every brave soldier they can get their hands on, they travelled to Tamasca, where Dark Lord Farious was. They named their soldiers the Creature Guardians as majority that joined at that time had Creatures with them. Each day, new group of new Creature Guardians was dropped at the shores of Tamasca to the battle. Then, down came the Elves of the sky and the Thre¡¯adils from the woods and mountains to aid the Creature Guardians in the battle. But day by day passed and no one had ever got close to Farious¡¯ castle. This went on for a while until the legend emerged from the village of Baski. Eryos Zeiss and his creature, Goldeon, the Hippogriff. Both flew to Tamasca in haste and ended the war by single-handedly fighting and defeating Farious. And so, ended the War of Realms. With that, the year was re-counted back to one until now; it is already 317 years. Shall we move on?¡± ¡°Wait. Anything more about Eryos and Goldeon?¡± Whil asked with high anticipations. ¡°Yes. That would be in the Guardian Heroes section of the exhibition.¡± ¡°Oh... Ok.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s next then.¡± The three followed Qweena to the third section of the tour. The third exhibition was on the wall. At the top was written, ¡®Arcs of Light¡¯. ¡°Now, as you can see, it says ¡®Arcs of Light¡¯. This is the system which historians and Creature researchers had created in order to classify the Creatures and understand them even more. The Creatures was sent to man a thousand and three hundred years ago by the Elves and Thre¡¯adils. This was the times when both races lived together in the Land of the Sky; a land that none can see and none can go to without any Elves or Thre¡¯adils to bring them. The Elves and Thre¡¯adils had lived in such prosper and ease in the Land of the Sky. When they took notice of the humans one day they realised that the humans were feeble beings struggling living amongst dangers and threats. The two races agreed to call upon the aid of the Creatures to be given to the humans. They opened a door to the Creatures¡¯ realm. As the Creatures was called upon, their leader, the Hippogriff emerged. They proposed the idea towards the Hippogriff. Noticing their ignorance of not helping the humans themselves, the Hippogriff declined by saying, ¡°If you do not feel like helping these humans yourselves, then why should I help?¡± The Elves and Thre¡¯adils were in shock of the Hippogriff¡¯s answer. A couple of days later, they decided to call upon the Hippogriff again. They proposed the same idea once more in hope that the Hippogriff changed his mind. The Hippogriff then asked them, ¡°Why do you care so much towards these humans?¡± to which the Elves answered, ¡°We only want to live in happiness. If we see them happy, so shall we be.¡± Then, the Hippogriff agreed but with the harshest condition made, ¡°We will aid the humans, but with this agreement, I give a condition close to a curse upon you for your ignorance and arrogance. One of you must come down to surface with us, living among the humans and their dangers. The Thre¡¯adils and Elves were furiously disagreeing at the time. Even so, the Hippogriff said a deal was made, either they choose who is to go or he will drag either one himself. The Elves suggested that the Thre¡¯adils should go while the Thre¡¯adils said otherwise. In the end a huge quarrel between the two ancient races began. Then, it lead to the Thre¡¯adils being sent down along with the Creatures. The Creatures was sent down but not in full form as the Thre¡¯adils. They were sent down as eggs; eggs that chooses the person to reveal itself to. Thus the beginning of Creatures living with us humans. Wasn¡¯t that fascinating?¡± ¡°Is that what happened? I thought no one knew what the Creatures were and where they come from? And if the Thre¡¯adils were there during the descendant of Creatures, shouldn¡¯t we¡¯ve known a lot about them by now? There are many Thre¡¯adils around to be interviewed about this event¡­or even ask the Creatures themselves.¡± Alph asked. ¡°Yes, no one knows of the Creatures¡¯ ¡®TRUE¡¯ origin. The Elves and Thre¡¯adils only knew the Creatures as beings of another plain of existence; another world. While the Creatures know nothing of their own origin as every Creatures here are wiped out of their memories as if they are little babies whenever they break free from the eggs. They can speak, walk, write, cast magic, fly, soar, run, and do about anything that any Creature can do, but they have no memory of their past. Thus, that¡¯s why we name them every time we encounter them the first time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a horrible curse.¡± Sheila said. ¡°Indeed. History tells truth behind wonders that we live today. But, it was never really a curse. The Creatures came down with full intentions of helping us. They were honest in their cause. Even the Thre¡¯adils and Elves had forgotten their quarrel a thousand years ago. As I said before, the Elves even came down during the War of Realms to aid humans alongside Creatures and the Thre¡¯adils.¡± Qweena added. ¡°Now, let¡¯s have a look at this ¡®Arcs of Light¡¯. Researchers and historians studying the Creatures spent quite a time creating this Creature tree.¡± ¡°So, do any of you here possess a Creature?¡± Qweena asked. Both Alph and Whil pointed at Sheila at the same time and at the exact moment Sheila answered, ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Great. So, what Creature is it? What kind?¡± She furthered her questions. ¡°He¡¯s a Grymloft. I named him, Gallant.¡± ¡°Ahaa--¡­as you can see at the Arcs of Lights, your Creature belongs in the rank of the Arc of Elementals. These are Creatures specified with their gifted elemental abilities. They are the strongest at their elemental magic than any other Creatures. A Grymloft is a Creature of the ice element. His ice magic is the strongest as he can even make an unbreakable ice in any condition. Even surrounded by hot lava, his ice may stand strong. Even so, the strength of the ice resembles the strength of metal swords. It will eventually melt around hot lava and may eventually break hitting thick rock walls. Let me explain the Arcs of Light one by one briefly. Let¡¯s begin with the One of All. The One of All, is as you know it is the Hippogriff. He is the leader of all Creatures. Those who wields his powers, wields all the others. Just like a king over his people. The One of All controls all magic and is the strongest Creature. But, he does not appear to just anyone. The first time he ever appeared was to Eryos Zeiss. That was once and only once he had ever presented himself to the world. Beneath the One of All is the Seven Serpents. These are dragons of the Hippogriff. They were believed to be his advisors. Among the strongest Creatures of their realm. The Seven Serpents are Einelyer, Eiraes, Eisuul, Hyomeku, Hyomyoa, Egumaes and Egumuul. These are not their names, but their ranks in the Seven Serpents hierarchy. The Eis; Einelyer, Eiraes, Eisuul, being the highest of the three, the Hyoms; Hyomeku, Hyomyoa, the middle and the Egums; Egumaes, Egumuul, as the third. Even so, these positions does not show strength of each of the Dragons. They seem to be the same as said by the researchers. There are around six Dragons in each seven ranks. Each different in appearance and size. Next, the Five Sisters. These are known as the Sister of Life, Sister of Death, Sister of Darkness, Sister of Light and Sister of Balance. These are the rarer form of Creatures in this world where only these five exist. They are not like any other Creatures in Geldar. Other Creatures are said to be moulded by their Wielders, but these five extraordinary Creatures are said to mould their Wielders instead. They shape their Wielders desires bit by bit. They don¡¯t control all, but they plant little seeds of lust over certain dreams and let it grow by itself. Dark and scary magic these Creatures have. They were never seen for a long time since after the death of Eryos Zeiss and Goldeon, the Hippogriff. After that, we have the Arc of Elements and The Elders. They are put at the same level. I¡¯ve explained the Arc of Elements already. Let¡¯s get to The Elders. These are Creatures of knowledge and wisdom. Any that wield them will be gifted with great wisdom of Geldar. They are Creatures that makes one into a knowledgeable man. Beneath them, the Wraith¡¯s Bane. These are the only kinds of Creatures that can harm the Phantoms, or better known as Wraiths that live in depths of Geldar. Many Elven and Thre¡¯adelyen weapons are enchanted with these Creatures¡¯ magic so that they can pierce the Wraiths¡¯ body if ever they need to. The sixth in the list are the Givers of Life. These are not Creatures that would bring back the dead to life, but these are Creatures that are bound by nature. Their energy is determined by the nature¡¯s flow and they connect with the other of their rank through nature. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The seventh are the Knights of One. These Creatures are loyal to a fault. These are fighters that would battle for their life to save their Wielders. The Knights of One possesses no magic of any sort. But they are equipped with sets of magical armours that may appear and disappear at will. And then, we have the Guardians of Realms. These are Creatures that could be found only in specified countries. For example, in Sallestre, there are Creatures known as the Unicorns and Caladrius. The Unicorns are mares with a horn on their head while the Caladrius are large birds with pure white feathers. They are only found in the lands of Sallestre. The second to last are the Shadows of Men. These are creatures that have no form at all during their times in their own realm. When they were brought down to Geldar, they required a form to be able to allow the humans to comprehend what they are looking at. Thus, they chose to appear as their Wielders. Now, there are twins out there that might actually not be twins, but a man and a creature. Lastly, there are the Breed of Norms. These are Creatures that look like everyday animals around us. All in the form of omnivores and carnivores. All in the form of land and air animals. There you go. I¡¯ve tried to be as brief as possible. These are the Creatures¡¯ places in their ¡®social system¡¯ created by the researchers. These are not the types of Creatures that exist. That would be a different thing and a very, very long list. Enough about the Creatures for the time being. Let¡¯s move on to the next exhibition.¡± Yet again, the threesome followed Qweena like little ducklings following their mother. Then, they reached another statue. This time it¡¯s just a statue standing alone by itself. ¡°This here is the great Thre¡¯adil king, Lord Ethron Brimrod, king of Fremrost, The Frozen Woods. One thing about the Thre¡¯adils, where they live is their own land, their own country, their own kingdom. They make their own rules and laws within the borders of their kingdom. They do not follow the laws that the High Lord of Sallestre have made until they step out of their own land. This does not happen only in Sallestre but in every country. There are four kingdoms of Thre¡¯adils within Sallestre and Fremrost is one of them. It is a day walk away from Flourous, due west. Once a year, Lord Ethron would come to Flourous to see the beauty of our town square. Not actually the square itself but what is placed in the middle of it. There, stands a statue, a random sculpture more like it, and right on top of it is a diamond with a shimmering glimmer of a dim star. Somehow it gives quite an effect to him that he would come again and again and again just to look at it. The Thre¡¯adils of Fremrost practices li¡­¡± *ATTENTION TO ALL VISITORS AND EMPLOYEES. A SNOW STORM IS HEADING TOWARDS FLOUROUS. EVERYONE IS ADVICED TO HEAD HOME NOW AND BE PREPARED FOR THE STORM. THANK YOU.* ¡°Oh! How unfortunate. You three better head back now.¡± Qweena said in worry. ¡°Does this happen often?¡± asked Whil. ¡°You¡¯re not from here. I see. The storm comes once or twice a year. But this is the third time this year. You three should head back to your inn. Everything will be fine.¡± Answered Qweena. The three exit the museum in a hurry. As they got outside, Alph and Sheila continued running. Whil stood in front of the museum. He looked to the sky and felt the strong wind blowing. The chill was so cold it reached his bones. ¡°A harsh storm is coming.¡± He spoke to himself. ¡°Whil! Come on!¡± Alph yelled from the hover. Whil snapped from his thoughts and ran for the hover. He opened the door and quickly slammed it shut. Sheila started the engine and drove as fast as she could back to the inn. On their way back, the wind grew harsher and stronger, pushing the tiny hover left to right. Sheila¡¯s view became shorter and shorter as the snow storm gets thicker. ¡°Dang it! This is so hard to control!¡± Sheila groaned. ¡°I can¡¯t even see the way!¡± ¡°Turn left now!¡± Alph yelled. ¡°What!?¡± Sheila yelled back. Alph grabbed the steering wheel and turned it to a sharp left. The whole hover turned and tilted to the right. The three of them screamed. ¡°Sheila! Stop the engine! STOP THE ENGINE!! NOW!!¡± Alph yelled again. Sheila quickly pulled the key from the slot and the whole engine stopped working. The hover dropped down and slid across the snowy road until it was completely stopped by the pave way leading to the Brisshaw Inn. ¡°No time to think! Get to the inn now!¡± Sheila yelled back again. They all abandoned the hover and ran straight for the inn. They pushed the door open and shut it tight after everyone got in. They gave the loudest sigh and started laughing. ¡°Are you alright?¡± one of the worker asked. ¡°Hahahaa¡­we¡¯re fine. Haahhhh¡­we¡¯ll be in our rooms.¡± Sheila answered with a little rush pumping in her. They returned to their own rooms. Sheila straight away lied down on her bed. Alph sat by the hearth and tried to light up fire in the fireplace. Whil went to his bag and changed his clothes. Then, Whil took out his journal and started writing again. 317, Ningdarr 27 Semdis ¨C 5:48 p.m. What a wondrous day. Exciting and most exhilarating. Started off really fine and slow. But ended up in quite a heart pumping way. It¡¯s almost like staring death in the face. Actually, I stared death in the face twice today. The first one was the moment we arrived at Flourous. That raised my heart beat by a hundred times. And then, just now, we drove in the thick and strong snow storm. The hover was shaking hard. I thought it was going to break open. So scary. Then, when Alph turned the car drastically, I thought my heart stopped. I¡¯d say that my whole life flashed in front of my eyes instantly. It was the most extreme thing that I¡¯ve ever experienced. It felt like what ever in the middle was just the filler while the two meetings with death was the main event¡­ ¡­¡­¡­ Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Good evening.¡± The knocker greeted. Alph got up from the warm fire and quickly answered the door. ¡°Evening, sir. Are you Whilliam Rubbit?¡± asked the man by the door. ¡°Whil. It¡¯s for you.¡± Alph called Whil. Whil got off of his bed and rushed to the door immediately. ¡°Yes.¡± Whil said to the man. ¡°Here¡¯s a letter from Joycelm. It came in this afternoon.¡± The man handed over the letter to Whil. ¡°Have a good day, sir.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Whil closed the door and locked it. ¡°So, what is it?¡± asked Alph by the fireplace. Whil read the envelope, it was from his grandmother. Whil opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Dear Whilliam, I am sorry to tell you this news in this way. I wish there was another way. This morning, your grandfather collapsed. We called medic and rushed him to the hospital as quickly as we could. There¡¯s nothing that anyone can do. I am sorry. Your grandfather, my husband, passed away this very morning. The medics confirmed it at 10:11 a.m. The funeral will be held tomorrow evening. I hope you can come back home. Esmer Dawn Whil fell to the floor on his knees with a loud thump. Alph quickly turned around when he heard it. Whil¡¯s heart shattered into a million pieces. Apparently he greeted death three times. At first, the moment of their arrival. The second, during the snow storm. The third, it took his grandfather. ¡°Whil. Are you alright?¡± Alph asked. Whil only looked to the floor, still shocked from the news. Alph went to him to see the letter. ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± Alph said. ¡°Alph¡­we¡­we have¡­have to go back¡­¡± Whil said suddenly. He was trying hard to hold back. Bit by bit the tears ran down his cheeks. He then turned towards Alph and started to break down. ¡°We¡­Have¡­To Go Back¡­¡± ¡°I know. But¡­¡± Alph turned his head to the door. He then looked back at Whil. ¡°We can¡¯t go back now. The receptionist said the snow storm will go on till tomorrow morning. Wait here. I need to tell Sheila. Just wait here and don¡¯t do anything crazy. I WILL be right back.¡± Alph quickly left the room and went straight to Sheila¡¯s room right across the hall. Whil was still on his knees. Every single tears found their way out of Whil¡¯s eyes. Every drop jumped from his face straight down to his palms right underneath. Whil shivered. He looked at his palms. The tears were held as if they were the pieces of his heart. He thrusts both arms to his chest and let out more agony and melancholy. In the end, he shrivelled up on the floor just like that. ¡°Why me? Why is it always me? First my mom. Then my dad. Now my grandpa.¡± He whispered to himself. After that, everything went pitch black. He cried himself to sleep there on the floor. All went quiet. ----- ----- ----- ----- The next morning came. Everything felt like it was moving slowly. Whil opened his eyes. It was like he took several minutes to do so. He was no longer on the floor. He was on the couch in front of the fireplace. He was carried from in front of the door to the couch. He got up and had a look around. All the bags were packed and were put by the door. ¡°Hey, Whil. Come. The storm has passed. We should be on our way now.¡± Alph said and Whil heard if blurrily. Whil got up from the couch slowly and went to his bag. He picked it up and waited for Alph by the door. Alph came out of his room and quickly grabbed his bag and opened the door. Whil went out and was greeted by Sheila¡¯s presence. Alph followed behind him. They went to the front desk and returned the keys. They marched outside slowly and went straight to Sheila¡¯s hover. It was right where they left it yesterday. She started the engine and drove straight back to Joycelm. The journey back was silent and bitter. Gloomed by the news brought in last evening. Whil just looked outside. His eyes filled with misery and longing. Sheila just drove on without stopping. Alph just stared at the open road, feeling sorry for his very best friend. Then, Alph looked down to his knees. He started to tear up a little. With a deep breath, he pulled in all the emotions that was about to flow out inappropriately. They finally arrived in Joycelm at noon. Rain greeted them home. Sheila dropped Whil first before Alph. Whil got off the hover and took his bag from the trunk. He went straight for the front door and didn¡¯t even look back. Whil opened the front door and entered. He dropped his bag onto the floor and started to walk around the house looking for his grandmother. He entered his grandfather¡¯s little library. There, he saw an old woman on the floor by the window and facing outside, crying. Whil went to her slowly and hugged her from behind, consoling her. ¡°Come. Get up. What would grandpa say if he sees you doing this?¡± Whil said while putting all his grandmother¡¯s weight on him trying to lift her until she stand up. ¡°He always told us not¡­to mourn him like this¡­if he ever leave us.¡± He struggled a little, still trying to lift her up. He got her standing up in the end and he led her to her bedroom slowly. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready for the funeral. We can¡¯t let everyone else wait.¡± It was nearly time for the funeral. Everyone that knew Phillias Dawn made their way to the cemetery right outside the city. Some walked and some drove under the evening sky. It was still drizzling. It didn¡¯t stop since the afternoon. Everyone gathered around the same place surrounding an empty grave ready to be filled. Rain fell from up high. Whil stood afar from the funeral. He was outside of the cemetery fences. Rain drops dripped from his chin. Rain and tears. His eyes was blurred by all the tears coming out. In his black trench coat, he could only stood there and watch from that far. He could not get himself any closer than where he was. He saw nothing in detail. The people were nothing but black blurry figures moving around by his grandfather¡¯s grave. His heart was cut deep. This world is cruel, he thought. His eyes changed course. He looked down to the ground where he stood. He slipped his hands in his coat pockets. In his right pocket, there was the locket from Ygmod. He held it tight in his right hand. His grasp became tighter and tighter. With teary eyes, a broken heart and crippled soul, he turned to his left and walked away. He gave up. The world was nothing more than just a bunch of cruel jokes to him. He gave in. Everything became nothing to him. He walked fast. Head facing straight towards his destination. He wasn¡¯t looking left nor was he going to look right. There was nothing left for him to see in the world at that moment. Nothing other than what he was looking at. He stared straight towards the thin layers of trees as he marched for it. Beyond those trees, lies a cliff; a cliff with a view of a lush, beautiful, green field and thick healthy forest and mountains. Moments later, he reached his destination. He stood and looked at the open space. This was a place where memories were made, he thought. He closed his eyes and a tear drop fell; with it a memory flowed. He could feel the breeze of the memory greeting him back to the event of the past. -------------------- It was a windy evening. The sun was setting. An old man and an eight year old were sitting by the cliff. ¡°The sun is going to leave us.¡± Said the boy. ¡°Yes it will. But it will come again tomorrow.¡± Replied the old man. ¡°It¡¯s going to get dark.¡± The boy added. ¡°Are you afraid of the dark?¡± The little boy nodded to the questioned. The old man giggled and continued talking. ¡°I used to be just like you when I was young. So curious of the world. But too fearful of the dark. Eventually, I learnt to stop being scared of darkness.¡± ¡°How did you stopped?¡± asked the boy. ¡°My grandfather, your great-great grandfather, told me an old saying. It goes, ¡®ef rii lum faemyel tu raes, rii lum faemyel tu omdii¡¯. It means, if you can find the light, you can find the answer.¡¯ ¡°Answer to what?¡± ¡°Anything. Always remember that Whil¡­ Whil¡­¡­ Whil¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± -------------------- ¡°Whil?¡± A voice snapped Whil from his reminiscence. He turned around and there he saw a girl standing behind him. By the look of it, she had been there a while. To Whil she looked familiar. Her soft braided brunette hair. Her white soft skin. Her beautiful hazel eyes. ¡°Wyomey? Wyomey Brown?¡± Previous Next IX - LIKE OLD TIMES ¡°Wyomey Brown? Is that you?¡± Whil asked. She paused for a second or two. She was as if could not believe that she is there with someone she used to know. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s me. You remember me.¡± Wyomey said with a little smile. ¡°Of course I do. How could I forget those eyes?¡± Whil answered without any hesitation and with a hint of a smile. Then he looked to the ground. ¡°Are you OK?¡± Wyomey asked. ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked as if he didn¡¯t believe that who he was speaking to was Wyomey. ¡°How come you are here now?¡± ¡°Irving City was beautiful. But I missed Joycelm. I missed Gallenhied. I always wanted to get myself transferred here in a long time. I finally got it. Then¡­I heard about your¡­¡­ So I decided to drop by the funeral. And then I saw you. So I followed you here. Are you OK, Whil?¡± Wyomey asked again after explaining her situation. She looked quite concerned. The worry in her eyes was quite obvious. ¡°I¡¯m just fine. As fine as always.¡± He answered just briefly. No explanation. No elaboration. He didn¡¯t even let his true feelings out. He would have been crying at the moment. Kneeling to the ground, looking to the sky and screaming. But he didn¡¯t. Something else was in his mind other than his grandfather¡¯s passing. ¡°Are you sure?¡± the worried girl asked. ¡°Yeah. I''m really fine. Are you fine?¡± Whil said without even looking at her. ¡°I am. Whil? Let me walk you home. It¡¯s getting dark. We should head back.¡± Whil just nodded and led her back to the city. They walked but they didn¡¯t talk to each other. Wyomey just followed and Whil just marched on, not stopping. Then, he reached his house. Before he got to the door, he turned around towards Wyomey. ¡°So, this is your house?¡± asked Wyomey immediately. ¡°Yeah. Thanks for walking me home.¡± ¡°No problem. Get better soon. If you need me, I live close by. Just a couple of blocks away across the street. The house with the pink flowery fence.¡± Said the girl smiling to Whil. ¡°Out of six towns in Joycelm, you moved to Drees. Where I happen to live. What are the odds?¡± said Whil disbelieving that she is actually real. He thought he was too depressed that he was starting to see things that were not there. ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Ok¡­bye.¡± Wyomey said; a bit confused by how Whil was talking and treating her. Whil opened the door, entered, closed the door and locked it straight away without having a final look at Wyomey. Wyomey stood there feeling sympathetic for his situation. She couldn¡¯t feel anything else but sympathy for the little boy from Ygmod. Whil went upstairs without even bothering to check whether his grandmother was home. His steps was heavy. He felt harder and harder to walk. Then, he started to drag his feet. He reached his room and threw himself on his bed. He didn¡¯t do anything else that evening but lying there feeling sorry for himself. It was only about 7:12 p.m. at the time. He twisted and turned on the bed. He did it again and again and again until he fell asleep that very evening. ----- ----- ----- ----- A couple of hours later Whil woke up. He looked around and everything was really dark. Left to right was pitch black. From his bed to the door. Even the gaps of the door had no lights coming through. He looked out the balcony and the stars were up. He got off his bed and walked out of his room. The whole corridor was dark. In fact, the whole house was dark. No one turned on the lights. He then took the liberty to turn on the lights himself. The corridor, the staircase, and the ones outside the house. It was a very quiet night. Dark and quiet. He went to his grandmother¡¯s room. The door was not closed so he peeked through. There he saw his grandmother lying asleep on his grandfather¡¯s side of the bed. Whil went in and tucked her in properly. He kissed her forehead and exit while closing the door behind him. His stomach grumbled so very loudly. ¡®Argh. I''m so hungry,¡¯ he thought to himself. He went to the kitchen to make something up for himself. As he turned on the kitchen light, his heart skipped a beat. It took him by surprise to see a cooked meal for him on the table. It¡¯s not that it was out of place that his grandmother would cook dinner, but rather he expected that she would not be cooking on that very day since after what happened. Whil thus grabbed a chair and started gobbling the food. ¡®So good¡¯ he said to himself. After he ate everything, he washed all the dishes in the sink and went back upstairs. He threw himself on his bed again. He lied down with his chest and face on the bed. He was as lazy as he would normally be every night. Lazy to the extent of not wanting to turn and lie on his back normally. He kept on thinking about his grandfather since just now. Since he was eating in the kitchen. Since he was turning on the lights and tucking his grandmother in. He thought and thought. But, with every memory there was no tears. He was already tired of crying. All he could do was sigh loudly letting the depression out. The more he reminisce the more insecure he felt. There was something else that was bothering him. Something other than his grandfather. Again he felt the weird sensation inside of him. The sensation he felt that evening. Then he realised, ¡®Wyomey Brown¡¯. He was talking and walking with Wyomey Brown that evening. She talked to him with that very distinctive voice of hers. She talked to him and it felt real. ¡®Was it real?¡¯ he thought. That was what he was worried about more at the moment. Nothing else. Curiosity was so mind boggling that he couldn¡¯t stay lying on the bed. He had to move. His legs started swinging left to right. His hands tapping the bed. Tap, tap, tap, tap; they went. He then suddenly jumped off his bed. He started to pace around his room from the study table to the door. From the door back to the bed. Lastly, from the bed to the balcony. He looked around. Drees, the Town of Drees. Right beside Irveen Town. Underneath Fender Town. Above Som Town. He remembered that Wyomey said she¡¯s just a couple of houses away across the street. Which threw him more into disbelieving as it was an absolute miracle that she¡¯s in Drees and only a couple of blocks away. ¡®Did I really talk to her?¡¯ he asked himself. He didn¡¯t have to answer the question as fate answered for him. There he saw the familiar figure. She was walking around the fountain that was a walking distance away from Whil¡¯s house. He was shocked. Was it a hallucination again? Or has it never been a hallucination? One way to find out. He grabbed a sweater and marched down the stairs quietly. He exit and closed the front door gently. Then, he ran for the fountain. As he nearly reached it, he stopped running and walked swiftly. When he arrived, the place was empty. There was no one there. Maybe it had been a series of hallucinations. Whil just stood there for a while. Before he could sulk and ran back home, a shiny object on the bench by the fountain captured his attention. He went closer and closer. It was a ring. A diamond ring with gold hugging the beautifully cut diamond. He picked it up and had a closer look at it. ¡°Oh! You found it!¡± A voice appeared behind him. A familiar voice. A woman¡¯s voice. He turned around and there she was, standing in her night dress. Looking ever so beautiful with her brunette hair reflecting the moon¡¯s beam. Her eyes glimmered with thousands of stars. Her lips as soft as pinkish flower petals in the summer breeze. ¡°It was my mom¡¯s.¡± She added. Whil turned to the ring on his right hand. ¡°This ring?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, silly. The ring.¡± She giggled a little at Whil. Whil smiled and held the ring towards her. She then held out her left hand. But, her palm was downwards. Whil was a little confused at first. A second later, he figured that she expected him to put it on for her. So, Whil slipped the ring in her finger gently. The ring flew in swiftly against her soft skin until it reached the end of her finger. ¡°Thanks. I accidentally left it there. I took it off because I was playing with the fishes in the fountain. I didn¡¯t want it to fall into the fountain. So I put it on the bench. Never thought I would be clumsy enough to leave it behind.¡± Wyomey said explaining herself. Whil couldn¡¯t have been any quieter than how he was at the moment. He was still processing information in his brain. He touched her. He felt her. ¡®She must be real¡¯, he thought. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Are you really here? In Joycelm? In Drees?¡± Whil asked. ¡°I knew there was something wrong when we talked. You thought I was imaginary, huh? I''m really here. I really got myself transferred here in Joycelm. My uncle and aunt moved with me. We bought a house a couple of blocks away from yours. You¡¯re not dreaming. This is real. I''m real. You held my hand. I felt it. You know you felt it as well.¡± Wyomey tried to convince him. Whil smiled even wider as he believed that she was really there. She returned. She came back after all these years. Maybe what people said all these years were true? When a door closes, a window opens. One bad thing happens, a good thing comes by to help. There is always a silver lining. ¡°So, you missed us so much that you¡¯d come back after nearly ten years?¡± Whil asked with a cute little smirk. ¡°Yeah. I did. I lived nine years in Irving City. Every single day I live missing Joycelm. I couldn¡¯t find any friend that would make me forget. My uncle insisted me on trying to change. At one point even I tried to forget. But, I just can¡¯t. The thought of you¡­and Alph kept on coming back to me. I figured, the only way to end the mental war was to move. Reconnect. I told my uncle¡­begged really. And he agreed. So, here I am now. Reconnecting. Speaking of which, where¡¯s Alph now?¡± ¡°Alph? He¡¯s still here. We always hang out. Come on. Let¡¯s get him.¡± Whil pulled Wyomey. She willingly went along. They walked downhill from the fountain. They walked along Stiltson Street where Alph¡¯s house was. His house was the one with the most beautiful garden. Polly has a green thumb and she always trim and water her garden. At times, she would add new flowers to her family of buds. Whil gave three knocks on the door. A few moments later, Polly answered it. ¡°Oh, Whil. How are you doing?¡± she asked him. ¡°I''m fine actually. Recovering quite quickly.¡± He answered with a smile. A very honest smile. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. That¡¯s very good. Would you like to come in for a while?¡± she invited him. ¡°Oh! Who is this young lady?¡± she took notice of Wyomey. ¡°It¡¯s Wyomey, Miss Canner.¡± Whil answered for the girl. ¡°Oh my. Wyomey. It¡¯s been so long.¡± Polly left her post and went to Wyomey giving her a huge hug. Then, she pulled Whil in. Such a big hug. ¡°So good to see you again. Wait here. I¡¯ll call Alph.¡± Polly went inside leaving the door opened wide. Then, came Alph to the front door. ¡°Whil?¡± he said in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised seeing me. Look to my right.¡± Whil being ever so sarcastic. ¡°Wyomey? Is it really?¡± Alph was even more shocked. ¡°See Wyo, I''m not the only one who didn¡¯t believe you were real.¡± Whil said with a smile. Alph was still speechless from seeing Wyomey. Alph looked at Wyomey and both Whil and Wyomey looked at Alph. Whil snapped his finger at Alph¡¯s face snapping him from whatever he was dwelling on. ¡°Hey! Come on. We¡¯ve got to get Sheila too.¡± Said Whil. ¡°Wait. ¡®Get¡¯ Sheila? Are we going somewhere?¡± Alph was curious. Then, Whil simply answered, ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± They made their way to Irveen Town. It took them quite the minutes to get to Eve Street in Irveen. Normally they don¡¯t make their way to Sheila¡¯s place as she would come to them since she has a hover of her own. But they still made their journey there. In Eve Street, there stood a mansion with a couple of beautiful maze gardens, majestic windows and very huge front doors. It was the Haze Mansion. Everyone knew of the Haze Mansion. It was the most beautiful of all the mansions at the street. Whil gave the same three knocks just like at Alph¡¯s house. Unlike at the Canners, it was the butler that answered the door instead. ¡°Yes. How may I help you?¡± asked the very lazy looking butler. His eyes were drowsy. His face was droopy. But, he stood straight with broad shoulders and chest outwards like a soldier saluting his lieutenant. ¡°Umm¡­is Sheila awake?¡± Whil asked while trying to peek inside. He only went into the Haze Mansion once. It was the time when Sheila was having a fever and skipped school three days straight. ¡°Wait here, sir.¡± The butler closed the door and left the three kids outside waiting. A couple of minutes later the door opened once more. It was Sheila Haze. ¡°Whil? Alph? What are you guys doing? Who¡¯s that?¡± she asked a bunch of questions. ¡°This is Wyomey Brown. The third kid from Ygmod.¡± Answered Whil. ¡°Oh! Wyomey. These two talked about you plenty of times. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡± Sheila said while shaking Wyomey¡¯s hand. ¡°No time for hand shakings. Come on.¡± Whil interrupted them. After that, he hastily led the way. ¡°Come on guys.¡± Wyomey quickly followed and Alph stayed back with Sheila. ¡°Wait. What are we doing?¡± Sheila asked to which Alph answered, ¡°Helping a friend cope with his loss.¡± They left the Haze Manor straight after Sheila locked the door. Before Sheila let go of the door she said to herself, ¡°Please don¡¯t make me do anything crazy.¡± They made their way towards Fender Town right above Drees and Irveen. In between the three towns was an old abandoned shack. It was a bunch of rotten woods put side by side one another once forming a quaint little cabin. From the outside it looked overgrown with large bushes and branches. Vines grew wild from the windows and roof. Sheila saw it and was scared of it. ¡°Wait. We¡¯re not going in there right?¡± she asked hoping that they might be joking. ¡°Oh my. I remember this place.¡± Wyomey said suddenly. ¡°You guys went here before?¡± Sheila asked shocked by Wyomey¡¯s statement. ¡°We used to go here nine years ago. It was less grown with weeds back then.¡± Alph answered her. ¡°Come on. Come in.¡± Whil held the door open. One by one they went in. Whil was the first one to enter. Then, Alph followed. After that, Wyomey. Before she entered she turned to Sheila. ¡°Hey. Come on. Trust me, it¡¯s not so bad inside.¡± Wyomey held her right hand out. Sheila grabbed it and Wyomey pulled her into the shack. Inside it was so beautiful. It was a beautiful overgrown wild garden. Pink and blue flowers here and there blossoming gorgeously. In the middle of the shack was a bed of grass. Whil was standing there looking at his other three companies. Above him was a huge hole that once was a roof. ¡°Come on guys. Over here.¡± Whil called the three companions. Whil lied on the grass. It was soft like a mattress filled with feathers. One by one followed Whil and lied down on the grass bed. They looked through the hole to the night sky. ¡°So many stars.¡± Sheila said. ¡°Yeah. So pretty. Most beautiful sight ever.¡± Alph continued. ¡°Just like old times, huh?¡± Wyomey asked. Then, dawned upon Whil a very brilliant plan. ¡°Hey guys. Let¡¯s do what we once did back then. All the crazy little games that we made up.¡± He eagerly suggested to Sheila, Wyomey and Alph. ¡°What? Now?¡± Alph asked with a slight surprise. ¡°No.¡± Whil got up from lying down and stared at them while sitting. ¡°Tomorrow. We¡¯ll start tomorrow.¡± Whil saw their faces filled with doubts and second thoughts. The only one that seemed interested was Wyomey as she was looking at Whil with a smile. Whil smiled back and looked at the other two that was still looking up to the sky. ¡°Come on guys. Help me out just for a couple of days. I need to get some things out of my system.¡± Whil said to them that made Alph and Sheila changed expressions. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds. ¡°OK. Fine. We¡¯ll do it.¡± Alph answered for the both of them. Their night together ended there. They all headed back home as it was already late. It was close to midnight and everyone was tired. Before they left each other¡¯s company they made a final promise to meet up at Alph¡¯s house tomorrow morning. Previous Next GELDAR I - GELDARIN In the world of Geldar, the land is separated into multiple countries bearing Kings and Queens of old. They have ruled the lands in peace years after years that had passed. Even so, every year had not been the same. In fact, not everything was how it is now. Five hundred years before the War of Realms, around 550 B.W. (Before WOR (War of Realms)), there were barely any realms to claim at all. The Humans lived far from one another in small bunches and in a nomadic style of living. No war. No desperation. No Kings. No high ruler of lands. Even so, for a very long time, Humans were not the only race that existed and lived in the surface, or Fedril. Among them lived the Wraiths, Orcs, Goblins, Vemers and Mascas. These were those that lived on the surface of Geldar. In the sky, there is a land not seen by any that live down below. It was known as the Land of the Sky by the surface dwellers but known by those that lived there as Garwen. Garwen is another land placed atop of Fedril floating in the air. Those in Garwen can see the land of Fedril at bird¡¯s eye view. There were two races that lived in Garwen, the Elves and Thre¡¯adils. Beyond these two lands, there was another that can only be entered through a door that can be opened during the moon¡¯s brightest shine. It was known by many as Raes, which means light. To the Creatures, it was Handor, their homeland. This was where each and every Creatures came from before they were called down to Fedril. Garwen, the Land of the Sky, Fedril, the Lands of the Surface, and Handor, the Land of the Creatures, exist in the same plane of existence. But, they all are known together as Geldar, a world with three worlds. The secrets and stories of Geldar are millions and uncountable. Each and every race have different legends that they tell every single generation. Each country has their tales to tell. ----- ----- ----- ----- I.I- The Surface: Fedril -The Humans In the surface, every race lived by themselves. They protect their own kinds and build their own community. During 518 B.W., Humans first found civilisation. They started building and combining communities making small towns. During this age, the Humans were mainly in the land now known as Satonia, the very West of Geldar. They were scattered here and there in their little towns. At that time, no proper system was made. There were kings in every town and there were ten to twelve towns in Satonia. A couple of years later, during the middle age of 516 B.W., the twelve kings made their first conference named the ¡®King¡¯s Jewel¡¯ which was done in Gardon, the middle state of Satonia. Throughout the conference, the kings had votes and had chosen the very first High King in the whole Lands of the Surface. They then chose three Kings to rule over the three states of Satonia; Lucia, Gardon and Solhein. The border of the whole country of Satonia was set by the long mountain range that stretched from north of the land to south, known as the Mountains of Geld. The whole conference was set in black and white in the very first Settlement Agreement made by the rulers of Satonia. The very first High King was High Lord Erris Dregory. The very first High King of Satonia. The very first High King of the whole Fedril. During his reign, which was known as the High Age that expanded from 516 B.W till the late 501 B.W., High Lord Erris decided to expand his land and power. In this age, the High Lord sent soldiers to go beyond the Mountains of Geld. This was when they found that they were not the only Humans that roamed the surface. At the peak of 513 B.W., the whole big lump of land out of three huge lands in Western Geldar was claimed by High Lord Erris. At this age, High Lord Erris broke the land into three; Satonia, Rhuddia and Fondra. Two more High King was named during the High Age which were High Lord Darwin Eddam of Rhuddia and High Lord Froster Hill of Fondra. In the middle of the High Age, which was 507 B.W., the whole Western of Geldar was claimed and built as five different countries with the addition of Landore and Surthram, now known as Tamasca. At this time, all five countries was partially controlled by High Lord Erris as he claimed to be the founder of civilisation. As the world got bigger for him to take control, he let every country go and concentrate on his own land, Satonia. Through the middle of the High Age, sailors started to cross the ocean in search for more lands to claim. The Eastern Geldar was then discovered. Sailors from Fondra claimed Hymerr, sailors from Rhuddia claimed Aldor, sailors from Satonia claimed Labion, sailors from Landore claimed Hercia, and sailors from Tamasca claimed Sallestre. This went on until late 501 B.W., the end of the High Age. -The Wraiths The Wraiths are beings of the spirit realm. They exist in the physical world as humanlike figures that move without their legs even touching the ground. Many have said that the Wraiths are the dead that have been cursed to roam the surface but cannot touch the surface physically. The Wraiths are actually a more ancient beings than the Humans. They have seen the world changed throughout multiple ages. The Wraiths are immortal beings that cannot die in the hands of Humans or even with physical weapons. Many of the Wraiths were found by Humans in caves that lead to the underground city known as Greillon. The Humans called it The Land of Souls. This is the place where no one escapes from if they were to ever enter. In this city, the Wraiths roam aimlessly. These are the only race that have no social system or any purpose to live by on the surface. Even so, these beings of darkness are dangerous. If ever controlled, the surface would fall without a doubt. There are few that can harm the Wraiths that are Creatures from the Wraith¡¯s Bane and Vemers that practice dark magic. During the War of Realms, Dark Lord Farious took control over many of the Wraiths and used them as his army of undead. The language that the Wraiths speak is known as Writhrin, or language of the dark. This is the language that is also spoken by Orcs and Goblins. Writhrin had been deemed as a cursed language by many since only beings of darkness knew it and used it. -The Orcs and Goblins These were once called as Vaars and Hafrems. The Orcs and Goblins are beings that live in caves of Geldar. They are found everywhere in the world. They are beings that are ugly and had the appearance of a monster. During the early 497 B.W., the Orcs were drawn out from their caves, attracted to the Humans¡¯ vast activity of conquering lands. In that age, known as the Reign Age, the lands of Fedril was attacked by the Orcs and Goblins. Many men and women was murdered and kidnapped by these cave dwellers. Even so, this age lasted a very short time of one year. By the end of 496 B.W., the Orcs and Goblins were chased off back to their caves. The Orcs live in different clans. Each clan live in a cave with vast veins flowing underground forming their city. These caves are separated and are different from the Wraiths¡¯ caves. The leader of a clan is known as Buvaar. These are ruthless leaders of any clan that exist in Geldar. The Orcs do not follow any proper or systematic ruling system. Leaders are determined by the strongest of all. Any that can kill the current Buvaar can replace him as the leader. Goblins on the other hand are just like Orcs. They live among Orcs. Goblins are smaller in size and possess no intelligence. They are slaves of the Orcs. They are also faster than the Orcs but not as strong. -The Vemers In the depths of hidden villages in forests throughout Fedril, lived a race of witches and wizards that are known as the Vemers. These are magic users that do not require the help of Creatures to execute them. They have lived in Geldar for centuries through different ages of the world. Just like the Wraiths, the Vemers are immortals. In the early of 723 B.W., the Vemers have torn the three plains of Fedril, Garwen and Handor apart causing these three worlds to merge in the same reality. Thus, they have made Geldar. This single most powerful magic was done by the group known as the ¡®Kyabuth Raer¡¯, which means Bringer of Light. The group was consisted of six most powerful wizards and witches. They remained nameless and unknown as they disappeared after they have successfully tear the fabric of three different worlds. Many claimed that the enormous amount of power used was massive that it incinerated them and thus, killed them. Even so, this had been a story of old that was passed down for centuries. Many have argued the fact and fictions of the very story. The Vemers live in separate villages and apart from one another. They are called tribes. In each tribe, there is a leader known as the Alpha Mage. They are known as the strongest of all the rest of Vemers. In their tribe, there is a system that they followed known as the Vemeron Ralyer. This is a social system or social hierarchy that each and every Vemers obey as it concerns their birth status and the nature of their magic. At the very top of the list are the Alpha Mage. They are the strongest as they command all eight Sigils. Sigils are magical circles that the Vemers use to cast spells. All eight Sigils are Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light Dark, Nature and Mind. The Alphas can learn seven Sigils and combine up to three Sigils when casting. Even so, casting three Sigils at the same time gives quite a toll towards the user. Next, they have the Supreme Mage. The Supremes can learn up to five Sigils. For the Supremes, combining three Sigils would be harder as they are born with less magical capabilities than the Alphas. The magical abilities of Vemers decreases as the hierarchy goes lower. After that, there are the Knight Mage. They are wizards and witches that practices magic mainly for the pure purpose of battles. They can learn up to four Sigils. But, they can only combine two Sigils and not more. Below them are the Sorcerers and Sorceresses. These are Vemers that can only learn three Sigils as their capabilities and strengths are limited. Lastly, at the very bottom are the Necromancers. They may be the last of the hierarchy, but they are considered to be quite strong as they practices the dark arts. Their main Sigil is the Dark Sigil. No other Vemer can learn the Dark Sigil except the Necromancers; not even the Alphas. The Necromancers are the only ones that can harm the Wraiths. Even the Alphas cannot maim the Wraiths as they do not practice in the darker side of magic. The Vemers speak the language known as Velon. This is the language that is strongly associated with magic. Many acknowledged it as the very language of magic. Any that practices magic uses spells that are derived from Velon. For instance, the magic of fire can be casted with ¡®frithon¡¯ which is from the word frai in Velon that means fire. Although, knowing the spells does not qualify one to cast the spell. Magic can only be casted by beings born with the Marks of Drad. The Marks of Drad differ from one another and none is ever the same. Even the Creatures bear the mark, but, the marks are not on the Creatures. Instead, the marks appear on the bracelets bestowed upon the Wielders, master of Creatures. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. During the year 38 D.W. (During WOR (War of Realms)), a very few of the Vemers joined the war and aided the Humans, Creatures, Elves and Thre¡¯adils. Those that joined was among the Necromancers and Knight Mages. Many of them since lived among the Humans and did not return to their tribes in their villages. For years, many Vemers could be seen wandering cities and towns alongside Humans. Even so, most still hide in the comfort of their own tribes. It is hard to see any difference between Humans and Vemers as the only thing that separates them is the Vemers immortality and their ability to use magic without the aid of Creatures. -The Mascas Tamasca was once known as Surthram. This is what the Mascas named their homeland. The Mascas are fairy-like beings that live in the forest and caves of Tamasca. They generally have the height of a young teenagers. They are maybe short in height, but they are filled with wisdom and are capable to move faster than any Humans. They are agile especially in forests where trees grew high and thick. They utilise the trees as their biggest advantage in battles. They are able to climb trees and jump from one to the other very swiftly. They speak the language known as Rumric. During the middle of 507 B.W., Tamasca was taken by the Humans under the orders of High Lord Erris. During the building of cities in Tamasca, the Humans started to explore the Semeor Forest for supplies. That was when the Humans first noticed the existence of Mascas and vice versa. After that, High Lord Erris made an agreement with the Mascas that their forest and their village will be untouched no matter what the reasons may be. Then, the land was named Tamasca to show their gratitude towards the Mascas as they allowed the Humans to stay in peace. The Mascas are mortal beings just like the Humans. They can only be found in Tamasca and nowhere else. In 1 D.W., Dark Lord Farious claimed the whole land of Tamasca. Many Humans that inhabited the land were either killed, enslaved or had fled Tamasca. Then, Farious sent his Darc Armies into the vast forest of Tamasca known as Semeor Forest. The Semeor Forest is located at the foot of Seme Mountain and surrounds it with green layers of flora. The Mascas lived so long in Semeor Forest and never went out until the day they were attacked by Farious¡¯ Darc Armies. The Mascas were dragged out of their villages in the forest and they were made as slaves along with other Humans that were caught in Tamasca. After the end of the War of Realms which was in 46 D.W., the Mascas returned to Semeor Forest and rebuilt their villages and ever since are rarely seen outside of the forest. -The Dwarves The Dwarves are small and bulky beings that lived in caves and mountains of the surface. They have lived in hiding for centuries and they did it very well. No human knew of their existence until after the War of Realms. They have lived alongside the Mascas since before the Humans conquered the lands. They speak the old language of Rumric just like the Mascas. -The Everlons They were once from the tribe of Mascas. But, during the time when Tamasca was taken over by Lord Farious, some escaped Tamasca and lived among the Humans. The Everlons are hybrids of Humans and Mascas. They are as big as humans but still with colourful hair like the Mascas. Their traditions are nearly the same as the Mascas. Plus, they still speak the language of old, Rumric, their mother tongue. Now, they live in small tribes around the lands in the surface, Fedril. During the War of Realms, they went into hiding and decided to not interfere with the matters that the Humans started. ----- ----- ----- ----- I.II- The Sky: Garwen -The Elves Garwen hovers in the sky of Geldar, above Fedril. In this land lived the Elves and Thre¡¯adils. The Elves are beings that value beauty and always act as proper as they can. They are taller than the Humans and have pointy ears. Most of them have long and beautiful hair till bellow the shoulders. Since the beginning of time, the Elves live alongside the Thre¡¯adils. They are known as sister races of the sky. They bare similarities to one another except that the Thre¡¯adils do not have pointy ears and most would keep their hair till their shoulders and not longer than that. These two beings are immortals. In 712 B.W., the land of Garwen and Handor intertwined for a day. This was the first time the Elves and Thre¡¯adils met the Creatures. They walked on the same ground but they couldn¡¯t touch one another. They could only see each other as if looking at apparitions that would go through solid walls; untouchable. After the day passed, the Elves took the liberty to learn more about the Creatures and Handor. At the end of 701 B.W., the Elves found a way to open a doorway to the Creature¡¯s world. To open the door, a ritual had to be done. Blood from two different races was required and the ritual had to be done during the night when the moon shines brightest. Although, after years of studies, the Elves never got closer to finding out about the Creatures and their world as each time they open the door, the world of the Creatures changes. The geographical state altered itself each time they visited Handor. In the end, they stopped their studies about Creatures and Handor. In Garwen, there are three kingdoms standing; Svarrin, the West Kingdom, Baddar, the Middle Kingdom, and Lothral, the East Kingdom. In each kingdom stood one main city with the castle of their king, and several other cities under the kings¡¯ command. The Elves use the language known as Elvish. This is the language of their people. They also speak Thredenin as their second language as it is the language of the Thre¡¯adils. During 683 B.W., the Elves were noticing that the Humans struggled to survive. The Orcs and Goblins kept coming to the Humans¡¯ villages and killed innocent lives and stole from them. The Elves made a council with the Thre¡¯adils to open the door to Handor once more to seek help from the Creatures. A bargain was struck and the Creatures went down to Fedril with the Thre¡¯adils. Since then, the Elves had been living in Garwen by themselves and the Thre¡¯adils lived on Fedril, the surface. -The Thre¡¯adils At the end of 683 B.W., the Thre¡¯adils was dropped down to Fedril with the Creatures. The Thre¡¯adils were scattered when they were brought down. Every single one of them took refuge in the forests of Fedril and stayed there in small groups. Soon after, they built their own village and claimed portions of forests, caves and mountains as their kingdom long before the Humans did. By 654 B.W., every Thre¡¯adil kingdom was fully built within the covers of trees and rocks. They were nearly similar to the Mascas and Vemers as they lived in secrecy and in places that are away from eye¡¯s view. After that, bit by bit the Vemers came to visit the Thre¡¯adils and had made an alliance since. For 136 years the Thre¡¯adils lived without the Humans knowing. Until the beginning of the High Age, where Humans started to spread their power over the lands in Fedril, the Thre¡¯adils felt threatened. Every day and night they stood guard in their kingdom as if they were in war. In early 515 B.W., the first Thre¡¯adil kingdom was discovered by the Humans. It was the Kingdom of Dwandar, in the Silver Forest in Gardon, Satonia. The Humans were welcomed by the Thre¡¯adils, but the Thre¡¯adils were cautious with the Humans. The king of Dwandar, King Qwimyen Freggar, made an agreement with the Humans that the Thre¡¯adils¡¯ kingdoms must never be touched and that their kingdom do not follow the laws of the outside world. This term was easily agreed by High Lord Erris as the Thre¡¯adils fairly claimed the land before he did. Then, the word spread about hidden kingdoms of Thre¡¯adils throughout Fedril and the whole surface took notice of their new company. Just like the Mascas, the Thre¡¯adils were not disturbed and were left alone to live by themselves in their own kingdoms. During 36 D.W., the Thre¡¯adils and Elves joined the Humans and Creatures in the War of Realms. ----- ----- ----- ----- I.III- The Creatures: Handor The Creatures are the most mysterious of all beings. No one knew of their world, Handor, and no one knew of their stories. Handor was never mapped out by anyone as the whole world kept on changing its geographical structure. The only thing that is known about these Creatures is their social hierarchy known as the Arcs of Light. The hierarchy was made by researchers through the analysis of the Creatures¡¯ interactions with one another and also through whatever little information that some Creatures give. What made it more mysterious is the fact that even Creatures do not know of their origins and even about Handor. Many believed that during the time they were brought down from their world, their memories were wiped so that it would be easier for them to live a new life down in Fedril. The Creatures are immortal beings just like the Wraiths, Vemers, Elves, and Thre¡¯adils. Since the time they were brought to Fedril, they were scattered throughout the lands. Moreover, they appear in unbreakable eggs with different patterns of gold, diamonds, and silver making it look most beautiful. The only way the egg would break open and unleash the Creature within is if the Creature finds the one that it believes to be worthy of wielding its power. Once someone is chosen by the Creatures, they will have to name them and would be presented with the Wielder¡¯s bracelet. The Wielder¡¯s bracelet shows the bond that is made with the Creatures and any that wields their power. Nothing can break this bond except death. Once the Creature or Wielder is dead, the bracelet would crack or some would break to pieces and the Creature would return to their egg somewhere in Fedril; waiting for another worthy soul. There are hundreds of different types of Creatures that exist. Each of them possess different magical abilities that were granted to them by the Mark of Drad. Through wielding a Creature, any being that have no magical abilities will gain whatever the Creatures have. This is the most extraordinary trait that every single Creature has. The Creatures speak and understand every single language that existed; English, Thredenin, Elvish, Rumric, Velon, and even Writhrin. The Creature¡¯s own language is unknown and some claimed that it probably does not exist. ----- ----- ----- ----- I.IV- Geldar¡¯s Event Timeline. Previous Next X - HELP ME FORGET The birds chirped the day a greeting. It marked the second weekend of the week, Herris. It was the 29th of Ningdarr, the second last day of the year 317. The bright yellow ray shone over the eyes of the boy that was still lying on his bed, asleep. Bit by bit the ray penetrated into the boy¡¯s dreams. In the end, disturbed by the bright light, the boy finally woke up from his deep slumber. ¡°Hello, world.¡± Said the boy while slowly getting up from his bed. The blanket was already on the floor while one of two pillows was already under the bed. No one knew how it got there. Whil especially was not even aware that he was missing one pillow. He just sat on his bed with his eyes half opened. He yawned and stretched on his bed. Dew drops on leaves was falling bit by bit as the morning wind blew in. It was a very calm morning. The sound of birds chirping. The sound of leaves dancing. The sound of wind blowing. Everything was in a complete harmony. Not a single pebble out of place. Whil got up from his bed and started to drag his feet across the room. He exit his sanctuary and went downstairs to the kitchen. Messy hair, sleepy eyes and lazy feet. Such reminiscent to that fateful day in Ygmod. Except this time, what kept him awake was not the thought of listening to stories about Creatures and the Guardians, but, it is about what he was going to do with his very loyal and close friends for the whole day. ¡®So much fun I''m going to have today¡¯, he thought. He reached the kitchen and his grandmother was washing the dishes in the sink. She was already awake since before the dawn¡¯s light could reach Joycelm. She always wakes up early. There has not been any day that she would wake up any later than that. It is always a race between her and dawn to see who is faster. For a very long time, she has been the one holding the title of ¡®winner¡¯. Dawn was just too slow to catch up. Every day, she would wake up and tend the garden, cook breakfast and then had a little read of the newspaper that was sent to her house daily. The only thing that she was doing different that morning was not reading the news. She left it on the kitchen table for Whil and got herself ready to leave the house. ¡°Where are you going this morning?¡± ¡°I''m just going to Mrs Willow¡¯s house. I should get my mind off of a few things. Are you going to be alright by yourself?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be fine. I''m going out after this too. I''m going to hang out with Alph, Wyo and Sheila.¡± ¡°OK then. Have fun and be safe. See you soon.¡± She left the kitchen. ¡°Bye.¡± Whil said aloud. The front door was closed and Whil could hear it from the kitchen. Whil shook his shoulders, grabbed a chair and ate the breakfast that was readied for him while reading the newspaper. He had a slow and calming breakfast. After breakfast, he went to his room and bathed. He put on clean clothes and grabbed a couple of pillows from the closet. Then, he left his house and marched to Alph¡¯s with pillows and all. There he was again. Strutting his legs across Stiltson Street towards Alph¡¯s house. There, from afar, he could see Sheila¡¯s hover. Parked nicely at the side of the street; right in front of his friend¡¯s house. He quickly rushed over as he knew that everyone was there already. With a loud knock by Whil, Polly responded rather quicker than usual. The door swung open fast and Polly stood still looking at Whil for quite a time. ¡°Oh! Alph and the girls are waiting at the backyard,¡± Polly said. ¡°Right.¡± A short reply and he quickly marched straight to the backyard. There, Sheila was sitting on the bench by a small water fountain that Polly and her sister put up a couple of years back. Her face was filled with quite an amount of confusion. Opposite of Sheila was Alph and Wyo; ready to start whatever they were about to do with pillows wrapped around their body; that is until Wyo took notice of Whil. ¡°C¡¯mon, Wyo. Stop looking away.¡± Alph was eager to commence. Wyo gave a point towards Whil and Alph turned around. ¡°Well. About time. Always the one that is fashionably late.¡± Commented Alph. ¡°Can¡¯t help myself. It¡¯s a gift.¡± Whil replied. Always the one with the last laugh is what Alph should have said. ¡°Uhm, guys, what are we doing? I still don¡¯t get what is with the pillows and all,¡± Sheila interrupted. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Alph gave an ambiguous reply. It made Sheila more nervous and confused. There the four of them were. They stood at each corner of the backyard; all with pillows wrapped around them. Then, Alph yelled aloud, ¡°THREE! TWO! ONE!¡± At ¡®one¡¯, all the four of them ran towards each other. They ran faster and faster. As they got closer, they jumped towards one another. They threw their bellies outward; the part with the most pillow layered atop of each other. And, in the end, they collided. Alph fell horribly, pushed by Sheila and Sheila pushed Wyo with a great force. Whil¡¯s and Sheila¡¯s head both bumped hard with each other. ¡°Dang it! That still hurts with the pillows.¡± Sheila ranted. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this game actually?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember actually. OK, let¡¯s do something else then.¡± Answered Whil. ¡°Like what?¡± Alph asked to Whil. With a smile he answered, ¡°Creature hunting.¡± ----- ----- ----- ----- There they were, outside the city, in a forest just beyond the city wall. The thin forest known as Rump Forest. They went in and started their game of ¡®Creature hunting¡¯. ¡°So, what are we doing actually? Obviously we¡¯re not going to go around finding a real Creature egg in here, are we?¡± Sheila asked. ¡°Nope. The rule is simple. Any animal you see is a Creature. Find one and catch it. If I manage to catch one first, I win. Get it?¡± Whil explained. ¡°OK. Simple enough. I guess,¡± Sheila answered. ¡°Haha,¡± laughed Wyo, ¡°you¡¯ve never chased animals around have you? It¡¯s harder than you think.¡± ¡°How hard can it be? Just sneak behind them.¡± ¡°If it is easy, we wouldn¡¯t have made it into a game. No one likes an easy game.¡± Wyo ended. ¡°Ready!¡± Whil started. ¡°Set!¡± Alph continued. ¡°Go!¡± Wyo abruptly shouted causing a little chaos in everyone¡¯s steps. They all ran in different directions searching for an easy catch to win. Wyo bumped into a deer. A thought of catching it did not even cross her mind. She is smarter than that. A deer could be too dangerous to approach and catch bare handed. She shook her shoulder and left the deer alone. Alph went deeper into the forest. He walked slowly up and down the branches and roots. Then, there he stood, looking right in front of him, a wild cat. ¡®Might be an easy catch¡¯, he thought. What else could he possibly catch easily in the forest if not a cat? Thus, he decided to follow the cat quietly, waiting for the cat to put its guards down; an opportunity. Whil was busy chasing rabbits around. He was lucky as he stumbled upon a group of rabbits running around feeding on the grass. But, he was not all that lucky. Each one of them ran straight into their holes as he tried to chase one. Wyo did not have any luck what so ever. She just wandered around the forest aimlessly; hoping that a good catch will just fall on her lap. Suddenly, just beyond a tree right behind her, there were sounds of footsteps. She sneaked behind the tree and spied on what was making those sounds. As for Alph, he followed and followed that same little wild cat. Until at last, the cat lied down cosily in a pile of dead leaves. Before he even tried to go for the catch, he took notice of movements in the bushes in front of him. It was Whil. Behind Whil was Sheila. Then, Alph turned his head slowly to the left and saw Wyo behind a tree just a couple of feet away from him. Each one of them had been spying of on the same wild cat. Alph felt competitive and stood up in haste, shouting, ¡°That cat is mine!¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Everyone was shocked; even the cat. It stood up and ran away. With a quick instinct, Alph chased after it. The rest decided to chase along the same cat just to see if any of them can catch it. They ran and ran. The wild cat led them back towards the city. But, it did not went in. Instead, it ran alongside the outer wall of the city. They ran quite a mile chasing a somewhat impossible catch. Sheila was already leading as Alph, Whil and Wyo was left right behind her; tailing her. In the end, Sheila got closer and nearly caught it, but the cat made a sharp turn and disappeared into a small hole in the wall that lead into the city. ¡°Darn it! I nearly got it! That was a horrible luck. Where did that hole come from?¡± Sheila was furious. She chased it hard and left without any result. ¡°So, no one wins, huh?¡± Wyo asked. ¡°Nah. It was not about winning anyway. Let¡¯s go somewhere fun.¡± Replied Whil. Sheila turned around and asked, ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Back in the forest.¡± Whil answered. ¡°What? We¡¯re not catching more animals are we?¡± Alph asked in surprise. ¡°No. You¡¯ll love it. Trust me.¡± Deep into the thin forest of Rump Whil led them. ¡°My grandfather used to bring me here. He said that not many people came here because they thought it was cursed.¡± Whil told them while leading them deeper. ¡°Cursed? Where are we going exactly?¡± asked Alph. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not cursed. It¡¯s just what the elders would say to the youngsters so that they don¡¯t come here by themselves. Listen. You should know what¡¯s beyond those trees.¡± ¡°I hear waterfall.¡± Sheila said. ¡°Yeah! Me too!¡± added Wyo. Then, they passed a couple layer of trees and the scenery was revealed. It was a beautiful stream of river that had a gentle slope downward. The water was crystal clear and the stream was calm and slow. ¡°Behold.¡± Whil dramatically presented the Dherr River to Alph, Sheila and Wyo. ¡°This is the Dherr River. It¡¯s a branch from the huge Serrumpt River. So, let¡¯s get swimming,¡± he added. They dived in. They splashed water around and swam like little kids. It was a very fun and reminiscent moment for Whil, Alph and especially Wyo. From noon they stayed at the river till three o¡¯clock. By then, they were just lying on the rocks at the shallow part of the river. Their bodies still under water, washed by the flow of the river. Pruning themselves to perfection. ¡°This has been the happiest day of my life. Thanks guys,¡± Whil said. ¡°Not just for you. Me too. I¡¯ve been dreaming of this day since I moved up north with my uncle. Coming back here was the best. Still is,¡± added Wyo. ¡°Yeah. Been so long since we did anything this much fun and adrenalin rushing. I felt alive,¡± continued Sheila. She turned her head to Alph. Alph was just looking up to the sky. Sheila smiled. ¡°I felt so alive.¡± Whil and Wyo was already intimately staring into each other¡¯s eyes. They have not met for eight years but somehow a strong emotional bond was still there. They could feel their heart pumping for the world whenever they see each other. How they feel like moving on no matter how heavy the weight on their shoulders get. Whil held his hand towards Wyo. Wyo tried to grab it, but they were a tad bit far. They both giggled noticing the situation. Both blushed like little girls. ¡°Thank you,¡± Whil said, ¡°Thank you for coming back for me.¡± ¡°Thank you for waiting,¡± Wyo replied. ¡°I¡¯d never leave,¡± he added. Then, the boy that stared the sky interrupted the moment, ¡°guys, what¡¯s that?¡± he said pointing to a flying object in the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t know. A bird probably,¡± answered Sheila. The object was just flying in circles. The longer they looked, the more uneasy they felt. Soon, they got out of the water and dried themselves up. They put on their clothes and continued staring at the peculiar flying object. Then, a loud screech was heard and a lightning like shot was fired right in front of them. The ground exploded throwing the four across the rocks with quite a force. Suddenly, from the city, they could hear the ¡®war horn¡¯. ¡°Get up!¡± Whil shouted. ¡°Get up, now!¡± He ran towards Wyo and pulled her up by force. He did not care if he was hurting her. The only thing that he cared about was keeping her alive. After that, he turned to Alph and yelled, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Now! Now! Now!¡± Alph and Sheila quickly picked up their pace. They ran and ran back through the forest towards the city. There, they saw Joycelm closing the gates. They ran as fast as they could. ¡°Wait!¡± Whil cried out. ¡°Wait for us!¡± The man above the wall saw them. He yelled down below to stop closing the west gate, ¡°Stop! Children ahead! Leave the gate open!¡± The gate was nearly closed. There was just a small gap that they could fit through. They quickly slip through back into the city. ¡°Are there anymore?¡± the Gate Keeper asked. ¡°No. No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Whil answered. ¡°Close it!¡± the Gate Keeper yelled. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Sheila asked the Gate Keeper. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There was a couple of small airships were flying over the city and shooting at us. We managed to bring them down, luckily, with a couple of shots from the ballista,¡± explained him. ¡°Where is it?¡± asked Whil. ¡°Just straight ahead from here.¡± Whil then ran for the direction. He wanted to see what it was for himself. As he reached the airship, he was shocked as it was not even as bit as he thought. It was as big as a regular man. What was more surprising to him was that it had no pilot. It was an automated airship. Then, Sheila yelled from behind, ¡°Whil, home. Now!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± he thought. All the four of them ran straight for their homes. Everything went straight from happy to disastrous so quickly, thought Whil. He ran up the hill and passed the Drees water fountain. Then, he reached his house. He unlocked the door, went in and slammed it hard. ¡°Grandma!¡± he yelled out. From the kitchen, his grandmother appeared and went straight for him. She squeezed him hard. ¡°I was so worried.¡± ¡°I was worried too. Are you OK, grandma?¡± ¡°I''m fine. I was already home when it happened. Are you¡­¡± ¡°I''m fine. I''m fine,¡± Whil answered before his grandmother even finished her question. Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. Whil went and open it without thinking twice. It was a crodor, an officer of the law, from Drees Security Department. He stood there with his uniform looking at Whil. ¡°Yes, sir. Any news?¡± his grandmother asked. ¡°Um¡­yes. The situation is under control at the moment. I''m here to tell you that you are all fine and safe. Both of the airships that attacked us was shot down. You needn¡¯t worry, but we urge you to stay indoor for today,¡± the crodor said. Whil looked to the floor and said, ¡°There were three.¡± ¡°Three?¡± asked the crodor. ¡°Yes, three. You shot down two. But, there were three. The other one was flying over the Dherr River. It flew off though. I don¡¯t know where it went.¡± ¡°Well, I will bring this information to the commanding officer. Thank you for telling. Have a nice day sir, ma¡¯am.¡± He left the front door and there Whil could see crodors at every doorstep of every house. Calming down the people and telling the same thing to each and every one of the citizen. Whil closed the door and that was that. The day ended in silence. Everyone was left baffled by what happened. Previous Next XI - BEYOND WHISPERING DEATH The morning brought along a rather abnormal silence. Whil woke up and his grandfather¡¯s death was not what bothered him any longer. It was something else. It was the unmanned airships. It was his own death. He nearly died the day before. The airship shot the ground and only a couple of feet away from him and his friends. At times, he was more curious than scared. What was that flying airship? Whose was it? He thought and thought. In the end, he was reminded of the Draigs. The new war machine that was supposedly built by the Guardian Republic. Even so, there was no news of the machinery ever successfully built. More baffled he became. Whose was it? He asked himself again. 30th Ningdarr, and the last day of the year 317. The next day would be a new year. Whil got up slowly and quietly. He looked at his arm and saw a small scratch from yesterday. The more he looked, the more he noticed a couple more scratches, bruises and cuts on his arms and legs. He just sat on his bed, looking, with mind boggling thoughts. Death. Death. Death. Airship. Then a knock on the door. It startled him. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. ¡°Breakfast,¡± was heard on the other side. Muffled as the sound travelled through the door. Whil got up, took a shower, changed clothes and went down for breakfast After eating, Whil just sat there in the kitchen. His grandmother went to the kitchen counter and turned on the radio. ¡®That is it for the weather report¡­¡¯ went the speaker in the radio. ¡®Next, we have a news report from International Geldar Journalists Station. Recent news¡­yesterday marked another dark day. An estimate of twenty cities and towns all over Geldar were attacked by small unmanned airships. Multiple resources claimed that the unmanned airships resembled the description of a Draig that the Guardian Republic had envisioned. Conspiracy theorists everywhere said that this is another step of the Guardian Republic¡¯s plan to rule the whole Geldar¡­¡¯ the speaker continued. Whil felt hurt by the conspiracy theorists¡¯ claims towards the Republic and left the kitchen. ¡°I''m going to Alph¡¯s,¡± said Whil exiting the house. There he was, out on the streets again. He did not actually went to Alph¡¯s house. He instead went to where the airship crashed. As he arrived, he saw the Law Officer¡¯s red ribbons wrapped around the area, marking the scene as quarantined. He looked to where he saw the broken machinery yesterday. There was nothing there but black soot and scraped pavement. He stood there in silence. So silent he could hear the wind. He could hear footsteps around him. He could hear the grass dancing. He could hear everything. ¡°Whil,¡± a growling voice surprised him. Whil turned around and saw a Grymloft that called him. ¡°Gallant,¡± said he. ¡°What is it?¡± he continued. ¡°Come. Sheila was looking for you.¡± ¡°Sheila?¡± ¡°Sheila, Alph and Wyo.¡± Gallant led the way and Whil followed behind. Whil recognised the road that they were taking. They were heading to the Patton Diner. As they arrived, there Whil saw Wyo, Alph and Sheila sitting at the window seats; waiting. Gallant went inside the diner with Whil. ¡°Hey, Whil,¡± Sheila greeted. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°How¡¯s your grandmother?¡± asked Alph. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Whil answered just briefly. ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Travern? He¡¯s not here?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s not in today. Just his employees.¡± Alph answered. ¡°So, what do you think they were?¡± Alph suddenly asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. As far as I¡¯m concerned, it¡¯s not the Guardian Republic¡¯s no matter what everyone said,¡± Wyo answered. Whil lifted his head and looked at Wyo. He then gave a small smile. ¡°It probably isn¡¯t. But what if it is?¡± Sheila, the always doubtful one, asked. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be. My uncle used to work with the Guardian Republic before he moved to Sallestre. His old friend there gave him a news that said, and I quote, ¡®the Republic showed the Draig today. It wasn¡¯t as amazing as we all thought. It blew up the moment it was presented¡¯. I can only presume that the Republic failed at building a Draig. What more to build an unmanned Draig,¡± Wyo replied. ¡°If so, who built them? Plus, the news this morning said that an estimate of twenty cities were attacked all around Geldar. Whoever these people are, they¡¯re aiming big,¡± added Alph. Whil just sat there quietly. He had nothing to say. ¡°Remember Ygmod?¡± Wyo suddenly asked. Everyone turned their attention towards her. ¡°Right. Who am I kidding? Of course you remember. Did any of us saw what or who attacked us? As far as I''m concerned none of us did. It may have been them. No one ever knew who or what they were. Not even the Republic. They came one morning, destroyed a village and disappeared.¡± ¡°True. But, we don¡¯t even know if they were Humans or Thre¡¯adils or even Everlons. What if they were beasts that attacked us?¡± Alph questioned. ¡°Yeah. Even so, consider this, they may have been¡­¡± ¡°-I know what they were.¡± Whil suddenly interrupted Wyo. ¡°What?¡± Alph asked him as if he did not hear it. ¡°I know what they were. Back then¡­in Ygmod. I saw them. But, from afar. They were walking through the fields across my house. My dad¡¯s house. I saw them all. Not their faces. Not in detail. But I know they were not beasts, animals or even orcs.¡± Whil added. They were all quiet. They sat there staring at Whil. Wondering. ¡°They were definitely Humans.¡± Whil said. Noon came by quite quickly. They all left the restaurant and went their separate way. Everyone went straight home except Whil. He walked the opposite direction from his home. He did not feel like spending his day, his noon, back at home by himself. He was hoping to get to the Irveen Market and waste his time there. Nevertheless, luck did not favour his side that afternoon. He was nearly there. He was nearly at the market until suddenly his wish was broken by the appearance of three boys of his age that was walking towards Whil. He wanted to turn around and disappear but was a bit too late. ¡°Hey! Whil! Is that you?¡± One of the boys yelled. ¡°Hey! He¡¯s talking to you! Turn around!¡± Another continued. Whil reluctantly turned around facing the group of poorly mannered boys. They were Vancory Josy, Ericcon Wedderlock and Higgins Worthing. ¡°Can we not do this today Vancory?¡± Whil said to one of them, Vancory, the leader of the group. ¡°You don¡¯t decide what we do. If I want to do this today, I¡¯ll do this today. Whatever ¡®this¡¯ is,¡± he replied. The other two giggled as the middle one spoke. ¡°Plus, fate must have wanted us to do something if we are meeting today. Hmmm¡­how about Creature battle? Like the ones we had in school,¡± he continued. Whil stood there and just listened. He wanted to walk away but he knew that they would not let him. Therefore, he just stood there hoping that it would end soon. ¡°Oh, wait, you don¡¯t have a Creature,¡± Vancory continued. ¡°Even that shedding dog died. Hahaha¡­ I can¡¯t believe that you called it a Creature. Dang.¡± Whil still stood there and listened. He knew it is going to get worse. At least, it is just verbal pain. He would rather have that than physically maiming one another, or just himself. ¡°It¡¯s just so sad. Hey¡­why are you just quiet?¡± Vancory asked but Whil did not answer. ¡°No matter. We¡¯re leaving anyway. I don¡¯t want to stay here too long. I myself might die being around you. You have quite a history of dead people with you. Your dog, your grandpa and quite possibly your dad. You reek of death,¡± he mocked Whil and laughed hysterically. Whil looked up from the ground towards the three boys. They were laughing out loud together. He could feel his heart pounding harder and harder. He could feel his blood boiling. The next thing he knew, he was charging towards Vancory. He jumped and pushed Vancory down to the ground. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Don¡¯t you talk about my family ever again!¡± said he while hitting Vancory. Vancory held his left hand to Whil¡¯s chest and a burst of glowing blue smoke exploded from the bracelet on Vancory¡¯s wrist. The burst pushed Whil backwards and he fell hard from quite a push on a pile of rubble. The smoke materialised and became a grey wolf right on top of Whil, pinning him down. It was twice larger than a regular wolf. It was Vancory¡¯s Creature. The wolf growled loudly at Whil. ¡°How dare you touch me?¡± Vancory said while still on the ground. Whil was scared. What was he thinking attacking Vancory like that? He should have known better. In haste, he grabbed the largest rock that could fit in the palm of his right hand and swung it hard onto the wolf¡¯s head. The wolf fell over to Whil¡¯s left. Then, Whil quickly got up and ran off as fast as he could. ¡°Get up! Get him!¡± yelled Vancory commanding his Creature. The other two boys let out their Creatures from their bracelets and commanded them to chase Whil as well. Whil ran and ran as three wolves was chasing him. Behind those wolves, their Wielders, their masters. Whil ran through small alleyways and through a crowd of people. He was not thinking of stopping and asking for help at all. He panicked and kept on running. Then, he saw one of the eight gates of the city. He went for it as he thought running outside was any safer. Much to his surprise, they were still chasing. Whil knew that the wolves would catch him. No one can outrun a wolf. A plan crossed Whil¡¯s head, a very crazy plan. Just beyond the west forest of Joycelm, there is a cave. In the cave lived beasts of the dark that feasts upon Human flesh. It was crazy enough that it might work, he thought. He reached the cave and entered it. However, he did not went in too deep. He knew the dangers of Whispering Death, as what the locals would call the cave. The wolves stopped chasing as they could sense a presence of a greater power inside. ¡°Orion! Did he went in there?¡± asked Vancory to his Creature. ¡°Yes. He¡¯d be dead soon if he stays there for too long,¡± the wolf answered. ¡°Let¡¯s leave then. I don¡¯t want to do anything with his death. Jail is not my cup of tea,¡± said Vancory. Whil was not sure whether he should exit the cave or stayed there longer. He was not sure if the group left or are still waiting for him at the entrance of the cave. Oddly enough, he had more courage to enter the cave deeper than exiting the cave and get beaten up by three boys. Bravery is stupidity at some point. As he walked deeper, he felt a presence behind him. He did not bother to look back though. Until, a rock was kicked behind him and made quite a sound. Whil stopped his step and slowly turned around. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a huge beast right behind him. It stood tall and looked like a giant centipede. It opened its mouth and screeched loudly. With that, Whil picked up his pace and ran deeper into the cave. The beast chased him up and down the ceiling and floor of the cave. Whil¡¯s heart pounded harder than it had ever pounded. As he was running, he decided to turn his head to have a peek at the beast. When he turned, his leg tripped upon a huge rock and fell towards a wall. Whil hit the wall hard and the wall fell apart as it was thinner than it looked. Whil fell to the other side of the wall where there was a crystal pillar that shone dim blue. The beast screeched again and shocked Whil. Whil was on the ground, pushing himself backwards with his hands and legs, hoping that he would fall in some hole that would save him. He pushed and pushed until the pillar stopped him. There he was, in between a glowing crystal pillar and a huge man eating beast. The beast screeched for the last time and jumped for Whil. Whil put up his hands and covered his whole face with his arms. He pulled his legs to his chest and everything in his past flashed before his eyes in a split second. ¡®Is this how death feels like?¡¯ Whil thought. ¡®It didn¡¯t hurt¡¯. He removed his arms from his face and opened his eyes. The cave was darker than before. There was no longer a dim light shining. He stood up wondering what happened to the beast. He turned around and saw the crystal pillar broken into pieces and only half of the pillar was left standing. Then, he heard a few rubbles kicked around behind him. He slowly turned thinking the worse of the worst. There it was, a huge man-like figure, white in colour, standing right in front of him. On its head was four horns; two big ones and two small ones. All over its body was filled with soft fur that grew at the tip of its hard scales. Behind it extended a pair of feathered wings and a strong tail with a huge feather at the tip. Whil was in awe. Before him was a Creature known as the Feremear, a type of dragon that have the build of a man and scales with furs and feathers. ¡°Whilliam Rubbit,¡± he spoke, ¡°name me.¡± Whil felt as if he was dreaming. Everything felt surreal. He opened his mouth and named it, ¡°Doe.¡± ¡°What?¡± the Feremear asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Doe? Is that what you¡¯re calling me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everything felt so sudden. Sorry. I couldn¡¯t think straight.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that it could have been an epic moment with a proper name given for your new Creature and you named me Doe, a female dear.¡± ¡°Owh. So you didn¡¯t like that name?¡± ¡°Well, if you like it then it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re the Wielder. You name me.¡± ¡°Can I re-do? Is that an option?¡± ¡°Yeah sure. If you wish it. Re-do?¡± ¡°Yes. Yeah. Re-do.¡± Everything went silent for a while. Whil looked at the Feremear. The Feremear looked at Whil. ¡°Whilliam Rubbit. Name me.¡± It went once again. ¡°Darreos¡­¡± they stared at each other. ¡°Was that good?¡± ¡°Yeah. That was epic.¡± A bright glow appeared on his right wrist. He saw it all. A bracelet of the Wielder appeared on his wrist out of thin air with Darreos written on it inside a crystal. Whil smiled wide and looked back towards Darreos the Feremear. ¡°I hope this is not a dream,¡± he said. ¡°Trust me, it isn¡¯t,¡± replied Darreos. They both went out of the cave and stood at the entrance. Whil took a deep breath and said, ¡°Tomorrow is going to be a new year. Nothing will be the same as it was ever again. I went beyond Whispering Death and found a Feremear. Nothing IS going to be the same way as it was.¡± ¡°That is true. I can feel it,¡± said Darreos. ¡°Really?¡± Whil asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just felt like going in the moment just now. You sort of ruined it when you asked ¡®really¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry,¡± Whil ended. They both stood there as the wind blew. It was the end of a beautiful day for Whil. Vancory was right when he said fate made them meet for a reason. Darreos was its reason. ¡°Praise the One of All,¡± prayed Whil. Whil walked pass the forest and back into the city with Darreos in his bracelet. He did not want anyone to see Darreos yet. Whil went home as usual, took a shower, and had his dinner. Then, before he closed his eyes to sleep, he wished goodnight to Darreos and he answered from the bracelet; ¡°Goodnight, Whilliam.¡± Previous Next XII - FIRST OF 318 The first of Demmor, 318. A ship docked at Hyhil port, one of four ports at the south of Sallestre. On it was Prince Thornwell Drogan. He stepped down from the very ship, ever so gracefully. His beautifully patterned ivory eyes and black hair as silky as ever. No one knew who he was. He walked pass by many and none greeted him as a prince. He finally arrived at Sallestre from Hercia by the break of dawn. Behind him was his consort, Bergarious Frompt. ¡°Vei so rii vamyen tu fud so fe fron, riikir thraemud?¡± asked Bergarious. ¡°Where do you want the bag to be put, your highness?¡± ¡°So man laar ne tus. Tei uu ted tus omsudsumyel odkir sob. Ae so man mool ime usimgum un tu nenumyen,¡± commented Thornwell. ¡°Do not call me that. There are those that understand our tongue. I needn¡¯t any attention at the moment,¡± A man approached the prince swiftly. He looked like a common merchant. ¡°Welcome to Sallestre. You seemed like you¡¯ve been in a long journey, sir.¡± ¡°Yes it was quite a long one. Took me three days,¡± answered Thornwell with a smile. ¡°Should a young Thre¡¯adil such as yourself be in need of a hover to rent, I am the man you seek. I do presume you have no transportation of any sort at the moment,¡± continued the man. ¡°But I do, good sir,¡± Thornwell replied. Then, came a couple of brown and silver unicorns with the most majestic horns down the dock. ¡°There are our rides.¡± The man looked in awe as Thornwell and Bergarious climbed on the unicorns and rode off. They exited the town of Hyhil from the dock and followed along the huge Serrumpt River up north. Thornwell was heading back to his kingdom, his home, Drainrock, in the state of Farbos. It had been five years since the last time he saw home. He was surprised when his father, King Mirill Drogan, King of the Peak, pulled back his banishment. ¡°It will be a long journey from here to Drainrock,¡± said Bergarious. ¡°True. One day ride to Lubric Line City and another towards Joycelm City if we ride fast. It will be tiring that is for sure,¡± added Thornwell. ----- ----- ----- ----- Back in Joycelm, many was making a last minute preparation for school that was suddenly delayed until the third of Demmor. Whil was an exception though. He was in the forest outside of Joycelm. He was up early and went straight for the forest with the bracelet in his right wrist. ¡°Darreos,¡± he called upon the feremear¡¯s name and swung his right arm with his palm wide open. Out came a burst of glowing blue smoke and a dragon materialised in front of him. It was a beautiful sight to see. He smiled ever so widely as it happened. ¡°So, what is it that you need?¡± asked Darreos. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. This is the first time I have ever had a Creature,¡± replied Whil. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask help from Sheila?¡± ¡°Wait. You know Sheila?¡± he asked in surprise. ¡°Of course I do. Here is the first lesson about us; you have heard people said that the Wielder shapes the Creature, yes?¡± Darreos asked. ¡°Yeah. Common knowledge.¡± ¡°But do you know how?¡± ¡°No. Not really.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll make it easy and simple. When we break from our eggs and materialised into this world for the first time, the Wielder will name us. The moment they gave us a name, a bargain is struck and a bracelet of bond or commonly called the Wielder¡¯s bracelet marks our connection with our master. By connection, I mean every knowledge and memories that the master have from the past till the present will be shared. Thus, the master moulds the Creature.¡± ¡°So that means that you and I are the same.¡± ¡°Somewhat the same. We share the same knowledge and memories, but not personality, likes, dislikes or even flaws.¡± ¡°What does the Wielder get from the Creature? From you I mean.¡± ¡°I possess the ability to master the Sigils of Fire, Mind and Light. Which means you do as well. But, to master these Sigils will take time.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with Fire then.¡± ¡°Very well. First, you must know the Fire Sigil. How it looks like and draw it on the palm of your hand. That will be the base for the fire that you will conjure the magic. I¡¯ll draw it first and you follow on your palm.¡± Darreos explained. Then, he planted his claw into the ground and drew a flame like shape onto the ground. ¡°There. The Fire Sigil.¡± Whil dipped his finger in a mud and drew the same shape on his palm. ¡°Is this OK?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯ll do. Now, concentrate your energy towards your palm. This normally takes a very long time to master. Meditate if you must. Feel the energy flow inside you.¡± Whil closed his eyes and started to imagine fire. He imagined fire flowing inside of him and went towards his marked palm. He imagined the energy that flows inside. The harder he imagined the tighter he closed his eyes. As he opened it, he straight away looked at his palm. There was nothing there. No flame. No smoke. Nothing. ¡°It didn¡¯t work?¡± he asked Darreos. ¡°Like I said. Difficult to master. Meditate. It will take a very long time. It will take a longer time to conjure the Sigil yourself than to master creating fire though. But, one lesson per day. We¡¯ll move on to conjuring the Sigils tomorrow mayhap.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Whil sat there looking at his palm. He was eager to master the wonders of magic but quite impatient. He closed his eyes once more. Instead of thinking about fire, this time he was thinking of meditation. He saw the word in his head. He saw himself sitting on the ground, legs crossed. He saw flames forming a circle. Then, nothing. He was in complete peace. His head was empty at that moment. He could feel the energy inside him. He felt it. The tingling sensation as the energy moved from one limb to the other. He did not want to control it. Instead, he just wanted to feel it. At that point, slowly the energy moved to his right hand. From there, it moved slowly to his palm, where the Sigil was drawn. In the end, a burst of flame blew from his palm. It surprised him and raised his adrenaline. ¡°Oh my! Praise the One of All. A fire on my palm,¡± he yelled in happiness. ¡°It¡¯s not even hot.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s not for you. It is for others. Come, it¡¯s getting dark. We should head back.¡± When Darreos said that it snapped Whil¡¯s attention on his burning palm. He looked around and it was darker than just now. The flame on his palm became smaller and smaller. Alas, it was gone. ¡°How long was I meditating?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe it, but, eleven hours or so.¡± ¡°What?¡± he was shocked. He held his arm and Darreos went back into the bracelet. After that, he ran straight back to Joycelm and home. ----- ----- ----- ----- ¡°That was a fine dinner,¡± said Thornwell sitting in a tavern at Lubric Line, a city built in the Lubric mountain range. ¡°To bed your high¡­sir?¡± asked Bergarious. ¡°No. Straight to Joycelm now.¡± ¡°But we just got here. There are a lot of fine Inns that we can stay in Lubric Line.¡± ¡°No. I will sleep when I reach Joycelm.¡± Thornwell claimed. ¡°Pardon me asking, Sir, but what is there in Joycelm that we are in such a hurry?¡± ¡°An old friend. Come.¡± They left the tavern and climbed back onto their unicorns. They rode off into the night straight for Joycelm. They rode and rode as the night fell deeper. It was hours of ride through hills and trees. Then suddenly Bergarious yelled for Thornwell and blew a blast of wind from his palm towards Thornwell. The prince was thrown off his unicorn and fell to the ground. His unicorn kept on running and the ground below it exploded, killing it. Thornwell was shocked at the sight of it. Bergarious stopped by Thornwell and climbed down his unicorn. ¡°Are you alright, Sir?¡± ¡°I''m fine. What happened?¡± ¡°Orcs¡¯ and Goblins¡¯ cave upfront. Gabinoth Cave.¡± ¡°Leekil! We¡¯re in their territory now.¡± ¡°Curses!¡± Then, from the north, there were movements. Coming towards Thornwell and his consort. ¡°Here they come,¡± said Bergarious. From under his robe, Thornwell pulled out a twin sabre. He readied himself for an upcoming attack. ¡°Berg! Sword, now!¡± he commanded. Bergarious pulled a sword that was dangling in its sheath on the unicorn. The swarm of Orcs and Goblins sounded louder as they get closer. The louder they get the faster their hearts pumped. The thumps. The grunts. The growls. The rush. The rumble. And in the end, the silence. It was all suddenly silence. They could hear nothing else but their own breaths. Out came a scream and an Orc jumped from a thick bush. Thornwell blocked the Orc¡¯s blow and swung his other sabre, gutting the Orc. Out came another two ambushing Thornwell and Bergarious. A swing and a hack. A stab and a slash. Rings of swords clashing flew across the trees. Thornwell jumped over a Goblin that charged his way and cut down an Orc that was behind him. Then, he made a swift spin and slashed the Goblin¡¯s throat. Bergarious was throwing blasts of wind here and there. At every Orc that came and every Goblin that attacked, he deflected with his sword and gave a shot of wind with the other hand sending them flying away across the bushes. He was quick with the sword. He spun it around blocking every attack like a master swordsman. One came and he blocked. Another came and he shot wind to its face. Bergarious and Thornwell defeated each enemy that came charging easily. Then came the last Goblin from the darkness. It was faster than the rest. Not as fast as Thornwell though. It charged towards Thornwell and swung its curved sword but blocked. Thornwell returned the favour with his other sabre but the Goblin avoided. They both were swift and fast. Giving and returning blows. Thornwell slashed and disarmed the Goblin. He gave a quick stab and Bergarious swung his sword beheading the Goblin. That was the end of it. ¡°That was uncalled for,¡± commented Thornwell. ¡°Well, foul beast attacked my Prince. I was¡­angered.¡± ¡°We have to be on our way now. Back on the unicorn. More might be coming.¡± ¡°No, Sir. I insist that you ride on the unicorn.¡± ¡°No. Bergarious. On the unicorn now.¡± ¡°Sir, I insist.¡± ¡°And I command,¡± ended Thornwell. Previous XIII - LEARNING Noon stroke the second day of 318. Time flew by faster than expected for Whil. He was back in the forest again. His right hand blazing. He swung around his hand; listening to the crackle that the fire made. He was smiling wider than ever. Even wider than the day he found Darreos. ¡°Mesmerised by the fire?¡± asked Darreos. ¡°Kind of¡­¡± he answered. ¡°Why not try learning to blast the fire instead of just looking at it all day long?¡± ¡°Think I didn¡¯t try? I¡¯ve been doing it since this morning. I can¡¯t seem to get it right. I can¡¯t seem to get it at all.¡± ¡°OK. Give it another try. Let me see it.¡± Whil held out his burning hand. He concentrated hard. His hand started to shiver around. He was as if forcing the fire to shoot. He could feel the energy converging on his palm but did not know how to command it to shoot forward. ¡°Argh!¡± he groaned. ¡°I just can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well. I can¡¯t teach you how. In fact, I can¡¯t teach you at all. How you conjure, magic, and how I conjure them are different. Creatures like me use spell words to conjure. Humans that get magic from Creatures use energy extension. In other words, ¡®casting¡¯.¡± ¡°So what now?¡± ¡°Try asking Sheila for help. I''m pretty sure that she¡¯s more than happy to do so.¡± Whil looked to the ground. He did not want to ask anyone¡¯s help. He actually did not want anyone to know about Darreos¡¯ existence. For some unknown reason, he felt as if he needed to keep Darreos safe from the outside world. All he knew was the world will take away all that he love. He was afraid that Darreos would be one of them. Even so, he knew as well that nothing lasts forever. ¡°Fine. What else can I do?¡± he said while he walked away. ¡°Wait. I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± ¡°How? You¡¯re standing on two legs. You¡¯re not a horse.¡± ¡°True. But, I am able to mimic animals and beasts. Any animal and beasts.¡± ¡°Really? You can change form?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­yes I can,¡± Darreos said. Then, glowing blue smoke covered Darreos and changed him into a beautiful grey horse. ¡°Ready for a ride?¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Whil said in awe. He then climbed on Darreos. ¡°Onwards,¡± he said and Darreos took off back into Joycelm. They entered the city as usual, except this time Whil was proudly on his beautiful horse, trotting calmly down the street straight towards Sheila¡¯s house. Whil looked around the area while sitting on Darreos. He noticed people looked at him much more than usual. He gave a broad smile knowing the attention was really on him. Who would not give a look especially when a young teenager seemed to be riding on a horse around the city? The sight was almost rare. No teenager had his or her own horse to ride around. Unless it was their own Creature. Even when they have their own Creature, they rarely ride on them in cities. The moment they arrived, Whil jumped off Darreos and procured a rather awkward landing. It made him looked stupid and incapable than cool. ¡°That was embarrassing,¡± commented Darreos as he changed back into a Feremear. ¡°No, no, no. Wait. Change into a dog,¡± Whil said to Darreos. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± ¡°OK. What dog?¡± ¡°Any.¡± Then, the Feremear changed into a small white poodle. ¡°Good enough?¡± he asked Whil. ¡°Yeah. Perfect,¡± Whil said pulling the Wielder¡¯s bracelet off his wrist and slid in into his jacket¡¯s pocket. Whil and the poodle went straight to the front door and Whil gave quite a loud and exaggerated knock. He was excited and he could not really mask it. A clack behind the door and it swung open. The butler was the one that answered the door, as expected. He gave a demeaning stare at Whil and Darreos. ¡°No stray animals in the house,¡± he said. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s mine,¡± Whil explained pointing to the poodle. ¡°I meant you,¡± the butler said giving a smile. ¡°Oh, Berton. Always the one with the jokes.¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Berlin.¡± ¡°I was talking to the guy behind you.¡± ¡°Nice try.¡± ¡°Haha. Fine. You win. Is Sheila around?¡± ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°OK. Tell her I¡¯ll be waiting in the backyard.¡± Whil entered and Berlin closed the door. Whil then marched straight towards a door that led to the backyard while Berlin turned the other way looking for Sheila. Whil got to the backyard of the Haze Manor and sat on a comfortable wooden bench that looked very well made with amazingly and meticulously carved patterns. Darreos jumped on the same bench and sat beside Whil; close enough to feel Darreos¡¯ tail wagging around. Then, Sheila went through the same door Whil did with a very surprised look on her face. ¡°You have a Creature?¡± she asked, as she got closer. ¡°What?¡± Whil choked up with a shock. How did she know? Was it obvious? ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s a Creature beside you.¡± ¡°Wait. How? I was gonna¡¯ surprise you¡± ¡°Surprised me alright.¡± ¡°But how?¡± ¡°I can sense better than other people remember? I have ¡®Sense¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh. Dang it. I thought I was going to be the one telling you.¡± ¡°How did you come by a Creature of your own?¡± Then, Whil explained what happened yesterday in Whispering Death and how he came by Darreos. He told her that Darreos was a Feremear but did not show her how Darreos really looked like. He figured that she would find out either way, or maybe, she already knew. ¡°Wow. This is big news. Did anyone else know about this?¡± ¡°Nope. Just you and me.¡± ¡°Why not tell anyone else? What about Alph?¡± ¡°No, no. Not yet. Not now.¡± ¡°Then why tell me?¡± ¡°I need your help.¡± ¡°My help? What kind of help?¡± ¡°Casting.¡± ¡°Oh. I see. Wait here. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± She left the backyard and went back inside. Whil just sat there waiting and looking around. ¡°She was charming,¡± Darreos said suddenly. It was funny hearing his voice in a poodle¡¯s body. ¡°Well, she is. She¡¯s quite popular with many people,¡± Whil said smiling at the thought of Darreos¡¯ current form. The door threw open again and Sheila sped through the backyard towards Whil with a box in her hand. She sat on the grass and put the box right in front of her. Then, she gestured Whil to join her. Whil sprung from the bench and sat in front of Sheila and the box, legs crossed. Darreos followed and sat beside Whil. ¡°Before I open the box, tell me, what are your Sigils?¡± Sheila asked Whil. ¡°Fire, Mind and Matter,¡± Whil answered confidently. ¡°Your ability?¡± ¡°Umm. Ability?¡± Whil asked in confusion. ¡°Insight,¡± Darreos answered for him. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°OK. It seems like you still don¡¯t know much about how the bond works,¡± Sheila said waving her left hand and Gallant appeared beside her from her bracelet. ¡°Now. Tell me what you know,¡± Sheila asked. ¡°I know that Darreos and I share past memories and knowledge. I know that we share Sigils. I know that I get magic from him. That¡¯s about it,¡± Whil answered. ¡°Oh. And I know how to conjure flames on my palms.¡± ¡°OK. That¡¯s just the basic though,¡± Sheila said. ¡°Listen. I¡¯ll explain to you as simple as I can. A Wielder like you and I share magic with our Creatures. The magic can be conjured through the Sigils. Learning to conjure Sigils are normally a little harder than learning to conjure magic, but it won¡¯t take that long. Usually people learn to conjure the magic until they get used to it and then conjuring the Sigils will come by naturally. There are three steps of conjuring involved in magic. Firstly is conjuring the Sigils. Next is conjuring the magic. Conjuring magic is conjuring the elements that corresponds to the Sigils. Like what you said you did with the flames on your palms. That is the basic part, conjuring the magic. Lastly is conjuring the forms. We know this as ¡®casting¡¯. Which means casting the magic you¡¯ve conjured. For instance, casting the flames on your palm into fire balls, a ball of light, blowing it from your palm to attack or even into lightning shooting from your palm. Got it?¡± ¡°I get it. Sigils, magic and cast. But I can¡¯t really cast at the moment. It¡¯s hard. I mean, it¡¯s hard enough to conjure magic.¡± ¡°I get you. You need to feel where the energy comes from. Dig deep. Normally, the energy originated from the chest area. From there you can flex it. Make the energy move like moving an arm or a leg. That of course comes from a command from your brain. Once you mastered controlling the energy, once it start feeling natural like walking or breathing, then you can try casting. These things take time. You¡¯ll have to keep on conjuring the magic as much as you can before getting used to it. Try other Sigils. Don¡¯t just stick with Fire. Try playing around with Mind or Matter.¡± ¡°OK. That¡¯s helpful I guess,¡± Whil responded. ¡°So, what¡¯s in the box?¡± ¡°Right. That slipped my mind. Touch the box and speak two Sigils.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Whil held out his right hand and touched the box. ¡°Fire, Mind.¡± Then, Sheila opened the box just as Whil removed his hand. She pulled out two leather gloves with a Fire Sigil on the right glove and a Mind Sigil on the left glove. She presented it to Whil. ¡°These are called the Sigil Gloves. They are purposed to help Wielders to master casting. They¡¯re yours. Try them on.¡± Whil grabbed them and slipped them on both of his hands. ¡°Perfect fit,¡± he said. ¡°Now, conjure fire,¡± Sheila said to Whil. Whil closed his eyes. He searched his chest for the energy that Sheila talked about. Then, he moved the energy and it surged towards his right arm. A moment later, fire burst on his palm as it did that morning and the day before. He smiled widely and looked at Darreos. ¡°This is way easier than drawing Sigils with mud,¡± he said. ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t the one who wanted to train in the forest,¡± Darreos talked back to Whil. ¡°OK. Now try Mind,¡± Sheila said with a light giggle from Darreos¡¯ comment. The fire disappeared and Whil concentrated his energy to his left hand. The wait was longer than when he conjured fire. The long wait made Whil curious. Nothing was happening. What was Mind magic supposed to feel like? Was that it? Was he supposed to not feel the difference? ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different. Is that supposed to be how it is?¡± he asked Sheila and turned to Gallant and then Darreos. ¡°Let me guess. You channelled your energy to your left palm,¡± Sheila said. ¡°Yeah. Like I did with Fire.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works silly. Follow the logic of human anatomy. The mind is located at the brain. Channel your energy to your brain not your palm,¡± she said holding a laugh. Whil tried once more and in a moment¡¯s notice, he could see his surroundings as bright lights with different shades of blue depicting inanimate objects, shades of green depicting plants and shades of orange as living beings. He was amazed. Although, he could only see until a certain radius. The longer he used it, the weaker he felt. Suddenly, he felt tired and he can no longer see everything like before. ¡°Whoa. That was cool. I could see everything from every angle,¡± he said in excitement, but his tiredness was obvious. ¡°That¡¯s because you expanded you mind and it became what we call as ¡®vision¡¯. Useful as a scouting tool. Fire is the easiest to conjure. Mind is harder. I can see that you¡¯re tired already. It depletes your energy faster and twice more than fire. Matter is the hardest. Although they¡¯re hard, with practice you¡¯ll get use to them. Like training your muscles in your body, your energy can get stronger and withstand greater conjuring. Just keep practicing.¡± ¡°Right. One last question. What are abilities?¡± Whil asked. ¡°Oh. Abilities are traits that you gained from your Creature. Like me, I have Sense. It allows me to sense ten times better than any ordinary Human. You, according to your Creature, have Insight. As I can understand, Insight allows the user to see a split second or so into the future which gives an advantage in close combat battles. Learn how to use it. It can be very useful one day.¡± ¡°Wow. OK. Thanks for everything. Especially the gloves.¡± ¡°I''m glad to help. When are you going to tell Alph and Wyo about your poodle?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Soon for sure.¡± ----- ----- ----- ----- It was nearly sundown as Whil left Haze Manor. He walked back home with the Wielder¡¯s bracelet on his left wrist and Darreos in it. He was still wearing the gloves and playing with the fire on his right hand. While walking, he thought of bumping into Vancory like the day before yesterday. Vancory would be scared of his new dragon he reckoned. He could not stop swinging his burning hand around. As the street lights started to turn on one by one, he noticed that the sky was dark and only a small hint of red from the swallowed sun. The fire disappeared from his palm and Whil picked up his pace back home. Down the road, right pass his grandmother¡¯s house, he saw a couple of men with a unicorn walking by slowly. He saw no one else around the streets except the two men, the unicorn and himself. One of the men had short hair and wore light leather armour with the unicorn along his side and the other wore a silky robe with long hair. As they got closer, the one with the robe greeted him. ¡°Evening,¡± he said. ¡°Evening,¡± Whil answered. ¡°Might we spend the night at your place?¡± Previous XIV - REVELATION ¡°Excuse me?¡± Whil asked in surprise. ¡°This is your home is it not?¡± Thornwell asked pointing at the house they were standing right in front of. ¡°Nope. Not my house. I don¡¯t live here,¡± Whil replied. Thornwell then gave a giggle. ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re lying.¡± Whil¡¯s heart pounded harder and faster. Who were they? Were they criminals? Was he going to be kidnapped? The streets were unbelievably empty and he was scared that no one could hear him scream if he was taken. His grandmother might. Even so, what can she do? ¡°Don¡¯t fret child. Calm your heart. You Humans get aroused very fast. It almost amuses me,¡± Thornwell said. ¡°You are Whilliam Rubbit, are you not?¡± He was more scared the moment Thornwell spoke his name. His eyes widened and looked to every corner of the streets and every window on every house. Thornwell gave a louder giggle looking at Whil. ¡°My, my. Whilliam. Calm yourself. I knew your father. Patton Rubbit was a friend of mine. Meeting you here was a surprise for me. Not as much as how it surprised you I supposed,¡± Thornwell said while holding a laugh. ¡°You knew my father?¡± Whil said giving a confused look. ¡°Yes. Might we converse inside?¡± Thornwell suggested. Whil squinted his eyes and leered Thornwell. He could not trust him. How could he? They just met. Although, Thornwell did not really looked like a criminal of any sort. He looked more like a nobleman with a bodyguard. He is the Prince of Drainrock, but Whil did not know that. He took a long while thinking of the stranger that claimed he knew Whil¡¯s father. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you trust me? Very well. How about this. We leave all our things including our weapons outside with the unicorn. If we try anything when we¡¯re inside your house, you are more than welcome to use your Creature against us. How about it?¡± Thornwell offered. Whil scrunched his face, thinking. He could not possibly trust Thornwell¡¯s words, but he needed to find out what that Thre¡¯adil knows about his father. With a sigh Whil said, ¡°Fine¡±. A part of him wanted to know who this man was. How did he knew his father? Were they really friends? Was he lying? They entered the front door and Whil shut it tight. ¡°Have a seat.¡± They all sat in the living room. Thornwell sat on the sofa while Bergarious was on a couch next to him. Whil was sitting right in front of Thornwell on a comfortable looking chair. ¡°I won¡¯t be here long. A night¡¯s stay would be nice. I am in a hurry back to Drainrock. You see, I am Prince Thornwell Drogan. This is my consort, Bergarious Frompt. More like a personal fighter really,¡± Thornwell introduced himself and Bergarious. ¡°A prince!¡± Whil said in shock. Then, he started laughing. ¡°Right. And I''m an Elven knight roaming the land of Geldar,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°What would a Thre¡¯adilin Prince be doing here?¡± ¡°I was working in Hercia, with the Republic. Then, my father, the King of Drainrock demanded my return to my kingdom. I know it¡¯s hard to believe but I am telling the truth.¡± With the Mind Sigil Glove on his left hand, Whil decided to try to read Thornwell¡¯s thoughts. As he concentrated his energy, he started seeing his surroundings once more. He saw through the walls of his house. He saw outside of his house and a couple of his neighbour¡¯s houses. He could see his grandmother lying down in her room, probably sleeping and one of his neighbours eating dinner. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and nauseous. ¡°It¡¯s not polite to spy on other people,¡± Thornwell commented. ¡°What?¡± Whil said as he shook his head fighting the dizziness. ¡°You were ¡®visioning¡¯. That is not very polite. What if your neighbours were doing something indecent?¡± ¡°No I wasn¡¯t,¡± Whil retaliated. ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I told you I can tell if you¡¯re lying. I felt a surge of energy spreading to your brain expanding your view. You were visioning.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°I am gifted with Sense.¡± ¡°You have a Creature?¡± Whil questioned in curiosity. ¡°No. I am a Thre¡¯adil. Certain abilities we gain by birth. Same goes to the Sigils as well. Plenty of us needn¡¯t the aid of Creatures to use magic and abilities. Although they are much weaker in form. Call it ¡®light magic¡¯. Bergarious here can blast wind from his palm with his Wind Sigil.¡± ¡°What Sigil do you have?¡± ¡°None. I only have Sense.¡± ¡°How did you know who I was? Sense?¡± ¡°Yes. Your father marked you as he did your mother and me.¡± ¡°Marked me? How?¡± ¡°With a magic he developed with the Matter Sigil. He reshaped the property of a very small portion of your energy into a symbol. It is so small and weak in form that most with Sense might never realise it unless they concentrate hard enough.¡± ¡°What symbol?¡± ¡°That I cannot tell. It is more like a unique design that I myself fail to describe. A matchless pattern in a pool of energy. Very faint, but not to those that are used to the pattern.¡± ¡°Then, what can you tell? My dad already marked me for a reason.¡± ¡°Yes. So that I could recognise you and find you if need to. Not for any other purposes.¡± ¡°How did you know my dad?¡± ¡°That as well I cannot tell. Let¡¯s just say we were very close friends.¡± ¡°Then what can you tell me?¡± ¡°I''m afraid nothing.¡± ¡°I have the rights to know. He was my father. I need to know. Why did he left me? Is he alive? Where is he? You must know something.¡± Thornwell looked to the floor. His expression changed. His lips moved a couple of times as if he had something to say but could not. With a soft tone, he said, ¡°he¡¯s alive¡±, as if mumbling in silence. As Whil heard what Thornwell said, his face brightened in happiness. It was the happiest news he had come by after years of wondering what happened to his father. ¡°He is? That is great. That¡¯s¡­amazing. Where? Where is he?¡± Whil asked in his obviously chiming voice of happiness. ¡°That I sadly do not know.¡± His face turned quite stale after he heard Thornwell. The broad smile went away. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know? How can you know that he¡¯s alive but not know where he is?¡± Whil sounded a little furious. ¡°Calm now child,¡± Bergarious said. Thornwell gestured his hand to Bergarious telling him to stay quiet. ¡°The boy has the rights to be enraged. I would as well. I am truly sorry Whilliam. I know he is alive. I can feel his presence. I can feel his energy. My Sense linked my energy with his. My Sense tells me that he¡¯s alive, but my Sense cannot find or pin his position what so ever. I cannot even communicate with him. We can only feel each other. He made us linked so that we would know whether one or the other is still alive or not. He had been in hiding for years. The last time I met him was after the attack in Ygmod. He came to me crying, on his knees. He was mourning for you. He could only wished that you¡¯d survive the attack.¡± ¡°Why did he left me behind? Why couldn¡¯t I follow him? Tell me. Tell me what you know. Why did he left me?¡± Whil asked sounding more demanding than before. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Forgive me Whilliam. I cannot say. I have promised him that I would keep you safe if I were to ever find you. It took me six years of searching to finally bump into you by rare chance.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you tell? What is so hard for you to tell me?¡± his voice sounding rather desperate. ¡°Whilliam, please. Do not do this to yourself. Do not do this to me. You must understand that he wanted the best for you.¡± ¡°The best? Yeah, right. The best. Fatherless. He wanted me to be motherless and fatherless.¡± ¡°He wanted you to have a normal life. He couldn¡¯t allow you to follow him.¡± ¡°What¡¯s normal about having no parents?¡± he suddenly yelled. Everything went quiet. Thornwell could only leave his mouth open as he was about to say something until Whil suddenly yelled. Bergarious turned his head, looking outside the window; he did not want to get involved in Whil¡¯s temper. Whil¡¯s breath went from heavy to calm. His eyes were a little blurry from the tears that came out in anger. ¡°What happened?¡± A soft voice asked. Esmer was awakened by Whil¡¯s shout. ¡°Nothing grandma,¡± he answered. He got up from his chair and walked away from Thornwell and Bergarious. ¡°The guestroom is down the corridor to the left,¡± he said while leaving the area. ¡°Who are these people, Whil?¡± Esmer asked. ¡°Just¡­a couple of friends.¡± He went up the stairs and locked himself in his room. ----- ----- ----- ----- It took him quite a while to open his eyes. They opened a little and slowly. He looked at the clock on his bedside table and realised that he had taken quite a nap after that little tantrum he pulled a couple of hours ago. He looked out of his balcony and stared at the stars. Although he was mad about his father leaving him, he was happy as well as he at least knew that his father was still alive out there somewhere. There is a chance that he could find his father. His father would be glad to see him for sure. Sitting by himself in his room, he started imagining that he found his father and gave him a huge hug. He smiled to the thought. Suddenly, his stomach grumbled. He did not have dinner yet. He was starving. He could feel his stomach eating him from the inside. He held his belly and massaged it. He jumped off his bed and exited his room. The struts in his movement was wobbly. Slowly, Whil walked down the stairs to get himself safely to the kitchen for some grubs. As he reached the kitchen, he saw Thornwell sipping some tea and Bergarious shining his sword. He took a chair and sat beside Thornwell and across Bergarious. Thornwell watched carefully. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to put your weapons outside?¡± Whil asked. ¡°Well, your grandmother didn¡¯t seem to mind,¡± Bergarious answered. Whil gave a short hum, agreeing. Thornwell put his cup of tea on the table and moved closer towards the edge of the table. ¡°Look, Whil. I want you to know that I would do anything to find your father. Trust me on that.¡± ¡°Take me with you. I decided that I wanted to find him myself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can. It might be dangerous. I cannot put you in harm¡¯s way.¡± ¡°No. You can¡¯t, but I can. It¡¯s my own decision. You¡¯re not gonna¡¯ decide for me. I¡¯m coming with you whether you like it or not.¡± ¡°As stubborn as your father,¡± Thornwell commented. Whil gave an intent look at Thornwell. ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll leave the day after tomorrow at first light.¡± Whil gave a small grin and a nod. After dinner, Whil went back to his room and started packing bit by bit. He figured he might need a couple of clean clothes for the journey. He collected two clean shirts and a jacket to pack. Then, he grabbed a couple of trousers and undergarments as well. After piling them all together, he paused a while thinking of what he might forget. He turned his head around and scanned the entire room. He looked on his bed and under, he looked on the tables and lastly he checked the drawers. There he saw, the necklace that he took with him after the destruction of Ygmod. A small piece of Ygmod that he brought around since he was seven. As he grabbed the necklace, he was suddenly in a different room. He was in a kitchen. Everything was a little fuzzy and wind seemed to be blowing from every side of the room. Sandy gusts flew around with the wind. The dusty sand came from the walls, furnishings, floor and even the ceiling. Bit by bit they flew being blown by the harsh wind. Whil tried to look around properly. Where was he? What was this place? The more he spun around, the more he realised where he was. The floor looked familiar. The dining table and chairs were very familiar to him. At the end of one corner of the floor looked like a trapdoor. Then, he noticed that he was in his own kitchen back in Ygmod. There he stood in his old house that was destroyed years ago with wind and dusts blowing harshly. He turned to his left and he saw the study right across the kitchen. The door was wide open and his father was there. Patton Rubbit, Whil¡¯s father, rushing about the room putting things in the same box that he saw years ago which had ¡®IMPORTANT¡¯ written at the side. ¡°Dad!¡± Whil yelled but the sound muffled by the loud gushing wind in the whole house. ¡°Dad!¡± He tried again. Then, his dad climbed out of the window with the box in his tight embrace. ¡°Dad! Wait up!¡± Whil yelled again. He tried to chase him. As he reached the study, he heard a muffled command and laughter that sounded very reminiscent to something he heard once. Suddenly, a flash of bright orange invaded his house as quick as the wind blowing around. Before he knew it, fire rushed towards him in an instance. Whil covered his face with both his arms and jumped on his back avoiding the fire. As he uncovered his face, he realised he was back in his room. He was lying on the floor and his back was aching from the jump he made. Was that a dream? He quickly sat up and held out his right palm. The necklace was there in his hand. Was it the necklace that showed him what he saw? Whil was utterly confused. He was puzzled. ¡°What happened?¡± Darreos suddenly asked from his bracelet. ¡°Nothing. Nothing happened,¡± he answered slowly. ¡°What do you mean nothing happened? I couldn¡¯t feel you just now. All your energy signature was gone instantly for quite a while. It was like you disappeared and then reappeared again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s OK. I''m fine. Nothing happened. Trust me,¡± Whil convinced Darreos while his eyes still locked onto the necklace in his right palm. ¡°Maybe I should sleep now. I guess I''m just tired.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± Darreos responded with doubt in his tone. Whil went to the drawer of his bedside table and put the necklace inside it. He jumped on his bed and tried to forget what happened just now. It might have been him being too overly excited to go find his father that he started to imagine things; too vividly though. Then again, it felt so real. He shook his head trying to forget it and gave a little giggle. ¡°I''m probably crazy,¡± he thought to himself. ¡°Just crazy.¡± XV - LEAVING HOME AGAIN It was the evening of the third of Demmor, first month of the year. Everyone else was walking back from school and Whil was still at home packing up. He skipped the first day of school that year. He had quite a talk with his grandmother, Esmer Dawn, that morning. Whil tried so hard to convince his grandmother about going in a journey to find his father. He asked Thornwell to help him convinced her and tell her that Thornwell could feel his father alive and well. It took several minutes to finally made Esmer come to a proper decision. She was very reluctant to let her only grandson go venture the world and beyond as things were not any safer anymore. Just a couple of days ago cities were attacked by unmanned drones and that included Joycelm. Esmer feared that Whil might get into unspeakable trouble in his journey and she could not let that happen. After a while, she finally agreed to let Whil go. She knew that Thornwell and Bergarious would keep him safe and Darreos will always keep Whil from harm¡¯s way no matter what. Whil was upstairs in his room. He was looking at a short sword that his grandmother gave to him that morning. She told him that it was his grandfather¡¯s sword. The sword had a beautiful royal red and golden hilt. The Guardian Republic¡¯s Seal was embedded on both sides of the flat surfaces of the sword near the hilt. His grandmother told him that his grandfather, Phillias Dawn, served the Republic as an Ender Knight for ten years. She told him an Ender Knight is a champion claimed by any High Lords, Lords or Mayors of any cities or towns. Each have their own number of champions and Hercia had twenty-one. His grandfather was the eleventh Ender Knight to be chosen by the High Lord among others at the time. Whil was impressed and honoured to be holding a weapon of a champion in his hands at that moment. The sword was made from Inglethel, the strongest Elven metal. It was the rarest and most expensive metal to be found. As Whil was busy being mesmerised by the beauty of the sword and its well-crafted sheath, he was suddenly interrupted by several knocks at the front door. They were quite loud that he heard it from his room upstairs. Whil rushed down and quickly swung the door open before anyone else in the house could reach it. There he saw Wyo, Alph and Sheila stood right in front of him. ¡°I told you, just let me knock,¡± Alph said looking at Sheila. ¡°Whatever,¡± she responded and quickly turned her attention towards Whil. ¡°Why weren¡¯t you at school?¡± she asked like a mother being angry with her child for being naughty. ¡°Umm. I was busy,¡± Whil replied. ¡°Busy with what?¡± ¡°Well. With things. This and that.¡± ¡°Whil. Tell us. Is something the matter?¡± Wyo asked with a sweeter voice than Sheila¡¯s. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. Trust me. I''m fine.¡± ¡°Then why weren¡¯t you at school?¡± Alph interrupted. He gave a huff. He could not say a word to them, but he knew that they have the right to know. He could not just leave them and not tell them anything at all. He would be just like his father if he did that, leaving them without giving a single clue. Then, he gestured them to come in. They entered and went straight to the living room. As they passed by the corridor to the living room, Sheila noticed a presence in his house that felt different. Something she never felt before. They all sat on the large sofa and Whil was on the same comfortable looking chair he sat on yesterday. ¡°First thing¡¯s first. Who are the strangers in your house?¡± Sheila suddenly asked. Whil was not that surprised as he was already getting used to the fact that Sense helped her noticed much more than ordinary Human. Still, he was puzzled by the question a little. ¡°They¡¯re my acquaintances,¡± he gave a reply. ¡°Acquaintances? What are you? A criminal now?¡± Alph jumped in and gave a huff. ¡°Acquaintances.¡± ¡°Seriously, Whil, tell us what¡¯s going on here?¡± Wyo asked. Whil gave a long stare at the floor. He was being hesitant whether to tell them or not. Then, with a loud sigh, he told them that Prince Thornwell was in the guestroom with his personal bodyguard Bergarious. He explained that Thornwell knew his father and could possibly help him find Patton. He also told them that he would be leaving tomorrow at dawn following Thornwell in his journey back to Drainrock to learn more about his father. Then, he went on telling about Darreos. He tried to convince them that Darreos can help protect him and he could protect himself with magic. They all went quiet for a while after Whil explained everything. Wyo, Alph and Sheila looked at each other in silence as if they were communicating telepathically. Maybe they were. Then, Alph looked at Whil with a slight worry. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± he asked. ¡°As sure as ever. My dad is alive out there somewhere. I have to find him.¡± ¡°I know how you feel. It¡¯s been years since you last saw him. You miss him, I know. Even so, going out there means throwing yourself into possible danger. Orcs and Goblins are running wilder than before. Random attacks on cities. Beasts spotted attacking travellers. Thieves and murderers roaming free lately. I don¡¯t think I can let you go out there by yourself.¡± Alph said. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried. Grandma was as well; but trust me, will you? Thornwell and Bergarious can keep me safe. I could learn a thing or two from them,¡± Whil tried to convince them. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Maybe you¡¯ll be alright. Maybe you won¡¯t be in real danger. Maybe Thornwell, Bergarious and Darreos can protect you. But I still can¡¯t help to feel worried for you,¡± Alph said as he was truly concerned. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re coming with you.¡± The last statement shocked both Sheila and Wyo. They both shared a glance and then gave a stare at Alph. Alph could feel their burning leer down his neck. ¡°What? It¡¯s only logical,¡± he said to them. Whil forced a smile at Alph¡¯s words. He could not allow him to come along. It would be too much to ask for. It was a quest to find his father. Neither of them needed to follow as they owed his father nothing and his father owed them nothing. If they were to help him, it would be a blind favour with nothing else in return for them. ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t let you guys put yourself in harm¡¯s way for me. This is my dad that I''m looking for. I don¡¯t need you guys to jump into this. This is between me and him,¡± Whil said. ¡°I know that. You think I don¡¯t? Look, he is your father. We have nothing else from Ygmod. All our parents are dead. All we have are each other and if your father is out there somewhere, we would do anything to help. Because that¡¯s what friends are for. You need us. We can help. He is your dad, but he is as much as an Ygmodian as you and I. If there¡¯s a chance of reuniting you and your dad, I want to help. I will help,¡± Alph responded Whil¡¯s statement. The speech made Wyo and Sheila felt needed. He was right. Whil needed them. He needed someone he is close with to support him. Of course, Thornwell and Bergarious can help, but they were not his friends. They were just a couple of newly met acquaintances that claimed to know Whil¡¯s father. They realised they could not let him leave without someone he really trusted to go along the journey with him. Wyo was especially moved by Alph¡¯s words. She just got here days ago. She was just reunited with Whil. She could not let herself be separated with him or even Alph again. ¡°You know what? Alph¡¯s right. We can¡¯t let you go by yourself, even if you have Thornwell, Bergarious and Darreos. We will come along and you can¡¯t say otherwise,¡± she said to Whil with burning passion. ¡°Yup. Alph¡¯s right. We¡¯re coming along,¡± Sheila agreed as well. Whil was touched by his friends¡¯ decision to come with him. He knew that whatever he was going to say to deny them of their decision would be fruitless. They were just as stubborn as he was. He forced a smile and looked at every single one of his friends. ¡°You guys are the best friends I could ask for,¡± he said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask you to come and I can¡¯t ask you to leave either. Your decision is yours alone to make and I am forever thankful for it. Just promise me that you wouldn¡¯t go as far as to kill yourselves for me. Promise me.¡± ¡°We promise,¡± Alph answered on Sheila¡¯s and Wyo¡¯s behalf. ¡°What about your parents though? What about Miss Polly? What about your uncle, Wyo? Would they let you go?¡± Whil asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that,¡± Sheila said. ¡°I think we can handle them. We¡¯ll meet you back here at dawn. Agree?¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Whil answered as the others nodded. ¡°Good. No one leave without everyone else being here,¡± Sheila ended the agreement with her last statement. ----- ----- ----- ----- Dawn approached slowly and the breeze blew by swiftly. It was a very exhilarating morning. Whil was standing at the front door of his house hugging his grandmother goodbye. He could tell that she was still worried. He was ready to leave, but was waiting for his other comrades. Whil was wearing a nice plain shirt with a thick sweater. He had his short sword dangling on his left waist and a bag hanging off his shoulders. Darreos was already waiting as a horse at the street in front of Whil¡¯s house with the unicorn. Then, from one end, Sheila, Gallant, Alph and Wyo came into view. They were packed and prepared. Sheila was the only one that seemed to be sporting a rapier and a gauntlet on her left arm while the rest were without any weapon of any sort. As they got close, they all greeted each other. Sheila and Wyo gave Esmer a hug and promised her that Whil will be all right. They hoped that it was enough to make Esmer feel calmer and better about letting him leave. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. As they waved their final goodbye, Whil, Sheila and Bergarious climbed on their mounts as the rest followed behind them. Wyo was on Gallant with Sheila. Thornwell found himself walking right beside Alph at the back of the group. The only two people that walked. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to know where we could find a steed of our own, do you?¡± he asked Alph. ¡°There¡¯s a farmer up north just outside of Joycelm. We¡¯ll go right pass his farm soon if we continue on this path. He have some sheep, cows and horses. I heard he bred the horses for the city¡¯s Guards,¡± Alph replied. ¡°That¡¯s good enough. I would favour a unicorn over a horse though, but, a mount is a mount either way.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so great about a unicorn? Other than the horn, they¡¯re as similar as a horse.¡± ¡°They are similar in appearance, but a unicorn is faster and are less likely to get tired as quickly as a horse. They¡¯re much more unique than you know it. Some said that its blood can cure diseases.¡± ¡°Whoa. Magical.¡± ¡°They truly are,¡± Thornwell agreed. ¡°You were with Whil since Ygmod?¡± ¡°Yeah. Ten years we¡¯ve been together.¡± ¡°So you know him quite well.¡± ¡°Quite. Not as much as you might think, but I¡¯d say I know him more than you.¡± ¡°That is true. I barely know him. If I speak truth, I only knew him by name. We never met until a couple of days ago.¡± ¡°You knew his dad. How did that happened?¡± ¡°That is a story for another day child,¡± he replied with a slight giggle. As they reached the farm, Thornwell bargained with the farmer for three horses. The farmer drove a hard bargain and in the end, they ended up with three horses that costed a gold coin each. The currency of Geldar was rather simple. They were called as tallicans. There were four tallicans, bronze, copper, silver and gold. Ten bronze coins make a copper, ten copper coins make a silver and ten silver coins make a gold. Having to buy a horse that costed a gold coin each was rather expensive. Normally a horse would cost around three to five silver coins each. Even so, Thornwell had no interest in walking all the way to Drainrock so he decided to comply with the farmer¡¯s price. As they rode off, the farmer gave a swell farewell and laughed in happiness. Wyo and Alph had their own brown horses and Thornwell was on a grey one. ¡°Hard bargain, Sir?¡± Bergarious asked as Thornwell approached him. ¡°Hard? Not really the word for it.¡± Alph was right behind Thornwell and Whil was beside him. Sheila and Wyo were at the most back. ¡°Thanks for the horses. I know they were expensive,¡± Alph showed gratitude towards Thornwell. ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t just bought one for myself and let a child walk by himself. That would be very uncourteous of me,¡± Thornwell replied. They all followed a dirt path that formed a wide road leading farther north up Gallenhied. Up ahead the road led to a split. One road headed north while the other turned northeast leading to the Serrumpt River and across it. Beyond the river, the road led straight to Flourous, the city that Whil and his friends went to before the holiday ended. They reached the split of the road at noon and they continued straight instead of turning. As time passed by, Whil turned his head around and looked at the girls. After he turned his head back in front, he gave another glance at them. Sheila noticed his eyes were on her gauntlet the second time he looked. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked him. Alph turned his attention to Sheila and then to Whil. ¡°What¡¯s with the gauntlet?¡± Whil asked. ¡°I could ask the same about the sword,¡± she answered. ¡°Well, it¡¯s for protection. Grandma gave it. It was grandpa¡¯s sword.¡± ¡°OK. Dad gave me the gauntlet and rapier. The gauntlet was enchanted to allow me to double my strength on my left arm and the rapier is as strong as a broadsword. And yes, they¡¯re for protection.¡± ¡°Wow. Enchanted weapons. Cool. What about you, Your Highness?¡± Thornwell gave a laugh. ¡°Your Highness? No need for formalities. Let¡¯s assume we¡¯re friends. When we¡¯re friends, we don¡¯t need formalities. My swords were enchanted to detect threats. They¡¯ll glow dim white and vibrate a little if threats are nearby.¡± ¡°Amazing. Bergarious? Any awesome weaponries?¡± Whil asked in excitement. ¡°No. Not really. Just a regular longsword, like your short sword,¡± he replied. ¡°So, only Wyo and I don¡¯t have any weapons?¡± Alph asked. ¡°I don¡¯t feel comfortable bringing one around,¡± Wyo interrupted. ¡°You have to. The world is dangerous. Having a weapon slightly increases the chance of survival whether you know how to use it or not. Even merchants travel with hidden daggers nowadays,¡± Thornwell explained. ¡°No worries. You¡¯ll be safe with us for the time being. I will present you and Alph with Thre¡¯adilin weapons when we reach Drainrock as a gift.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± Whil said, feeling a bit envious towards Alph and Wyo. Alph gave Whil a mischievous grin as they shared a glance. ----- ----- ----- ----- A couple of days had passed and they were only half way there. Maybe even farther from half way. Whil could not tell whether they had even passed Flourous. To the east, Whil could see mountains and trees covered by snow far across the wide plain area. They were so far away that the mountains and trees looked like miniature models in a museum. The group was sitting on logs and rocks around a fire. Alph had been learning how to sword fight with Bergarious since the day before. They were learning what was called as ¡®sword dancing¡¯. Whil looked at Bergarious and Alph as the both were holding a long stick on their right hand. They swung and thrusted the stick towards each other. As Bergarious swung, Alph blocked. Then, Alph swung and Bergarious blocked. They were as if dancing and twisting together. Feet tip toed across the grassy ground. A little swirl and a little jump they moved swiftly exchanging light blows. It was beautiful and at the same time dangerous, especially if they were both holding real swords. ¡°Amazing isn¡¯t it?¡± Thornwell asked him as he took a seat beside Whil. Whil could only nod in amazement. ¡°Why not try it? You have a sword of your own. It¡¯s better if you learn how to use it than doing nothing.¡± ¡°Nah. I think I''m more of hacking and slashing than dancing and prancing with a sword,¡± Whil replied. Thornwell giggled and held Whil¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You remind me a lot of your father. He was always stubborn and denied most of my words and suggestions. I''m always impressed by how persistent he was in every decisions he made. Never waver in most conditions, bad or good. He¡¯s brave, smart and stubborn. Amazingly, stubbornness wasn¡¯t a flaw to him. It was his strength.¡± ¡°How did you know him? Couldn¡¯t you at least tell me how you two met?¡± Whil asked. ¡°Your father and I were allies. We fought alongside each other against¡­some threats that dwelled on this land for years. We were in an organisation made secretly by a brave man that had lasted for ten years till today. We worked in secrecy, as we knew that it would be dangerous to let our endeavours be publicised. We were like vigilantes. After five years of service, your mother joined the cause. She was a new recruit. After a year, they were married. He then decided to quit the organisation and started a new life. I helped him. I knew it wouldn¡¯t be fair to force him into continuing when he had you; his first child.¡± ¡°So, those people that attacked Ygmod were looking for him?¡± ¡°Possibly. Even so, we never knew. No one knew who did it. Those that saw the attackers ended up dead in the battle and those survived didn¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°I saw them though. It wasn¡¯t clear. They were far when I saw them, but, they were all wearing full black. They had Creatures with them.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then this is good news. We had no lead for seven years and now, here you are telling me an important information. Still, one vague data is not enough to know who they were and why they did it.¡± Whil looked to his hands as he twiddled around with his fingers. He never knew that his parents were involved in such things. It was a surprise listening to Thornwell. What organisation was he talking about? Who made it? It all sounded so unbelievable. His parents were involved in some shady cause that he himself have not known or heard of until Thornwell told him about it. ¡°What else can you tell me?¡± he asked Thornwell. ¡°I''m afraid nothing else. I¡¯ve told you enough about your father and I. there are just some things that you shouldn¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°Did my parents kill people during their time in the organisation?¡± The question surprised Thornwell. He knew that Whil would be curious about his parents and the organisation, but that question was much unexpected. ¡°Well, did they?¡± Whil asked again. ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± Thornwell answered. Whil was not sure if Thornwell was lying or if he was telling the truth. Whil just nodded slowly. ¡°Could you at least tell me what was the organisation called?¡± he gave his final question. ¡°The Defiance.¡± XVI - FAYEM Three days passed and they went through wide fields with individual trees that stood far from one another. Passing one tree and another, Whil kept count of the trees on the third day of the journey since morning until the sun passed above their heads. So far, they passed around nineteen trees according to Whil¡¯s count. He only bothered to count the ones that are absolutely close to the road and did not bothered the ones that were quite far from them. Time to time, the trees were somewhat closer to one another, then, the trees became rarely grown. At the far sides of the fields, trees were growing wild forming forests and small groves. The road stayed far from the forests and kept straight on the lush field. Soon, the road turned left. Much to Whil¡¯s surprise, they did not follow it. Thornwell kept on going straight, straying away from the path of dirt. They were instead moving straight towards a thick forest up front. Whil could not see much into the forest as the trees grew very thick and close to one another. The only opening that he could see was where two large trees growing a little far from one another and bending, creating an arc that looked like a magical entrance way. Obviously, by the course that they were taking Whil was sure they were heading for the opening. ¡°What¡¯s in there?¡± Whil suddenly asked. The whole day had been a quiet one. No one talked or spoke aloud with one another. Even if they were talking, they were more like whispering to one another until the silence was broken by Whil¡¯s loud question. ¡°Up in there?¡± Thornwell asked. ¡°Into those woods we will find ourselves ending up in a large village known as Fayem. It is a Thre¡¯adilin village under the rule of King Ethron Brimrod of Fremrost.¡± ¡°Oh. So we¡¯re taking a safe short cut?¡± Sheila asked. ¡°More or less. Crossing those woods is faster than avoiding it. Most Humans avoid it. No Thre¡¯adilin kingdoms have much Human visitors,¡± Thornwell answered. As they entered the woods, the trees suddenly became taller and thicker. Light from the sun became scarce as they went in deeper and deeper. ¡°The trees didn¡¯t seem to be this big and tall from the outside,¡± Alph commented. ¡°Yes. That is true. The Kingdom of Fremrost practices the Mind Sigil. With it, they made illusions. Same goes to the villages under its rule. What you see are mostly illusions made to confuse and keep outsiders from entering. Unless you are a Thre¡¯adil or have a good Sense, you¡¯ll never reach the village in the middle of the woods. They used very strong illusions to enchant the woods effectively. You¡¯ll either be lost forever or ended up exiting where you entered. The magic is strong here.¡± ¡°So, they put up the enchantment every day to keep it functioning?¡± Whil asked. ¡°No. They used a permanent enchantment. Judging by the looks of it and how it feels, the enchantment is difficult to be tampered with. I don¡¯t believe that anyone can alter or undo this enchantment other the ones who put them up.¡± ¡°Yeah. I feel it too. Something or some sort of energy surged around the woods. It¡¯s so strong.¡± Sheila agreed. Moments later, they reached the middle of the woods. The sky opened wide and the breeze blew across their faces. They were in Fayem. Whil took notice of the buildings around him. They were remarkably built. Some even seemed impossible to be built. To his right, Whil saw one thick spiralling pillar and on top of the pillar, a building that seemed impossible for the pillar to hold up straight. In his head, the pillar should have snapped like a twig and fall. Next, he saw a floating house with only a staircase connecting the ground to the house. The deeper they went into the village, the weirder the buildings get. There was a building that looked like it was made from diamond and another made entirely of a tree that grew into a house. Remembering that Thornwell said the Thre¡¯adil in Fayem practices illusion magic, he kept in mind that most of what he saw could only be an illusion. They stopped right in front of an inn that looked like the walls were made of thick strings. They got off and took their stuff from their mounts. Darreos and Gallant returned to their bracelets and the horses and unicorn were taken to a stable beside the inn. Whil went closer to the inn¡¯s wall and inspected it. It looked so real. Then, he touched and caressed the wall just to know how it would feel like. All he felt was a wooden wall. He did not even feel the string¡¯s texture although it seemed like he was touching strings on the wall. They entered the inn and Thornwell stopped in front of them giving them a sudden halt in their march. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll get us rooms.¡± ¡°Let me do it, Sir,¡± Bergarious volunteered. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s fine. I am capable of getting us proper rooms.¡± Thornwell left and greeted the innkeeper. ¡°Oormsael. Aekir fyimyelil umyel ae yelvoi ulanusenyeth umyel noomil faa tu maen. Tei uu keryed ur od. Ner es en emthiilach sii lyoobruil.¡± ¡°Eventide. My friends and I require proper accommodations and meals for the night. There are six of us. Make it eight including two Creatures.¡± ¡°Riye vir. Mardwell ver idlaan rii so riikir yiinil. Semu ver fe deerud so riikir yiinil draanre,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°Very well. Mardwell will escort you to your rooms. Dinner will be served to your rooms shortly,¡± The night passed by swiftly. They all had a fine dinner. All the food looked very expensive and tasted very delicious. Cakes, sweet desserts and freshly baked herb breads were on their dining table. Besides the desserts, there were mushroom soup and grilled beef with the most extraordinary sauce Whil have ever tasted. They were all in three separate rooms but were served the same meal in every room. Whil was with Alph and Darreos in one room. Next door were Sheila, Gallant and Wyo. At the end of the corridor were Thornwell and Bergarious. Whil, Alph and Darreos enjoyed their meal, as they have never tasted anything more delicious in their entire life. Whil figured that they were special Thre¡¯adilin cuisine. After dinner, Whil went on writing his journal by the hearth, Alph was reading a book he brought from home and Darreos was outside of his bracelet, sleeping by the hearth next to Whil. It was all rather peaceful and nice. After Whil was done writing, he slipped the journal back into his bag and sat there, staring at the fire. Then, he was reminded about the Sigil Gloves that Sheila gave him. He took them out of his bag and instantly put them on. He pulled a clump of energy and directed it to his right palm. Fire hugged his palm as bright as the one burning in the hearth. He looked at it intently as he was mesmerised by it as always. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that you found a Creature of your own. It¡¯s so cool,¡± Alph suddenly commented as he saw Whil conjured the fire. ¡°Yeah. I would have never guessed it myself. I¡¯ve always wanted one and now I have one. Although, everything still feels the same as before. Except for the fact that I can conjure fire now,¡± Whil responded. ¡°That¡¯s the craziest part. There¡¯s fire on your palm. Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Nope. Not at all. Come closer and tell me if it¡¯s hot.¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Alph approached Whil and went closer to his palm. As he got close, he quickly moved away from the fire. ¡°Whoa. It¡¯s hot. I could feel the heat when I got closer. Dang. It was really hot,¡± Alph said, giggling. Whil laughed along. ¡°Darreos told me that it would be hot for other people except myself. I guess I can¡¯t hurt myself with my own magic.¡± ¡°That is up for debate. Maybe you can¡¯t be maimed by your fire, but your Matter magic can hurt you.¡± ¡°Really? How so?¡± ¡°Matter magic is a magic that tampers with the property and characteristics of things. With Matter magic, you can reshape and restructure the appearances, properties and almost every aspect of any object.¡± ¡°So how can it hurt me?¡± ¡°There was a case once. A man casted a wooden floor into metal spikes with Matter magic and then he ended up falling onto them. The spikes pierced him and killed him instantly.¡± ¡°Yeesh. That¡¯s harsh. Mental note; no making metal spikes near myself.¡± Both Whil and Alph laughed. They continued talking throughout the night. They shared jokes and secrets between each other. Then, Alph told Whil about the first day of school that Whil skipped. He told Whil all the things that he missed. Up to Whil¡¯s surprise, none of the things said by Alph interested him. Everything was very school related and boring. As much as Alph tried to make it sound interesting, Whil found that he utterly failed. Then, there was a knock on the door. Whil jumped over the sofa in front of the hearth and rushed to open the door. As he did, Sheila stood in front of him. ¡°Come on. Thornwell wants to talk to us,¡± she said to Whil and then looked at Alph, ¡°all of us.¡± They left the room and went down the corridor towards Thornwell¡¯s room. Sheila gave a knock and Bergarious opened the door letting them in. The moment Whil entered, he noticed that Wyo was already there. ¡°Come, sit,¡± Thornwell said. ¡°What is it?¡± Whil said while taking a seat right beside Alph. ¡°A messenger of mine tracked me down here in Fayem. It seems that I have to return to Drainrock sooner than expected. The messenger carried a letter saying that my father is dying. He had fallen ill and the Healers could not do anything to stop his illness. According to the message, he had fallen into a coma since yesterday. As I could understand, he only had three to four days left before the illness takes him,¡± Thornwell explained. Wyo covered her mouth with her hands in shock while the rest gave a concerned look. Whil noticed that Thornwell seemed as calm as always. He was as if unaffected by the news. ¡°In light of this new information, I called you here to ask whether if we could press on harder and faster to Drainrock. The journey would take us about five days, but if we move faster than before, we would arrive within three days or so,¡± he added. Whil looked at his friends. They all still seemed to be in shock by the news. ¡°Yes, of course. Whatever you need,¡± he answered for them. ¡°You do know that this means less stopping and less resting. We will keep on pressing forward,¡± Thornwell clarified. ¡°Yeah. We know. We¡¯ll be fine, I promise you that.¡± ----- ----- ----- ----- It was very early when they decided to leave. The sun did not even climbed the horizon yet. Everyone was packed and ready. Their mounts were fed and prepped for the journey up ahead. As Whil understood, the journey ahead was going to be faster paced than their journey to Fayem. He expected that they would arrive at Drainrock within three days or maybe less as they were going to rush. Whil readied himself to face the long and tiresome journey on a horseback. He went to Darreos and petted his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be a long journey up ahead,¡± Darreos said. Suddenly, Whil felt awkward petting Darreos as he realised that it felt like petting a friend on the head as if he was a pet. He pulled his hands away from Darreos and tucked them in his sweater¡¯s pockets. ¡°Yup. It¡¯s a long way to Drainrock. Can you manage?¡± Whil asked. ¡°I can manage. If I get tired, I¡¯ll just stop and throw you off my back,¡± he answered while giving a throaty giggle. ¡°Yeah. Very funny.¡± They left the village as soon as Bergarious returned from a market nearby the inn. He bought meat and some bread for the journey. They rode off in a single filed line. Thornwell was the most front as he led them out of the confusing, illusion filled woods. Bergarious was right behind Thornwell, followed by Sheila, Wyo, Alph and finally Whil. Whil volunteered to be the one at the most back before they left. He wanted to experience the woods by himself at the back of the group. The eeriness and uncertainty that filled the woods made the hair behind his neck and arms stood. What was beyond these illusions? Was it worse? Was it better than what the illusion showed? He figured he would never know unless some strong sorcerer lifted the enchantment. The ride through the woods did not take long. Soon, they were outside the woods on the other side of where they had entered the day before. Thornwell told them that up ahead was Farbos, the northern and second state of Sallestre. Thornwell estimated that they would cross from Gallenhied to Farbos by nightfall. Whil was rather excited when he heard the news. First, he stayed in a Thre¡¯adilin inn and tasted Thre¡¯adilin food for the first time. After that, he was going to cross between states in Sallestre. What is next? Would he be crossing countries? He could not get his mind to believe on how he started to jump into this big journey of his. He could only remember living in Joycelm for ten years and the only journey he had was travelling from Ygmod to Joycelm. The world was even wider now than how he imagined it before. Moments after they exited the woods, they found the dirt road that led north and followed on the path. Thornwell said it would be wiser to follow it than to go on the journey aimlessly. When Whil asked why, Thornwell only said, ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Night fell upon them and they reached the edge of Gallenhied. Up ahead was a huge gate and a tall translucent fence expanding from each side of the gate. Above the gate, he saw GALLENHIED written in capital letters. Now he knew why they had to follow the path. There was only one gate that he could see and none other to the far left or right. As they arrived to the gate, a couple of men stopped them. They looked like a couple of regular crodors. Thornwell gave something to one of the crodors and then he handed it back to Thornwell after he inspected it. Then, the crodor looked at the kids that rode with Thornwell. Thornwell turned his head towards the children and looked back to the crodor. He mumbled something to the crodor and the crodor let them pass the gates. Whil could not hear what the Thre¡¯adil said to the crodor and he was quite curious about the whole process of passing the gates. As he passed the crodor that spoke to Thornwell, the crodor said to him, ¡°Have a nice holiday,¡± with a smile. Whil smiled back and continued forward. After he passed the gates, Whil turned his head around. He looked at the top of the gate where he saw GALLENHIED before and saw FARBOS written instead. With that, he was sure that he had crossed to Farbos. He smiled wide and told Darreos to catch up with the rest. XVII - AT DRAINROCK Another two days had passed since they have crossed into Farbos. Finally, the party reached Drainrock just as the sun hit the horizon. Dusk was approaching and they were climbing up a mountain towards the entrance of Drainrock. The path up the mountain was steep and a little dangerous. They reached the city gate not long after. The horses were tired and their strides were wobbly and weak. ¡°Thror! Thrii heel tei?¡± the gatekeeper questioned as the group went closer to the gates. ¡°Halt! Who goes there?¡± ¡°Ae un Fremyed Thornwell Drogan, kom ur Leb Mirill Drogan. Aekir fuutu thrud yulovidyen aekir enesin yeseem,¡± Thornwell replied. ¡°I am Prince Thornwell Drogan, son of the King, Mirill Drogan. My father has requested my immediate return,¡± Then, the gates slowly opened. Thornwell got off his mount and so did Bergarious. The gates were finally opened fully and Whil could see the enormous city of Drainrock from there. Towering structures greeted his eyes. Buildings of white stood tall and beautifully. Greenery grew alongside structured art that they seemed more like something that would be in paintings rather than real life. He thought Fayem was crazy, but Drainrock was crazier. As Whil took notice of his group, he realized that he was the only one still sitting on his horse. Alph, Wyo and Sheila got off theirs as soon as they saw Thornwell and Bergarious did it. At the gates, a lean man that seemed to be in his fifties approached Thornwell. Whil jumped off Garreos and procured a better landing than before. ¡°Oormsael, aekir Fremyed,¡± he greeted Thornwell. ¡°Eventide, my Prince,¡± After he was close enough to Thornwell, he started to whisper with Thornwell. A few seconds into the whispering, Thornwell rushed into the gates with the other man. He was heading towards a coach connected to a couple of unicorns up front. ¡°Bergarious, krose ven tu brersyum, Ae ver fe ven rii kiim,¡± Thornwell said without even turning to look at them. ¡°Bergarious, stay with the children. I will be with you soon,¡± They seemed to be in a rush. As they entered the coach, the unicorns started to gallop away in haste. Whil, Alph, Wyo and Sheila were left there in front of the gate of Drainrock in the hands of Bergarious. Bergarious pulled his unicorn along his side and walked into the city. Wyo and Alph did the same while Sheila walked with Gallant. Whil turned his attention to Garreos and he was already in his Feremear form. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we pick up the pace?¡± Garreos asked him. ¡°Yeah, we should.¡± Whil walked quickly as he tried to catch up with the rest of the group. Suddenly, a woman approached Bergarious and gave him a tight embrace. As Whil got closer, he could eavesdrop on their conversations clearly. ¡°Es thrud foom u vaem, aryel fyimyel,¡± said the woman. ¡°It has been a long while, old friend,¡± ¡°Tus es thrud. Rii ror vir,¡± Bergarious said to her. ¡°That it has. You look well,¡± ¡°De so rii, Bergarious,¡± she returned the favour. ¡°So do you, Bergarious,¡± She then gave a glance at Whil as she noticed that Whil had been staring at her. Whil quickly moved his eyes away from her and looked at the buildings instead. ¡°Tood uu aekir syurumach lunsumimil, Whilliam, Garreos, Sheila, Gallant, Wyomey umyel Alpherd,¡± Bergarious introduced them when he noticed that the woman looked at Whil. ¡°These are my travelling companions, Whilliam, Garreos, Sheila, Gallant, Wyomey and Alpherd,¡± ¡°And this here is Lady Gwendelir Falthel. Dame and the Second Commander of the soldiers of Drainrock.¡± Bergarious said to the others. ¡°My Lady,¡± Whil greeted while he gave an awkward bow. Gwendelir giggled at Whil¡¯s courtesy. ¡°No need for that. Just call me Gwendel. Let me be the first to welcome you to Drainrock. I don¡¯t think any of you have any specific destinations to go to in the city?¡± ¡°Take us to Thornwell,¡± Whil instantly replied. ¡°Oh, the boy has a destination already. Whilliam, was it?¡± she asked and he gave a nod. ¡°You cannot see him at the moment. He is taking care of certain business that no one else should know of. He¡¯s handling some royal matters at the moment.¡± ¡°So, where are we supposed to go?¡± Wyo asked. ¡°Right this way,¡± Gwendel said and gestured her hand down a road. As she led them down the road, she told a couple of her men to take the horses and unicorn to the stable. ¡°For the time being, you all will be staying in a guest house near the palace. None of you can enter the palace without official business or an invitation from the royal family. So for now, you have to wait until Lord Thornwell invites you.¡± ¡°How long would that be?¡± Whil asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe after this or maybe tomorrow. Maybe even next week or the week after that. It depends on when he wants to invite you,¡± Gwendel replied. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we just enter now? We arrived at the city with him. Technically we were invited to come with him to the city.¡± ¡°True, but, I am under orders. I am to keep all of you out of palace grounds until he decides to invite you in. There are things happening in the palace that require full secrecy from the people¡¯s eyes and ears. Especially outsiders. Bergarious can keep you company and look after you while waiting for the Prince.¡± She looked at Bergarious and he smiled. ¡°Either way, it is already nightfall. Might as well rest your heads and wait for tomorrow.¡± They reached the guest house and she gave them the keys to the doors in the house. After saying her goodbyes, she left them. Whil looked at the guess house and it amused him just as much as the rest of the city did. It was a two story building nearly as large as the inn back in Flourous. They entered the house and Whil saw a square fountain in the middle and staircases at the left and right side of the fountain. An archway led to a dining hall and across it was a room that looked like a library. Vines grew along the walls of the house. Instead of making the house looked abandoned or old, the vines made it seemed more majestic. Alph and Whil went upstairs first and went in the first bedroom that they saw. After taking a little bath, Whil jumped straight on the comfortable bed and went into a deep slumber. The day had passed by and they still had no news about Thornwell. Any news they got were only from Bergarious that would go in the palace and check on Thornwell occasionally. The first news they received was during the first day of their arrival to Drainrock. The news was of the King¡¯s sickness. Bergarious told them that it had become worse than before. The news took all of them by surprise. Then, came the second day. It was a very uneventful and quiet day and Bergarious came with a harsher and much bitter news. The King had just passed away that morning. Bergarious told them that it might take a while until Thornwell would call them to the palace. Whil was most understanding of the situation at hand. The King was Thornwell¡¯s father and it must have been very hard for him. Whil thought that he could wait as long as Thornwell needed. On that day, they were all just there in the guest house feeling sorry for Thornwell¡¯s loss. During their third stay, they decided to have a walk around the city. It was still early in the morning and everyone barely had any idea about where to go. Bergarious had left for the palace earlier before anyone woken up. They would have wanted to venture the city with Bergarious, as he knew the city more than they do. Now, they were rather clueless. A sudden knock on the door precipitously made everything felt a little more interesting than a quiet and dull morning. ¡°I got it,¡± Wyo announced to the whole house aloud. Gwendel stood strong in front of Wyo as she opened the door. ¡°Good morrow, Wyomey,¡± Gwendel greeted. ¡°Oh. Morning, Gwendel. Come in,¡± she said as she moved aside for Gwendel to enter. Gwendel stepped into the house and stopped only a couple of steps away from the front door. ¡°I am not going to be here long,¡± she said to Wyo before Wyo even get to close the door. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re not?¡± ¡°No. I''m here to bring you to the palace. Lord Thornwell has requested all of your presence. Pack up and bring everything you have along. You¡¯ll all stay in the palace from now on,¡± she explained. ¡°Quickly now. The caravan awaits just around the corner.¡± The ride to the palace did not take long. They were already near the palace when they were at the guest house. The journey was short as if they could have just walked instead. The caravan was a little helpful in Whil¡¯s thought as they were all carrying bags of their own. Among all, Whil was especially lazy to be walking around with a huge bag on his back. The ride in the royal caravan was a life saver for him. Even so, it did not last long. As they arrived at the palace, they all got off with bags and all. Nothing was left on the caravan and no one else was helping them carry their belongings except themselves. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the palace have servants or something?¡± Whil asked as he was not keen of the thought of carrying of his own bag. ¡°We do. Although, I do not think that your bags are that heavy,¡± Gwendel replied. ¡°But we¡¯re their guests. Shouldn¡¯t we at least get a little taste of a royal treatment?¡± Alph continued the chain of questions. Gwendel giggled listening to Alph. ¡°That is quite true. Even so, everyone is quite busy preparing at the moment.¡± ¡°Preparing? For us?¡± ¡°For the King¡¯s Burial Ceremony and the King¡¯s Coronation. Come now. Lord Thornwell had been waiting long enough.¡± They climbed up the steps of the palace and a huge door that was the entrance to the palace opened swiftly. A loud roar made by the door chimed hard in Whil¡¯s ears. They walked pass a large corridor and entered the throne hall. The hall was humongous and spacious. Right across them was a flight of stairs that led to a majestic throne of gold and diamond. Behind the throne was a beautiful stained window that spanned up until the high ceiling of the hall. At the left and right side of the stairs, two doors were closed shut, covering secrets behind them. Along the hall stood six gorgeous pillars right from where they stood until the steps of the throne. Gwendel led them along the hall towards the door at the right side of the stairs. She then opened the door for them and gestured them to enter. The door led them into a straight corridor. Whil ended up at the most back of the group as they entered. Gwendel did not enter with the rest of the group. She stayed until Whil was the last one to enter and then closed the door shut. A little surprised by the door, Whil had a sudden stop in his strut and turned around to the door. As he looked back to the front, the rest were already far from him deep into the narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor was a strong oak door. Bergarious, being at the most front, opened the door and led the kids into a conference room of some sort. Whil saw Thornwell at the most end of a long table. There were two men sitting on the left side of the table and one woman at the right. ¡°Ah. You all made it. Come, sit,¡± Thornwell invited them. ¡°Pardon about your bags. I have forgotten about them. I would have asked the servants to take them to your rooms. You are guests of The Drain Palace and you should have been treated so.¡± ¡°I knew it,¡± Alph whispered to Sheila that was sitting on his right. ¡°Pardon me for asking, but, why are we here?¡± Sheila asked Thornwell. She was as if not listening to Alph¡¯s remark. ¡°Yes. Of course. Always straight to business this one,¡± he said to Sheila. ¡°As you may have heard, there will be a coronation and a burial ceremony soon. The whole palace is preparing for them and the news is being spread to the citizens of Drainrock as we speak.¡± ¡°So you will be named King of Drainrock soon?¡± asked Alph. ¡°Yes that is true. I am sorry for this, Whil,¡± he said suddenly. Whil looked at him with curiosity. ¡°I am sorry that I have delayed your search for your father. Even so, I have sent out several spies all around Sallestre to find out about your father. Within a week, we will receive the news.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m flattered. Thank you so much, Thornwell.¡± Whil extended his gratitude. He noticed the three other strangers in the room gave him a shocked stare when he did not address Thornwell as they thought he should. ¡°But, now is your time. I don¡¯t mind waiting. You should handle your stuff first. I don¡¯t think dad¡¯s going anywhere anytime soon.¡± The room was just quiet. Thornwell gave a little nod at Whil¡¯s words. Thornwell¡¯s eyes quickly turned to the table. At that moment, Whil could see the depression in his face. It was rather subtle, but, it was much more than what Thornwell showed when he learnt of his father¡¯s illness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your father,¡± Whil said slowly. ¡°Don¡¯t be. It was unavoidable. Fate had chosen to take his life and so it did. We all will mourn my father¡¯s passing. But, that is about the only thing we can do for those that has left the living,¡± Thornwell said to Whil. Then, he gave a determined look at Whil and said, ¡°Whilliam, we will find your father. I will find your father even if it is the last thing I will do. I gave you my word the first time we met and I will not forget it nor will I ever go against it.¡± ¡°Thornwell¡­I''m thankful. I really am. Thank you. But, let¡¯s not dwell on that for now. Right now, we¡¯ll do anything to help you. Anything at all,¡± Whil said without thinking. Thornwell smiled. ¡°Anything at all?¡± he said and giggled. ¡°That¡¯s alright. I do not want to ask much from any of you. The only thing I want you all to do is enjoy your stay in Drain Palace and come to my coronation; and of course my father¡¯s burial as well. I would like it if all of you could attend.¡± ¡°We will,¡± Wyo replied his request. ¡°We all will.¡± ¡°Good. That is tremendous. Now, I have a few things to discuss with my advisors. All of you should take a rest. Bergarious, take them to their living chamber and then return here. I want you to be present for this meeting.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Bergarious led them out of the room, through the corridor, and back to the throne hall. Then, they exited the hall and they were at the first large corridor where they first entered the palace. From there, Bergarious took the kids to the left side of the corridor and up a couple flight of stairs. They passed through a couple of hallways and a large archway that led them to a corridor of doors. Bergarious then led them to the door that was at the most end. He opened it and amazement greeted Whil¡¯s eyes. It was a large room with red and golden furnishings. The sofas and couches were bright red and so were the drapes. There were three other doors in the room that led to three large bedrooms. Sheila and Wyo had one for themselves and the boys had to share a room. They did not even fight over which room was whose. They just seemed to silently agree and understood each other. ¡°Well, sort yourselves out. I have to return to Lord Thornwell,¡± said Bergarious. Whil turned to Bergarious and managed to thank him before he left the room and shut the door. Alph was already lying on his bed in their room, Sheila was rummaging around her bag and Wyo was just standing and looking at everything in the living chamber. Whil just decided to drop his bag on the floor and left it there. A swift swing of his right hand and Garreos jumped out from a coat of glowing blue smoke from his bracelet. ¡°Nice place,¡± Garreos commented as soon as he took a look around. ¡°Yes it is,¡± Whil replied while he walked towards the majestic window in the middle of the room. He looked outside and the view awed him. The castle gardens and even the castle itself was absolutely stunning. Beautiful greenery here and there, vines climbing the well-carved castle walls and flowers blooming at every corner that his eyes could see. It was remarkable and much more magnificent than that of Fayem. ¡°I guess reality is much more beautiful than dreams,¡± he said to himself. Evening fell upon them that day. Everyone was gathered at the Crown, the cemetery of Drain Palace. Many commoners and nobilities sat next to one another. All of them was wearing greyish and light-blueish robes. Whil, Wyo, Alph and Sheila sat in front of everyone else. They were among the other Thre¡¯adils that sat the closest to the stone bed where King Mirill Drogan lied, which was right in front of them. Thornwell, along with a few distant relatives and the Royal Council sat beside the stone bed. Whil could not help it but to stare upon the King on the stone bed. His face was covered with what seemed like a glass or diamond made mask. On his head, his grandiose crown with meticulously carved pattern all over it. The King was outfitted with a dark blue and red robe and his hair well-combed. At the side of the stone bed was a tablet that faced the audience seated in front of the bed that read; TU FROOSYEM DROR NAAM VIM TU LEB. TU LEBSUN DROR HROYOOF VIM TU LEB ET FIYEUD. FON VIM UMOTU YAETEL UMYEL SELEL THRED FRED, TU VERYEL DROR YEKOAD VOMYED NAA. Then, the Master of Rituals approached the podium which was to the left of the stone bed. He then started the ceremony with lines and sentences from their book of rituals. Without Whil fully noticing it, he somewhat understood what the Master of Rituals was saying. Bits of words stroke him as comprehensible while some was just another foreign word. The words were translated without any need of effort. One after another, words became clearer. Heard as Thredenin, language of the Thre¡¯adils, but processed as Homonem, language of the Humans. He did not realize it, he was not bothered by it and he certainly was not baffled by it. It felt too natural that he was actually dismissing it involuntarily. After the Master of Rituals was done with his recitations, he waved his hands towards the stone bed and King Mirill Drogan was ablaze. But, instead of leaving ashes, he turned to glowing speck of dusts that flew across the air beautifully. Soon after that, the stone bed was left with nothing on it. The crown, the face mask and along with the king himself was gone. That moment made Whil wonder about all the tombstones lying around the cemetery. Were there bodies underneath them or were they put there just as a mean of reminding the people to those that had left them? After the moment of silence was gone, one by one started to leave the Crown. Whil and his friends were among the last few to leave. As they were walking out, Whil noticed four men bringing in a tombstone into the Crown with the name Mirill Drogan on it. That answered his previous question. They were all just empty tombstones on grassy fields. Quite a ritual they live by, he thought, burying the dead without a dead to bury. The rest of the day was just quiet and mundane. Nothing went on at all.