The Heart Of Zilo

1.SunLands

The Sunland greeted every morning like an old friend.

Golden light spilled over the rolling hills, chasing away the last traces of dawn's mist as it settled across fields bursting with wildflowers. Rivers glittered beneath the rising sun like strands of liquid crystal, weaving through forests whose emerald canopies whispered with the songs of unseen birds.

It was said that nowhere else on Zilo did the sun shine quite so warmly.

Children laughed barefoot through meadows of buttercups. Farmers waved to one another from orchards heavy with ripe fruit. Bakers flung open their windows, allowing the sweet scent of fresh bread and cinnamon to drift through the cobbled streets.

Life here was simple.

Peaceful.

The kind of peace people forgot to be grateful for until it was gone.

"...You're hopeless."

I laughed softly as I crouched beside a patch of drooping moon lilies, brushing a loose strand of raven-black hair behind my ear.

"You know that?"

The tiny flower leaned sideways as if offended.

"I'm trying to help."

I pressed a little more soil around its roots before patting the earth flat with both hands.

"There."

Satisfied, I smiled.

"You'll be beautiful by tomorrow."

"Talking to flowers again?"

I looked over my shoulder to find Old Bram standing a few rows away, leaning against his shovel with an amused grin stretching beneath his silver beard.

Heat crept into my cheeks.

"I wasn't talking to them."

"Oh?"

His bushy eyebrows lifted.

"So who was I hearing?"

"...Myself."

"Mhm."

He nodded solemnly.

"That's somehow worse."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Old Bram had tended the village gardens since before I'd been born. He liked to pretend he was grumpy, but every spring he'd secretly leave baskets of the first strawberries on children's doorsteps.

Including mine.

He shuffled closer, lowering himself carefully beside me with a dramatic groan.

"I've got knees older than half this kingdom."

"I've told you to let me do the heavy work."

"And let everyone think I'm retired?"

"You are retired."

"I most certainly am not."

"You fell asleep sitting on your wheelbarrow yesterday."

"I was inspecting it."

"With your eyes closed?"

"It required intense concentration."

I shook my head, smiling despite myself.

"You'll never admit defeat, will you?"

"Not while I've still got breath in my lungs."

His gaze drifted to the lilies between us.

"...Funny."

"What is?"

"They were nearly dead yesterday."

I blinked.

"They were?"

"Mhm."

He scratched thoughtfully at his beard.

"Strangest thing."

His weathered hand gently touched one of the blossoms.

"It looks healthier already."

I smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe it just needed someone to believe in it."

Old Bram stared at me for a long moment before chuckling under his breath.

"That's exactly something you'd say."

I wasn't sure whether it was a compliment.

By the time the sun climbed higher into the sky, my basket was overflowing with herbs, lavender, and freshly picked vegetables.

I balanced it carefully against my hip as I wandered toward the village.

The streets were already alive.

Merchants called cheerful greetings from colorful market stalls. Children darted between adults, weaving imaginary swords through the air while arguing over who would become the greatest knight in the Sunlands.

The smell of warm pastries nearly made my stomach growl.

"Aezania!"

I barely had time to turn before something small crashed into my legs.

"Oof!"

Tiny arms wrapped around my waist.

"Good morning to you too."

I looked down to find little Lio grinning up at me, one of his front teeth missing.

"You promised you'd come see my rabbit!"

"I did, didn't I?"

"He won't eat."

Concern replaced his excitement almost instantly.

"I think he's sick."

"I'll come after I finish delivering these."

He nodded so enthusiastically his curls bounced.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Only then did he let go, sprinting away before stopping halfway down the street.

"Oh!"

He spun around.

"I picked these."

He held out three tiny yellow flowers.

"For you."

My heart melted.

"They're beautiful."

"They're not as pretty as you though."

A horrified gasp escaped somewhere behind us.

"Lio!"

His mother hurried over, looking absolutely mortified.

"I'm so sorry, Aezania."

She caught her son's shoulder.

"I've told you not to flirt."

"I'm not flirting."

He frowned.

"I'm being honest."

I burst into laughter.

"It's alright."

I accepted the flowers as though he'd handed me the finest jewels in the kingdom.

"Thank you."

His face lit up brighter than the morning sun.

As they walked away, his mother buried her face in her hands while Lio happily skipped beside her.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No."

"...Then why are you making that face?"

I laughed all over again.

Sometimes I wondered if there was anything more precious than children.

And if there was...

I hadn't found it yet.

A gentle breeze brushed across my skin.

It carried with it the scent of wildflowers.

For just a fleeting moment, I could have sworn the air itself seemed to hum around me.

Soft.

Ancient.

Almost...

Comforting.

I paused in the middle of the road, glancing around.

The breeze disappeared as suddenly as it had come.

"...Strange."

"Aezania!"

I looked up to find half the marketplace waving me over at once.

The baker was holding out a loaf of still-warm bread.

The florist wanted help arranging bouquets.

Mrs. Elara was already calling me over for tea.

I couldn't help but smile.

Another ordinary day.

I laughed as Mrs. Elara shoved a basket into my arms.

"You've grown too thin."

I looked down at myself.

"I have?"

"You absolutely have."

"I don't think I—"

"No arguing."

She pointed a flour-covered finger at me.

"Take the bread."

Before I could protest, a warm loaf landed on top of the herbs already filling my basket.

Then another.

"And these honey cakes."

"Mrs. Elara..."

"Oh, and the strawberry tarts."

"I can't possibly—"

"You can."

She smiled triumphantly.

"You just don't know it yet."

The women gathered around the bakery laughed.

I sighed dramatically.

"You all conspire against me."

"We call it loving you."

My smile softened.

"I know."

And I did.

I knew how fortunate I was.

Not everyone in the Sunlands grew up surrounded by people who cared this deeply.

Sometimes I wondered what I had done to deserve such kindness.

Then I remembered my grandmother's words.

"You don't earn love, little star."

"You simply choose to give it... and one day, it finds its way back."

I had always believed her.

The women refused to let me leave.

I had barely settled onto the wooden bench outside Mrs. Elara's bakery before another cup of lavender tea was pressed into my hands.

"Drink," Mrs. Elara ordered, setting a plate of honey cakes in front of me.

"I've already had two."

"And?"

"I'll be rolling home at this rate."

"Nonsense."

She waved me off, taking the seat beside me while the other women exchanged knowing smiles.

Something about those smiles made me suspicious.

"...What?"

Mrs. Maren was the first to speak.

"Aezania, dear..."

"...Yes?"

"When are you finally going to let one of those poor boys court you?"

The tea nearly went down the wrong pipe.

I coughed, cheeks instantly warming.

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, don't pretend you haven't noticed."

"There isn't a young man in this village who doesn't stare after you."

"They practically line up whenever you come to market."

"And poor Ellis has been buying flowers every third day."

"They're for his mother," I protested weakly.

Mrs. Elara snorted.

"His mother's been dead six years."

Heat flooded my face.

"Oh..."

The women burst into laughter.

I buried my face behind my teacup.

"Mrs. Elara," I mumbled, "I'm far too busy helping Old Bram with the gardens."

"Flowers don't keep you warm at night."

"Mrs. Elara!"

"They don't."

"They're wonderful company."

"They don't kiss you either."

The entire table erupted.

I covered my face with both hands.

"I think I'd rather weed the entire royal gardens than continue this conversation."

Mrs. Elara reached over, patting my hand affectionately.

"We only tease because we love you, sweetheart."

"I know."

"And because you're twenty-one."

"There it is."

"There what is?"

"The real reason."

More laughter.

I could only shake my head, smiling despite my embarrassment.

Perhaps one day I would think about marriage.

But today...

Today I was perfectly content with flowers, quiet mornings, and coming home to my grandmother.

After escaping the relentless matchmaking of the village mothers, I wandered through the market, stopping at the butcher's stall.

"I'll take two cuts of venison, please."

"For your grandmother's stew?"

"You remembered."

The butcher grinned as he wrapped the meat.

"Hard to forget. Best stew in the Sunlands."

"I'll tell her you said that."

He slipped an extra sausage into the parcel before handing it over.

"For the cook."

"I can't accept—"

"You can."

I sighed dramatically.

"Everyone in this village conspires against me."

"We prefer 'looks after you.'"

Laughing softly, I thanked him before continuing through the bustling market, collecting fresh vegetables, herbs, and a small jar of wildflower honey.

By the time I left, my basket was nearly full.

The familiar path home wound between flowering hedges and towering oak trees, the afternoon sun painting everything in warm shades of gold.

I had just rounded the bend when a familiar voice called after me.

"Miss Aezania!"

I turned to find Azure hurrying toward me.

The young fae balanced several packs across his shoulders, his sapphire-blue eyes bright with excitement. His silver-blue hair shimmered beneath the sunlight, the delicate translucent wings folded neatly against his back.

Azure traveled farther than anyone else in the village.

Every few weeks, he returned with stories of distant kingdoms and curious little trinkets gathered from his journeys.

"I was hoping I'd catch you before you went home."

"You've just made it."

He smiled, reaching into one of his satchels.

"I brought you something."

"You didn't have to."

"I know."

He produced a small velvet pouch and carefully placed it into my hands.

"I remembered what you once told me."

I frowned thoughtfully.

"What did I tell you?"

"That if there was one place in all of Zilo you wished you could see..."

His smile turned almost sheepish.

"...it was No Man's Land."

I laughed softly.

"I did say that."

Everyone thought I was odd for it.

Most people couldn't even speak the name without making a protective sign over their hearts.

But ever since I was little, No Man's Land had fascinated me.

Not because I wished to enter it.

Only because I couldn't understand how one place could inspire so much fear.

Azure nodded toward the pouch.

"This was recovered by an expedition exploring the old ruins near its borders."

My curiosity immediately piqued.

Slowly, I opened it.

Nestled inside lay a polished black crystal no larger than my palm.

It resembled obsidian, smooth as glass, yet deep within its center, thin wisps of dark silver drifted like smoke trapped beneath the surface.

"...It's beautiful."

As soon as my fingers wrapped around it...

A sharp pulse raced through my hand.

Not painful.

Just...

Unexpected.

I inhaled sharply.

The crystal felt strangely warm.

For the briefest heartbeat, I could have sworn something inside it stirred.

"...Did you feel that?" I asked.

Azure blinked.

"Feel what?"

"The warmth."

He looked genuinely confused.

"It should be cold."

I turned the crystal over in my hand.

The smoky patterns shifted lazily beneath the surface.

"What kind of crystal is it?"

Azure shrugged.

"No one's entirely sure."

"They call it the Crystal of Chaos."

I looked up.

"The Crystal of Chaos?"

He laughed.

"Oh, don't let the name frighten you. Every old relic seems to gather a dramatic legend."

"What sort of legend?"

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"They say it's a fragment of something ancient."

"Ancient?"

"Older than the kingdoms."

His smile faltered just enough for me to notice.

"Some believe these crystals once belonged to the seals surrounding No Man's Land."

I stared at the crystal.

"And the smoke?"

"No one knows."

"...Should I be worried?"

He chuckled.

"If every old myth were true, we'd all be doomed."

That earned a laugh from me.

"So I'll survive?"

"I'm fairly certain."

"Fairly?"

"Very fairly."

Rolling my eyes fondly, I slipped the crystal back into its pouch before placing it gently inside my basket.

"Thank you, Azure."

"I had a feeling you'd appreciate it more than anyone."

"I do."

We exchanged one last wave before continuing in opposite directions.

Neither of us noticed the crystal gave a single, faint pulse beneath the vegetables.