A World of a Thousand Lights

Chapter One

Silence. That's all that is there. It seeps in and controls your mind with negative emotions. It can make you feel worthless and alone. But it can become the most comforting thing at the same time. It may make you feel bad about yourself, but at least it is there.

Nova covered her face, shielding her face from the light, the picture of her and Avala beside her bed. A sigh escaped her lips as she pushed herself out of bed.

The large, arching doors that lead to her balcony open wide for her. The sounds are faint since the castle is rested on a cliff that rises over the city. Even the distant city noises become more comforting than the silence. Nova smiled as she listened. The music that played down in the streets is what she enjoyed the most. Every morning. Everyday.

The bedroom door opened as a younger female stuck her head in with a bright smile on her face. Her bright green eyes glowed in the darkness of Nova's room. With a giggle, she swam in with a male who looked very much like the girl.

Prince Pharadox and Princess Echo. Nova's younger siblings.

Nova turned and swam inside, smiling at her siblings. She closed the door as Echo floated above Nova. Echo presses her head against Nova.

"Good morning Nova,"

"Good morning, Pharadox, Echo," Nova replied. She followed behind them as they chased each other into the almost Anfractuous black half-hexagon hallways.

Echo tapped Pharadox's shoulder and swam up the wall, evading him as he tried to tag her back. Servants rushed out of the way, laughing at the two. They raced down the hall and came up to a large teal door that looms over them. The dining room.

A female with black and white fins swam up behind Nova. Her whale-like tail moved up and down with a powerful force. She moved to Nova's side and watched as the two chased each other, raising an eyebrow. The female looked at Nova with a blank look.

Her movement is like Nova's, smooth and graceful, as expected of the second of command and the empress.

"I see your siblings are fooling around... again,"

"They are still young, Stormflare. Remember how we used to be?"

A smile settled on Stormflare's lips as they turned towards the dining-room door. They swam into the dining room and took their seats at the marble table. The white ceiling curved over the dining table, over to the doors. The view of the city through the arching window and the balcony wraps around to the other side. Lines of neon teal lights run along with the ceiling.

A screen popped up in front of them. Stormflare scrolled through the list of meals they could have as Nova observed over her shoulder. They waited a few minutes before a more normal-looking nanio flew in a plate with two separate meals float in. And by normal-looking, it looks more senilorian. An android, you could say, but it isn't. The nanio bowed as it took the two meals and placed one in front of Nova and another for Stormflare. Nova picked up a two-prong utensil and began to eat. She and Stormflare ate in silence as servants swam around them, cleaning the room.

The plates floated up and towards the kitchen as Nova and Stormflare finished. They both got up and swam out of the dining room, continuing their conversation. Nova stopped and stared down a hallway. She was listening to something. Stormflare gave her a confused look as Nova headed down the hallway. Yelling can be heard from the dressing room. Stormflare laughed as she and Nova entered.

"Mistress Talina! That blouse you wear is too revealing for the meeting. Quit complaining," Techa, the chief handmaiden, growled as she fixed a formal shirt of Talina's. One without a giant hole that showed her chest. Talina rolled her eyes and hissed at Techa, who might have poked her with the needle on purpose.

Talina has held the third in command position since before Nova was the empress. The silver mechanical arm that held Talina in place shook as she attempted to squirm out of it. Talina yelped as Techa poked her again, both glaring at each other. She looked away, knowing she couldn't win anything against Techa.

"My other shirt was fine! So what it shows my chest, what is so wrong with that?"

Techa rolled her eyes as she grabbed Talina tightly. "It is not appropriate,"

In the other room, Nova perched in a seat with Stormflare, trying to hide their amusement as they watched the two argue. They both chuckled. Stormflare snagged a cooked fish snack from the tray that was set on a small table. She handed one to Nova, eating hers with one bite. Servants hovered around them, joking as they prepared them for their time. The door flashed before disappearing. An irked Talina swims out, Techa following behind calmy.

"Your greatness, your turn," she said with a bow. Nova nodded.

The door reappeared as she glided through the opening. Techa held the door for Nova, who swam towards the platform. The claw whirred and moved towards Nova, grabbing just below the top of her tail. Techa scanned her as she swam around Nova. She brought up Nova's arms, taking off her shirt. Techa grabbed a roll of fabric and wrapped it around Nova's upper body. She sewed part of the side before Pharadox barged in, causing Techa to jump. She shifted her body towards him and glared harshly.

"Master Pharadox! I understand you love to fool around, but you must learn to knock first," She spun towards him, placing her hands on her hips. An ashamed grin formed on Pharadox's face.

"I'm sorry, Techa,"

"Pharadox, Techa?"

The two turned towards Nova. A silvery liquid seeped out of a cut above her waist. Pharadox's expression immediately became guilt as he rushed to Nova's side as Techa inspected the wound. She pushed Pharadox into a corner, forcing him to face the wall. Grabbing Nova's shirt, she lifted off the other fabric and drew the shirt over Nova's head.

"It is nothing on. You must get it clean, so there aren't any infections," Techa explained with an unreadable expression. Pharadox bowed his head as Nova stared with a blank face. "Oh, and Pharadox, I would like you to take your sister to Mercedies," Techa continued before pushing them both out of the room. Talina tilted her head with a suspicious stare as Nova pointed to her waist and headed off down the hall with Pharadox. They swam in silence for a minute or two before Nova spoke up.

"Pharadox. Don't feel bad accidents happen,"

"I know, but... I didn't mean to get you hurt," He paused with a glance down. "I was just bored and wanted to see if you would hang out after,"

Nova stopped and pressed her head against his for a quick moment.

"You know I will always say yes to hanging out with you, Uistoro,"

Pharadox grinned at the nickname, returning the affection to her.

They entered the med bay to find almost everything in chaos. Two of the med bay students seem to be trying to strangle each other. A mid-class doctor sits at a desk, watching this all godown. Tools and supplies lay scattered on the floor like unwanted items. Three of the senior nurses were in a circle pointing and yelling at each other while Mercedies, the chief doctor, sat on one of the upper levels, some Senilorian alcohol in her hand. She watched the scene with a smile on her face.

Nova and Pharadox watched in stunned silence. Both were unsure of what to make of the scene that unravelled in front of them.

Paradox muttered something about how they even got into the medical field and that they might lose their jobs soon. His older sister shot him a disapproved look as a guard swam up to Nova and the young prince. The same look on her face. Nova recognized her. The guard is Seranta, an elite and one of Elara's best guards. She and Nova have met a few times. It would be a lie to say Nova wasn't a little interested in her.

"Honestly, I don't know what to tell you, your greatness. We heard yelling, then crashing, and then more noises we weren't sure of. So when we went to check, Mercedies... sorta just told us to stay out," the guard revealed while crossing her arms. Nova humed, glancing over to Seranta.

Seranta stared down at Nova and fixated her gaze on Nova's waist. "I'm assuming that's why you came here?"

Nova glanced up at her and then down at her waist, nodding her head.

"Yes. Pharadox startled Techa, which caused her to cut me by accident. It isn't a big deal though, Seranta," Nova said as the guard looked at Pharadox with a sly smile.

"Taking shots at your own sister, dear prince?"

Pharadox let out a laugh as Nova shook her head.

Pharadox smiles and bows his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Seranta,"

"Please, the pleasure is mine, young prince. Now I am going to take your sister over there so I can clean her wound. I rather you two not deal with..." She grimaced over to the med bay door, "That,"

They turn away from the door as Seranta leads Nova into the room. Pharadox left to go find Echo.

Nova sat down on the medical table in the centre of the room, sighing as Seranta approached with a glowing bottle. She emptied some onto her hand and rubbed it across Nova's wound.

"Thank you, Seranta,"

Seranta looks up at Nova and nods. "Of course, my empress. It is part of my job to care for you," She smiled at Nova, who smiled back. "I am almost done,"

"Oh, take your time. I have little of anything to get to," Nova stated.

"I have heard differently,"

Nova got up off the bed, watching as Seranta wrapped a bandage around her waist.

"There. You are done, my empress,"

"Thank you, Seranta," She paused as she glanced around the room " I hope you have a good day,"

"You are still terrible with conversations," Seranta laughs as she bowed " I hope the same for you,"

* * *

Echo gazes around the grounds, admiring the surrounding scene. A lone, wide tree stood near the left edge of the garden, the branches reaching for the purple-coloured cave ceiling. The flowers and plants grow strong too. The enclosure provided everything they needed; attention. The vines were content with their positions in the garden, none trying to reach beyond.

The flowers swayed in the water as Echo swam down towards the ground, resting in the patch of flowers. She looked up at the tree as the branches danced slowly high above her form. The Falea's branches waved in the water currents.

The tree, Flalea, has stood there for decades. It towered above all other elements within the garden. Its sparkling, metallic gold leaves moved with the limbs that reflected a gorgeous light onto the ground and everything around the tree. The flowers and plants definitely tried to claim their share of the glory, and the fatroves often look fantastic, but nothing couldn't compete with the Flalea.

Closing her eyes, Echo looks back to her younger days on Senilor and the more vibrant plant life that once grew on Senilor. A trail of memories passed through her mind. She continued resting on the ground in content silence. A current pushed against her right side, letting her know that someone was approaching her. Pharadox swam to her side, also admiring the surrounding scene. They say nothing to each other. The comforting presence of her brother is all she needs.

"Hey, Echo! The meeting with the three main Pacata's is soon. We need to get you ready," A short male with a shark tail quickly swam over to Echo and Pharadox. Nerio, the head technician and somehow the messenger between the royal siblings and anyone who worked in the beauty department. The two siblings got up to greet him, chatting a bit before Nerio leading them to a room crowded with many things, primarily for cosmetics.

Another male swam in bright colours on his body and clothes. Nerio smiled and moved towards the male, taking his hand. Chala smiled and turned, kissing Nerio on the forehead.

"I missed you, iknetta."

Paradox rolled his eyes and groaned. "I still don't understand why you would call him a plant."

Echo scoffed, turning to her brother. A disappointed look painted over her face as she spoke.

"Because it's cute, Pharadox,"

"Right. I mean, yes, the plant itself is beautiful, but it is bright pink! The last time I checked, Nerio is deep blue, deep blue!"

"The colour isn't the reason I call Nerio that, Pharadox. The flower is beautiful and symbolizes unity. It also symbolizes unity as a whole. I call Nerio iknetta because he is my unity. He is my whole."

"That was beautiful, Chala."

"Thank you, Echo. I got it from something humans call fanfiction."

"What's fanfiction?"

"And now we need to get ready!"

Chala quickly turned away from her to hide the embarrassment on his face. Suddenly, Genafire, the lead engineer, and Mercedies pushed in.

"Can someone explain to me what in the name of the gods happened to Mercedies?" Genafire questions, yelling at the four. Mercedes was slumped over Genafire muttering nonsense in her ear. It didn't help that Genafire is half the size of Mercedes.

"The room was chaos when Nova and I went in there," Pharadox said as Echo gave him a questioning look, along with Nerio and Chala.

Pharadox scratched his arm as he stared at the others. "I accidentally made Techa cut Nova..." Echo raised a brow as Nerio and Chala shook their heads with playful smiles.

"Good job, Pharadox. Good. Job," Echo countered in a sarcastic tone.

"It was an accident!"

"You hurt our sister!" Echo crossed her arms while rolling her eyes. Paradox swore at her, which brought on to a fight between them. Chala watched with a displeased look as Mercedes and Genafire cheered them on.

An older male swims in, his face wrinkled with age, but a gentle smile still rested on his features. He watched with amusement, waiting patiently. Echo stopped everything when she spotted him, Pharadox imitating her.

"Prince Pharadox and Princess Echo, if you would come with me please,"

They gave each other a confused look before complying.

Chala and Nerio watched them leave and then turned to Genafire and Mercedies. Mercedies on a table, half asleep. Genafire slowly nodded her head, looking at Mercedies.

"Yeah. You get to deal with that. Goodbye,"

And with that, she rushes out of the room, leaving Nerio and Chala staring uncertainly at Mercedies's sleeping form.