Lunar Ethereal: Hawhtsqege Kingdom

Hawhtsqege Castle (Academy)

It has been a tour for Nahayak after she tag along behind Amiras, she omitted the thought about her necklace.

Her poignant expression altered to speechless as she delightedly looks around the vicinities. Exploring and discovering the fragment streets of Hawhtsqege Kingdom.

Luscious aroma passing through her nose secreted from the cobble houses cooking, metal workshop emitting smokes from their forges, and humans gambling among each other, coins clanged as one of them smash the table. There's a street where children play with their inherited abilities, whooshing waters spells, and misdirected blazing fires, thus, they ran after hitting a window.  

As she walks slowly, her head turn with a gap between her lips, to something caught her attention. On this broad street, she had never seen something beautiful as this mansion until now.

A secluded mansion enclosed by its sophisticated fences. Inside are visible beyond its fences. Front yard is rich with verdant-grass, joined by the blooming multicolored flowers, there's also a peculiar bird—with a horn on its forehead—inside the cage, and maintained fountains like waterfall.

Furthermore, the moment she satisfied her eyes in amazement, is the moment she lost track of Amiras. While in the middle of the crowd, she searches the area as if she's a lost child seeking for her mother.

"Nahayak!" Amiras shouted from the distance, barely screened by the busy people, in front of a food stall. She observes Nahayak with a facial aspect of impatient as her hands are clasping on both edge of her waist.

Upon coming Amiras, Nahayak sniff something appetizing that rumbles her empty stomach. She eavesdropped, "Hey Fatty, give me two grilled lower flying-cod."

"Aight," replied by the fat old merchant.

Amiras offered Nahayak with a grilled fish, pierced by wooden stick, "I won't carry you if you fainted while trekking yourself in hunger into the castle, so I'll fill your stomach first."

"Castle?" Nahayak wonder for she doesn't know what it means.

As Nahayak attempt to plunge her first bite, she impedes as the fat old-man merchant—with a black-gold gem inserted on his forehead—stretch his neck, peering into Nahayak, "Hi little girl, I'm Pol ar. Aguila, what's your name?" he chuckled and offered Nahayak a handshake.

But after short period of awkward greeting, he pulled off his hand considering Nahayak had not respond due to not having idea what the merchant acted.

He changed his glance into Amiras, and asked, "Is she your?" he chuckled.

"She's Nahayak, and not your business..." Amiras glared with a raise of her eyebrow.

His smile turn to defeat, "Um... right... okay, I—I just thought you had decided to make use of that thing... you know," the old merchant stated.

Amiras count the coins on her palm, "Don't mention anything about it, she's not from any sides of my family, though," she warned with a dubious smile as she hands over the gold and the old merchant took it.

Amiras nod as she farewells. Together, they brought their step away from the merchant.

"Goodbye Amiras, I'll visit you sometime inside the Academy," the old merchant shout with a cheerful tone.

"Aw!" Nahayak muttered after hurting her gums from biting the unforeseen fish thorny-rib.

Her filled belly made her trip buoyantly, not until they arrived at a certain place whereby the castle sits on the mountain summit, and is in reach by their glimpse. Nahayak sigh as her insight to the path they'll trek is tiring.

Beneath the castle is a long-way stairs, it's slabs are huge, and wide. Seems like its a stair meant to be stepped by giant.

For a little while, Amiras bare a mischievous grin towards Nahayak, no idea pertains to Nahayak, but her instinct tells jaundice.

Trekking on these slabs, Nahayak comprehended what was the grin for. She began to crawl half-way with a large-gap distance between Amiras. A little more is enough to burn her up to pass out.

After approximately an hour, Amiras end up at the peak, postponing  to alleviate; also to awaits Nahayak. However, Nahayak barely moves before Amiras check.

Out of options, and only magic. She force to stretch out her arms as if she's throwing a ricochet; a surge of water burst its way into Nahayak like a snake plunging, enveloping further around her body, and abduct her to the location where Amiras dawdle.

As Nahayak simultaneous gasp with a dying soul on the ground, Amiras clapped, her expression is neither glad or disappointed, but quite contented.

"For a little girl with a frail body, you nearly pass the test, and nearly begone to the death's door. So, I suggest you to work on your health Nahayak."

Night gradually creeps itself in the sky apparently, and the eight moons began to manifest their faint.

Nahayak tried to stand firm, upon regaining her composure, and the instant she turns around, she witnesses the systematical flick of tiny-lights below of the summit, belonging to the residences like a light from thousands immobilized fireflies caged within the kingdom walls.

The kingdom is much broader than she thought, but this extraordinary sight-seeing didn't last as Amiras command her to pace forward towards the black-silver enormous gate attached within enormous walls of the castles.

Nahayak felt the same stunning feeling before, it's pretty comparable to what she felt the first moment she found the wall outside the kingdom. 

Though, scratches, fractures, and other damages are imprinted and punctured within this wall, denoting history of resistance from anonymous cause.

After Amiras presented herself, and the gate resounds a thuds in sync of its opening. As the gate subsequently widen; subsequent views astounded the teenager—Nahayak; she gazes afar two giant willow trees partially under of colossal pillars propping nothing, but air, besides the undelineated walkways.

Nahayak and Amiras internally pave their way across the rustling leaves brimming on the broadened ground, and as they walk, a thudding sound from their back pertaining to the enormous gate, closing concurrent to abruptly evincing of freaking orb lights, visibly hanging on the walls, and some are on the pillars, illuminating the broadened ground.

The temperature's sudden drop that triggered Nahayak to shiver. "Damn, too much work," Arimas thought after she glance the crowding leaves.

Footsteps discontinued, Amiras spins around, against Nahayak with a mere smile on her face, hands joining together, "We're now at the academy—on the castle's opening ground. I'm sure you're amazed, well... that's classic and there's more to discover—inside." she said as she anticipated Nahayak to be overwhelmed.

Nahayak seems fond of something or someplace, she haven't seen before, "They're huge, the stones are too—huge, are they really built by people?" Nahayak murmured in pondering.

"Of course, they're. They're built by the ancient people; they're the former people of this kingdom—Hawhtsqege Kingdom. However, this kingdom fell to ruin and Brokobol—the ancient hero has to fix the fracture inside this castle. Specifically, he's an aberrant, and one of the founding fathers of this Kingdom, his particular affinity is earth element, and already in the pinnacle of it—or perhaps, the limit of human can achieve." Amiras stated glancing up on the colossal pillars after hearkened Nahayak's mumbled.

"Aberrant? and what is eart—"

"No question I said."

The walkways divided further into two walkways, leading to their solitude doors as an entrance to the castle. Both are little lower than the latter gate, and with a long-range distance between. Apart from having similar size and shape, the symbol engraved on them is different, the emblem of the moon is etched on the left door, and a sun emblem is on the right.

Amiras initiate through the left door, along with the winds, rush-blowing. This door leads to the seemingly broad grand hall, and as their foot tread the black carpet, massive chandeliers automatically lit; they gleamed throughout the layout of the castles, to the pillars and passageways, aligned left and right alike. There's also a nearby spiral staircase which links upward to another corridors, coordinated with numerous dorms, and the unique carpet they stepped on—the spacious black carpet, portrayed with a moon icon.

Warmth repelled the chills out their body, followed by the activation of massive clock clinging on the front-view wall—clink-clank ticking.

Seeing that Nahayak is overwhelmed by these bizarre exhibitions, Amiras can't help but smile as she recalled her momentarily reaction from the first time she stepped on this castle.

But her smile broke off to expressionless as she remembered that she is the caretaker. For her, even though the wholly castle miraculously clean itself, it's no joke to watch out the whole castle, alone.

She gazed upon Nahayak, she gestures her finger meant for Nahayak to follow her upstairs by the spiral staircase.

After their entire ascension, they arrived before a wooden door, "Listen! This is the attic; also, this is my quarter, and supposedly mean, we're located in the highest peak of Hawhtsqege Kingdom. So, from now on, this'll be our room, do you understand?" Amiras stated while looking towards the door.

A nod as a yes pertain to Nahayak as she yet fondles her head from vertigo, inflicted by the latter staircase.

With Amiras presence the door slid inside the wall's edge.

The interior is quite large, rather, it doesn't give the impression of an attic, although the ceiling is in reach over their head. Everything is neat like a dorm. There's a bed on the left, a table upholding various peculiar items, and two windows separately leading to the roof-tiles balcony. [-_-]

Followed by Nahayak, Amiras went inside, "Like others, I don't have such rules except for the items inside this rooms aren't your concern."

"Nahayak, Open the window," she asked while she's about to untie her hair.

Nahayak gaze in one of the windows, aside from the balcony, the residences on the ground can be seen up here by their sparkling light.

She unwinds the window, and the refreshing breeze invaded the room, inducing Nahayak and Amiras to loosen up in sigh.

Nahayak knew that they're already in Amira's quarter, therefore, she began to strike her with a question, "Do you live here alone?" she asked while her entire hair drift through the course of the breeze as she gaze out the window.

"Yes, as a caretaker, I took care of this castle," Amiras replied.

She moves behind Nahayak, together they gaze out the window, "The view here is beautiful, isn't?"

Nahayak butt down on the window seat, and put her chin above her arm as it leans within the window. She yawns, and softly said, "It's sad here, it's too quiet."

Amiras took a deep breath, "Well... it's true, it's quietly-sad here, but It's temporary."

"Anyway, you said you had no home to return, and I hope you're not pretender."

While looking at the sparkling light, Nahayak vision rise towards beyond the wall, "I lived far, to the island, and my home... It was destroyed... my tribe died while they ran with me, they tried to protect us, and I survived, then m—my moth—"

"Stop, it's fine, I understand," seeing that Nahayak whine rapidly in sadness, Amiras entice to change the matter, "Do you by the way... any chance know about magic?"

Hearing what Amiras said, Nahayak look straight to Amiras, regardless of showing her weepy eyes. Her consistent inquisitive relieved her mood apparently, "I don't know, can you please tell me?" she asked calmly with eager.

Amiras successfully diverted the matter, she slowly joined her on the window seat, and she glance towards Nahayak who has the expression of a learner.

[THIS IS A VERY VERY LONG LONG LONG STORY 0_o]

"Magic... is an innate ability granted by the law of our world, and to explain it simple... it's "natural". Humans had deliberately spilled the bean of this natural phenomena, with the help of the race Nimsay's microscope technology. They discovered that it's a thing which is very, very, very, small that it's actually invisible to the eye, and they called it "mana particles".

Amiras cleared her throat, and with her water magic, she set off a drop of water amidst in the air, smoothly hovering. Some of them began to combine and illustrated themselves as a miniature human-figure; the water-drops that are still scattered, began to surround the human figure.

Amiras proceed her narration, "We believe that we're generated by this world, and this world is one of the creations by the one supreme-being. Now, look carefully into that human figure, Nahayak."

The human-figure glow apparent in its chest, "The thing that glow in its chest is its soul, we also believe that every being has a soul... you, me, beasts, any livings, and even the "Four Elemental Gods". Do you know what soul is?"

Nahayak nods.

"Good, your tribe had done well just by telling you about this solely sacred-secret of life, Nahayak," Amiras smiled pleasantly.

"God? and what is elemental God?" Nahayak's questions after a reminiscence of her tribe's legend; her tribe proclaimed that their tribe has a God, yet she could not tell what is a "God".

"After the Supreme-Being created the world, Gods simultaneous emerges to maintain the balance of this world, this includes the "Four Elemental Gods"."

Once again, she spread countless drops of water inside the attic, combining into a water globe, "They said that the world is circle, only when you're sailing."

The globe shrinks, consecutively spitting out four miniature human-figures—three men, and one woman aligned in the midst of the air. "They also said, that the Gods are genderless, however since one of them manifest itself with a female figure, let's go with that," Nahayak watch these images pretty exciting.

One mini men-figure began to made a plain, and mountains inside the globe, only then, Amiras began to narrate, "The Earth God who perpetuate the dust, sand, rocks into a complex mass such as the plains platform, and mountains for us living to step on, and seek our life."

The water globe shrink again as another mini men-figure utilizing it's water upon creating a sphere, far and outside the globe, "The Fire God who's the greatest of all God, the ancient enunciated that he provide us living a warm by creating a sun, however, his power is overwhelming that it pierce through the center of earth, and the Earth God had to seal it down to the deepest."

The last men-figure began establishing a barrier around the globe, "The Air God, shielded our lands from the blazing-scorch of sun exploiting his power, inner and outer the world, and bring life to the living by its breath."

A man, and a woman were generated by the last men-figure.

The water female-figure began to serve the living with a bowl of water, "The Water God, my God, a Female God who perpetuates the water elements, to sustain the thirst, and hunger of the living."

"The world's genesis, and the living through their journey.... Now going back, every soul-living can utilize the mana-partic—"

Amiras broke her narration after seeing Nahayak evidently fell asleep, "I guess, I'm a good story-teller."

She sighs, and within Nahayak serene rest. She hauled up Nahayak onto the bed carefully, and thoroughly cover her with a blanket.

A close whisper around her ear, "Rest now Nahayak, and I'm sure, you'll enjoy your stay here," Amiras yawned as she too—fell asleep.