Lunar Ethereal: Hawhtsqege Kingdom

Drakco Erizalli (1)

Blackness enveloped her vision, until two perceptible fading figures appeared. Nahayak watches closely to identify these figures.

"Father? and who's that girl?" she wondered.

"Ha! Who would have thought that my little girl is now becoming a lady, Hahaha!" the man chuckles, patting his hand over the head of the girl.

The little girl groaned, and seems irritated as she removes the hand away from her head, "Father stop teasing me—or, I'll tell mother! So you can't drink again tonight!"

"Is that me?"

They faded, and Nahayak found a lady not far from her, she noticed, "Mother?"

The lady whom she claimed to be her mother, spoken with a mild-tone, "Take this necklace with you, it's a gift from your father, and yet my last gift for you, protect it with all your heart, Nahayak."

Nahayak attempted to voice out, though, something unexplained occurrence is obstructing her to speak, only except for her mind, "Mother? What's happening? Please, don't leave me!"

"Survive Nahayak! Please promise me to survive!"

"I can't, mother! please! " Nahayak begged as her breath began to tighten.

"Please promise me Nahayak! Survive! and find your fa—"

"Nahayak! Wake up!" a forceful shout upon eluding Nahayak from her dream—a nightmare.

Nahayak appears to be in grimace, her breath persists on panting, her forehead sweat out a mess, and her eyes are tearfully wide-open as if she witnessed a gruesome incident. She looks around to only spot Amiras nudging her with the end of a broomstick.

Amiras sigh, and took a seat onto the bed. She caresses Nahayak on the forehead. Her facial expression turns to sudden deep, showing sympathy, "It's fine Nahayak, whatever your dream it is... it's such a dream. If it's anything connected about your past, it simply means that you must forget the feeling, or conquer it to move on Nahayak. I know, you're suffering, but the journey of your life is still proceeding, and... if you're walking the path of hell—actually, we all are, then proceed and beat the demon out of the way, be strong Nahayak, be strong."

In the meantime, only breath as noise, Nahayak immediately embrace Amiras tightly as she felt Amiras somewhat resembles her mother, "Sorry," she said, sobbing.

Amiras provide Nahayak the solace she needs, after a tightly minute, she stood up from the bed, and clutch the broom by her bare hands, her face is lightened as if she too felt the warmth, she lacks from Nahayak.

"Anyway, nothing comes from free, you'll need to work, though I wouldn't even force you if you choose to back out now, however if you stay with me, I promise, I'll help you for this'll be your new life from now on," she uttered with a smile.

Nahayak appreciated what she said. Even if Amiras isn't willing to say that, her volition is determined that she'll assist for whoever she owes as she remembered that what's her mother taught, thus, she nods with a smile in consideration.

"Good, at least you're smart, and rather disciplined. I bet your paren— never mind. Now you're my hired assistant" she shook her head, and she lend Nahayak a broomstick, "We'll eat lunch later after you clean the opening ground. So, for today, I'll watch over the headmaster's chamber, also the official's quarters. You'll clean the opening ground—today," she stated as she points down her finger outside the window, below the roof-tiles.

She commences to move her feet to leave the room, "Don't worry, we're both alone here, not until most officials show up, and they'll show up, maybe anytime, just before the inauguration of the academy."

"Officials? Inauguration?" Nahayak asked with a dried throat.

Amiras cease her step, and stare back at Nahayak, "Actually, officials are superiors, who run this castle... I mean, who run the academy, you'll enlighten soon, just not now."

Nahayak moan after she sight Amiras step out the sliding door. She's grateful for everyway Amiras had done for her, and despite having empty stomach in an early morning.

The door slid without warning, freaking-out Nahayak. Amiras slightly peek her head towards Nahayak, " I forgot, Nahayak catch," she said as she hurls wrapped cloth into Nahayak.

"Anyway, if you see anything that intriguing inside this castle, I dare you to not touch it," she warned.

Her curiosity made her to peep, unwrapping the packed cloth. Luckily, she found a food, a peculiar fruit—with various colors in each berry—which until now, she never knows, and an appealing blue water inside a bronze flask which tempted her dried throat. She chomps and gulp in conclusion.

Thereafter, Nahayak respectfully heed Amiras orders, confronting the teeming leaves on the opening grounds. She's still fascinated by these stunning colossal pillars, and yet after she realized that every pillar is engraved of a moon, blocking the ray of the sun, and a dragon under the moon, she didn't spot it yesterday considering it's faintly dark by night.

Focusing the order, she sweep throughout the healthy either dry leaves easily, not until the tough leaves; the deceased one persistent-sticking on the ground, which torment her particular skinny-weak physique.

So, she thought of something that would make her work more convenient. Her wonders intrigued her to test if she yet could manipulate an element. She remarked in her mind the "Four Elements"

She pictured the old merchant who flicked a fire wisp, the guard who created a cuff—made of rock—and Amiras who effortlessly floated drops of water inside the attic, yesterday night.

"What about the wind? " she thought that the wind is more efficient for her work. The moment she shut her eyes is the first she deemed to bend the wind—to induce the leaves to dance.

A jolt in her closed-eyes expression as she assumes that everything in sudden to work by her will. She eavesdropped the rustling leaves, and the resounding blows of wind to the hairiest of her skin.

Yet it seems her ears perceive something odd; the sound of the wind is rapidly subduing. So, she opens her vision, and out of blue, a mysterious man—concealed under his robe—who's gradually revealing half of his body from evanescing with the wind.

"Is he one of the officials?" Nahayak thought.

After his wholly popping out, the mysterious man spoke with a voice of an old man.

"Kid, you're not talented, I don't sense any inner flow of mana inside your body, give up." he said, looking straight ahead.

His tone is hard demoralizing, yet Nahayak seek for clarification, "What do you mean, one of officials?"

Nahayak twist her glance into the gate, doubting no detection from the gate opening, either closing.

The robe-man pace his way noiselessly alongside the leaves, heading towards the castle's left door, whereby the grand hall resides. He entered as if he's unaware of Nahayak's question.

In spite of Nahayak curiosities, she didn't pursue the man further. She's tolerant in this kind of oblivious deed for she respects her superior, she then proceed on swinging her broom, wondering what the man uttered.

"Inner flow of mana?" she noted in her mind.

The sun began to beamed through the opening ground, signifying that it's midday. The hair-silk on Nahayak's forehead was clearly damped, adjoining her excreted sweat. Her body was also entirely sweating as she swept utmost leaves and rounded them up.

The nasty-aspect—mossy, and slimy stone-floor—of the opening ground produce the scents of perished living.

She persists on swinging her broom, before she eavesdropped an alluring feminine voice, "Nahayak," and regardless of what Amiras cautions, "If you see anything that intrigued you, I dare you to—" she chased for the charming sound, tightly holding her broom.

Tracing the voice inside the castle which specifically lingers inside the right door, a door engraved with a sun emblem. After Nahayak initiated the door, a heavy creak began to resounds adjacent to the area upon its opening.

Nahayak proceed through the doorway, she glances around the interior as the presentation of this room is seems of a grand hall, but otherwise rivalrous.

Here, the chandeliers are glued onto edge of the ceiling-walls, and still calmly brilliant. There's an all-white massive carpet conquering the entire floor, and in the midst of it, is a lonely gigantic pillar which single-handedly underpin by the ceiling smeared with vivid sun image.

Nahayak discern the passageways perforated on both sides of the walls. "Nahayak here," It turns out that the voice lounge in one of the passageways, moreover, she trails her step to the call.

After her occupied long-chase, she realized that she's lost inside the castle as her pursuit brought her on a dead-end corner. She wonders if the voice intention was to lead her astray.

"Whos that?" she yelled as she nervously pays around after her ears perceive a quiet squeak.

"Ah!" she startled the instance the floor behind her opened a passage downstairs. [:-3]

"Below Nahayak."

She checks beneath the underground, and below she sight is absolute blackness. An uncertainty pokes her awareness. However, her inquisitive drives her to land a step onto the nearer stair. Her presence has inflamed systematically the undying torches, lined up clinging into the walls.

It was rather hot as the fires ablaze the path into unknown destination, "Hello?" her voice echoed in the vicinity.

Her intuition tells that she's having a company, something that lurks, and trailing behind her, yet she ignored; cautiously observing ahead the crimson door shrouded with visible thin clouds.

Eventually, her feet unconsciously obstruct to pace after catching the door vibrate a creak. The barely opened-door radiated luminous lights, and yet again the voice reach for her, "Inside, Nahayak,"

"Who are you? why did you call for me?" Nahayak asked, and hold still for an answer.

Notwithstanding her curiousness, she tried to peek inside with a narrow eye as chills escapes, passing by. Though, the limpid lights momentarily blinded her.

After the blinding moment, the light pronto vanished as the interior became more vivid. She found out that it's an empty-wide chamber, with isolated broad circular-table on its middle.

This table uphold a banner depicted with unidentified emblem, tarnished by a large tusk. Her eyes hunt further the source of light, but only to found none.

She asked, "Hello? are you the one calling me?" staring towards the tusk.

In a split of second, her heart simultaneous throb to horror as her eyes widened after discerning a quite realistic dragon stone-statue; absolutely embracing the ceiling with its serpent-like body upside-down.

The top extent of its scaly body is bound with four-sets of thorny-fins, they definitely seems like a wing. Its reptilian head is carved with large intimidating eyes, sharp jaw teeth, and wide-bony gills at both sides of its neck, and a large tusk on its nose.

"A strange large snake?" Nahayak thought.

"Can you please show yourself; I want to know wh—"

"Ha!" A snuck-up bite in Nahayak feet that made her startled as a firm smash of broom landed on the assaulter—a pigeon-size black-purple lizard with a mustache, wearing black hat and a black crystal on its back. The creature back off as it immediately poses its defensive stance—standing by its tail, and arms in raise.

Nahayak also pull herself back as she steadfast aim the end of her broomstick towards the lizard. 

Both are rather upset.

"W—what are you?!" her stammering question.

..........................?

Several seconds slipped by, an unyielding trade of eyes occurred between the two. Nobody had move from their position, even an inch, only their cautious pumping-heart along with the flow of blood until they heard rhythmic descending footsteps distant from the stairs.

"Dracko! Where are you?! Stop being inconvenience!" a sudden echo from a man.