Chapter Nine:
I'm almost two years old now and a lot has changed in such a short time. I'd have playdates with the Silvas, as my aunt is best friends with their mother. My aunt is even pregnant right now and due a few months after my second birthday. I'd met more of my family here on my family's estate. My grandmother, who loves when I call her Gma, loved showing me off to everyone. I'd even met my grandmother's familiar, Serenity. A white kitsune the size of a horse with five red spots on her forehead in the shape of a flower and a single red ring on each of her eight tails. She's magnificent.
I'd learned my dad and uncle have a younger sister, Philomena Silvers, she's got similar orange hair as my father's, her's rolling down her shoulders in waves. Like him, she has black eyes and light tan skin though she isn't as tall as them, about the same height as her mother. She introduced me to her older sister, though my grandmother is still head of the clan, and her children. Well, I say children but they're grown adults. My Aunt Philomena actually works with the dragon clans, even married one of the golden dragon clan members, Han Joo-Doh. She had her twins, Shion and Souei, almost six months ago and I love them to bits. Tufts of dark brown hair on both their heads.
Shion is all smiles and giggles with a little pink bow in her curls but Souei is her exact opposite. He always has a serious expression like someone just stole his favorite toy. Both their eyes black as night like their mother's but their skin was a bit tanner, probably taking after their father. I coo over them all the time and I seem to be their favorite as Shion's smile brightens when she sees me, even Souei seems to ease up at my appearance.
And like Gma, Aunt Philomena had symbols tattooed on her skin. I'd noticed a cerulean blue patch of swirls wrapped around her hips with a symbol in the bottom center of her back that looked like a water droplet; a patch of yellow-white swirls with a symbol in the center that looked like slash marks between her collar bones and down her sternum; a purple band of swirls woven around left arm from wrist to elbow with a symbol in the center of her arm on the inside that looked a lot like purple gas clouds; and the last is a band of ice blue swirls around her right wrist that looked much like a cuff with a symbol on the outer center of the cuff that looked like a snow flake.
Iris, my Gma's older sister, looks a lot like her. Her white wavy hair that reaches just above her shoulders always frames her slightly wrinkled face. Her black eyes always scan her surroundings, not missing a thing. The same light tan skin that runs in the family. Her and her husband, Magnus, manage the trading company that moves around the family's magic tools that they make. Magnus' porcelain skin make his violet eyes pop, his close-cropped white hair and neatly trimmed facial hair made him quite the handsome elderly man. He looked to be about as tall as my father but being small still I could be wrong.
Iris, too, had tattoos. I'd seen her blue-violet symbol of swirls a top her right breast, the symbol looked a lot like crystals; the one time I'd seen her with her hair up I saw an amber symbol that looked like a shield surrounded by amber swirls on the back of her neck; and a pale pink band of swirls around her right wrist that looked like bangles with a symbol in the center of her inner wrist that looked like a comet.
They have two children together, Alexander and Alice. Alexander is the same age as my father and Alice closer to my uncle Sam's age. Both Alex and Alice inherited their pale blonde hair from their father, or so I was told. Alice has her father's violet eyes and Alexander has his mother's black eyes. Where Alice has a more lithe frame like her parents Alex is a viking of a man. Don't know where he got that from, he's even a few inches taller than my father and at least twice the muscles. But, he's a gentle giant.
Alice even has a familiar. A black panther named Jack that has the most vibrant green eyes. I'd caught sight of her having five tattoos; one on the left side of her neck, a vibrant dark magenta symbol that almost looked like an eye that was surrounded by swirls; on the inside of her right wrist was a grey symbol that looked like the embodiment of the wind itself surrounded by swirls; around her upper left thigh an almost lace looking back or brown swirls with a symbol that looked like a scale in the center; on her forehead a corn yellow dot with that looked to be streams of light coming from it that framed her face perfectly; the last one looked like flames that wrapped around her hips, the fire red symbol on the small of her back in the center of it.
Alexander, too, has five symbols on his body. On his muscular body is a pale purple symbol that looked like a harp surrounded by swirls on his left pec; a pale pink symbol that looked like a comet on his right hip; a winding light brown band around his upper right arm with a symbol that looked like rocks on the center of the outside; intricate dark green swirls almost like a fingerless glove with a dark green symbol of leaves on the back of his right hand in the center; the last one a crimson red symbol that looked like a droplet of blood with three dots a top it with crimson swirls on his upper left thigh.
Alice never married but Alexander married his highschool sweetheart, Dorian Lockwood. Compared to Alexander, you could almost mistake Dorian for a woman. His long chocolate brown hair nearly reaches his elbows and with a lithe frame anyone would mistake him for a woman from the back. But, his face is quite masculine, even with bright magenta eyes and a light dusting of freckles on his porcelain skin. He was very beautiful in his own way. Apparently they'd been looking into adoption, I hope it works out for them.
I haven't met the family members from the other cities but maybe one day I will. I'd even changed a bit, my hair was just passed my shoulders and Aunt Ash liked putting my hair in pigtails and even started letting me wear the clothes I picked out. Some of which were blues and greens but still a lot of pink. My Aunt Alice is the coolest, she loves taking me flying over the city and taking me to the library. I've steadily gone to the library every weekend for new books, trying to learn everything I can about this world.
My family was very impressed how quickly I learned how to read but, thankfully that blew over quickly when Aunt Philomena had her twins. Weiss always enjoys seeing me come to his library, and always has books prepared for me. Ones he just somehow knew I was going to be looking for. One time, flying over the city, Aunt Philomena pointed out each of the districts.
District 1, which is called Cloud Central, is always busy. My aunt said it's the district of justice and royalty. It's even where the Silvas live. It has the biggest white stone coliseum I'd ever seen, statues of the 'Makers' surrounding the arena in majestic poses. I wondered if they actually stood like that for hours until the statues were done. Around the entrances of the stadium were large white oak trees with red leaves. Engravings on the outside walls of champions who'd won in the ring.
North of that was what my aunt called the Celestial Hall, the courthouse of the city. The largest building in the district. We couldn't fly too close but, even from where we flew by the building was imposing. A large white stone building that almost looked like a greek pantheon, red flags with gold trim and a gold insignia of scales hanging from the columns. Two large white oak trees on either side of the entrance, the red leaves popping against the white stone. Four sky high spires, the tips of them golden on the four corners of the plateau the building sits on.
The rest of the district is littered with large estates, some that looked victorian, some traditional japanese. All different colors, all breathtakingly beautiful.
District 2 was quite different. It's called the Everwinter District, contrary to it's name it isn't eternally winter though, it does almost look like it. Between the white stone buildings and the dark pine trees intertwining into the buildings. Beautifully intricate stained glass windows popping between the green and white. It looked like a Christmas island without the snow. I don't know what they do in this district but it still looked beautiful.
District 3, ofcourse, was the island our estate rests on. Flying above it was something else though. I hadn't realized how large the district was, and how green. Fields and fields of orchards and fields of rice. Two other estates sitting on the district along with a few residential buildings for the people that worked in the fields. I wasn't a hundred percent on who's estates they were but I'm pretty sure one was the Uchiha's and the other the Kuchiki's. Only because of some of the faces I've seen in and out of there. Maybe when I get a bit bigger I'll be able to go see for myself.
District 4 was quite the contrast to the wide open space and naturistic feel of District 3. My aunt said it's called the Shadow Quarter but it should be called the Steampunk Quarter. Skinny dark bricked buildings side-by-side with gears and machinery interwoven into the buildings. Strings of lights hung all over from building to building. White steam or black smoke rising from chimneys and grates in the stone walkways.The only greenery was the potted plants on balconies and flat-top roofs here and there.
District 5 was one my aunt gushed about. Called it Academy Island and I could see why. It was one of the biggest universities I'd ever seen. Large grey stone buildings with bright cerulean glass-like roofs, towers here and there. A building that she explained was a stable and a large domed building that was an observatory. Two large buildings on the east side and another two large buildings on the west side, she said they were dormitories. There were trees lining the edges of buildings and the courtyard. It was magnificent, the buildings practically shimmered with magic.
She told me District 6 was the oldest part of the city, calling it the Old Market Quarter. She said it was the first part of the city established, the grey stone buildings covered with layers of moss. Old red-orange clay roofs that are definitely showing their age with cracks and sun bleached. Multi-colored canopies hanging from buildings over stalls of food and goods. It always smells like different spices flying over it.
District 7 still gives me the creeps and she always takes me window shopping in District 8 whenever she's taking me to or picking me up from the library. Flying over the orchard on one of the buildings in District 8 always smells of citrus, she told me the building is where many different fruit drinks are made. Especially the ones I drink every morning. Let me tell you, it's some good juice.
District 9 was another story though. She told me it was the poorest part of the city and called it South Blackpool. Like the Shadow Quarter the buildings were tight knit but looked very run down. Bleak. Almost lifeless. The buildings were either a dull grey or cracked brick. There was always a lot of kids running around the stone walkways, shady looking characters walking around. She said I was never to go there alone.
Now District 10, that place I can stay at all day. It's called Gourmet Town and for good reason. Restaurants on every block, the smell of delicious food wafting through the air. Hedges of flowers here and there, balconies of tables for patrons. Different kinds of foods being served that I couldn't wait to try. The buildings were so colorful, the signs outside of them so decorated. Flying over it always made my stomach grumble.
Like District 13, District 12 was a transport district. Though instead of ships it had tall platforms for the zeppelins, stone and crystal obelisks for portals with hedges of yellow roses lining buildings. She said the largest building on the island is the Royal Guard HQ. It was lined in red with a huge flag flying overhead with the same insignia as the one at Celestial Hall. Some grey stone residential buildings here and there. She said a lot of the students join the Royal Guard after they graduate.
District 14 was always bustling, people flying in and out of there. My aunt said it was the biggest residential area in the city, where all the working class families live. It made my heart clench, reminding me of past life. My family was working class and seeing all those busy people reminded me of them.
The last district, and by far one of my favorites, is District 15. It's called Waterside Heights and for good reason. The buildings were grey-blue stone, magnificent weeping willow trees interwoven into the buildings, the roots protruding through the stone walkways and into the waterways. My aunt said this district is lower than the others. The walkways flooded with seawater with some bridges here and there. Lotus' and water lilies growing along the waterways. Beautiful fountains with statues of mermaids, waterfalls flowing from buildings, the spray catching the light and projecting rainbows all throughout the district.
She said this district was special. It had housing and shops built into the underside of the district. All for mermaids and fishmen. She said the few times she'd gone to their markets underwater was amazing. Full of color, exotic coral growing everywhere, fish swimming freely alongside all the mermaids and fishmen. She told me stories about the parties the mermaids would hold, saying how once you go to one of them all other parties didn't measure up.
I couldn't wait until I was old enough to explore the city thoroughly myself. See who is in this world. It excited me but also made me nervous. All those heroes in those series, what about the villains?