A hard cover notebook lies silently upon my table, urging one to open and take a peek. With a hundred scribbles, it's so easy to see that the author had been brewing so many ideas for the past years; one in particular, showing her interest upon the different folktales and creatures before in the beginning of her college years.
In the blink of an eye, has five years really come to pass?
Due to unforeseen events, the author had no choice but to attend a university under an Engineering course that challenged her ability to converse with numbers instead of letters that she most yearned, and yet, now that she has graduated, a global pandemic has happened.
But what of it?
Wasn't this the most opportune time to take a pen and sit down; to grab your laptop and start rhythmically typing down the lost words that she wanted to jot down but had never gotten the time to do so. Cursed with an illness of never having finished writing a book that initially inspired her but got abandoned half-way through due to so many happenings in life, the author finally wanted to break the curse for once.
Brimming with determination, the author taught herself again how to write. It wasn't easy at first as it had been years since she had last taken up a pen. But! She has had enough. For five years, the world inside her head was eating her; her imagination unable to let her sleep at night.
Videre demands to be written.
Was she doing to have people read her story? Perhaps. Was she doing it because she loves writing? Maybe. What was her number one reason to write such a story? One simple reason: she wanted to sleep peacefully, and successfully turn her brain off at night.
Whenever she had finished a chapter, she could sleep. Her imagination finally found an outlet.
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How did Videre come to be?
There was a yaoi manga I once read about a person who had the same power as Videre, where he had to satisfy himself by duplicating the senses of the people at school who meet his eyes for five seconds. The title was 5 Seconds by Sachimo. It was refreshing to read at that time, as it was interesting and I have read a lot of BL, yaoi, and shounen ai at that time (that was before I got addicted to chinese translations). I think that was around 2014 or 2015?
I simply jot down all the simple ideas I like in this one notebook I have, including the words I like. And then I turn my head and see this list of possible mythological creatures like vampires and lycans and their origins.
The initial story of Videre was actually called The Prophecy (I know, original, right? lol) which was actually about the story of Aovialutre / Via and Akira. It was a story I shelfed way back in high school and something I couldn't continue writing afterwards because I had fallen in love with BL (and it's going strong by the way haha).
So I thought along the lines of 'What if sensuality duplication was actually a kind of power?' but I didn't like the superhero type of story to write. I mean, Boku no Hero Academia is surely enough to satisfy all superhero cravings (Bakugo~ *faints dramatically*).
Nonetheless, I brewed all of the ideas I have in that small notebook, and this is where I got. Haha!
How do I see Videre as a character?
It's complicated haha. He's complicated. I'm complicated. But if you grew up being abused when you were younger, would you have grown up fine? Of course not, but then Videre is fine right? Why? Because he and Obrecht are extremely good at masking. If it weren't for Obrecht who is extremely calming for Videre, he'd easily turn into a recluse. If Videre is a recluse, Tukare can turn batshit crazy, but she does not show it to Videre because Tukare was the one who shielded Videre most of the time, until it kind of deformed o. Her personality but she's uncomfortable showing that side of hers to her brother. Obrecht on the other hand, is slightly autistic as well, because he lacks the necessary emotions most of the time; with Videre as the exemption. If we compare them, Obrecht reflects emotion, while Videre is a sponge abosrbing all emotions. The most talented at masking is Obrecht, just like how I've watched this video before of how autistic girls are good ad masking or copying people to hide themselves and how different they are. Obrecht's parents know of course, but they just let him be. If Obrecht does in fact, gain emotion, it turns out quite dramatjc and intense compared to the lack of it. Similarly, this is why he is obsessed with training and swords. If he likes something, he likes them to a staggering degree that it's almost illegal and obsessively worrying.
How do I imagine Videre's world to be?
I imagine it like a separate world trajectory, that's also partly because of the movie, Lucy that was played by Scarlett Johansson, in that 'we only use 10% of our brains' type of thing that always had me thinking of possibilities. But were Lucy was a sci-fi type of movie, mine is purely a fantasy.
Since this was way before, the Earth would only have one large landmass: Pangea. And although there are 18 human-kinds, some of them have not yet been seen by others, but they are also classified, much like the Angelus and the Valkyrie. I debated including the elves and dwarves and the like, but I thought, I'd rather write down the Korrigans, the Kupwa, and the like, and maybe just let their future generations produce the elves and shape-shifters and dwarves. Thus, I'm basically writing about their ancestors.
Another thing, I plan to integrate the present world and the fantasy world, so I can include jargons and words like 'radar', 'calculus', and things related to science or the modern world. Thus, the Satori's City and Society was born! (those little arrogant weirdos)
Each human-kind has their own distinct culture and characteristic. Below was my initial draft. I say "initial' because I've made a few tweaks here and there to facilitate and adapt it to the story, but either way, let me leave it here as well~
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Humanity used to be divided into eighteen categories. Each category yielded a power that only that kind can do and can never be passed or duplicated except through their children.
The SELKIES. They are those humankind who chose the waters to be their home but still have attachments to the world above land. They have "skins" which hold their mermaid and/or merman form and can be placed or disguised as almost any object, usually an accessory. Selkies are beautiful seductive people who use their looks to get what they want. Their only weakness brought by tradition is that if a person found and hid their "skin", they may be forced to yield to or marry them or be their partner or slave until they give it back or it is repossessed by the selkie.
The SATORI. High and proud, they think that the ability to enter a person's mind is the most powerful. They are extremely intelligent but like to keep to themselves. They think they are above others. They can also move objects, including, themselves, using the strength of their minds, thus, their hunger for knowledge. The wiser a Satori is, the stronger he is. Although not physically gifted nerds, Satori are very agile. Satori are limited to entering people's minds, therefore, they cannot control their brains but rather they can influence them with suggestions and voices that the person may unconsciously think is his inner consciousness.
The WRAITH. Wraiths are beings that can mingle with the shadows as they please. Gifted with the ability to hide in these shadows for even long periods of time, they can use them to take control of the physical bodies of whomever steps into their territorial shadow, or a shadow he currently controls by touching or stepping on it. If Satori can enter minds, they can enter bodies, but unlike satori, they have total control.
The FAERIE. Tell no lie, and hear no lie. A faerie can never utter anything but the truth. A lie rings loud in a Faerie's ears. They are able to tell the truth in between lies. Shy and quiet by nature; Rather than mingle with the crowd, they choose to watch them. These secluded beings don't talk much, and they can change their age so they can be small or old, but they always go back to their original age as if they were removing a costume. Being in their original age actually feels as if they're nude to them.
The ENCANTADO. Powerful beings with superior musical ability and seductive bodies who like living in nature, most times in the woods or near their elemental, but unexpectedly likes parties and gatherings. Their abilities although superior, are limited to certain elements. If an Encantado can manipulate water, he is limited to water and ice, and can never use fire elements. It is rare to have an Encantado who can manipulate and control both, and for this to happen, the child must have had two very strong Encantado parents of different elements. They can control storms and display magical abilities and whomever they partner with, their offsprings are either great sorcerers or superior hunters. The female Encantado can be the most loving and protective mother. When a female Encantado loses a child or is in great grief, trust me, everyone will know.
The HUNTERS. What hunters lack in the magical arsenal, they make up for in their strength and fighting prowess. They are practical and clever, and are naturally intelligent when it comes to people-reading. They understand body language the most since it has been honed within them since they were young. A hunter child will always be drawn to a blade and to a fight as it will always feel right to them when they grab a handle of sword or a dagger, or when they pull the string of a bow. They are curious little creatures who have unknowingly inherited their ancestor, the Encantados, affinity of enjoying gatherings. Hunters have heightened senses and can memorize any terrain like the back of their hand, territorial or not, just by familiarizing themselves, like for example by losing themselves in a forest for a couple of days.
The SORCERERS. Need I say more? (Hello, fellow Harry Potter fans! And no, the sorcerers in my world don't carry sticks unfortunately. What they produce must have an equal payment obtained from their energy. Its like the rule of equivalent exchange; what you give is what you get, so yes, if they use magic too much, they will tire. On the good side though, strong Sorcerers must have great stamina, right? *wink wink*)
The LYCANS. Obviously, they are the lycantrophe kind; the werewolves. Everybody knows they go pack, they have partners they can't live without called mates and that they are in fact, allergic to silver. They are weak to the powers of the Satori since they are easily influenced unless they have been trained to be mentally on-guard since young, but this is highly unlikely. Lycans thrive in packs and have telepathic connections and this is why an unknowing lycan may follow a foreign Satori's voice if they aren't very familiar to their pack, or if the pack is too big to know everyone. Although some think they are strongest on the full moon, they are in fact, the weakest in that fateful day. This is their most guarded secret and why they herald half-lycans as the strongest of their kind because they are immune to full moon, and so they guard their pack on their most vulnerable days. Although its like that, half-lycans are quite rare considering that lycans are careful when it comes to their secret and their land. If a Lycan chooses a mate outside the pack, or seldom, from another human-kind, they must swear oath to their alpha and promise to uphold those rules they shall recite. In case of another human-kind marrying into the Lycan kind, they are told not to ever leave or visit their kind ever again, but are allowed to be visited in the presence of other Lycans or their alpha in their pack's home. Betrayal means death to Lycans. All broken rules call for punishment. They have dungeons for that. Lycans can also transform as they will their bodies to, and are one of the most populous kind, making more than a fourth of humanity's population. (I dare say, they sure are too active at night.)
The STRZYGA. I dare you to say it. lol. Even I have a hard time pronouncing the ancestral name of vampires. (I read it like this tho: east-tree-ga). Like werewolves, everybody knows vampires, right? I mean, the Edward Cullen kind? Yes? Well, presumably, as a certain folklore tells, Strzyga came from the story of a person born with two souls. So in my world, Vampires are called Strzyga and they have two lives. They are to live their first life into adulthood as powerless beings until they die and their first soul disappears. The second soul takes over the body and this is when strzyga fledgeling is born. Quite the big babies huh. And yes, they are babies because since their bodies have yet to adjust to their new diet, abilities and living patterns, they are the most vulnerable at this stage. They only become stable until they are able to drink their first lick of blood. This is why even Strzyga have communities to protect their own. Blood is everything to Strzyga because blood both symbolizes and literally is, life. Strzyga have blood, but unlike other human-kind, they cannot regenerate their blood cells, so blood loss is most fatal to them. Most human-kind see strzyga as the most dangerous. This is because even if a Strzyga wanted to die, once their body has died once, it will not allow itself to die a second death. A Strzyga at near-death will most likely lose consciousness and so the body will take over and move on its own via instinct and kill whomever friend or foe in its strive to survive, even if the person wanted to die himself. This is why suicide is very hard for a Strzyga. Isolation is must easier for them, since they have extremely long lives. For a Strzyga's body to accept the start of its death, a Strzyga must meet his destined beloved, and like the Lycans, cannot live without them. Once tied to their partner, they can no longer drink the blood of any other but their partner's. Their body will reject anything else and therefore slowly starts to degenerate and wither and die. This is the most ideal death for a Strzyga. They take up second place in the most populous human-kind, right after the Lycans.
The KUPWA. Versatile shapeshifters! They are man-beasts that are known to be charming, intelligent, and good at hiding.
The DJINN. Djinns are beings that can enter the dreamworld, interacting with people in this plane. They can have dreams of the future and are very sure. They can even dream while they are awake.
The WENDIGO. Their ancestors were cannibals and so God punished them for killing and eating the flesh of their brothers and sisters, just as the Strzyga were punished by God to an eternal and unending life for drinking the blood of others. The Strzyga's only retribution is devoting their lives into finding their beloved, just as the only retribution for the Wendigos are their apparent bottomless sex drive. (Note sarcasm). Their punishment was living short lives in exchange for taking away so many. They don't live any longer than 40 even when the average human-kind can live for a couple centuries, depending on their kind's heritage. They always get killed one way or another. Wendigos act more on instict and are very dangerous when angered. They hold the same strength and heightened senses as Hunters and the same agility as the Satori but they lack brains compared to the human-kind mentioned. If I were to compare a Wendigo to an animal, I'd say they'd be a big adorably cute seven feet tall wolf with lots of sharp teeth to the person they like, but be a big terrifyingly scary seven feet tall wolf with lots of sharp teeth to the person they dislike. Emotions always run amok for a Wendigo, and most times, it always, always, always, hinders their thought ability. Both emotions and their sex drive that is. For now, why don't we think of them as cute little puppies, yes?
The KORRIGAN. Elf-like beings that have long hair which they use like an extension of themselves. (They remind me of octopuses now, lol). Once they reach a certain age in their adolescence, they grow transparent wings like those of a dragonfly. They are very secretive. No one know where Korrigans live.
The ANGELUS. To supervise human-kind, it was said that God sent a few of his trusted angels to the realm of humanity, where there, they lived the rest of their lives like humans, dying and reincarnating repeatedly. Their individual missions are never told, even to the Angelus themselves. They merely allow God to guide them. Although they are included in the list of 18 human-kind, no one has ever seen or has a recording of an Angelus. They are myths to this world.
The VALKYRIE. If there are angels, of course, there would be demons, right? Valkyries are regarded as the "choosers of the slain" and are thought to guide the souls of the dead to the underworld were they are to be judged and sentenced to either in Heaven or Hell. Valkyries can take the appearance of any man he or she wishes to copy. They are very rare and just as secretive as the Satori. Like the Angelus, they are treated as myths to this world, but there is evidence of their existence.
The UNDINES. Undines (I read them as: on-dean-nez) are water spirits that unlike the Selkie, can't talk or move in land. They live in the hidden bottom of the oceans and are protected and transported by their guardian specie, the Gryphon, a big creature with abody, tail, and back legs that of a lion's, and the head and wings that of an eagle's. Undines have tails that look like that of Selkies but are stronger, rendering them fastest when it comes to the waters. Undines thrive in the pitch black ocean floors and have always closed eyes since their eyes are very sensitive to light. They don't always see but they listen well. (They sound like dolphins lol). They are rarely seen but when an Undine trusts you, they can help you breath underwater.
The NYMPHS. Nature-loving crazy witches. Kidding. Well, not really. The most populous kind of Nymph are the Dryads who live and die by a tree. A Dryad's life is tied to a tree. They can live as long as the tree, but they get hurt and die just as the tree's branches get cut or when tree itself gets chopped down.
The HEALERS. Lastly, we have the Healers! Very self explanatory, actually. Healers have the Sorcerers as their ancestors. The can detect illness just as a Faerie can detect a lie. But Healers are very much selfless and needed to be protected. They can cure most illness, except for curses and the like, but in exchange, their life energy depletes until they die. To prevent this, Healers must only cure human-kind with their partners because their partner can only be the one able to restore and heal them. Sad, really. You spend your life to save a life but only another Healer can ever heal you.
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A note about The Batrani:
The Batrani are composed of 13 positions called 'seats' which are responsible for a scope of things, with the first seat being the oldest, and the thirteenth seat the most recently added position. Having been trained together by the last generation of Batrani and always deciding together, the Batrani members are usually close to each other, and sometimes may refer to the other as 'Nth Seat' in a formal manner.
In Halvalt's earlier statement "I bet he must've gone back to the Hidden Library or to Seventh's to look for me", as Vita is the person occupying the 7th position, they formally call her as the Seventh or Seventh's Seat, much like how you call the Duke, or His Highness.
The members of the Batrani have won the hearts and votes of the people and have proved their strength through their victory among the competition. In chronologically order, the latest generation include Nehal, Ruzha, Kaivalya, Kivn, Otis, Rohati, Halvalt, Amisha, Mortimer, Vita, Sagitta, Kali, and Amos.
Nehal ♀ (1st seat): Responsible for the safety and regulation of the Scribes, she upholds the responsibility and prioritization of the implementation of the law in the city, as well as the protection of the books and history found in the Hidden Library of Lumea. She is also one of the smartest with the best memory among the Batrani, and sometimes takes note of the important things that happen in Lumea for future references. She is an expressionless observer that wears enchanted glasses that lights in the dark (like night-vision, usually when reading books and scrolls since the Hidden Library is inside the cave labyrinth).
Ruzha ♂ (2nd seat): Protector of the city and responsible for commanding the Hunters that guard the border of Lumea from the wild beasts that may come any time. He is only responsible for monitoring during the day. He is a rigid person that does not adhere to change as easily, but is a kind person, deep-down. He hides behind all his snorting. His son, second Raguk, is just as stubborn with his beliefs as he is.
Kaivalya ♀ (3rd seat): Friendly and sensitive, she is responsible for the physical and emotional security the citizens inside Lumea. She is also responsible for the maintenance and regulation of peace within Lumea, and upholds as well the laws that Nehal protects. She's like the internal affairs commander. She likes helping people, especially the older folk.
Kivn ♂ (4th seat): Although most beasts are awake during the day, there are also nocturnal beasts that roam the city borders at night. While Ruzha commands the patrol at night, Kivn is responsible for it during the day, thus, he is not a morning person, and tends to be extremely sleepy and lazy during the daytime, to which he gets scolded off by his son, Krael. He is also a talented craftsman that has a love for carpentry. He built the tree towers and bridges at certain locations for patrolling purposes, as well as do maintenance at the canyon bridges and certain infrastructures in Lumea.
Otis ♂ (5th seat): As one of the smartest after Nehal, Otis accepted the job of teaching the younger generations as a teacher, or a Maestro, at the training grounds outside the canyon of Lumea. He has a lot of patience, is good at criticizing fighting techniques, and adores kids. He teaches the basic class and half of the advance class.
Rohati ♀ (6th seat): Joining Otis, Rohati helps in teaching the older generations in the advance and graduating class. She has a sharp eyes and has excellent observation skills, that which she uses and teaching and being a referee during fights. Although she may not have as high as patience and tolerance for kids as Otis, she is still a great teacher when it comes to weapon wielding. She just doesn't like spoon-feeding children. Additionally, Lumeans love equality and thought that to better teach the future generations, two seats will be in charge of education, one for each gender so as to limit any loophole in training with regards to gender.
Halvalt ♂ (7th seat): One of the most talented swords and weapon smiths and designers. He is responsible for the maintenance of quality of the blades in Lumea that smiths would create for each individual, as each Hunter may only get one weapon for life, or inherit from the family line, but only of the original wielder permits. Otherwise, most Lumeans tend to want to be buried with their weapons at death.
Amisha ♀ (8th seat): She is a great contributor in the materials used for construction, in hand with Kivn. She was the person who improved the design of the bridges, the sewage system, the passageway to the crop field, and the rotating amphitheater that adjusts to the purpose of use. She is responsible for the miners as well, and knows to provide quality ores and minerals to certain shops, and even Halvalt. She is a tall beautiful and voluptuous person that has long straight black hair that she is most proud of. She uses this as well to market her cosmetic products, and beautifying potions and the like. Although she may look sassy at times, she loves to pamper people, especially those younger than her. (Author: Ah, the perfect waifu material~)
Mortimer ♂ (9th seat): It wasn't until the latter centuries that the ninth seat was added. As families before hadn't been as mixed in blood ties as the present Lumeans, they took care of their own food and learnt to simply trade with each other. The concept of money wasn't as useful before, so trading and bartering as essential. For this seat, Mortimer is in charge of the monitoring of shops and the regulation of the good and bad transactions between traders, shops and those between the customer and the market. If any argument arises in relation to money, job, labor, services, and products bought in stores, he is responsible to solve it, along with Kaivalya.
Vita ♀ (10th seat): Being especially talented among the Healers and Sorcerers inside Lumea, Vita is responsible for all things related to medicine, potions, seals, magic weapons, and the like. She loves experimenting on different ways to heal, and loves researching various herbs, and magic formations, that which her son, Virgil, had inherited such similar passion and interest. If you don't see her in Lumea, she's probably somewhere in the forest, or locked up at home inventing various magic gadgets like communicators and monitoring screens. Being part of a family that has a richer Healer-kind blood, she and her family can be called a walking panacea, but though most Healer-kind can achieve this in exchange for the slow corruption of their body parts, the diluted blood within Vita's family line has been refined through centuries, and thus, they are unaffected by the corruption. In short, Healers may need other Healers to remove the accumulated corruption in their bodies after curing many diseases, but Vita's family line is immune to that.
Sagitta ♂ (11th seat): Though stoic as he may seem, he is a farmer through and through. After careful research from earlier Mage-borns under the tenth seat, the Sagitta is responsible for the annual supply of crops, and cattle, that the farmers and growers input to the market, and as well as regulate the price for each. He is also responsible for the supervision and protection of the fields and growers from mutated insects and the straying herbivore beasts, with his partnership with Ruzha and Kivn. He is also affiliated with other like Mortimer with regards to the consumer and marketing rights with regards to the growers and farmers' produced goods.
Kali ♀ (12th seat): Hot blooded and a major fan of fighting, Kali is unexpectedly the best fighter among the Batrani, that not any guy could compete, thus she is single. Aware that the Hunter-kind likes to fight and are addicted to weapons and blades, she is in charge of the moderation and operation of the tournaments all year round. (You can think of her as the CEO of some hot entertainment firm or something). She always has her curly brown hair in a braid behind her and are weak to kids just like Amisha, thus, their long friendship, albeit Kali looking like the opposite type of girl when compared to Amisha.
Amos ♂ (13th seat): Aside from those Hunter-kind responsible for protecting the city, there are those that choose to be part of the Blade Association, or the mercenary organization that Amos is responsible for. He plays a vital role in the tracking and monitoring of all kinds of Hunters, and reduces the risk of having any of the reckless younger generation foolishly leave the safety of the city's confines. The farther one goes into the Inferis' forest, the larger and more dangerous the beasts and terrain are. Only for the high ranking Hunters are the area outside of Aovialutre's barrier open to, while the area nearest to the canyon is for the general public. Amos has a beard and is a single parent, as his wife died when giving birth to their only daughter, Vera. He also dislikes violent women for some reason, and thus constantly picks up a fight with Kali, although he never wins when it comes to actual battle with her.
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These are all of my thoughts at the moment. Maybe I'll add something if I think of it later on.