In the south-east corner of Jux, lies a land that none dare venture into. A land shrouded in a constant barrier of darkness. None have dared venture further than their rope. Unable to escape the clutches of the darkness. No fire or light strong enough to illuminate inside. Those who have passed the darkness, have never been seen or heard of again. Scholars and Philosophers have long pondered, the cause of such strange magic. Theories circulated the strange land for centuries. A remnant of Vasha's magic. A cursed land. A necessary opposite to exist. However all theories changed, with a surprise appearance, centuries ago. From the veil of darkness, several slender figures emerged. With ghostly white skin, platinum blonde hair, and blood ruby eyes.
Fascinated by the humanoid creatures, the nearby scholars hesitantly made contact. Only for the creatures to writhe in agony at the sun touching their skin. They hissed and retreated into the veil. Dumbfounded the scholars stayed, tossing messages in, only to have the messages returned with snarling and growling. A tired and weary scholar, marched into the veil. Torch in hand and chest out. With no hesitation he held his torch inside the veil. "What's wrong? Afraid of the light?" He goaded, waving his arm inside the veil. Hisses rung out from the veil. He spun back to his colleagues with a smug grin. "See, they hate light. There's nothing to-" He was suddenly yanked into the veil. His screams rang out in agony, as animalistic sounds rung out. His body was tossed out, limbs hanging on by threads. Bite marks littered his body. For centuries, none have dared entered into, what has become known as the Shadow lands.
Yet there have been some to venture out from the veil, covered in thick black clothes, their eyes covered with a makeshift goggle. They came to learn and trade knowledge with the outside world. However none would trade with those inside, who came to be known as the Drow. They were instead greeted with nothing but hostility. Treated as cannibalistic monsters. They were captured and dissected for research. The gate to their powerful Shadow magic, jotted down. A gate made from lines of black fire that stole the light from around it, made a web like triangle. With the disappearance of Drows. The world of Jux and the Drows never interacted with each other again. Thus the hidden kingdom of Absol was forever hidden.
Absol was built deep within the forest, wooden houses made from Kaioni lumber. A sprawling and peaceful kingdom. To the Drow, the veil was not an abyss, or an endless darkness. To them the veil was illuminated by Arcane energy. The air illuminated with a mingling of magenta and silver. The ground a vibrant emerald. Their fires a raging crimson. And the Maelstrom a mesmerizing azure. The weather in Absol was always warm and lovely. Their crops never suffered from the cold, nor did their skin. The females wore skirts and bras or tank tops of woven frabics. The men wore shorts, or skirts rarely covering their torso's. On the outskirts of Absol, lived a small family of three. Talindra and Theodas Sarenae, and their daughter Lorexia.
Theodas was known as a simple cook, diligent with all his meals. Lean and tall like the other men of Absol, he also stuck within Absol's line of fashion. Bearded, with short spiked hair or clean faced with long hair. He chose the latter style. Talindra was known around Absol, as a lovely woman, and excellent teacher to the children. She was a demure woman with sharp features, and always wore her hair in a long braided pony tail. Their daughter Lorexia, was considered breathtaking in every sense of the word. Long flowing hair that made silk seem course, a soft round face, slender toned body, with curves.
Theodas kept a careful watch on the stew, ensuring it simmered and did not boil. The door to their cottage swung open. "Ow, ow, ow, mum. It's going to rip!" Lorexia begged. Talindra dragged her inside, by the ear. Theodas spun around with a tired expression. "What did she do this time?" Talindra, forced Lorexia onto the dining room chair. "Our daughter." She rubbed her ear, furrowing her brow. "Decided to humiliate the chieftain's son." Theodas dropped his head, letting out a long exasperated sigh. "Could you be a little more specific?"
"I-" Talindra gave Lorexia a furious expression. She shrunk in her chair, tucking both hands between her legs. "Your daughter, decided to not only reject the 'CHIEFTAIN'S SON' advances, but also decided to beat him up afterwards." "That's my girl." Lorexia kept her grin hidden. "HMM?" "I mean! OH Lo-Lo how could you!? OH! You're in for a such a...such a..." He trailed off with Talindra glaring at him, arms crossed. "Is this convincing you by any chance?" She shook her head. "What if I did this?" He asked, raising his hand. Talindra went into the other room, slamming a belt onto the table. Lorexia shot up, looking at her mother terrified. "Do it with that, and I'll believe you." She kept eye contact with Theodas, as Lorexia gave her father a guilty glance. "Does it have to be hard?" Talindra placed her hands on the table. "Let's just say, it should hurt more than, when I asked to be spanked."
Lorexia let out a scream, covering her ears. "WHY!?" Talindra reeled back bellowing out a laugh, with Theodas laughing along. "I didn't need to hear that!" She squealed, face red. "Oh please, your father isn't capable of hitting you." "Still didn't need to hear that." "Think of it as your punishment." "I would rather, you just hit me." "I can tell more stories, if you'd like." "No! Please. Vasha take me if you think, I'm going to sit here and listen to that." "Now, now Lo-Lo. It's natural. Besides you're at that age now, to be thinking about men." Theodas said, tending to the stew. "Dad, there are no men here. Just boys. The same ugly looking boys." "Alright, guess I'm ugly then." Lorexia groaned. "Dad, you know what I meant." "No, no. I get it. My little girl thinks her father is boring and ugly." He playfully sobbed. "Well I don't think that honey. It's why I can never wait, till you're inside-" "AH STOP RIGHT THERE!" Talindra giggled, pecking Theodas on the cheek.
He poured out two bowls of soul, filled with wild game bird and potatoes. He sighed, handing them two spoons. "Okay, why exactly did you reject him?" "He's boring. And weak." She pouted, shoving a mouthful. "He's the Chieftain's son." "That doesn't change anything." "What makes him so boring? And wanky?" "Weak." Talindra corrected. He smiled at her. "He can barely hold the Shadow gate open, let alone use it. He can barely hold a spear." She rolled her eyes, slapping the table. "And worst of all. He can't even throw a proper punch. His feet positioning is all terrible." She crossed her arms, reeling back in her seat. Talindra placed her hand closer to Lorexia. "Did you ever think, that maybe you could teach him-" "What? When I become his bride." She winced. "You could do a lot worse than, Barrathun." "Mum, he's boring! All he ever talks about is how he will stop the Sanguine. Like he could even do that!"
"Lo-Lo, you know you're getting to that age to find a mate." "I don't want one." She pouted. Talindra leaned back in her seat. "Fine. What's your perfect man then?" She scoffed rolling her eyes. "That's easy. He'll be handsome, with dark skin and black hair." "Well, you're not gonna find-" Theodas chuckled. "I'm not finished. He'll be strong and muscular, and a great fighter in every aspect, and, and, he'll also be sweet and gentle." "Lo-Lo, you have to be a bit more realistic about this-" "And he'll also be shorter than me, but not too much." Talindra pursed her lips to a line. "Anything else from your imaginary man?" Lorexia glared at her. "Yes. He'll have amazing azure eyes." "Hmm sounds dreamy." Talindra said, with Theodas staring at her annoyed. "He'll also be an excellent LOVER." She accentuated. "Well in that case, I can give you tips on to please him. Your father really likes it when I-" "AH! DON'T!" She shouted covering her ears.
"Lo-Lo. You know, you're never going to find that man. At least in here-" "Theodas! Don't say that, otherwise she'll-" "Then let me go outside the veil!" Theodas grimaced, seeing Talindra let out a long annoyed exasperated sigh. "That's on me." He sulked. "No. It's fine. Let's go." "REALLY!?" She leapt to her feet in excitement. "If you can handle being outside the veil for more than one minute. I'll ask the Chieftain, to let you venture outside." "DEAL!" She rushed out the house. "Is that really wise?" Theodas asked. "It will be fine. Come on, let's go be parents." The both of them slumped out. "Hurry up!" Lorexia called out, already distant. "WE'RE COMING!" They both yelled out. "30 seconds and under." Talindra said. "30 seconds and over." "Deal." She said, shaking his hand.
After a long walk they reached the edge of the veil. Lorexia giddily paced at the border waiting for her parents to arrive. "Hurry up! I want to leave!" Talindra let out a sigh, folding her arms. "The moment you stick your arm outside the veil, we start counting." "You won't cheat?" "No, we won't." She gave her a confident smirk. "Get ready to say goodbye to me." With a confident shout. Lorexia stuck her arm outside the veil.
She fell to her knees, clutching her shoulder. Letting out a whimper, she bit her lower lip. Talindra gave Theodas a smug smile, as he took a gulp. The sun had begun to set outside the veil, with a warm and gentle glow. To Lorexia, her arm was ablaze. Stuck in a vat of boiling water. Stung by a thousand wasps. Peeled apart by million needles. She begun to hyperventilate, forcing the pain down. "Aww, you're practicing your breathing for your first child." Lorexia shot her mother a glare, letting out a high pitcher whimper. "Come on Lo-Lo. Forty more seconds to go." She let out a squeal pulling her arm back in. "Ha! I win both bets." She threw her hands into the air. "Both bets?" Lorexia asked clutching her red and inflamed arm. "You're father has to do all the work tonight." She reached to cover her ears, only able to block one. "Yes that means sex." "AHHHHH!" She squealed.
"Now why doesn't our little adventurer, go and get some water for arm?" Lorexia stormed off. "Stupid bet anyway. I would be wearing clothing. Stupid." She angrily mumbled. "I mean, I definitely said twenty-" "Nice try. Now go make sure she doesn't do anything stupid at the Fork." "Stupid bet anyway. We weren't counting properly. Stupid." He pouted, trudging after. Talindra stretched her arms into the air, with a triumphant smile. "Today was a good day." Theodas and Lorexia made their way to the Fork, walking together in silence. She kept her head down, clutching her red arm. "Does it hurt?" "No. Barely felt it. I only put my arm back in ,because mum would be sad if I left." Theodas snickered, pulling her head in close for a kiss.
"You know she's just worried about your safety." "But Dad, I can't stand it here anymore. There's a whole world out there." "I know." "I want to go see it all. The Kingdom that floats on a cloud. Or the kingdom of Elves!" "I know." "And the kingdom in the north, the one that has like stone rings around it. And I want to see what's past the azure." "Lo-Lo. You know there's no way you're getting across those waters. Unless you found some way to fly." "I-" "No trying to transform." She let out a huff, turning her head. "Lo-Lo. It's safe in here. And honestly if you never find someone here. I'm completely happy with that, but you can see we aren't made to leave Absol." He said pointing to her arm. "But the tincture-" "You know we can barely find enough to cover a baby's body. Let alone yours. Unless you somehow find a way to create fluids from nothing."
"That's odd." Lorexia said. The both of them peered into the distance, seeing the Fork flowing calmly. "Uhhh, dad...do you see what I'm seeing?" "The calm river, that is normally running its mouth like the Chieftain?" "Okay, thought it was just me." She said stunned. The two of them slowly approached the Fork. The tranquil yet jarring sight, troubled them to their core. The Fork was dull, no radiant azure emanated from it. "What is going on?" "I have no idea." Theodas said, touching the water. It flickered with life, pulsing azure for a second. The two of them leapt back, holding each other. "Dad..." "I don't have a single idea what is happening..." Within the Fork, bubbles began form and boil over in one spot. The two of them gulped, nervously approaching the bubbles, too enthralled to walk away.
A Wyrm burst forth from the Fork, the two of them screamed, falling backwards. Lorexia quickly sprung to her feet, raising her hand out. She froze watching as the Wyrm thrashed and writhed, roaring in pain. Theodas quickly pulled Lorexia back. They watched as the Wyrm's belly begun to bulge and the beast roared louder. Suddenly a large giant black sword pierced through its belly, cutting all the way to its throat. It collapsed onto the bank, its steaming guts spilling out. They watched as the magenta colour around the Wyrm faded into nothing. "What the fuck." The two of them whispered. From the guts emerged an azure hue. Harbinger flew out of the corpse, crashing a few metres from it. The two of them stumbled back in shock. With a pained grunt, Yamada ripped out of the guts, gasping for air. Lorexia and Theodas stared with bulging eyes.
Yamada stood before them haggard, glowing a radiant azure, in his Serpent Knight form. He stumbled towards Harbinger. For a fleeting a moment he locked eyes with Lorexia, through his visor, before fainting. As he fell face first into the ground, his armour disappeared into dust. "What the fuck!?" They both exclaimed. Lorexia quickly broke away. "Lorexia!" She fell to her knees, rolling Yamada over. Theodas followed, cautiously eyeing the Wyrm. "By Vasha's cunt." He gasped, looking down at Yamada. Lorexia held him in her arms, and looked up to her father, with eyes brimming in joy. "IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENNING!" She squealed her voice echoing throughout the woods. Theodas covered his ears, never once hearing his daughter so exicted before. "Shhhh! There could be other-" "Dad, dad, dad! Look! Look! Look!" She said shaking him. The pain in her arm gone from the excitement. "Lo-Lo, you're going to shake him to death."
"We have to bring him back!" She said excitedly hoisting him onto her shoulder. "Grab his sword, and let's go dad!" "Lor-" he stopped letting out a sigh. "Fine. Just be calm, we don't know anything about this stranger. He could be dangerous." "He just saved us from that Wyrm." Theodas approached Harbinger. "It look like he saved himself, from being eaten." He grasped his finger around the hilt, and tugged on the weapon. Theodas fell face first, and quickly stumbled up. "Lorexia put him down right now!" He yelled. "What is it?" "This thing...it's not a normal weapon..." "Dad, we can't just-" "He's dangerous! Now put him down!" Lorexia was startled at her father for the first time. She had never seen him raise his voice at her. She gently lowered Yamada, leaning him against a tree. "Dad, we-" Theodas took a breath. "Listen to me very carefully." She had never seen her father with such fear in his eyes before.
"This man...he's something very dangerous. That weapon of his. It's something that...normal people use." "Dad you're scaring me." Theodas eyed Harbinger one last time, and then down to Yamada's face. Not a single scratch or bruise covered his body. The only thing damaged about him, was his shirt and pants torn apart, or partially dissolved. "I'm going to carry him, if he does anything. You need to knock him back out." "Dad-" "Lorexia!" She nervously nodded. He took a deep breath, carrying Yamada over his shoulder. 'Whoever you are boy. Please don't be trouble.' Lorexia followed her father, gazing longingly at Yamada's face. She spun back to eye Harbinger. "When we get home, don't say a word to anyone about him okay?" "Okay..." "And let me handle talking to your mother."