(In the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Lordrith)
{Roar!}
The skies were grey and grim, and The Great Sol was dyed with a pitch black hue. Winds blew aggressively whilst carrying leaves that were violently torn apart midair as lightning stuck and thunder followed.
[Adam, this is finally it. It's been a hell of a journey, and you've went through so much and lost just as much. All for a single goal. However, it is not solely yours anymore. Are you ready to fulfill your promises?]
Gilgan spoke to the man, who stared at the grand gate with a scowl. They stood in front of the palace of the King of Dusk but they didn't tremble nor falter.
(Yes.)
He had no need for words nor useless recollections of his past struggles, for his past never really left him. They were already a part. All he needs is to enter the gate and face the present to fulfill the wishes of the people of the past.
With his sword, love, and undying rage, he enters.
{Creak~}
***
The world is a dark and bitter place. Perhaps it existed long before anything, or perhaps a powerful unknown force caused it all. Whatever the truth is, a solid and unbreakable fact is bound to everything… to everyone.
Words are power, for without it there can never be meaning, and an existence without meaning is therefore, powerless.
Thus, I dare say again, Word is absolute power.
Amidst this abyss of words, Azaquell became the dim light that stray moths called Souls went and flocked.
Located at the center of the world, Azaquell is separated by 3 rings:
Niflhell, The outer ring, is made out of Ice and Death ruled by Giants-
Midlands, The middle ring, is made out of abundant Souls ruled by Humanity while-
Muspelhell, The inner ring, is made out of Fire and Life ruled by Gods.
Despite this already great divide, even the Midlands are separated by 4 regions and 4 kingdoms.
The Northern lands, also known as The Kingdom of New Bjork, is known for its mountain ranges and cold temperatures that resembles Niflhell. Ruled by the King of Nights, It is a land where Giants are the objects of worships and the centers of many religions-
The Eastern lands, also known as The Kingdom of Tzu, is known for its lush greeneries, fertile lands, art and technology. Ruled by the King of Dawn, It is a land of multiple varieties of humans where the Moons are the central figures of worship-
The Western lands, also known as The Kingdom of Paris, is known for its vast bodies of water and hot weather that is reminiscent of Muspelhell. Ruled by the King of Days, It is a land where Gods are the idols-
Finally, the Southern lands, also known as The Kingdom of Lordrith. It is known for its vast plains, lakes, and rivers. Ruled by the King of Dusk, It is a place where the mornings are beautiful, the noons are hot and the nights are cold. The figures of worship are the humans themselves.
Earlier, I said words are power. However, there are also existences which mere words could not describe.
Emotions.
They were a mystery, and the souls carried them. Unlike the others, its meaning was vast and a single word could not describe it clearly. 'It', was an anomaly. A curse.
Joy and Sorrow, Love and Wrath, Fear and Will. These are were just a part of the many, many others. These feelings made Humanity.
Our story starts years before the earlier event, somewhere in the outer parts of the Kingdom of Lordrith, where most of the lower caste thrive-
The town of Gilgan.
In a humble town below the humble lake called Gilgan, rumored to home a divine nymph that gave the lake there its name, lived a humble man called Dave.
Everyday, all day, he plows the crusty soils in hopes of a spring for his flowers. And he gets them, sometimes. But when he does, his garden would turn into a mirror of the divine palace, beautiful and seemingly holy.
Flowers are delicate, and so is the process of their growth. Hence, a man should learn grace and gentleness if such a profession is chosen. Thankfully for Dave, he was born with a talent for his hands.
This flower groomer grows many flowers, from tulips, to roses, even Adarnas. But, none of them are as lovely as Evelynn. In the divine language, Evelynn meant "to ensnare".
Such a name is fitting for a lady like her,
For her face resembled the Goddess Freya, beautiful but fierce-
Her hair reminiscent of the golden threads of Paris-
Her eyes, mirror of Kaguya, the brightest Moon-
Her lips, as red as the Crimson Moon, Akatsuki-
Her attitude might as well be her face, for Evelynn is as kind as a priest, as loving as a hen and as elegant as a manakin bird.
When she gets angry, however, you better fasten your laces, because only then will the warm lady turn into the coldest Giant.
Just as it is hard to make a living, it is even harder to make love.
Various men from multiple parts of the kingdom desired her, from the very bottom of the caste to the highest part of it.
They offered her riches,
Their ancestries,
Their positions,
They offered everything that they could think of-
None, however, was able to capture the heart of the fair lady.
Dave had nothing to give except his humble flowers and gentle but gracious symphonies of love.
These simple offerings and genuine feelings, for Evelynn, outweighs the mountains of luxuries and power that the nobles were willing to give.
Such is the power of love. It can weave 2 completely different threads into 1 beautiful piece of cloth.
This short-pursed man took the heart of a far-fetched lady.
Finally, at the dawn of the first day of a new year,
They kissed, along with the sunrise, a sign that indicates the start of something new-
"-And they lived happily ever after!" the little girl interrupted his Father.
"Baby, the book wasn't-" The mother placed her gentle hands at his and smiled. "You know what, that works too." Father dejectedly closed the book. He wanted to brag.
"That story is boring. Tell me another one!" the elder brother crosses his arms.
"Alright, but after this both of you will sleep okay?" Father ignored his unpleasant remarks.
"Okay!" the younger sister answered with sparkly eyes.
The elder brother replied without his heart into it, "Okay"
'Okay', he says, but he's planning to feign his rest.
(Moments later...)
The loud snoring of the drooling rascal filled the bedroom. It looks like he wasn't a child who keeps promises to himself. Both parents tucked their children good night before leaving the room.
"They're finally asleep-" Mother hugged Father tightly, sniffing the huge, toned back of her husband.
"Evelynn, don't tell me you want a fourth one-" Father turns around to face her wife and grab hold of her face.
"What if I do? Huh? What are you gonna do, my Davey?" She traced rings around his chest with a flirty demeanor.
"Oh, you already know what I'm gonna do. I did it countless of times already-"
As they were about to kiss, a loud banging on their door interrupts them.
"Help!" A raspy voice called, still desperately hitting on the wooden door and continuously shouting the same word over.
The couple cautiously peeked through the other side of the door through magic. It was a single man carrying a large basket covered with a red cloth.
"Who are you?" Dave observes the man, beside her is Evelynn with her sword unsheathed.
"I am Sir Jake Francis from the Kingdom of Paris."
People honored by the priests of Paris call themselves with a 'Sir' honorific.
"… And?"
"… I'm sorry. I cannot disclose more than that-"
"Then you are wasting your time, honorable knight. I will not let a man whose background I do not know into my house, even if it is a knight blessed by the gods of Muspelhell-"
"But what if it's not a man?"
"… W-What do you mean by that good sir?"
"I have a child with me."
"!!!"
The couple looked at each other for they see no child. Evelynn tightened her grip at her sword.
"W-Where is it? Bring the child out." Dave stepped back.
"I… cannot. It is co-co-cold out here. He might die. Please, I have a portrait of him atleast-" with his trembling hands, he brought a portrait framed with gold. In it, is the image of an infant and her mother.
Without a moment of hesitation, Evelynn opened the door.
"Come in." she extends her hands, still wary of the stranger. Dave stared at his wife with an exasperated sigh.
"I ca-ca-can't." Jake's pale face brightened and blurted a chuckling cough.
Evelynn looks at his lower half, it's trembling and completely frozen.
"Good heavens!" Evelynn blurted out in shock.
"Wait for me here good sir-" Dave rushes to the kitchen to boil some water.
"P-Pay no hee-heed to it. Quick! On my back… is a basket. There lies… Adam."
Evelynn quickly reached out for the basket covered with a thick blood red cloth that resembled a knight's winter cloak. The basket cradled an infant sleeping soundly.
"P-please, take good care of him." Jake pleaded.
Evelynn held the infant, lulling him to sleep.
"We will." She said with a resolute look. It gave Sir Jake a sense of relief.
"M-may I speak my final words?"
She said nothing but a nod.
"Be strong little light. The path ahead will be full of tragedy, pain, and despair. But, this dying knight wishes you great perseverance."
Sir Jake walked a distance away from the house. His shaking hands struggled to unsheathe the sword on his waist, but still managed to gallantly struck a chivalric pose facing them.
With all the strength he has left, he pierces the floor with his sword, leaving it stuck on the ground like a lantern post. On a final struggle for motion, he shouts-
"This is… my first… and final gift!"
"Wait!" Dave rushes back with his kettle of warm water. However, it was too late.
With his final breath expired, Sir Jake died, his honorable corpse disappearing into a swarm of glowflies. It was a bright and warm reminder for a dark and cold night.
(8 years later)
"Kids! It's time for breakfast!" Evelynn called her children with a smile. Despite it, no child came to her.
'Did those little rascals overslept again?'
Having no choice but to sigh it off, she went upstairs to check on them.
Evelynn enters the first door where the eldest brother lies-
"Cain?"
The young man was not there, which puzzled her.
The second door is room to Bela, the second eldest sister. However, the young lady was not there too.
Finally, the room of the twins, Adam and Eve. However, no twins was sighted in here as well.
'Where could those little rascals possibly have gone?'
Then, she heard the sound of metal clanging from afar.
(Not far from the Valric family's backyard)
"Go Brother! You can do it!" Bela cheered for Cain, whistling and shouting "Watch out!" as they clash.
"Hiyah!" Cain swings his sword at his father, Dave, who was parrying everything he throws.
{Clang!}
The sound of metal clanging against one another polluted the peaceful morning of Gilgan. Both of them were panting, but is having a decent conversation in spite of it.
{Clang!}
"You're getting good Cain! You're starting to resemble your Father!" he praises his son amidst battle.
{Clang!}
"I don't resemble you- Hah!- Because I am better."
{Clang!}
"Hah! I don't remember raising such an arrogant son! It seems you lack discipline! Very well, I'll engrave it upon you-"
"Hey!" interrupted an elderly woman whose name is Paprika, the Valric family's neighbor and Gilgan's chieftress.
"You're being too loud in the morning. Can't you spare that for another time! My husband is having trouble sleeping lately, maybe the two of you are the cause!" She says, but they weren't really that loud and they fought somewhere isolated.
Evelynn intervened to calm the elder's temper.
"I'm sorry, Madam Paprika. Here, a basket of pan and a bouquet of flowers-" She glared at her husband and children, her eyes saying:
"Come inside right now, or you can't come at all for this day's span"
With the message received, the parent and his children went inside with chills creeping at their backs, wondering why their mother humors that saggy hag.
"Oh, I almost forgot, where are our twins?" Dave asked the other two.
"They were asleep right? They were before we left." Cain answered confidently.
"Oh, you're wrong about that one brother-" Bela took a bite of the sausage after talking.
"What do you mean?" Dave asked with crumpled eyes.
"{Muffled} I saw the two of them sneak out the window. Both of them saw us and I saw them, so I agreed to Adam's terms of letting them go in exchange of not waking mother up and ratting us out."
"He did that?" Cain's eyes widened with disbelief, same for his father because he has no idea what she just said.
Indeed, how could an 8 year old have an elder's tongue?
(Gilgan's Town Library)
Gilgan's Town Library. It is the only place in Gilgan where you can explore the Midlands through mere sheets of paper. It is located far outside the town but it has a clear view from its window. The library is usually closed this early, but Adam has his ways.
"Are you sure we're not gonna get in trouble brother?" Eve pulled her brother's collar.
"Trust me, I've done this a thousand times. Now, go pick your books-" Adam pats her back to assure her.
"Yay!"
"Shh! We're gonna get caught by that thing!" He points at the sleeping Frost Hound. "Don't be too loud! Just whisper!"
"Okay brother!" Eve whispered with a sloppy salute.
The library is not only for the travel-thirsty, it is also, if not mostly, used for studying your future meaning. Every person has a meaning, a role they would give themselves to bring forth, well, meaning into their lives.
Most struggle to find their meaning, some dream for their own only to end up becoming the exact opposite of it, some pick a random meaning because they couldn't think of one, some even have their meanings decided by others.
Fortunately for Adam, he had already decided on his meaning.
"The Art of Money. I'm gonna be this town's merchant!" he tidies the dusty book up.
"A merchant?" Eve tilted her head.
Adam let out a boastful {Hmph} before proudly saying, "It is someone who earns money. A lot of money."
"Really? Then when you become a merchant, will you help me make my own flower shop?" her eyes sparkled. Adam pets her adorable little head.
"Of course!"
It was a simple but fitting dream for Adam. Among his brothers, who each have the capacity and talent for battle such as magic and swordsmanship, only him had the proper talents and characteristics for a different meaning.
However, little did he know that his life's meaning was to be completely changed by an unfortunate string of fate...