"Alright now, who can tell me what's the name of the village we live in?" Sister Annie asked gently.
Immediately several hands rose from the group of boys gathered in the makeshift classroom in the basement of the orphanage. The two girls, Ellie and Maggie, were in the other room being taught by Sister Mary, as their lessons were of a different nature.
"Will," Sister Annie called, smiling at the eager boy.
"Riverbend," he answered softly, his voice carrying a note of pride.
"Good job," Sister Annie responded, nodding. "Now, can anyone tell me why this village is named Riverbend?"
There was a brief silence, but then Charlie raised his hand.
"Charlie?"
"It's because the river near the village, from a distance, looks like it's bending in half," he said confidently.
"Very good, Charlie," Sister Annie praised. "Now, the reason I've asked you kids those questions is because today's topic will be the history of this kingdom and its surrounding neighbors."
At the mention of history, Finn let out an audible sigh of frustration, earning a glare from Sister Annie. "Sister Annie, history sounds boring. Can we learn something else? Maybe about swords! Or even better, knights!"
"Shush now," Sister Annie chided, giving Finn a pointed look. "You said you wanted to be an adventurer, right? Well, how will you be able to travel around if you don't even know what's around you?"
Seeing Finn's silence, she continued. "Now, the kingdom we live under is called Eldoria, ruled by their Majesties, the Valerius family, who have reigned since its founding."
Suddenly, Nero raised his hand. "You said it's founded. Does that mean there was something before that?"
Sister Annie smiled warmly at his curiosity. "Why, of course. For as long as humanity existed, there has been some kind of power in place. As one falls into obscurity, another rises. But did you know the one people still remember to this day is just called 'The Empire'?"
Confused expressions spread across the room. Most of the boys had never heard of it, and Sister Annie wasn't surprised. After all, in a village where survival was a daily challenge, the distant past often felt irrelevant.
"See," Sister Annie continued, her tone taking on a mystical air, "The Empire was the greatest to ever rule, and it lasted for over a millennium. At its peak, it was said that even the poorest and weakest person had strength and speed far beyond what we could imagine today. Some say the emperors lived for hundreds of years, capable of turning mountains into dust. And there are even records of floating cities in the sky, where the most powerful lived among the clouds."
"Woahhh..." The boys' eyes widened in disbelief, their mouths agape.
Nero, always curious, raised his hand again.
"Yes, Nero?"
"Sister Annie, how is that possible? I know that humans can't live that long."
Sister Annie chuckled, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ah, how did they do it? I wonder." She paused, letting the suspense build in the room, knowing how the kids hung on her every word.
"Sister Annie, please tell us!" the boys begged in unison, their curiosity bubbling over.
With a smile, she relented. "Well, since you're asking so nicely, I suppose I could answer. You see, they used something we now call Aether—a gift bestowed upon us mortals by the gods above." Her voice softened with reverence as she spoke of the gods, her hands clasped together.
"But you may ask," she continued, her tone shifting to something darker, "Sister Annie, how come we haven't heard of Aether? And that, children, is where the story takes a turn. For as I said before, powers rise and fall. The Empire held on for a long time, but their time came to an end... and it wasn't a peaceful one."
The room grew still as the weight of her words settled in. Sister Annie's voice became low and solemn. "War. A war of unimaginable scale. This earth was ravaged by mankind's selfish desires. And in the end, there was no victor—only the dead. The gods punished us for our sins, stripping us of Aether. We lost our gift, and the world was cast into the dark age you see now."
Silence enveloped the room, and the boys sat frozen in thought, trying to wrap their minds around the enormity of what Sister Annie had just revealed. The idea of such power and the destruction that followed felt like something from a dream, yet Sister Annie's solemn expression made it all feel terribly real.
Sister Annie let the silence linger for a moment before speaking again, her voice softer now. "So, remember this, children. The past may seem far away, but it holds lessons. And those lessons can shape our future. We must be careful not to repeat the mistakes of the past and with that our lesson is over for today." With a clap of her hands she dismissed the class, letting them leave and to digest what they had just learned.
'Sigh, I went overboard again.' Sister Annie thought with disapproval of herself. It was hard for herself to reign in with the mention of the Gods. 'Next time I'll do better' she thought as she watched the kids leave.
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Nero, the last one to leave, slowly climbed the wooden stairs that creaked under his weight. Each step took him higher, but his mind lingered on what Sister Annie had said.
'Aether, huh?' he thought, his brow furrowing. 'That sounds cool. Maybe if it still existed... mom and dad... they could have lived.' The thought cast a shadow over his heart. Unconsciously, he reached up to touch the silver snowflake-shaped pendant hanging around his neck, the last gift his mother had given him. His fingers traced its edges—a habit he didn't realize he had developed until now.
As he reached the top of the staircase and stepped into the main lobby, his eyes naturally drifted to the detailed sculpture of the God Elathira. The statue stood in the center of the room, her figure kneeling with her head bowed and hands clasped together. Her expression was unreadable, almost solemn. Nero often wondered what Elathira could be thinking, lost in her quiet reverence.
He could still remember the first time he'd entered the orphanage, Father Elias's hand gently guiding him. That was nearly four years ago now, but the memory felt fresh.
"That, my son, is Elathira. Our Lord and Savior," Father Elias had said softly, bowing his head before the statue. "Come, pay your respects. You'll be living here from now on, with me."
Nero had been small then, barely able to understand the full weight of Father Elias's words. But he had obeyed. Slowly, he stepped forward and bowed his head, just as Father Elias had done. After a few moments, he straightened up and looked at Father Elias, who was kneeling on one knee, smiling with a warmth that only an elder could show.
"I know you've been through much, my child," Father Elias had continued, his voice full of a comforting sorrow. "And while this place may not seem like much, I want you to know you'll be safe here. Do you understand?"
Nero had stared at him for a long time before nodding slowly, unsure but trusting.
Father Elias had given him a gentle nod of approval and had taken him on a tour of the small orphanage, introducing him to the others.
Now, as Nero's gaze lingered on the sculpture once more, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, Nero!" someone shouted.
Surprised, Nero looked up and saw Fin, Will, and Charlie waving at him from the door.
"We're going to our spot," Fin called out, his voice full of confidence. "We're going to practice our sword skills with wooden swords. Wanna come?"
Nero hesitated for a moment. He didn't feel like it today, but Fin's enthusiasm was hard to ignore. Besides, there was always something about swinging swords around with the boys that helped clear his mind.
"I don't know, Fin..."
"C'mon, Nero!" Fin cut in with a grin. "You've got the best sword skills out of all of us!" It was true—Nero's father had been a skilled warrior. Though Nero was too young to learn everything, he'd picked up enough to hold his own, especially against the trio.
Nero couldn't help but smile, a bit sheepishly. "Alright, fine. I'll come."
"Great! Let's go!" Fin's voice was filled with excitement, and Nero couldn't help but laugh at the energy the older boy always seemed to carry.
As they turned to leave, Nero glanced back once more at the sculpture of Elathira, kneeling in silent prayer. For a moment, he felt as though the deity's gaze was on him—comforting, reassuring. He quickly turned and ran to catch up with the others, his heart lighter, even if just for a moment.