The Grand Festival. Hosted alternately by a different empire each year during the first week of the third month, it was a nation-wide event celebrating the creation and birth of the world they resided in, Orian. It was a time of peace, harmony, and friendship; a sacred tradition that brought people together as well as unity among mellow hearts. Everyone from far and wide traveled to the designated empire for that year to experience the flourishing celebrations. Formal delegations consisting of imperials and nobles were sent to the empire's royal palace where they were to experience week-long events of the utmost grandiose balls and parties. When night fell and all had settled, some would sneak out instead of resting to wallow in the simple yet thriving streets of the common folk: large chatters of excitement bursting through the chilly, night air; vendors bubbling with delicious food, ready to fill someone's tummy and create a burning pool of warmth inside; other vendors selling products unique to their region, either formed from their superb craftsmanship or found in daunting places no one else was daring to go; paper lanterns lit by fire emanating orange and yellow hues, strengthening the lively and homely feeling of the streets-- bonding drunken souls together; people dressed in all kinds of attires, some not even akin to their own empire or region. It was a time when nobles became commoners, and commoners became nobles. When evil became good, and good became evil-- both mingling together in the same places; no one knowing who was who or what was what. No violence, no anguish, no despair, no anything happened during this week long event of endless joy. Even Ryuhwai Pojun, known for his bloodthirsty nature, couldn't defy the purpose of The Grand Festival, throwing lavish banquets of his own during his turn.
This year, the Loulou Empire was responsible for hosting the event. Maids and servants buzzed in excitement as they dashed from one corner to the other, carrying tapestries of rich emerald shades and garnishing the walls of the royal palace with as many gems and flowers as they could. Others were down on their knees or standing on their tippy toes, scrubbing away with all their might the grime that wasn't even there and polishing every area they'd washed into blinding cleanliness. In the kitchen, chefs and cooks stirred, chopped, and simmered away with flaming passion, pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into the meals for the coming week of sacred holiday. Tailors and designers snipped and snapped at both fabrics and each other as they argued over which clothing arrangements were better whilst sewing the same stitch together side by side. Gardeners possessing large amounts of spiritual energy refurbished the gardens, buckets of sweat dripping down their faces as they uprooted all previous flowers and trees before growing newer and prettier ones in their place. Musicians and dancers practiced next to them under the heat of the sun, preparing with much fervor to put on the best show they possibly could during this one in a six year chance.
Alas, after about a month of ceaseless craze and scrambling around like headless chickens as everyone tried to prepare everything to perfection, the foreign delegations finally arrived in the grounds of their brothering kingdom who commanded fauna and flora. The whole region was covered in lush forestation. Not a single spot left bare of color. Tall trees loomed over all, vines clung like lovers to anything within their grasps, flowers bloomed in rows of clusters as well as individually, and animals pranced along their way as several carriages marked with large insignias dragged past them one after another. Some Loulouans took residency in small cabins and houses, but most of them lived in trees: carved to sustain the everyday essentials of a normal house and provided spiritual energy by it's residents to maintain vitality. And the largest tree of them all-- the place where everyone was headed toward-- was the Tree of Life-- home to the Loulou imperial family.
Unlike the four empires who scurried along the ground like rats in their carriages, three straight-postured figures clothed in pure white could be spotted drifting down-- almost like graceful swans-- towards the Tree of Life. White scarves and ribbons twisted and turned around them, and their robes gently fluttered with the movement of their descent. A more-than-big-enough platform marked with the Loulou insignia (a tree) had already been prepared for their comfortable landing-- everyone was aware that flying (or "drifting") was their custom means of transport.
Once their feet touched the pristine floor, and they gained their footing, a servant who'd come out to greet them immediately hollered, "Enter His Majesty Emperor Suwan Yinjilang, Lord Nuanxin Cong, and Lord Ginu Rui of Aolan!" as the three steadily walked past the threshold leading into the Loulou Empire's room of order-- the Viridian Hall. Compared to the warm, rich brown and green hues respective to the verdure region, the stark white and chilliness of the Aolans stood out greatly.
Elegance and dignity emphasized in each step, the trio steadily drifted towards the throne standing in the middle of the room. It was intricately carved from carefully impregnated wood and was of a deep—almost black—shade of brown. Engraved on it were golden swirls, lines, and glossy emeralds, whispering of ancient and primordial times. On it sat a very well-dressed man. Short, flaming locks of hair seemed to be on fire under the glimmers of sunlight rushing through the doorway from where the three Aolans had entered; vibrant, green eyes peered at their guests with much enthusiasm, straight eyebrows slightly raised. His handsome face lazily perched on his hand which was lazily perched on the elbow of his chair.
Just as Suwan, Nuanxin, and Ginu stopped in front of him to give their greetings, a servant standing by the main door notified, spouting an almost never-ending series of names, "Enter His Majesty Emperor Aeternius Bojica and High Priestess Uriel von Lyrica of Heifos!":
Heavy mahogany doors slowly peeled open, giving a large creak and a loud rumble from the movement as the blinding radiance of two persons overtook the room. Dazzling, golden hair swayed like fields of wheat bowing to the strength of wind with each step Aeternius took, and gleamed brighter than the sun does at the zenith of it's reign; his large, iridescent orbs endlessly flickered with bursts of color like a moonstone does underneath the light, and his full, rosy lips were set into a warm smile. The stunning beauty next to him holding a large scepter in her small hand and a sweet smile of her own-- who was also a distant relative of his-- didn't fall short in terms of beauty; though, she was a more toned down version of him and far more comfortable on the eyes.
The two came to a stop next to the three Aolans as another set of names were called, "Enter His Majesty Emperor Calun Fey Lodh and Lady Nix Varmilde of Phyrir! Enter His Majesty Emperor Halig Nalier, Lord Ocil Perth, and Lady Trina Perth of Saiwic!":
Simultaneously, huge waves of red and blue crashed into the room as the two young emperors competitively glared at each other. Glowing red eyes challenged deep blue eyes; spiky, dust-colored hair rubbed against curly, navy-colored hair. Bare, tanned muscles strained with annoyance while clothed yet defined muscles rippled with provocation. Calun tightly gritted his teeth as Halig smirked from ear to ear, clearly enjoying the intense reaction he was receiving. The two had always had a terrible relationship, so it wasn't anything new for the others seeing them fight like this again. Even so, at the moment, it wasn't any behavior to be tolerated. Silently, Aeternius slightly turned his head to look at them and harshly flicked his hand behind his back, signaling for the two to stop what they were doing and behave. Catching the movement and message with their sharp senses, the pair reluctantly separated, and, giving a loud hmph, turned away from each other before standing on opposite sides of the people waiting before the throne.
"Enter His Majesty Emperor Uvas Milan Svamil and Prince Vsegda Radon Svamil of Lazruche!":
They were prim and proper in appearance-- fitted in formal attire proper for meeting with official figures yet also ready for battle at any moment. The two brothers walked in sync, moving in slow and languid strides like that of beasts cornering their prey. Uvas held a honeyed smile on his soft lips; eyes tightly crinkled at the corners, and hands clasped loosely behind his back, providing the countenance of a friendly domesticated panther. Vsegda also bore a smile like his brother. Except, his oozed with fake innocence, making him seem sweeter than candy and holier than a saint when he was anything but. Everyone knew that they were just deceitful facades and neither was to be trifled with. One was dark and dangerous while the other was light and lethal. It was in everyone's best interest to avoid getting into any conflict with them at all costs.
When they'd come to a stop in front of the pedestal next to the prominent figures of the other four empires, everyone respectfully bent at their waists and greeted the figure sitting atop the throne, their many voices echoing at the same time, "Greetings to His Majesty, Zoi Silva Eskovan. We, the subjects of Orian, are honored to celebrate this year's Grand Festival in the company of your empire." At the end of their salutation, Zoi slowly stood and descended down the stairs from his seat and met everyone at the bottom. He, too, bowed down at the waist and greeted each empire individually, thanking them for coming so far to his home.
After saying their hellos, everyone settled into their respective seats, sectioned by empire, on either side of the throne facing the front while they faced each other. One of the sections, though—across from the Aolans right next to Zoi—was left empty. They all stared at the seats in silence. Calun, sensing the unpleasant shift of the atmosphere, loudly cleared his throat before speaking in a haughty tone, "Hmph! Those Gojins really don't have any manners do they? How dare they be late again for such an important week and event? Wasn't it enough being tardy to every single Grand Festival gathering for the past eight years? I can't believe their doing this again!"
Intensely observing the rising steam as a servant poured warm jasmine tea into the small, dainty cup placed in front of him, Suwan replied, "They may not attend this year at all."
"Huh?"
"What are you even saying? Why wouldn't they come this year? That stupid Grand Duke probably just forgot again," Halig said, taking a sip of his own tea.
"Hah! Nah, really? Eight years in a row?" Calun grinned with satisfaction at the dark blue eyes pointedly glaring in his direction.
Before the two started fighting again, Aeternius popped into the conversation with a bright smile on his face and an index finger pointing up, as if trying to prove a point, while talking in a playful tone, "As Suwan said, the Gojin Empire may not be attending the Grand Festival this year because they most likely have more important matters on their hands right now than this. Specifically the Grand Duke."
Trina, "What could possibly be so important he would outright break a tradition and refuse to come?"
"Hmm, indeed what could possibly be reason enough for the Grand Duke to do something so impolite? Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with the resurrection of a certain someone long gone?"
Silence fell upon the Viridian Hall. They all knew who he spoke of. After all, the rumors were big enough to sweep across every empire incessantly for the past three months. Dark clouds hung upon everyone's faces, and they all could've collectively sworn that they heard crows cawing outside-- all except for Aeternius who still stood there gently smiling with his mouth open and shrugging his shoulders.
A snort puffed out of Nix's thin nostrils as she crossed her arms and leaned back, asking, "You do know that's the most silliest thing you've ever said, right? Did that tacky ability of your father's predict this?"
Tacky? A nerve popped out next to Aeternius's temple. Even so, he heartily laughed and politely responded, "Unfortunately, no. It seems my father's health has not been up to par for the last few months, and thus has been unable to communicate with me as much."
"Tsk, sounds like your old man's about to croak. If he didn't tell you, then how would you know what those dirty Gojins are up to? It's just a bunch of silly rumors coming from the slums anyway. What fools would believe those?"
This young lady here was taking things a little too far. Aeternius could feel the silent heat of Uriel's simmering rage right next to him. He prayed with his whole heart that her thin temperament wouldn't snap and get the better of her. The last thing they needed right now was a scuffle between two insanely volatile women.
Understanding what timing was for once, Suwan smoothly intercepted. Aeternius looked at him with teary eyes, blessing and thanking him internally. He quietly promised himself that he'd buy his dear cousin delicious food and books later as thanks. Yet, the moment Suwan started speaking, he immediately forgot all about his imaginary commitments.
"The undead are back. My men and I were attacked last week by a few outside of Gojin."
"What?!" Everyone exclaimed from shock, all except for Nuanxin and Ginu-- whom nodded gravely in agreement--, Aeternius-- who'd been notified ahead of time-- and, surprisingly, Calun as well who scoffed in response to everyone's reactions like they were crazy, "They've been back. My men and I were also attacked a while back when some weird-ass, ugly Gojin villager saved us along with some weird-ass, flying dog. And I sure as Hell know I wasn't the only one who was out there trying to steal the magic mineral mines past those gigantic gates, so don't act like-."
Zoi, "Yes yes, we were there. But we were attacked by the fables guarding the gates, not zom-."
"Hold on, hold on. Sorry, Zoi, but this is really important. Calun, did you just say that you were saved by somebody when you were attacked?" Aeternius questioned.
"Huh? Yeah. What of it?"
Suwan, "Was the person dressed in all black?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Did they fight with two daggers?"
"Yeah... Why?"
"Did he have hair that shined under the light like the feathers of crows do?"
"Yes, for God's sake! Why are you asking me these questions?"
Aeternius, "Because our dear little emperor here believes that the man who saved the two of you is Daewee, the devil himself."
"What blasphemy."
Strong and commandeering, a deep voice boomed across the room, ricocheting off the hard, wooden walls and silencing any other present sounds. Everyone flinched in their seats from the sudden noise before whipping around to face the open doors. There-- dressed in dark, overlapping layers of robes-- stood a man and two other similarly clothed figures. Scared out of his wits, the main door servant had cowered into the far corner of the room, away from the new arrivals as he softly whimpered, "E-Enter the G-Grand Duke of Gojin, Lord Ain and s-subjects."