Massive houses with massive, pointed roofs…Lining massive roads that spiral around a massive castle…Guarded by massive walls, crowned with massive cathedrals on every corner…Near a massive Golden Hall, standing in the shadow of a massive statue —the Great Queen.
All of it towers, vast and shining —projecting their colossal presence onto the considerably small eyes of a boy with one thing burning inside him:
Massive determination.
Xitij has arrived. At Inkraeth, Ardovale.
His eyes flicker with awe. His feet barely move. "I can't believe I was here before… What miracle has Mr. Chinum done!?"
He stumbles forward, dizzy from grandeur. At the city gates, two Valean guards — clad in iron-crimson cloaks — halt him.
"Silver pass?" one asks, his voice low and formal.
Xitij fumbles, shoves his left hand into his right pocket… and pulls out something.
A Golden Ticket — crumpled, creased, and completely legitimate.
The guards pause. Eyes wide. Jaws tighter.
Xitij thinks to himself :
"Now they must be MASS—"
—the narrative cuts him off.
(Massively is now a protected term in Ardovale, due to overuse.)
The guards exchange a silent nod and step aside. One mutters, "Golden…" under his breath as other hands himself a hotel ticket, "This was left for you by your friend" the gates part like a curtain for the unexpected.
Inside the city, amidst the buzz of preparation and proud trumpet songs, the boy's stunned pace breaks into something looser — lighter.
A voice calls out.
"Xitij?"
He turns. His jaw drops.
A girl — chestnut hair tied into two small buns, her stride light as falling snow. Soft hazel eyes. A smile that melts without trying.
Yelena. His childhood friend from the winter peaks of Slovyr, now inexorably here.
"TAG!" she grins, and slaps his shoulder. In an instant, she darts off down the paved road, laughing like bells in spring.
Xitij lets out a confused, helpless sound as his bag swings and feet flail.
"Tail between my legs again," he mutters, as he launches after her.
The game begins — and the city, vast and eternal, becomes a playground.
Soon enough Yelena is out of her breath and Xitij catches up to her , but is tired out as well .
They sit at a bench aside the central fountain and share their past few years with one another .
'How is your mom? ' — Yelena asks to open up the conversation.
'Yea, she is doing quite well , though I am very tense to leave her like this , she will be alone all over again' — Xitij
'Don't you worry , Xij . With your skills I believe you'd return to her quite alright . Ahh it is such a relief to see you after so many years , well I was sure you'd keep your promise . ' — Yel
'Well yeah you said to me that if didn't come back you'd come find me to the peaks of heaven and murder me right there , so like I didn't have much of a choice here , he he' — Xij
"Well of course , you didn't . How did you think that after doing that to me you could just leave and never come back , well I am glad you did , I hate men who take action and then don't take responsibility . Hey, I'd never thanked you for the gift you gave me did I ?'" — Yel
'Well you can now , even though it has been three years since , but if its you then I would gladly accept it any day .' — Xij
'Ahh forget it , we are so close to each other , these kinds of formalities are not for us.' — Yel
'Oh , I didn't realize we were so close to each other , and what were you saying earlier I had did what to you huh ? — Xij
Xitij, continued — 'Remember that time when you were scared as heck from a nightmare you had and ran away from the hospital , you kept crying and crying and sept saying — 'I want to see Xij , I won't go back without seeing him'
Yel (flustered) — "Th-That was a long time ago , and y-you know the kind of dream I saw it was about you...." — mid way through the sentence yelena stopped remembering the dream again made her heart grew cold .
Xitij , recognising the sadness ; tries to uplift her mood — slightly smirking he teased Yel: "And what about that time when you kept asking me where do.....
A scene from the past plays — kid Yelena and Xitij sitting on a pale green tiled floor as Yelena asks Xitij — "Hey , Hey — Xij , where do babies come from ? — Xitij taken by surprise, got nervous , he could bring about the courage to tell such a pure soul about such indecency , bursts out an kind of embarrassed command — "Yel, don't ask me or anyone that question ever again, it is not meant for you know this st-stuff right now , you will come across it when the time comes a-alright" — to which the confused young yelena replies —"Ok , if that's what you say and I won't and even if I don't come across it Xij will teach me right"
As the butterflies of memories arrive at the garden of flowers ; Yelena gets flustered and shy , her face red as a rose she struggles to speak as words cannot escape her trembling lips.
Xitij (teasing , knowing quite well that by now yelena must have stumbled upon the knowledge in one way or another) — "Well, if don't know by now , I could teach you hehe"
Yelena(still red as a rose) —"Shut up you indecent shit , I was just a kid , i didn't know shit at that point , and why are you acing so high after that didn't you run off like shy and embarrassed too just like a kid "
Xitij (now also red as a rose) — "Well I was a 'KID'! , of course I'd run off like one after hearing that , anyone would !"
Yel : "Well you acted all high and mighty at those times too , I believed you were a grown up , huh now I realise you were just a 'I know shit but can't do shit ' kind of guy"
Xitij burst into laughter — Yelena soon too followed — both looked like madlads to the strollers passing by
The pair sat at the fountain bunch laughing and giggling for hours as if decades of memories left untouched was being unraveled .
"Wouldn't it be so nice if it always remains just like us laughing , at the bench , just the two us." — Yelena
"I hope it does " — Xij
"Hope? I am not satisfied with you just hoping, promise me that you will keep it that way ." — Yelena
Xitij — taken aloof by the choice of words Yelena has selected , without a second thought some words come out of his mouth on their own — "Well Of Course , I Will , I Promise"
"Hey Xij , have you heard of the theory that when the end comes — for a moment you remember some very good fragments of memories from the past ? — Yelena
Xitij — "Oi Oi , what are you talking about all of a sudden huh ? , just keep your mouth shut idiot — it's not that your end will come so soon alright ." — In disappointment : After I did the hassle of saving you , Come on Yel
"Well thank you for today , it will be the best memory for me to hold on to"
The human mind is quite strange isn't it ? , it always clings to the sweet memories of the past. Keeping them safe in a vault, so later, much much later — when it feels alone and afraid it can open that vault to take a look at some of those memories, to remember those sweet moments in a time of grief .