The sun lazily rose from the east showering the land with its warm morning rays. The village was busier than usual . In normal cases most of the younger populous would be asleep bound to sleep by their blankets battling the urge to wake up. Today was different.
It was the first day of the summer solstice, a time celebrated for its arrival. The winter cold had passed and with it all the beast that roamed in the snow ready to take unaware trailers. The solstice celebrations were held annually and was sort of a public holiday. For children and teens it was more special because it was like their day off from their duties and chores. The grownups handled the preparations and for them it was a vacation. This was ideal for the younger ones but for the teens who had seen the festival for more than half a decade, knew it was just a way for the grownups to butter them up for the gruesome work that awaited them on. Even so this didn't stop them from enjoying themselves.
Salur village was located on the outskirts of the Laptove region. The region itself was a part of the Alphira kingdom. It is a calm peaceful village. Since it was small basically everyone knew who's who.
Even with all the bustle , Sen was not deterred from his sleep. He was not going to wake up early today something he learned in his nine years in the village.
" Sen, wake up. Your breakfast is getting cold ." a deep voice followed by a knock on his door pulled him out of his sleep.
" Morning grandpa." Sen says yawning .
He rubs his eyes then stretches to revive his numb hand which he had been sleeping on. He made his way to his window, drew the curtains and threw open the shutters.
" Happy new solstice everyone!" he shouted , his voice echoing through the town square.
This startles a few who were either new to the village or had never experienced a summer solstice festival with Sen.
" Oh, he's awake ." an old woman sited sifting rice says ending with a chuckle.
" He's energetic as ever. " another lady sited next to her adds.
She continues " Mira, Neil , Sen's awake. Hurry up and get him before he's misses for the show again. "
" Yes mom , I doubt anyone in the village didn't hear him. " a voice , male in his mid teens , says in a dragged voice.
" Do what your mom says , Neil. " the old lady adds.
" Yes miss Chin. Let's go Mira. " the teen voice say hurriedly.
They thundered through the door and headed to Sen's house.
In the kingdom during the new solstice celebrations there were special shows done on major towns around the kingdom. They were mainly for children and teens as the grownups handled the preparations. One of the crowd's favorite was Robin Scarf. It was about an elf who had lost his family due to a noble quarrel and the only thing left was a scarf and then started fighting for the injustice to help the poor.
Sen had missed them in the past two years. Mainly because of his sleep maximization strategy and mostly because he forgot. This was because Sen had only lived in the village since he was five , so it was not that engraved into him non like the rest who had lived there since birth.
" Where you going so early? " Sen asks his grandfather as pulled a seat on the dinner table .
" Errand. " his grandfather said gruffly as he stepped out.
" What shady errand is that it only deserved a one word answer." Sen shrugged.
His mind was focused on the solstice shows. On the years he had missed , the teasing from Neil and Mira was unbearable.
A while later Sen was done with his breakfast and got ready for the solstice celebrations.
" You ready yet , princess? " a female voice called from the outside.
It was Mira.
"Am coming. " Sen replied as he headed to the door.
Outside Neil and Mira were waiting for him.
Mira was the cunning one . She lead the two boys on different pranks and mischief somehow she was the only one who had never ended up in trouble. She played the harmless cute act and got away with almost anything. Neil was the quiet and cautious one. Never liked tagging along with Sen and Mira but always found himself in their schemes. He had always warned them of their toxic character symbiosis , where Mira brought a crazy plan and Sen always fueled it to life leading to the three of them facing the consequences together. But to no avail they never listened.
Mira was nearest to the door , her hands on her waist. She was in a white collar shirt buttoned all the way up a coupled with dark tie and a dark blue suspender held dress just barely reaching her knees. She had black short curly hair that was cut to her neck.
A little to the side was Neil. He was examining a tree that had a sword scars and round depression on its stem. He had dark hair with some of it covering one of his eyes. He brushed his hand across the tree feeling slight energy it emitted. There were also some depression on the compound around some like the one on the tree others looked like a human punch with some small fissure cracks around it.
" Hurry up slowpoke. " Mira says as she pulls him by the arm.
" Just wait a sec. " he replies as he closed the door behind him.
" Looks like you've gotten better at controlling u're Arcane power. " Neil says turning to Sen with his back on the tree.
" Well yeah. Grandpa has been extra hard on me these days. I don't really see a problem with it, but a little less force would be nice. " he says rubbing the back of his neck.
A pulling sensation coursed over his gut realizing how much Sen had gotten better at using his rune arctype.
" No Arcane talk today — " Mira said trying to lighten the mood. " Today's is supposed to be fun and I don't want to miss the candy apples this time…. So let's goooo." She says as she pulls both by their arms.
" Hey Mira , aren't we supposed to go to Laptove town? " Neil asked as they took a corner into an alley.
" Yeah… " she answered, " but there was something delicious in the air as we were coming to get Sen. " she added looking at building that was had just finished
construction.
On the side of the walls were platforms that builders used to place their materials when they were building. They were evenly spread all the way to the top.
" There's nothing in the air apart from the smell of the garbage around us. Let's go back , I thought you didn't want to miss the candy apples this time around. " Neil said obviously not wanting to take part in whatever she was planning.
" I changed my mind . " she said bending her knees ready to jump.
Neil looked at Sen hoping he could knock some sense into Mira but Sen shrugged and then —.
" Race you to the top " Sen said already one leap ahead Mira.
" Hey , not fair! " Mira said and followed.
" Urghh , what a pain. " Neil exclaimed looking at Sen and Mira made their way up the platforms.
***
" Hahaha , I win " Sen said as he jumped onto the concrete roof.
There at the side was Neil. He was sited facing the other side of the street.
" You finally got here , took you long enough. " he said after hearing Sen's voice.
" Not fair , Sen … you cheated " Mira said panting. She then looked to the side only to see Neil sited looking at them.
" How did he get here before me? " She said as she walked towards the wall side Neil was sited on.
Looking onto the other street Neil said. " So you were talking about the bakery when said something delicious, huh. "
" Also, I took the lift. " he said pointing towards it.
The lift was a small wooden elevator, with some gears , rope and a standing platform , the builders used to carry things up and down during construction. It was meant to efficiently carry heavy loads like stones and the workers ,and did that relatively fast. But since its only load was a fourteen year old boy ,it zipped up the building almost making the boy stumble.
" That smells like buckle berry pie. " Sen said sniffing the air. Mira was behind them still mad that she had lost to them. She brushes it of with a sigh seeing how neither Sen nor Neil were trying to console her.
" Yes , and we're are going to get an early tasting. " she joins the two in looking at the bakery.
Sen and Neil both look at her simultaneously.
" But isn't that stealing?" Neil asked taking a step back.
" No it's not if they are going to give them all away for free later. " she answered with a playful grin on her face.
" Also , we were the ones who helped picked the berries we should at least get extra . Right ? "
Sen and Neil looked at each other as though conveying telepathic messages. Mira was standing in front of them fingers crossed behind her back.
" Fine. " Neil said in a dragged voice.
" But we'll need a distraction. " Sen said as both of them looked at Mira.
Mira was having a silent celebration when she finally realized that was the suggested distraction. She started shaking her head in denial.
" Well , you did suggest the idea. " Sen said.
" And also came in last. " Neil added.
" No , No It can't be me …" she said pausing for a moment.
" If Mrs Ludge sees me , she'll know we are up to something. "
Mira , over the years had developed a reputation of being the announcer of pending mischief that the three were doing. This reputation meant that she was always going to be on the side that was going to get the spoils .
" Yeah , she's right. " he said after pondering it for a few seconds.
" And it can't be you. " he added looking at Sen. " so am the only logical choose here. He said finishing with a heavy sigh.
" Wait here then. " he said making his way towards the lift.
Sen and Mira smiled giving each other a high five as they saw Neil go down the elevator.
A few minutes later he crossed the street and made his way to the bakery.
" Did you hear ? " a man dressed in camping gear asked Mrs. Ludge.
" Up the trail to Orsree forest some horco ravens were seen flying towards Laptove. " he added handing Mrs Ludge two silver coins.
" No , I didn't. Are you even sure that they were horco ravens? They are usually deep in dense forests and there have been no deaths around. " Mrs Ludge asked with a doubtful look on her face.
" Even so , I won't stay here to find out . Am going to town , where the shields are stronger. " he said . " I'd advice the same for you and your husband. "
" Should we be heading there too, Mrs Ludge?" a calm voice asked behind the man.
" Oh Neil , what brings you here?" Mrs Ludge asked smile surprised that Neil was listening.
" Don't worry , I already know what horco ravens are. " he said with serious look on his face.
" what a smart kid you are. But leave grown up stuff to grown ups , ok. " the man smiling ruffled Neil's hair.
He then started making his way to the village gates waving goodbye to Mrs Ludge.
" Let him be . He's just fussing over some rumors. "
Neil gave him a dismissive look. He never liked loudmouthed people and especially the ones who touched his hair.
" Hey you two brats ,come over here! " a male voice shouted inside the bakery.
" Oh no he found us , run!" another, female ,shouted in a hasty voice. Then sounds of clustering spoons and pans followed.
" the front door … "
Suddenly two figures shot out of the front door of the bakery. One in a knee height dress and the other had a bag on his back. Their efforts were disrupted by Mrs Ludge grabbing both their collars and slamming them down.
" Sen , Mira?!" Mrs Ludge said with in a disappointed look. She then turned to Neil who was slowly taking steps back.
Sen and Mira were on the ground rubbing their backs from the impact. On their faces were vibrant smiles as they tried to act innocent. Neil was standing next to them his hands crossed staring down the two.
" We're sorry! We were only trying to taste of your delicious pie, nothing more. " Mira was first to speak first with her face facing down.
" Fluttery won't help you here young lady. These pies are for everyone, you three should be so selfish… " she proceeded to scold them a pan in hand. Mr Ludge stood at the door smiling as he watched the three get scolded.
After what seemed like an eternity to Sen and his friends , Mrs Ludge finally let them go. In hand they each hand a slice of the pie that they had gotten from Mr Ludge. The streets of Salur village were packed with activity. From stalls selling sun like lanterns used as decorations to costume stalls selling cosplays for the shows. Since the shows were held in Laptove town most of the families had taken their children there.
The three friends made their way to the village's main gate laughing at each other for being discovered.
" What were you two thinking ? " Neil asked as he took a bite of his pie.
" Your are one to talk ," Sen said swallowing the last of her pie. " you were supposed to make a distraction, not go sell us out. "
" So you thought it was smart to go in through the back and finish the mission." Neil said shaking his head in disapproval.
" Yeah … wait … no … aaah, fine, but you didn't do your part too. "
" Your such a child. I was going to talk to her and try to convince her to reward us for helping her pick the berries. "
Mira was at the back, smiling, watching the two boys continue arguing. Their voice rose and fell with mock annoyance , the kind only close friends could manage. Quietly, she stepped forward and slipped her arms around them both, drawing them into a loose embrace.
" I really hope that we can stay like this forever . "she said softly.
The bickering stopped. A quiet pause hang in the air as a faint flush creeped across their faces, their expressions somewhere between surprised and something unspoken.
The gates had a deep blue crystals at regular intervals and a large one on its apex. The village itself was surrounded by walls that had connected patterns engraved to them like a circuit . It the crystals at regular intervals gave a soothing Hum glowing sky-blue the then resting back to their original color.
Salur was a branch settlement of Laptove town. These was due to the increase in population and expenses that Laptove incurred from the dense population. Salur resulted as a settlement but faced a major challenge.
Exposure to Miasma events.
Miasma events were random Arcane disruption that occur in the world. Nobody really knew why and how they occurred but hypothesis had being formulated to explain it.
When Arcane energy accumulated in a specific point in space it had adverse effects depending on the arcane's nature. These points were called condensation points. In the past there have been a series of flourishing condensation points that resulted to incredible sceneries that were rich in arcane , pure Arcane.
Miasma was the counter opposite. It resulted in destruction and freeing of miasma creatures into the world. These creatures were called Miasma corpses. With these knowledge the kingdom came up with a way to prevent miasma through stabilizer shields called Lishanar shields. They discovered that stabilizing arcane flow in specific areas of importance like cities towns trading stops and important cites decrease the chances of Miasma events occurring.
Salur was not that far from Laptove town but the Lishanar shields barely managed to cover it. The Lishanar shields run on pure arcane and the bigger the range the more it needed. These meant that if it was to run in large scale the people around it would suffer from Arcane deficiency conditions. Even so after two decades after its form it had never experienced a miasma event so it wasn't much of a big deal.
" So what show do guys think will be shown in town today?" Mira asked the two boys who were striding behind her.
Sen was first to answer. " Lil chick bastard . " he said excited.
" I even brought my book for it to get autographed by the actors . He said digging into his bag to brandish the book.
Sen's eyes widened. " oh come on … " he said digging more into his bag trying to locate his book which was obviously not there.
" I forgot it " he says turning back starting to run back to the village.
" Go on , I'll catch up. "
" Wow he never changes, does he ?" Neil said with a heavy sigh looking at Sen speed up back to the village.
There was a few seconds of silence which was not normal for Mira especially after Sen pulled a stunt like that.
" Hey Neil … ," Mira says in soft low tone voice. " Do you think we will remain friends? "
Neil turned towards Mira who was gazing at the sky. Her deep blue eyes shimmer in the sunlight as the wind tagged softly at her cropped hair.
" The three of us will take different paths once the next solstice is over and as for you and Sen ,your arcane control is way better than mine and probably will become adventurers together… "
" and —and I don't want to lose you two, I want to remain friends with you guys forever " she said as a tear streamed down her cheeks.
Neil stared at her tearing eyes not knowing what to do. He had never been the emotional support type ,so these was new. He took a deep breathe then walked towards her.
" Don't worry, " he said with a warm smile on his face " You won't lose any of us. We'll always remain friends no matter where we are. Am sure Sen feels the same. "
After wiping the tears , Mira shifted her gaze to Neil .
" Thanks, I needed that . "
" Also , you smile weird Neil " she said already taken a few steps from him in a playful tone.
Neil shook his head in disbelief while watching Mira make her way down the path towards Laptove town. She seemed to calm down and now was back to her cheery former self. The path was a clearing through a meadow with a variety of colored flowers along the side. Neil followed Mira who was now smelling a blue cap flower with a vibrant and excited look on her face.
The Laptove town gates were packed. With traders from all over the region congregating there street performers wowing the crowd with every step they took.
Somewhere deep in the town stood an old man, surrounded by jubilant children. They played freely around him as he tended to a few who had scraped their knees. Some clung to his legs, laughing as he lifted them effortlessly; others leapt onto his back, giggling in delight. His once-white shirt was now smeared with dusty shoe prints from their playful kicks.
Suddenly, the old man's expression shifted. His gaze snapped toward the sky, his eyes narrowing with a deadly seriousness. A flock of ravens pierced through the glowing, sky-blue energy shields that enveloped the town. Then came a deep, ominous crackling, rumbling from the heart of the clouds.
His eyes followed the birds as they soared eastward. A shadow passed over his thoughts.
"Sen…" he muttered
"Neil, look—it's Mr. Iliad!" Mira said, pointing to the man staring up at the sky.
The man's gaze dropped to meet theirs, sharp and searching.
"Where's Sen?!" he demanded, his tone firm, laced with concern.
"He's back in the village. Why?" Neil replied, taken aback.
Mira's expression darkened as she turned her eyes to the sky, her voice faltering.
"Hey, Neil… what are those clouds?"
Over Salur, crimson lightning began to flash within roiling clouds, thick and unnatural—gathering fast.