"And when the seven treasures shall reveal themselves, the one who gathers them will be granted a wish by the Gods." The priest, dressed in a white robe with a red sash around his neck, shit the red leather bound book. It had golden embroidery making a square on the cover and in the center, was a single gold circle with a red gem in the middle. The word 'Sacrae' was written in gold lettering across the top. He stood at a wooden altar with a white tablecloth over it and there were numerous candles burning around him. Behind him, there was a stained-glass window of several people surrounded by a light. In the center of a light was a single orb. It seemed that the people in the stained glass window were fixated on the orb. The priest held up the red book in the air with two hands. He stared out at the rows of people in front of them. They were all kneeling, heads bowed. Their clothes, unlike the priest's, were tattered and ragged. Their faces were smudged with dirt and they seemed to be unhappy. The priest began to speak. "The Gods are here to give us hope, here to show us the truth, to show the path that humanity will take." He raised the book higher in the air. "Let's give thanks to the Gods! To the Time God, Orukos! To the Sky Goddess, Araniah! To the Storm God, Arakratos! To the Soul God, Neranos!" He continued listing the Gods and Goddesses until he had named all of them. When he was done he put the red book down and put one hand up in the air. "Let the Gods be with you."
"Let the Gods be with you." People replied, a little half-heartedly.
The cathedral was a small white building that had a tower sticking out of the top and a bell was ringing. People were filing out of the cathedral, trying to get on with their day. Some kids were running around, chasing each other, and playing tag. A small gray dog scurried after them, although it was bony and you could see its ribcage. I was among the people; after all praying was required for everyone to go. I, much like the people around me, was dressed in raged clothing. I wore a gray t-shirt that had been worn more times than washed and green pants that were a little short on me. My sneakers had holes and my brown hair always had bed head. Around me, there were little clay houses that were now being filled by the people who were leaving the cathedral. The clay houses were a staple to Suskern. This little town was in the dead center of Nowheresville. We lived in the middle of the desert, where the coldest it ever got was 75 degrees, and that's if we're lucky. The sun always seemed to beat down on this little town. Despite it being in the middle of nowhere, it was populated by a lot of people. However, if we were all crowded together, it would be a tough time to find someone. Like now, I was scanning the crowd for Shirou. Shirou was my adoptive father and, despite only being 14, he gives me a lot of freedom. During praying sessions, the kids were split from the adults. It was what the priests required, saying that the kids had to learn early that the way of the Gods was the way to go. I scanned passed a couple of people when I finally found Shirou.
Shirou, like I said, is my adoptive father. The only thing we have similar is the brown hair, but he keeps his in a buzz cut. He had a fat nose with a brown goatee. He wore a black t-shirt that was covered in grease stains and brown pants with a white rag hanging out of the pocket. You see, Shirou is the owner of the local bar, the Suskern Diner. It's the diner that everybody likes to eat it, mostly because it the only place in town with a television. Besides that, the food was affordable, which is what everyone needed. He was walking with Harley. Harley was the bartender at the Suskern Diner, however he did more flirting and drinking rather than actually doing his job. He had blonde hair, olive colored skin and was always dressed in a bartender's outfit. He was the talk among the girls, and he liked that. I walked towards them, shuffling through people.
"Oi! Ryu!" Shirou called, raising a hand.
I shuffled around a couple and then stumbled up to them, nearly knocking some people over. It was tough getting through the crowd.
Harley snickered. "You're such a klutz."
I glared at him, ignoring the comment. "Shouldn't you be working the bar?"
Harley ignored me and watched as a beautiful girl, dressing in some short shorts and a t-shirt that was a little small, walked by. He followed her, ignoring us.
"I still don't get why you hired him." I muttered to Shirou.
"Eh, he brings in some business." Shirou replied. Harley disappeared in the crowd.
"I guess we should head back to the bar, huh." I said, turning around.
"True, I don't want the kitchen raided again." Shirou turned and we headed back towards the bar.
The bar was near the center of town and was a small square building that seemed squashed between two clay houses (and the families in those houses seem to complain…..a lot….). The roof was mangled and we had to put tarp over some holes. The sign that read 'Suskern Diner' was placed in the front window and a 'CLOSED' sign was on the door. Shirou took out some keys and unlocked the door.
The inside was in a little better shape. The tables were hand-me-downs from other local bar and pubs that had to close down, so there was an assortment of different size, color and types of tables. Up front, there was a counter with a couple of bar stools that were different, like the tables. On the back wall were rows of glasses and dishes and a door that lead back into the kitchen. Shirou placed the white rag on the counter top.
"Hey, can you go back and get food ready for the lunchtime rush." Shirou said.
I nodded and ran back into the kitchen. The kitchen was a small gray room that had two freezers, two ovens and a counter, all hand-me-downs too. There were rows of pots, pans and cooking utensils on the wall. There was one window in the back that lit up the room. At night, we would use the ceiling light. It was a single bulb that hung from a length of chicken wire. The bulb would sometimes blink or wouldn't turn on at all. However, I don't have to worry about that until it gets really dark. And even then, the light from the main room would still light the kitchen.
I walked over to the stove and put a pan on top and turned it on. I began heating food for the lunchtime rush. Pretty soon, the place would be packed with people who would be hungry. The idea of school had ended a long time ago, so kid's days were free. They usually hung out around the bar, hoping to get some free food. Shirou usually gave them some, but they tend to come back.
Whenever I began cooking food, the smell reminded me of my old home. I hated my old family-er, actually I hated my father. He was the head of the Vendetta family, the financial leader in the entire country, Apogeus. Apogeus takes up ¾ of the entire Earth and is an empire ruled by the demonic King Rayleigh. He and my father are really close- guess evil minds think alike.
I stopped and put my hand on my head. 'Don't think about that life. That life is over, now you have this life.'. I nodded to myself, knowing I was right. If I wanted to be free, I had to stop living my old life.
I stopped cooking, when I realized there was a weird buzzing noise in the air. It sounding like a hum, faint and low, then it grew loud and the pots and pans began rattling. I quickly shut off the stove. I went to the main room, and nobody was there. Everyone, including Shirou, was outside, staring up at the sky, mumbling.
"Okay, not an earthquake." I muttered to myself and ran outside. People were pointing up towards the sky. I ran out and looked up, and was shocked to see what was there.
Up in the sky, there were numerous blue fighter jets guarding the Avian. Imagine a battle ship that looked like a giant cruise liner with two orange cannons sticking out of the side. That was the Avian. Plastered on the side of the airship was the symbol for Exercitus. It was a solid black figure that resembled a Knight Chess piece with a solid black crown hovering over its head.
Exercitus is the King's royal army. They were usually his guards and always fought for him. The Avian was his majesty's airship. I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan of King Rayleigh, but he usually had awesome battleships.
I could understand why people were disturbed, though. Whenever the Avian took flight, it meant something was happening, and most times it isn't a good one.
"Sir, we are currently flying over the isolated town of Suskern." The pilot said. The Avian was a giant system and required a whole section of Exercitus to run. The inside was decorated just like the King's castle. The first floor was the control center, where everything involving the Avian took place. The second floor is the rooms and cafeteria. Everybody eats there, except for the King, who eats in the ballroom. That would be the third floor, where the King hosts balls and other events. Below the ballroom are more maintenance and other Avian-related equipment. The two cannons were known as the Canis Cannons, which can penetrate anything.
The cockpit, however, is where you'll find the most activity. There, the operators are checking on the Avian and other gages and watches. The cockpit's walls were all bullet-proof windows, so the operators were able to get a 360 degree view. The only time there wasn't glass was a little strip of wall that held the elevator. A red carpet started at the front of the cockpit and it led to the back, up a few stairs, to a gold throne. A man sat in the thorn, wearing a gray suit with a blue cape. He had brown hair that came down to his shoulders and pale skin. A small brown cane with a jewel on the end leaned against the side of the throne. He had one arm on the armrest and he propped up his other with his elbow. He leaned his head on his knuckle, in a bored position.
"Fine, let's just get over this hick town. I want to reach the Limestone Palace soon." He sighed. "I can't believe we went all the way there, just for it to be a failure." He frowned.
"I'm sorry your highness, but our researchers were skeptic about the area. It had shown significant historical activity." The operator replied.
"No worries, Rayleigh." A man said. He was leaning on the wall at the back of the room, near the elevator. He had long blonde hair that, believe it or not, seemed to be crackling with electricity. He was muscular and had no shirt on, but had brown pants. He wore a black belt with two black straps that went over his shoulders, making an X formation on his chest. He wore black combat boots and two gold wristbands. He walked over to King Rayleigh. "We already have the Amber Dove, we're one step ahead of the others. We just have to make sure we find them first."
"Tonitrum…." King Rayleigh muttered. "I am a King. I need everything, and I need it now. Don't try to convince me that I can just sit around, waiting, until those stupid treasures reveal themselves."
Tonitrum chuckled. "Well, you'll just have to be patient."
King Rayleigh sighed. "Patience…..that's something a King shouldn't need."