"It's called the Eclipse Gate, but it looks more like a giant door don't you think?" The young blond mage said. Her almost white hair was long and straight reaching the bottom of her spine. Her bangs were slightly overgrown but framed her face all the same. She turned from the huge door in front of her.
"Nylsia? Are you listening?" Her silverish grey eyes searched for her sister, her twin. Only to find her sprawled against the smooth rocks in the 'under construction' room clearly asleep.
The trees had been cleared away and the ground smoothed, squares of hardened and drying cement sat in the far corners of the room. Refined tree trunks shaped into perfect logs rose from the ground, marking the outline of the room and creating its structure. Cobblestone and clay walls connecting the wooden pillars. Messy work for now, but clearly unfinished. The roof had yet to be begun, still, open letting the clear night sky rain down on them.
Although the night had just fallen the torch had almost burned out for the day but the bright moon had already taken it's place in the sky for the night, fully shining and giving them more than enough light to see their way around. Workers had gone for the night and left most of their belongings in the area for tomorrow's work.
The blonde girl walked up to her sleeping sister. Her reason for sleeping was valid, they had been walking all day, they were both exhausted. But here, was not the place to be sleeping. Normally Nylsia was the one to stay up and 'stand guard' while her sister rested, but she had a knack for falling asleep any other time. Claire sighed at her sister, walking towards her, and poking her face. With no response, she started shaking her gently until she stopped trying nicely, and just rolled her off the rock. Nylsia jumped up abruptly. Her heterochromatic eyes wide, one resembling her sisters grey ones, and one a misty red. Her wavy black hair draped messily across her face, hands enveloped in a light blue energy, resembling smoke but rising in streaks from her hands, looking for the reason she was awakened the way she was. Only to find the face that identically mirrored her own.
"What the hell Clay!?" She half yelled half slurred. She silenced her magic, not that it was ready to be used in a battle anyway, but her automatic go-to when in need of defence.
Claire cleared her throat turning to the giant door
"It's called the Eclipse Gate. and it's what we've been searching for."
Nylsia swept her hair from her face and rubbed under her eyes, still getting used to being awake.
"So this can bring us teachers for our magic?"
"My guess is as good as yours, and we don't know how to work it even if it can, so... Get to work!" Clay said chipperly turning to her sister again.
Nyla's gaze met her sister. 'Why me?' Disappointment spread across her face
"What? Why do I have to?"
"Because you're the history nerd! Plus knowing ancient history it's probably in another language, and you like puzzles and things like that.
"That's not the point! I may like stuff like that, but you got mums overall brain, this is going to take a lot more than putting clues to a scene."
Claire sighed about to agree when her head shot up. Nyla noticed looking at her sister, trying to determine what was wrong. Claire looked around grabbed Nylsia's wrist and covered her mouth. Claire pulled her down to the ground, behind the rocks Nyla had just been resting on moments before. Her voice was on the brink of being a whisper.
"There's another presence here, someone just entered the atmosphere and they're coming this way." the white haired mage said, making sure her head was under the view of whoever comes into the room. Their footsteps were light and rhythmed to a skip, while an untuned humming came from the source.
A young girl, with long jade hair, no older than themselves, ran into the area, with her arms spread out like wings. A satin cloak tied around her shoulders, the humming following her. Nyla peered around the corner observing the girl while her back was turned, taking in their surrounding looking for an escape route.
"We need to get out of here, if she finds us she'll call the guard. We have to be quick and quiet, but if we run and keep low, we should be able to use a rock to bounce off the wall distracting her long enough to slip behind that pillar, then we can creep to the door from there.-"
"Hello!" Clay said cheerfully. Nylsia turned her head to where her sister was only moments ago but found it empty, she was now standing in front of their cover.
The green haired girl stopped the second the voice reached her ears, turning to face Claire.
"Who are you? You're not meant to be down here," she said taking a step back from the stranger.
"It's ok, as long as nobody else knows." as Claire spoke, she realised the slight different her and Nylsia's accents were from the people of this land.
"Papa says if I meet anyone I don't know in the castle, then I should tell him right away." Clay put on a gentle smile.
"You don't have to do that, if my sister and I get thrown out, we'll have nowhere to go."
"Your sister?" she questioned.
Nyla sighed as she walked out from behind the rocks she was hidden behind. Her eyes locked in her sisters showing she was annoyed, but she faked a smile to cover it up.
"My name's Claire, this is my sister Nylsia, we're twins and we're both mages. We don't have a house anymore so if we get thrown out-"
"You're mages!" she squealed, any previous hesitation towards the strangers was instantly removed by the statement. "So am I!" she said.
"Really?" Clay said, "well then if you don't tell anyone we're down here, we'll show you our magic." Nyla elbowed her in the side, mouthing 'no' with wide eyes. Clay discarded her statement
"Sure!" she said as she proceeded to talk to Clay, Nyla nodded and turned away from the girls facing the gate
"Hey? Do you know what this is and how it works?" Clay asked the green haired girl stepped next to her.
"No, I just think it's pretty, but I know it's called Eclipse. Papa says that my magic will involve it one day."
"Do you know anything else, even little things?"
"Not really, but there's a huge library in the castle, there's a little room with a few books with the word Eclipse on them, I'm not sure if they have anything to do with it, but the rooms always locked anyway."
"Is there any way we can get in?" Nyla asked. The girl smile cheekily
"A princess has her ways." Clay and Nyla looked at each other, Nyla smirked looking at the green haired royal.
"I tell ya what, you get me those books," she said smiling at her sister. "We'll be your friends."
The girl brought a finger to her chin as if she was thinking although she already knew her answer.
"Deal!" she said chipperly as she extended her hand to Nyla. "Hi, my names Hisui."
