Preliminary Planets' Races
In the shade of the large clover trees, a tribe of Drudgers slept within a group circle, with their younglings in the middle surrounded my mostly the females of the group.
Four or five of the larger male Drudgers were still awake, keeping a lookout for any danger that could appear in the midday. They remained very still as if they were just statues, until they turned their heads around to see their other surroundings before going back to their original position.
Just then, a cloaked figure fell from the sky and through the clovers, landing right onto the shoulder of one of the Drudgers. But this didn't even seem to startle the beast at all, as it remained silent as the others, still keeping lookout.
"Hello Dornn" said a female voice, as she drew her hood back.
"It's me Molly, and Teto here as well."
A black and white Fox-squirrel with large green eyes, popped up from Molly's right shoulder, meowing loudly.
Eva Wei, now named Molly, had lived on Oban for the past ten years with her father and mother, the Avatar and Mother Oban.
Though she had forgotten her human past on Earth, she still loved the feeling of the wind and even flying as it was in her blood after all; though she had forgotten why she her name had been Eva before. A light green cloak covered most of her body, hiding the thorn tattoos growing around her upper arms and legs, which were caused by the cursed red flower growing from her neck though to non magical races it appeared to just be a tattoo.
The flower itself had grown larger in the past few years, but was still kept at bay to the Avatar's powers.
Her black and red dyed hair reached the end of her back, the floral crown wrapped around the middle of her forehead. Her ruby eyes matched her late mother's, and also like Maya had a star tattoo and a line tattoo on her cheeks.
In both of her ears she wore small helix earrings, which had a small chained linking up a large silver lobe earring; spells had been cast upon them which were for her protection, though rarely ever used.
"I've come to tell you that Father and I are leaving Oban to head out to the three planets which are holding the preliminaries. So I won't see you or the tribe for a few weeks."
The Drudger looked at her with his empty eyes, and she knew he understood, as it was their silence that she could understand them so well.
"I hope you and the others will take care of yourselves" she said smiling, suddenly she felt the wind change and noticed the Flying Temple was on the move again.
"Father is calling, good bye for now my friend" she said, taking off into the sky.
From Satis's teachings and Mother Oban's power, Molly gained many abilities from both of her parents and the planet itself when she tapped into her mother's planet at only seven years old.
Two wide ankle bracelets dangled from both of her ankles, they were made of blue and green jade, and gave her quick speed and power of flight.
She had trained her whole body to be silent, and quicker than light, almost like a fully fledged ninja. This also balanced perfectly with her flying skills; she zipped around silently without anyone noticing to her great delight.
"Father, did you call me?" she called, hovering into the gardens in the upper temple, coming upon the pond; she spotted the small old alien clad in his purple robes and tall staff in his hands.
He seemed to be medicating, so she quietly approached him "Father" he opened his eyes and grinned up at her, clearly having heard her earlier. "Ah Molly, you got here faster than I thought" he jumped down onto the water's surface, floating there with a grin on his face.
"Whenever you call, I'm always there Father."
She smiled at him; she then noticed that he was staring at the cursed flower and she quickly covered it with her cloak.
"It's grown much in these last ten years, there is no denying that my dear" he said sadly, walking over to her; and she got on both of her knees. "Does it cause you any pain, both the flower and the tattoos?" he asked, reaching out and clasping her shoulder.
Teto made a mewed, and Molly petted his head in response to calm him.
"Sometimes...I feel like a caged bird, I can never be free of these chains" she said, looking down like it was almost shameful.
Satis moved his hand near her chin, and barely touching even her skin; a shadow vine from her neck tattoo lashed out at him, and he flinched back. "Father!" the vine returned to her neck as not even able to get a smack at him.
"I'm alright Molly, that flower seems to have gotten stronger, now it can even lash out at people if you're not careful." He rubbed his unwounded hand, slightly nervous "Canaletto's magic is much stronger than mine...even if he's not the Avatar."
He hit his staff on the ground three times and formed a sphere around the two, trying to lighten the mood as he spoke "Now, let's make our way to Alwas! It is one of the first three planets that will hold the preliminaries; I have a few words for the racers on all three!"
They disappeared into a large flash of light, leaving Oban for what would be the longest time Molly had been away from the planet, and possibly the most dangerous.
Both reappeared just outside of coliseum area, right under the cover of dark as all the lights within the town were out.
"Now I must go have a chat with the three judges who will be taking care of the Alwas races" Satis said, before his purple robe and royal staff vanished, being replaced by a pale white robe with a tall wooden staff. "I will tell them that I am the Avatar's most loyal servant, while you are the Avatar's beloved apprentice."
"Father!" she blushed at his words, and Teto made a laughing meow and that made her even more embarrassed.
"Now Molly, you are my beloved apprentice and daughter! You've learned more under me than you'll ever know, and not many Avatars in the past have had apprentices like yourself in the past; now let us be off!"
Molly hid her face under her hood, and quickly followed her master toward the judges meeting chambers, they stood outside the curtain doorway, and Satis tapped his staff on the ground a few times.
"Who goes there? Do you know what time it is?" a thin Alwas alien drew back the curtains; he wore a purple robe dress and hat.
"I am Satis, loyal servant of the Avatar. I come here under my master's orders" this startled the alien, who quickly bowed his head in respect.
"W-We've been waiting for you, please come inside Lord Satis and—" he looked at Molly, who he seemed surprised by to see another life form so tall.
"This is my companion and beloved apprentice of the Avatar, Molly."
"We welcome you both, Lord Satis and Lady Molly."
He led them inside where the other two judges were sitting down at a small round table, both Satis and Molly took a seat on the soft pillows opposite of the judges.
"So, I believe all the predations for the races here on Alwas are ready?" Satis asked, stroking his beard.
The middle judge, a pump alien, nodded his head.
"Yes, everything is read for the welcoming of the racers for the next three days" Satis smiled and nodded in approval.
"I see, I shall report to my master, he will also be giving a speech at the beginning of the opening of the Alwas races, stating the rules" he said cheerfully.
As they continued to talk of other things involving the races, along with the racers coming to Alwas, Molly quietly left and headed back outside, she went down to the center where the racers would come forward and race against each other.
"I wonder what kind of racers there will be, I'm quite curious to know." she said, petting Teto, who just rubbed against her cheek in a loving matter.
Watching the human girl and her pet, Canaletto could only smirk in delight. "Soon my little flower will fully bloom, and through her...my carefully laid out plan will spin its web through her every move."
He touched the image of Molly, his smirk widening at the sight of the cursed flower upon her neck.
"Soon the seed I planted so long ago…soon it shall will bloom and bring you back under my wings my dear sweet Eva...and no one, not even Satis can save you from your true destiny." His haunting laugh echoed throughout the lower ruins of the flying temple.
"The Great Race of Oban has just begun, and it shall be my grand return to my stolen throne" he whispered.
"Eva you can never escape your true destiny, you can never escape me my little flower."
Molly spun around, until fear consumed her body in a matter of seconds.
"That voice is…no…C-Canaletto."
Falling to her knees, memories came rushing back to her like the wind, when she had been just an innocent child, trying to escape the demonic voice that had cursed her ten years ago.
"W-Why...why do you appear now?"
The flower blossomed at her fear, but in her defense, the crown glowed brightly casting the darkness away quickly as it had come.
"You will return to my garden Eva, you will return to me' were the last words she heard, before collapsing, also hearing her father voice calling to her with her real name, the same name that she had thrown away so many years ago.
"EVA!"
'Who am I really?' she questioned herself, as she slipped into darkness.
'Eva, the flower of Canaletto the Timeless One…Or Molly, the apprentice of Satis, the Avatar…who am I really?'
'Someone...please save me from such a fate…for the darkness will steal me away, just as it did with him.'
That night, the first rains began to fall upon Alwas, nature showing her tears from the heavens. Perhaps the rains were from Mother Oban herself, trying reaching out, and comforting her only daughter, though she was far from her motherly embrace.