2021, March 28th: Finally! Finally, I've edited "Shattering Peace" and have reposted the edited chapters. It doesn't help that I did two rounds of changing things.

Anywho, Hello Readers! I know I suddenly stopped posting "Shattering Peace." During December-ish, I overhauled all of my fantasy realms, including making a more distinct realm for the world of "Shattering Peace."

Most edits are minor, like changing race names (Rahib changed to Oṣó) and a few appearance changes (Rekka is black-haired, green-eyed now rather than her former red hair and grey eyes). By the time you read this message, all the chapters I have posted should be updated.

Thanks for reading! =^..^=

Warning: The majority of this story contains violence and strong foul language. You have been warned.

Chapter One: A Dying Land

The midday sun beat down on the scorched, barren land while massive corpses of long-dead trees stood like sentinels, providing little shade against the unbearable heat. Across the cracked earth, rocky pillars, archways, and stony mounds of earth rose and fell among the landscape. Most plants that had clung to life for the first moon of the disaster had been stripped away or crumbled into dust. All that was left were the husks of trees and the earth. And, just like every day for the past three moons, not a wisp of cloud lingered in the yellow tainted sky.

What had destroyed the land several moons ago was a phenomenon known as a Shift. The realm was naturally over-saturated with magic. The atmosphere the people breathed, the water they drank, and the food they ate were infused with an essence they could not see, taste, smell, or hear. When too much magic accumulated in one place, something snapped, and disaster struck. Sinister storms would descend upon the land, the earth would move, and environments would rapidly change. Temperatures soared or plummeted, and the nourishing plant life would die.

Three moons ago, a Shift had occurred, and the once flourishing region had changed into a barren desert. There was nothing to protect the lingering life from the wasteland's hostile clutches. The only thing people could do was travel, hoping to survive and find a place that had not been affected by the widespread destruction. Currently, a family of four, a woman, her son, and her parents traveled the dying land in search of a new home.

"Mother," the young man gasped, leaning against a tree. "Can we take a break?" Without waiting for a response, he dropped to the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Slipping his backpack off his shoulders, he ran his hand through his sweat-soaked hair, untying the long, dark brown locks. "I'm exhausted."

"Mirth…" she stared at him, hands planted on her hips, though her lips were pressed in a thin line of worry. "The sun hasn't reached the highest point in the sky. We need to keep moving."

"Adore."

A heavy hand fell onto the woman's shoulder. The face of her aging father smiled sadly at her. He sported a thick grey-white beard, the length of it tied at his chin with a strip of mahogany leather. His grey hair had grown shaggy over the moons of travel. Still, the determination never left his russet eyes, which were all too similar to the color of dried blood. Those eyes he shared with his daughter and his grandson.

"We need to rest. Your mother and I aren't as young as we used to be, and there won't be a place to stop if we keep moving." He swept his arm where rocky cliffs and unusual pillars of stone decorated the land. There was no tree to be seen past the dead forest they had stopped in. "I know you want to keep traveling. I want to get to the Ring as bad as you do, but taking a break here is better than out there."

The man's wife stood some paces away, observing their surroundings as she listened to their conversation. Her short grey hair was slicked with sweat, but her amber-brown eyes were sharp with familiar intelligence. Even in the bright of day, there was a slight glow to the woman's irises, as if a tumbler of brandy had caught a shaft of sunlight. She nodded, agreeing with her husband's words.

Adore stared at the empty landscape then up to the dead trees that towered around them. Her parents were right. It was best to take a rest now when there were some shade and protection. Finally, she sighed and dropped her pack beside her son. Running a hand through her long, light brown hair, she took a seat next to Mirth and pulled a metal canteen from the depths of her bag. She guzzled the water, grimacing at the gritty flavor as she wiped her mouth. "If we keep traveling, we won't be able to see the river anymore by tonight."

"Bénipryroda's Ring," Mirth muttered under his breath as he picked at the dirt under his fingernails. He bit his tongue before another word could slip, shying away from his grandfather's disapproving stare.

During the past few days, the family had traversed the once raging river's shores, which still contained a trickle of water. Today, however, they had departed the river to continue their journey to the Ring. Adore had pushed her family to follow the myth of the magnificent paradise. Bénipryroda's Ring was said to have all the food they could eat, the freshest water they could drink, and where the different magic-bearing races could live in harmony.

The youngest of the family often resented his mother for splitting off from the rest of their family and friends. As far as he was concerned, he would never see them again because she decided to find someplace only spoken in legends.

Nonetheless, the land was dying. The massive trees that were once full of lush, green leaves now stood as dry, hollow corpses. Their bony hands raked the yellow sky, begging for rain. No clouds had formed since the last rains, and a strange yellow tinge always lingered in the wasteland's sky. Hardly any vegetation grew in the parched earth, and water was near impossible to come by.

"We'll have to keep the rest quick." Adore stared past a stony archway while her fingers dug into the fabric of her backpack. "This is Odysseus's territory."

"Odysseus?" Mirth asked, following his mother's gaze, an uneasiness falling over the family.

"Are you sure?" Mirth's grandfather asked. "We haven't seen that monster since Mirth was born. Maybe he's taken territory somewhere else. I can't imagine anyone would want to live here after the Shift. Or someone has finally ended his life."

"No." Adore's fingers dug deeper, whisps of glowing violet curling off her sun-darkened skin. "Everyone would be rejoicing if that monster was dead. He would never leave this place." She grabbed her backpack, about to slip it on when her father's hand stopped her.

"We need the rest, Adore. It won't help us if we are exhausted."

"But…" her eyes darted to Mirth.

"All we can do is hope and pray."

Silence fell over the family of four as they settled down in what little shade the large tree provided. Eventually, the group's eldest woman roused them from their turbulent thoughts with an announcement of food. She pulled a package wrapped in brown paper from her backpack and placed it between the four. "Third? Adore? Why don't you two get some water while I ration the food."

The father and daughter duo left without a word, leaving her and her grandson by themselves.

"Why'd the Shift have to happen, Grandma? I know they're natural, but this one was terrible." Mirth traced an abstract shape in the dust. "I wish mother would have followed the rest of our family. Then, at least we wouldn't be alone, traveling the opposite direction of everyone else." He brushed away the drawing, glaring at the food his grandmother rationed. "Everything keeps getting worse."

"I know, Mirth, I know. But your mother made the decision to search for Bénipryroda's Ring. She believes that she can find a paradise that isn't affected by Shifts."

"Do you think it exists?"

It was a long moment before she answered. "Your grandfather does."

"Do you?"

The elderly woman looked up with a soft sigh, a deep sadness in her amber-brown eyes. "No."

A tense silence settled between grandson and grandmother. It was broken when Adore and Third returned with full canteens. Adore handed Mirth his canteen along with a glass vial filled with murky yellow liquid. Mirth took the vial and squeezed a few drops from the eyedropper that capped the vial into his canteen. Swirling his water, his disheartened gaze settled on his grandmother as she placed the last few pieces of dried meat onto the paper, wrapped it, and set it back in her bag.

"Now that we have something to quench our thirst, we can dig in." She pushed two tiny piles of dried meat and berries to her daughter and husband and then the third pile to Mirth while taking the fourth. She smiled at her family even though there was pain behind her eyes.

Mirth glared at his food, bitterness rising in his heart. It further increased when he glanced at his mother. Gnawing on his small piece of dried meat, he couldn't keep the biting question down. "Mother? Why are you looking for Bénipryroda's Ring when it's just a legend? We could die out here. Do you even know where the Ring is?"

"Mirth. Stop it." Third scolded.

"No! I think we should keep following the river away and out of this wasteland rather than walking through this barren place and dying of thirst, hunger, or getting ourselves killed by a bloodthirsty Jyyn!" Mirth ran his hands through his still-damp hair. "We left the rest of our friends and family to look for some mythical paradise that doesn't exist. Mother, I don't want to risk my life looking for this place when there are safer options. Ones that actually exist." Mirth's eyes were wide with panic as he stared at his mother. "I'm scared. I don't want to die."

"Mirth…" Adore leaned over, placing a hand on her son's shoulder. Her hand fell as she glanced at the yellow sky. "I feel it in my heart. I know Bénipryroda's Ring exists." She pressed a fist to her chest. "I want us to live in a place where we don't have to worry about a Shift ever again. Somewhere safe. A home we would never have to leave."

She lifted Mirth's chin. "You'll make new friends, and we'll reconnect with our family again. Your friend Leap's family trains in the Art of Teleportation. Once she gets wind of where we are, she'll find us. I'm sure she's keeping tabs on the rest of our family. Everything will be fine, Mirth."

The young man turned away from his mother and picked at his food. Adore sighed and glanced at her father, who shook his head. The family ate in silence, the hot air increasing the tension between them. It wasn't until the food was finished, and everyone had sprawled in the shade of the tree that Mirth stood.

"I'm going on a walk."

"Mirth. You need to stay here. It's safer."

"Let him be, Adore." Her mother rubbed an aching shoulder, but her gaze held firm between her daughter and grandson. "He needs to cool off. The boy's been through a lot, and he has things to wrap his head around."

"Okay…" Adore leaned back, though worry shined in her russet eyes. "Just don't go too far and be back in an hour."

Mirth nodded, staring at a cluster of large boulders he had seen earlier. "Don't worry about me, Mother."