Chapter 2 - Imilia, and the Stranger
Author's Note - I hope you enjoy this chapter, as it will introduce some key characters. And, again, these characters, the plot concepts, and the order things transpire, are from MY imagination. See the first chapter for the Disclaimer.
Also, note that I have gone over this story to make sure that all of my spelling of locations and names are as I deem them to be. Just covering my bases.
Kneeling on the soft earth, Terra breathed in the cool tundra air of the land, the sea, the air, the warmpth of life. Elements, it was so good just to take the time to savor the fruits of the world! Very few people appreciated the Elements as she did these days, but that was understandable, with the tensions between Imilia and the Tolbiba Empire. Why people could not get along was beyond her; she had been raised to love all life, just as her mother had been raised, as her mother's mother had been raised, and, as lore had it, all the way back to the saviors of the world.
At least, that was what the lores said.
Truth be told, Terra never really knew what to think of the old tales that the local sages told. If one were to believe the sage in this small, outskirt village, the world was beind destroyed by the lack of Elemental energy, and seven heroes, one of which was supposed to be her ancestor, Mai, unsealed the energy of the Elements, releasing the world to return to its former glory.
As far as Terra was conscerned, the world that she knew had done so already. The village of Ima was a small one, especially compared to the capital and, supposedly, Collosio, but that made it all the better. People knew each other, knew them better than an average citizen would in a larger town. Everyone respected the other's privacy, respected the world, took care of their lands.
Everyone tolerated her beliefs that the Elements were deities.
Terra was of age to be considered a woman, but she did not allow herself to be distracted by the opposite sex, lest she deviate from the traditions that had been passed on to her by her lineage. She had no time to take away from maintaning the Fountin of Mai, keeping the sanctum sanitary and worthy of the name, helping the sick and teaching those that would listen of the powers and mystery of the Elements.
Though she did have some time to herself, she preferred to relish the feeling of psynergy flow through her, the feeling of divine power, power granted to life by the Elements. This alone had marked her family as a strange one for years, and had kept many villagers from interacting with her outside of the time of day and when her presence was needed.
Oddly, though she was marked as a queer prospect, she still had many come to her with offers of marrage, of residing with them. Though she turned many down, it was hard to avoid drawing young male's attentions. Her long emerald hair, tied up in honor of the legendary Mai, her pale skin tone, and her figure made her sought by many.
It was not that she did not want to engage in a romantic relationship, maybe even a spiritual one. She often dreamed of having such a life, of having a husband to father children with her. But she could not permit herself from doing so, not until she had at least one other who stood beside her and believed that which she did, would be willing to commit as she did, and would sacrifice a "normal" life to continue the words on the sacred grounds. Naturally, she would raise her children to follow her, but she would need someone to take her place if she were to be unable to conduct her daily ritual.
Raising her head, Terra's sky-blue eyes looked up to the figure of Mai. Though the statue presented her with a short stature, beautiful body, and in solid blue gems, Terra had to admire the wonder. Mai's statue was one of seven statues dedicated to the seven saviors of legend, though the locations of the other statues, excluding Ivain's in Tolbiba's capital, were not known to her.
Still, just staring at Mai, her grace, her radiant beauty. Most sages agreed that she had wed one of the other saviors, and Terra was always puzzled by that theory. If Mai had, why had her soul mate (as Terra preferred to believe him as) not been made beside her, or somewhere near the sacred grounds where she took up residence for so long?
Terra sighed as she rose, walking the path that led to the sanctum. Many throughout the ages had wondered why Mai had lived so far removed from Imilia's heart, away from Imil, and the heart of Imilian civilization. What would drive her to live so close to the borderlands with the Tolbiba Empire, some wondered. Some even offered guesses that Imil was originally where Ima was in the present.
Chuckling under her breath, Terra considered that limited thought. Why, if Ima was were Imil was, would the city move away from its key figure? Why would they move away from one that had seen the powers of the Elements firsthand, had seen the lighting of the massive towers?
And why, she kept asking herself over and over, does no one come to at least VISIT the legendary fountain? She shook her head in frustration; She constantly asked herself that question each week, wondering about why the greatest Imilianite was rarely acknowleged these days.
Then she would accept the lack of faith of the rest of the people of Imilia; they did not appreciate the Elements as she was taught, but she was taught to appreciate that others believed differient things at all times. It was one of the core values that had been taught to her by not only her mother, but her father as well. An oddity her mother told her once; apparently, her family history was full of marital problems, or so her mother seemed to hint.
A yelp caught her attention, drawing her gaze to a small lad running to her. He might have said something to her, but the way he was waving, plus the strange look in his eyes, forced any stray thoughts from her mind, pushing herself to run towards the gathering crowd in the distance.
Dispite whatever problems she had with others of the village, they allowed her to pass, to see what the fuss was over. To her suprise, a pair of fishermem were pulling in a net from one of their boats on the nearby river, and her eyes only widened when she saw why everyone was exited over an everyday task:
There was a body in the nets.
A naked body.
A naked MALE body.
Due to her training as a healer, Terra was well aware of the differences in the body between a man and a woman, knew of the purposes and the nature of the differences, but even having seen the occasional male and delivering of a few babies, she stared, startled. Glancing around, she noted that few, if any others noticed what she saw:
The man was, quite literally, glowing. Pulselike and steady, it was as if the earth itself was reviving the poor soul. Abruptly, the pulses stopped, and she ran forward. Ignoring the mutters of protests and the gasps of a few women, she rolled him over, brushing his long, silvery hair from his face. His left eye had a nasty scar, one that could never have been recieved from being caught in the net.
Shouts of protest became louder, and before she could react, another figure knelt beside her. The local sage, Ivonari, stared at the body, at the face, and at the scar. He also brushed more of the man's hair aside, revealing something on his arm.
Ivonari yelped, backpeddling as fast as he could. Terra turned to stare at him, wondering what in the name of the Elements had overcome him. Her puzzlement, and the quizzical whispers of the crowd were soon answered:
"No. No! It's coming! The end! The end of Weyard! THE END OF THE WORLD IS COMING!"
End of Chapter 2
Sloppy ending, but then, this idea IS based off of a game idea. Bound to have something generic, eh?
Feel free to provide comments in your reviews. I shall try to have the next chapter out soon, for as I am writing this, my eyes are hinting that I get in bed before they close.
Please read and review.
MIKAA