Land of Erden Part 1

Land of Erden
          Story Description :
         
Two sides of a single coin? Or two halves of the same one?
          Urie Loeth was a boy living in the city of Daerin. Eager to learn magic in order to help his father, he participated in the city's annual Harvest Festival, a gathering conducted to awaken magic in children. His hopes were dashed however when he learnt that he couldn't awaken his magic. 
          Meanwhile, Celeste Varethe was a girl living in the perpetually dark city of Daerin. Awaiting her father's presence on her birthday, she narrowly missed his brief appearance and ran after his silhouette, only to feel confused at being suddenly pushed away.
          Their unexpected meeting, brought about by fate, set off a series of events that would bring motion to the once stagnant Land of Erden.

          PROLOGUE
          "What do I do!?" I screamed inwardly. "Magic--! Without magic--!"
          For as long as I could remember, I had been looking forward to this day. The day I would finally be able to use magic.
          The streets of Daerin, they were quiet. On the path leading towards the square, the sound of my footsteps were the only things echoing in the silence.
          Today was the Harvest Festival after all, the people were in their houses celebrating, or in bars drinking. There were not many guards as well, I had yet to run into one.
          My feet had taken me to the square below Erden's Tower, a place in which I felt solace. Right as I entered, I stumbled. I felt the pain from my knees and elbows hitting the ground, and I watched as my tears slowly started escaping from my eyes and onto the pavement.
          Why!? Why couldn't I form my roots? How was I supposed to help my father and older brothers?
          I raised my head and looked up at the towering structure in front of me as I quietly wept. The sound of trickling water nearby caught my attention so I stood up and approached the source.
          A statue of a beast with wings, a narrow stream coming down from its mouth was disturbing the water's tranquility below. I wanted to calm myself down by gazing at the fountain.
          My eyes-- they followed the direction of the flow and were drawn towards the surface of the water. Amidst the countless ripples, I made out a reflection.
          Long flowing red hair with a few strands falling right between the bridge of the nose, neatly tucked into her right ear. Wearing an elegant white dress and an ornate blue cardigan hiding pale skin.
          It was a young girl. Her eyes, a shade of crimson complimenting her hair, were looking back into mine.
          I was unsettled. It wasn't my appearance being mirrored on the water. The last time I had looked at myself in a mirror, I was a boy. I had neither red eyes nor red hair. I was even wearing a shirt and some loose pants.
          My lips moved without uttering a sound, I hesitated to speak. Who would try to start a conversation with a reflection on water? It was just that. A reflection.
          But--
          The absence of emotions she was showing made me think that I was looking at a portrait on water, and the portrait, for some reason, had slowly begun to show change.
          A solemn tear appeared and had fallen down her cheek. Soon after, they started spilling from her eyes like a dam that had just burst open.
          From the moment I saw her start to shed tears from her eyes, my own which had ceased started flowing again. Although I knew our reasons for doing so weren't the same, crying with someone greatly eased the heavy feeling I had in my chest.
          When I felt calmer, I took a good look at her again. I couldn't recall anyone that had red hair or red eyes in our city. Who was she?
          Could she be a ghost? A reflection of my inner self? I thought to touch the water in hopes that something would occur.
          As I extended my hand towards its surface, she reached out as well, but when our fingers got close enough to almost touch the other, a flash of red light had covered my eyes and I quickly found myself falling into unconsciousness.

Age 0 - Circumstances of one's birth

          The sun was shining down on a mansion residence owned by the Loeth House. Two maids could be seen flitting in and out of a room carrying water basins and towels.
          Moments later, the cries of a newborn child began to echo along the usually silent halls.
          Inside the room, a woman was lying on a bed with a newborn baby in her arms. Although her long blonde hair was disheveled and her skin looked haggard, the sight of her showering her newborn with an affectionate gaze painted a picturesque scene.
          Surrounding the woman's bed was her husband and her two sons. All three shared the same distinct ashen grey hair as the baby in her arms but bore pupils colored with a shade of gold, different from the baby's icy blue.
          "His eyes look a lot like mother's." The younger of her two sons said.
          He was being carried by his father and was watching as his newborn brother struggled to open his eyes.
          "Father, why was he was crying earlier?" The older boy, his chin just barely reaching the top of the bed, asked a curious question. "You told me younger brother wasn't like that when he was born."
          "It's fine son." The woman's husband answered and placed his free hand on the older boy's shoulder. "This should be considered quite normal for a baby."
          "Normal? What is normal?" The younger boy, who was in the man's arms, had a puzzled look on his face.
          "That just means that the two of you older brothers will have to work hard to protect this little one." While supporting the baby's head with one hand, the woman smiled and reached out her other hand to pat the heads of the two children.
          "The little one won't be able to take on much responsibility." The man said softly as he came closer to the bed and looked at his newborn son with a bit of regret.
          "That's alright, at least he won't have to be exposed to danger." The woman said, her tender gaze resting upon the child in her arms. "I just want my dear little Urie to live happily."
         

***

          A few months later at a different house, the light of a pale red moon was peeking through the blinds of a small room. A woman was inside lying inclined on a bed, crying while embracing her newborn child, trying her best to give it warmth. Although the child's body was cold, it was still breathing.
          A man with red hair came closer to the bed. He had just finished giving instructions to a couple of people outside of the room and approached to reassure his wife.
          "It's fine dear, there were no apparent problems with her health." He said.
          He placed the woman holding their baby in his embrace, and his eyebrows knit together in concern about the well-being of his wife and daughter.
          "But she's not getting any warmer and she hasn't cried at all! Children are supposed to cry when they are born, Luca!" The woman spoke in a frantic manner, her crying unabated.
          As she leaned towards the man's chest, she felt slight movement within her arms. This had caused her to momentarily pause and look down at her baby.
          Her tears-- She had been crying for so long that they were about to run out --They had immediately come back stronger.
          The man let out a huge sigh of relief once he saw what had happened. The baby was moving her hands in an attempt to wipe the tears that were falling on her face.
          "She's going to be okay. She's going to be okay." The man consoled, holding his wife tighter in his embrace and caressing her head to comfort her.
          The woman calmed down and gently wiped a napkin across her child's face. It was then that she noticed the baby opening its eyes, reflecting the image of her long, light brown hair.
          "My beautiful little Celeste, she--she wants to play." She was pleasantly surprised as her baby reached to grab a few strands of her hair. The woman instead brought her index finger closer towards the baby's small hands.
          Feeling the strength of her baby's grip, she smiled. Her heart was finally at ease.

Age Ten - The Crying Child
          - Age Ten - Urie Loeth -
          Daerin, a large city built beside two prominent mountains surrounded by a lake. A vast expanse of farmland stretched out past its northern borders, reaching the foot of a massive stone wall encircling everything. The mountains, the lake, the farmland, all but the southern half of Daerin was covered by the walls.
          At the southern half, erected right in the middle of the gap between the eastern and western sides of the wall, was a mysterious structure reaching high up into the clouds. Past the structure was nothing, nothing but a sheer cliff dropping down a great distance and extending endlessly into white mist.
          Peeking down from the top of the massive wall to the east, the sun was shining down on the part of the city where its people were currently congregating. The main road, a wide strip of stony pavement stretching from one end of the city to another, colorful flags, lanterns, and music decorated its surroundings.
          The city was in a festive mood. Today was the Harvest Festival.
          "Today's the day!"
          A boy with ashen grey hair and blue eyes was running along the corridors of a large mansion. A bit of drool and an eager expression was on his charming face as he hastened to the dining room.
          His name was Urie Loeth.
          "Good morning Mother!" He shouted in excitement."Today's finally the day I get to use magic!"
          Still wearing his sleepwear, he entered the dining room. A woman wearing a simple gown was at the table casually drinking tea. If Urie had been born a girl with blonde hair, he would have grown up a spitting image of the beautiful lady.
          "Urie! You're making trouble for those two again. Go back and get dressed before you have breakfast."
          Gesturing to the two maids behind him, the woman scolded with a gentle voice. Her name was Rivelle, the wife of the head of the Loeth House and the mother of Urie.
          Urie saluted in a joking manner and did an immediate about-face. He ran back towards his room with one of the two maids following after him. A few minutes later, he came back and sat down next to his mother with a smile.
          "Mother, today's the Harvest Festival! Will father and my older brothers come back to celebrate?"
          He started picking up food from the table to put on his plate while he spoke.
          "Good morning Urie. " His mother, Rivelle, spoke with an affectionate tone.
          "--Your father won't be able to come, unfortunately, but both of your brothers did write that they would return today." She said.
          Urie was disappointed that his father couldn't come. It's been a while since they've seen each other, and today was a special day. At least his older siblings were able to return, he thought, as his lips moved and faintly smiled at the consolation,.
          "When would my older brothers be coming back mother?" He asked. "Will they be here to attend?"
          "I'm not sure. If they don't make it, then I hope they at least get here in time for dinner." Rivelle replied.
          Knowing what was going on in his mind, she placed her hand on top of his shoulder and reassured him, "Don't worry dear, your mother here is enough to cheer you on, I also have Patty and Ersha over there to help."
          His mother referred to the two maids at the side, both showing forced smiles in response.
          "Alright, mother." Urie replied, sounding a little bit happier.
          He began stuffing his face with food while asking Rivelle some questions about the festival. A little while later, they finished breakfast and began preparing to go out for the event.
          Urie had returned to his room and was looking at himself in the mirror. Poking at his bare chest, he remembered the answers he was given to sate his curiosity. He slowly closed his eyes and focused his attention on his chest.
          He could see-- something. Not with his closed eyes but through visualization of his consciousness. An incredibly small, rounded ball of light. It was a seed, not that of a plant's, but a seed made up of mana.
          Rivelle, his mother, said that it was usually colored white and that it would only change into a different color after forming its roots. His wasn't white.
          There was something different about the children of the Loeth house. His brothers, they were born with colder skin than normal because of an icy blue, already colored seed.
          Urie was born with a mild fever, and his seed wasn't blue either. He felt himself building up anxiety.
          "I can't think like this if I'm to help father out at the wall." He muttered. "As long as I can use magic, I can go along with my older brothers to help out father." He shook his head and motivated himself.
          Hurriedly putting on the clothes set out on his bed, Urie sorted his appearance. He added a strained smile to his face when he saw in the mirror the fancy-looking attire that one of the maids had prepared for him.
          "Patty really likes it when she has the chance to dress me up." He commented.
          Patty was one of the maids attending to them at breakfast earlier. She and the other maid, Ersha, were already in the service of the Loeth house when Urie was born.
          Patty's taste was clearly defined from the design of the clothes she had picked out for him. A bright, ornate red coat and a white shirt. Although it was a bit eye-catching, he didn't mind.
          Urie left his room and went downstairs. He took a peek at the lounge room where he saw his mother and the two maids enthusiastically decorating a large piece of cloth.
          "I shouldn't disturb them." He thought."Maybe I'll take go take a walk in the garden while they finish up what they're doing."
          "Urie, dear?" His mother called. "Come help us tie this up before we leave for the parade."
          The cloth? Urie walked over and saw the large fabric rolled halfway through.
          "Will they bring this along?" He wondered. "Wouldn't it be a hassle to carry this thing around during the parade?"
          Well, it didn't matter. They had a reservation at the second floor of one of the teahouses beside the main road every year. It had the perfect view for spectating the parade.
          Urie thought that they would just leave the rolled-up cloth there.
          "One, Two, Hupp--!" After securing the knots, the two maids lifted up the cloth with each of them at one end of the roll. The roll was raised higher on one side and lower on the other. It looked like Ersha, the maid in front, was carrying the whole thing while Patty, the maid behind, only served to support her.
          "Well then, off we go!" Rivelle declared as she led the way out of the house and into a carriage waiting for them by the street.
          "Move it more to this side." Ersha instructed. She was pulling on the roll of cloth, trying to look for a suitable position for it to fit inside of the carriage.
          Pushing onto the other end of the roll of cloth, Patty said, "It won't fit! How about we fold it on one side? Ah--no, that might crumple it."
          They were having a hard time stuffing the roll inside the carriage. After a few minutes of moving around, they finally found a position that could fit it and succeeded.
          They got on the carriage and went on their way to the entrance of Daerin where the parade was set to start. On the way there, Urie looked outside of the carriage windows with excitement on his face.
          People were bustling with activity across the streets. Some were setting up stalls while others were looking for good spots to watch the parade. On the sidewalks, there were some children dressed in white, heading in the same direction as their carriage.
          "There sure are a lot of people, mother." Urie said.
          "Don't be nervous, Urie dear. You'll be with the other children so stand tall and make sure I can see you, alright?" Rivelle answered as she came closer to his seat and ruffled his hair.
          "Yes, thank you, mother. Although, I don't think you have to worry about not seeing me." Urie joked and opened his arms, presenting his clothes to his mother.
          Rivelle made an act of rubbing her chin while carefully scrutinizing the outfit, "Good job!" She said, and flashed a thumbs up towards the maid, Patty, on the other side of the carriage. The maid grinned and returned the gesture with both of her hands. Their laughter began to fill the carriage as it made its way through the crowded streets.
          A few minutes later, they arrived at the city gate.
          "Urie, dear, we'll see you later." Rivelle bid Urie goodbye. "Wave to our usual spot, alright?" She got back on the carriage with the two maids and left for the teahouse where they had a reservation.
          Urie was left by himself at the gate where a procession of children the same age as him was getting ready for the parade. The officials handling the event approached him and ushered him towards a position near the center of the gathering.
          That's right, Urie was taking part in the parade. They had only ever enjoyed watching the spectacle from the sidelines, but now he was going to march alongside it.
          All of the children that have turned ten years old before the Harvest Festival were eligible to attend. At the end of the parade was a ceremony that was conducted every year to awaken the mana seeds within them.
          Urie became giddy at the thought of being able to use magic.
          He looked around at all of the other children. The other kids also had their best outfits on, but except for a handful of others, most of them were wearing plain white clothes.
          "Maybe I should've worn something else?"
          In the middle of a field with white tulips, a bright red rose was incredibly noticeable.
          "No," he chuckled.
          "This way, mother wouldn't have to strain her eyes looking for me-- Hmm?"
          Over at the side, he noticed a vivid sunflower staring at him.
          "Do I know her?" Urie wondered.
          She had bob-cut black hair and was wearing an elaborate yellow dress. Urie turned his head from left to right, just to ascertain if he really was the one receiving her attention. Sure enough, the girl's chestnut painted eyes didn't move from his position.
          He only ever played with his brothers and the maid, Patty, and was home-schooled by his mother. He never had much interaction with other children. So who was this girl that was staring him down?
          "Maybe she's just glad that there is someone like her wearing something that's not white." Urie thought.
          He locked eyes with the bob-cut girl and flashed a sympathetic smile at her direction. The girl was surprised. She hurriedly turned away from him and looked to the front of the parade.
          "Oh, she must've been looking at someone else then." Urie felt a bit embarrassed.
          He also faced front as it seemed it was time for the parade to set off. With the sound of drums and instruments playing, from the entrance of Daerin to the square at the foot of Erden's Tower, their march had begun.
          The children paraded through the main road of Daerin, Urie could see the numerous banners and decorations on houses and businesses lined up beside the road. Parents and bystanders were at the sides, cheering in support of them.
          "Nooo!" Some of the children exclaimed.
          It was beginning. One of the events that usually occurred during the Harvest Festival, one that bystanders enjoyed while having tea on the second floor of the business establishments beside the main road.
          "Don't tell me..." Urie grimaced. He remembered the large roll of cloth that Ersha was carrying. He was too excited about the festival that the thought never crossed his mind.
          At the halfway point of the parade, the screams of the children still continued. Urie gulped, they were near the teahouse where his mother and the two maids had made a reservation.
          "Nooo!" He suddenly exclaimed and held onto his head.
          Urie quickly hid his face in shame when he saw his mother instructing the two maids, Patty and Ersha, to wave around a flamboyant banner embroidered with his name. He did not attract much attention, however, as the other children were also crying out over the same predicament.
          His ears reddened as he felt a lot of eyes falling on him when his name was shouted and heaved a sigh of relief only after they went past the teahouse. His mother's display was too embellished, he thought.
          The screams died down when they neared the entrance to the square. Urie looked up as a massive tower had come into view. Erden's Tower, with its top reaching high up into the clouds, he couldn't tell how tall it actually was.
          "This is it," Urie mumbled as he felt his heart racing.
          After this, he would be able to use magic. He would be able to help out his father at the wall.
          Once they had arrived at the square, Urie took a seat along with all the other children around a large fountain in the middle and closed his eyes. The officials in charge of the ceremony were positioned behind them, holding their arms up at their backs. Blue, yellow, green, and white, they all glowed different colors as they communed with the spirits.
          Motes of white light from their surroundings gradually entered into the children's bodies and gathered towards their chests, saturating their seeds with mana. Once they had soaked in enough, one by one, the children had also begun to glow the same way as the officials, a sign of their mana roots awakening.
          "Ooooh!" There was a cry of admiration from the crowd watching.
          They were paying attention to the bob-cut girl from earlier who was staring at Urie. She was not only emitting a bright yellow light but around her, dust, stones, and broken pieces of the pavement were hovering an inch off of the ground. On her face bloomed a smile of satisfaction.
          The ceremony went on until half of the children had already started to give out a steady light. Urie was still sitting at his position, patiently waiting for his mana roots to form. Time went on, a few seconds, a minute, soon all of the children, except for him, had already finished and were waiting for the ceremony to end.
          "Why!? Why was this happening? " Urie was panicking.
          His palms started getting sweaty. He placed his focus on the motes of white light approaching his seed and could see them being rejected, forced back outside of his body. A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked down. His lips quivered and his shoulders dropped in resignation. It was over, the ceremony was over.
          "I--I can't use magic?" He stammered.
          Parents who were coming over to fetch their children didn't make a fuss over the one child not being able to form his roots. The officials, however, were baffled and started heading towards Urie's direction. They were making their way through the crowd but suddenly stopped in their tracks. Displaying looks of hesitation, they decided not to continue once they saw the person heading towards him.
          "My dear little Urie! It'll be alright, it'll be alright." His mother was here.
          Urie could feel her arms holding him in an embrace, working hard to reassure him, but he felt too despondent to respond.
          "Urie dear, let's go home, alright? We'll figure out what to do when your brothers return." His mother said.
          "Older brothers?" Urie thought. "Yes, maybe they would have an idea. Eldest brother always has an answer for everything."
          It was a slim chance, but he held onto that sliver of hope.
         

***

          - Rivelle -
          "My child! Urie! How hurt he must be!" Rivelle was in a panic.
          She hurriedly made her way past the crowd with the two maids following right behind her. At a distance, she saw her son still sitting on the ground with his head tilted down. She could only imagine what sort of emotions he must have been feeling.
          "My little Urie! It'll be alright, it'll be alright."
          Rivelle sat down after reaching her son and embraced him. Tears of concern formed in her eyes as she looked for words that would be able to console him.
          Perform a private ceremony? She wasn't sure if it would work. There was no precedence for someone not being able to form their mana roots during the Harvest Festival. She did not want to get Urie's hopes up.
          "Urie dear, let's go home, alright?" She softly pleaded. "We'll figure out what to do after your brothers return." She could only rely on his siblings.
          Her son tried to stand but struggled as his knees buckled. Rivelle tried to support him, but her legs felt weak as well. Thankfully, just as she was about to stumble, the two attentive maids behind them helped them up. Rivelle asked one them to call for a carriage after they made their way to the side of the street.
          She glanced at her son's face, he wasn't crying, but she could see in his eyes staring listlessly at the people and carriages passing in front of them, that he was incredibly dispirited. Not knowing what to do, she could only caress her son's head while whispering words of comfort on their ride home.
          However, with the festivities still going on outside-- the music, the cheers, the laughter-- the atmosphere within the carriage only grew tenser. Rivelle could only take a breath of relief after they had reached the quiet of their home.
          A few hours later, around evening, a knock was heard on the front door of the Loeth residence.
          "Are the boys back?" Rivelle wondered.
          Her son, Urie, was resting his head on her lap. He had spoken a few words but was still not back to his usual self. She hoped that her older sons' arrival could get him to cheer up.
          "Milady! A letter has arrived!" The maid, Patty entered the room after a quick knock on the door.
          A letter? From who? Rivelle stood up after gently laying Urie down on the couch and left the room with Patty. They returned to the front door where she received the letter and a message from a courier.
          "Milady, I was also entrusted with a message from the young masters." He said. "They wanted me to inform you that they could not be relieved from their posts as the magic creatures' attacks on the wall have gotten fiercer."
          "Ah..." A headache. Rivelle thanked him and told him to come back the next day for her reply letter. The young man bowed in courtesy before bidding farewell and going on his way.
          "Patty, go to the kitchen and help Ersha with preparations for dinner. Tell her Vigril and Kyron won't be back tonight." She instructed.
          "Yes, Milady." The maid bowed her head slightly.
          Rivelle turned to walk back to the lounge room with slow steps. She raised her hands and started rubbing her temples. "What should I do now?" She thought. How should she explain her older sons' absence to her youngest?
          She made it to the lounge room door and was about to reach for the handle but stopped. The door wasn't closed. There was a tiny gap indicating it was opened.
          "Urie, dear?" Rivelle softly called.
          There was no answer. She opened the door and looked to the couch, her son wasn't there. Taking a quick glance around the room, he was nowhere to be found.
          "Could he have gone upstairs?" Rivelle thought.
          She left the lounge and walked up the stairs to the second floor, intending to break the news to her son.
          "Urie, dear?" She checked his bedroom, but he wasn't there.
          "Urie, dear?" She checked her bedroom, but he also wasn't there.
          "Urie? Little Urie, where are you?" Suddenly feeling disquieted, she hastened towards the remaining rooms. "Urie? Where is he!?" Rivelle was beginning to panic.
          "The kitchen? Yes, he might have gone to the kitchen!"
          Her heart rate had begun to go up and her palms were getting cold. She hurried down the stairs and dashed through the corridors with frantic steps.
          "--With the young masters' return home, they might have been able to talk with young master Urie, but now--?"
          She entered the kitchen and interrupted a conversation between Patty and Ersha.
          "Urie--Is Urie here!?" She stuttered.
          Patty and Ersha were startled. Rivelle's face was pale and her breathing was heavy. The two of them dropped what they were doing and rushed to support her.
          "Milady, what's wrong?"
          "Urie! I--I can't find him! I checked around the rooms and I couldn't find him anywhere in the house!" Her voice was trembling.
          "Milady, maybe-- do you think he might have heard what the messenger had said?" Patty addressed.
          "That's right! He could have been listening!" Rivelle paused to think.
          An idea appeared in her head as she regained a bit of her composure.
          "Ersha, check by the garden if he's there. If not, wait by the door just in case Urie comes back. Patty, go ask a few patrol guards to accompany us outside." She instructed.
          Ersha nodded and took a quick look around the garden before coming back. Since Urie wasn't there, she went upstairs to get a coat for Rivelle. Patty had gone outside shortly after to look for patrolling guards.
          "Surely he must be there." Rivelle thought, a past incident resurfacing in her mind. "There is no other place he could be."
          Returning with a coat, Ersha helped her put it on, and they left the house once Patty had come back with a patrol guard.
          "I'm sorry, ma'am." The guard said. "We're a little short-handed at the moment. You know how it is, with today bein' the Harvest Festival and all."
          "I understand." Rivelle said. "We only need someone to accompany us outside and look for my son, I have an idea of where he is."
          "Lead the way, ma'am." The guard replied.
          Rivelle led Patty and the guard outside and they headed for the main road. A few of the lamps along the streets were unlit as they were still covered with decorations, but it wasn't dark.
          There was a full moon out tonight, bathing the surroundings in its light.
          Once they'd reached the main road, they kept walking towards a single direction, the same path they took earlier on in the day. And of course, the same sight, although in a different light, had welcomed them as they reached the end.
          Erden's Tower, it looked massive up close, but Rivelle's eyes weren't looking up at it. Arriving at the entrance of the square, her gaze fell on the fountain in the middle, a flash of red light had caught her attention.
          Her eyes opened wide and her heart dropped, she ran. She ran towards the fountain, towards her child lying unconscious beside it. She couldn't say anything, her words were stuck in her throat. As she knelt down and touched his skin, the air had finally escaped her lungs.
          He was alright. He felt a bit hot, but he was alright, he had just fallen asleep.
          Patty and the guard had arrived beside them. Rivelle instructed Patty to call for Ersha, to help carry her son back home, but the guard stopped her and picked Urie up.
          "I can carry him, ma'am." He insisted. "We better get you all back home for some rest."
          It was only when she heard him speak up that Rivelle had noticed, they didn't talk at all on the way here. Neither she nor Patty spoke a word. She felt grateful to the guard and nodded, leading the way back to the Loeth Residence.
          After passing her son onto Ersha, who brought Urie up to his bedroom, the guard gave a slight bow. "I'm always glad to be of help, ma'am, especially if it's the commander's family asking." He said.
          "Oh, you knew?" Rivelle replied.
          "White hair ain't really all that common round here, isn't it ma'am? And well, the big mansion kinda gave it away. I was kinda nervous when that maid came up to me and asked to come here." The guard chuckled and bid farewell as he still had to return to his duties.
          Left at the door, Rivelle stared at the bright ball of white high up at the night sky. Her shoulders lost their tension after she took in a deep breath and exhaled.
          She closed the door behind her and made her way upstairs, before running into one of the maids who was on her way down.
          "Is he still asleep?" Rivelle asked. "Are there no problems with his body?"
          "Yes, Milady. I checked, nothing seems to be a problem." Ersha replied.
          "Alright, thank you. I'll sleep in his room tonight, so let Patty know."
          Rivelle left the staircase and entered her son's bedroom. Feeling her exhaustion catch up with her, she collapsed onto the bed and laid down right beside her son as she fell asleep.
         

***

          Author's notes :
          Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
          If you want to continue reading, the first volume of the book is available on smashwords. It has illustrations of some of the characters as well as the rest of volume 01.
          It is free, but you can choose to pay for it if you'd like to. That would help this new author out greatly and support the series. Leaving a rating and or a review would also be greatly appreciated.
          The rest of the work is also available on tapas.
          Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it and will continue to read it.