Like a tragic story, my path didn't end well. I fought in a way that I believed was my best, only to find out that nothing was sufficient. Even one's true self couldn't serve as a ticket to alter fate. The memories of that war are still vivid in my mind, from the moment we prioritized our duties as defenders over everything, including our hearts, to that specific instance when he finally did what he needed to do to save the land. The profound sorrow visible in his eyes remains unforgettable and painful. Although we never had a chance to bid a proper goodbye, at least we knew we did our best for what is right.After that, my messy but joyful life seemed to come to an end. It feels like everything happened just yesterday, yet I know it's been a long time since the terrifying war with the dark realm. I can now feel my entire body lying on a soft bed, which I guess is made of swan feathers. The sweet floral scent in the air suggests daffodils. My hands grip the smooth texture of their ste
[Nowo’s POV]It all started at that magical place called HIA. It is an agency-slash-orphanage, where all orphans are allowed to work for their own living when they reach the legal age of 18. They were taking care of neglected children by adopting them, providing their needs, and by showing them the real love of a parent they were all longing for. To share and bring fun is what the HIA aims for. I know, right? It is indeed amazing to have met such a great place like this. Also, I’m really thankful to have met the most naughty and a little bit nice best buddy of mine. Omo, I really do miss him a lot.I thought everything I knew about HIA will be the last things I will ever know about it. I thought it’s going to be that easy since it all went right when a person took me there. But when I reached 18, everything turned different from what it was before. I got trained, started to work, and do whatever task is on me, I even became like the attentive agent before when I was starting. Kidding.
[NOWO's POV]Every flower starts as a seed, and logically, every seed of a flower comes from another flower. It’s just a cycle from which something is created by or comes from some other thing. Compared to all individuals existing in this human world, each one of us has our own source. I see myself as one of those flowers. The place where I grew up symbolizes water, and it has made me a better person now. But would I possibly grow up properly even without sunlight? What kind of grown-up person am I if my life has been gloomy since I was born? I will never find the light I need, but I do hope to encounter that light soon. I want to end the darkness inside me. Not only that, but I never wish to live this kind of life eternally.“Wake up.” I slowly open my eyes as I hear that very familiar voice. “Nowo, wake up.”My vision is kind of blurry, so I blinked for a second. “M-m-moha?” I asked.I felt so weak that I couldn’t even move my hands. Clueless—that’s the best word to describe me now.
[NOWO's POV]“So where are you both going?” Talaa asked.Moha and I looked at each other and nodded a little. That is sort of a sign that we let each other trust both of them.“We’re planning to go to the underground room, where lockers are located,” Moha said.I nodded and said, “We believe that everything that begins in a certain place will end in the same place. With that belief, we are going back to that place. Maybe we could find any hint or answer to our question, which is how to go back to the normal HQ.”“Are you both sure that the underground is the safe place for the both of you?” Lane asked.I shrugged, “No one knows.” I uttered. “But we’re going to at least try. As a matter of fact, there’s really no safe place here on the other side of HQ, so what’s the point of knowing if that place is safe or not?” I added.“Maybe we can do that tomorrow? It’s already midnight, and it’s too dangerous to walk around here,” Talaa suggested.“Day or night is just the same. Danger is not af
[Narrator's POV]While the sun is preparing to glow, the moon silently plans to take over its light. It's true that darkness never sleeps, and neither does evil.All of its traces are scattered around the withered place and will surely cause anyone to tremble with fear. You can see a thick smoke that is darker than a specific shade of grey, continuously traveling from the unknown hole to the Dark Realm where the man named Pricus—the youngest son of Zeus—rules.He began to conquer and cursed the whole forest by the time he took over the magic stone of Astria after killing his wife named Aria—the Queen of Swan Maidens. The said stone has the power to maintain the beauty of nature and peace inside this other world, and the said Queen was assigned by the King and Gods to take care of it. She and her successor are the only ones who have the ability to use the power of the said stone. Pricus wasn't aware of this fact. He began to declare war and take the throne from the late king named Alas
[NOWO's POV]Now that the water is slowly disappearing from the flower, and the unknown plant is left rooted in the polluted land with pests surrounding it. The said flower never knew when they were going to destroy her. But even though the said pests leave the plant alone in the middle of darkness and remain alive, until when could it ever live without water and sunlight? I'm like that flower, and during these times that everything seems to be fading out of my sight, I never knew what kind of future was waiting for me out here. Either I get killed by these endless evil creatures here in the cursed land or wait until I get old and withered.“Welcome to the Land of Astria, Nowo and Moha.”Those were the words I heard from a man wearing decent leather armor with a sword strapped to his hip. His decent and sophisticated appearance made me think that maybe this man came from a royal family, and that he's the headmaster Mr. Arphen was talking about earlier. He brought us here where the head
Narrator's POVBefore the wrath of Pricus happened, the Gods made different weapons only to be used by the defenders when the right time came. Nobody can use it except from the owner itself. There are bows and arrows, spears, swords, daggers, axes, and slingshots. In order to prevent greediness from entering their hearts, the Gods made them imperfect unlike the four siblings. Almost half of the orphans already mastered their weapons, some are not. Those who are not yet good at it are much wiser than the others. Though it's rare for a certain defender to be both wise and strong, some of them manage to have it both. Alasdair thought that it's about time for the newcomers to meet the others and get their own corresponding weapons to begin their training. Alasdair, Arphen, Nowo and Moha, started heading towards a huge gate where they could clearly hear the shouts of the defender's while training with each other. The centaurs who were guarding behind the gate quickly moved to let them i
[Nowo's POV]I had a dream last night; I saw myself getting slain by a person who didn't seem like an enemy. When I was about to look at his face, everything got blurry, and the sound of a loud trumpet noise woke me up."Strange," I uttered to myself. My heart had never felt this heavy when waking up from a nightmare. That one felt different and weird. I could also feel my tears streaming down my face at this moment. "Why am I crying?" I wondered as I wiped my tears off my cheeks."Hiya, Nowo dea---what happened?" Lane landed both of her palms on her rosy cheeks and flew near me.I shook my head lightly, still not giving her a look. "I don't know, Lane. But it seems like it's too hard for me to breathe right now," I said as I laid my right palm on my chest."Will you please wait for me outside? Just give me a minute." I requested with a calm tone. I never wanted her to misunderstand me again.She nodded her head and answered, "Okay. Just promise me that you'll be fine. Hmm?""I promis