Decimation of the Aether

THE BEGINNING OF A JOURNEY

Convincing one to come is the start of the journey, but to come, one must convince himself that the journey would be most amusing and useful to himself but others.

- From 'The comments of Agàlor' by Princess Minerva

Thus, a day had passed and evening came. And as soon as Agàlor went to bed, he already had something on his mind, boggling him. Keeping him awake in the night, about what his master told him earlier this morning. He still thought of it and can't sleep very well even with his comfortable bed and warm lodging. But all was well after, as for he slept in a matter of minute by counting the sheep at the valley doing bah! - bah! All night long.

In the morning when Agàlor woke up, the sun had kissed its daylight upon his skin, he quickly fell off from his bed remembering what his master had told him yesterday, that if he wanted to come with him, it had to be on the first light of dawn, and as he gazed at the window, dazzled by the sunlight of the first morn, he saw that the sun had already shone upon the land, christening the fields and the water dew drops from the grasses. The time his master had told him had already come to passing!

Knowing this, Agàlor then hurriedly dressed himself up; putting up his white shirt and brown leather pants as quickly as he could manage; atop his shirt and pants was his blue robe fasten with its golden belt, for it won't let loose even when running fast and far. He grabbed on the other room his grey hat and went quickly down the stairs of his homely home and grabbed by the peg his staff that he used last night to light his way down the stairs to go the kitchen and eat his final meal of the day, and forgot to bring it to his room for emergencies.

He scrambled at fast to find his satchel bag and when he had found it, by the peg, of course, he filled it with rations for his person and the map which, surprisingly left by his master intentionally in the same table where they ate, as if he knew Agàlor couldn't say no to him (which was what was happening now!) and after all that scrambling and hurrying for things that he thought he could use along the journey, he went out of the house; locked the doors with his house key and put it on the front porch under the soil of some marigold flowers he planted a month ago and bolt all the way down the valley.

He knew that he forgot something but already forgotten what it was, and ever so before he went down and down the green valley, he gazed a last optimistic look at his homely home and smiled: "I will be back, home. Don't you worry." he thought. And he sped down the valley overlooking the animals, his chicken fence and the flowers and the tree that bear no fruits. And his neighbors overlooking him running forward. His neighbors of course were as curious as he. They gazed at him as he sped down from his home to the last and final plot of land of the green valley.

He ran past the home of Isobo and saw no one and so he proceeded to run down and down until he followed the river path to the south. He went there and walk until he reached a shallow part of the river bank. The river flowed from the end of the Sea of Balta to the four corners of the East. The part of the river where the valley lies were shallow and fresh-water fishes could be caught from it even by the hand. And there he saw his master and his horse. Waiting. Waiting for him as if he knew he was coming! He wasn't riding the horse but pulling it across the river!

"Master! Master!" Said Agàlor in a hurry, "Wait up! I have decided to come with you!" He said that with a notion and catching his breath as he spoke aloud.

His master saw Agàlor running towards him and his horse sprang up from the shallow water of the river and crossed it to the green, lush lands. "Oh, my valued apprentice! What a surprised you have come. Have you come on your own decision or were you forced to?"