Unia: Echo of Harmony

Chapter 1: Night of the Departed Souls. Part 1

The warm embrace of the summer evening enveloped the room, a golden hue painting the walls as the sun performed its slow dance toward the horizon. In a modest room, there sat Raquel, a woman whose thirty years were marked by the same cycles of sun and moon that colored the very fields of Valoria del Sol, the kingdom she calls home, yet the mountains and cities of which she has never seen. Her raven hair, a stark contrast to the silver locks she now tended to, cascaded down her shoulders — untouched by time, unlike the village that had cradled her all her life. Far from the grandeur of cities, her world was this small hamlet, a tapestry of daily toils and simple joys.

Raquel sat, her fingers weaving through her daughter's silver locks with a comb that seemed to be an extension of her nurturing will. Each stroke through the hair was a silent declaration of maternal love, the silken strands catching the sunlight that spilled through the window, casting prismatic reflections across the room. The delicate fragrance of jasmine from the vase on the windowsill mingled with the scent of the warm air.

The vestiges of afternoon slumber still clung to the child as the soft hum of a distant celebration trickled through the air. It seemed the whole world was taking a slow breath on this warm summer day. "Mamá, can you tell me again about the world before the Celestials made peace? Were there really wars everywhere?" the young soul inquired, her voice laced with curiosity, albeit dulled by the remnants of sleep as they both awakened from their afternoon repose.

As the languid sun caressed her daughter back to the waking world, Raquel's voice, adorned with youthful vibrance, began to weave a story: "Rigel, honey, believe it or not, there was a time when our lands were full of turmoil, just like the festival crowds will be tonight."

The spark of curiosity began to chase away the remnants of sleep from Rigel's eyes, as she was drawn to her mother's animated recounting. "Imagine, mi amor, the whole world was upside-down—un verdadero desastre! The Barbarians took whatever they wanted, loud as dancers in a tavern brawl. And the Sigrians, protective like Señora Alba with her roses."

A soft giggle escaped Raquel; her story infused with a levity that made even ancient wars seem a mere backdrop for a fanciful fable. "The Ardag? They roamed wild, causing trouble everywhere, like geese scattering through the market. And those Druids, think of old Luis when he can't find his tools—just as grumpy, guarding their forests!"

The gentle lilt of Raquel's voice transformed the history into a fable, light and enchanting. "And don't forget about the Marshfolk and the Sandkin, mysteries like the stories told around the fire at the festival. Always so quiet, a riddle we couldn't solve." As the relentless heat of the afternoon subtly began to wane, Raquel's hands twirled through the air, her tale approaching its crescendo. "But just when it seemed our world, Unia, would always be torn by strife, los Celestials came from the sky. Like master conductors, they turned our chaotic mess into a beautiful melody."

Raquel's unpracticed gesture clumsily mimicked a maestro, commanding the elements of an orchestra as she fancied a true conductor might. "They handpicked the Druids with the purest hearts—just like selecting the sweetest oranges from the market. These prophets, like the heroes from our old stories, persuaded everyone to put down their swords and hold hands in peace."

Rigel, now fully alert and her imagination ablaze with visions of Celestials and ancient heroes, nodded enthusiastically. Raquel, with the finesse of a seasoned storyteller, finished, "And that, Sunshine, is how war cries turned into the lullabies we sleep to now."

The young girl's eyes, alight with the flicker of doubt, turned towards the window where the world was steeped in the golden hues of the setting sun. Her mother's tales of a turbulent past seemed a distant storm to the peaceful shore she knew.