Slipping the dress on, Calista looked at herself in the mirror. Letting the breeze from the balcony dry her ginger hair, she french-braided on both sides and let the braids dangle on her shoulders. Her dress was anything but uncomfortable; its fabric so soft and light, she felt like floating. It was a baby-pink gown, with blue laces on the bodice and the waistline, the skirt flowing effortlessly down to her feet. She'd never worn anything of the sort before, so the feeling of being far from home intensified.
Feeling presentable enough, she picked up the sphere gadget and pressed the gem on it. It changed into a yellow speck of light and floated in the air. It oddly reminded her of the speck of light Zayden had snapped into existence in the Pit of Gloom.
"Hey, little thing, do you have a name?" she asked, expecting no response. It kept floating purposelessly. "You look like a star. You shine bright. May I call you Twinkle?"
To her surprise, it started to move in circles in the air as if excited about its new name. She told it to take her to the dining room, while she leapt onto the hoverboard. Passing through twisted trails and the enormous ballroom, Twinkle led her to more complicated passageways, and they finally stopped outside a golden gate. At their arrival, the door swung open, revealing a spacious and well-lit room. The fancy royal chairs aligned neatly with a huge dining table in the middle of the room.
Aurora sat on one end of the table, Claudia and the maiden standing behind her. As Twinkle transformed back into the sphere, and the hoverboard into the cube, Calista walked over to Aurora's side of the table and took a seat.
"You look lovely," Aurora commented.
"Thank you. I didn't think this would look good on me. I haven't worn a gown ever," Calista replied nervously.
"My mother, the former Queen, used to say; gowns usually hide a woman's truest self. They make her appear delicate, as though something to protect. That gives her an advantage. A woman in a long dress can surprise people with more than they can assume."
Calista looked at her with awe. "I'll definitely fill my wardrobe with dozens of gowns when I get home." If, she reminded herself.
Two men in red hooded cloaks appeared, one pushing a trolley as he walked and the other one striding urgently ahead of him. They walked up to the dining table, and the latter one placed gold plates in front of both the ladies. Calista watched their moves absently and noticed it was the first time she was seeing Vakenian men other than the king himself.
Picking up a huge platter with a round lid, the man placed it in the middle. Calista felt a pang of curiosity about the food, however, all of her expectations died down once the man lifted the dome to reveal raw chicken resting on the platter. Her stomach churned and she wondered if they had yet to discover fire.
Aurora seemed satisfied with the glinting pink chicken, and Calista watched in despair as the man started to cut it into pieces to serve them. He was about to put a piece on her plate when Claudia interfered, and the man stopped. "Perhaps the king's special guest would like to eat a special dish rather than chicken."
Calista sighed in relief.
Aurora beamed and flushed. "How rude of me to not offer our guest the special dish. Calista, I sincerely apologize." She turned to the man ordained to serve them the meals. "It would be very kind of you to bring the special dish."
The man nodded, smiling, and disappeared from their sight. Only a few seconds later, he reappeared, pushing a smaller trolley this time. He came directly over to Calista's chair and removed the dome from the plate on the trolley. He placed it in front of her and moved to the larger trolley.
She eyed the plate in front of her with a confused yet satisfied look as she saw an oversized egg with a small chocolate pastry, some blueberries, and a little loaf of bread. She smiled thankfully about the fried egg as the aroma of the decorated plate filled her nostrils. But she knew better to inquire about the food before tasting it.
"The egg looks different," she asked.
"It's from an Alicanto―a very special bird in Vakenes. Some Vakenians even claim to worship the beautiful bird. It is believed that its egg bestows luck and strength upon the person who tastes it. That is why an Alicanto's egg is served as a special dish," explained Aurora.
She digested the new information as she saw the server pour blood-red wine into their glasses. Eyeing all the delicious items of food on her platter, she picked up a double-pronged fork and cut into the egg. As she bit into the egg, her saliva instantly mixed with a delightful flavor that appeared to be the apple from heaven itself. The bittersweet taste of the Alicanto egg forced her to list it in my favorite items of Vakenes.
"How about we go and explore Vakenes in the evening?" asked Aurora.
Calista's heart dropped yet again. "I'm afraid I don't have the privilege to stroll around Vakenes and explore its magnificent land. Claudia said I'd be safer within the walls of the castle, but now I've started to think my days here are going to be quite boring considering I have limited access to everything."
Aurora reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Why do you worry? We'll make your days within the Royal Palace the best days of your life."
She smiled back at her, unsure what to expect.
As though considering something, Aurora arched an eyebrow at her. "Have you ever held a sword?"
The giant blade with an ornate bronze handle felt heavy in her small hands. She stood in the yard outside the throne room with Aurora, who held a similar weapon, confidence radiating off of her. She aimlessly swung it around in her hands. Calista looked apprehensively at her, feeling entirely out of place with the sword in her hand.
"You just need to defend yourself. You won't get hurt, I promise," assured Aurora.
Without any warning, Aurora lifted her sword above her head and hurled it at her. The blade cut through the air as it flew down at her. In a reflex, she brought her sword to her head and a satisfying thrashing of blades echoed through the air. Relieved, she looked up at the intersecting swords. Aurora retrieved her weapon with a satisfied smile on her lips.
"You're pretty good for a beginner," she commented.
Calista gave her a rueful smile. "My reflex saved me, I guess. What if I hadn't acted on instinct?"
"Then, your head would have been chopped in pieces," Aurora replied blankly. Calista stared at her. She let out a little laugh. "Kidding. These are not actual swords. They're virtual. They pass through bodies untouched. We usually use them when practicing. Nobody gets hurt this way."
Surprise washed over Calista and she reached her hand out for the blade, but it passed through it as though it was a puff of smoke.
"But what's the fun in virtual swords? I mean, you don't get hurt, so it's pointless defending yourself," Calista ventured.
In response, Aurora gave her a small smile and brought the blade of her sword against Calista's forearm. To her surprise, it brushed against her, the metal blade feeling cold against her sleeve. Calista recoiled in confusion, giving Aurora a skeptical look.
"It's fear-operated. It touches the body when it doesn't sense fear. So, when you're practicing a fight, it doesn't hurt you, but when you're calm, it touches you but doesn't cut you. So, I assure you, it's safe."
Calista felt dumbfounded by her explanation and stared at the sword in awe. "But my hand passed through it earlier."
Aurora winked. "Your first touch."
Incredible, she found herself thinking about the immortals' range.
"I've been meaning to ask," Calista breathed as they carried out some more practice. "How do immortals die?"
Aurora smiled at her question, ducking to save herself from the sudden attack. "You're a curious lady."
"This question would arouse anyone," told Calista.
Aurora aimed sideways for her waist but she jumped back just in time, blocking the attempt with her sword.
"There's something called Rexil. It's a potion; a transparent liquid. You can't tell the difference between water and Rexil unless you smell it. It has a pungent smell, like coconut. During wars, the weapons are washed with Rexil which gives them the ability to kill. Normally, the weapons aren't able to do any harm because immortals heal very fast."
Calista listened intently to her, absorbing the information. Aurora used the opportunity of her slight distraction to attack her head.
"When an immortal gets slashed by a Rexilized weapon—"
Calista raised her blade for defense, but before hers could clash with Aurora's, it changed its course and went after her feet. Before she could even comprehend it, she got swept off of her feet. With a shriek, she fell to the marble floor and looked at Aurora, who came to stand by her side.
"They die," she finished, flashing her a brilliant smile.
After shedding some light on the minor rules of sword fighting for her, Aurora handed her sword to Claudia for a fight and went to see to her chores. Keeping in mind the rules and tricks for defense and attack, Calista swung her sword, blocking Claudia's attacks. Her swordsman skills were more professional than Aurora's, and the reason why she was King Zayden's personal shield came to her.
After an exhausting fight between the two competitors, they sat on the outer stairs of the throne room to catch their breaths. While Calista struggle to fill the air inside her lungs, she noticed Claudia, on the other hand, who was doing great and didn't seem to sweat or hyperventilate.
A maiden came running towards them, holding two translucent bottles of water, which they gratefully accept. Calista put it on the step beneath her to give herself time to catch her breath and turned to Claudia, who was gulping the water.
"I assume immortals also have vast space in their lungs for air, 'cause I noticed you don't seem to pant," Calista said.
Claudia gave her a smile. "You assumed right."
Finally, feeling that her lungs were once again functioning normally, she gulped down her bottle of water.
"There are a lot of activities you can do during your stay. You can practice more in swordsmanship, or you can also give archery a try. It's your call. Or you could join Amber here if you're interested in chores." Claudia pointed to the maiden, who brought the bottles of water.
She shook her head. "Archery and swordsmanship would be nice. I'd like to give them a try. But I'd really like to explore Vakenes." She started fidgeting with her fingers as Claudia looked up at her but Calista spoke up before she could say anything. "I know I'm not allowed to go outside, but there are other ways to explore. If I could get access to a library and read books about the Vakenian culture or history, that'd be a great help."
Claudia seemed to be surprised by the suggestion but found it reasonable. "Come."
The huge doors creaked as they entered the library. Calista's jaw dropped as she let her eyes drift up and up to the lines and lines of bookshelves until finally, they landed on the intricately painted concave ceiling. A spiral staircase led up to different storeys of shelves. All of a sudden, she wished she had four pairs of eyes so she could devour the whole library. But even then, she thought she couldn't, seeing how the shelves stretched to no end.
"Here's the stories section, then there's history, philosophy, science, magic, mortal studies, environmental studies, astrology, inter-dimensional studies, immortal anatomy, cultural studies, civilization, physi–" Claudia started pointing out the various sections.
"Woah, take a breather," Calista interjected, suddenly overwhelmed.
Claudia let out a laugh. "The point is, it goes on and on. Anything you want will be here. You just want to say what you're interested in, and the library will select the perfect books for you."
Calista's heart rate picked up in anticipation. She couldn't wait to be alone so she could discover the secrets of the place.
Claudia led her to one of the round tables and gave her a mini glass table the size of an average book. Calista started inspecting it and Claudia told her it was her key to understanding the books. The Vakenian books, when put beneath the glass surface, would appear in the language one is fluent in. With this, Claudia stomped off, assuring to join her at dusk.
Calista sat on one of the chairs, her mind already overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge and stories in the room. She didn't know where to start, so called out the first subject that came to her mind.
"The early history of Vakenes."
A rumble sounded from afar and she looked up at the thousands of shelves, apprehensive of what might happen. To her surprise, books started flying in a queue towards her from a section out of her sight. They placed themselves in three bundles of stacks on the round table and the rumbling ceased.
Eager, she grabbed the one on the top and placed it under the glass. "The Start of Infinity," the title said. On the first few pages was an introduction of the author who claimed to have been alive at the time of the planet's coronation for the third king. The author knew someone who had been one of the few that first arrived in Vakenes. It was written that the author passed away a decade ago. Calista found herself thinking how long a life that must have been for the author who couldn't die a natural death. She looked around for a source that could tell her about the current time or year of the planet Vakenes since its creation, but could find none. She made a mental note to ask Claudia or Aurora about it later.
The Start of Infinity told her about the earliest times of Vakenes. An immortal community discovered the planet when they wandered the universe in search for a new home after the destruction of their last one. The planet Vakenes was glorious, not before inhabited, with clean waters and luscious clear lands. Small and big animals roamed its grounds but did no harm to the small group of immortals who built homes for themselves. The planet quickly grew beloved to them as they started adjusting to its new atmosphere. The air turned their black eyes red and they found themselves getting stronger and taller. As their little civilization grew, so did the inevitable hatred and hunger for power.
She, then, learnt about the various initial wars raged on its beautiful land by the immortals who wanted to claim the planet for themselves. And thus was the start of the Kingdom of Vakenes, with a king appointed to keep the planet and its residents in check and to introduce peace once again. It worked and Vakenes started forming alliance with other powerful planets to make itself known and to ensure its protection in times of invasion.
The next few chapters each laid an insight on the reigns of the kings of Vakenes, each succeeding the other. They all laid the foundations of something extremely important in their centuries-long reigns, that eventually stacked up on top of each other to bring the planet Vakenes where it was today; strong, resilient, and unconquerable.
Calista glanced out at the floor-to-ceiling windows and marvelled a bit at the pink patches of clouds in the sky. She couldn't help but wonder where the mortals fit in the picture. For millions of years, the immortals ruled hundreds of planets in the vast universe, she found it hard to believe that the immortals wouldn't try and conquer the mortal worlds as well. She wondered why the immortals left the mortals to fend for themselves and never revealed themselves. So to look for answers, she sat straighter, and said the words, "the mortal worlds."
Another dozen books came flying and stacked up on the table. Calista picked one up by the name of "Other Worlds". The description clearly stated about the centuries-long unbreakable bond between the mortal and immortal communities. Confused, Calista sat up, focused on the pages.
The Serafiel portals were accessible to everyone, locals and royals alike, mortals and immortals alike. They visited each other's worlds and did trades openly; one of the friendliest of these planets was planet Earth.
Calista's breath hitched in her throat. It wasn't true, she knew it. But a new fear crept its way up to her heart. Erini was always separate from the rest of the world. What if...?
The doors to the library creaked open, and she turned to look at Claudia walking up to her. She stood, glad for the distraction. The new information, she felt, was too much to handle for now.
The two sat on one of the many balconies that the library conspired, eating tiny berries of fresh Vakenian soil. Calista held the book "Other Worlds" in her lap and tried to clear her thoughts by seeking answers from Claudia.
"Even if the rest of the Earth knew about the immortal communities and inter-dimensional travels were common, why hide that from Erini? What danger would a small forgotten island in the middle of nowhere be to the rest of the world?" Calista exclaimed.
Claudia merely shook her head and laughed. "I've told you, Calista, they have nothing to hide from Erini. Your assumptions are going wild right now."
"But the book says–"
"That book is too old, Calista. What it mentions was the tale of hundreds of years ago," said Claudia.
Calista gulped. "But our histories say nothing about it. We should've had stories, books, people who would've known–"
"That's because their memories were wiped off," said Claudia, making her stop and stare.
"Why?" Calista asked, her brows furrowing.
Claudia stared out the window, her expression distant. Calista didn't think she'd seen her look so sombre. "There was a war. I'm sure one of the historians would've written about it in rich details, so I won't go into it. All I can say is that the mortal and immortal communications were ceased for their own safety."
Claudia stood up and disappeared so abruptly that Calista didn't get time to respond. She looked at the empty space and the uneaten berries in confusion.
~ author's note ~
Congratulations, you made it to Vakenes and now you're learning stuff about it from a big library :)
So how interesting does this world appear to you? What aspects of Vakenes would you like to see? It could be any custom, food or wardrobe, just comment down and we'll get to see your approach to this new world :)
Hope you're enjoying so far!