"What is he doing in here-?"
"Simple explanation really-"
"Jimmy."
"Calm down, he came in last night."
"Why?"
"He... he had another nightmare and he said- he said he didn't want to be alone."
"Seriously? Well, um, we're having breakfast soon if you want to..."
"Yeah, I'll wake him up and meet you down there in a few."
I heard, despite my mind being hazy from sleep, the door shutting. I curled my legs up slightly, farther towards my chest as I screwed my eyes shut to try and block out the light streaming into the room.
After a moment, I felt a light hand get placed on my shoulder and begin to slowly rock me back and forth. "Wake up Scott, it's time for breakfast." Came Jimmy's voice from above me.
"Noooooo." I groaned, burying my face in the pillow, shifting my wings to hide me from the other man.
"Oh, come on. Stop acting like a child." Jimmy said, shoving me slightly. I yelped as I almost rolled off the bed, clutching onto the sheets to stop me from falling. My stomach dropped from the scare, and I jerked up to a sitting position, wrapping my wings around me like a blanket.
I gave Jimmy a grumpy glare, rubbing my eyes with a bit of a pout. "Your mean."
"How am I mean? I'm waking you up for breakfast." Jimmy laughed, the freckle-like scales across his face scrunching along with his nose. I had to force myself to look away from him as a blush began to rise across my own face.
"But I wanted to sleep." I complained.
"Oh, you poor thing." Jimmy teased, poking my upper arm. "You can take a nap later. But right now, we need to go have breakfast and practice. You didn't eat dinner; you must be hungry."
I shook my head, despite my stomach aching with hunger. "Sleep now. I don't want to talk to anyone."
"I know you don't, buuut you have to." Jimmy replied. "It's part of life."
"I want a refund." I deadpanned, narrowing my eyes at him.
Jimmy snorted, trying to stifle is laughter. "I don't think that's possible- But you still need to come to breakfast."
"Noooooo."
The next few days were...amazing actually.
Sure, I was around a ton of people, and it was overwhelming at times but... Everything seemed to be falling back into place. And for the first time today, I managed to completely pull back the frost right after creating it. I was starting to see the ice as more of a gift now that it was completely under my control and now that it wasn't practically controlling me.
It had been a week and a half since we'd arrived in the Overgrown. I had gotten used to the glares I was getting from Lizzie, Joel and the staff of the castle. But everyone else was relatively...neutral I suppose? I had my first normal conversation with Fwhip last night at dinner. For the first time in what felt like forever we had talked without any death threats or insults entering the conversation.
Jimmy typically accompanied me...unless Lizzie convinced him to do something else. She and her husband were still very much wary of me, and I can see why. It's just...for the first time in years I've begun to feel like myself again. And my old self came with old feelings, so I too began to avoid him. Heartbreak was not on my to-do-list.
But at that moment I was with Jimmy. We were walking down the path to the apothecary with Gem, Katherine, Sausage, Shrub and Fwhip. I was going to visit Erin, while the others were mainly going to see Joel as he had opted to stay in the apothecary. The journey up and down from the castle was hard for him and he had to constantly have tests done because of his injuries, so he had told Katherine he would rather just stay there. At least that's what I had heard. Lizzie and Lavender were already down in the building.
I kicked a rock as we walked down the path. It was still chilly for July because of my presence, but it wasn't snowing, and the frost melted during the day from the sunlight. It still got on my nerves that it came back at night, but I had passed Giselle's expectations and she agreed to let me stay as long as I kept improving.
Soon the apothecary came into sight, and I looked up from the ground to make sure I didn't run into the wall as we all filed into the building.
Lavender, Joel and Lizzie all looked up at our arrival, but I quickly made my way to Erin's bed, sitting in the chair that I always left for the next time I came. Everyone told me it was no use visiting her. She didn't even know I was there, missing her. But I didn't care. I just wanted to see her.
I sat there for a few minutes in silence while everyone else talked to Joel. I didn't bother speaking with the Mezalean emperor. He was furious with me. He thought I was toying with Jimmy, and so did Lizzie. But in reality, I was distancing myself so that I wouldn't. No matter how much I tried to fix everything, nothing could erase the past. Nothing could erase what I had done, especially to him.
"How's she doing?"
I looked up to see Fwhip standing beside the chair about a foot away, turning from looking at Erin to face me. I was mildly surprised. "Well, Lavender said a few days ago she's been shifting more and more often. I think that's a good thing."
Fwhip nodded, putting his hands in his pockets, and glancing back down at the girl. "Let's just hope she's less...possessed."
I bobbed my head up and down with agreement. "I really, really hope so. I looked in the Elven Library but there was nothing except..."
"Stuff liked we used on Xornoth?" Fwhip finished for me.
I sighed. "Yes. I can't find anything to help her..."
Fwhip pursed his lips.
"I'm sure there's something." Came Gem's voice as she joined us at Erin's bedside. "We haven't searched everywhere yet."
I nodded, my hand going to the crystal around my neck, and I ran my thumb against one of the smooth edges as I chewed on the inside of my cheek.
At that moment though, right before I was about to respond, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and something like chills shot up my spine like electricity that had nothing to do with the cold. I whipped around to look behind me, right as a bright light flashed in the center of the room. I was thrown from my chair, and I screamed in panic as I felt myself hit the wall, back first. Different shouts of confusion were heard throughout the room, and thuds and crashes as other people in the room were thrown from their spots, either into the walls or onto the floor.
Pain shot through my joints as I slid to the ground, and I tried to block the light while at the same time I squinted to try and see what was causing it. I saw a figure, standing in the midst after a moment as the light began to slowly die down.
A few more screams echoed through the room as the fact that a new person was standing in the room became clearer. I could hardly think through the light and the noise, overwhelming my body and sending frost shooting across the ground where my hands touched the floor.
The figure, in question, was taller than me. He stood with a type of majestic aura that flooded the room, penetrating my very bones with his brilliance. Trailing down his back was a braid of silver hair. Not the silver that you get with age, but almost like the liquid metal, the strands reflecting with the light radiating from him. His expression was stern, but not angry or aggressive. On the other hand, it wasn't friendly either.
Right under his under eyes were two brown markings, like curved half circles, and one of the same shade went from his lower lip to his chin. Some of his features were...familiar in a way I just couldn't put my finger on. The most shocking thing were his eyes, bright gold, and piercing, like the sun.
But what caught my attention, were the two golden antlers on top of his head large and ornate, almost too fantasy-like to believe. I instantly scrambled back as it hit me like a bullet who this person was. I pressed my back against the wall, still on the ground, in fear as his gaze fell on me.
Panic spread through my body, like a creature trying to escape my chest, pounding in my veins like poison as I tried not to hyperventilate.
Aeor's last visit still haunted me, occasionally showing up in my dreams which were at this point a means of torture. He had discarded me as if I were just a puppet he had no more use for in his game of life. So why was he here again?
"Scott." He said, his voice commanding and clear, but I refused to make eye contact with him, instead continuing to attempt and scramble back despite already being pressed against the wall, hoping desperately I'd melt through the wall or something.
I trembled as I tried to find the words to respond, but my thoughts were cut off by Gem speaking.
"Who are you?" Gem asked, slowly getting to her feet whilst holding her staff, her face and tone filled with a mixture of awe, fear, and confusion as they lifted their chin slightly to look at the god.
I violently shook my head at her. For all I knew, Aeor could blast her to bits in front of everyone if she said one thing wrong or insulted him in the slightest way. He had in the legends, what's stopping him from doing it now? But she didn't seem to see me.
Aeor turned his gaze from me to Gem, and the wizard took a step back, looking slightly startled, her eyes going wide. "Who do you think, High Wizard Gemini?" He asked sharply, raising an eyebrow. "Or are you as ignorant as the ones before you?"
Gem's brow furrowed for a moment, and I watched as her knuckles turned white as she gripped her staff tighter. "One being comes to mind." She replied, a shake to her voice as she spoke.
"Yes? And who might that be, Gemini Tay?" Aeor asked, both of his eyebrows raising the slightest.
"The mighty Aeor from Elven mythology. I've heard of you. But...it's a legend." Gem said, seemingly skeptical of her own proposition.
"And there is truth behind legend, is there not?" Aeor countered, raising one of his eyebrows again. But before Gem could answer, he turned his attention back to me, and the same wild fear flared back up inside of me as I desperately wished he would look upon someone else. "Do you know why I'm here?" he asked, and I could tell behind his voice that it was a genuine question.
"No." I said, concentrating every fiber of body to stop my voice from shaking. "I don't." I added, shoving myself against the wall, still desperately pushing against it as if the molecules would just disappear and allow me through.
"Do you remember what I said last time?" Aeor questioned, his hands folded behind his back formally as he spoke.
Through my heavy breathing, I attempted to answer. "Y-Yes." I replied, ignoring the others faces during our interaction. "You left me."
"That I did. But I told you, you could regain my trust." Aeor stated. "And you have. Get up."
I sat there, frozen, unable to move and speechless at the god. My body had stopped trembling but, on the inside, my heart was beating so fast I swear the others could have heard it. It felt as if it were causing tremors to erupt throughout my body as it thumped against my chest.
Aeor stepped closer to me, his steps so light it didn't even seem he were there. Then, he knelt down and held out a hand to help me up. I stared down at it for a moment, looking at the brown markings around his fingers like rings, before taking it. His hand felt warm, but not like heat. Like...light if that makes any sense.
He pulled me to my feet, and I felt a lump forming in my throat, trying to calm myself down. I was face to face with a god... and he was acting as if I were his peer.
He let go of my hand after a moment, folding them again behind his back again. "Champion." He said, tilting his head slightly toward me. I swallowed, trying to gain enough courage to speak, but instead I just jerked my head with a nod.
Aeor's hand had left a tingling feeling on mine, and it quickly spread throughout my body, making me feel lighter, safer in his presence. It was back. What I had lost when Aeor had denied me.
Aeor's eyes, after a moment, moved from me just to his right, where Erin was laying in the bed. She was still asleep, unphased by the god's entrance. "Ah." He exclaimed, looking the girl up and down. His expression changed the slightest, his eyebrows tilting inward to show just the smallest trace of worry.
I clenched my jaw, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I followed his gaze. "She-"
"I know." He cut off. "I watched."
I didn't question it. I looked over my shoulder. Everyone else was crowded around Joel's bed, eyes wide. Gem looked as if she were questioning everything she had ever known, and we locked eyes. I gulped as she gave me a look that said, 'you are explaining everything later.' I nodded, before I turned back around to face Aeor. "Can you do anything...?" I asked quietly.
Aeor looked back at me with a slight frown. "She will wake up, that is for certain." He said, before raising a hand over Erin's body. "It is how she will react when she does that worries me..." He hovered his hand over her body, running it up towards her chest. Golden strands unfolded from his palm and fingers, shifting through the air to also hover over Erin, like little strands of molten sunlight.
Just as his hand passed over her chest, however, a black smoke-like substance lifted from Erin's skin, snapping at Aeor's hand like a viper, before poising itself, ready to strike again.
I jumped backwards, recognizing the substance as the same smoke Exor had created himself out of after pouring from my siblings'. Aeor's expression tightened before he withdrew his hand, and the smoke seeped back into Erin's body. "My brother seems to have a strong hold on her."
"What?" I asked, looking back up from Erin to Aeor.
"It is not your brother keeping her captive, but mine." Aeor said with a grim expression.
"Well...is there anything you can do?" I asked, trying to keep the desperate tone from my voice.
"When she wakes, yes. Now, no." Aeor replied. "For now, we must wait."
My hopes sunk at those words, as part of me still had the feeling that Erin would be forever lying there, unable to wake up, motionless till the end of time. I gulped, before I managed to nod.
"I will be seeing you soon." He said, before without warning, the same light that had come during his entrance flashed around him. I staggered backwards, covering my eyes with my arm as to not go blind from the overwhelming glow. Once it faded, Aeor was gone, and we all stood in silence.
I slowly turned away from where he had been, to look at everyone else. "Scott Major, you have some major explaining to do." Gem said, her eyes wide with shock as she also turned from where Aeor had been, to me.
"Pun intended?" Sausage asked, his voice slightly high pitched as he still stared at where the god had been, in shock.
"Always." Gem replied.
I raised my hands in defense. "I told you all he was real-"
"YEAH, BUT WHAT??" Shrub shrieked, her small body trembling slightly. "HE- HE JUST- HUH?"
"I think what she means is, we didn't really believe it till now." Katherine said, her own voice shaking slightly from what we had all just witnessed.
"So, you guys just thought I was lying the whole time?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not really...just, we didn't think he'd actually-" Gem started. "Just- explain."
"Explain what!?" I asked, before picking my chair up and collapsing into it with a small sigh. "I know almost as little as you do."
"No- well than tell us more about...Aeor, I guess. There's a whole backstory, right? To this religion of yours?" Gem asked, sitting down on the edge of Joel's bed so we were directly across from each other.
"Yes, there is." I replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "Do you really want to hear it? From the beginning? Its...long."
"Yes. I do." Gem said with a confident nod. "I know a vague few bits and pieces from my old history class, but not much."
"Ooh, story time!" Shrub said excitedly, climbing onto Joel's bed as well and kicking her feet back and forth, looking at me expectantly. Katherine snickered before sitting beside the gnome.
Joel grumpily sat up all the way to lean against the headboard, watching me with eyes narrowed.
I looked around at them all, before I sighed again. "Alright. To you all it may sound slightly...preposterous."
"I don't think anything will be more preposterous than a glowing deer man appearing out of the middle of nowhere." Fwhip said through pursed lips.
"Fair." I said, before beginning. "Well, in the beginning there was nothing. After what was said to be centuries of loneliness, Fate decided they didn't want to be alone anymore."
"Fate as in destiny?" Lizzie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. Fate as in the being. The one who decides all our lives paths before we're born, the one who carefully put the world together and is now watching her plan play out." I explained.
"Fate's a she?" Joel asked.
"Yes, now shush." I snapped, narrowing my eyes in Joel's direction, silently telling him to shut up and be quiet. "First, she created light, and with light came Aeor. But with light there's always shadow and darkness, and Exor formed from it. Fate named the two brothers, bound together. Both were necessary and both were needed for each other to exist."
"But why didn't Fate just get rid of Exor if she didn't want him there in the first place?" Shrub asked, frowning slightly.
"No one knows." I said with a small shrug. "But Exor wasn't always like that, I'll get into that in a moment. Now, despite Fate having two others, there was still nothing, but the light and shadows Aeor cast. So, she formed the sea, and with the waves came Cyrus, god of the ocean."
"Hear that, Lizzie? You have competition." Sausage said, grinning towards the tall woman. Lizzie glared at him, steam practically pouring from her frill-like ears, and he cowered back slightly.
I snickered before I continued. "Then, it's said that Fate rose rocks from the sea to form land, and with it came Terrath, god of earth. He and Fate worked together to carve the landmarks of the world. To dig out valleys and raise mountains."
"Is Mount Terrath by any chance named after him? The one on the Overgrown border between our empires?" Katherine questioned.
I nodded. "Indeed, it is. But with the changes of terrain and climate came Peril and Wynter. God of fire and goddess of ice. Fate then pushed the sky from the earth to protect the land before creating a raging ball of flames with the help of Peril called the sun to heat the earth. With the sun came Runaan, its guardian. And just like light needed an opposite, so did he, and the moon came to rule the night followed by Ithile. Now with this barrier, came Zeru, goddess of the sky. And to keep the sun and moon in place, Fate created space, and with it Galixu, goddess of the galaxy. It's even said that Galixu weaved the constellations through the stars with strands of Zeru's hair."
"That's not possible-" Gem started.
"I know. That's why it's a myth." I said, giving her jazz hands. "May I continue?" Gem just sighed and nodded, so I did. "Then, finding themselves lonely again, they rose up from the ground Amias and with him creatures of different kinds. And he was the god of animals, set with the task of naming them all. Now the world seemed dull, so Fate brought the twin sisters, Mystique and Malevolent, goddess of magic and goddess of witchcraft, to bring their own light to the world, one of magic."
"I actually know of those two." Gem said with a small nod.
I gave her a small smile before I kept going. "Fate also needed someone or something to do her bidding, now busy with keeping everything in order. So, her two daughters, the twins of time Tempus and Fortune, took on the responsibility. That's our history and version of how our world was brought about. And over time there were other gods that aren't as important to the story. Except for one, Sylvetta, goddess of dreams. She's very important. Now Fate and the gods ruled peacefully over the lands for what's rumored to be millennia. The elves came somewhere down that line, created in the likeness of the gods to have intelligent beings to do their own bidding, like Fate had the twins of time. And we did our job willingly. That is until, and you're not going to like this, humans came. There's no specific point in time that we have dated, nor exactly how. There are many legends on where humans came from. Many believe Exor created them as a plague to get back at Mystique for stealing his sword, the Dark Soul. But I believe that's an unethical explanation, although many things were made from the little quarrels the gods tended to have. The only thing we know is when humans came about and that was likely around the year 0, before that the elves kept no record of years that we can find.
"But besides that, with the humans came a corruption. Not like the one we're facing now. More of a sickness. It killed many, destroying landscapes and killing everything in its path. The gods banded together to try and defeat the corruption. The battle was said to last for years, some even say decades. Some of the gods were even lost to it, defeated. Peril and Wynter were killed in the struggle. But finally, at the costs of almost all of the gods' powers, they sealed it away. But after expending all their power, the gods fell into a deep sleep. That is except for Aeor and Exor. And Sylvetta. Underestimated, Sylvetta was among the gods, Sylvetta tricked them into believing she had helped the best she could. So, these three gods reigned underneath Fate's supervision. Aeor and Exor were the head while Sylvetta their advisor. But the two stag gods had no love for humans at the time, thinking them beneath others and the cause of their problems.
"The humans at the time, on the other hand, planned to overthrow the stag gods. And they only came close because Sylvetta, taking a liking to one in particular named Zephyr, leaked information to help. After Aeor and Exor quieted the assault, they punished Sylvetta by forcing her into an internal slumber. It's said she's still sleeping somewhere beneath the elven mountain range, still unable to wake. Aeor and Exor got used to the humans after a while as well, becoming fond of quite a few. And I believe you know the rest. Aeor and Exor ruled until Exor's jealousy overtook him. And here we are."
Everyone stared at me, eyes wide. "That's so cool." Jimmy said after a few moments of silence. "Did- did all of that really happen?"
"I think it did. But that's what I was taught to believe. And I kind of have proof." I gestured to where Aeor had disappeared.
"That's crazy..." Katherine murmured to herself.
The only one who didn't look absolutely shocked besides Gem was...Lizzie. I raised an eyebrow at her as if asking, 'What do you know?' Because I could see it in her expression, she knew something about what I had said. Then she sighed. "I know of Cyrus. He's rumored to be the one to have granted my mother her eggs. But then again, it doesn't line up with the gods falling asleep."
I frowned slightly. "Cyrus still has many active servant-like spirits. Along with many of his daughters. Maybe it was one of them." I suggested.
"Daughters?" Joel asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Yes. Cyrus is the only known god to have children. He had three daughters, Telanthera, Kai and Ryvera. Although only two are known to still be around today, despite being silent."
"So, are they demigods?" Sausage asked with a curious edge to his voice.
"No. They are more so minor gods. Telanthera goddess of sailors, Kai goddess of the storm and Ryvera goddess of rivers." I explained.
"Did you say that only two are known to be around today?" Fwhip asked his expression turning puzzled.
"According to legend yes, there's a myth about Ryvera actually, and how she died. But there's no evidence for it. Just a song sung by a bard a few thousand years ago that's been preserved." I said with a small shrug.
"Tell us, tell us, tell us!" Shrub began to chant.
I snickered. "I haven't memorized the song, but I know the basis of the story if you'd like to hear it."
"If you're up for it." Jimmy said, giving me a smile. I instantly looked away from him at everyone else. They looked intrigued.
"Alright then. This took place a few thousand years ago. The earliest records of the songs show up in the year 1116, but our story takes place before Cyrus and the other gods fell asleep. Ryvera was the youngest and said to be the prettiest of Cyrus' daughters, even attracting the attention of some of his fellow gods. She was said to be so graceful that she didn't walk, she practically floated. But one day while she was lingering around the shore of her river, she came across a handsome mortal elf who we're never given the name of. From then on, every night as the moon hit its peak, the elf would visit Ryvera by her river, and they soon fell for each other.
"But soon, her father Cyrus found out. Filled with rage that his daughter had fallen in love with a mortal, he forced her to watch as he murdered her lover, before encasing his youngest daughter in stone so she would forever feel the pain of living without him. It is said if you follow Ryvera's river to its source somewhere in the elven mountain range, it will lead you to a valley that never ceases to rain called the Valley of Tears, and there still remains the statue of Ryvera and the grave of the one she had loved." I finished and looked at all their astonished expressions.
"That's horrible." Katherine said, covering her mouth with one of her hands.
"Cyrus was known to be one of the...crueler gods." I said. "The reason it's a myth is because no one has been able to find the Valley of Tears. Elves have traveled down every river that flows through the mountains; few have come back but those who did say there's nothing."
"Well even if it's not real, that's a horrendous fairytale." Gem said, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not a fairytale, it's a children's lullaby." I corrected.
"That's even worse!" Gem cried. "Who would sing that awful story to children??"
I shrugged. "My mother did-"
"That explains so much." Fwhip cut off, still staring at me.
I rolled my eyes. "You guys are ridiculous. That one's a myth, it probably never happened." I insisted.
"Hm." Katherine said with an unsatisfied expression.
"Hey, you guys asked for it." I replied, putting my hands up in defense. "Not all of our history is happy. Most of you know about the Elven Banishment act of 3045. And that actually happened."
Just as I expected, most of them instantly stiffened uncomfortably. By 'most' I mean Fwhip, Sausage, Gem, and Joel. Katherine just frowned slightly.
Shrub looked confused. "Huh? What's the deal with you-? What is it?" she asked. "I feel incredibly left out."
I glanced at everyone who had gone silent. Lizzie and Jimmy looked vaguely confused, but as if they sort of knew what we were talking about. I sighed. "I suppose I should explain. The Elven Banishment act was a law placed in all the human kingdoms in 3045. It stated that elves were prohibited from living in any area owned by their kingdoms, and when elves resisted the law, they forced them into the piece of land which is now the Elven Empire. It was repealed a few thousand years later in 7858, but most of the elves remained in the Elven Empire."
"That's why less than a hundred elves live in the other kingdoms nowadays." Gem said with a disappointed expression. "I must say our ancestors made very grave mistakes."
"But- was it just because they were elves? Or did they do something?" Shrub asked, still looking incredibly confused and saddened.
"We were...prejudiced in the past." Fwhip said. "They believed our race above others such as the elves. Or at least that's what the history books say."
"Then what about the fairies? What happened to the fairies?" Shrub asked, turning to Katherine now.
"No one knew fairies existed at that time." Sausage said, entering the conversation. "They stayed hidden in their woods. The Overgrown was deemed an official empire in 8364. So, they missed the centuries of racism. The rulers who repealed the law and after were relatively much better than the ones before. Like Scott said, not all of this world's history is great."
Shrub still looked a little confused, but they nodded as they tugged at a strand of their curly dark brown hair underneath their mushroom cap.
"Hey, it's okay Shrub. That was all a long time ago." Katherine reassured the gnome, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.
"But... won't history repeat? After the whole war won't people be...scared?" Shrub said with a worried look. "I'm not saying they should be, but the elves crushed an army five times the size in three days. Right?"
My expression faded to a puzzled one for a moment as I stared at Shrub. "Well, no matter, we stay in our empire anyways." I replied, though my tone was unsure.
"But- Shouldn't we be working to be bringing elves more into society than pushing them back into their box? I mean, what percentage of elves do you think have even left the empire? Or seen a human?" Shrub asked.
It struck me that she had a point. Before when I had originally become king, I had a plan to try and unite the elves better with the rest of the world. That's one of the reasons I made an alliance with Mythland shortly after my parents' passing. But now I was just as bad as my ancestors, trying to keep the elves from seeing the world around them that everyone deserved to see. "I..." I frowned, unsure of how to answer to that one.
We all sat there in silence for a while, until Gem spoke up. "Maybe we should change the subject-"
"I think I'm going to go back up to the castle if that's okay." I cut off, standing up as one of my hands flew to the crystal around my neck.
Gem blinked in surprise. "Oh. Okay then."
"See you, Scott." Katherine said, and as I turned to leave Jimmy waved.
"See you later." He said. I quickly waved back before I made my way out of the building, back towards the House Blossom residence.
***
PHEW. That was LOADED with information. Sorry if it was a lot. I just thought I'd give y'all a better view of this world. I mostly came up with all the gods' names and such myself with only a little help from google so I'd appreciate it if you maybe didn't steal all the names?
And yes, the legend of Ryvera is my own. Yes, it is extremely dark, (like my mind) and yes, I'm proud of it :)
I took inspiration from the prophecy from the original ESMP for the history portion, but bits and pieces are mine as well.
I'm very happy with how this chapter came out and hopefully I'll be able to get another out soon- I have some tests for school coming up though so it may be a bit longer.
Anyways, have a great day y'all!