It did not take them long to find her. Back then, she was only a babe. Her level of innocence had peaked. The Empire had changed that dramatically. Val was no longer in the state of innocence her childhood self had possessed. Today would be her fifteenth name day and it already felt horrible. A noble had come into the brothel and paid money to have sexual intercourse with her yet complained about breaking his oath. Worst of all, the bastard had blamed it on her. Being fifteen made her fit to marry: she could tell the leader of the brothel was planning a betrothal of some sort. Valentin Morosa seemed to think otherwise ever since her mother's death. It had impacted her so much that the thought alone made her feel uneasy. My life could be better, yes, yet a man would not change anything. In her eyes, having a husband would still make her the depressed ignorant girl she was.
Now, the girl stood outside of the whorehouse and prepared her body for another excruciating day of work. Thanks to her mother, prostitution was one of the select jobs she had available to her. It was the way forward.
"What are you waiting around for? Get in there!" The owner of the brothel(her boss), shoved her into the building. Horror was all she felt when her footing slipped. The sinew in her nose became soft when her nose collided with the pavement. "Clumsy girl. You are fortunate you get to work for me."
"Fortunate? I would be fortunate to be put in the morgue. At least then would I be spared from this cruelty. It is my name-day not that it matters to you. I am just another prostitute to you, another way of you making money-"
"SILENCE! You may be fifteen but you are like a child! You will continue to work under my supervision until I say you can leave!" The owner snarled.
"Being treated like a slave was not something you mentioned in the contract. If I had known you would be like this, I would have never signed up to this house of debauchery!" Val walked away from the owner of the brothel and found a room for herself. Once the door was shut, the girl slumped to the floor and sobbed quietly. He had been right: she would never leave this place. Even when she was old, he would still find a way to make money using her body. All of this could be traced straight back to the Empire. When I get my hands on the Emperor I will throttle him. Estella Arkov would. Estella Arkov was Val's inspiration for everything. If only I could be standing beside her instead of being trapped here.
The door swung open to reveal a face Valentin Morosa did not want to see. Her boss had returned to scold her yet again; this time she would not have it.
"Get out of this room! Indigo is always in this room, you know that!" Both of them wanted to kill each other but the punishment for it would be so severe they did not bother. The Empire did not enforce the law nicely. Some were executed in the town square if the Emperor felt like it.
"I do not care what Indigo wants. I do not care what anyone wants! I am done with this place. You can try to keep me here as long as you want but you will never own me. Even on a day I should celebrate you treat me like a slave. Do I need to spell it out for you? I quit. I am done with this place."
The owner of the brothel stood in front of the door in an attempt to keep her working for him. It would not work for once Valentin Morosa's mind was set on something it did not change very easily.
"Valentin, please!"
"My name is Val, not Valentin. I am the daughter of the Mother of Magic. You will quake at my mother's name. Now get out of my way before I show you why the Empire viewed me as dangerous. We will meet again someday, it is inevitable. Though perhaps you will be in the Underworld before that can happen." The man stepped off to the side so she could leave. It was done. Valentin Morosa was free. The shackles that had always kept her imprisoned had been removed. She was a bird removed from its cage and now it was time for her to spread her wings. She took the coins the noble had given her the previous day. It had been 100 Kyrt( 150 originally- her boss took half of her wages). The world had been black and white yet now it was starting to feel like the colours of the rainbow.
"I am free! My name is Valentin Morosa and I am free!" The girl ran through a field of grass barefoot and rolled down the hill. The Sun had come out from behind the clouds brightening the land around it. Images of her mother's smile played in Val's mind. I wonder what she would think of this. Mother, I am terribly sorry for what happened to you. I will avenge you.
There was only thing Miriaz Morosa had bothered to give her daughter during her final days: a locket. No picture was inside of it- essentially it was useless. Open you stupid thing. What secrets do you seem to be hiding? She fiddled with the locket in her hands to try and pry it open. It was no use. It was sealed shut. She checked the back of it for any engravings and fortune seemed to be on her side. At the back of it was an inscription in Ancient Asderian reading, Merrok Iy Neda Hresp Iy Ocana Duken Iy Er Uten. Roughly, it translated to: Red is The Sea, Blue is The Ocean, Dark is What's Underneath. Val searched the bottom of the necklace for clues and snapped off the chain. With her long fingernails, she yanked the bottom. A scrunched piece of paper fell out. It had turned a shade of yellow from age. Miriaz Morosa had died two years ago. Two years ago they ripped her from me. Suddenly violent gusts of wind blew across the hill. The piece of paper flew through the air. It had been the last memory of her mother so Val could not lose it now. The girl got up from the ground and pursued it. She ran through the town following its every movement. It meant more to her than anyone could possibly know.
"That piece of paper! Somebody stop it from blowing away! Please, someone!" Val was helpless. The weather was much too fast compared to her. The paper could travel ten metres in five seconds. Everyone on the street just looked at her with no expressions on their faces. They think it is a ploy. The Empire has tormented them so much that their perception of things is warped.
Just when all hope appeared to be lost, a sweet man handed the piece of paper back to her yet his dark words contradicted his kind actions
"The thing on that paper is dangerous. It can drive a man insane. Stop this while you still can. Escape before the darkness consumes you. By having that piece of paper you are putting yourself in peril. It is something not to be intertwined with, especially children."
"I understand." Val felt pangs of uneasiness. The man pulled her close and whispered more words warning her of grave danger.
"I am being serious. It may look like a jewel but it cuts you deep and leaves a scar in your mind that never goes away. Burn this piece of paper, toss it into the fire. He is looking for it too and if he knows you are, he will find a way to take everything from you. Go as far away from him as you can. Find an island or somewhere he will never look."
"How do you know about this jewel if it has been lost for so long?"
"I know about the jewel because I am the reason it is lost. It ruined my friends and made them turn against each other. You may think I am insane and that is fine but listen to me. I am trying to make history not repeat itself once again." The man walked away from her and disappeared behind an alley.
Val was horrified by what the man had said. If it really did have the ability to ruin someone perhaps that was the reason everyone who used it became corrupt. Her mother's lifelong mission was to find that jewel and even after her forty years on this earth she had still failed to find it. I will not make the same mistakes she did. I will make sure I find it before I have no time left.
She handed the coins given to her by the noble to the seafarer and walked to the very end of the ship to ensure she did not have to put up with any of the people. It would be over if anyone recognised her, for everyone always said she had her mother's eyes. The seafarer nodded at her while also taking a peak at the revealing clothes she was wearing. Val did not have the time to change into more appropriate clothing: she had to get to the island. The man may have been insane but I am not risking getting caught because I did not listen to him. It is the best choice I have. The girl would have slept to make the journey go faster yet anyone could steal the paper from her. She would have to be alert at all times.
"Everyone out!" The captain shouted at them when they had reached their destination:a small island that was untouched by the Empire and had been ever since the horrific agenda had been created. Val stayed seated on the ship for her legs ached.
"That means you as well miss." Val looked up slowly to see the captain towering above her with a hand that suggested he was going to help her up. He looked like a kind man. It is the people who look kind that are the most deadly for looks can be deceiving.
"Thank you."
Once she had gotten to her feet, Valentin Morosa took her hand away from the captain's one. He gave her a final smile and then they parted ways. This was it: an island full of people like her mother. Val did not know what was better, the fact that she was now free from her job or that the Empire could not invade the island without starting conflict. On this island, everyone had an equal say in what went on. Society was not split into classes of any sort. Everyone worked an equal amount. Nobody rested while others were breaking their backs just to earn some money. There were no dictators on Elderrim Island precisely because of what Aevuhan had seen happen to the kingdom after the Emperor claimed the throne.
The girl scavenged on the island for a library. None of the libraries in Etheria had any books on magic whatsoever- all of them had been burnt at the start of the revolution. Although, some were bound to have been salvaged. Children played in the streets in a way they never did back home. People looked happy. Nobody presented any sign of fear whatsoever. It made Valentin realise how much the Empire had affected Aevuhan. He stamped out the spark that Aevuhan once had. The thing is- sparks can be stamped out but it will just cause an even bigger fire. Bright colours engulfed all of the houses, each one of them looking straight out of a painting. Market stalls were bustling with people selling every oddity you could think of. The air was filled with the aroma of exotic foods being roasted. Fried grasshopper was one of these things and the smell alone made Val buy it despite how disgusting it may have sounded.
"I am afraid I cannot pay you. I have no coins with me." Val spoke in the Enchanted Tongue yet her pronunciation was not the greatest. It had been forever since she had learned the language. Her mother always used to teach it to her in the hopes she could talk to her mother's various friends.
"It is fine, hildka, on this island we pay differently to the West. We enchant you to ensure that your payment is remembered and logged. It is stored in your soul. The payment stays with you until you pay the person back the right amount of money. Unless they die.Then, the price changes colour and always stays with you. Have a try for yourself."
The woman enchanted Val and suddenly, a price appeared above her head. The currency was still in Kyrt which was interesting considering magistay always used to use their own currency according to Val's mother.
"Let me pay it for her. The daughter of Miriaz Morosa should be worshipped on this island and treated like royalty. Without that girl's mother there would be no race of magistay left. My name is Irena." A woman dressed in pink garments gave the shop owner some coins and took Val to talk to her privately. The price disappeared from Val's head.
"Thank you for paying for that. How did you know that I was the daughter of Miriaz Morosa? Nobody usually recognises me thankfully. And that thing you said about my mother saving your race. You seem to adore her much more than I ever did." Val felt melancholy whenever her mother was mentioned. They had killed her in such a brutal way.
"I knew her better than anyone else. She was a wonderful woman; it was a shame what happened to her in those final few years. I know that you are her daughter because that is the only reason a mortal would ever come here. You want to discover what she went mad trying to find. I know this because magic users have a thing called Enchanted Intuition. Enchanted Intuition is only for trained magicians and it helps you sense things that others cannot. It helped me sense you would come here and it also helped me sense your mother's death. Usually others would not condone this behaviour but I know that even if I told you it was dangerous you would still pursue it. You are just like your mother, Valentin Morosa." The old woman smiled.
"I have to find the-" Irena teleported them to a room which looked like it was inside of a house. Presumably, the house belonged to Irena.
"Forgive me but it is not wise to talk about the jewel in public. Many believe it to be the cause of all of Aevuhan's problems. Miriaz would want me to help you so I will do that. Did she leave you any type of clue as to where it is hidden?"
"Yes, she left me something. Inside the necklace she gave to me, there was a piece of paper. It has a drawing of the jewel in it but nothing else that is of any value. How can I find the jewel with nothing but a drawing? Forty years she spent looking for it and she never even took a glimpse of it!" Val scrunched up the piece of paper and scrunched her hair.
"A drawing of it is better than nothing. It must have something written on it. I knew your mother very well and I know she would never leave you something like that if it had no hidden secrets. Let me see what I can do." Irena took the ball of paper and opened it out. Then, she cast a spell on it that made it burn. Val did not expect to see the paper burn.
"What have you done to it? You have ruined it! You ruined the only clue that could help me find the jewel and continue my mother's legacy!" Val screamed and shouted until the paper stopped burning. They checked it afterwards and saw runes written all across the page beneath the drawing of the jewel.
"I told you so. This is it. We are one step closer to finding the jewel. With the jewel's power we can stop the genocides and dismantle the Empire. I am afraid I can give you no more help. I must stay here to defend the island because my Enchanted Intuition has told me that the Empire will come for this place soon. If you go to the library here, you can get the runes translated by the librarian. Her name is Mildred Skoon. Unfortunately she will not know that you are going to come. Not every person has Enchanted Intuition. It is a very rare trait that only me and a few other people possess. I wish you good luck Valentin Morosa. Do this for your mother. Make her proud. Above all, do it so you can destroy the Empire for good. The jewel will help you achieve power yet you must not let it consume you. Farewell, Miss Morosa and may you live up to your mother's name."
Then, Val found herself back in the city centre. The piece of paper still remained in her hands with the runes still inscribed on it. There was only one thing she had left to do and that was to meet Mildred Skoon. It would be the only way she could find the jewel. However, if Irena's Enchanted Intuition did prove trustworthy, the Empire would arrive at the island at any given moment. Fate would be against Valentin Morosa yet it would all be worth it for revenge.