The storm was raging and heavy drops fell from the darkest sky Thera has seen in a long time.

Heavy clouds wouldn’t allow any light to pass through. It was like Sol himself was swallowed by some dark monster.

The young woman was in a hurry because not long ago they started chasing her.

This was her home, has been all her life, yet they didn't want to have her here. For reason.

Thera was jumping from one fallen tree to another, trying not to slip because she knew exactly if she did, they would catch her.

Her heart was racing and the only thing she could hear was the heavy rain pounding on the giant leaves of the old Oowin trees above her. It was almost like her heart and the raindrops were beating in contest.

Thera's shoe soles were very thin and she was scared to slip on the wet wood. No wonder. She had those shoes for ages. She couldn't fall. Not now.

The forest was the adventurers second home so she knew exactly where to go.

After a long run she could finally see the end of the forest. What now? The question was on her mind all the time yet she always pushed it back because she knew she didn't know the answer. Now was the time to decide, would she leave the forest and take the risk of getting caught or would she stay in it, not being able to get to her destination but escaping them a bit longer?

She needed to be there. Especially now. She was so close. Now was the time.

Thera stopped for a second and pulled up the loose sleeve of her dark green garment revealing the ancient device that clung to her skinny wrist. Her heart still beating as fast as never she pushed the emerald gem and spoke the words she was told to use. The magical words had barely left her lips when all of a sudden the heavy raindrops stopped falling and remained in their current position. Some mid-air, some on the ground, some still far above in the sky.

Castle Greydore wasn't what it used to be when she first came here. A lot of walls were missing, vines covered half the place and ravens made the towers their new home. The sudden silence made Thera just more nervous. The only thing that was to hear now was her heart and she was scared that its beating would alarm them. No matter where they were, they stayed there now. At least for some time.

She didn't know how long this effect would last, she was never told. There was no time to lose.

While she was getting closer to the castle grounds she had to pass the raindrops in front of her. It reminded her of a strange curtain made of water.

Half the entrance of the castle was gone already so it wasn't hard for her to get inside the ruins. There were planks, dirt, rocks and plants everywhere inside the small castle. Pines grew in the inner ward. It seemed all a lot bigger when she was here as a child.

“I see you made it.”, a noise surprised her out of the dark.

“Who is this?” the girl shouted in an angry voice.

“Don't be scared, it is only I.”

An elderly man approached her from the darkest corner of the entrance room or what was left of it.

“Kelbrik.”, it was relief in her voice after she recognised her old friend. “How come everything stopped moving yet you did not?”

“The craft you used, only affects those you truly want it to affect and I am sure you didn’t have me in mind when you spoke the words, did you?” His old fingers were grabbing the cane he was holding.

Her heart started beating faster again, “How long will it last, do you know?”

“No I do not. But since it was the first time you used a spell I am sure it won’t be too long.”

“I was being chased you know. They are behind me, that's why I came here. I have to go. Now.”

“You know I cannot help you with your request.”

“Yes I know.” Thera let her head down, running her hands through her short brown hair. “I came here to find shelter. They must not find me. I am on an important mission and have to get to my brother. He was in Arachnoen a few days ago I heard and if I'm fast enough I can make it in time. It is not too far away.”

“Your brother has been sick a very long time Thera. What makes you think you can help him now?”

“Because I have this”

Thera put down the bag she's been carefully carrying all the way from the market in the nameless city of the thieves to this place. She gently put her hand inside and revealed a large egg, at least the size of her head.

“Is this an egg?”

“Yes it is. Two weeks ago I had business in the city of the thieves. While I was at the market in the red corner of said city I heard rumours about an egg that could heal every sickness. My researches stated that there is in fact such an egg. It is the egg of a beast that hasn’t been seen around here in at least 1100 years. I was lucky enough to find a thief who knew exactly where to find it. I had to pay him all I had left but I have the egg now and I will bring it to Jareq and heal him. Even if it’s the last thing I will do.”

“Thera I don't want to shatter your dreams but hundreds of medics, dozens of shamans and even a water healer of Furui has seen your brother and none of them could help him. Besides, I have never heard of such an egg let alone that beast you are talking about. Jareq isn't just sick. You know it is...”

“Enough. All I know is that I have an egg that will heal my brother. I cannot wait much longer. Night is falling soon and I need to reach him today. Do you happen to know if the gates in Greydore are still intact?”

“They have not been used in years I'm afraid. You need to find out yourself. They are in the cellar of the Lordman's room. I doubt that you will reach them with ease though. You know Arachnoen has a history of…”

“Have my thanks but I need to use them now. Traveling there will likely take till morning.”

“Go ahead then.”

“What about you? Come with me, this is no place for you, they will catch you sooner or later.”

“Oowin Dark has been my home since I was born. I managed to escape them all this time and I will do so a long time more. Be safe.”

“I will, Kelbrik.”

“Take this before you go. It will be of great use.” The old man grabbed a white candle out of his pocket and reached his bony hand closer to the young woman.

“Thank you. This night will be terribly dark.”

With these words Thera put the egg and the white candle back into her bag and left to find the Lordman's room not without noticing that the drops were falling again.

 

2: Jareq 1

It was cold. Unbearably cold. That was the only thing he really felt. Not the stones he has been sleeping on for the past few days. Not the water dripping from the ceiling. Not even the ache in his right leg. He was sure he was dying right at this place without knowing where he was exactly. The young boy was certainly farther north than he has ever been in his short life. His father took him once to Hohle by the Mountain to run some errands at the fish market but that was about it. Never in his life has Jareq been in such a cold region before. The water that dripped on him was a good indicator for when it was day and night because the low temperatures at night made the water freeze wherever it was coming from and Sol melted it in the morning. For a certainty he was close under the roof of the building he was held in.  How many days was he in captivity now? Jareq gave up counting when he reached thirteen days.

Sudden noises brought him back to the current day. Footsteps. A cough. Someone was coming up the stairs to his room. It was the thin one.

“Are you awake rich boy?” the deep voice came from the other side of the wooden door.

“I told you ser, I am not who you think I am. I am not wealthy.” He had to be kind to them. No matter how bad they treated him. Kindness was what made him different.

“Oh shut your mouth we both know that’s a lie. And a bad one that is.” the man wasn’t even angry at him. It was more of annoyance that Jareq found in his voice. “Anyway, I was told to bring you food. Bread and dried meat. I’ll put them there on the table. Now you be a nice little boy and don’t do something stupid while I open this door, understand?”

The keys were rattling in the man’s hands and the squeaking of the door indicated it being opened. His steps were with ease but he was walking slowly. Time lost its meaning for Jareq and the same seemed to apply to the cell keeper. The plates were placed on the little table placed not too far from his bed – which was in reality nothing more but a bigger hole in the wall.

After making his way back to the door he came from, the cell keeper said: “You are expected to eat all this time. M’lady wants you to have some energy for a change.”

“I will.” Jareq knew better than to disagree with him.

“You know when I’ll be back.” The door locked again and the noise of the footsteps faded away.

Yes he knew. For the past few days this was how it went. One of two cell keepers brought him food when Sol rose. Either the fat one that smelled like old people dying or this one. Younger, thinner but equally bad as the other one. After he was brought his food he was left alone for a while. He was expected to eat up and wait to be picked up. This was around noon when Sol was shining at his brightest. Zenith is what they called it. They entered his cell, tied his hands together and brought him outside. It was the same every day since they took his ring.

Outside she was waiting. The first time he saw her he knew she was a terrible person. Her hair gold like sunshine, her skin fair as peaches, her eyes blue like the sky but her outer appearance couldn’t fool him. She wasn’t from here. He didn’t want to think about it. There was enough time left to do other things before he had to see her again. There were other things he wanted to think about and remember. Like his sister. He knew she was going to rescue him. She was on her way. That’s what he’s been telling himself all this time but that thought started to feel wrong. What if she couldn’t find him? What if she was trapped herself? Even worse, what if she was… no. He couldn’t think like that. He felt her. Jareq knew he did.

When he arrived they took everything he had with him but he was smart enough to hide his most precious treasure. They searched his clothes and pockets. Took his bracelet and even his journal but of course they didn’t search his mouth. That was where he hid the ring. He knew it was important but he never imagined just how important. It was not too long ago, maybe the second or third day they took him. Being trapped in this room wasn’t very good for his condition. He didn’t faint anymore, though he felt weak every day. Especially at night. One day after they brought him his food he took out the ring from inside his pillowcase. That was where he hid it all the time. It was the only thing that reminded him of his family in this cold dark place. His sister especially since she too had a treasure like him. It was an extraordinary hot day. A lot of water was dripping down from the ceiling and his bed was all wed so he decided to stand by the window with the ring. For some strange reason Jareq felt the need to hold it closer to Sol and inspect the gem inside the ring on that day. It was a beautiful yellow crystal and the boy had never seen anything like it before. While inspecting the ring Jareq felt as if the ring was heating up and starting to glow in a red tone. At first he thought he was imagining it but suddenly the ring got so hot that he couldn’t hold it anymore and Jareq dropped it on the stone floor. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The ring was actually glowing red and emitting steam. The fat guard must have heard him cuss when he dropped it because shortly after they came inside his cell.  Jareq tried to cover the ring standing in front of it but the guard saw through his play. They took it from him. Since that day he felt so naked.

That was when his stomach made a growling noise. He hasn’t eaten much lately but he had to that day. He felt Sol’s kiss on his cheek when he sat up. It wouldn’t be long until they would bring him to the lady again. His leg was hurting yet he had to get to the table somehow to eat his prepared meal. Jareq grabbed the wooden cane that was placed next to his bed and made his way to the table, being careful not to trip over something. He still had to get used to being blind.

3: Laputa 1

That was definitely not what she imagined when she took this job. What you have to understand is that you don’t stay outside much in Balnibarbi and there are good reasons for that. Firstly the winds are extremely cold out here so you are very likely to freeze off your arse and secondly everything is ugly. Houses are ruinous and miserable and people have left long ago. The land was white of snow or grey of stone. That is except for the very centre of the fortress. A beautiful tower, standing proud and shining in all kinds of colours watching over all of Balnibarbi and beyond. Laputa was certain you could see all of Soluna from the very top. In former times a rich man or king was said to live in the Rainbow Tower and the smallfolk had the surrounding houses for them. The rich man only cared for himself and left the other people living in Balnibarbi without any means to sustain themselves. That’s why the houses were really just shacks. The young girl heard that they have always been in such a bad shape. Inside the tower it was the complete opposite. Fires burned in every room, and all of them were furnished with golden chairs, tables and beds made out of oowinwood, the most expensive of them all. Not one of them had the same drawings on the walls. The king was said to have four different bedrooms, one for every season and when he felt sick he would sleep in the very top room of the tower. It was said that Sol himself watched over that room. One day the rich man demanded all the houses in Balnibarbi to be teared down and rebuild in order to please his eyes but the people couldn’t possibly do that without any money. Nothing grew in the surrounding lands either. So the people had no other choice as to leave their old home behind and look for a new one. The king was never to be seen again after the smallfolk turned on him and legend has it that he left Balnibarbi as well to enlighten himself in all arts, sciences and languages on a flying island named Laputa. That was where she got her name from. Her mother was always fond of the story so she named her second daughter after it. Today Balnibarbi was almost entirely a ghost town but just as in former times, the Rainbow Tower was the exception. Although Laputa hasn’t seen her herself, there was a woman inside the tower and she was said to have an important mission. For this job she needed people to guard her and look out for anyone that would want to enter Balnibarbi without her permission. It wasn’t the first job Laputa took without asking any more details. She knew no one liked that but she really needed the money. Her job was to stand at the gate southwest of the fortress and give a signal as soon as someone came too close. Long story short there weren’t any people. Never. Not for the whole fortnight she was working there. Why would anyone pay money for such a pointless job? It just didn’t make sense to her. Laputa knew the woman wasn’t from here. If she were, she wouldn’t have hired so much security. The young girl grew up not too far away from Balnibarbi in a town called Windorff. Town was actually not the right word for it since it was only a handful of houses further down the mountain. No one knew whether they’ve always lived there or if it was founded by the people that left Balnibarbi but Laputa really didn’t care. Windorff was doomed anyway. The only people living down there were her parents, her three siblings and an elderly couple that didn’t have any children for themselves. The people of Windorff were destined to die out. Laputa’s sister Evangeline would never have children on her own. She had a medical condition that doomed her with the wits of a 12 year old for the rest of her live. Her older brother Aero hated children, always has. Her younger brother Chico dreamed of moving to Atarashi ever since he was a little one. It was for the better really. Who would want to live in such a cold and windy place anyway?

“You, guard.” She heard a voice from behind. It was an ugly voice. One of those men that didn’t have any respect for women, thinking they were something better although looking like a pig.

She turned around to face him.

“I have no clue how long you have been working here, but believe me when I tell you that you are doing it all wrong.” Would you look at that?

“Excuse me…?” She began saying, lacking a name for her conversation partner.

“Ha! You are excused.”

“That was not…”

“Listen up. M’lady told me, since I made my job so well I was being promoted to this place. You are s’posed to look for Cathy in the kitchen. She’s gonna tell you what your new job is”

“I really don’t think that’s what I’m here for. I was hired to guard, not cut vegetables.”

“I don’t give a wet shit what you were hired for, you better move before I show you were your place is cunt.” He drew a knife from his pocket and let the blade shine in the daylight.

She would have loved to teach him a lesson right where the two of them were standing, but he was definitely stronger and had a knife with him whereas she didn’t have any weapon at all.

“I will look into this. Don’t get too comfortable out here.” She didn’t wait for an answer and left the pig standing in the cold, making her way to the kitchen that was located in the Rainbow Tower.

The way was rough. Icy winds were blowing and made it hard for Laputa to walk in a straight line. She was pushed off of the way more than once and even fell down to her knees one time because in some places the snow was so deep, her legs dragged it with her.

“Come here child!” She suddenly heard. The wind made it impossible to figure out where the woman was shouting from but luckily she saw her standing in one of the doors of the Rainbow Tower.

When she finally made it out of the cold storm she was greeted by a warm face. Almost motherly. The woman closed the door and tried to get the snow off of Laputa’s clothes with her hands.

“I know this is not what you are here for but I hope you don’t mind helping us out a bit?”

“I’m not good in the kitchen. My sister was always the one helping my mother.”

“Ah, well that’s okay. The reason we need you in here is a different one. You see, Victor, the man outside, wasn’t really promoted by the Lady. I told him that because I was afraid for us. He didn’t make his job right at all.”

“What do you mean? Afraid of what?”

“M’lady is no patient person so last time one of us didn’t do our job right… Well the one vanished and they told us it was a misshapen.”

“That’s horrible!” Laputa was right all along. Something was definitely fishy here.

“We really need your help, alright? Victor was a cell keeper before I sent him outside but yesterday happened something that convinced me we needed change. We only have a single prisoner here on Balnibarbi and yesterday when he brought him his food the little boy tried to escape.

“Little boy? You mean to tell me you hold children as prisoners?”

“I do not know the reasons why the Lady holds him in this chamber but believe me when I tell you that you don’t want to ask questions if you want to come home in one piece. Anyway. The boy tried to escape but in his blindness he tripped over a chair and fell to the ground shattering his knee so that he could barely walk anymore without help. That’s what Victor said anyway. He made use of that knife he has with him all this time if you ask me. The child is frightened and needs someone he can trust. I’m sure if that doesn’t happen soon M’lady will do something we will all regret.”

“And you expect me to build a relationship with that child? Why would I do that?”

“You are in just as much trouble as we are. Do you think they will just let you go? We both know that they will silence you.”

It took her a moment before she could answer. What did she get herself into this time? Would she really help these suspicious people and trick a little child into trusting her? Maybe that was the only chance they really had.

“Aight. I’ll do it.”

4: Jareq 2

Darkness was what he was left with. It was her fault. The boy didn’t know her name but it really didn’t matter since everyone was referring to her only as the Lady. He only had to take one look at her to know that she was a terrible person. Her beauty blinded all alike but he saw through her play. The Lady was someone you didn’t underestimate though. Jareq had to learn that lesson for himself. The day after they took his ring, they brought him to her and what happened there he could never explain to anyone. He didn’t even understand it himself. All he knew was that the ring had great power and he was certain that was because of the place they were at.

Water was still dripping on his bed. Jareq finished his plate not too long ago, so he sat in the wooden chair in the middle of the room, waiting for them to pick him up. The chair was definitely not made out of oowinwood, he would have felt it since he was around it all his life. It was an unusual warm day still, the snow was melting and he didn’t freeze as much as the first days he came here. His leg ached all the same, no matter how much he laid in the so-called bed. Resting it was no use, he had to get some sort of medicine, herbs maybe, but how was he supposed to get them in a place like this?

Jareq was lonely. A lot actually. He hasn’t been without his sister ever since he was born and his parents weren’t around either. At nights the boy would silently cry into his pillow, missing Thera so much. He couldn’t let them know though. Jareq had to be strong because if he wasn’t then what would be left of him? His sister was on his way to save him, he knew that for sure.

It was in that moment that the door to his room opened, he was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear the steps.

“Hello.” The soft voice came from the other side of the room and for a split-second Jareq could have sworn it was his sister’s but the voice was too flat.

“Who is this? You are no one I have met before are you?”

“No, I’m not. I’m new here and I wanted to say hi.” She spoke very passive, as if her mind was in an entirely different place.

“What’s your name?”

“Laputa. Yours?”

“Laputa? Like the floating island?

“Yeah, like the floating island. My mother liked the story a lot and she read it to me when I was younger. I was no easy sleeper as a baby and she claims I wouldn’t stop crying unless she told me the story again and again. That was her reason for naming me after it.”

“I like that story too. Did you know that the island was a place that people build to honour Soluna who lifted it up the sky?”

“No I didn’t know that. You know quite a lot for your age, how old are you boy?”

“I’m eleven. I thought you were working with the Lady, how come you don’t know much about me?”

“As I said I’m new. Brand new if you will, until this morning I still stood guard outside.”

“Standing guard for what?”

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

Jareq knew. They wouldn’t tell him anything about this place and since he was blinded he couldn’t even tell where he was.

“You know why I’m here though, don’t you?” There was hesitation in her voice, she even sounded a bit sad but maybe that was just how she spoke to children. A lot of people did that and it annoyed him.

“I know. You will take me to the Lady right?”

“I’m afraid so. We shouldn’t waste more time you know what she can do if you anger her.”

The boy heard how Laputa was approaching him so he got up from the chair. His leg wound was bad, but he could walk with help from somebody. She must have known about the wound, because the first thing Jareq felt, were the woman’s supporting hands under his arms.

He didn’t expect her to be as strong as she was, he had to put hardly any effort into it.

Laputa closed the wooden door as soon as they got out of the chamber and the two of them made their way down the stairs. The air got colder with every single step they made, as if the room they were coming from emitted the heat. That was for the occasional torch and its heat that bit him in his face.

“Since this isn’t your first time doing this, I assume you know we are headed for the yard. The Lady said something about Sol shining the brightest there.”

“It’s called Zenith. It’s when Sol shines in the perfect angle from straight above onto the ground. He shines the brightest at this time.”

He knew. He knew so well. They did this with him again and again, every day, hoping for it to happen one more time. He hated thinking about it, but he was afraid today was the day that it could happen. It was an abnormal day that was sure, the chamber he just came from was practically vibrating with warmth and the amount of water that came down from the ceiling was more than on any other day since he came here, yet every step they took left the air colder. Colder than anything he had ever felt. Jareq’s heart was beating hard and it felt like the cold itself grabbed it with its icy fingers, blocking him from breathing. Tears were forming in his eyes, he was fighting them back but it was too late.

“What’s the matter, fighter?  Is it really that bad what these people do to you?”

“If I’m right with what I’m thinking, today will be worse than any other day.”

“Well, you can’t possibly know that, and let me tell you a little secret, I will be there with you the whole time, is that a word?”

He didn’t know why but it was as if the wind had blown his panic away. For some reason Jareq knew that he was safe with this woman. Laputa.

“That’s the door, we need to go outside now. Watch out for the cold winds, I’ll open it now.”

The door opened with a loud noise and the icy winds blew into his glowing face.

The walk through the snow was a lot harder than going down the stairs, but both of them would manage the way to the middle of the yard.

Jareq remembered every bit of it, as if his eyes were still able to see it. After coming out of the tower there was a gigantic chessboard on the ground to the right. Every piece besides a black pawn, a white knight, two white rooks and a white bishop were gone. He didn’t know what happened to them, but he figured no one played with them anymore, so they got stolen. To the left there was a small garden area, or what was left of it. The brick path in the middle was the one that led him to the centre of the yard, were a massive stone table and four chairs were placed. The Lady used this table for her experiment or whatever she called what she did to him.

“I assume you are the guard that was… erm… let’s say promoted to taking care of our young friend here.” It was the voice he was so afraid of. A tired voice. A bored voice. But one that had a lot of power. One that could be angered very quickly and Jareq didn’t want to find out how it would sound then.

“That is correct, you hired me as a guard but now I’m here. My name is Laputa.”

“Get him over here.”

“May I ask what you are doing with him?”

“You may not. Now get him here before Sol moves on already.”

Jareq’s hands were shaking and without Laputa’s support he would definitely have fallen down at this point. They made their way across the yard and were probably standing right next to the table now.

“Okay, thank you for your service, now go and do some dishes or whatever.”

“No!!” Jareq bawled out. “Please! I need her here!!”

“Aww. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” She got closer to the boys ears and almost whispered the words. “Now will SOMEONE get this girl?” This time she was shouting. Jareq felt the tears rolling down his face, or was it just snow melting?

“It’s alright, I’ll go.” Laputa was speaking. “Listen up, little man, I’ll be waiting for you and trust me, I won’t let them harm you.” With that she made her way back to the tower. Jareq heard the sound of her steps fading in the wind.

“Now that that’s done. Get on the table.”

He couldn’t explain why but Laputa’s words gave him comfort so he just did what she told him to. He just wanted it to be over already.

Once he sat on the table, he heard the Lady place candles around him. He couldn’t see them, but he knew it was five.

“Last time you were here I told you about the floating island Laputa and that it was a place for people to pray to Soluna but what if I told you that the people of Laputa didn’t pray to a god as we know them but rather an actual creature. One that could control Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and everything you cannot see with nothing more than its thought.” She lit the first candle speaking a word he didn’t know.

“The creature was known as Soluna. One that brought peace but also destruction. The perfect balance of good and evil. One day there was a man who killed his own sister. Of course every person on Laputa wanted the man to be punished for what he did so they presented him to Soluna.” She lit the second candle speaking a word he didn’t know.

“When the man was presented to Soluna he explained how he saw the evil in his sister. He knew she was plotting to harm multiple people so in a rush the man took it upon himself to protect the rest of the people on Laputa. He said he was innocent, because by sacrificing one he saved so many, he claimed.” She lit the third candle speaking another word he didn’t know.

“Half the people hated him but the other half suddenly wanted Soluna to spare the man. Every side had good arguments but at the end it was Soluna who had to decide. You have to understand that Soluna was a creature of both gratitude and justice so it wasn’t in its nature to judge the man. After thirteen days of self-doubt and not knowing what to do Soluna let out a huge roar and sent out a shining light that split his soul in two. Created were the two we know today: On the one side there was Luna the kind and forgiving. She has power over everything that lives and is made of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water and over the living things in this world; and on the other side Sol the cruel but just. He has power over everything that you can’t see and isn’t made of any matter at all. He has access to the other world where people go when they die.” She lit the fourth candle speaking a word he didn’t know.

“You see when Sol and Luna were created, the creature Soluna gave up its physical form and split into two deities. The empty shell that was once his body was the base for the world we live in today. That’s why our world is called Soluna, because that’s what it once was. People from Laputa left the flying island and inhabited the new land, writing off their heritage as a legend. You probably wonder why I’m telling you all of this but believe me there is a reason. We don’t know why but you and your ring seem to have a strange connection to Sol and only you can channel his power. Oh I almost forgot.” She grabbed Jareq’s left hand and placed his ring on his fifth finger where it belonged.

“Since Sol got rid of all the burden of Luna and the power over things made out of matter, his power over the other world just got stronger and you, Jareq, are the only way to access this power, if you want to or not.” She lit the last candle, speaking her final words.

The winds stopped and there was no sound left, but the blood pumping through his ears. The ring on his finger began vibrating and heated up once more. Jareq tried to shout, but as he did, not a single sound came from his mouth. He could feel Sol shining directly onto him and only him, his eyes were burning up, so he reached for them in pain. That’s when he saw. He saw his own hands in front of him, but most importantly he could see at all. Sol gave him back his eyesight. There was a bright shining light around him, but it was frightening for some reason. It was as if he heard voices whispering his own and his sister’s name and more he couldn’t understand. The Lady was next to him, covering her eyes, but for some reason she was on the ground, as if she was knocked over by something.

Suddenly he felt someone grab his arm, he wanted to pull back, but that’s when he saw who grabbed him.

“We have to get out of here. Right now.” He heard her say in a familiar voice.

5: Cole 1

The earth was shaking as hard as Cole has never seen it before. Tools and cans were falling all around the barn the man was sitting in. Coroko, one of the milk cows, started to act up a while ago but Cole didn’t know what to make of it. Now he knew.
The hay was cracking under his feet as he made his way to his house, stumbling, not trying to fall down, sweat dripping down from his neck. Everything was moving but Cole had faced worse than that.
“Amber!” he shouted as he reached the front door of the grey house he and his sister lived in.
“Amber, where are you??”
“I’m upstairs in my room, what the hell is going on Cole?” Just as she said those words the house stopped shaking. It didn’t take him long to sprint up the wooden stairs and check on his older sister.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m alright.”
The two of them were still puzzled about what just happened. There hasn’t been an earthquake in Smudge for months and even those were nothing compared to that.
“I have to clean this mess up.”
“No you don’t. Do you have any idea of what just happened?”
“That definitely wasn’t a normal earthquake. I have a feeling we’re about to find out what that was all about.” he said as he was running his fingers through his curly hair, trying to remove pieces of the ceiling that came down. Strangely his hands were covered in sweat.
The house the two of them were living in was the best in the area, but that didn’t mean that it was a good one. The house was owned by the governor of Tonka, a big town south of the village the siblings lived in. Both of them were working for said governor, providing him and parts of the city with milk, eggs and wool but it was a job not many people wanted to do. The governor was a greedy man who lived to earn as much money as possible and that meant that you had to be careful. Every time something broke in the house, Amber and Cole did their best to replace it as soon as possible, trying to hide it from him. One time their cat Bailey chased a mouse into one of the barns. Somehow that upset the cows and they tried to break out. In their rage a torch must have fallen down and the hay caught fire. That day thirteen cows lost their lives and five were heavily injured. The barn completely burned down and it was impossible to replace it. When the governor found out, he shouted about how much money he would lose because of this and that the two of them would be paid half for the next few months. He also took Bailey with him and told them if even the smallest thing broke, he would replace them in an instant.
“How are we supposed to explain this?”
“What do you mean? Cole??” He was standing in Amber’s room with an expression of terror.
She grabbed Cole’s shaking hands and said: “Look. I’m pretty sure that the governor also felt this earthquake and that he will understand.”
“You know him just as much as I do sis. He will find a way to blame us for this.”
The next few hours felt like an eternity for Cole. For some strange reason he had the feeling that the governor would pay them a visit that exact day. He had always been that paranoid. When he was younger, Cole was a fragile child and didn’t have a lot friends. The city where his family originally came from had the name Suud and was at the south tip of Soluna. It was the centre of trading goods of all kind and had multiple big harbours. Cole and his family lived in one of the poorer parts of the city but every day he would play by the Sunny Harbour, watching all the ships, wondering where they all came from. Thinking about how big Soluna was, made him feel so small. Since he spent all his childhood there, he never made friends and was often teased by his sister Amber who had a lot of friends. Cole didn’t mind though. As long as he had his ships and the stories he made up for them, he was happy.
The day they had to move to Smudge was one of the worst days of his life. His parents died young because they couldn’t afford medicine or a lot of food. Amber and Cole didn’t have any other option than sticking together and moving to the country side. They knew about the risks they were taking when they took the job from the governor but that’s all they could do. That was two years ago and Cole despised living in Smudge. Some small part in him wanted the governor to fire them. Just so his sister and he could go away. Where to though? They didn’t have money or friends or food or any future.
“What are you thinking about?” his sister asked as the two of them were cleaning the house from the mess the earthquake made.
“Home.”
He decided to clean the inside of the house and Amber agreed to clean the outside. When the two of them were done the clock showed that it was late in the evening already. Cole poured himself a glass of water and went outside to check on his sister. That’s when he realised that Sol was still up in the sky, shining in the brightest light.
“Hey Amber.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have the time for me?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The clock in the kitchen said it was almost midnight.”
“Oh well I guess it must have been damaged during the earthquake.”
“No that’s not it. Don’t you think it’s unusually hot for this time in the year? I mean I’ve been sweating a lot ever since the earth started shaking. At first I thought it was because I was afraid the governor might show up, but that’s not it.”
“Now that you mention it. Yes, it is unusually hot today.” The two of them didn’t know what to make of this but when they looked at each other they had the same idea.
Together they hurried to Amber’s room. When the two of them got there they couldn’t believe what time the second clock was showing.

6: Thera 2

Getting to the Lordman’s room wasn’t hard at all. The real challenge was passing the secret passage to the underground tunnel that led to the gates.

Years ago, when Greydore and Arachnoen were still intact there was a secret tunnel underneath the two castles, connecting them and making it easier for the royals to surpass the river that separated the two sides. Deep down in the tunnels there were five gates. Each of them showing a beautiful carving of an animal that lived in the woods surrounding the two castles being deer, bird, fox, trout and spider. Unfortunately the two families ran into difficulties. Neither of them wanted to take care of the Dark Forest and its inhabitants. As it only so often happens, this small detail drove them into hatred which eventually lead to war. An attack was unavoidable and countless people lost their lives. Although both sides wanted to win, neither did in the end and any surviving people created Oowin Lots. A collection of houses that grew to be a passable town itself in which Thera and her family lived as well. The young adventuress feared the tunnel and the gates took damage during the war and the only way to find out was to go down there and find out herself.

The Lordman’s room was a big room that seemed to be used when matters where to be discussed. The stone walls were decorated with banners, shields and all kinds of weapons and in the middle of the room was a long table surrounded by different looking chairs. Each chair was made of Oowin wood but all had different designs. Each person of this counsel had their own chair most likely. On the desk itself there were dusty papers and scrolls next to various candles and empty or half empty mugs. Sol was setting at this point and the light that came from upstairs started to faint. This was the perfect time to light one of the torches that were placed on the walls so Thera took the flint and steel out of her bag. After removing a piece of cloth from her garment and holding it next to the flint, she hit it with the steel a couple of times until the cloth caught fire. Her father showed her how to do that and said that people working with wood should always know how to light it. The air was still down here so the fire spread in no time and the torch lit soon. Holding the torch up revealed the rest of the room. At the very end of it was a wall that had the carving of a deer. This was the first gate. Thera sighed with relief when she realised that everything was fine with it. Opening the gate was no trouble either, she simply had to pull a lever and the deer parted in two.

Behind the door, plants and roots were growing through the cracks of the walls and some stones were laying on the ground. The war did damage the tunnel but lucky for Thera not too much. About ten meters were between her and the next gate and she could make out the shape of it in the distance. With fast steps she made her way to the other side. She was still being chased after all and she never knew how far they were away and whether they knew where she was or not. The tunnels were completely silent but for the occasional drop that fell to the ground and that made her even more nervous. She would hear them coming though, right? When she reached the gate she saw the bird engraved into it but to her surprise there was no lever in sight. Not on any side of the gate. Thera was confused and didn’t know what to do but search the tunnel for it. It wasn’t anywhere to be found. All she did find was a tile on the ground that looked suspiciously different than the rest of them. All tiles on the floor were blank or had cracks, but this one was brown and showed the deer on it. It was the only tile in the whole tunnel that looked like it and Thera was sure it had something to do with the gate. She didn’t know if it was instinct or just an urge but she had to stand on it and the moment she did, the tile lowered itself into the ground for about five centimetres and a clicking sound was to be heard. A hidden mechanism behind the walls was thus activated and the carving of the bird rose up into the wall and Thera was able to pass through.

The next room was colder. Winds were blowing from somewhere and her view was blocked by darkness. Taking care of the torch, she made her way forward when all of a sudden the bird-gate closed behind her with a loud noise. Fear was spreading inside her, but at least she knew that she was safe from them now. If they were following her, they had to open the gate and Thera would definitely hear that. In front of her was a hall that was shorter than the last one but had a higher ceiling. The torch light revealed that everything in this room was painted with a pattern of clouds as if you were walking on them yourself. It was almost frightening because the young girl thought she could fall down any second. Thera jumped from one cloud to another, making her way to the other side of the room, where she already saw the next gate: The fox. The carving of the fox pictured him in a strange pose, almost as if it was in panic. Unusual for a fox, Thera thought. Like in the last room Thera had trouble finding the lever to open the gate but it came naturally where to look. When the last room represented earth, this one had to represent the sky. She lifted her head up and found the lever right above the gate, just as she expected. How would she reach it though? On the lever was a rope attached that hung about halfway down from the ceiling but still out of reach for her. She noticed that the lower half of it was lying next to her on the ground. It must have ripped at some point. Thera tried jumping but she still had no luck. There had to be some way for her to reach it because she couldn’t fail now. Her blue eyes pierced the torch-lit surroundings, trying to find anything that could be of use and there it was. A few steps from the rope were some rocks and tiles that must have fallen from the ceiling at some point. Additionally there were a few vines growing at one place on the wall but also out of reach. It wasn’t much, but Thera had to at least try, so she put her torch in one of the torch holders that were placed on the walls, stepped on top of the pile of rocks and jumped with all the strength she had left. Nothing. The vines were too far away. The second time she managed to touch the vines with her fingers so she knew there was a chance. After several tries and a lot of sweat, she finally got to grab the vines just for them to rip and make her fall to the ground. Giving up was no option, she knew that so she did what she always did. “Try harder”, she said out loud. “Try harder and hold on to the vines with all the strength you have. For him!” Saying the words out loud must have helped somehow because the next time she jumped the vines didn’t rip and with the muscles in her arms feeling as if they would explode any second she struggled the way up the wall and grabbed the rope. Still holding it she jumped down the wall with relief and her weight pulled down the lever. The fox in front of her vanished into the wall and Thera got to see what was behind the gate it was guarding.

In order to illuminate the room Thera grabbed the torch from the wall and made her way forward. The room was similar in structure as the Lordman’s room at the very beginning of her underground adventure minus the fact that there was no desk or chairs in the middle. On the walls there were unlit torches and in the desks stead there was a huge fireplace. As the young girl approached it, the gate behind her closed with a familiar loud noise. All the gates only stayed open long enough for several people to pass through, Thera understood that now so the noise didn’t come as much as a surprise. The fireplace didn’t seem like it had been used recently considering the ash being cold and spider webs covering a big part of it. Exploring the fireplace and moving the wood around revealed a tile underneath it that pictured a fox with a fish in its mouth. Coincidentally a fish was exactly the animal that was carved in the next gate Thera had to pass, specifically a trout; and the fox was on the one she just came through so she made the connection fast. Passing on meant that Thera had to light a fire here but doing that in a closed area like this room was dangerous. There was no other way and the decisions she had to make came easier with every room. Thera carefully placed her torch between the fire wood and waited until there was a good fire burning. Nothing happened at first but Thera was patient. She was certain about this mechanism. While the fire was burning Thera decided to look around the room to pass some time. There were pieces of paper written with words most likely ripped from a book, telling about the trading places in the south. A few steps further she found more and even some that were still intact. Even half of a chair was in one of the corners. Suddenly she heard a loud whistling sound, almost as if a child was screaming in terror; followed by more sounds that she couldn’t place. Almost as if a wagon was being dragged nearby but that was impossible. The mechanism was activated. This time not just the gate she wanted to pass opened but also the fox-gate she just came through. For a second she thought she saw shadows moving in the fox room but that must have been her imagination. They weren’t following her down here. Thera went back to the fire place to grab her torch but that’s when she realised the odd shape of the fire wood. This wasn’t normal fire wood. It was Oowin wood. Some pieces still had carvings and others were in rectangular shapes. Someone must have used the furniture from this room to fire the flames. That’s why there was no table and only half a chair left.

The trout-gate was open and Thera was on her way. This was most likely the last room and at the end of it was the last gate, picturing a spider. Oddly, the room Thera just entered was just as warm as the last one. That was strange to her, considering that there was no fire to warm it. The room itself had blue tiles with some of them picturing fish of all kinds and colours. Pink seashells were worked into the walls and the ground but some of them were broken or fell to the ground. Water was dripping from the ceiling and steam was coming through the cracks of the walls. At each wall of the room there was a fountain. One of them had a fish statue on top of it that had flowing water coming out of its mouth. The other one wasn’t working anymore but it seemed like there used to be a statue of some sort as well. At the end of the room there was the spider-gate Thera was going to pass but just like in the rooms before her, there was no lever to be found. The placements of the three levers in the other rooms all had something to do with the theme of the room. The first one was placed underground, the second one in the air, the third one powered by fire and this one had to be somewhere by the water. Since the broken fountain was closer to her she examined that one first. Just as she grabbed into the basin that was supposed to be filled with water a huge spider jumped at her. Never has she seen anything like it, considering it being about as big as her face. Her reflexes immediately made her slash at it, or at least were she assumed it was but lucky for her the spider got away pretty fast. Her hands still shaking she turned around trying to find it but it must have ran away. Additionally the gate she came through closed with a loud noise that made her cry out for a moment.

“Deep breaths. It was just a spider.”

After she took a second look into the basin there was nothing to be found so she decided to turn to the other side of the room and check the second – working – fountain. Thera rolled up the right sleeve of her dirty green garment and reached into the water. Her fingers touched something the shape of a ring and the young adventuress decided to pull on it. Her right index finger rolled around the metal ring and with one strong pull a hole opened and the water drained. After all the water was gone and the fish stopped spitting, the spider-gate opened. She was close now.

Behind the gate there was a room that was similar to the Lordman’s room in the sense that it had a table and chairs but that was all they had in common. The whole room was covered in spider webs. Chairs were knocked over and dishes were laying on the ground. Thera made her way through the room but every so often she would walk into a net she didn’t see and shake her head. She had to be careful not to light the nets because most of the room was wooden, whereas the Lordman’s room was mostly stone. After managing her way through the net-filled room she finally got to the wooden steps that led her out. Nothing here was made of Oowin wood, she saw that at once. That didn’t come to her surprise though. On this side of the river Oowin trees wouldn’t grow. Countless people tried to plant them but the muddy ground wouldn’t allow them to get older than a few weeks. On this side of the river people worked with the trees they had. Dark trees, sick and buckled, mirroring the quality of the furniture you could make of them.  People have always been envious about the beautiful Oowin trees on the other side but Arachnoen had its own qualities. On this side of the river you could get the best quality silk and clothes that were made of it. No other clothes were comparable to those made of Arachsilk. Thera’s garment was made from it as well.

After climbing the stairs the girl found herself outside. Where there used to be a building there was now ugly trees, dark green vines wrapped in Luna’s light. A fresh breeze was blowing in Thera’s face and she was relieved to finally find herself out of this tunnel. Crossing the river would have been impossible in that time and would have most likely taken her a week. She couldn’t afford that much. Vines and mud kept everything out of this forest. It was no place to visit if you didn’t have any important business to do.

Where to begin now, she thought. Jareq was here not too long ago but there was no one she could ask. People left long ago. Aimlessly she made her way further into the forest, keeping an eye out for everything that moved. Who knew what creatures were hiding behind shadows. Just in that moment she was certain she heard something moving behind bushes not too far away from her. The torch the girl was carrying around all this time was almost at its end and made it impossible for her to see further than a few steps. The movement stopped and she looked around knowing that something was close. Thera was scanning the area carefully, getting ready to fight any moment, when suddenly she saw him standing in a clearing with Luna shining right on his face. She dropped her torch in shock when she realised that the face belonged to her brother Jareq.

7: Cole 2

Four hours. That was all they got. After the event what people would soon call “Sol’s Uprising” night and day changed drastically. Something must have happened that disturbed the balance of Sol and Luna and the results were a terrible heat and only four hours of night time. This was a huge problem for a lot of people that weren’t used to so much of Sol’s light. Including Cole.

Working on the farm meant that Cole and his sister had to get up early in the morning to feed the stock and take care of everything but ever since the events two days ago he didn’t sleep at all. That is except for him passing out once in a while but even then he only got a maximum of two hours a sleep. The lack of rest obviously reflected on the quality of the work they were doing and soon the first things went wrong. Chickens weren’t fed, buckets were flowing over with water because Amber fell asleep when she was filling them, cows grew angry because they too couldn’t find rest and Cole stopped using the stove in fear of burning down the house.

Those were only the effects the long day hours brought but there was also the heat. The south of Soluna had always been hot and parts of it - like the desert south of the city of the thieves - were drier than the hay in the barns but this was something completely different. Sol was full with energy and made it almost impossible to stay outside for longer than two or three hours at a time. First the bodies would produce an abnormal amount of sweat to deal with the high temperatures but there wasn’t possibly enough fluids in a body to put up with that extreme heat so it would stop to produce sweat and dry out. It was impossible to work under those circumstances and Cole knew that they had to stop one way or another.

Cole was standing in the kitchen with a half empty cup in his hand when Amber entered.

“How are you feeling little brother?”

Thirsty, exhausted, tired, anxious, nervous he wanted to say.

“I’m fine, but what about you? Are you thirsty? I’m afraid this is all that’s left for today.” He said, passing the brownish red cup to his sister.

Water shortage was another problem the extreme heat brought with it. Wells and small rivers dried out in days and the salty water of the ocean only made you thirstier. There were water tanks near Tonka and the governor started to ration it for everyone, giving him the most.

Amber drank hasty and emptied the cup in no time.

“We can’t live like this Cole. If we stay here we will die. You know that just as much as I do. Why don’t we leave with the others?” The others Amber referred to were pretty much everyone who lived in Smudge besides Cole and his sister. The decision was made quickly since no one expected Sol to calm down anytime soon. Day after day more people left Smudge and went to the east or - if they wanted to stay closer to home – to Tonka.

“We have our duties and you know we can only leave if the governor says so” Cole said with a tired voice.

“I piss on these duties if they end up killing us. Look around! This farm is dead and nothing will keep me here. I never wanted to be here and if I may remind you, you didn’t either. What happened to your ships and boats? The stories you made up for them? Do you want to die here and never see the world you dreamt of all your life?”

There was seldom any emotion to be seen in his sister’s dark brown, almost black, eyes but in this moment all he saw was pain. He knew she was right. When he was a child he wanted to see every single part of Soluna. Every tree sparked his attention and every rock held a secret that was to be discovered by him.

“When I was 12 years old, all I wanted was to be like you. I wanted to be adventurous, daring, exciting. I wanted to have friends like you did but I never said that out loud. I kept quiet because I knew it was ridiculous. I wanted to do all these things with all my heart but Amber, that was 15 years ago. I’m a different person now. How can you look at me, a man shaking in fear of a broken ceiling and expect that same man to go on an adventure? It may be hard here but it is all I got.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Amber and Cole were so caught up in their conversation that they didn’t even notice him approaching the farm and their house.

There he was standing, grinning at the two of them while the pearls of sweat were gathering on his bald head like peas in a pod. Cole noticed his shirt that covered both his upper arms and thighs. The bright colours that represented his family and origin were very deceiving for one of his character.  

“Maybe you can still go on that adventure of yours after we are done here.” He said in a mocking voice.

“Governor, I’m afraid I didn’t hear you coming. May I offer you some bread and ham? We are out of water for…”

“I’m not here to feast with you, we have business to talk about.” The governor said, cutting off Cole’s words.

“I know exactly why you came. In case you haven’t noticed, Sol is acting up all weird but my brother is still trying his best here.” Amber said, pointing her finger upwards to the source of heat and terror.

“I have no doubts about your brother’s qualities.” The governor said, crossing his arms in defence.

That came as a surprise. Cole was certain that the governor would complain about their work, he even feared that he would blame them for Sol’s strange activity.

“I am without words, this is a great honour…”

“Yet.” He cut him off again. “There is a reason for me paying you a visit. A reason I have to discuss with your sister alone. Would you be so kind and leave us for a second?” Cole didn’t move, being sure he misunderstood the man until he looked at his sister and noticed how big her eyes grew.

“It’s alright, go outside, I’ll talk to him.” With these words Cole left the house through the backdoor and sat on the porch.

Stepping outside always felt like being hit with a hammer on your head. The difference in temperature was huge and every time he went outside he was close to fading again. Cole wondered what they were talking about inside and why he wasn’t allowed to stay. He stretched out his arms and realised his hands were shaking. Was it the heat? In the few days since Sol gained in power the farm changed a lot. Cole noticed more and more black patches in the once yellow grass. It wasn’t unusual for little fires to start burning out of nowhere and that was a dangerous thread for the dry surroundings. Luckily there was enough sand nearby to suffocate the fires. The strong heat made the burned grass and barns in the background dance in front of the worn out man’s eyes and soon his eyelids closed all on their own.

He found himself in a familiar dream. When he was younger he always dreamt it but ever since they moved to Smudge the dreams stopped. In his dream he was in a boat on misty waters that didn’t seem to have an end in any direction. Normally he was alone but for some reason Amber was with him this time. Cole would cry on the boat until it reached land on his own. The land the boat brought him to, was a wide field of green grass that was surrounded by trees that didn’t grow in the south. In the centre stood a tree that was bigger than any he had ever seen and from the treetop there was coming a beam of red light shining to the sky. When Cole approached the tree the light would shine directly onto him and embrace him in a feeling of home.

“Cole, wake up.” He heard his sister say in an annoyed voice. “COLE.”

His head felt heavy and the worried man was still sleep drunk. Without even facing him, his sister moved around him again and again. There was little sense in what she was doing and he could hardly concentrate on her words, until she stood directly in front of him and shook him lightly.

“What’s going on? What are you doing?”

“The governor just left and so am I. He made it clear that I’m not welcome anymore if you know what I mean.” His sister said, gathering things.

“What does that mean? What did the governor say to you?” Cole replied, finally understanding the seriousness in which he found himself.

“It doesn’t matter what he said, I would have left anyhow.” She stopped for a second and turned her back to him, hiding her emotions. “I guess that’s goodbye then.” She said, with her head down and her hands forming fists.

Cole stood up and grabbed his sister’s hand. “Goodbye to the farm and a life that would have killed us both. Welcome to adventures I only dreamt of so far. With my sister.”

 

8: Jareq 3

It was strange being around her after all this time he’s been alone. It actually wasn’t long at all but for Jareq it felt like an eternity especially with all the things that happened to him in that time. Thera was his sister and he loved her very much yet there were more important things to care about than family relations.

“Where are we going again?” He asked for the third time. The first time he didn’t pay much attention and the second time he just didn’t understand what his companion said. Was it the wind or just the panic he was in? He couldn’t tell. The girl stopped and lowered herself so she could look directly into the young boys hazel eyes. The snow and dirt underneath her feet made a crunching noise as she did.

“We just got you out of your cell and they assume you will either go to the west back home or east to look for help. The last place they will expect us at is north. That’s where we’re going.”  As the girl was getting up again Jareq interrupted: “What’s there in the north? Where would we go?” For an eleven-year-old this was a lot to take in. All Jareq knew up to his captivity was the comfort of home and living with his parents. The worst he had to face was a bad dinner or not being allowed to play with the kids from the neighbourhood, but this was a complete different thing. Being away from his family felt like him being cold from the inside out and he wasn’t sure how to tell her how he was feeling. To Jareq’s surprise nothing in relation to his condition had happened yet.

“To be honest with you, I have no clue what’s in the north. All I know is that we have to get moving or they will find us. You are not alone, little fighter. I’ll stay here with you no matter what.” With these words she got up and was about to move on until she stopped again and turned her head. “By the way, you never told me your name.”

“Jareq.” The boy said with a shy smile. “What about my sister? I want to see her again and I’m sure she is looking for me.”

“I know. And I will get you to your sister eventually but at the moment it’s more important that we survive, does that sound like a plan?”

“I guess.”

Moving north meant that they had to leave the mountains. Balnibarbi was very high up so their way sent them down. Laputa told him that they couldn’t use the already existing ways because they would expect them to take them so all they did for the last few hours was hiking through stony areas that oftentimes made him trip. His leg was still hurting a lot and his companion had to help him walk. Jareq was in desperate need of some sort of medicine or herbs, maybe something for the pain. Not only his wound slowed them down but the lack of food was a problem they faced very soon as well. The last time Jareq ate was the breakfast in his cell and it seemed like an eternity since then. It was no surprise that his stomach made loud noises more frequently now and Laputa noticed.

“I understand you’re hungry and so am I but unfortunately we didn’t take anything with us from Balnibarbi. When I was younger me and my father would go out and spend a night or two in the mountains. My mum would hate it because she was worried the mountain spirit would take us away but that never happened. Anyway, when I was out with my father he taught me a trick or two so I may be able to find us something to eat. You can take shelter behind some rocks or boulders.” Jareq noticed that Laputa was walking slower for the last hour up to the point where he could’ve probably kept up with her, even with his injury. He knew she was tired and worn-out but for some reason she tried to hide that from him.

“Can I help you somehow? I don’t want to be dead weight and do nothing. Back when I was in the woods with my sister she would always let me collect things with her.” He said with an excited voice. Jareq felt guilty. If it wasn’t for him Laputa would have never been here. She would probably be sitting in a warm room with her family and have a steaming hot dinner by now.

Something was off. It was definitely time for dinner yet Sol was still shining bright. The two of them must have been on their way for several hours already and normally it would be Luna’s turn by now. That’s when Jareq remembered what happened back in Balnibarbi. After looking up to the sky Jareq focused on his ring. He could have sworn the gem inside of the ring was yellow before but today it seemed more like a burned out brown to him. Was it his fault? He must have missed Laputa’s answer to his question because the next thing he noticed was her touching his right shoulder.

“Fighter? What’s the matter? Is something else troubling you?”

“No it’s alright.”

“Tell you what, I’m gonna look for something to eat and maybe even a few herbs that can help you and you wait here.” Laputa held her left hand above her eyes to block out the light and wind. “Over there behind that boulder is a log. You should rest a bit and I’ll be right back.”

Snow was blowing in Jareq’s face while he was waiting for Laputa to return and to the boy’s astonishment the snow wasn’t freezing cold like it was back in Balnibarbi. Back there it was hurting his face but that wasn’t the case here. Normally it would get colder the farther north they went but not now. Looking around the boy noticed that in several places there were new formed puddles and the log he was sitting on was wet instead of frozen. Just sitting around made the strawberry blond boy antsy because he was convinced that any moment the fat cell keeper would jump out behind a rock and force him back to that terrible place but what could he do? Helping Laputa was difficult without being able to walk and the only thing that was close enough for him to collect were dry leaves that hung from a lone birch tree. Jareq’s eyes grew tired and he was sure he would fall asleep any second when all of a sudden the log he was sitting on moved on its own and started rolling down the mountain. There was not enough time for the boy to react so he was pushed to the stony ground. It all happened so fast that the next thing he noticed was Laputa standing over him with a shocked expression. Some roots were lying on the ground next to the two of them and Jareq realised that his hands were dirty and bleeding.

“Jareq are you alright? I heard you screaming and I immediately ran back. I thought… hey weren’t you sitting on a log?”

“I was. It rolled down the mountain.” the boy said while he was removing the tiny stones that stuck to his hands.

“Hello?” a deep and frightening voice interrupted them. “What are you doing here in my mountains?”

Standing about four meters away the man looked at them with a stern face. He must have been at least 2.50 meters tall and most of his face was covered in a thick copper beard. On the giant’s head there was a brown hat that had antlers coming out of it and Jareq couldn’t tell if they were just attached to it or if they were growing out of all the long hair the man had. In his right hand he was holding a large cane that looked like a branch of a tree he just broke off somewhere. Underneath his dark green cloak he wore a cotton shirt that was as white as the snow underneath his mud-coloured leather shoes. Jareq was terrified at his presence.

“I’m not asking a second time.” He said, making heavy steps towards them.

To his shock Jareq was the first to speak.

“Please. We are hungry. We are just passing through. I... I’m hurt.” Being close to tears the young boy gestured to his bleeding hands and injured leg.

The giant man looked at both of them at a time, carefully investigating them without ever changing his scary expression.

“What is the meaning of this?” He said pointing at the roots that lay on the ground.

Laputa answered this time.

“As Jareq said, we are hungry and since I couldn’t find anything else I gathered roots that I could cook up.” She said, finding her confidence.

Again the bulky man looked at them for a while without saying a word. It seemed like an eternity until he finally broke the silence. “If you don’t want to starve it is leaves that you need to gather. If you keep collecting the roots everything around here will die and you will be left with stones and rocks.” Those were the last words before he disappeared with loud steps behind a set of rocks just as quickly as he appeared.

“What do you think he meant by that?” Jareq asked when he was sure that the stranger was far enough.

“He was probably confused. I will get back to collecting roots, we can’t eat dried leaves after all.” Laputa replied, picking up what she already had collected. “And I think it’s best you don’t sit on any logs this time.” And with that the girl was gone.

Jareq was alone once again but the words still stuck with him. What did he mean with collecting leaves in order not to starve? It just didn’t make sense but why did he have the strong urge to do it then? It was almost as if the mountain itself made him do it. Jareq’s palms began hurting now because of his fall earlier but it wasn’t a usual pain. It was more like an impulse to move them. His hands wanted to go grab something and Jareq knew exactly what. The birch tree was about two steps away from where the boy was sitting and a lot of branches were in reach. Jareq gave in. With the support of the tree he managed to stand up and gather as many dry leaves from its branches as he could. On one hand he had the strong urge to do it but on the other hand it was really just something to do until Laputa returned.

Jareq’s eyes were burning when Laputa arrived with a stack of roots in her hands. Sol finally decided to set and the sky turned the colour of his favourite pumpkin soup. What he would give to have some homemade food, Jareq thought with a rumbling stomach.

“Is it just me or was today extremely long? Anyway I brought the roots.” Laputa said, dropping them to the ground with a loud noise.

“It seems like I wasn’t clear enough” The voice of the stranger was like thunder that kept you up at night. Without any indication of his arrival he was standing directly behind them.

“Look. I know you could probably crush us with your fists but we are hungry and dried leaves will not keep us alive. We need these roots and I’m sorry I had to take them but we will be on our way soon.” Laputa tried to play it cool but the stranger wouldn’t have any of it.

He reached out his gigantic arm and Laputa took a few steps back, shielding her with her arms. Jareq was sure he would hurt her but all he did was open up his hand and blow over his palm. Any other person would be out of breath after a few seconds but not this one. The giant blew with all his strength for at least a minute and both of them were in shock. Laputa had to hold on to the tree in order not to fly away and Jareq moved closer to the boulder he was leaning on. When he stopped breathing out Laputa stood up and was about to say something when the big man stared her down.

“I do not permit it!” He roared. “All you are left with is stones and rocks.”

He was right. Jareq couldn’t explain it but where they were several roots a moment ago there was nothing but a pile of stones now. Jareq wanted to speak but no words left his mouth.

“You on the other hand are a kind soul.” The giant said to him. “Eat up and do with them whatever you want. Please get well soon.” With these words the big stranger from the mountain dissolved into clouds that were carried away by the wind and left them in disbelief.

Just as he wanted to get up he noticed. The leaves Jareq was collecting earlier were replaced by different sized turnips and healing herbs for his hands and leg.

 

 

9: Thera 3

“Jareq!” she shouted into the darkness. The torch she was carrying all this time gave up at the worst moment possible and dropping it on the wet forest ground didn’t help either.

Thera was running through the woods around Arachnoen in complete darkness for a while now spotting her brother in various spots but he wouldn’t answer or stand still. Something was definitely not right and Thera knew that.

“Jareq, please! I’ve been looking for you forever and now that I found you, you won’t come with me.” Talking became harder and harder. Thera had been up for a pretty long time now and she was definitely tired. Not just that but her back started to ache as well because of the giant egg she was carrying all this time. Having so much with her wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be. The egg, the candle and… how could she forget? She still had the bracelet with the green gem inside. The first time she used it, it worked like a charm and it was definitely worth a try. Thera pulled up the sleeve of her garment, closed her eyes and thought hard about her brother. Kelbrik said it would only affect the people she wanted it to so that’s why she focused on Jareq alone. Something was moving from the left and the adventuress opened her eyes as wide as possible and saw him running behind a tree. Jareq please stand still now, she thought as she pressed the device, her eyes still focused on her younger brother. The result shocked her. It was nothing like the first time she used it. The emerald inside started to glow like it was supposed to do but Jareq just kept on running. What was wrong?

“Stop!” she shouted as she gathered all her last strength to run when suddenly she ran into something she couldn’t see. Thera was stuck. Something invisible made it impossible for her to move at all, no matter how hard she tried.

“What kind of dark magic is this?” All tiredness vanished and Thera tried to move as hard as possible but it was of no use. She was stuck and all alone.

Thera didn’t know how long she was standing in the dark forest, not being able to go anywhere and being afraid what might show up. The tiredness returned after some time but she couldn’t fall asleep. Not now. This was a dangerous situation and if she was caught in some kind of spell, she had to find a way to get out of it. From the spot she was standing she saw nothing but trees and bushes. Once in a while there was movement behind them but nothing would show up. The hardest fight she had in a long time was against herself and the tiredness. She lost that fight.

When Thera woke up she found herself deeper in the woods up high in the trees. The little light that came through the treetops was Sol’s and it revealed what happened earlier. Thera wasn’t cursed, she just ran into a very thin spider net. The one she found herself in now was much thicker and was built between the tops of the dark trees of that forest. There were nets all around her and sitting on a lot of them were spiders. Everyone knew that Arachnoen was inhabited by spiders but their size was definitely a surprise. Some of them were as long as Thera was tall and a few probably had heads bigger than her whole body. Some were dark red, others dark green and a few just plain black but one thing they were all: Terrifying.

Thera waking up must have drawn their attention because the next thing that happened was all surrounding spiders making their way to her, looking at and poking her. Thera was surprised they didn’t hurt her, it was almost as if they were greeting her or examining her. Her hands were still shaking and it caused the nets to vibrate.

“Leave her be.” A shrill voice said. It almost sounded like someone was scratching on glass with long finger nails or something sharp. In an instance all spiders made room for one she hasn’t spotted before. The speaking spider that approached her wasn’t the tallest or the smallest of them but it had a different body structure than the rest. In contrast to the others this one was thinner, longer and had yellow markings that looked like faces and needles on her black body.

“Thera. We have been expecting you.” The voice pierced her ear.

“Who are you and what do you want with me?” The scared girl tried shouting back at it.

“I suggest we go somewhere more… comfortable. I will vow for your safety.” The spider said as the rest of them were screaming in agreement she assumed.

Thera wasn’t freed from the webs that caged her but two of the bigger spiders spit out new strings and swung them around her and transported her that way. Together they made their way to a kind of treehouse made from wood and nets. The way there took about twenty minutes and the whole time Thera kept her eyes open. There were no humans anywhere. The whole forest – or at least the treetops – were covered in spider webs and their inhabitants went on with their chores and tasks.

The treehouse appeared to be the palace or headquarter of those creatures and the yellow spider seemed to be their leader. Thera, the yellow spider, two big red ones and a smaller green one went to a long room with a giant web and two openings at the end of it.

“I understand that you are scared Thera but it was necessary to do all of this. You wouldn’t have come any other way. Please free our guest of the nets.” The red ones let loose of their strings and the small green one helped her get rid of the rest. When she was finally free she realised that her things were gone.

“Before anything else, I demand to know where my brother is!” she shouted with a thin voice.

The yellow spider turned around and made a screech Thera had never heard before. The signal the spider gave did what she asked for. Jareq came through one of the openings of the wall at the back and stood next to the spiders. He didn’t look at her.

“Jareq!” she shouted, “Let’s get out of here.” Still no reaction.

“I did as you asked now let me speak.” Their leader interrupted her. “My name is Arachne but you may know me under the name “Spinner of Destiny”. Just like you I was once a human. I was a talented weaver and still am. People came from all over Soluna to challenge me but no one was better than me so my pride got bigger and bigger. It took over at some point and I became a terrible person, claiming to be better than any other human. The Goddess of wisdom and craftsmanship heard my claims and challenged me too. Of course I accepted and was certain to be better but I failed miserably. As a penalty I was turned into this until I would understand what I did wrong.”

“It sounds like you do already. Why are you still a spider?” Thera was curious.

“On the day I understood what I did wrong the Goddess approached me and was going to turn me back but I declined. You see in this form I can weave even better than before and I wanted to help with this ability. When I told that to the Goddess she granted me with a very special ability: The one my name comes from. I am the Spinner of Destiny. It is my job to decide what is happening in the world and what is not to happen. That’s how I knew you would be coming.”

“But why do you need me? And what’s with my brother? Did he know all of this?”

“Thera, you, your brother and three other people are very important for the destiny of Soluna and all of our lives. I figure you know what this is?” From the ceiling something attached to a string of spider web was lowered. When it hung in front of her face she realised it was the bracelet with the emerald.

“This is the bracelet I got from my father. I know it has special powers but I don’t know what its purpose is.”

“The green emerald that is inside of the bracelet grants you the powers of Earth. There are four additional devices scattered around Soluna and all of them will grand one special person the power over one of the elements. Your brother Jareq has one too. His advice grants him the power of the Aether.”

“I don’t understand. What does this have to do with us?”

“The device will only work for you Thera. You need to learn how to use it in order to survive the things you and the others will encounter. You will save us that is your destiny.”

Thera didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what was happening and why exactly she was involved in all of this.

“Listen, I would love to help you but what if I can’t do it? The only thing I want to do right now is safe my brother.” 

“Saving your brother will be one of the effects of your journey Thera. You know just as much as I do that Jareq is not just sick but that there is something much bigger behind it. You will find out what it is and be able to cure him, I promise you. Soon you will understand why your journey isn’t over here. Find Jareq. With him is a woman called Laputa. You will need her abilities as well. Together you will travel to the east where you will meet with the other two people who will complete your team. After what is going to happen soon you need to grab your things and continue north. I have a spider network all over Soluna and will contact you again. Be safe Thera.”

The spiders retreated from the big room and Thera’s belongings were brought to her. Just as she wanted to approach Jareq the ground started shaking like crazy and things were falling from the ceiling. Nets collapsed and spiders were screeching outside. Thera was just about to grab Jareq when he started shining in a bright white light and dissolved in front of her eyes and turned into a black spider with pink markings. It ran away the moment the earthquake stopped. 

 

10: Atlas 1

A young girl dressed in green surrounded by strange creatures of a dark forest was standing there. Atlas could feel how scared she was and that she wanted to find someone far away. A person she loved, someone very dear to her and important to what was going to happen. The earth started to shake just like it always did and the green girl vanished.

A curly haired man and his sister were walking through a steaming hot desert. In the far distance there was a gigantic burning tree but they couldn’t reach it because the ocean was in their way. Atlas could feel how thirsty they were and that they came a long way. All they wanted was to be happy together. Fire started eating the two of them and they vanished in the flames.

A boy with hazel eyes and a woman with short brown hair surrounded by icy winds made their way north. Neither of them knew where they were going but Atlas did. A purple light was shining bright from within an icy cave, answering the yellow light the boy was sending out until icy winds covered it all and blew it away.

A young man lying in his bed -his black eyes closed- was seeing himself and his future traveling companions. It was their destiny to meet and their duty to save the continent all of them were fortunate to live on. Together.

Atlas opened his eyes and wiped the sweat from his forehead and hairless head. After taking a gulp of water out of the cup that was placed on his nightstand he sat up and realised he was back in his chambers.

“Was it the dream about your friends again?” A calming voice asked. Tirrick was standing at the other end of his chamber, next to the doors.

“I told you, they aren’t my friends. At least not yet.” Atlas answered with a sore throat. “Yes, it was the dream again, but it was a bit different. The green girl was in a forest this time.” He added.

The dreams they were referring to weren’t actually dreams but visions of things that happened somewhere else on Soluna. Atlas told his father, Tirrick, and even the scholar Doromedis about them but no one would believe him. The dreams started with the shaking of the earth and the change of the day and night cycle. 

His dark blue silk sheets made a rustling sound when Atlas moved them to get out of his bed and into his slippers.

“Tell my father that I will be late for the celebration. There is something I need to do before.” Atlas told Tirrick as he pushed the heavy wooden doors open.

“How am I supposed to tell your father, the Ruler of the East, that his heir won’t come to the most important…” Atlas was too far away already to catch the rest of what Tirrick was about to say but he knew what it was. “The most important day for a royal such as you are”. The young man knew that the day was coming yet he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it or not. The day his father so desperately wanted to celebrate was the anniversary of Tabiji.

About eleven centuries ago Atlas’ ancestors lived happily in a town at the east of Soluna. It was a small town far away from any other people but everyone was happy and no one had any complains until one special day. A young woman – one of Atlas ancestors – decided to go for a swim on a sunny day. The water was clear and the woman could see through it with ease and as she did she noticed a blue light coming from the bottom of the ocean. Since the woman was a great swimmer, she decided to dive for whatever was emitting the light. Twelve times the young woman failed but the thirteenth time she tried she was lucky and reached for the source of light. When she resurfaced and examined the object the light faded and she could see that it was a beautiful dark blue pearl. Never in her life had she seen anything like it and she asked her father to make her a necklace so she could wear the pearl day and night, and so she did. The following nights the girl had terrible dreams involving a giant monster that drank the ocean empty, shot the water from its mouth and drowned the whole town. Of course she told her family about it but only a few would listen. On the fifth morning the woman decided that she wouldn’t stay near the ocean. She talked to her family and friends and managed to convince them to move further west and build a new home. A few weeks after the group of people moved away from the ocean it happened just as his ancestor told them. For some strange reason the water started to draw back from the beaches and not too long later a gigantic wave hit the beach and the town. A lot of people not only lost their homes but also their lives.

Tabiji is the day Atlas ancestors walked away from what is known as Furui today and founded Atarashi. The pearl his ancestor found so long ago is now a family treasure and today was the day Atlas would inherit it. That was also the reason why his family stayed at their residence in Furui at the moment. The tradition was that the owner of the sea pearl –which was his father at the moment- would give it to someone of their bloodline who was worthy and able to find it. The pearl wasn’t just handed to him though. It involved a test he had to pass and all he knew was that it had something to do with the ocean. After he gets the pearl his family and friends will walk the way from Furui back home to Atarashi.

The town was crowded as usual and drowned in all kinds of smells and noises that made Atlas feel dizzy. He could hear the shouting from the market and even smell a few of the goods they were selling. Sol was high up in the sky as he was a lot lately and people started to leave their coats at home. Furui was a cold town but ever since Sol’s empowerment the temperatures rose and the snow around the area melted. Atlas was the only one who wore a coat but that was for another reason. Being who he was, people recognised him in the streets and bothered him with false compliments of all kinds, hoping they would achieve something or just to tell their friends about it. The young man’s body was heating up under the dark fabric but it was ten times better than being bothered. He still had a bit to go.

At the other end of the market there was a gate that led out of town to a small cottage surrounded by trees. The well that was next to it was where he was heading.

“Young man, I guarantee you, you have never seen tastier apples before!” A grinning man was shouting at him from the side. Atlas didn’t have time to lose so he tried to ignore him but he was too stubborn.

“Ah I see, you are more of a turnip person I assume. Here take one for free! You will come back to buy the rest, I’m sure.” The young man tried to be on his way but the salesman started to chase him and stopped him with a touch on his right shoulder.

“Okay. I know now. You are one of those fancy people who only want fruit from the south. I have just the thing for you!” He proclaimed with the smile that seemed to be frozen into his face. “Watermelons. Fresh from the south. Do you know how rare those are?” He whispered now, leaning closer. That’s when it happened.

“Wait a second! I know you.” The grin transformed into a shocked expression and the merchant’s eyes grew bigger. Atlas prepared for the worst when the other finally said: “You are my neighbours niece Claudia! Claudia it’s been so long! I thought you left for Tor a fortnight ago, it’s so great to see you!”

It felt like his heart dropped to the ground when he understood what just happened.

“I’m sorry ser, you are mistaking me. I’m not Claudia.” Atlas said, pulling his hood further down.

“Apologies! Well, have a nice day stranger.” The merchant said and finally led him go with the familiar grin.

The young man hurried through the rest of the marketplace to the gates and luckily there had been no other incident.

“I’ll be right there!” Atlas shouted down the well with an excited voice as he ran to the backside of the cottage. A heavy iron door blocked the way to the secret basement but there was a rusty iron chain connected to the ring that made the doors handle. One heavy pull from the side and the right door opened with a thundering sound. The cellar was covered in darkness, webs and dust but Atlas knew the way in his sleep. Turn right, turn left, watch out for the big table, turn left again and then a long way straight until he was in the room that made the bottom of the well.

A little blue flame floated mid-air about the same height as his chest.

“It’s me Obake. I missed you so much.” The young man said and the blue flame turned into a cloud of glittering light that made its way to Atlas face and embraced him with a familiar warmth.

11: Laputa 2

Sol was rising again after one of the shortest nights Laputa had in a long time. It was strange but the young woman knew that it had to do with what happened in Balnibarbi two days ago.

Snowflakes were tickling her small nose so she gave up on sleeping and opened her grey eyes. The sky Laputa saw above her was a mixture of the colour of her eyes and little white dots that grew in size. Snow was falling and it wouldn’t stop all day.

“Good morning.” a tired voice said to her but Laputa didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t a good morning, not at all. People were still after the two of them but none of them knew where or when they would attack. Laputa had to figure something out, a plan of some sort. She turned her head and looked at the young boy. His long hair were a mess and she could see that he didn’t get enough rest at all. At least his leg stopped bleeding.

“We need to be on our feet soon. Are you hungry?” she asked. Laputa had been more than two decades in this world so she was by far older than the boy sitting opposite of her. She was the one that had to take care of the two of them, but how was she supposed to do that? The young adventuress had never been good at taking care of herself let alone another person.

“Thank you, I’m good. I had one of the turnips earlier. They still taste great, you should try some!” he proclaimed with a happy face. Laputa did try the turnips but they tasted like dirt to her and she wasn’t sure whether that was the intention of the mountain spirit or if Jareq just had a bad taste. Her own stomach hurt from lack of food but she couldn’t let Jareq know.

“Okay then I suggest we’re on our way soon.”

It was hard telling how long the two were walking since Sol would only move so much but Laputa was sure it had been hours since they departed from their resting place behind those boulders. The Mountain shrunk more and more behind them the further they walked and right in front of them a thick dark forest seemed to emerge in the distance.

“Whoa look at that Laputa! There is a forest just like Oowin Dark!” the boy shouted and sped past her.

“Watch out, your leg isn’t fully healed yet and I’m not in the mood to carry you. Again.”

Suddenly the boy stopped and turned around, looking at Laputa with a concerned expression.

“Hey Laputa, do you think there are dangerous animals in that forest? Kelbrik told me there were strange creatures in Oowin Dark that would chase everything and everyone that comes to close to their territory.”

“This isn’t Oowin Dark, little fighter. We are way too far north for your forest so don’t worry about those things here.”

The boy thought for a moment but then asked again. “What about wolves? When I was in Hohle by the Mountain with my father, I heard two men talking about them and that they live in the northern woods.”

Those words felt like she was shot by an arrow because Laputa had heard those stories too and there was more true to it than she wanted him to know. She hesitated before she gave him an answer. “Wolves did roam those forests hundreds of years ago, but you don’t have to worry about them anymore. Boy, you gave me an idea what our next stop is going to be.”

Their way wasn’t far but walking through this terrain made it feel like an eternity. Nothing around them changed but Laputa’s ability to keep her eyes open with an empty stomach. It didn’t help seeing the forest all this time but not being able to reach it any faster.

With her last energy and to keep her from falling down Laputa told him what she knew about their destination.

“When I was a young girl, around your age actually, a group of travellers came through Windorff. They must have been on their way for quite a while since all of them were starved out and tired just like we are at the moment. They dined and slept in our village and as thanks they brought stories and song from the north. Most of them were from Isborg but some came from a small town called Hunding. An old man from Hunding sang a song about his hometown and its history. The town used to be inhabited by people that had the hound as their guardian and every person in town admired dogs and hounds. Even today people still keep dogs to feel close to their ancestors. Not too far away from Hunding used to be a town called Wolfing and as you may have guessed it was a similar situation there but people admired wolves. One day a massive fight between the two towns happened and the Hunding people were victorious. They conquered Wolfing and made it part of the much larger Hunding we know today. It is said that the people of Wolfing either moved away or changed sides afterwards. If that woman’s men are really after us and following us north, they will assume we will go to the next big city which is Isborg. That’s exactly where we are not going. Instead we are staying there.”

The town the young woman pointed at was a charming old one with two high structures on each end of it but if you took a closer look, you could see that there were a different kind of architecture used in one side compared to the other.

“Is that…?”

“Hunding.” Laputa interrupted him. “Fascinated by the stories of that man, it was my wish to see that town and as I grew older I decided to stay here for a while and went to the local school.”

Houses with black roofs and white walls were placed one next to the other, forming streets and alleys that were paved with grey and red brick roads depending on which side you were at. The streets were filled with people. Talking, shouting, running, arguing and buying things at the market, but almost every one of them had a dog to their side. All of them were just as different as the people were. Some were small with long hair, others big with short hair. There was one that was small with short hair and even one that was big with long hair. Brown dogs, black dogs, blonde dogs and white dogs with black markings. Not one of them looked the same and Laputa was sure she was at the right place.

The two travellers made their way through the town until they reached an inn that was located in the half of the city that used to be Wolfing. A warm fire was burning in the fireplace next to the entrance and several people were sitting around it with their four-legged companions, exchanging stories. Laputa felt the snow melting in her hair as she made her way to the wooden counter at the other side of the room.

“We need a place to stay. How much is the cheapest room you have?” Laputa asked the short man. She knew they couldn’t afford anything but the man looked generous.

“The cheapest one is… let me think… it is… yes! Five coppers. No wait, was it ten? No it was five I’m sure now.” He said, moving his eyes with every thought and petting the big brown dog sitting next to him. The dog moved its lips as if he was talking himself but no sound came from its snout.

“Oh. I’m afraid that’s too much for us. I have three coppers only.”

“But sadly it is five. We need every gold… I mean coin we can get. Sadly.” he said with a sadder face than Laputa had.

“It’s no use then?”

“I can’t… I mean no. Maybe… no.”

There was nothing she could do, three coppers was all they had left and both of them were starving. The forest was close enough for her to get some mushrooms or roots she could boil, she thought. As she made her way out of the inn Laputa saw Jareq’s face. It broke her heart. The young woman was about to say something when suddenly a boy around the age of Jareq stormed inside.

“I saw something! I saw something! People listen to me!” the boy said without ease. He was breathing heavily and his clothes were dirty and wet from the snow.

“You! You have to believe me this time!” He pointed at the three people by the fire but they would just wave him away.

“Theo, please! I’m telling the truth, there was a werewolf!” he told the man behind the counter. 

“A werewolf?” Laputa asked curiously as she walked back to the counter. “Talk to me boy.”

“Finally someone will listen! I was playing at the cemetery next to the forest and when I jumped from one of the gravestones to the other I saw a wolf on two legs standing behind the stone fence.” He reported her, taking breaths between every other word.

“I.. please. Don’t listen to Firo please. Never… he always lies to us. Yesterday… or was it the day before… he said there was a wolf in town. Last week… no a fortnight ago he said the same but there never was a… there never was one.” Theo said, playing nervously with the dogs ears in his hands.

That’s when Laputa had an idea. “Listen boy. Firo is your name? I believe you and to prove that you tell the truth I will find this werewolf for you. Sound like a plan?” she said in a calm voice. She was beyond exhausted and needed food and rest. She hated lying to the boy but it was her only chance. Jareq was watching the situation curiously without saying a word.

“That would be too kind! I’ll show you right away!” he said excited, grabbing her hand.

“Wait! Before I help you, you have to do something for me in return.” She explained.

Firo let go of her hand and looked at her with wide eyes.

“I want you to run home and grab as much food from your kitchen as you can. Take it with you and meet me at the cemetery in thirty minutes.” As soon as she said those words the boy ran off.

“I… I’m not sure… That was no good idea ma’am- “, Theo began saying.

“Is it possible that my young friend can stay here until I’m back? He won’t be trouble I promise you.”

“Laputa, I want to come with you! My leg doesn’t even hurt anymore, believe me!” Jareq cried out.

“This isn’t up for discussion, little fighter. I’ll be back before Sol is down, I promise.” That was easy to say now that Sol was up twice as long as he used to be so Laputa left for the cemetery, leaving Jareq behind in the warm inn.

Cold winds were blowing around her as she left the building but for some strange reason those winds gave her courage. The cemetery wasn’t too far away from the inn so Laputa only had to get through two streets that had only a handful of people walking through them.

The cemetery was a huge ground surrounded by a fence of light grey stones, just as the boy had said. Next to it was one of the huge buildings Jareq and her saw from the distance. It was a building people entered to feel closer to Luna and it was the sister building to the one at the other side of town where people prayed to Sol. Laputa herself had always been drawn to Luna for some reason and today she felt it again. Laputa looked around but Firo was nowhere to be seen so she decided to pass the time by taking a look around the premise. It was a beautiful but old building made from dark stones and bricks that were most likely handcrafted by the Wolfing people. The main building had a pointed black roof and windows made from colourful glass. It was surrounded by four side buildings that were directly connected to the main building and made for entrances from every side. The snow cracked beneath her feet as she made her way to the eastern most entrance. Laputa was curious to see how the building looked on the inside so she approached the heavy looking wooden door. Suddenly she heard noises from above. Snow was still falling but that sound was something else entirely. The young woman made a few steps back to get a better view and lifted her head up. She could feel how all colour left her cold face when she saw the creature standing on the roof of the entrance building.  A back covered in dark grey fur, two paws hanging down from its shoulders while the other two were standing confidently on the roof. Its head was turned to the side lifting the big snout skyward. It was just as the boy told her and Laputa’s whole body jerked as the creature turned its head and jumped down from the building.

 

 

 

12: Cole 3

The two of them left early in the morning just as the Governor told them to. Cole was sure that he already decided on new people that would move in today so he didn’t leave them any other option. His reaction after Cole told him he would go with his sister took him by surprise. He expected him to be shocked, astonished at least but the Governor just laughed his mighty laugh and shook his head yes.

It must have been around 5 in the morning but Sol was high up in the sky, terrorising every living creature on Soluna. Both of them felt like their energy was drained from the lack of sleep they had to endure. This would be the fourth day after Sol took it upon him to rise to new powers. Cole was uncertain what it meant and how long it would take to be normal again but a weird sensation burned inside of him. Almost like he had to do something about it.

“I packed us all the water we had left, fruit, veggies and bread too. I also took some things we might need like this tent and some tools.” Amber said as she was heading down the stairs from the room that she used to call her own. “What did you pack?”

“I… Look, I’m not a prepared traveller. I only have this looking glass and the compass father gave me, before… you know.” Cole replied with a shaky voice.

“That does it, I think. You are sure about that? I mean where we’re going?”

There was a special place Cole knew that existed just for the two of them to visit. It was the place from his dream, the island behind the foggy waters.

“Yes. You will see when we’re there. Amber you said you would trust me with this, but I’m not forcing you to do anything you don’t want to.”

His sister lowered her eyes and went silent for a second.

“We’ve been together ever since our parents died and we will stick together just as much now. You are my brother Cole. You are everything I have left of my family and I’m not giving up on that. What you said yesterday only supports that, bro. Now let’s get going, we have a long way ahead of us if you are right.”

The dark haired man knew that the island of his dreams was out in the ocean, guarded by mist and clouds and that it would take them a while if they didn’t have some sort of transportation. That’s why their first stop was the watermill near the river they only called Snake. The watermill itself wasn’t that interesting for Cole but rather what was hidden there.

“You brought me to a watermill?” his sister asked suspiciously when they arrived, sweating from their thirty minute march. She took a sip of water out of the bottle.

“Be patient. The mill is hiding something very precious to me.” Her brother said and showed her the way inside. Behind the wooden door and stone walls was an old wheel that hasn’t been used in years. Cole noticed that barely any water even touched it and paddles. Steaming hot temperatures and humid air lingered here. It was Sol’s fault. A lot of water evaporated already but to Cole’s luck there was enough left for what he had planned.

“In my youth I always sat and watched the ships enter and leave the harbour. I was fascinated by them to the point that it was my big wish to have my very own ship to travel the world with.” Cole explained as the two of them were walking down moss-covered stairs to where you could see what was left of the water of the Snake. In the water something was hidden under a large piece of cloth that used to be white. Time and dirt altered the colour and texture of it tremendously and a few holes made their way into the fabric as well.

“I figured since we were traveling on waters this could be helpful”, Cole said with a proud voice trying to lift the cloth. After three or four heavy pulls he revealed his treasure to his sister. A small ship, made of wood, cloth, some light metals and what appeared to be clay was hidden underneath. It even had a mast that would support a sail to help them travel faster. It left Amber visibly surprised.

“I know it’s surprising. I built it over the last few months whenever I had a free minute. I… I always wanted to sail the seas. Her name is Seraphina.” Cole admitted.

“That name… You chose it well. She is beautiful just like her namesake was.” Amber complimented her brother. “So does it work? If yes, how?”

“It should work. The only thing we need to do is lift up the mast and attach the sail. The Snake’s streaming will get us out of here.”

Cole was proud in what he did and for the first time in his life he felt like a leader and not someone who had to follow. The young man took it upon himself to lift the mast and span the sail and asked his sister to take care of the weights that held the ship down and also the gate that blocked their way out.

Hard work paid off and the two of them were traveling safely on the river. Wind was blowing in their faces as Seraphina made her way down the rocky river that was only known as Snake to the people of this area.

“You are sure that’s going to work and we will get to the ocean in time? Remember we only have enough water for about a day and a half. What if we don’t find anything there?” Amber worried.

“Usually I’m the one who is all scared right? Don’t you trust me sister? Seraphina will make her way to the ocean, I know it. It can be a bit troubling because the Snake is only half full these days but I know what I’m doing.” Cole answered casually. There was a fire inside his eyes that burned brighter the farther they sailed and he was certain he would bring them to a safer place.

Their way to the ocean was a long and harsh one on which Cole took the role of the sailor and Amber the role of the sea sick guest. His sister wasn’t used to the waters and that it didn’t suit her stomach was obvious so she spent most of their journey sitting or lying down. This went on for about six difficult hours. The two of them were sweating in the sun and drinking as much water as they could without draining their supplies too much. Eating wasn’t even a question since the heat and shaking of Seraphina made them lose their appetite. After one of the most exciting hours Cole ever get to experience the Snake opened her mouth and let them out on the wide waters of the sea.

“Amber! Look at that, we made it! And it is just as it was in my dreams.” Cole told his sister with an excited voice when a gust of wind took their sail by surprise. Seraphina was shaking violently as they passed over from the river to the sea. A loud noise took the exhausted man by surprise. He didn’t notice at first since his brown eyes were fixed on their surrounding but when no answer from his sister came he turned around looking for her.

“Amber! Where are you??” Cole’s heart started beating faster by the second and drowned all his positive feelings he had before. “Amber!” He shouted, but the words were swallowed by the steaming hot waters of the sea he so desperately wanted to sail. 

 

13: Thera 4

Ever since the earthquake happened Thera was on her way north, just as Arachne told her to do. After the spiders provided her with supplies and food they got her to the end of the Dark Forest using their network that spread out over all of it. It didn’t take long at all and so the young woman was on her own again. According to Arachne she would find her brother in the north of Soluna so her next goal was to get to Tun. Tun used to be a mining place that was connected to Nel via a tunnel, hence the name of the two mines. The workers from the mines ended up moving closer to their workplace and creating the two towns known today. It was the only land way to get to the other side of the mountain that is except for Tor farther south or of course hiking over it.

A cold wind blew over the muddy field of tall grass, greeting Thera as soon as she walked out of the forest. The two spiders that escorted her here were close behind, making sure she really was on her way.

“Thank you.” She said awkwardly to the gigantic arachnids. They only looked at her with their big eyes until they finally turned around and vanished in the forest once again. Thera sighed with relief. She had to admit that those creatures were terrifying but she was way too scared to show her fear. She wasn’t certain how they would have treated her if she showed any doubt or angst.

It was the first time Thera wasn’t surrounded by trees in a while. Ever since her 14th birthday she was travelling around Soluna. She had seen Hohle by the Mountain, Tor, the unnamed city of thieves, Tonka in the south, Furui and Atarashi in the East and even Cross-Island west of the Dark Forest. Her father told her that was where he found the jewel in her wristband. The north was the only area Thera hasn’t explored yet and now she hated herself for that. The Mud of the West was known to be a dangerous place where many travellers had vanished throughout their journey. People avoided it, fearing they wouldn’t get to leave either. 

Her feet were heavy on the grass and every step made water shoot out from underneath her tired feet with an annoying noise. The ground was wet around here, she could tell, but since she was in the Mud that came without a surprise. Thera was positive the sun would go down soon and the desire for sleep slowly crept up on her. Where would she go? As far as her silvery eyes could see there was nothing but grass and the forest behind her. She couldn’t go back so she decided to press on. There had to be some place for her she thought as she tried to get a mosquito out of her face. Every step she made north took a bit away from her positivity until she got lost between the tall grass and small animals that were watching her curiously from within. It was odd. The day went by slower than any other had and Sol was shining brightly on her back until she started sweating underneath her heavy green garment. Normally the north was much colder than the south but she never sweat a single drop when she was back in Oowin or Arachnoen. Something was definitely off and some small part in her head tried to convince her that it had to do with her brother and not the humid air. Thera took the flask of water out of her bag and took a gulp out of it. Her sweaty hands ran through her short brown hair when the cold liquid ran down her throat. The young woman was tempted to just leave some of her clothes here, especially the long coat, but if she was to go further north, she would definitely need it.

Hour after hour nothing changed. A group of large wading birds with long legs and just as long necks were resting near a small pond. They didn’t acknowledge Thera at all for some reason and it seemed like they were confused too. After another while of walking the girl was close to giving up when finally in the far distance something that looked like some sort of rock formation appeared. Thera got excited as the first thing that came to her mind was that she could rest there. It was pretty much impossible for her to stay anywhere else since the mud underneath her feed started eating her up if she decided to stand in one place for too long. She forced herself to take the final steps to the stony structure not too far away when suddenly her left foot got stuck in the mud. It made her trip. Her heart started racing and the stories of lost wanderers came back to her mind. Her whole body was covered in the wet and dark brown texture that made it impossible for her to get back up. Thera tried to get her legs out of it but as soon as she got them out her hands were stuck. There was no escape. Definitely not on her own.

“Help!” she shouted with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Seconds later she realised how ridiculous it was to shout for help around here. No one would hear her. A small rodent peaked through the grass, curious what made so much noise. It looked at her with big eyes, turning its little brown head that had the same colour as her little brother’s hair. If only she could reach her bag. She was positive that there was something inside that could help her, but unfortunately it was stuck just as much as she was. The little rodent turned its head again before it ran back through the grass. Her eyes were fixed on the sky where she saw the birds from earlier flying by when suddenly she heard a loud rustling in the grass just to her right. She turned her head in the direction it was coming from when she discovered that a giant snake approached her. Thera’s eyes grew big when she realised that she could in no way defend herself. Most snakes around these areas were poisonous or could easily strangle you. Especially one of that size. Nervously she looked around for anything that could aid her in that situation and to her right she discovered a stone. It was way too small to attack the snake with but she had an idea. She through the stone as far as she could, hoping the snake would think that there was something else nearby but this one was way too smart for those kind of tricks. It didn’t even move its head when the stone hit the ground some meters away. The bright red eyes were focused on her and the snake released her little tongue out of her mouth again and again as if saliva was forming in it. The snake was close. Too close for Thera to move hastily. Thera turned her head in fear of looking at it any longer when she was reminded of the powerful device that clung to her arm. Hope.

Please work, she thought. It had to. Thera closed her eyes and touched the beautiful emerald inside the bracelet with her right index and middle finger.

“I need to get out of this mud please.” She said silently. The gem was shining brighter than the last two times and it seemed like the snake was baffled by that. Thera was confused since the snake was still moving and releasing its tongue but what she didn’t realise right away was that the all of the mud let go of her and moved towards the snake, burying it underneath. The woman stood up, grabbed her bag and ran towards the stone formation she was heading to before. Her heart was racing.

“How did you do that?” she heard someone say. A strange figure was standing just next to the stony structure.

 

 

14: Atlas 2

The day Atlas dreaded so long was finally here. It was not what happened today that made him feel uneasy but rather that this was the beginning of a very dangerous adventure. No one had to tell him that it would be dangerous, he knew. He saw it in his dreams every night and he was uncertain whether he could actually do what his destiny seemed to be.

The day grew late after Atlas visit to his special friend but he couldn’t avoid his test any longer.

The beach was crowded when Tirrick brought him there and although the young man clearly saw the people shouting, the only thing he heard were his thoughts or rather his doubts.

“Make room for Atlas, Son of His Majesty the Ruler of the East and Heir to the Seapearl. He came to take part in the test that will determine his future. If Atlas passes the test he will inherit the Seapearl, treasure to his family and our home. Will he fail on the other hand, Atlas has to resign all his rights and name. He will live a common life in this case. Now rise!” Tirrick’s loud voice pierced through his thoughts and brought him back to reality. It was time.

People rose from the seats that were placed in the sand on the beach and moved aside to make a small corridor for Atlas to walk through. At the other end of the mass, standing next to the water was his father. Small waves were kissing his naked feet. With a warm smile he was waiting for Atlas to finally replace him in his position. It was a bittersweet smile, Atlas knew. His father always loved his position but the one thing he loved even more was his only son.

“Are you ready?” he whispered with his eyebrows risen, before he welcomed him officially.

“I think so.”

“Atlas, Son of mine and Heir to the Seapearl, will you accept the challenge I will task you with and if successful take my place as Ruler of the East and Bearer of the Seapearl, so say you do.” His father said in his official tone now.

“I do!” Atlas said with a solid voice.

“So here me out as I explain what your task will be: 1100 years ago one of our ancestors saved our people with dreams she had of the future. She claimed that these dreams were brought to her by a mysterious dark blue pearl she found at the bottom of the ocean. Today we know this pearl as the Seapearl. It became our family treasure and just like our ancestor retrieved it, so will you. Your task is to locate the pearl in these waters and bring it back before Sol kisses the sea and bathes us in his red light. You will do so without any help or you will be disqualified immediately. Your challenge will start as soon as you are ready, good luck my son.” His father looked up from the paper roll and looked Atlas right in his eyes. With an encouraging nod, he turned away and made his way through the crowd to his chair.

There was no time to lose. Atlas pulled the shoes from his feet and ran into the water. The water was colder than expected since the air has been warm lately. Atlas eyes looked around for any clues. He had hardly any control over them. It was no use. There was nothing he could concentrate on besides one thing. He was scared, so very scared, not about losing this challenge and living a normal live, no. He was scared to disappoint his father if he did. Waves were punching him in the face when he suddenly realised that he had been much further away from the beach than he originally thought. The people were waving and shouting at him but the wind blew the words away. The only noises around him were the waves and wind and his own breathing.

Every time he turned around the people got smaller and smaller when finally all of them mashed together into one dark mass. He didn’t see his father anymore, Tirrick was nowhere either and Atlas’ heart started to beat faster. He was no stranger to the sea but this was a complete new situation. He had to start somewhere, so the young man filled his lungs with air and dove as deep as he could. With his eyes wide open he looked around but soon enough he had to surface again. He tried again. Underwater he hectically shook his head left and right, trying to make out anything in this dark world but it was no use. His lips tasted of salt and disappointment. There had to be some way to do it, he was certain. His father would have never challenged him if it was impossible. A hint was hidden somewhere and Atlas had to find it. But there was none.

Sol would soon set and Atlas didn’t even find the pearl yet, let alone retrieved it from the bottom. Just as he was about to give up a warm shimmering light flew around his face.

“Obake. I am lost. I have no idea how to find this pearl and I’m running out of time. I hate this.” Atlas said with anger in his voice, throwing his fist on the surface. Water shot in the air and shimmered in his little friends light. Just for a second he thought he saw a ship in the distance.

His special friend hugged his face with its warm aura and all doubt seemed to vanish.

“You are right. I know I can do it.”

Atlas closed his eyes and trusted in himself and his abilities. There haven’t been any foretelling daydreams so far but it was definitely worth a try.

A light appeared in front of his closed eyes, transforming into a little arrow that shot about 80° to his right. With his eyes shut he followed the light he saw in his vision until it started pointing down. He was sure he was there.

Again he filled his lungs with air and dove down. As soon as his ears were underwater he heard a pleasing high pitched sound. He was close. So close.

He dove again and again, being teased by the sound every time he was under the surface when suddenly he saw a dim light shining from the bottom of the ocean. It was way too deep down for Atlas to dive there so how was he supposed to reach it?

Another try and another failure. With burning eyes he searched the sky for Sol and as he dreaded he was close to the horizon. If he wanted to win this, he had to get the Seapearl soon. No, not soon, now.

He closed his eyes and focused all the energy he had left in him and dove down. The light was there still and it was shining brighter and brighter. Atlas was sure he could make it this time when suddenly the pressure on his lungs was too much and he panted for air. In vain. Just as he was about to give up Obake’s warm light surrounded him and his lungs filled with air again. It was impossible but his unusual friend made it possible for him. His stretched right hand clung to the source of light and Atlas pushed himself up from the ground.

A warm breeze blew over the young mans naked chest and the wide sea in front of him. He made it back to the beach just in time. Sol set and the red light embraced the crowd, Tirrick, Atlas and his father. Tirrick rose his voice and proclaimed: “By the power vested in me by Sol, Luna and His Majesty the Ruler of the East, I pronounce you, Atlas, the new Ruler of the East and Bearer of the Seapearl!”

15: Laputa 3

She couldn’t possibly believe her eyes when the creature landed in front of her. Then again it made more sense than it should. She was just so confused and angry at herself that her eyes had tricked her earlier. The werewolf Firo had seen all this time had never been real and Laputa got to so for herself now. An older man stood in front of her, he had a scruffy black beard with red patches in it. His eyes looked angry and his forehead was wrinkled. To keep him warm he wore a wolf skin over his head and hanging down from his back. Small wonder he got mistaken for a wolf himself.
“You won’t tell anyone you’ve seen me or this will have consequences.” He said, revealing his dirty teeth, before he stepped back and jumped over the fence. He vanished in the pinewoods shortly after.
Laputa fell to her knees, wetting the trousers she was wearing. Her eyes were fixed on the doors of the building when the young woman heard a voice shouting.
“Are you alright?” It said. “I brought everything I could, just as you said, but my brother noticed so I had to make up a story first.”
“Firo.” Laputa replied. “Let’s get inside and eat.”
Sol was setting by the time they ate up and walked out of the grey stone building.
“You have my thanks boy, I will keep the rest with me. Jareq will want to eat something eventually as well.” Laputa said to the boy walking next to her. The fresh snow was crunching underneath their feet.
“Wait. You said you wanted to help me! What about the werewolf?” Firo responded upset. “You have to proof that I wasn’t lying! Please.”
It could be so easy. All she had to do was tell him that there was no wolf, pick up Jareq at the inn and be on her way. Why couldn’t she do it though? There was something about the boy that held her back. Finally she decided to keep the story going. For both their sakes.
“I forgot to tell you! Just before you found me I was attacked by the werewolf. Luckily it got scared away by your shouting and that’s why I was kneeing in the snow as well.” She couldn’t look at him while she was telling the story so her eyes met with all the buildings, people and dogs around her on the way back through town.
“That’s crazy! We have to find it then! I know exactly where to start, last time…” As Firo kept talking his words lost significance for Laputa. She felt someone following them and spotted shadows in the corner of her eyes from time to time. They were closer than she would have liked and the inn was still some streets away. Suddenly a howling noise came from somewhere she couldn’t make out.
“Oh no, the werewolf is here! I wanted to find him but not like that.” The young boy cried.
Laputa shook her head left, right and left again, trying to make out the position the howling came from. Sure enough she saw him standing on of the buildings and just as she spotted him he jumped down into an alley. There was no time to lose, so she grabbed Firo under his arms, then changed it to one hand on his back and one around his shoulders to comfortably carry him.
“Wait, what are you doing?” He complained.
Without answering Laputa ran through the streets, looking for a safe place to stay. He was after her and she knew that that man was seriously angry at her. She didn’t tell anyone so why was he doing this, she thought.
Snow was still falling when they made it to a building that Laputa hadn’t seen in years. Laputa put Firo down.
“Sol already set, my mother is going to be so angry at me! I have to go home now! Please.” He said, sobbing.
“I’m sorry I had to take you here but think about it Firo. If I get you home now, the werewolf will definitely attack us on our way there and then we’re done. It’s safer to stay here for the night and wait until tomorrow before I get you home. Your mother will understand when I explain it to her.”
Judging by his facial expression the young boy seemed to have understood what she was on about. It wasn’t exactly a lie but not the whole truth either.
“Where are we anyway?” The boy asked. “I’ve never been here before.”
The building Laputa brought them to was an old one. Big in structure and not used in at least a year as it seemed.
“This is the school I used to go to.”
Everything was covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs that had frozen over. The windows were covered in ice as well and it was freezing cold there. It was too dangerous to make a fire but at least the snow was kept outside. The dozen classrooms were empty for the most part, some had cupboards in them and another one still had a blackboard. Firo was curiously examining the cupboards as Laputa got lost in her nostalgia.
“Look what I found in one of the drawers!” Firo approached her with a stack of blankets that had an old fashioned pattern on them.
“Great, this will do for the night.” Laputa told him with the warmest smile she could manage at the time. Firo was grinning proudly. Both of them got ready to sleep soon, pressing their backs against each other to keep warm. Her thoughts were with Jareq. She desperately hoped he was alright.
Sol had been up for far too long when Laputa opened her grey eyes and ruffled through her short hair. She turned her head to see if Firo had been alright but to her surprise there was no one lying next to her. Her stomach shrivelled and a voice inside her said “They got him”.
“Oh you’re awake” Firo said, entering the room. Her heavy heard dropped.
“Yes.” She replied. “Let’s get you home. Where was that again?”
“Really?” He said happily. “The inn is on our way so if you want we can stop there. Checking on your friend I mean.”
Only a handful of people made their way through the streets just as they were the day before and dogs were walking next to each of them. It didn’t snow that day but the white mass was still everywhere on the ground. A lot of it was yellow thanks to Hunding’s four-legged inhabitants.
As soon as Laputa saw the inn she walked at a faster pace. If Firo hadn’t been slacking behind she wouldn’t even have noticed. The inn showed an unfamiliar scene: No one was inside despite the fire burning, not even Theo was standing behind the corner.
“Would you look at that?” An ugly voice said behind her. “It’s the cunt from Balnibarbi. There’s someone who wants to see you.” He said, playing with a shining new knife in his hands.

16: Thera 5

“You don’t have to be afraid, I am no foe.” The voice seemed honest and Thera was glad seeing another human after all this time even though his face was hidden behind a dirty hood that once had a clean white colour. “I saw you using strange powers just now. Let’s make a deal, I give you shelter for the night and you tell me about those abilities of yours over a warm dinner.”

There wasn’t much Thera could tell him but maybe she could get some clues about the whereabouts of Jareq and that woman called Laputa. The young woman felt how tired she was despite Sol still being in the air. It felt like this day would never end.

“I accept.”

After Thera pulled her bag out of the mud, the two of them made their way to the back of the stony structure she saw earlier. It was indeed just a big flat stone structure but hidden on the backside of it was an entrance that led them underneath.

A strange odour greeted her the second she stepped into the little room. Both of them could stand easily down there but that was about it. There wasn’t much space for anything else and Thera started feeling uneasy. The foreigner let out a deep sigh as he sat down in a chair that was fabricated from straw and reed.

“I would offer you a seat as well but unfortunately there’s only the floor for you. I’m sure your young bones won’t mind.” As he was speaking Thera looked around the room and spotted strange markings on the walls. Opposite of the steps they came down from there was a single torch that was so burnt down that it was merely glowing. The faint light only allowed her to see the figure of the man sitting across from her.

“I thought you wanted to offer me a warm dinner?” she asked curiously without leaving him out of her eyesight.

“Ah yes, I will get to that.” The man rose from his chair and ascended the stairs.

Thera still felt off and like this whole place was sucking energy out of her. The young woman decided to inspect the room until the man was back and get any information she could.

Every corner of the small room was hidden in darkness and Thera could barely make out her own fingers in the dark. One corner had a stack of books but when Thera opened them there was nothing but a long list of names in them. None of these names seemed familiar so she put the books back and turned to the next corner. Just as she was about to explore what the darkness had hidden from her a hand grabbed her shoulder and Thera turned around hastily.

“I see you are of the curious kind. I promise you, you will find out what I gather down here soon enough. Now sit and eat. We had an arrangement.” Sure enough there was a steaming roasted animal on a plate in his other hand. The young woman couldn’t make out what it was but what did stand out was that it lacked any kind of scent.

She was indeed hungry and the roasted meat looked a lot more appetising than the vegetables and bread she got from the spiders so she ripped off a leg of the roast and began telling him about her bracelet.

“When I was 14 years old my father came back from an expedition to the Cross-Island in the very west of Soluna. Legends told the story of an artefact that brought great power to the right person, and my father, being the great explorer he is, managed to find this artefact after complicated challenges he never elaborated on. As it turned out this mysterious object was the emerald coloured gem that is now placed in the bracelet I am wearing today. Ever since he brought it back home I felt a longing sensation, almost as if the gem was an extension of my own soul so I begged my father to give it to me. Since no one was able to activate any powers with the artefact my father agreed and had a friend of our family craft the bracelet to hold it. That’s when the strange things started happening. Friends would get terribly sick, fires started eating houses, crops would wither, cows stopped giving milk, and a lot more things. It was as if the treasure was terrorising our home and father wanted me to throw it away. I did not. One day father had to go to Hohle by the Mountain for a new expedition he had to lead and as a birthday gift he took my little brother Jareq with him. Strangely enough when Jareq wasn’t around the tragedies stopped. My mother said it was mere coincidence but the people of our hometown did not agree. Instead of blaming the gem they started talking about Jareq and how it must have been all his fault. A few days later when my father came back with Jareq I was hoping so much that it all ended but it didn’t. The day he came back more tragedies and misfortunes started happening. The people got into my father’s head until he believed their words and told me that Jareq must have been sick. He sent for healers and magicians and everyone he knew to free my brother from whatever curse he must have had but it was all in vain. Not too long after this the greatest tragedy of all hit us hard. My mother died without any sign of sickness and left us behind. Jareq felt terrible and blamed himself for what happened and so did father. He wanted to send Jareq off to my uncle Kelbrik, to live the rest of his life in Oowin Dark but I had to do something about that. I told father that Jareq was innocent and that deep down I knew that my artefact was what triggered these events. With a heavy heart I decided to leave everything behind. I told my father that I was going on a journey to find a cure for Jareq but secretly I only wanted to be as far away from him as possible. As I suspected the gem had a very negative effect on my little brother but I was certain that there was a way to use it for good purpose. On my two years of journey all over Soluna I came across a lot of things that claimed to heal my brother but every time I got back to him, bad things started happening again. The latest object I got my hands on was an egg that’s said to be from a creature that lived 1100 ago here on Soluna. When I went back home to present it to Jareq I found out that he wasn’t there anymore. He was kidnapped. With the help of this gem I need to find him and rescue him. I found out that it truly has mystical powers and I was even able to activate a few of them since then. One of them was pausing time but I only managed to successfully do that twice. Earlier today I was witness of a second power. As you saw for yourself I was able to move the mud and burry the snake underneath it. I have no real control over these powers and they don’t seem to work all the time but what I do know is, that ever since the earthquake happened yesterday I feel much more connected to the gem. If I ever was that certain person to activate the true powers of the artefact this would be the time.” With every word she spoke she got more tired for some reason. Her fingers were sticky from the juices of the roast she just finished and her eyes grew very heavy.

“Thank you for that tale. I’m sure I can make use of it. Now sleep tight. I have something … with…” The words faded away as the young woman fell asleep.

 

 

 

17: Cole 4

Sol was slowly vanishing from the sky and Cole was still alone in his sailing boat called Seraphina. He shouted Ambers name again and again after she had vanished so suddenly but without any luck. She was nowhere in sight and Cole was helpless. Panic took over and the man began shaking as he realised what had happened. The sail was still up and the extraordinary strong wind was probably taking him further away from his sister with each minute. He would have appreciated it any other time but this. Cole was losing any strength he had left in him and fell to his knees.
“Amber.” He whispered her name carefully as if it would take her away once more if he said it too loudly. “I’m so sorry.”
He couldn’t possibly sleep in this situation so all he did was sit down, stare at the place Amber had been sitting in and blame himself for what had happened. He stopped paying attention to where the ship was going or anything else that could have happened around him. It was his idea after all and he could have sworn that he saw dislike in his sister’s dark eyes when he told her about this place. She never understood his liking for the sea so it was only natural. What was he thinking? He was no sailor just because he put some materials together and called it a ship. It was his fault.
The sky was dark and all of Sol’s light had been drowned when Cole was freed from his thoughts by the repetitive knocking sound Seraphina made as she was pushed against rocks by the hard waves of the ocean. Cole blinked a few times to adjust his sight before he decided to check on the direction the noise was coming from. It was hard to tell since night had fallen but sure enough his boat led him to an island. It was just as his dream showed him again and again and had it been any other day he could even feel excited about it.
As far as Cole could see there were only rocks and definitely no green fields or trees but the darkness was hiding a lot. One thing he knew was that it was way too dangerous to go explore a newly discovered island by night. Especially for someone like him, so he decided to force some bites of melon down his throat, pull in the sail, throw weights into the water and wait on his boat for Sol to rise. Ever since the increase of heat and the terrible earthquake, nights grew shorter so he was sure it wouldn’t take too long before the first rays of light would greet him. His eyes felt heavy, the melon tasted old and dry, and all Cole wanted was to be reunited with his sister. He fell into an unpleasant sleep that bothered him with nightmares in which he never got to see his sister again.
Cole was in no great condition when he woke up. Judging by Sol being barely in the sky, the man knew he could not have slept more than two or three hours. It was not much and definitely not enough but he was glad he was freed of the nightmares at least. That was until he realised that the nightmare continued even after he woke up.
With Sol’s help the young man was able to make out his surroundings and just as he expected there were no trees in sight. The boat drifted away a bit although he made sure to throw out the weights last night. They weren’t nearly heavy enough to keep it in place. Rocks and boulders were everything the island had to offer so Cole pulled in the weights and decided to paddle around the coast for a while. Fortunately it didn’t take him too long to find a beach with tons of small stones where he could go on land. If he wanted to survive he had to find a source of clean water and food but all that was on his mind was Amber. Was it possible she made it here somehow? It made hardly any sense but there sure had been miracles.
About two or three meters away from the beach, where the water was knee-deep, Cole jumped out of the boat and into the water. The little stones underneath his feet made noise when he dragged Seraphina to the rocky island. He had to make sure it was far enough for the tight to not drag her back into the water.
Cole felt weak but that came without wonder. He hadn’t eaten and his sister’s disappearance made it even worse. Still he had to keep going. As the man was looking around, he discovered high sandy hills behind the rocky beach that blocked his view of the rest of the island so his first goal was to climb those and make himself familiar with his surroundings. The ascend was definitely no easy task as the sand and stones kept falling down as he was stepping on them but Cole kept pressing on. It was the island of his dreams after all. Sure there were no trees or grassy fields yet, but his way to the island was exactly as he dreamt it all these years. For some strange reason Cole knew that he was meant to be on this island. He knew that his dreams had a reason and he was about to find out whatever that reason was.
He hurried up the last steps that parted him from whatever there was on this island and when he finally reached the hilltop he did not know how to feel. It was a bare land. There were no grassy fields to be found and the ring of trees was nowhere in sight either. In the distance there was a single tree but its crown was aflame and Cole blamed Sol and the high temperatures for that. Everything was bone dry and nothing could live in this place. Being here made Cole realise how small the island really was since he could already see the sea in the far distance behind the burning tree.
It was no use. All hope was lost when Cole was faced with what his dream island really was: A land of death. The moment Cole decided to turn around and make his way back to Seraphina he was stopped by what appeared to be whispers in a deep voice that the wind was blowing around his ears. He wasn’t sure what they were saying but sure enough someone was speaking. Since the only thing he saw was the ominous tree, he decided to approach it in order to find the source of the words.
It was no tall tree and, judging by the first view of it, no special one either. It was about double the size of Cole with an almost black trunk that had a big knothole in it and, as he had noticed earlier, a burning crown.
“Hello?” Cole shouted through his hands that he placed around its mouth with the hope it would reach the person better. There was no answer. He hated to admit it but he had hoped that this person could have information about Amber’s whereabouts. There was no way of finding out now, he thought.
“What if I told you, I could help you finding your sister?” A deep voice was talking to him. Cole was certain that it was the same one he had been hearing before.
“Who said that?” He answered, turning his head.
“Come closer and I will help you.” It made no sense but the voice was definitely coming from within the tree itself.
Cole was looking directly into the flames that were eating on the branches of the tree. That’s when he noticed that the burning wood emitted no sound, smell or heat. The fire felt cold yet hypnotising and the man felt the urge to get as close to the tree as possible.
“I want you to help me.” He said in a tired voice, his eyes still fixed on the burning branches.
“So be it.” As the words reached Cole’s ears the burning branches were transformed into pitch-black snakes that looked at him with burning red eyes. One of the branches had transformed into a slightly bigger snake that not only had two red eyes but also a beautiful fire-red gemstone placed on its head.
“Come be with me and you will feel better.” The voice was saying. The knothole grew in size and revealed a menacing fire that burned on Cole’s dark skin as he was walking right into it.

18: Jareq 4

It had barely been an hour since Laputa left with the boy called Firo but Jareq was bored already. The inn was an uneventful place he found as he was sitting on a bench next to some bookshelves. His hazel eyes wandered around the room for anything that was remotely interesting but the best thing about this place were definitely the dogs. People were sitting around the fire at the other side of the room and their four legged companions were with them. One of the dogs kept looking at Jareq for some reason and the boy starred back. It had an odd look to it: It had barely any fur left and the boy assumed it was in a fight before. He could still tell that it must have been playing in a puddle not too long ago, since water was dripping down from its small brown body. The dog didn’t bark or seem angry at all but Jareq knew not to mess with it. It almost seemed to be protected by something. Another dog, a lot bigger than the first one was running around, playing with its tale. It had black fur and dark, almost black, eyes. This one was trying to get the attention of the first one but it was in vain. The small dog paid only attention to Jareq.

“He’s calm you know.” A voice suddenly said. Jareq looked up and noticed that the owner of the dog was talking to him. He was sitting in a padded chair, crossing his arms and keeping a stern face almost like a king.

“Why does he not bark at strangers like other dogs do?” Jareq asked curiously.

“He never was like that. Ever since he was born. Always observing things, he’s real smart. Sometimes he knows things before I do, that’s weird I tell you.” He laughed.

“Is there a reason why he doesn’t have any fur?”

“I used to let him have it but for some reason it made him nervous. He kept biting his own paws and legs, trying to rip it out, so I cut it for him.”

Then the door opened and a woman entered the inn. With her was a dog that looked almost exactly like the black furred one but it was a bit bigger even.

“Good day to you Theo.” She told the man behind the counter before she sat down next to the fireplace. Her dog stayed at her side the whole time. It almost seemed like he was scared of every person in the inn.

“Welcome back Sera, it is good seeing you.” The man Jareq was talking to said.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on Amalia while I was away.” She responded.

With that the dog she brought with her started wagging its tail and ran to the one that looked so much like it. The two dogs welcomed each other and played for a while until they settled down and started licking each other. Jareq decided that these two dogs must have been apart for some time and missed each other dearly. They were happy to be reunited.

“Oh it seems like Corbin missed his sister a lot.” The man said.

“He sure did but I think it was a good experience for him to be alone for some time. They were never separated after all.” She answered. “Hey who’s your little friend?” The woman asked, looking at Jareq.

“Atkin didn’t stop looking at him that’s how we started talking. Oh I forgot to ask your name young man.”

“I’m Jareq.” He said with a smile.

“My name is Sera as you might have heard and this is my friend Titus. Sol is setting outside, how about we grab something to eat together and you tell us a bit about yourself Jareq. Of course only if our dogs don’t bother you.” The lady offered him.

“That’s really nice of you but I don’t have any coin with me to pay you back. Also my friend is going to pick me up later so I think I’ll just wait here.”

“The inn offers a meal that isn’t too bad. That way you wouldn’t have to pay us anything and your friend could still find you here. Sounds like a deal?” Titus said as he petted the dogs.

Jareq thought for a moment. Laputa had been out for a while and by eating here he wouldn’t break any promises. He could eat with these nice people and come back right after.

“Yes but I want to leave a message in case I do miss her.”

Titus and Sera rose from their chairs and together with their dogs they walked to a staircase that led up to a second floor.

“We will wait upstairs for you. There’s food at the end of the hall, make sure to get there once you left your message with Theo at the counter.” Sera said as they were walking up the stairs. It made a ton of noise but that was no surprise to him. They were accompanied by three dogs after all.

“Hello? Theo?” He addressed the small man behind the counter.

“I’m really…. sorry the room is still too…. I mean it is still 10 coppers.”

“Oh that’s not why I’m here thank you. Would you be so kind to deliver a message to my friend if she asks for me?” He asked as polite as possible.

“That’s actually not… I mean… I could probably do that. What should I…”

“Oh it’s enough if you let me write something down and just give it to her directly.” He interrupted Theo.

“I’m surprised… You can write?” He said as he was searching for a piece of paper.

“Yes. I was taught.” The boy answered as Theo handed him a piece of paper and writing tools. When he finished writing the message he thanked the man behind the counter again and made its way to the end of the corridor on the second floor.

Sera and Titus were sitting at a table at the very end of the room. Other people were around sharing their food and stories. The room smelled like fresh bread.

“Jareq! Over here.” Sera called out, waving her hand.

As he approached the table he found that his new friends prepared a plate for him already. There was the bread he was smelling earlier, a glass of milk and some dried meat. Jareq froze for a second. It was the exact same meal he got in Balnibarbi the day Laputa freed him. Suddenly Sera was standing next to him, lightly touching his shoulder.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Oh it’s nothing. I just don’t like eating meat too much.” He answered, trying to laugh it off.

“I see. Well I bet the dogs will be happy if you feed them what you don’t like.” This time Jareq smiled genuinely.

The boy sat down and took some bites from the bread, shared his meat with the dogs and told Titus and Sera about what he had been up to. Of course he left the part about the glowing gem and Sol’s weird affection for him out.

“You sure have been through a lot. I hope you can find your sister with the help of your friend. She seems like someone you should hold onto.” Sera said after Jareq finished his story. “I have to excuse myself.” She said, and left the table. Corbin followed her.

“Look if you ever need help of a strong man, I’m happy to do whatever you need. I can’t stand people who use kids like this.” Titus said when the two of them were alone.

Sera returned to the table shortly after with a bowl full of carrots and turnips, and placed it in front of Jareq.

“Since your friend isn’t here yet, I offer you to stay the night in our room. There’s plenty of space for you, I promise. But before that, eat up. I got them just for you.” Sera said with a warm smile.

As Jareq was laying in the rented room with his new companions he thought about his friend. Something must have happened he thought but he was sure that she would be alright. Laputa knew how to handle things. His eyes closed and the last thing he remembered hearing were the dogs and Titus loud breathing.

The night was short as it had been the last few days and there was still no sign of Laputa when he woke. It was suspiciously silent as he walked around the inn. As he got to the staircase that led down to the entry room he saw Theo lighting the fire. His dog was sitting next to the wooden counter, tilting his head.

Jareq decided to head back to his room but just as he turned around he heard Theo shouting from downstairs. Jareq’s heart started pounding. He couldn’t move for a moment but his hands started shaking.

With a heavy blow the door opened and Jareq couldn’t believe his eyes. Laputa was standing in the doorway as an icy wind blew around her feet. Suddenly a threatening figure appeared behind her.

“Would you look at that? It’s the cunt from Balnibarbi. There’s someone who wants to see you.” He said with a knife in his hand.

Jareq could identify Victor’s voice anywhere. He was still frozen in place and as he opened his mouth to shout for his friend no words came out.

19: Atlas 3

Atlas’ hands were shaking as he was standing among his friends on top of The Mountain. One of them gently placed a wooden staff on his shoulder and spoke with a calming voice. Others joined in and explained how he himself told them that this was what they were meant to be. Luna was high up in the sky and all five of them were ready to save Soluna and its people. Suddenly lightning struck and Atlas found himself back in his chambers.

“You have been dreaming again?” Tirrick said with a concerning look on their face that just as quickly as the lightning changed to a shocked one. “I beg your pardon. I’m not allowed to speak to you like that Your Majesty.”

The young man laughed. “You are my friend Tirrick. There’s no need to address me like that when we are alone.” He paused for a moment, then thought about his dream. “Yes, it was a dream again. I was in it this time and I am sure this one will come true sooner than later.”

“I suggest you get dressed, your father is waiting for you in his chambers. He says he wants to congratulate you with a present before we march to Atarashi later today.”

Atlas rose from his bed and changed his clothes as quickly as possible. A present was something unusual. It was not that his father lacked affection but quite the contrary. He always told Atlas that just because his family had enough money didn’t mean that they could waste it on small insignificant things. His father used his money to help out the people of the East as much as possible.

The room Atlas was heading to, was at the other end of the big hall Tirrick was accompanying him through. Just like every other morning it smelled of freshly picked flowers that lined the halls. A custom that was no longer necessary but his father kept it up anyway in order to remember better times. The hall the two of them were walking through was a big room with multiple floors that were connected with staircases. Every staircase had sapphire coloured carpets that matched the silver stair-rails perfectly. After walking 27 steps down and another 28 up on the other side of the room they finally reached the red door that led to his father’s chamber. Tirrick knocked on it three times before they spoke.

“Pardon to trouble you Your Majesty but your son is here to see you.” With that they opened the door and entered the room that was once home of two.

The former Ruler of the East sat at his writing table and looked up after thanking Tirrick for their service.

“Please be so kind and wait outside.” He said with his warm voice. “Take a seat my son.”

“Firstly I want to congratulate you on your successful test yesterday, I didn’t think it to be appropriate to disturb you last night, considering how exhausted you were. I am beyond surprised that you were able to retrieve the Seapearl just like that without any help. You must know it was intended you took one of the fishing nets from the beach with you and retrieve the treasure that way but you sure are a great swimmer son. Anyhow I am proud to proclaim you my rightful heir.” His face lit up as he was saying these last words. “As Tirrick has told you, I have a present for you.” With that he left the desk and walked to the other side of the room. Next to his enormous bed on the dressing table that once belonged to his mother there was a wooden box that was dyed in a deep blue colour. With the turn of a small key he opened the mysterious box and walked back to Atlas, hiding what he took out of it.

“You might know it already and I’m sure you will definitely like it but in all honesty I haven’t known anyone who was more worth of having it than you.” With a revealing hand movement he presented Atlas the very pearl he had in his own hands not too long ago.

“The Seapearl.” The young man said to himself.

It was not just the pearl itself. With it came a crown-like attire that enchased the deep blue pearl right in the centre of it.

“I will honour it until I will give it to my own heir.”

“The time has come for Tabiji, our tradition of walking back from Furui to Atarashi. Please get dressed properly for travel and meet me at the entrance in an hour.”

Back in his chambers Atlas walked to his armoire and grabbed a dark blue tunic that he wore over a simple mustard coloured shirt. On top of the tunic he decided to wear a few colourful ornaments that showed his status. His wrists were covered with leather bracelets that complimented the waistbelt of similar colour he was wearing. The dark blue tunic reached all the way down to his ankles where they just met the top of his leather boots. Atlas was about to leave when he noticed that he was wearing the exact same clothes he saw in his dreams last night. Except for one thing. He grabbed his Seapearl-attire and crowned his naked head with it. He wouldn’t return home until after his adventure, he knew that now.

Tirrick and his father were waiting just outside of the residence they were staying at. Everyone had been waiting for him it seemed. Atlas blushed and apologised before their whole household started marching west.

The march wasn’t too bad, East Soluna was a beautiful part of the continent. Icy fields and snow covered hills were beautiful to look at but ever since the days grew longer the temperatures went higher and higher and not too long into their march they were walking on mud.

“It wasn’t like that when we came here was it?” Tirrick asked in a concerning voice.

“No it definitely wasn’t.” Atlas father answered. “Something is wrong with Sol and if we don’t find out what it is soon I am afraid this will have even worse consequences.”

People that were walking behind them started talking about it as well and soon they started damning Sol. Atlas didn’t know what exactly happened, all he knew was that the girl in green, her brother, the man with the staff, the woman from the north and himself had to take care of it.

About three or four hours into their march Atlas started feeling lonely between all these people. He was their majesty now and no one would play with him anymore. Except for one. Colourful lights were dancing around the young man and a smile grew on his face.

“I knew you wouldn’t leave me.” He said a bit too loud. It didn’t matter, everyone around him was still invested in their conversation and didn’t pay too much attention to him anyway.

Suddenly a loud voice startled him. “His former Majesty wishes to take a small rest, we will press on in half an hour.” Tirrick’s voice was piercing through everyone’s conversation.

The area they decided to stay in was a field with muddy ground and big icy rocks surrounding them. They would soon melt but for the time being they were solid. Still happy about the arrival of his magical friend, Atlas excused himself to play.

“Don’t stray too far, we will press on soon.” His father replied.

Thirty minutes was plenty of time for him and Obake to play a bit and forget all his duties for a short time. Due to their maze-like structure Atlas decided to play hide and seek with his friend.

“Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Here I come Obake!” He shouted without caring what the others might think about it. Fortunately his magical friend was easy to find since his colourful lights gave away any position he was in if you paid just enough attention.

“Found you!” He exclaimed and ran to his friend who was floating over a half frozen puddle.

Atlas closed his eyes and appreciated the moment. He felt truly happy around Obake even if he didn’t exactly know where he came from.

“Your Majesty there you are. Everyone was looking for you, I’m here to… Oh in the name of Soluna what is going on here?” A female voice was shrieking from not too far away.

When Atlas opened his eyes again he realised that drops of water were dancing around him in a beautiful light.