Relics of Aether - Homebound (Sample)

Prologue

A pair of young lovers sit on a beach, pondering what the future has in store for them as they listen to the waves washing up and down the shoreline. The man is a human, tall and lean, covered with scars that remained from his troubled past. His face rested in a stoic manner, juxtaposed by the cheery disposition of the women whom he had fallen for, one who appeared mostly human, but had traits giving of an aquatic- humanoids who spend most of their time living underwater. She had blue fins where humans would typically have ears, along with one centered on her upper back and on each of her forearms. Her mouth was lined with sharp, shark-like teeth, and she had gill structures lining her ribcage and the sides of her neck. Through their many trials and tribulations, they found themselves disregarding their differences and promised to be forever faithful to one another.

As they watched the sky slowly fill with the twinkling of stars, they agreed that this was the location where they would finally build their home, after what had felt like ages of searching for where they could be safe. It was a small cove on the western edge of Aanveriall, one of the major continents of Astrea. It was surrounded by a rainforest of thick flora that would prevent all but the most determined access to the area, while remaining mostly free of the world's dangerous monsters. With these perfect circumstances, they set up camp in the locale, and got to work building a small cabin for them to call home. After a couple months of hard labor, they finished their small wooden home, and after years of living happily there, they had a child who they named Marina.

She had the emerald green eyes of her father, but the cheery attitude and azure hair of her mother. Marina also inherited her aquatic traits, including her fins, teeth, and the gills on her ribs and neck, which grant her water breathing capability. Her parents anticipated this outcome, dictating their decision to live away from others, away from scrutiny. A human-aquatic hybrid would be looked down upon by human society, as aquatics are classified as a type of monster. So, away from strife, the three lived peacefully on the land, receiving most of their living essentials from the forestry and ocean that surrounded them.

Marina would often spend many hours at the beach with her parents, often playing in the soft sand under their loving gazes and learning the basic principles of being in the ocean from her mother. Her father would often take her into the forest with him, teaching her about the effects of various herbs and generally educating her on how to thrive in their environment.

They lived happily like this for five years before one stormy night, where the waves were torn asunder and the mother was absent for some urgent business across the continent. That night, Marina lied in her room, trying to sleep through the commotion wrought by the thundering weather. Her father was in the kitchen, preparing the animals he had caught in the day's hunt for future meals. Despite the clamor outdoors, the sturdy construction of the cabin made it peaceful and safe inside, completely still aside from the dancing flames of lanterns that lit it.

Marina, finally beginning to fall into sleep, is startled by the noise of a hard knock on the front door. Curious, she rolled out of her bed and exited her room, walking into the main hallway, and into the living room. She planted her knees on a cushioned rocking chair and folded her arms over the back, resting her chin on her arms. Here, she had a view of the front door and her father standing before it, peering into the peephole. His typical stoic expression was quickly replaced by fear and concern as he turned his head to face Marina and stated in a horrible, grave tone:

"Run."

The door then flew open, and raging flames erupted from the doorway, quickly spreading to the wooden supports that held the house up. Marina recoiled backward, lowering herself behind the back of the chair. As the blast sought to engulf Marina's father, he used his mana to generate powerful gusts of wind from his hands, pushing the blazes away from himself. The source of the fire stepped through the burning doorway, a large, scarred man with a heavy mace propped on his right shoulder and heavy armor covering his body. His irritated scowl shifted to Marina, and he held out his free hand, using his mana to prepare another fiery blast. Paralyzed with fear, Marina watched as his hand began to glow a hellish red. As he made a slight motion with his hand and unleashed more flames, Marina's father jumped in front of her, once again redirecting the blazes with his wind magic. They flew in every direction, latching themselves to the walls and spreading further.

Three more figures stepped through what was left of the doorway, each glowing with a different element, preparing more attacks. Marina's father looked back and briefly locked eyes with her, giving a stern look while pointing at the window.

This time her body took action. After sprinting as fast as her small legs could carry her, she frantically opened the window and lifted herself through it, leaving behind the crackles of lightning magic and the heat of more fire that filled the room behind her. She fell onto the drenched ground and scrambled to get back on her feet. With heavy rain pelting her from seemingly all angles and the flashes of lightning all around, she put her head down and ran for the relative safety of the forest, leaving all she had ever known behind her.