Relics of Aether - Homebound (Sample)

Chapter 2

Most of the Manor's staff remained fast asleep. The sun still hadn't risen, so the halls remained lit only by lamplight. Marina looked up at Melody. She was more than a full head taller than Marina, standing at an average height for a woman, and had a slender, yet pretty build. She was sixteen years old, and walked exuding an air of confidence with each step.

She had to admit that she was envious of how carefree Melody seemed to be. She never doubted her actions and didn't hesitate to speak her mind. Marina, on the other hand, feared punishment for anything that she may say or do wrong in the eyes of Midas, which seemed to be just about everything at times.

The Manor remained quiet aside from the occasional footsteps of other staff members unfortunate enough to get charged with work at this hour. Just like all the other halls, the walls featured artistry more expensive than some peoples' houses. Unlike Marina, Melody never seemed to get bored of them. She would often stop and make some comments on them like "This one's cute!" or "Look at his goofy nose" When she walked with Marina through the manor. Today was an exception though, she seemed dead set on their current objective, walking at a pace that made it somewhat difficult for Marina to keep up with her short legs, but still noticeably slow enough to where she was not going too fast for her.

After a few minutes of walking through the winding hallways, they arrived at a grandiose door that marked their destination. Melody peered around to check if anybody was present, then excitedly began rummaging through her pockets for the key. When she found it, she inserted it into the keyhole, unlocking and opening the door, allowing the girls to slip inside. They made sure to shut the door behind them, leaving them in near complete darkness. To light up the area, Melody began to channel her mana through her hand, and it gave off a small, light purple glow. Sparks began to jump from her fingers and formed into a small electric ball that levitated over her hand, lighting up a dark stairway that descended into pitch black. Marina looked up nervously at Melody, who returned a reassuring smile. Together, they descended down the stairway with Melody taking the lead.

In a few moments, the stairs ended, and opened up into an expansive room. From the little bit that they could see from Melody's ball of electricity, they looked in awe at the rows of freezers filled with a wide variety of high quality foods from various parts of the world. Each one was powered by an ice mana gem that exuded cold air, keeping everything inside fresh. Other items were sorted neatly on tall shelves that went all the way up to the ceiling, requiring ladders to reach. There were foods from all over the world, and they seemed to be sorted by region. Many were unrecognizable to both Marina and Melody, most likely originating from the continent of Vryzenwelth, which was across the Lyran Ocean west of Aanveriall.

After making one round of the entire room, the girls eventually began discussing what they wanted, and Marina made the observation that they lacked any actual eating utensils.

"Oh yeah. Those ARE kinda important. Guess we're limited to something that won't make a mess then, huh?" Stated Melody thoughtfully. "Well, guess I'm grabbing one of those cupcakes from Demitare. Probably the least likely to be noticed missing anyway. What are you having?"

"Hmm. Probably a fish." Something quick should lower our chances of being caught. I don't want to risk being down here any longer.

"We don't have anything to cook it wi- oh. That's right, you like them raw. Still don't get it, but hey, I'm not one to judge." Melody took another look around. "Alright then- I think they were over here-" Melody led, holding up the ball with Marina still close behind. They arrived in the seafood section and Marina briefly scanned the freezers. One labeled "Dracopisch" caught her eye. The meat inside was cut into neat fillets, making it easy to eat without making too much of a mess. She quickly opened the freezer and was immediately blessed with the smell of fresh fish, causing her mouth to water in anticipation. Carefully, she reached both of her hands into the cold and removed a fillet from the back of the display that was around the size of both of her hands put together. As she pulled away from the freezer it closed behind her, and Melody turned to begin making her way to the baked goods area. Marina quickened her pace to catch up to her, and then sank her sharp teeth into the fillet, filling her mouth with a new flavor. It was extraordinary- better than anything Marina had ever had as far as she could remember. Fish was already her favorite thing to eat, but whatever this was had a particular tang to it that made it all the better.

"Remember to eat all of that," Melody warned. "We don't want to leave anything."

Trust me, with this, that won't be a problem. Marina thought with a mouthful of fish. After a bit of walking, they found their way to the baked goods and found the freezer that contained what Melody wanted. Inside were fairly large cupcakes that appeared to be made from some sort of chocolate with a pink icing. With glee, Melody began to scarf down cakes, one by one. After a minute or so, Marina finished her filet, fully satisfied. Melody swallowed what was probably her fifth cupcake. "Mmm, that should be enough. I haven't had anything that good in forever!" Without the fish to distract her, Marina's mind once again filled with the fear of getting caught, making her anxious.

"It was really really good, but we should get out now," Stated Marina hurriedly. "The sun might even be up by now."

"Oh, don't be so worried. We'll be fine." Said Melody, calmly arranging the remaining cupcakes to make it appear as if they were all still present. "There- now we can go. You at least have to admit that this was totally worth it."

"Yeah." Honestly, as good as the food was, I'm mostly glad that I got to spend time with her. It's not often that we can do things like this. With that, the girls quickly walked back to the stairs and ascended back up to ground level. They stopped at the door and Melody closed her hand over the ball of electricity, causing it to dissipate. They stopped and listened closely for footsteps until they were absolutely certain the coast was clear. They then opened the door slowly and peeped to once again make sure that no one was there, before slipping out and locking the door behind them. Stating their farewells, they then parted to different parts of the manor to begin their work for the day.