Elara is apart of a group known as Etorus. They work directly under the Queen of their solar system, Myōkh, where certain people are gifted with talents relating to the planet they were born on.
In the capitol, Solaris, Etorus is informed that there...
Our time at The palace seemed to only speed up the longer Etorus was there. Before I knew it, the Solaris ball was within a day or two. I started to see palace staff work to hang decorations and turn the ballroom into something even grander than it already was.
Ever since that night, Astor and I had been waking up in each other's beds. He claimed that mine had a better view than his, but I'd like to think that he preferred mine because of who it belonged to.
Although I expected everything to become more awkward and complicated that it already was, there was a weird comfort that came from knowing that I wouldn't have to sleep alone each night. I held onto the fact that I didn't have to hide anything from Astor, at night when I was with him I could truly be relaxed and vulnerable.
I knew that Dakel had caught on. He was way too sharp to not notice. A couple of days after getting back from Kås he had pulled me aside and asked me if anything was different between Astor and I, already knowing the answer.
"What do you think?" I was sarcastically challenged.
Dakel held his hands up in mock surrender. "Nothing against it I promise, just want to warn you not to take it as anything more."
I couldn't help but get a little bit defensive. "He was the one who came to me."
I don't know why I was telling Dakel so much, maybe it was because like him, I already knew what he was going to say.
"It's just..." he started.
"You look too much like her."
I quickly looked away, unsure of what reaction I was going to have on my face and not wanting him to see it.
"Look, I know that she was important to all of you. And I also know that I ended up filling whatever role she had before she left." I saw Dakel open his mouth to object.
"I accepted that a long time ago, don't worry. But I've spent my entire life with Etorus to distance myself from Ophel. And although grief is hard to overcome, I don't think I should be punished just because of that." I didn't know if those were the right words to say, or the right way to say them, but that was all that I had to offer at the moment.
"I know, and hopefully I'm wrong. I really do."
I let out a chuckle. "Oh Dakel, when did you become so wise and smart?"
He laughed along with me. "What do you mean? I've always been like this."
The others were still oblivious, or at least, acting like they were. Nyla was busy in the medical unit, I rarely saw her in the palace walls save for the occasional 'goodnight before retreating into our rooms.
At the ball Etorus would be acting as Queen Corsica's personal security, so I would have a chance to talk to her then.
I saw Emil even less than Nyla, which sucked since they were the best kind of company to have when Etorus was in between our trips to other planets. Usually, Emil and I would spend our time reading the library, or sparring against each other and the other guards in the training rooms.
It was early in the morning. I had woken up first and decided to leave Astor in my bed, still asleep.
I had quietly changed into some flexible clothes and was on my way to a training room. In the morning, since most of the people in the palace that were in need of protection were asleep, the guard was a lot more lax and carefree, and I could usually convince one of them that maybe, just maybe, they could beat me one-on-one.
The moment I opened the double doors that lead to the training room, I frowned. There was no one inside, not a single soul.
I couldn't help but groan out loud. I dragged my feet to the bulletin board to see a message calling to all I stationed guards to meet mandatory drills.
I let out a massive sigh, going to grab my meteor hammer to start warming up. It was starting to look like a solo practice this morning.
I started off easy, going through the movements that I had mastered when I was 7.
I made sure to be fluid in the movements, going slowly to let my eyes fully follow that hammer at the end of the cord.
Once I had fallen in the silent rhythm, I started to do the one thing that had gotten me into Etorus, I used my talent at the end of the weapon, infusing the meteor hammer in the dark swirl that I had come to call my own.
When I was fighting, I was Elara of Etorus, a group meant to protect the will of the monarchy. But right here and now, It was just me and my trusty magic.
People don't like to call it magic, because that's exactly what it is,
Magic.
Call it what you want, but the planets gave certain people gifts, and those gift cannot be explained by the old sciences, which is probably why they are old.
I remember hearing from my Mother the legends of the old Earth, and how our ancestors destroyed a once lush planet that now looks like Kås.
"Why didn't they stay on Earth?" I could feel the curiosity of being a child bubble up inside.
"Because that's what we Humans do." My Mother started.
"Once we have no use for something, we throw it away."
When Earth had died, we did nothing to revive it. Instead we looked to the stars to find a new home, which we did.
Eight, in fact. Each new terraformed planet had something different to offer. It wasn't until the first ruler, King Plath worked with our ancestors to create our own solar system, just the way they wanted it.
By creating our own Sun or sorts, the Myokh Solar System was born. And that's how it's been ever since.
About a hundred years after the creation of Myokh, the people of the system started to notice something different about our genetics, something cosmic.
It allowed some of us to connect with our home planet on a different level, similar to a large tree on Graeme, how the roots grow to connect deeper beneath the planet. That was what Humans had become now, a large invisible system that is able to use the planet and channel it through to themselves.
At first we tried to reason with old science, but found very quickly that we actually knew nothing. As if Humans traveling hundreds of thousands of light years in space was not enough to get through to our thick skulls that we really had no idea.
"Hey, mind if I join?" I recognized the voice instantly, it belonged to the person that I left in my bed this morning.
Turning while still maintaining the now shadowy hammer, I spotted Astor leaning against the door frame, like he had been watching far longer than when I noticed his presence.
He wore similar black clothing to mine, and had his signature twin thin blades attached to a combat belt on his hips.
"I'm not sure you'll be able to keep up." I smirked as I quickened the movements, passing through each rotation near-flawlessly.
"So quick to speak, yet it bites you in the ass every time." Astor finished his sentence in a split second, drawing one blade and working it around, testing the weight like he hasn't got a day without the swords since he was young.
I narrowed my eyes, finally something I could sink my teeth into and chew on.
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🌠 Author's Note 🌠: A little more background on the crazy world that this story takes place in, let me know if it was all just way too confusing. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!!
