Branley And The Land Of Cors

Chapter 1

There was a small village on the outskirts of a forest.Well hidden. Families from all around the world descended there to find peace and prosperity many generations ago ,when they were chased off by the emperor that ascended ,due to their bloodlines and inherited skills. They did not want to be used as weapons against any kind of inhumanity thus they refused to side with the palace and so they were sent into exile by the emperor, Malik, and made a pact never to set foot near the land of Cors, "the land of the dark man" as history refers to it.

The village was most of the year covered in massive amounts of snow that from a good distance made it look like a warm blanket falling upon the mountain for everyone to rest and feel at ease under. And really for its people that is what Adelram was. It was a place filled with life even though it didn't serve as a home to more than 251 people. They weren't a lot when it came to numbers, but they surely equalled and held their ground against any army , as it was not only the bond that they all shared and sense of community that made them special. It was far more than that. They were far more than that.

"Branley!"He heard his mother's voice say. But he paid it no mind. He didn't have the energy to deal with her and his father. He had realized that the past few months he never did have it. The boy looked at himself in the nearest mirror, his jet black hair now wet from his dive in the lake water just a few minutes ago, he suspected that is what had caused his mother to call upon him. He found a damp cloth and tried to dry his hair as best he could before any of his parents reached the bathroom. The window behind him was still open and the cold breeze brought a chill to his already wet spine. His eyes flashed red and with a slight movement of his head the window closed and locked, living the room warmer. He did not want his parents to have any reason to think that what they possibly heard from the patrols was true. So he covered all the evidence. He changed his clothes and threw the already torn and wet ones in his leather bag that he had brought with him, so there was no indication of him having transformed and especially not near unprotected land. He looked at himself in the mirror again, his hair had returned to a less messy state and his short bangs fell over his eyes a little bit. He needed to trim the edges,he thought. He looked at the rest of his body and made sure his clothes covered any type of scratch and/or wound that might have gave his little secret away. He realized his decision to wear his long sleeved red tunic was the right one after all.

"Branley"his mother repeated. "I need to have a word with you"

"Yes mother just a second " he said giving himself one last look as his hand reached the handle of the bathroom door. Before he had the chance to turn it ,the door flew open and hit the wall on his right with full force. He already knew the cause of this unnecessary and indeed very loud action, that clearly had not really been thought through and that his mother was probably going to regret later, because in fact she was the one that did this, and in doing so she broke the poor door as she has done with most doors in this house that always seemed to serve as obstacles between her and him every time she had found of great importance to make him understand how dangerous it was to display his powers anywhere near the borders of the land of Cors.

Kendra was a fierce woman, with the heart and soul of a warrior, shaped the way all Easton people were, using brute force and their inherited magical abilities while also being immensely kindhearted and honest people. He hadn't of course ever met his mother's side of the family, his grandparents had died some years before his birth and everyone else was lost in one of the many mass murders of sorcerers that Malik had ordered. His mother was the last one standing because she was here in the protection of the mountain and the Adelram people.

"I cannot believe you did it yet again! How many times must I say this before you understand?"shouted Kendra in hopes to also shout some sense into her only son.

"I did nothing mother. I did not cross the borders, not even close to it in fact. I was careful."he replied.

"Bollocks! Ester from the patrol unit said she saw a suspicious looking raven flying near the tree line close to the border. She said the creature had spotted her with its eyes and took a dive in the nearest lake. Now that is not something an ordinary raven would do is it?"she asked filled with irony and furry.

"I-"he tried to say but his mother held a hand up ordering him to stop talking. He knew Kendra's limits and she had reached them for a long time now, so he stayed silent waiting for what she had to say next.

"You know how dangerous it is to go near that place and yet you still cannot get it into your thick skull. I get that you are grown up now and you want to see more of the world,but it will not welcome you with arms open Branley.You do not only carry one but two bloodlines of sacred magics on your shoulders and while that is a heavy burden ,you ought to be more careful. You know almost anyone knowledgeable enough can tell the difference between a Waldrom and an actual Raven, be more discreet!"Her eyes glistened from the sun coming through the closed window, and inside them flushed wars,battlefields and bloodshed, and along with that the souls of all the people she had once held dear. He knew she was worried, and he also knew she had every reason to be, so he decided that agreeing with her was the best approach. He nodded and held his head down,looking at his knees. Even at the age of nineteen he hated when he felt his parents could not really understand what he was feeling,but were also right about what they said to him. That is why he had wanted to avoid this. He didn't want to feel even for a slight second that he was wrong. But he wasn't an idiot, he knew there was enough truth to his mother's statements.

She hugged him gently despite her strong physique and she patted his back with her hand for a while before walking away and leaving him alone in a room with a broken door he could not really walk through.

He decided he could not ponder on this any longer for the time being, and made his way out the bathroom, out of his front door and to the direction of Kyne's house. All he wanted was to see Kyne,for he knew his best friend would understand him better than anyone, and would lift his spirits just by being around him.

He reached the front door of his friend's house and knocked upon it eagerly. A few moments later a boy his age walked out. His blonde locks falling gently upon the sides of his face,looking like rings of sunlight and his dark forest green eyes met with Branley's.

"Oh do not tell me Kendra already caught you"he retorted " I mean I knew she would eventually, but I have to admit this was way faster than I had expected"

"It's because of that snitch Ester that I was caught, because I can assure you I had everything else under control." the raven haired boy said as they started walking towards the forest and the nearest clearing.

Kyne scoffed, his lips tilted and a slight grim filled his face. "Bran you flew right in the dirtiest toad lake. The only thing you ever had control over was to avoid having bad body order, until today, and now I have to admit that's debatable ,because you stink."he said while holding his nose. Branley knew Kyne was very much having fun with the situation and he decided to stay quiet and enjoy the sounds of the forest while they where almost at the clearing where a very much clean river and waterfall was located, free of toads.

He stared at the running waters, his eyes filled with pure bliss to the sight. He was grateful that it was still summertime.He got closer and put his hand at the edge of the water to test its temperature. He decided a cold bath would do him wonders and he begun taking off his clothes. Behind him Kyne was sat under a tree staring at him and not staring at him. Branley could not tell if his friend's gaze was on him or if he was lost in his thoughts. He paid no more notice and took a dive in the river. He instantly felt better, after all nature was were he truly belonged. His magic was dancing around him in tune with the life of the forest and he felt at peace.

Then without any thoughts he looked at Kyne once again. Kyne possessed the power of the Fias. Fias where each able to transform their bodies to that of felines. Kyne possessed the power of the lynx. It actually fit well with his personality. The Waldrom could sometimes see roars of the wild free creatures in his friend's gaze. Like right now.

Their eyes met and Kyne shot the boy his purest of all smiles, a smile that had meant he had let his walls down, and Branley knew that he did that only in front of him.

He brushed the thought aside and decided this was enough water for the day and went to lay beside his friend under the big tree near the water, where he fell into peaceful sleep.