Eternal Souls

Prologue

It was another year gone, suddenly whisked away from the world.

The small blinking lights of midnight slowly started to fade, as the yells of delight slowly bubbled into shushed whispers.

Azeas took a deep breath in, pushing away his fluffy brown hair which swayed in his eyes as he watched from a distance, sitting upon a small grassy hill. The wind gently rustled them, causing a cascade of moon lit blades of grass sweeping up the hill. The sky was clear, the assortment of stars gleaming from above, framing the almost full moon, which shined down on the streets and forests. Another year done, and a new one to journey through.

"AZEAS!" A small voice screeched, making him jump. A small girl emerged from the forest, her dark brown hair tied into pigtails messy with leaves and twigs. The small girl's large grey eyes, which made Azeas's spine frequently shiver, gleamed at him with triumph, her hands firmly grasped in front of her. "I caught it!"

"Caught what-?" Azeas frowned, sighing as the girl came barreling into him. "Hazel, why don't you let it go?"

"B-but, I spent so long getting it." She pouted, her large eyes no longer triumphant but instead glistening with held back tears. "I named him Sir Twinkle and everything!"

"May I at least see Sir Twinkle?" Azeas gently asked, reaching his hand out to her.

"Only if you hold him real well." Hazel glared. She gently cupped her hands in his, and slowly let go.

A small light danced into Azeas's fingers, glowing a warm fiery orange.

"Hazel." Azeas whispered, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. "You caught a firefly?"

"I think fireflies are really pretty, even if Kelusis tells me not to grab them." Hazel grinned ear to ear, her brown pigtails fluttering in the slight breeze. "This was my only chance!"

"We still have to let him go." Azeas nodded, and Hazel stiffened.

"Alright..." She sniffed. "At least let me say goodbye." She leaned over the small bug, and whispered something to it. Azeas opened his hands wide, letting the bug slowly drift away, joining the rest in the undergrowth.

"Why do they only show up on the first day of the year?" Hazel asked, her eyes fixed on Sir Twinkle slowly disappearing.

"I'm not too sure, some say they are only allowed to roam this night, and the rest of the year they hide from Ethriti." Azeas shrugged. "Creatures of fire aren't very accepted by her, so they made a deal for their survival."

"Why would she not want them around all the time? They're so pretty." Hazel frowned, her small face cast with confusion.

"You know what Kelusis says about fire, it's our goddesses' one mistake." Azeas looked off into the distance, watching the small lights in lanterns go out.

"AZEAS!" A voice called out. "Where ARE you!?"

"Let's go." Azeas smiled. "It's far past your bedtime, I'm sure Kelusis wants you to sleep."

"Awhhh." Hazel whined. "Can you do the thing one more time?"

"One more time?" He asked, Hazel nodded profusely. "Alright."

Scooping Hazel up, she burst into laughter as bright blue lights blinked into focus, swirling around the two, they started to form into dragons, wolves, and elegant deer, casting a dazzling display of light on the grass around them. Azeas placed Hazel on a deer, and it took off, with Hazel clinging on, screaming with delight. Just as Kelusis came over the hill, Hazel just made it back to Azeas's arms, and the lights had disappeared.

"I love majyk..." Hazel sighed, her eyes drooping with sleep.

"Me too." Azeas smiled gently, looking over to Kelusis, where a small smile met his. "Me too..."