Hexe - The Great Exodus

[CH. 0006] - Moonbay

True mastery is less about the magnitude of your power and more about the control you exert over it." — Professor Edgar O. Duvencrune

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Another day eclipsed without the return of the Sun, its usual brilliance supplanted by a meagre parade of stars and the ethereal glow of the nine moons. They made a feeble attempt to shine, yet their combined light fell far short of replicating daytime brightness. Nevertheless, the settlement hummed back to life, each person resuming their assigned duties as though the day were as bright as any other.

Faeries bent over washboards, scrubbing clothes along the riverbanks. Nearby, men and women huddled around open fires, stirring pots of simmering stew, its aroma mingling with the dusky air, as hunger began to set in among the people. In a secluded corner, Magis were mentoring the younger folk in the intricacies of the Trial of Elements. No hands were weaving the air with chanted incantations; their lessons were purely on the theory of Elements and how they combine.

Lost in this hive of activity was Prince Xendrix, leaning against the rough bark of a tree. His eyes scan the dark landscape, with dots of lights moving around before him. It wasn't the first time he felt forgotten, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

As he lingered in his chosen shadow, his eyes picked up a movement that disrupted the otherwise seamless flow of the camp's routine. A young woman paced in a small area, her eyes darting across the grass and stones, a look of concentration furrowing her brow. In her hand, she held an oil lamp, its feeble light casting an intimate circle around her.

She—Ulencia—was pretty, and that was enough to pique Xendrix's curiosity, tugging him away from his self-imposed isolation. The woman seemed distressed, her every step and glance tinged with an urgency that intrigued him. Casting one last look at the humming camp around him—people who would hardly notice his absence—he pushed off the tree and approached the young woman.

As he drew closer, he could see her frustration mounting. Each sweep of her lamp seemed to heighten her anxiety rather than relieve it.

"May I be of assistance?" Xendrix finally broke the silence.

The young woman looked up, with a startled scream escaping her lips before she could contain it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you!" Xendrix blurted out, taking a step back, his hands held up disarmingly.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her hand clutching her chest. "I felt my heart trying to bolt out of me!" She stood as a beacon of soft light, her oil lamp casting tremulous golden hues that danced on her face. Its dim glow accentuated the strawberry-blond strands of her hair, illuminating them with a coppery radiance.

Her blue eyes reflected an innocence etched on her face, a purity in the set of her mouth and the tilt of her eyebrows that lent her an almost ethereal quality. The darkness seemed to recede around her as if afraid to taint her radiant presence.

"I'm really sorry," Xendrix said again, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"No, no, don't worry about it. It's my fault I didn't see you there," she replied, her voice still trembling a bit but regaining its composure.

"In this light, that's hardly surprising," Xendrix said, a slight smile breaking the tension as their eyes met. "I'm Xendrix, by the way," he added, extending his hand, only for the gesture to be ignored.