Miradel: The Harmonic Saga

Beyond The Faywilds

I've lived too many lifetimes. I can feel my soul corroding, disappearing. I no longer feel part of this world, yet I am desperate to save it. As the days go on and the centuries repeat, I fear the bonds will be broken for eternity. Magic will never recover, and humanity will be lost.

Through the dense morning mist of the Faywilds, Eryx led his family on the well-trodden path that snaked past the outskirts of a small town. The air was thick with the scent of earth and toil; the townsfolk were already at work, their movements synchronized with the rhythm of survival. It was all too familiar to him. It was the only life he'd ever known. The further he ventured away from their hometown, the more he realized it all looked the same. Even with the miles and miles they'd already traveled, the town before him was a cluster of modest, weathered buildings that buzzed with activity. Men and women, their faces etched with the lines of hard work, bent over their tasks, tilling the fields, mending tools, and hauling supplies. The sound of hammers striking anvils rang out in steady beats, harmonizing with the distant lowing of livestock.

His eyes followed each strike rhythmically. Each day was a repetitive cycle of labor from dawn to dusk. Yet today, they were walking towards a different future filled with potential, riches, comfort, and adventure. For ahead of them lay the fabled city of Miradel.

Trailing slightly behind, Arielle wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, her gaze lingering on children who ran between the workers, their laughter a brief respite from the relentless grind.

"Oh, miss being a kid. I don't think I was made for working so hard," she murmured, more to herself than to her brother.

"And exactly when did you stop becoming a kid? I'm curious. It couldn't have been last week when you asked me to peel a potato for you. Surely that was not when you grew up... Did it just happen? Perhaps an hour ago?" Sanjay said, teasing Arielle. Eryx always felt like Sanjay was more of a brother to Arielle than her Father. Looking at the man now, Eryx struggled to feel any familial connection. By all accounts, Sanjay had been an incredible father to both Eryx and Arielle.

No, he's always been just shy of perfect. Eryx realized. For all of Sanjay's many faults, child rearing wasn't one of them.

"Yeah, you just missed it. It was when we crossed past Neighton, but right before we arrived at Cragmore," Arielle shot back.

"Silly me. I should keep a closer eye on you." Sanjay's pace slowed as they walked through the town's main thoroughfare. Many eyes were upon them. It was uncommon to see people traveling in the Faywilds and even more unusual to see people not working. One had to work to survive. That was the way.

"Now... If anyone asks where we're going?" Sanjay said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Our home burned down. We're heading to our cousins to blah, blah, blah," Arielle said as she winked at her Father.

She knows what to say. They all know what to say.

Eryx remembered the night his Father came home and told them about their upcoming journey to Miradel. Even though it was five years ago, he still remembered it perfectly. Who wouldn't? No one was able to get past Miradel's outer walls. They were two hundred feet tall, with no doors or gates. There was no trading in or out of Miradel. It was completely self-sustaining. It was their own little Utopia. Eryx's focus shifted up and down the road. Many in the Faywilds were undoubtedly jealous of Miradel. It was greener pastures; it was salvation, and it was opportunity.

It's all the things the Faywilds aren't...

Hefting a worn sack over his shoulder, Sanjay glanced at his children with a weary but hopeful smile.