Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 2 -How it all began

In the last episode you've seen how exciting and chaotic the lives of our two protagonists are going to become in a very short amount of time. And now, it's time to start this story from the beginning – from the fateful day the trouble started. I hope you continue to follow Aethernea. Enjoy the episode!

In the previous Episode:

A mysterious woman is confined in a room with no way out. She is dying yet she can't die in peace because she is the only one that knows a dangerous  secret.

After a fierce battle with an unknown mage, Kiel and Elaru are buried under an avalanche of rock. Moments before their fall, Kiel recalls how his life changed into its current chaotic state.

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Town of Beyd, Thursday, 23rd of August 1449 A.W.

That fateful day a hazel blur could be seen flying skillfully between the canyon pillars. The scales which adorned the creature glittered brightly under the desert sun, contrasting sharply with the black clothes worn by the rider. The powerful sweeps of its wings rose soft red sand all around them, but the rider didn't mind. On the contrary, the wind hitting his face felt very refreshing in the summer heat, carrying an earthly smell of burnt sand which he could still feel even though his nose and mouth were covered by a scarf.

It had been a calming, enjoyable ride – Kiel Rroda didn't know it back then, but this ride would be the last bit of real peace he would feel in a long, long time.

Kiel pulled on the leather reins of the dragon, making him stop gracefully in front of an orange house in the upper Beyd [bey-d]. This part of town was filled with tidy medium-sized houses with small green gardens whose roofs were covered with orderly rows of red brick.

Upper Beyd stood still, covered by a veil of silence with no person or creature in sight. Kiel looked towards the small wooden porch just in time to see a figure emerge behind the vivid multi-colored drape hanging above the entrance to the house.

Kiel pretended not to see the approaching figure and dismounted gracefully, removing his goggles and scarf. He breathed in the faint scent of roses spreading through the dry desert air and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back side of his gloves. The dragon puffed through its nostrils releasing hot air.

His gaze unconsciously drifted to the high cliffs on the southern side of the canyon towering above the town. His eyes focused on the distant figure sitting on the highest pillar of the canyon, next to the small blue flag marking it as the highest point in the entire town of Beyd.

She was still there, staring right at him. Or, at least, in his general direction - he doubted she could actually see him as clearly as he could see her. Her elibu [el-ee-boo] eyes weren't capable of 'zooming in' on distant targets like his argel [argh-el] eyes. He could tell she was an elibu because of the long pointy ears protruding through her hair.

Beyd was an argel town. There were no elibu in Beyd. Consequently, she was by default an exotic creature to Kiel, who rarely left Beyd.

Did she perhaps want to come to town, but was afraid the townsfolk would be hostile to her? Was she raised in an elibu city and didn't feel comfortable around argel? That was certainly possible, considering how only the big cities had residents of both races. Many halneans [hal-ne-ahn-s] lived their entire lives without contact with the other race.

Kiel was not a people's person. Showing genuine interest in others was not something he often did. And yet, this girl, who sat in the same spot every day, under the harsh sunlight from morning until dusk, managed to pique his curiosity.