The Lost Orion- The Land of Wind

Chapter 1 -The Secret Place

"Three shirts, two shorts, a pant, underclothes, socks, wrist bands and...a toast."

I looked at the pint-sized sack on the bed. "That didn't take long at all." There wasn't much to pack in the first place. Costly wearables, splendid villas, family love, amigos were a far-fetched reverie to me.

I zipped my little backpack and walked up to a small window in my room. It was a beautiful site from there. Our house... well you could barely call it one, was a small wooden hut with two rooms near the rock shore of the only river running through the dense covers on the outskirts of the Land of Wind.

The Land of Wind was one of the eight Great Countries of Orion and regrettably my most potential enemy. Yet, here I was packing my stuff to move to the only place that threatened my existence. It is correct when people say- life is never too easy, for who would know it better than me.

It has been four years since that night when I lost everything. Not a day passes without me waking up from my sleep, drenched in sweat. That night has haunted me ever since...

"Cela!! Wake up dear!" called a woman's voice.

We stayed in a small house in the City of Gale, located at the boundaries of the Land of Wind. It was primitive city made amidst the Forest of Wind.

I had lost my parents in an epidemic right after my birth, so I had no memory of them whatsoever. Aunt Chira and Uncle Gen had raised me as their own. They were the only family lineage that I knew of.

The City of Gale was underdeveloped and did not harbor many families. Most of the people living there usually failed an authorization to stay in the Land of Wind or were petty criminals barred from entering the mainland. Therefore, the city had more of green with huge tall trees hiding the little housings from their neighbors and temporary trails built for travelling through the dense tree cover.

Uncle Gen worked for a Wood factory in the mainland which had a little setup in our city where the wood was collected to be transported to the Land of Wind. He was usually busy till dusk, occasionally coming home in his usual cranky mood, complaining about anything and everything. I was mostly scared of even going near him when he was in his general bad mood. But, there were also times when he would make up for his conduct by taking me out for a stroll in the woods and boast about his days as a leading wood's merchant in the mainland. Aunt said he had had a huge misfortune during the epidemic forcing them to move out and take shelter in the outskirts.

Aunt Chira was the only person I loved more than anything in this world. She made me delicious meals, recited prayers, taught me to read and write, sung me to sleep, told me stories and made me new dresses. She had small round face with amber eyes and a bright smile that could win hearts. I was eight and she meant the world to me.

So, this was our little happy family. We didn't own much but we had each other. There were no fears, no worries, no challenges, not then at least.

"Cela! ... Cela! ... Celestia!" called Aunt Chira. "Come down, breakfast is ready!"

I quickly got off my bed and scrambled down the stairs into the kitchen.

Aunt Chira was already setting the table. It was a small wooden round table in the kitchen with chairs for the three of us. "Good Morning, Aunt Chi." I pulled out a chair and sat in, rubbing my eyes.

"Did u brush?" she inquired.

"Of course, Aunt Chi." I smiled sheepishly, as I lied.

She just shook her head and smiled. "When are you ever going to learn" It wasn't the first time I'd failed to lie to her. She somehow always knew.