Beyond the Void

Chapter 47, The flow doesn't run this world

The Age of Shattering - lasted four hundred and nine years.

of Shattering 76 - The Eternal Empire of Tavran founds the city of New Gaea far to the east and moves its seat of power there.

An excerpt from the diary of Pia...

LAYLA

Two moons and three tens since the Mark of the Other One blossomed.

The village of Farstam was a quiet place. Despite being in the northernmost reaches of the Empire where the awakened ones of Iordur were locked in battle with the Empire's armies, nothing exciting ever happened here. Maybe a stalker or two sometimes dared to sneak past the fort of Shadowwatch on Tristen, but they quickly went back the way they came from.

"Layla, get off your stomach, you slouch." She pretended not to hear anything. "Layla! What are you doing, girl? I said you need to go find your sister." Her mother, Alina, would not leave her alone.

"Leyla went to play with Mutt, mum."

"That's exactly the reason I need you to find her. I swear, all you do is lie around the house and read books. You're seventeen already."

"It's the dead of winter, what am I supposed to do?" Layla rolled her eyes.

"Wait. Is that another one of Cynric's books? He has already spoilt Leyla with his stories. What do you see in him? Every other girl in Farstam seems to be after him, but he has no sense of seriousness in him." Her mother lamented.

"I am not after anyone, mum!" Layla added in a quieter voice. "Find a man, get fat and settle down, is it..." She grumbled.

"You are seventeen! There's so much you can do with your life right now."

"Yeah, only the things I want to do are not on the list of everything I can do."

"Life is what it is. You'll have to find a way to accept it." Her mother intoned.

"Life shouldn't be what it is, but what you can turn it into. That's what Sethian said." Layla said through gritted teeth.

"Sethian is a mage. Like Cynric. She spent too much time dealing with the arcane to have any idea how to deal with humans and the real way of life."

"Cynric is more than just a mage. He is a healer. He helps people." Layla said, exasperated.

"A mage is a mage. If one is trained in the ways of power, you can be sure they are off in one way or another. The flow doesn't run this world, you need to concentrate on what is in front of you, what is physical." Her mother's voice was growing louder and louder.

"And that physical is a potential husband." Layla growled.

"I swear. You've been going off about this for a while now. It's the way of things. Sonia got married recently. All the girls your age are already with someone or planning something." Alina sounded disappointed.

"I'm going off on it, because you keep on bugging me about it. Why do I need to rush?" Layla demanded.

"I suppose you have a better idea then?" Her mother huffed.

"Maybe I do. Maybe I want to become a healer myself. Cynric and Sethian have taught me medicine for a while now. I could help..."

At this point Alina gasped and rolled her eyes. "Layla! Go find your sister!"