Etherea

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It had been six years. I looked down at the answer to my question.

A book. A small book.

My parents left, once again, after giving it to me. No words or smile. They were in the "we stopped by to give this to you" kind of vibe, which I hated the most.

I took the book and touched the hardcover. The old fabric made me felt rough and sturdy compared to the old looks.

I opened the book and the first thing I felt was the aged smell of it, with yellow pages browned at the edges. On the first page lay the title.

THE HISTORY OF ETHEREA

I started at the title. Why did they give me this? Most of the history books are big, but this one is way too smaller to be a history book. There were fewer pages less than children's fairy tale books.

"So is this the answer? This old book."
I spoke into the silence.

I went to my reading room and sat there to read.

THE HISTORY OF ETHEREA

Before saying anything about the land we live in, I must tell you how we ended up in this land. The people of Etherea once lived in another land, where other people like us live. The current name of that land is unknown.

A long time ago, in the days of kings, a man lighted a candle just by looking at it. The news spread like wildfire, so fast that the King of the land heard it. The King called the man and gave him a job in the castle. It was a simple way to hide the man and make sure that no other kingdoms found out.

Years later, the number of people who acquired this kind of power grew. They made the impossible things possible. They said that it was magic, a gift from God. They became wealthy. They gave their children a rich education. The only thing that distinguished them from others was their blonde hair. After acquiring their power, their hair began to turn blonde. And sometimes the babies were born with power and golden hair. The births became common and hundreds of people got this power. No one had any idea where this came from. It was a miracle. Eventually, these men formed a group, and they all held meetings once in a while. They began to help the locals in their daily lives and works. People became fond of these men. They called them The Golden Leaders and began to worship them.

I touched my hair absentmindedly. If our ancestors with powers had golden hair or born with golden hair, I had silver hair. Did it mean I also had powers like them? But how will I understand that I have some kind of power? I need to ask my parents about it when they come back.
I looked back at the pages and started to read again.

The King, like any other King, became afraid of losing his power. If the people thought that these men would be the best rulers, they'd make them the kings of the land. With that, the King began to plan to keep these men in his control. But it was really hard and the King failed in it.

The next and the ultimate thing he did was to destroy them and their family. To wipe these people from his land and to gain back his people's trust and love, to continue as their ruler, to have the power back in his hands. He planned something brilliant.

One morning, people woke up with the crowds shouting. Palace guards arrested a man saying that he stole the Queen's necklace. No one knew whether he stole it or not, but no one saw that man again.

The King repeated this again and again. At first, no one noticed anything. On a day, the gifted men called a meeting, some of them haven't made it to the meeting, and they understood the king's cheating. They waited for the next move of the King. They waited for that day.

A few days later, another man was arrested. The gifted men questioned the guards and told them to show the thing the men stole from the palace. The guards failed and everyone rebelled against the act of the King. Hearing this, the King ordered the guards to kill the gifted ones on sight. Many ancestors were killed, including their families. Their houses were burned. There was chaos. And so, they held another meeting, realizing that the only option was to flee the kingdom with their family. But where will they go was the first question they need to find an answer to. And the next question was how they were going to get there.

There was a man with them whose family-owned fishing boats. Sea was their only escape from that place, and they agreed on that. The only problem was that they couldn't leave in the daytime. Sea route in the nighttime was the only thing that frightened them. Everyone went back to their home and packed everything they needed for a journey. And they waited for their departure.

The second night after their meeting everyone met near the boats with their family. Three boats were there and there was enough space on the boats for all of them. They began their journey into the dark without turning to look at the land they lived in for their entire life.

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★★★

Hope you all are enjoying the story.
Thank you again for reading it.
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