Chi Myst'wing

Prologue - A Reason for War

Violetia Amo tread through the stone path in the palace yard. Crunches of fallen leaves followed whenever she placed her step. She was as fair as white-snow, having violet eyes and long hair as her name hinted. Treading in the yard, she was on her way to visit her papa. But halfway there, she stopped and was surprised to see her papa, Ziwo Amo lying on the ground unconscious. And she quickened her steps toward her papa while shouting, "papa! papa!" She stopped by her papa and pulled him up.

"Papa, papa," said Violetia as she shook her papa.

When her papa opened his eyes, his eyes twitched that he raised his hand to cover his eyes from the blinding ray from the Sol.

"Papa, you're alright." She was glad that her papa had awoken.

But her papa had not yet gained consciousness since he looked at Violetia with a dreamy-like gaze.

"Lavendia-dear," said Lord Amo, his hand reached for Violetia's face. "It's you, am I in the Heaven now?"

"Papa dream of mama again?" said Violetia. "How sweet."

"Oh, it's you, Violetia-dear... I feel so weird... had a dream... about a mystic foretold my destiny... he even said about the Invicta Draven's legendary weapons."

"Papa, it's not a dream," said Violetia. "Looks like papa had been sleeping here since the fortune-telling ritual. Every citizen is cheering for papa since papa has saved the Sol from the all-devouring dragon. Papa, you are so great! But why papa slept here? And where is the mystic?"

Lord Amo's white face became pale, scratching his long white hair and his action told Violetia that he was trying to grasp what had happened before. For some time, Violetia was looking at her papa as though she was waiting for her papa to answer.

Lord Amo widened his eyes. Only that, he realised that he has been laying in the palace yard for almost a day. The faint sound of cheering outside the palace affirmed what Violetia had said. "Don't tell me please..." And he stood up fast, with behaviour that showed his confusion and worries while ignoring the puzzled looks of his dear daughter.

"Papa? What had happened?" said Violetia.

Violetia knew where her papa was heading. She ran, following her papa along the stony path. Her papa's private chamber soon came into view.

She was not far behind from Lord Amo. Her papa pushed open the wooden door and entered as she followed him into the chamber.

"Close the door, Violetia-dear," said Lord Amo.

"Yes, papa." Violetia closed it with a snap.

Once the door closed, Lord Amo reached for a hidden lever beneath his bed. He pushed it, and the bed rattled upward, revealing a secret stairway which leads to a dark cellar. Her papa began his descent into the basement. So was Violetia.

"Papa mean the half piece of Draven's treasure?"

"Yes," said Lord Amo with a stiff nod.

Torches lit themselves the moment Lord Amo and Violetia entered. Instead of priceless treasures and relics, they were robes and dresses, paintings, portraits and china wares that once belonged to both her papa and mama. All those items were revealed with dimmed light. Everything inside was in place and order. There was no sign that a theft had broken in.

"Papa, where is the half piece?"

Lord Amo didn't answer, but he walked on. Violetia followed her papa whom he passed through racks of paintings and reached a wooden mannequin with linen dress. At the neck of the mannequin where the relic was supposed to be was gone.