Little is known about the rich grasslands and forests of the West, which makes it an ideal place to begin any academic excavations. Then again, little is also known about the country that borders those lush greeneries and many other places within the borders of the country named CANDEMARO teems with the same amount of knowledge waiting to be unearthed; maybe even more.
For the curious, the best place to discover new information is almost always near the comforts of home. In the case of the aforementioned grasslands and forests; bordered by the Naga River, the Encantos; most gifted amongst the three tribes of CANDEMARO, guards the ancient data of the area and treats the recovery of historical information as sacred as their early traditions.
Sometime in the history of CANDEMARO, the tribes forming the country waged a terrible war against one another; the cause of which is a blur to anyone alive today. The period before that war, generally known as the Great Tribal War, and the present day, is lost to the country itself and has led the people to begin the Age of Academic Expeditions, which aims to uncover the answers to the country's greatest mysteries.
This endeavor is led by the largest tribe among the three: The Usors. Although historically known to lack any special abilities, their Visionary, Hera Gama, has invented the art of Sorcery, which cultivates the land's *Sagra to perform wonders even the gifted Encantos are incapable of. With their immense hunger for knowledge and truth, the land set about to excavating sites long thought to hold credence to the legends of the past.
Head up to the skin of the family tent, eyes clouded with nostalgia, Rai Juni, the Lightning's Mistress', telling of her current employment is interrupted by a big splash of water square to her face, with much of the liquid entering her nose and irritating her eyes; which dulls the color of her golden irises.
Rai sputters and whines, running both of her palms across her face, while a hearty giggle, just across the Lightning's Mistress, sounds all over the place, making it seem as if the tent is ringing with glee. With a loud huff, Rai finally opens her eyes to the sight of sea-haired Aiden Maris on the carpeted floor, hands on his little stomach as he rolls over wheezing, as if he just scored the victory of the century. "Geez, I was about to get to the best part!" Despite putting on a pouty voice, Rai cannot -- for the glory of the Old God K'raas -- feel upset for Aiden. "You got my favorite olive poncho wet!"
"Sorry." The young boy doubles over and lands on his crossed legs, his words barely drowning in the giggles as he lunges his torso forward, both palms outstretched towards the big wet patch on the wool poncho left by his own doing. With a short inhale, Aiden's palms glow, as well as the wet patch, and as the young boy slowly pulls away his arms, the water seeps out of the cloth in a steady stream and hovers back to a big blob between his palms. Aiden's sea eyes glimmer with pride at the feat, glancing at the Lightning's Mistress' reaction.
"Your mother will be proud of you, young Aiden." Rai says with the biggest grin she can muster, the sunlight peering from the nearby opening highlights the crinkles on her face as she did. Aiden returns her expression accompanied with heaps of giggle. She adores whenever the young boy mirrors her reactions, as his smile, along with the smiles of her fellow Encantos, seems to distract her from the tragedy that occurred seven years ago.
The image of the crumbling ground and gushing dirt flashes before Rai's eyes as a bigger stream of water hit Aiden Maris and sends him flying towards the lone wooden post holding the Juni tent up. Feeling her breath getting stuck in her throat, Rai picks herself from her seat and clamors to Aiden's side.
"I'd be more proud if he begins his training soon."
With the presence of deeper ocean water, Rai does not need to validate the owner of the unimpressed voice. She holds on to Aiden's arm and helps him up while watching him, worry pricking her heart to beat faster, as Aiden sputter while wiping his face with his other arm. Rai turns towards the tent's doorway, a small laugh escaping her lips as she begins to think of excuses, ultimately shaking away the terrible image earlier off of her mind. However, Aiden cut her off almost immediately, stomping hard.
"Geez, mother! You always ruin my fun!" His tone lacks the playful dismissal that Rai had with the same expression earlier. It does not help that the carpet beneath Aiden sloshes, magnifying his anger towards the person looming by the doorway who does not have any intention to budge.
Rai stops her thoughts of similar-sounding excuses and her face relaxes, pursing her lips in mutual understanding at the sight of the placid expression on the Encanto Leader's face. As much as she cannot bring herself to be angry at the playful child, Loire Maris; mother to Aiden, cannot go easy on Aiden Maris. The sight of Loire in her cerulean silk dress, wielding the golden staff of Encanto Leaders, radiates with the regal power that the Marises has held in the last three decades.
"Is it imperative for Aiden to begin combat training soon? He seems to be quite exceptional in utilizing his gift already." Rai looks over her shoulder towards Aiden--who nods fervently in agreement—then back to Loire; indifferent to the scrunching of her nose. "Surely that'll earn him a day or two off~"
It is no surprise to the Lightning's Mistress if Loire disapproves. This scenario has been in the loop for the last seven years since her unexpected return from her Academic Expedition. Each time, Aiden gets the other end of the water streams from Loire, as well as a tirade of reprimands from her, but each time, the child returns to the Juni family's tent, bearing the same big smile and playfulness. And every time, she comes up with multiple strings of excuses; all dismissed. Rai is used to the nose scrunches and disapproving looks she receives, so the moment she got that reaction, she knows that Loire will whip her golden staff; an ornate blue gem sitting atop of it will glow to procure two thin ropes of bluish-green water, which will wrap around Aiden's tiny body and haul him out of the tent while loudly complaining about how he hates training... and she is right.
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The Encantos near enough to witness the scene stop by their tracks despite many of them carrying heavy wicker baskets and firewood to coo and uplift little Aiden Maris. As Rai peers from the doorway, waving to the child with a helpless smile, she notices her fellow tribesmen's greater efforts in cheering him up. The moment Loire and Aiden disappear among the bundle of tents and the other Encantos move to resume their tasks, Rai scurries back to the comforts of her family tent, digging her fingers on the ends of her olive poncho. The lingering fear at the back of her mind seems to grow bold in her solitude, forcing her to back against the lone post, hugging her knees close to her chest and burying her golden locks against it; finally drowning the space in a silent cry.
---
There must be a superpower Aiden has other than manipulating water because he has spent up until this day shouting about his disdain on training in general. Sure, he had choked in between complaints before, and most times stopped doing so to eat and sleep, but he himself is convinced that he is something else. Spending the first half of the day in a grumpy mood is almost a habit for him; even hovering in the air, being hauled by his mother is commonplace. Today, as he and his mother Loire distance from the tents of Hele; the Encanto's Holy Western Capital, he finds himself in a fit of silent rage. He crosses his arms tightly across his chest and puffs his cheeks.
Loire notices the change, but makes no attempt to point it out. This somehow irritates Aiden even more.
When the mother and son reach the roaring banks of the Naga River, Loire whips her staff and the ropes of water gently places Aiden down on the soft grass. Loire looks on to the river, as if taking in the sounds of the harsh waves. Aiden continues to stare up at his mother's back, still crossing his arms. He occasionally grunts and harrumphs in an attempt to get his mother to ask. He is stubborn, but Loire is even more stubborn.
Finally giving in to his annoyance, Aiden jumps on his feet, angrily shouting: "Aren't you even going to ask why I was quiet?!"
Without making any move to look at Aiden, Loire answers. "You can relay whatever is on your mind without anyone asking."
Aiden tries to rebut the statement, stuttering in an attempt to explain why he will feel better if she asked before he answers, but the words twist his tongue and he stomps his feet once more, this time with finality. "I don't need training and I don't want to do it ever!"
"We shall not go over the afternoon arguing again, Aiden. It is imperative that you begin training soon!" Loire says, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "Hele is not your only world. There exists a whole country of people stronger than you!"
"Then!" Running to face his mother, Aiden shoots one of his fists in the air, his jaw clenches, as if hesitant to the proposal forming in his mind. However, meeting his mother's cold, azure eyes, the desire to prove himself true of his skills persists. With a gulp, he hollers: "I'll spend a day in the Beda Rainforest and return unscathed!"
The silence that appears upon his proposal seems to suggest that Aiden has made a terrible mistake. The Beda Rainforest; a clump of wretched woods on the opposite bank of the Naga River, is a holy site for Encanto rites, but messing with it can turn the woods against the perpetrator. Its uncanny nature has made it a suitable home for wild animals and a dangerous area to conduct official expeditions. Aiden has learned of the Rainforest's majesty and mysteries from the elders of Hele (mostly Rai, actually) and it is evident in the faint trembling of his raised fist that he wishes for his mother to decline.
Loire did not show her child any signs of dismissal that she had given the Lightning's Mistress earlier. In fact, she is impressed that Aiden is able to suggest a proposition despite the uncertainty in his stiff expression. Loire's gaze travels towards the forest across the bank; its plentiful trees casting feeble shadows that stretch to meet the other side of the Naga River's currents. She draws back her eyes quickly to the young Aiden. The boy had followed her stare at the Rainforest and as she places a hand over his raised fist, Aiden flinches and stares back to her, his face immediately softening. Loire, however, did not think much of the initial gesture for she has followed this up with a big swing of the golden staff and bopping the child's head with the ornate gem.
There is little strength within the swing Loire made, but it is enough to send a surge of pain across Aiden's head. Seeing him wince in pain, with a slight look of betrayal on his face, has amused Loire and extends her glowing palm towards the Naga River. Her palm rides a short dance similar to a wave, doing a quick push at the end to ram the River's water away, revealing a short section of the dry ground. "Save your complaints for later and prove your claims true!" She shows Aiden the dry path with another swing of her golden staff, which Aiden eyes in disbelief.
The excitement of receiving approval from his mother swells in Aiden's heart and he momentarily forgot about his fear as he clambers up to his feet. Turning to his mother one last time, Aiden grins proudly, pointing a finger to Loire. "I'll show you how strong I am, mother!" then crosses the dry path and the opposite grassland, disappearing in the shadows of the Beda Rainforest in a breath. Taking in the image of the proud Aiden a few seconds after the boy disappeared in the Rainforest, Loire exhales loudly, as if she has been holding her breath all morning. For the first time today, a small smile forms on her lips, as the image reminds her of her husband; a person she hasn't seen in a long while now. His absence has pricked Loire's heart with sadness, but it immediately disappears at the thought of Aiden, Hele, and Rai in her company.
"Oh, for Aiden to be in your image and likeness..." Loire chuckles to herself, repeating the movements of her palm towards the Naga River, letting the water gush wildly once more before turning on her heels and striding back to Hele.
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To be Continued....
*Sagra (n.) CAN.,: energy from the country of CANDEMARO thought to have been the remnants of the Divine Children's powers. Cultivated by Usors and is the main source of their powers.
