1 Prologue

It's a quiet night in the mountains. You can hear the wind gently blowing, the river flowing nearby, with crickets singing the night away. It's a beautiful starry night, one where you wish you can just stare at the night sky and look at the golden moon, seemingly smiling at you.

A child is standing at the balcony, her blonde hair swaying gently in the wind. She is trying her best to tip-toe and peek past the railings, her light green eyes wandering around, wanting to see the garden below. She is 8 years old and just barely tall enough to peek at the garden below while trying her best to maintain her stand.

"What are you looking at, Esmeralda?"

"Wah!" Shouted the blonde girl, shocked that someone suddenly appeared behind her. She jumped a little due to the shock, luckily the railing is tall enough and supported her well so she does not stumble over.

"You surprised me!" Said Esmeralda, looking back at the person behind her.

"Sorry sorry." The girl chuckled, amused at her little sister's reaction. She's so cute she thought.

"You did it on purpose! Big sis Aqua is so mean!" Esmeralda seems annoyed at her sister's sudden appearance. She came sneaking behind her like a ghost, careful not to make a sound until she decided to call out to her sister.

"Now, now.. I just want to tease my baby sister a little since she's so cute." Aqua smiled and ruffled Esmeralda's hair. Her brown hair and light blue eyes appeared more beautiful under the golden light of the moon tonight. Esmeralda frowns before pinching her sister's cheek. "I am not a baby!" She said. The two girls had their daily little fight, with Aqua smiling wider every time her little sister went to retort to her with her puffed cheeks.

"What are you guys doing fighting at night?"

"Big sis! Aqua sneaked up on me and tried to scare me off the balcony!" Esmeralda went to whine at her reliable big sister.

"I am only asking you a question, dear Esmeralda." Aqua said while grinning from ear to ear.

"You can ask without sneaking up on me." Esmeralda retorted back. Aqua pinched her cheeks and laughed at her, seemingly amused by her behavior.

"Aqua, it's not nice to sneak up on Esmeralda. You know she's scared of ghosts."

"Big sis! I am not scared of ghosts!" Esmeralda retorted back.

"Sure you're not... Said the girl who asks me to accompany her downstairs to get some water tonight." Aqua said.

Esmeralda pouted at her sister's answers. She is 8 now! In her mind she is already big enough and should not be scared of ghosts anymore. But she can't help it, she is still scared.. Meanwhile, Aqua who is 4 years older than her scared her out just by asking her what she's doing on the balcony.

"Alexandra, mama is asking you to come downstairs." A young man suddenly opens the door and speaks to them.

"Oh okay, I'll go down!" Said the other girl in the room, the reliable big sister to Aqua and Esmeralda. She has reddish brown hair with light green eyes, her long straight hair swaying in the wind.

"You two want to come downstairs too?" Said the man with pinkish eyes and short light brown hair. He is the eldest of the siblings and the only son of the family, Morgan.

"I want to go to Mama." Said Esmeralda.

"I want some midnight snacks!" Said Aqua excitedly.

"Sure, then let's go downstairs together." Said Morgan. "It's a beautiful evening tonight isn't it?" His pinkish eyes wanders a bit, looking at the evening sky and their garden below. The flowers blooming can be faintly seen under the moonlight. Some fireflies are flying around, illuminating the garden further with golden dots of lights.

This is house Beryl, one of the noble families of Dia. Bearing the name "Beryl", the family has a long lineage spanning for hundreds of years along with the other noble families of Dia. Each noble family is entrusted with a precious gemstone which is said to bestow its masters with special powers. Each generation protects this precious stone and passes it to the next generation.

House Beryl has 4 children: Morgan, the eldest son of Beryl who is 22 years old, Alexandra, the eldest daughter who is 21 years old, Aqua, the third child who is 12, and Esmeralda, the youngest who is still 8. The 4 children live with their parents and countless servants of the mansion. Living their lives happily, the nobles went on with their daily lives, which consists of studying, socializing, eating, and sleeping.

The nobles have political power. Their job is to oversee the situation and regulations across the kingdom, ensuring the citizens can live a prosperous life. As the children of house Beryl, each one of them are taught to one day join the council of nobles and join hands to keep the land peaceful and wealthy. According to regulations, once a child of the noble house turns 22, they are recognized as adults and become a functional member of society.

Morgan turned 22 last month and has since been learning his ways in the council. Alexandra can't wait for her time next year, as she's eager to join and contribute to the kingdom she loves. Seeing her parents and the other elders in the council, she can't help but imagine herself one day standing in their shoes, having meetings to discuss the kingdom. She is very much looking forward to that.

The council has various divisions in charge of different areas. Security, food, external relations, education, health, are some of the bigger divisions of the council. Following the tradition, one noble house is always in charge of the same division, with the hope that the knowledge will be passed on to the younger generation easily.

House Beryl is in charge of the kingdom's food stock, making plans to counter hunger and suggests the next seeds the people should plant. Ensuring the climate will fit just fine and the harvest will be successful. This is because their family's precious stone has the power to forecast the future and predict the season, giving them pointers as to what is best to grow in the coming months.

Alexandra is very proud of her family's special powers and she is very happy to learn the arts of farming and harvesting while she does not know how to harness the special power yet. Apparently, only her papa knows how to harness it in the family now. But she enjoys reading books regarding the various plants in the kingdom and their effects. Doing what little she can to prepare for next year's work in the council.

She is living happily surrounded by her parents and siblings. Until that day. The faithful day that changes her life forever.