C 1. Prologue
It was a crystal clear sky, the sun was overhead raining down its rays of light. Brightness and tranquillity pervade the whole blue atmosphere.
A shadow flashes fast, casting a shadow.
An eagle, wingspan of two-meter, metallic lustre beak and menacing claws.
It drifted and flapped its wings moving not at high speed. It tilted its head gazing at the green foliage below.
Tall trees with giant leafage, serve as a canopy in the vast endless forest.
The eagle zoomed in, its sights passed, gazing between the gaps of the leaves: searching for prey.
Its left eye veered and followed an indistinct white shadow running beneath the foliage.
The eagle screech and dive in, following the path of the running small white animal, timing when to dive within the trees to capture the unlucky prey.
At the forefront is a small creek flowing with sparkling water.
The eagle speeds up and makes a slow halt just before it reaches the creek. Its shadow behind a giant tree closed to the creek. Lest the small white animal saw its shadow and change course.
Unfortunately, for the small white animal, it has not known, an enemy was tailing it from the sky. It reached the creek and jumped a high jump. Passing the creek.
Its built-in instincts over the years, kicked in, as it saw a giant shadow cast over it. Alas, it can do nothing as it was in the air.
…
The eagle watched the small white animal jump over the creek, identifying it as a Silvereye white rabbit. It flew above it, casting a shadow, knowing the Silvereye white rabbit had identified the danger.
The eagle extended its claws, snatching the Silvereye white rabbit. It crushed the rabbit neck with its right leg claws and grabbed the body with its left leg claws.
Finishing its prey, the eagle concentrated air under its wings, by flapping downward with force, taking on the air again.
Three drops of blood dropped from the rabbit wound while the eagle increased distance.
By the time the eagle was only a dot in the sky, the drops of blood reached the creek, mixing, diluting and disappearing within the sparkling body of water.
A minute later, a strong wind blew. Swaying the trees left and right, threatening to uproot them.
Insects within trees, rocks and ground crevices, scuttled in hiding, lest they be carried by the hurricane. But some were still carried.
Heavy animals ran to their destination, birds were dismayed, unable to fly and trees with weak roots uprooted and flew around together with less heavy animals.
As the wind started to settle down a giant shadow was cast, blocking the sun. The forest experiences a night in daytime.
The eagle flew back to the forest and hid within an embrace of a giant tree, trembling.
It has seen what it was that cast the shadow.
A great giant turtle floating lazily in the sky. Its legs were retracted in its shell sockets. Its head stretched forward, taking in the scenery.
On top of the great giant turtle shell, a city, covered by a transparent dorm!
The giant turtle is called a King Gale Turtle.
An ancient species of a beast that grows to the size of a city. And when it obtained an Orb it developed one of the four-element attributes.
This one is called King Gale Turtle due to developing wind attributes. Giving it the ability to manipulate wind.
King Gale Turtles are known as one of the Emperors of the Sky.
Inside the dome, the city has all kinds of buildings, ranging from schools, parks, hotels, military training sections.
It also has things like farms; rivers running across the city like a snake; and an artificial desert used for training soil manipulation.
***
Towards the neck of the Ancient Turtle Gale, in the dorm, there is a majestic building, completely white, inlaid with gold at the edges.
At either side of the palace gate, giant jaguar sculptures stood: made out of pure bone-like materials.
The Majestic building has numerous buildings filled with luxurious furniture, decorated with gold, precious stones, and the floors were covered with soft rugs.
Among a series of small rooms, there is one that lacks any luxurious decorations.
The room has a simple table and high back chair, two normal chairs the opposite.
On the high back chair sat a middle-aged man that commanded respect. His eyes are intimidating, a face with no expression as if a sculpture.
Standing opposite him in between two chairs a young tall boy. He is in a bowed position, staring at the ground.
At every blink or slight move of the man the boy trembles.
The two, man and the boy stayed in that stalemate for about a minute before the man spoke. "Why haven't you finished your assignment?"
His voice wasn't booming or shouting, but it carried a formless force that travels across the room.
It somehow stales the air and all motions halted for a good two-second before everything returned to normal.
The boy struggled hard before he stopped his body from trembling.
His mind is not even making a cohesive thought, let alone trying to answer the questions asked. In that situation, a wind blew in the room.
Not strong enough to topple papers, but enough to be felt by the two individuals.
The boy made a mental sigh, and he waits to be saved, but nothing happened. Realizing that he has to try something for the other person to interfere.
He clenched his fist, took a deep breath and tried to calm down his simmering emotions. He looked up!
"With a single flare, the Sun can eradicate the whole that is within its solar system. But, despite human sins, it doesn't because we are insignificant before it...
Why would I, a person that can sneeze out the life of an insect bother with killing the insect?"
"You are not a Sun, yet. And the so-called insect, with enough preparation, could kill you."
"He is unarmed, injured and unconscious. I, Daniel will not become so low as to kill that person." The boy was brave again to mumble another reason.
"You injured him, sent him unconscious, is it to torture him or what? Instead of a painless death. I didn't take you as a sadist!"
"I'm not a sadist," Daniel refuted with slight irritation, and continued saying, "and I did not torture him, he is just too weak, a single smack sent him railing."
He raised his head to glance at the man before he uttered in a low tone. "Besides I didn't think his crime necessitated a death sentence. Mindless killing is not good…"
The man smirked as he achieved what he wanted, to assess the true mentality of the boy.
"Killing is not good. But killing is necessary at the right time." The man stopped there, looking at the boy.
Wondering how this kid has a soft heart. Perhaps his Mothers' kind nature affected him.
"Daniel, you need to steel your heart and prepare yourself for the eventuality of life in the Underworld Maze!"
"You need to learn when to be lenient and when not to, on whom you should be lenient and who you shouldn't."
"One misstep you will die." The man sighed and a rare sight of exhaustion and pity washed over him.
"Since you want to be a Saint. I, your Father forbids you from killing any soul in the Underworld Maze till you reach Mother City!"
The boy quickly raised his head and said, "I agree, Father!"
"No! You idiot, read between the lines." The person responsible for the wind earlier said.
It was her presence that gave Daniel the courage to speak back against his Father!
And now because of her warning, he realized the depth of what his Father meant by any soul.
He immediately bent his back straight horizontally.
"I'm sorry Father, forgive me. I'm foolish, I can't bear to take that responsibility!" He was scared shitless, afraid that his Father would not change his mind.
The lady beside the man, lean and whispered something in his ears. But the man did not budge or say anything for thirty minutes.
And Daniel did not lift his head.
"Okay."
Daniel almost toppled. He took a deep breath and stood, straightening his back.
Sweat rolling down from his forehead. As if he submerged his face in a bucket of water.
They were at that when a slight tremor passed through the White Gale City. It was felt by only five people within the city.
Daniel's father and the woman who is his mother included.