Zaniah

Salvation embraced the three as their slumbering bodies, burnt and torn as they suck refuge in a town some days away by the name of Gurdon, they came to know as the city of gold. The aura of the town was not quite home filled but peaceful instead. Light chimes of bells reverberated through the streets as they were knocked by the light wind. There was a distinct lack of defined doors about the buildings. It truly was a strange town.

Ray, Jex, and Nimer lay in a bed recuperating in the main house of the town, belonging to Alec, the Golden Dragon. Each one of them was cared for, clothed in gowns with all their bindings removed. Jex and Ray were housed together and Nimer was alone in a different room. Each busy hand, eager to aid them in recovery hoped for the best spite chances appearing slim for some. It was only a matter of time for them to awaken.

Ray's hand clutched the loose shirt they had dressed Jex in days before, her eyes shut and crusted over from her tears. Luckily he had been washed and bandaged over his left eye to cover the swelling that had gone down some since his arrival. Ray would not let him go, not this time, not ever again. She had sworn it on her life. She never wanted to see him in such peril again. The two were left alone and Ray stirred from her horrid dream, her nose wrinkling and knees moving ever so closer to her chest as her eyes slid open.

The room was left just how it was when she had arrived. Dark wood flooring covered the bottom of the room and the walls marked a light tan. Oils of trees marked with wax seals adorned the walls. The only natural light flooded in through the bottom of the dark wood door. Her tired eyes narrowed on a small golden bell strung from the ceiling with a paper charm attached to it, sprawled on with a language she could not recognize. Her gaze fell to the cold bowls of stew left untouched on the side table from the night before.

If Jex was not conscious to eat, she would refuse to eat as well. That was the most logical explanation for her doings in her mind.

Ray rubbed her nose with a slight sniff, pulling the blankets over herself and Jex as she stared in a daze, lulling over his jawline again and again and counting each whisker there. Her slender hand dragged across his chest, feeling its way down his arm where she laced her fingers with his, giving his hand a light squeeze.

"You're safe now," she uttered before feeling a light squeeze back that caused her to shoot up in bed, her eyes darting to Jex's face. "Jex?"

A light gasp breached his lips followed by a light moan, much like a beast waking from hibernation. The muscles in his face twitched and his head turned to the side.

"Jex!" Ray barked, reaching up and slowly turning the boy's face toward her. "Are you awake Jex?"

Jex seemed pained for the expression on his face displayed it. A single, uncovered eye opened in a daze, his groggy gaze staring straight at Ray, his vision blurry for a moment till it had focused on every aspect of her face. "Ra-"

The boy could barely mutter a word before Ray pressed her lips with his, a single tear sliding down her face. Ray released, wrapping her arms around him quietly sobbing.

"I thought I lost you," she wept.

Jex, though weak slid his arms around her in return. "Well, lucky for you, I was found. I will admit...I was lost for a while," he answered, his voice hoarse and rough.

Ray couldn't help but smile through her emotional relief. No matter what, Jex had always been Jex in any situation. She would always thank him for that. Her eyes thick with tears locked with his. "I'm just so glad you're okay…" she mused and used her arm to wipe her eyes. "Those men, they hurt you. How?" she urged, her hand falling over his bandages. "I fear it will leave a scar on your handsome face."

Jex took Ray's hand with care. "Ray...those shards...They're dangerous, Ray. He killed a man using them. He made me watch."

"The shard? They used it on you?"

"They have some power to awaken or something," Jex answered attempting to sit up with Ray's help. His body felt like lead and his joints like rusty hinges. He found a resting spot against the wall of the room at the head of the bed. "I will say, it's the most pain I've ever felt."

Ray studied his movements, her fingers lacing with his once more. "I know, about the awakening I mean. Nimer told me before we went looking for you." Tears welled in her eyes once more, blurring her vision.

"What is it?" Jex asked.

Ray shook her head, tossing her unbraided hair about her shoulders. "He's a dirty liar, but...he saved me. He did nothing but. I hate him for it," she pouted, rubbing her nose. "But I owe him so much."

Jex reached up with a feeble attempt to wipe her eyes clean. "Shhh," he beckoned her to peace once more. "Don't cry about it. Speak of the devil, where is he?"

Ray broke into a bawl. "I fear he might be dead, for all I know. He got stabbed, Jex. They were beating him and torturing him for information on the kingdom. I...I just don't know."

Jex took immediate action, drawing the girl into a hug as she soiled his shirt with her tears. It took long minutes to calm her as he thought long and hard about how far they had come. He felt sorry for her and all he had done to get them this far. It was evident how unfair it was to drag her into this in spite of his naive nature.

"It's going to be alright, Ray. We can forget this, this, and everything. Let's go home, Ray. We can forget about everything, okay?"

Ray tried to calm herself, drawing deep breaths. Shaking her head, she pulled away from him. "I don't think that's possible at this point, Jex. You've already been exposed to the shard. No telling what it could do to you."

"What do you mean, Ray? Those men have the shard."

"Nimer said exposure to the shards will tear your soul apart. You'll lose your humanity, Jex."

Jex placed a hand on her cheek. "You also said Nimer is a liar. What do you believe, Ray?"

Ray was astonished while studying his face. She opened her mouth to answer when a light wrap on the door drew both their attention.

"Come in!" Ray called, quickly rubbing her face and nose to appear presentable.

The door opened, and a tall, slender woman stepped in, adorned in robes of rich reds, golds, and purples. Her golden hair was done up in a bun with chopsticks and a ribbon threaded through it, with only a few strands of curled hair hanging in her face. Her green eyes appeared hollow and mysterious.

"I do apologize for intruding," she said, her voice fine and regal. "I could not help but overhear someone weeping from the other room." Her eyes bore into Ray's soul, gaze locked with hers. Stepping into the room, she moved out of the way to allow a shorter girl to enter as well.

Her golden, blonde, wavy hair tumbled about her shoulders and grew the length to her middle back. She wore a fur lined coat over the calf length, a black dress swaying around her legs. Her black boots covered the rest of her legs and were lined with fur as well. A look of sadness strone across her face as she presented a bowl and a rag. She kept her eyes, green as envy, locked on the ripples of the water.

"Annabelle, help our guests wash up and fetch them fresh food. I can only imagine how hungry they must be," the well dressed woman commanded.

"Yes, mother," Annabelle answered, walking into the room, boots clicking on the ground. After removing the bowls of food from the side table, she placed the bowl of water she had carried in. She removed her coat and rolled up the long sleeves of her dress before dipping the rag into the water. She handled Ray's hands first, running the rag over her hands and up her arms, no matter how reluctant she was. She did the same for Jex, carefully cleaning his hands and doing a thorough job.

The woman watched, calm and quiet till Annabelle left the room to fetch Jex and Ray their meals, her eyes lingering on the door. "I appreciate you letting her do that," she began. "With Nim in the state he is in, it's taken a toll on her."

"Nim?" both Ray and Jex questioned.

"Yes, Nim. That is what we know Nimer by and usually address him as," the woman answered.

"How is he? Nim I mean," Ray asked.

The woman folded her hands in front of her. "He is recovering, slower than we would like, however. He has always been resilient. I can do nothing more but expect him to recover. He has always been strong and I know he would wish you think of him as so."

"How do you expect someone to recover?" Ray asked rather confused.

"He has been chosen for great promise. To see him perish would wound this family," the woman answered. "I should properly introduce myself. I am Serane, the high priestess of this temple and married to the god that runs it. This temple belongs to the Golden Dragon of the Earth. Nim has always been like a son to him, let alone a student, meaning he has always been a son to me as well. Parents have high expectations of their children in the culture we follow. I believe, too, there has been high promise placed on you as well. Has Nim announced your calling?"

The two were a bit baffled and shook their heads.

"I see. So he was trying to protect you, not only from others but yourselves as well. Very well then," Serane stated.

"Can you tell us our calling?" Jex piped up.

Serane lifted a billowing sleeve over her mouth and peered at the two, a mystifying gaze behind her emerald eyes. "Do you really want to know?"

"Dragons, demons, spirits, and celestials all suck refuge in the Kingdom of Zaniah,"Serane began, admiring the bell dangling from the ceiling. "For centuries it was the hallmark and safe haven for both creatures of myth and mankind. Over time, we have not proved them to be so different, for the power that has been kept sacred behind its walls has claimed the humanity of many. No man that journeys to find the kingdom comes back the same man, only the same at the core of who they are. All who have searched have awakened to great power, most to power they themselves did not ask for. It is only a subtle reminder that great power chooses its owner, not the other way around. That's what I have learned. The power there speaks to the soul, unlocking its true potential. Many found that being within miles of the key to the kingdom, a red stone the size of a dragon's egg. I would call to the soul, telling it to unleash what has been kept within."

"Many traits lie within us that we seek, power, strength, self control, love, and traits we loathe, envy, lust, greed, guilt. We can never control what the key wants from us, nor do we have all answers to what happens to those who come in contact with the key. Often it is compatibility that chooses whether or not the soul bound to the object will affect it. There have been souls never stirred by the key's great power. Others have awakened faster, some overnight. Whatever power lies within the soul will determine your journey. For some, it is quick and easy. For others, the road ahead is long and painful. No matter the road, your humanity is taken from you by force, something you can not control."

"I cannot tell you your calling nor what you may mean to the kingdom, for your lives are already at risk and such knowledge will put you in further danger. Those seeking the shards for power hinder what the shards do and in the wrong hands, they prove deadly weapons. They can kill rather than help you reach your full potential," she paused and glanced toward the two. "I shall tell you this, however, Zaniah needs you, for what you mean to the kingdom may be far more than you can imagine."

Ray and Jex both exchanged glances, their heads whirling with the information. They did not know how to take it all for both of them already knew most of what had been told. More information was what they needed and the reason to proceed with their journey.

"What reason is there for us to continue our journey then? If we are left without answers that does not give us reason to move forward," Ray insisted.

"Reasons to go on do not exist when searching for the lost kingdom. It is a matter of will," Serane admitted. "I can only share my own experience. I did not want to search for it for I did not have time for such things being on my pilgrimage, searching to become closer with my goddess, Ceto. I was not born with power but obtained it through my prayers. I traveled many lands to carry her word to those who have not yet heard of her graces. I never would have received such abilities if it weren't for the shard. The power of finding the shards brought me closer to her and I received the gift of bending water to my will. I have fulfilled the very thing I prayed about since I was a girl. I never would have met Alec either if it were not for the shards."

"Alec is the Golden Dragon correct?" Ray asked, confirming her knowledge.

Serane nodded, "He is and he too would not have that title if it were not for the shards. He was chosen by a god to become a host. Gods and goddesses cannot walk the physical ground without a host or physical form to reside in. Being exposed to the shards is deemed harsh on him for those chosen by gods suffer greatly till they have reached their full power. Before one reaches such lengths, their physical body must die when they are ready and they are reborn celestials."

The two on the bed were in slight awe. They had never known anything about awakenings.

"What other awakenings are there?" Jex asked. "And what if someone is not ready yet to awaken?"

"That should be self explanatory," Serane said, her voice falling grave. "In any circumstance, a human body will perish and die if they are not yet ready to awaken because of the toll it takes on the body. And there are several awakenings. A human can lose their humanity to become the host of a spirit, a demon, a goblin, a lycan, an elemental, and much, much more. I have not found one race the soul cannot achieve. I must also warn you, that achieved races are not always hereditary. Spirits and demons may run in the family but most other races are a gamble."

Ray and Jex glanced at one another as they addressed Serane once more. She was filled with an abundance of knowledge it seemed.

"How long ago did the kingdom fall? What benefit would finding the kingdom have?" Ray wondered aloud. She now sat with her hands in her lap and feet on the floor. Perhaps if they knew more of the kingdom, their journey would prevail.

"Three hundred and seventy-six years ago, Zaniah fell from power. It has fallen twice in many centuries, the second time proving its instability," the woman admitted. "However, for us awakened to the power of the shards, a stable union taking the throne again would create a community for the rise of awakened souls. I do not think you know but there are more victims to the ever rising power of Prana, the power created from awakenings, a power most are out to get their hands on. The Prana must be protected as well as the humans coming to power."

"Would...we be able to take the throne? If we decided to continue on our way?" Jex asked, pointing back and forth between himself and Ray. He couldn't help but feel hopeful as his one good eye turned and his gaze fell on Ray as she turned and looked at him, just trying to figure out what was running through his head. The thought of running a kingdom together seemed like an appealing idea.

Serane's lips curled into a soft smile, "I have no doubts that could be possible."