In the quiet, modest town of Glento, Lebrad.
Energetic giggles brought livelihood to the Juladee household, which has now dwindled in numbers after their only son left to participate in the Protector's exam.
Amariel, who wore light pink pants and a white T-shirt, wobbled across the living room. Her mouth was stained with what looked like strawberry yogurt, while her brown eyes radiated in the sun.
She maneuvered through the house, stopping by everyone's rooms. First, it was their parents. "Mama! Papa!"
She peeked her head in the master bedroom, one furnished with a queen bed, drawers, and a beige carpet.
Amariel waved her chubby hand at her parents, who smiled and waved back. "Hi, Amariel."
Elated at their response, Amariel's cheeks reddened with glee as she went to her brother's room next. "Thamueo!" She waved inside, but was met with an emptiness that started to sadden her. "Thamueo?" She walked into the room, holding on to one of the doors as support. "Thamueo!"
The room was painted blue, with a small twin bed in the corner. Beside the bed were a desk, a bookshelf, and a closet.
Once Amariel realized Samuel was not going to respond, she left the room reluctantly.
Next up: Heart.
Amariel skipped all the way down the dimly lit hall to Heart's room. Her door was white with a copper handle. As Amariel fiddled with the doorknob and opened it, she was met with Heart lying on a bed and covered in a dark pink blanket.
Heart was pale. Her skinny face, frail body, and dark eye bags were very evident in affirming the fact that she had caught another illness.
Amariel's eyes widened as she approached her elder sister, the latter not noticing Amariel at all. Holding on to the skeleton that propelled the mattress, Amariel went on her tiptoes and tried to look at Heart.
After multiple failed attempts and muffled huffs, Amariel backed off and sat on the floor. Beside her lay a couple of pieces of paper and coloring crayons.
One of Amariel's favorite pastimes was coloring, especially in Heart's room. The walls were plastered with multiple images drawn by Amariel and Samuel. The difference in their abilities was clearly portrayed if one takes a look.
Fluttering her legs back and forth, Amariel happily grabbed the crayon with a faltering grip and began coloring.
She began humming a tune her mother loved to sing.
Heart's eyelids twitched, probably because she had heard that song numerous amount of times.
A gentle knock was heard outside the door.
Amariel's head jerked to see who it was. A smile plastered itself across her adorable face. "Papa!" Julian embraced his daughter and looked down at the drawing. "What do we have here?"
Amariel beamed with joy as she exclaimed, "Hewp Hawt!"
Looking down at the drawing, Julian's eyebrows pricked up. It was a messy picture of a girl in a bed, and a smaller girl's arms extended wide, who was releasing what looked to be magic.
It took Julian a while to understand this because of Amariel's extremely poor representation.
She smiled at her father.
"Hewp Hawt!"
. . .
Trila, Theales.
In a large office building, one with the overhead sign that read 'Special Forces,' the beautiful, blonde-haired General Alanus opened the door to a monotone office.
Wearing his signature white suit and yellow cape, Alanus softly rapped the sword attached to his hip and knocked on the side of the door.
His surroundings were nothing short of normalcy. Two brown couches, a couple of bookcases, and a large brown bureau.
A man, jagged and bald, sat in the chair with his head buried in piles of paperwork.
"Commander Alvaron." Alanus greeted his superior, who seemed not to have heard the previous knock on the door.
Alvaron calmly lifted his head and acknowledged Alanus with silence. One of his eyes was gouged out, and gruesome to look at. All that was left was a dark bruise that covered a mass of his face.
After clearing his throat, Alanus took the initiative to speak. "Sir, Emperor Magnus Van Selwyn IV has ordered four generals, one from the Special Forces, one from the Land Military, and the final two from the Naval Military, to head on an expedition."
Alvaron raised and lowered his chin, which was covered by a small beard. "To where?"
"The island of Preole Grye, located south of the Western Cradle."
After focusing his eyes on the general, Alvaron calmly spoke. "I see."
Alanus' eyebrow twitched. Come on, man… "That means I'll need to apply for Trusted Scroll 26PD."
Trusted Scroll's, when recited, grant the user temporary abilities. They can range from ground, to sky, to sea, but also to a multitude of other powers. The smaller the number in its title, the less potent the scroll's abilities are.
To date, there are 153 Trusted Scrolls.
As of now, there are no drawbacks when using a Trusted Scroll, which is why they were named that way.
The only limiting factor is that they perish after a certain number of uses. The lower the number, the higher the usage amount.
Alvaron nodded, raised his foot while on the chair, and tapped the ground. After furrowing his brows for a second, a soldier barged in frantically and saluted both Alvaron and Alanus.
"Commander. General."
Alanus politely nodded and replied. "Soldier." Alvaron didn't find the need to acknowledge him, so he went on with his order.
"Scroll."
The soldier, one who had stark yellow hair and a beard, unfurled a black leather case and revealed a worn-out beige paper, rolled up like a scroll.
He handed it to Alvaron, who remained stone-faced. "Alright." At that cue, the soldier ran off instantly out of the office.
Commander Alvaron was truly a terrifying superior.
Alvaron checked the scroll once before giving it to Alanus. "Use wisely."
Alanus smiled. "I will. Thank you, sir." Then, he was off on a mission. One that left him to explore the dangerous and mysterious island; Preole Grye.
After watching Alanus leave with a stern expression, Alvaron stroked his chin and felt his eyelids shudder.
His eyes darkened. And with a quiet tone, he muttered.
"Preole Grye... isn't necessarily Preole Grye."