Overhead in the darkening violet sky, the large orange red sun began its slow descent in the horizon, signaling the end of another day on the strange world of Cyphyrus. Small, night creatures cautiously poked their heads out of their holes in the ground or from the holes of the large tree Jeneta, Djoser, and the other girls walked passed. In the sky, large, strange looking birds circled around for the last time before heading off to their nest, cawing and chirping loudly almost as if signaling to everyone else that the day was nearly done, and all should return to their homes.
Jeneta placed a hand over her mouth as she yawned loudly, feeling drained as though she had run a marathon. For hours, the group had walked through the large and thick forest, carefully avoiding any animals or people that might be passing through. Djoser had warned them that they shouldn't take any chances in letting themselves be found by anyone, as evidently by the hunter tentrilias, whoever was against them being here, knew they were here. But that still didn't make traveling any easier. Unused to the rocky and uneven forest ground, the girls tired easily, but kept going for fear of being lost and alone in this very large and scary forest at night.
After looking around her one more time, Jeneta looked up at the taller dark-skinned man. "Umm...Djoser? Not to sound too cliche or whiny, but....are we almost there?"
For a moment the young man was quiet, then he looked down at her. "We are, don't worry..."
"Well, I certainly hope we are!" Ling said grumpily. "It's been hours, and I don't see any sign of civilization yet! It's also getting dark, and I don't want to get stuck in this...place." Fear entered the Chinese girl's eyes for a moment as she looked around her. After years of hearing those foolish ghost stories her uncle used to tell her to make her behave, Ling's imagination was running wild.
"Please, don't worry," Djoser stopped, turned around, and looked each girl in the eyes. "I promise you, on my honor and life, I won't let anything happen to any of you." He lowered his head slightly. "I know this is all very confusing and strange to you, but please know, once we reach to the village of Kanarck, everything will be explained. Also know that once I have made a promise, I keep it, and I now promise not to let any harm come to you. This I swear."
"It's okay, I trust you," Jeneta said, nodding her head. She looked up overhead, and noticed stars just beginning to come out, twinkling brightly, as well as the beginning outlines of two crescent moons. Wow, two moons? She blinked her eyes in wonder. Gosh, I wonder if I'll EVER get used to this place! She then shook her head to clear it of those thoughts, and turned to the others. "But Ling's right, we shouldn't waste any time. We have to keep going if we want to get out of this forest before it gets really dark."
Just then, a loud and mournful howling suddenly erupted into the quiet, evening air. Prya screamed in surprise and fright, and rushed into Heather's arms, the nearest person to her.
"Hey, it's okay Prya. It's just wolves," Heather said, holding tightly to Prya's shaking body. But even Heather couldn't say for sure, for the howling was much deeper, much more gravelly and longer than a normal wolf's howling. She looked up at Djoser in curiosity. "They...are wolves, aren't they?"
"No, those are griphalaxes they are somewhat similar to your wolves on Earth, but much more....vicious. They are creatures you do not want to encounter." For a moment, nervousness showed on Djoser's dark face, but then he shook it off. "Come, we can't delay any longer." With that, he turned and hurried off, his steps much faster.
"Wow, those things must be really bad for even him to be scared of." Angeni said as she walked in stepped next to Jeneta. In her life growing up, wolves were thought to be one of the most efficient, organized hunters in the North American continent. Most of what people thought of wolves was just rumors, fear, and speculation, and because of it, they were nearly wiped out. But for anything to be more vicious than wolves...that made her nervous.
Jeneta nodded and was about to say something, when Djoser's voice called out back to them.
"Quickly! The village is just overhead. Follow me." With quick moves, the tall man parted a thick patch of tall bushes, sending small birds and animals scurrying off in different directions. Jeneta quickly followed after him, followed by Heather, Prya, Angeni, then Ling. When the girls brushed off the leaves from their clothing and looked ahead, they could only stare in wonder for a few moments.
Almost as if it magically appeared out of nowhere, the village was brightly lit, with houses with windows filled with light coming from strangely shaped kerosene candles. But the strange thing was...the fires all seem to be a dark color, but still gave off bright light. The houses themselves seemed to be a comfortable size, not too big and not too small, all colored either white or a delicate cream color. Some of the houses were much bigger than the others, giving evidence to them being the houses of some people that were important to the place. At nearly every house was a small stable at the side, made of wood and in a design not too different from the ones on Earth.
"This...this place was here all the time? How come we didn't see any lights?" Jeneta asked in wonder, looking at a few people hurrying about as they walked closer. A few people stopped to look at them for a moment, but then hurried off, talking to one another in words the girls couldn't understand.
"The village is protected by magic," Djoser answered, heading off to a small path to the right. "Not even the sorcerers working for General Zain could find it..."
"Who?" Ling asked, looking up at him.
Djoser shook his head and motioned for them for follow. "Never mind. Come, we have to go here," He pointed to the largest building near the center of the small village, obviously belonging to someone of great importance. It took a few minutes for them to reach it, and just as Djoser was about to knock on the large door, it opened, and a young woman with long, dark brown hair stood in the doorway, looking to be about 17 or 18. She looked at Djoser for a moment, then her green eyes widened in recognition and delight. She suddenly began talking joyously in a rush of words that sounded to the girls a little bit like a mixture of Latin and...something else, but before any of the girls could ask what she was saying, the young woman looked at Jeneta and the other girls warily for a moment, then quickly motioned for them all to come in, looking around nervously.
When they were all in, the woman led them to the back of the house, where a room with many candles lit awaited them. It resembled a small alter room, with the center having a large table with an intricate design, somewhat resembling a griffin. All around, there were candles hanging from the walls, ceilings, and a few on the floor around the large table. The woman left them and went out the door they just came through, and after a moment, she came back with someone else.
Hanging to her arm, the new visitor that came with the young woman was an older looking woman, looking to be about in her late 40's or early 50's. Her blonde hair was long and about to the middle of her back, with the front part plated in thick braids and coiled in a circle, and just beginning to go grey. She was tall, but her years gave her a slight stoop. Her dress was emerald green, matching her eyes, and there was gold trim design going down the front onto the ends of her dress. In her other hand was a long staff, colored black and with a bright, crystal ball at the top. When she saw Djoser and the girls, the woman smiled kindly as her eyes brightened, and walked up to the taller man.
"Ik mut su'it Kanarck, Djoser. Ju dihet patat ki'let." the woman said kindly, taking one of Djoser's hand in her own.
The man smiled back kindly and bowed at the waist. Then with excitement in his eyes, he began talking quickly in that same language, leaving the girls in complete bafflement.
"What the heck are they saying?" Jeneta whispered behind her hand to Heather.
"I don't know. Maybe he's telling her happened and how we got here." The blonde girl shrugged and waited along with the others to see what would happen. Just then, Djoser finished speaking, and with an outstretched hand, indicated the girls standing with him, telling the woman their names.
The older woman smiled again and stepped up to the girls. "Ik mut Kanarck, Jeneta, Prya, Angeni, Heather, Ling. Ju kowna Orana..."
"Whoa, hey, time out!" Ling said, gesturing for the woman to stop speaking. "I'm sorry lady, but we have no idea what you're saying. We speak English."
The older woman blinked in surprise at the girls for a moment before chuckling. Raising her staff, she passed her hand across it a couple of times as she muttered a few words. The crystal ball glowed brightly for a few moments, then with a flash, a beam of light shot out, split, and struck each of the girls on the forehead. The girls closed their eyes, feeling dizzy for just a moment, then looked back at the woman in amazement.
"What...what was that?" Prya said softly, placing her hand on her forehead.
"I take it you can understand me now?" the woman asked, looking at them in amusement.
"No way! You're talking English?" Angeni said, blinking her eyes in surprise.
"No child, you're just able to speak and understand our language now." the older woman said, "You're speaking Cyphirian, the major language here."
The girls blinked and looked at each other in astonishment, but before they could say anything, the old woman spoke. "Now, as I was saying, welcome to Kanarck. My name is Orana, the Mage Priestess here, and over there is my daughter, Kylini." A slight sadness came over Orana's eyes. "This village is on of the very few left that has not yet been attacked or destroyed by the evil forces of Kumraa. For years we have been able to fend of the attacks of his minions, but..." The old woman sighed and placed her hand on her chest.
"Mother, please, don't overexert yourself!" Kylini said, rushing to her side.
Orana put up her hand, as if to say "I'm alright", then looked back at Djoser and the girls. "But I am getting old, and my powers are not as strong as before." The woman took a deep breath and stood up to her full height. "Now, I'm pretty sure Djoser has explained to you about why you are here."
Jeneta looked to her side at the other girls, then stepped foreword nervously. "Umm, in a way, yes. It has something to do with freeing your planet from a person called....Kumraa." The dark-skinned girl lowered her eyes. "But really, I don't see how any of this has to do with us. We're just ordinary high school girls, and...and.."
Orana smiled again and raised her staff. Suddenly, bright colors erupted from it, and when they faded a few moments later, images began to appear above near the ceiling. The girls blinked in amazement, knowing that they were images of a time long ago. First, there was an image of five figures, each obviously female and looking off to the distance. "Long ago, our planet was a place of peace, of prosperity." Orana began. "All who lived here was happy. All was good, and our rulers were loved. The ones who protected us, gave us our peaceful way of life were called The Ones Who Are Blessed. Through them, we learned to live in peace with one another, to learn to use magic in a good way. The five goddesses were the most powerful forces here on this planet. Some say in the whole galaxy, others the universe."
The images changed then into darkness and a figure of a large-headed demon beast. "But evil rose in the form of a powerful demon called Kumraa. He spread lies and darkness through our lands. Many of those who opposed him were struck down. Our bravest warriors, our finest leaders....all destroyed. Kumraa wanted nothing more than to destroy, to bring death and hopelessness. He was jealous of the powers of The Ones Who are Blessed, and with his followers, sought to become more powerful then even they were..."
The images changed again into a moving one, with the five figures shooting a powerful blast of energy at the demon. Orana sighed sadly, then continued. "The Ones Who Are Blessed couldn't allow Kumraa to continue with his onslaught. With all the energies and powers they had, they fought and defeated him, but it was at a terrible cost to them. They didn't survive the fight, and they perished just as they sealed Kumraa away, being unable to completely destroy him. For a few thousand years after that, peace returned to us here on Cyphyrus, but along with it was the sadness of losing the ones who gave us so much...taught us so much." Orana paused for a moment, then continued. "Then, one day, Kumraa was able to break out of his seal. We don't know how...some say the seal was weakened, but he is free. Weakened, but free."
The images disappeared, and Orana looked at each of the girls. "After the fight, the medallions the Priestesses wore were somehow lost and scattered across different countries and continents on our planet. There are rumors that the medallions have been found and are guarded by lesser gods of these countries. And now, Djoser," She looked up at him and smiled softly. "He thinks that you girls might be the key in finding these medallions. With such power again, we will be able to defeat Kumraa once and for all."
"But...these goddesses you're talking about. Whatever happened to them? If they were so powerful in defeat this...demon, weren't they able to...come back from the dead?" Prya asked, wringing her hands nervously behind her.
Orana shook her head. "They were supposed to have been reborn, as they did many times before, but something went wrong. No one knows what become of them, or where they are." She sighed sadly.
Kylini stepped up next to her mother, and gave them a pleading look. "Please, my friends...please say you'll help us find the Sacred Medallions, and free our planet from this evil."
"We know this is all happening so fast, and that we're asking a lot of you." Orana looked at the girls once more, her eyes full of sorrow, yet hope that maybe these strangers from another world would help them. "But you have to understand....many villages and cities are falling, even though they are protected, and with each passing day, Kumraa get stronger. Please....help us."
Jeneta gulped, then looked to the other girls beside her once again. For just a few moments, each girl thought the same thing; what could they do to help? Why them? What these people needed were brave warriors that knew about magic and other such things....not five ordinary high school girls! But then, Jeneta knew that if they asked her and her friends for help, she couldn't let them down. They would just have to do their best. Then, one by one, each of the other girls nodded her head, looking to Jeneta. With a smile, Jeneta turned back to Orana, Djoser, and Kylini, and nodded her head. She couldn't let them down, not when they have been through so much already, and these people desperately needed help. Yes, it was all happening so fast, but she couldn't deny them. What if it was Earth that was in trouble? "Yes, of course we'll help. We'll do whatever we can. We'll help find the Sacred Medallions and bring back The Ones Who Are Blessed for you."
Orana, tears misting in her eyes, walked up to Jeneta and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have done us all a great honor, young brave ones." She smiled slightly, and taking her hand off the dark-skinned girl's shoulder, turned and gestured them to follow. "Please, follow me. After your long journey through the forest, you must be tired and hungry..."
Kylini followed her mother while Djoser turned to the girls. "I will see you all in the morning. Orana will take good care of you." With a last look at Jeneta, he followed Kylini out of the room, then rushed out of the house.
Gosh, I hope he doesn't do that all the time, Jeneta thought, suddenly feeling alone now that he had left. She left a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Heather smiling at gently.
"Come on, we should go." the blonde girl said. Jeneta nodded, and following Orana and her daughter, the girls were lead to a beautifully designed large bathroom with an immense bathtub in the middle. It was clearly meant to be occupied by a large number people. Already in it was warm water, ready to bathe in. The girls all gasped at the sheer beauty and size of it, totally not expecting it in a village such as this.
Kylini chuckled softly at the girl's reaction. "Mother usually gets alot of visitors sometimes, so she decided to at least welcome them in style."
"Now that's what I'm talking about! I can finally clean up and get back to my beautiful self!" Angeni said. Of the girls in the group, she was the most self conscious of her looks, and was clearly happy to be finally able to rid herself of the dirt and grim on her hair and skin.
The other girls agreed with a giggle, and with relish, they took off their clothes and bathed in the warm water provided, soaking and relaxing their tensions away. After that, they were given some clean clothes like the ones they saw the people were wearing. There were modeled somewhat like the fashion of the Middle Ages, but the material was much lighter.
After that, they ate a light dinner of bread, cheese, a soup made of a meat that tasted like chicken, and a juice that was a mixture of apple and grape. Throughout the dinner, Orana and Kylini filled in the girls on the customs of the country they were in, and the girls listened attentively.
When she finished, Heather looked up at her, curiosity on her face. "Orana, you said you were a Mage Priestess. Well, on...Earth, mage is an Old Latin word, and it usually means a MALE witch, or a man that delves in magic,"
The older woman nodded in understanding."Yes, that is true, but here in Cyphryrus, "mage" can mean anyone, male or female, who has the power and the talent to do magic. Mage is actually a descendant of our Cyphyrian word "magikile", for anyone with magical abilities."
Descendant of the Cyphyrian word? Heather thought, slightly puzzled. But...how did the Cyphyrian language come to Earth in the first place?
But before Heather could ask that question, the Mage Priestess stood. "Come now, it is late, and you all need your rest." With a smile, she lead them to a small room, where with magic, she conjured up beds for them to lie on and nightgowns to sleep in. As Jeneta laid her head down to sleep after changing, she said a little prayer to herself. Please, let me and my friends have the strength to help these people. Please help us not to let them down. With a last, hopeful sigh, she closed her eyes, and like the other girls, allowed sleep to settle over her.
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