Valerian, The Legendary

247 Contrary.

Valerian gawked as he saw the giant tree of Sripa Flower. He looked at the lady beside him and asked, “Sister Trin, this tree.”

Trin smiled and raised her chin up to the sky slightly as she said, “This tree is the place where the holy maiden of Clar-awks lives. The first tree of the Sripa Flower or as we call it, the Tree of origins.”

Valerian nodded and said, “Marvelous.”

Trin nodded and asked him to follow her, they moved through what seemed to be the city of the magical creatures. A lot of the natives were in their humanoid form, they all had one thing in common, their shiny blue hair. Valerian was sticking out like a sore thumb in the crowd.

However, he did not mind the scrutinizing gazes. Trin said, “This is the first time most of them have seen a human so close, I hope you do not mind.”

Valerian nodded and said, “I would have been the same if not for the fact that I have read about the clar-awks.”

Trin nodded, after a trip through the city, the two arrived close to the Tree of origins and Valerian found a group of people moving around in cerulean armor. They all carried a spear in their hand while a long sword was tied around their waists. The aura from these people was so strong that even Valerian was shaken.

He could not understand what they must have faced, but he could tell that their strength was above any expert grandmaster that he has faced in battle. He asked, “Sister Trin, who are these warriors?”

Trin smiled and said, “These are the guards of the Tree of Origins. Every realm is a world in its own manner, we may be the magicals you know about, but inside the magical realms exist other species too. Do not worry, the maiden will teach you all this.”

.....

Valerian nodded and said, “The warriors are very valiant, they make me excited.”

Trin smiled and they reached closer to the tree of origins. The guards in front of the tree looked at them and they bowed, as the one in front of them said, “Welcome back, Your Grace.”

Trin nodded and said, “Let us pass, Chief Tabra, Master Valerian has arrived.”

Tabra scrutinized Valerian and commented, “So, you are the fabled guest from the human realm who managed to form a bond with a dragon?”

Valerian nodded and walked behind Trin with a smile. He bowed and said, “Greetings, Sir.”

Tabra nodded and said, “We shall spar one day to learn from each other.”

The young boy replied, “I will look forward to the opportunity, sir.”

Trin then took him past the guardian barrier. All the guards, male or female were looking at him with blazing eyes, they could not wait to claim a piece of him for themselves. Valerian was someone new to them and he was here as the champion of Lumen. The title of the champion was something that irked them.

…

As they reached closer to the base of the tree, Valerian spotted a small palace at the end. Trin took him inside the palace, and the young man found that the palace was made up of wood. The two stopped in the center of the lobby, when a voice greeted them, “Welcome to the Sripa palace, Master Valerian.”

Valerian reacted quickly and turned to locate the source of the sound. However, he found nothing. The voice sounded, “This is the first test I have for you. I would give you a brief history about the palace and the things you saw outside, with every sentence, my position will change, what you will have to do is to locate me before I finish speaking.”

Valerian scratched the back of his head and said, “I accept the test, Your Excellency.”

The voice replied, “Brilliant.”

Valerian was not a doofus who would not use the opportunity, but this one word was not enough for him to locate the source so he did not waste his effort, patience was the key.

The voice said, “This palace is made from the branches of the tree of origins. Over time, the ancestors had gathered the dry twigs and the rotting branches shed by the tree, and then they turned that wood into a mix that allowed them to create this abode for the maiden that serves the Tree of origins.”

Valerian had been looking around and was searching for the source, but he was unable to locate the person, even though he thought he was close, he could not find her.

After a pause, he stopped looking for the person and closed his eyes as he stood in the center of the lobby, the voice continued, “The realm of clar-awks is not some place where we are the sovereigns, but there are other species residing here, one of them is the arch-enemies with us. The species is called Lunakes. They are a species that can be compared to the snakes found in your human realm but the ones here are very cunning and simply too hard to deal with. They are always trying to take control of the tree of origin, and thus the guards are always on alert. It is not advised to roam around the village at night. Oh, you found me.”

Valerian was looking at a small blue bird, that was flickering through the place. The bird shape shifted and transformed into a lady that was so beautiful that kings might give up their thrones for her and the beggars might kill the kings for her.

However, he did not have any such thoughts in his mind, his gaze was focused on the set of eyes of the lady. He bowed and said, “Greetings, Your Excellency.”

The lady nodded with a faint smile and said, “You are welcome, Master Valerian. You are able to locate me in such a short time, seems like I have underestimated you.”

Valerian replied, “You are putting me on a pedestal, Your Excellency.”

The lady shook her head and said, “Too much modesty is disrespectful.”

Valerian scratched the back of his head and the lady said, “I am Shyna, the maiden of the Clar-awks. I will personally teach you the methods to get stronger. However, you will have to pay the tuition by working around the village. For the next four months, you will be a working citizen of the village. Do you agree?”

Valerian nodded and Shyna continued, “I can sense that you are agreeing for the sake of getting stronger, but do not worry. If you face any discrimination, you are free to complain to me or deal with it on your own. However, if you take the method into your own hands, I will not intervene, and if you harmed any citizen severely, I will have you punished by the laws of the village. Do you agree?”

Valerian looked at her calmly and then nodded. Just when Shyna thought she had subdued this guy, Valerian said, “I will follow what you say, Your Excellency, but I suggest that you cast a magical spell that can stop Fortuna from sensing what is happening to me. She gets really angry if she finds that something is wrong with me.”

This was a counter-threat that stated, he was not here to be bullied. Shyna nodded and did not show anything on her face. She looked at Trin and said, “Trin, show Master Valerian around and assign him a place to live, and his duties.”

Then she looked back at Valerian and said, “Master Valerian, you will have your meal in the morning with me, followed by a lesson, and then after dinner, we will review about what you have understood.”

Valerian bowed and said, “Thank you, your excellency.”

Trin then took him around the town and said, “You were quite brave in there to talk like that to the maiden. She is not someone to mess with you know?”

Valerian shrugged his shoulders and said, “She was threatening me. Am I supposed to stay here and take everything thrown at me lying down? I am sorry this is not possible. I would rather leave now than be used like a chess piece.”

Trin looked at him from the corner of her eye deeply, and then they came to a shack. The lady said, “This will be your abode, do you have any problem?”

Valerian shook his head and entered the shack, he found that the inside of the shack was simply furnished with a bed and a blanket. He asked, “Can you tell me where is the bathroom?”

Trin nodded and pointed in a distance, she said, “Do you see that stone building?”

Valerian nodded and the lady said, “That is where the commoners go to wash and empty the bowels. You will understand when you go there.”

The prince raised his brow and then after taking a deep breath he said, “As you command your grace.”

Trin was surprised but she could sense that the child was vexed, but did not say anything and left the place after Valerian settled down.

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