Ersia: Raven Dawn

Pierre stands in the middle of the royal meeting hall of Magnolia Palace, the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the Queendom of Rosmayne. As a child of a commoner, he used to dream of ever stepping foot inside the place where the affairs of the mighty take place, but now that it was not a dream anymore, he feels overjoyed. He tried so hard to hide the vivacity in his eyes as he kept looking down on the gold-decorated violet carpet, trying to bring out his best behavior before the number one person in the realm.

"Your Majesty," Pierre kneeled, closing his eyes.

"Rise, Pierre Juraine."

The soft ethereal voice gave shivers to Pierre's whole body. When he lifts his face, his face turns red and he quickly averts his gaze from the angel of a woman before him. He had never seen such a dazzling flower in all his life. The soothing emerald eyes, glowing skin, and braided peach-colored hair that is a gentle wave of summer that marks the bearer of Aine's gift make every word powerless to describe her captivating beauty.

She is Catalina Rosalia, the reigning queen of Rosmayne. Young as she may but her eyes see through most shadows, and her wisdom creates its own thorns.

"I trust that you have an important matter to present, Pierre."

The queen's remarks brought back Pierre and cleared his mind of the spellbound that froze him in place.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I have brought a significant memory of the sudden storm three nights ago."

Upon listening to Pierre, the queen glances at her page. The royal page immediately nodded and approached Pierre along with her two assistants. They bring with them a circlet adorned with a chunk of pure white diamond presented on top of a cushion.

The royal page put the circlet on Pierre's head and chant a spell. Pierre gasped for air as he never had an Alna cast on him. He feels painful stings on the back and the front side of his head, almost bringing both his hands on the carpet if it wasn't for his pride holding his body up.

After a minute, the procedure is complete. The diamond on the circlet bounced off and one of the assistants picked it up as the other one took off the circlet from Pierre. He doesn't know what just happened but he can only feel glad now that he no longer feels the awful sensation.

The royal page put the diamond in an empty slot on her wand that fits perfectly with it.

"Visomnia Manifesti."

Light comes out from the diamond, projecting Pierre's memory through the dances of light. Everything that he sees and hears reverberates through the magnificent auditorium. The drenched tall trees, the neighing of the horses, the clattering sounds of the raindrop smashing into his helmet, and the thundering sky as he and his cavalry ride on.

There are dozens of high-profile individuals witnessing the replay of the knight's memory. They are whispering to each other, judging and assessing carefully. There are times when their gaze turns to Pierre himself. Yet, the young knight dares not to look back as he only bows solemnly.

The recording stops right at the moment when Pierre casts his spell on the wall of illusion. The audience pulls a long face since they don't get to see what is on the other side of the wall. When they are starting to get loud, the queen clears her throat, demanding their attention.

"As much as I dislike to admit it, I will have all of you know that I lack sufficient knowledge to tend to these signs and occurrences. Thus, let us seek the guidance of the elders. Lady Setra of Aqua Regia, will you enlighten us?"

An old woman rises her back from her chair. One can see the trace of tears on her face which she had previously tried so hard to erase. She takes a lot of breather and tidying up her clothes several times before she is finally ready to speak.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Then, if you please allow me to tell a story. It's a story that I don't often tell, especially in front of so many people. However, given the circumstances, I have no choice but to make an exception."

.

.

.

"Long ago, Aristes, the god of craft shared his creation for the living beings of Ersia so they could protect themselves and fight for their belief. We refer to these artifacts as 'Opus'. They are considered invaluable and even to possess one of them grants you a symbol of status equal to those of royalties."

"However, there are some of his creations that surpass the others. They are called 'Magnum Opus'. The greatest of the greatest."

"Although we don't know exactly how many Magnum Opus exist out there in the world, currently, there are two Magnum Opus that have been recorded in our archives."

"The first one is the Flute of Hulun-Buir which is said to be in the possession of a wandering sage. The power it holds is still a mystery, but one thing to be sure is that it's certainly equal to the might of nature itself."

"The second one is the Staff of Tubataha, the water shaper . . . which I gave to Yumna many years ago."

Suddenly, a nobleman pummeled the handrest of his chair. His veins are surfacing on the side of his head, expressing his strong dissatisfaction.

"I just can't bring myself to understand the reasoning of your action, no matter how much I try to! Your decision is greatly questionable, Lady Setra! It could even be considered an act of treason had you been someone else!"

"Lord Bartra!"

The queen knocks her staff to the floor and the audience goes completely silent.

"The staff is Lady's Setra personal possession. It is her right to do whatever she wants with it. Though I understand your vexation very well, I have vowed by my crown to make sure that right will not be violated, just as my mother did."

"Your Majesty. You know better than anyone how vital the staff is for the prosperity of our realm. Do you perhaps need me to remind us how much gold flows out of our treasury every year just to handle the yearly flood? Not to mention the loss of lives."

"I grieve for the pain the flood has brought to Avintes, Lord Bartra. I promise you that we will find a more permanent solution very soon."

The Lord of Avintes stood up from his seat. His face turns red and his eyes seem as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. Rage and discontent pollute the air and everyone can feel the tension building up in the auditorium.

"Your Majesty! My domain has suffered for almost eight years! How could-!"

"Lord Bartra, if you may pardon me."

Another nobleman cuts into the conversation just in time. He is a bald man with a pointy and curvy nose, not to mention a rough complexion on his face. Nevertheless, the way he dresses and his demeanor exude the air of a true man of class. A man with excellent etiquette and a sharp sense of words of gestures.

"Lord Crozette."

"I believe that it would be most wise of us to see this whole premise of tracking and bringing back the hero as a great opportunity to gain ourselves a great edge in future diplomacy. If we are to succeed in the said matter, think of what the other country would be willing to give for even a scratch of the lost memoir of The Silent Twilight."

"I sincerely wish you understand that the concern about the flood is not yours alone. I myself, am aware that Underpoint has been really difficult to cooperate for our canal project. That being said, I know that I have no right to ask you to remain patient nor be more forbearing."

Lord Crozette pauses and takes a glance at the queen. Albeit it's very subtle, one who observed carefully can see that the queen is reacting as if she was being provoked. She slightly sharpened her gaze for a moment before acting normally again.

"But I highly advise you to welcome this opportunity with open arms. After all, the one we are seeking might worth more than a castle of gold."

Knowing that Lord Crozette has saved him from potential trouble had he said something out of line, Lord Bartra sits back down.

". . . You have a point. Perhaps I spoke too much."

"That much is understandable, Lord Bartra. You speak on behalf of your subjects, and that is a noble cause," Lord Crozette replied.

Then, the queen nodded to Lady Setra to continue where she left off.

.

.

.

"However, there were also times when other gods made contact with Aristes to create an artifact with their essence of divinity within. We simply called them 'Relic'. They hold immense power, such as-"

"Solus," the queen cuts in.

"Exactly, Your Majesty. But there's something else."

The auditorium turns silent. They are eager to hear the rest from Lady Setra, but she seems to be thinking of something, or rather, reminiscing something. The look in her eyes are those who seek the distant past, reliving moments through the fog of memory.

"I was there with the heroes when they were gifted with their blessings. The Relic that was given to Asmar is the absolute sword, Solus, made from the essence of the divinity of the five prominent gods and goddesses. Meanwhile, Randia has no relic, instead, he was given a Magnum Opus that is most cherished by no one by Aristes himself."

"The Magnum Opus given to Randia is the greatest creation of Aristes which He considered as a 'daughter', though the details regarding the matter are beyond my comprehension. All that I know is that she is called Lyudra."

"For some reason, Aristes bestowed his blessing by marrying this uh . . . 'living creation' to Randia. Hence, ever since then, many entities who are related to Aristes addressed him as Valdrin, The Spouse of Lightning."

The name itself makes everyone shiver. The image of power surfaced in their minds as soon as they heard the name. Questions are in their heads, and the queen understands this.

"In summary, the storm that occurred that night was indeed the portent of Randia's power?"

Lady Setra turns her head to Pierre instead of answering the queen's question right away.

"It's hard to say. There are things that need to be confirmed. Captain Pierre, right? One of the prisoners said that he was looking for something. A little girl, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"That doesn't fit his story, for all that I know at least. That's because I have never heard of him having any children. I suppose that kid is our only clue, Your Majesty," Lady Setra looked at the queen with a stern face.

The queen nods and stands up. Her lieges follow right after and bow their head.

"Then, hereby, I order a full investigation, effective immediately. I expect only the best result."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"