Fara leads Kassius through the alley and towards the street at the end. Reaching the street, Kassius stood slack-jawed at the amazing buildings and structures that made up the city. Most buildings stood tall, some shining gold, but most modest with a simple concrete look. By all accounts, it looked like a modern kingdom with cement roads, but old-fashioned structures with eighteenth-century-esque design.

“Where are we?” Kassius asked, keeping his gaze on the amazing structures. “This is Eden, the haven of Gaia,” Fara answered. Kassius wanted to look at the amazing structures and take in all the magic but a sudden yell snapped him back to reality.

“Runes! All-Purpose runes for your daily use!” a man yelled, by a store near where Kassius and Fara were standing. “Runes?” Kassius asked. “Runes are a part of our daily lives, Kassius,” Fara answered him. “They’re our source of energy and magic you see.”

“Magic?” Kassius asked. “Yes.” Fara responded. “Gaia is full of magic, however, not all of its people can use magic on a daily basis, that is where Runes come in.”

“Runes act as power sources, transportation, and so much more.” Fara pulled out a stone with a strange sign out of her pocket and showed it to Kassius.

“This, for example, is a rune that produces light,” Fara explained. “Like a flashlight?” Kassius asked. “Yes, however, rather than rely on a battery like your flashlights, this works on the smallest amount of magic, and you just need to give it some,” Fara explained, smiling. Without a gesture, the stone lit with a light on her hand, Kassius smiled with excitement.

“That’s cool,” Kassius said smiling. Fara held out her hand, handing him the stone. “Give it a go,” Fara said, smirking. Kassius hesitated and said. “But I have no magic in me, I’m normal.”

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t, Kassius,” Fara said reassuringly. Trusting her, he took the stone and held it.

For a while it stayed there, dim and plain. Kassius frowned in disappointment and Fara spoke. “Close your eyes, then imagine water flowing through your body and into the stone,” she said as she put her hands on his shoulders. Kassius took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He envisioned water inside his arms, his legs, all throughout his body. He thought of water flowing from his arms to the hand holding the stone and then into the stone and the water following his thoughts.

As he imagined it, he noticed his black surroundings become brighter. He opened his eyes and saw the Rune lit as it did when Fara was holding it. Kassius let out a gasp of excitement and smiled bright, brighter than he’s ever smiled before. He had magic, he looked up at Fara and she smiled back and let out a chuckle.

“I see you two are enjoying yourselves.” They looked to their side and saw Meos standing there dignified. “Don’t be so uptight, Mos. This is his first time being here in all of his life, let him enjoy it.” Fara said. “I was merely stating an observation, dear sister.” Meos said with a smile.

“While you two were enjoying the sights, I took it upon myself to get you this Kassius.” Meos pulled a stone from his pockets. “What’s that?” Kassius asked as he looked curiously at the stone.

“This my dear boy, is a communication rune.” Meos said, handing the rune to Kassius. “Say the name of whomever you want to contact and they will answer you, and you may communicate through that rune.” Meos explained.

Kassius looked intrigued at the rune, the stone was flattened and oval-shaped. The symbol glowed white and the stone was the size of his palm. “Thank you, Mister Meos,” Kassius said, smiling at Meos. “Meos is just fine, dear boy.” Meos smiled back. “Now then, let’s look for something to eat,” Fara suggested as they walked along the sidewalk.

Kassius was excited about what he was about to see next as they walked down the streets of Eden. He saw what looked like a pet shop with animals that he had never seen before, such as a small hamster-like creature with spikes puffing out making itself into a ball. He saw a bookstore with books floating all around the room and a winged person flying in the air arranging the books. He also saw a shop called “Fred’s Magical Nick-Nacks.”, in the store Kassius saw a lot of shiny and curious-looking objects, from a box full of small colorful balls labeled “Compressed Fireworks” to a notebook and pen that wrote by itself. He was tempted to go in the store and look at the various objects in the store, it took all of his effort to ignore the urge to.

The most exciting thing about the city, however, was the people. People of all shapes, sizes, and races were present in the city, so much so that Kassius couldn’t help but look in awe. He saw people with animal parts, people with gills on their necks, people with pointy ears and wings, and people with books and scrolls, with long robes. It felt like a dream walking through the streets of Eden, he felt that if he closed his eyes now, he'd go back to reality and realize none of this was real, fortunately, it all felt real at least.

Meos, Fara, and Kassius stopped at a restaurant with a sign in the shape of a boar’s head that reads “Boar’s Delights”. They went into the restaurant and Kassius found an abnormally big man behind a counter in, what looked like, a big kitchen. He greeted them as they went in and they found seats. Their breakfast had been normal enough, though a little bigger than he thought. Kassius had a Boar’s tail cutlet, which seemed like a decent-sized breakfast, though as he ate it, it continuously got heavier each bite. By the time he was finished, he felt as if he could sink through his chair at any moment. He didn’t know what was good to drink, and he ended up ordering a drink called “Beetle's Juice”.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

It did not look appetizing, having a yellow-green color and it almost looked like pee. While it looked disgusting, it tasted sweet and it made him feel lighter than he felt after the Boar’s tail cutlets. After all he had experienced, he thought the food would also be extraordinary but he was relieved that it was a regular breakfast.

Kassius felt refreshed and energized from the breakfast. He stepped out of the restaurant ahead of Meos and Fara to breathe some fresh air. As he stepped out, he leaned on the window next to the door and admired the scenery of Eden. While admiring he heard a faint noise nearby, the sound came from ahead of him. Without thinking he followed the noise to the park across from the restaurant. As he grew closer in the bushes, the noise became clear. It was a bird, crying in pain. He searched in the bushes for it until he saw the bird’s head. When Kassius pulled the rest of the branches away to see the full body of the bird, he found that it was different. The head was definitely a bird but the body was that of a mammal. Four legs, the front legs were talons while the back were paws. The creature was dirty and ragged, the feathers on the wings were ruffled and its fur was messy.

“Hey there.” Kassius quietly said, as he slowly approached it. “Are you hungry?” he asked. The creature looked up at him with a frightful expression. “Are you a monster?” the creature said in a high and innocent voice. “I’m a friend. I’m not going to hurt you.” he said gently.

He noticed the creature curled up afraid and cautious. He also noticed the creature trembling and sniffing rapidly. “Are you hungry?” he said gently. The creature nodded its head. Kassius slowly knelt down close to the creature and said,

“Here, let me carry you. We’ll get you something to eat. Is that ok?” the creature looked up at him and gave a sincere and teary look. Kassius scooped the creature up gently cradling it in his arms and moved towards the direction of Boar’s Delight.

As they reached the sidewalk, they saw Fara and Meos in front of the restaurant scanning through their surroundings. Kassius stepped out of the bushes and trees and approached them. “Kassius! Where have you been?” Fara said worryingly.

“I’m fine, he’s not though.” Kassius gestured towards the cradled creature in his hand. Meos and Fara noticed the creature in his arms and their expressions changed from worry to shock. “What?” he asked, confused at the reaction they gave. “My dear boy, where did you find him?” Meos asked. “I found him by the bushes, shaking and hungry.” Kassius answered.

Fara and Meos both looked at each other with the same shocked expressions, Kassius didn’t know whether he did something wrong or it was simply a surprise. Their shocked expressions quickly turned to that of understanding, as if they knew what each other were thinking, this confused Kassius even more.

“I just wanted to get him something to eat,” Kassius said sincerely. Fara tilted her headband knelt down. “Come on then, let’s get him fed,” Fara said, smiling. Kassius brightened his expression and the creature cracked an expression just as bright as his.

They made their way to the pet shop that they passed on their way to eat. At a closer look, there are many kinds of amazing creatures in the store. When they entered the store, they were greeted by the many gazes of owls perching on racks on the ceiling and they saw many usual household pets in cages, such as dogs and cats. What caught Kassius’s eyes, however, were the creatures you wouldn’t find anywhere, such as the puffer fish-like hamster, a ball of light with glittering wings, and in a separate container, a baby dragon. Kassius’s attention then strayed to the interior of the store. It looked like it was placed in a jungle, with vines and branches all around the ceiling and walls with leaves covering it like paint.

“Welcome!” a cheerful voice greeted Fara and Kassius. Kassius turned to the end of the room and saw a well-dressed man, with short wavy hair, a brown coat, and white formal wear under his coat. “Hi there, do you think you can help this poor fella?” Fara asked kindly and gestured to Kassius.

The man walked up to them and examined the creature in Kassius's arms. “My, my, what a rare sight.” the man stared intrigued by the creature. “May I ask, where did you find him?” the man continued. Kassius looked up at Fara for reassurance and Fara nodded.

“I found him starving and shaking by the bushes of the park near here,” Kassius answered. “You are a very lucky young man.” the man said kindly. “I may have just the thing that will help.” the man said as he walked to the end of the room and disappeared in the leaves and vines.

“How am I lucky?” Kassius asked Fara. “You’re little friend, is a very rare creature, Kassius,” Fara said. “Your friend is a Griffin.”. Kassius didn’t understand what she meant. “A Griffin?” Kassius asked. “Yes, young man, a Griffin, the most, the kindest, and most loyal creature in existence.” a voice said. Kassius looked towards the front and saw the man emerging from the jungle with his hand clenched.

“Here, give him this.” the man extended his hand out to reveal a stick of meat. “Why can’t you give it?” Kassius asked, trying hard not to sound rude. “Griffins are very emotional creatures, a simple act of kindness can earn the Griffin’s loyalty and respect, and losing it is much harder.” the man explained.

“It was you who brought him here, and in doing so, earned its trust. He will accept this from no one else.” Kassius took the stick from the man’s hand and gave it to the baby Griffin. The Griffin ate the stick in no time, by the time it was finished it burst with energy flapping its wings and flying over Kassius.

Kassius smiled with joy and laughter as his friend was able to feel lively again. After its celebration, the Griffin landed on Kassius’s shoulder and rubbed its head on Kassius’s cheek. “You and the Griffin are now bound.” the man said, smiling. “Thank you,'' Kassius said kindly.

“Think nothing of it, just make sure you take care of him.” the man said. Kassius looked dumbfounded. “You saved his life, He’s now loyal to you.” the man elaborated. Kassius felt a surge of excitement flow through him, he had always made friends with animals but to actually have a pet is the best thing he could have asked for.

Kassius thanked the man again without knowing what he was saying, but the man simply nodded and smiled. “So what’ll you call him?” Fara asked. “Ashe''