“Rokas, are we there yet?” moaned Elias. Evidently he was exhausted from this journey already, and it has only been a few days since they left their hometown of Starch. He was dragging his feet in a child-like manner, making huffing and puffing sounds.
Rokas stopped and looked back at Elias with a grin of good news. “Why don’t you look up? Then you can tell me if we’re almost there,” he said back, picking the pace of his walking up. Just over one last climbable patch of rocks and there it was, the peak of the mountains. Nobody really spoke of what civilization would refer to these mountains by, at least not to Ariah’s knowledge. They were on the homestretch, and in mere minutes they will be reaching their goal.
“Hey do either of you happen to know what they call these mountains? I seem to be quite uneducated on Xero’s geography…” Ariah said shy-like. She was embarrassed that she only knew of the main cities of Saintsland, Starch, and Dockton. It just never occurred to her that there is more to the world than the points of interest that people reside in. She would remember this moving forward, trying to take mental notes of anything she can learn.
“Yes, actually these mountains are called the Sinkro Mountains, discovered and traversed by an infamous rogue named Drake Sinkro.” Rokas would reply astutely.
“What exactly made this rogue so infamous?” Elias asked.
“Well you see, in the early days of Saintsland, before King Artos began his reign, Drake was quite the thief. Any home worth stealing from, best believe he scouted it out. Before the humans banished the other races from Saintsland, he often sold the wares and collectibles to the orcish tribes that would have villages in the north-east. The elves and humans became aware of this after sometime, and began a pursuit to catch him…” Rokas said with dramatic effect. “Then, after being caught in a village, he ran down the whole eastern border until he got here. Nobody wanted to traverse this deadly terrain with minimal gear and supplies, so they just gave up.
The twins looked at eachother curiously and replied in unison “THEN WHAT?!”
Rokas chuckled, “This mana pool we are about to find will answer that exact question, however, how I know of this tale is because Drake would eventually meet my father. So naturally I would read about it in his journal when it was given to me, my father named the mountains after him for making such a prestigious effort to piss people off.” Ariah and Elias were in shock that Drake managed to receive any kind of respect to have a whole mountain area named after him.
“No worries though, legally these mountains have no name, but to my family’s legacy and knowledge, we call them the Sinkro Mountains. Now, enough of that, follow me!” Yelled Rokas.
The trio navigated up the remaining path to the peak of the mountain, a claw-like shape of stone being the true peak hovered over a small flat clearing. A light level of snow covered the rocky ground beneath them, and to their amazement, it didn’t seem to be too chilly. Sure it was a bit windy, and cold enough to maintain snow or ice, but it didn’t bother them one bit. Upon ascending the final steps, at the base of the claw formation was the mana pool.
It was smaller than the twins anticipated, but the stone walls connected to the ground with almost a bowl-shape compartment that the blue glowing mana water was held in. Above this was a stalactite, and at its sharp end, it emanated the same blue glow that the mana water had, it was even partially transparent, giving it a gemstone appearance. Upon examination, the blue liquid dripped from the stalactite and into the bowl.
“This is beautiful, Ariah said softly, “how does this even work? My parents have only really taught us how to harness the magic within ourselves, but never explained where it came from. This too, this is pure nature, just like our physical bodies.”
Rokas looked at Ariah and tracted her attention, pointing to the sky. The two moons hovered them to the north, his smile was inspired by the science behind arcane energy. “The two moons, Ariah. Our powers, our ability to channel the arcane energy within ourselves is brought out by those magnificent celestial formations. I’m still trying to learn of the science behind it, but it’s a beautiful thing. I can’t imagine what would come to be of our world if they happened to disappear.”
“So you’re saying that the two moons are the only thing giving us magic powers?” Elias inquired, his right hand lightly scratching his head in confusion.
Rokas looked to Elias and clasped his hands together, “No, at least I don’t think so… I believe our sun is the core, the two moons distribute mana in two different forms, light and dark. Those who utilize light mana, typically have clean souls, unbound by evil and sin. Meanwhile, users of dark mana are likely to be those who are taken over with greed, gluttony, and power. This is basically what my father told me, so sorry if it isn’t as straightforward as you hoped it to be.”
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
The twins stared into the cosmos, the two moons sitting diagonally from each other. The sun was beginning to set to the south, as the light around them started to fade to the blue hues of the moon’s radiance, the stalactite began to glow ever more brightly. Rokas would approach the mana pool and look up at the glowing stone. “Lastly, our world has had many meteorites that have succumbed to gravity, but they seem to be infused with various gems and magical energies. Again, a science I cannot explain. However, the tip of this stalactite happens to be a meteorite, which slowly drips this blue mana water into the pool here.”
As Rokas was explaining, he grabbed an empty potion flash that he kept hidden in a toolbelt around his waist under his leather coat. The twins hovered around the mana pool as Rokas dipped the flask into the liquid, filling it about 3/4ths of the way. He then gently placed the glowing flask onto the ground and kneeled in front of it. “Casting Celestial Restoration.”
Blue and purple wisps descended from the night sky and entered the open flask by its top, fusing itself with not only the liquid, but the flask itself. The light within was altering brightness as it did so, making the astonished faces of the twins fade in and out of darkness. Then suddenly, it stopped. The water inside now had the same blue glow with purple sparkles that shared the appearance of the stars in the cosmos.
“Alright, so now, whenever you empty this bad boy, come dawn time roughly, you will see it begin to refill naturally. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT lose this flask, or we will have to come all the way back to this damn place. And quite frankly, my legs just don’t feel like doing this for a long time, so just don’t fuck up please?” Rokas said softly with his hands in a begging pose. “Now, drink it!”
Ariah engulfed herself in the liquid’s beauty, by the grace of the celestial gods, she can refill her mana quickly and efficiently. She put the top end to her lips, and lost herself in the magnificence of the flavor. Instantaneously her body would succumb to its mana refilling, an absolutely refreshing beverage for somebody who had used a lot of their power to prevail and get to the top of the Sinkro Mountains.
As Ariah takes multiple sips from the blue mana flask, a tingling sensation washes over her, suffusing her body with a newfound energy and vitality. With each breath she takes, the air seems to shimmer with a vibrant hue, filling her lungs with a revitalizing essence that invigorates her spirit. As the mana courses through her veins, she feels the soreness in her muscles melt away, replaced by a sense of strength and resilience. Suddenly, the world around her seems to come alive with vivid clarity, every sight, sound, and sensation amplified to an exhilarating degree. The breeze becomes a symphony of nature's song, the dappling sunlight filtering through the canopy above a mesmerizing display of light and shadow. With a smile on her face, Ariah revels in the newfound vitality that the mana has bestowed upon her, embracing the joy and wonder of the world around her with open arms.
Elias and Rokas approach the shimmering mana pool with excitement, their eyes alight with anticipation as they cup their hands together to scoop up the liquid. As the cool, azure fluid touches their skin, a surge of energy pulses through their bodies, invigorating them from within. With each sip, they feel a sense of renewal wash over them, their senses sharpening and their spirits lifting. The mana-infused water seems to awaken something deep within them, infusing them with a renewed vitality and strength. As they gaze into each other's eyes, they share a knowing smile, grateful for the rejuvenating power of the mana pool and the bond of friendship that unites them in their shared journey.
Ariah began to take notice in the instantaneous restoration of her potion flask, the liquid naturally restoring itself. The trio stood around each other and Elias held up a hand to speak, “I believe it is in our best interest to rest here, there is not enough light for us to descend to the throat of the mountain, and quite frankly I don’t want to break a leg.”
Rokas and Ariah nodded their heads in agreement, Rokas inquired the twin’s feelings on drinking the mana water, to which was evidently positive as they looked joyful again. “So, Elias, we still need to capture a gravity toad for you to enchant your boots, but with no supplies I don’t belie..” Elias held a hand up to make Rokas pause.
“Brother, I know, it isn’t safe for us to go into Swampstead to do that right now. I say we attempt to find where we were attacked to find your bag, and honestly go back to Starch so we can restock or make new plans.” Elias said with an understanding, he knew that the lack of food and other things could be dangerous.
Ariah stretched her arms and looked out into the land of Saintsland once again and tiredly spoke. “Yep, I’m calling it, it is time for some damn sleep, I can’t keep looking this pretty as a young adult soon to be.” This happened to be the literal truth, as their birthdays were just weeks away. Ariah and Elias were bound to turn 18 years old, they haven’t seen their parents since they were 13, and they think about it often.
“Wow sis, it really has almost been five years since we saw mom and dad. I hope they’re still alive…” Elias softly spoke. Rokas didn’t know what to do except put his arms around the shoulders of the twins when he would inquire the question “what’re your parents names?”
With Ariah on his left, and Elias on his right, they spoke in unison as they usually do, “Amelia and Sebastian Silver.”
Rokas looked both of them in their ever so serious faces and giggled. “Okay you two do that so much that it’s actually creepy sometimes! But seriously, I know we will find them, just like how I know we will find my father. I never knew my mother, and that's okay, but I swear on my life we will find them all. There just has to be a reason we were all brought to Starch around the same time.”
As a group they lost themselves in the mountain breeze, the dripping of mana water from the stalactite, the darkened land beneath them, and the swaying waters of the ocean to their east. Slowly they laid beneath the claw-like stone peak for cover and sleep, the night went on with the only light being the two moons and glowing mana water. Tiresome they were, the three of them quickly fell into slumber, preparing for the adventure back to Starch.