# "A Crisis in Tethyra" | Part II



## Apex Predator (Aug 18, 2015)

[This the second part of the first chapter of my fantasy adventure story. Likes are great, but comment critiques are much more welcomed. Hopefully you all enjoy it. Look for "A Crisis in Tethyra" (REVISION) if you'd like to read the first part.]

      While Gondwa and his three brothers’ bonded over a newfound sense of fellowship; four hundred leagues across Tethyra, two young maidens fumbled frantically across a lantern-lit observatory. 

      The two were sisters. Eiya was the youngest, barely a day over twelve; then there was Gyria, she was fourteen years of age.  Eiya was more than joyous about the rising Blue Moon! Supernatural anomalies were an integral part of any young Aederyns’ studies; and she sought to make the most of it! Size, direction, dimension, and luminosity she hurried to record; such documentation would make a great story someday. Gyria, however, was less optimistic. She would have much rather been slumbering inside a cozy cot than be awake late into the watching after her little sister – especially after fifteen hours of academic study!

      “Isn’t it beautiful?” Eiya spoken in her Aederyn language, “Isn’t it the most marvelous sight you’ve ever seen?”

      Enthralled, Eiya stood eagerly on the edge of a stone balcony, her face pointed high upward whilst peering through a mounted spyglass – fixating upon every single lunar crater.

      “Of course it’s beautiful,” Gyria spoke whilst sitting inside, tired eyes fixated upon a tattered piece of parchment whilst also struggling to hold a quill pen. 

      It was Gyrias’ responsibility as an older sibling to look after her sister, in fact it was mandatory. All Aederyn who had not yet gone through “The Change” were supervised until then, and unfortunately for Gyria, Eiya was what the Aederyn still a Youngling.
Eiya, being only twelve, was practically indistinguishable from any human youngster. As with all maidens her age, she was born with red hair – more glossy than any human lock. She also had the fair-skin and teal blue eyes like all her younger sisters.  As with custom, she had to bind her hair into a bun which was covered in a scarf. It was only after The Change in which their red hair would transform into sliver blonde, and then they were allowed to don the coveted crown braid of Aederyn adults.

      Gyria, being fourteen, had already gone through The Change.  Her hair was already silver whilst feathers were growing upon her shins and forearms. On her back was a radiant pair of wings - mostly white feathers with scattered shades of gold.  She did her best to keep them groomed - especially since they were not yet strong enough to help her fly. Her fingernails had already fallen off and were slowly being replaced by razor talons.

       “We mustn’t take along.”Gyria said.  “Tomorrow we’ve got a long day of study. I don’t want to waste any more time than we have to.”

      “But sister!” Eiya spoke with her eyes ever leaving the spyglass, “This is a _Blue Moon_! They come out only every fifteen years! I'm not waiting until I’m twenty-seven to see another one!”

      “There are more important things than strangely colored moons!” Gyria snapped back. “Besides, if you would’ve paid attention in your studies, you would know that this is the 235[SUP]th[/SUP] time a Blue Moon as risen!”

     “No it isn’t!” Eiya said cheerfully, her eyes never leaving the spyglass
.
      Tired and growing evermore upset, Gyria snapped back “What are you talking about? _Of course it is_! Our ancestors have been recording the heavens for ages!”

      “No… only for the last 3,550 years,” Eiya calmly said.

      “Exactly; they’ve observed it many times! There’s nothing new that you could possibly add! It’s rather pointless for us to be up here at this hour.”

      “That’s not what I meant!” Eiya put down her spyglass and faced her irate sister.

      “What I meant was that this only the 235[SUP]th[/SUP] time a Blue Moon has been _documented_.”

      Gyria was confused; her sister then continued:

      “If _you_ would’ve studied your history, you would know that Tethyra is over 15,000 years old – or at least that’s what the Elder Songs tell us. However, _our_ kind didn’t start taking record of the stars until about 3,550-years-ago. There could’ve have easily been countless Blue Moons before our ancestors ever gave a thought to write them down!”

     Gyria was amazed. She never knew that her sister had such a learned knowledge of Tethyra’s past. Nonetheless, she felt they had recorded enough information.

     “It’s nearly midnight. We should be getting back to the dormitory” Gyria stood up, collected her freshly written notes. “Let’s go - Now!”

     “We can’t leave now!” Eiya said, “Something spectacular might happen!”

      Gyrias’ voice grew harsh, “Eiya, I am very tired, let’s go!”

      “Gyria, you don’t understand! Blue Moons aren’t just beautiful heavenly events - they're _beacons._”

      “Beacons... What do you mean?” Gyria questioned.

      “Well, not beacons in the traditional sense. You see, in the ancient times, Blue Moons were thought to have arcane magical properties, and therefore many shamans of the human realms conducted select rituals only during Blue Moons – but especially at midnight.”

      “Why would they wait until midnight?”

      “Because ancient sorcerers believed that’s when the power was at is greatest state – when its magic was most potent to channel.”

      “Why would that cause anything spectacular?”

      “Because,” Eiya said in a frustrated manner, “Generally, whenever a shaman conducted lunar-related ceremonies, often other bizarre atmospheric events followed.”

      Being genuinely interested, Gyria questioned further: “What kind of bizarre events?”

      “Well, according to some ancient scrolls I was reading, most common things are usually burst of lights.”

      “Lights? You mean like the auroras of the north?”

      “Not exactly, if I remember correctly, these _burst_ were often described as ‘a towering whirling column’ or ‘a noiseless flash ‘yond the horizon.’ It’s very cryptic, the last known light burst during a Blue Moon I think happened about 300 years ago.”

      “Fascinating” Gyria spoke, “But what does a burst of light have to do with a shaman ritual?”

      Eiya was stumped, but after a few moments spoke.

     “I don’t know. I never actually finished reading the scrolls. Supposedly it has something to do with a ‘change’ or a ‘new beginning in nature’. It’s as though a kind of _hole_ has been punctured between the World of the Living and that of the Realm of the Spirits.”

      Gyria was amazed. Most Aederyn never gave a second thought to history or mysticism, but young little Eiya seemed to have a natural desire to learn and understand a little bit of everything.  Nonetheless, she Gyria knew that they had to be getting to bed.

      “Let’s go, we can talk more about this if you’d like in the morning.” Gyria blew out all the lanterns except one, and began making her way down the spiraled stairway. “Don’t be too much longer Eiya.”

      “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Eiya spoke softly, but deep down she was unhappy. She loved learning so much; it was her joy in life. Every moment she went without learning something new was, in her mind, a moment wasted.  She always felt in a way ostracized and secluded from her fellow maidens. She could be in a room full of her Aederyn sisters and yet still feel lonely. She had always felt like she never “thought” the same way as others did, she would converse with Aederyn alike and still feel a kind of emptiness – one which she could not overcome no matter how hard she try. She could never understand why her sisters thought that their studies were at time “boring” or “irrelevant”; the Tethyran seas were such an amazing place, and it was through knowledge that one could see the hidden beauty of the world.

      Eiya leaned against the wall, staring out onto the surrounding city. A modest place of tiled homes and streets of cobblestone, the darkened streets alit with lantern post whilst a plethora of banners hung across the countless causeways.

      As the Aederyn across the seven islands slept away, their minds trekking away to those places were dreams are wrought; Eiya’s dreams lay beyond the sea - a shining sea that shimmered with mystic splendor. Eiya always dreamt of leaving her island home to see the scattered lands beyond the setting sun. 

      Unfortunately for innocent little Eiya, her dream would come true… with extreme savagery.


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## HalfRail (Aug 18, 2015)

I'm defiantly looking forward to more of this! Having a girl that young on the pursuit of knowledge is pretty interesting. Awesome job!


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## Apex Predator (Aug 18, 2015)

*THANK YOU! THANK YOU!*
That is such a wonderful thing to hear 

However, it's probably going to be awhile, I tend to take copious amounts of time in brainstorming, drafting, editing & proofreading my work; but nonetheless I do my best to work on it everyday in some form or another.

Take care thy kindred spirit :hi:


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## thunderbird-and-pen (Sep 22, 2015)

Whoa!  That's crazy stuff - my buddy's campaign setting for a D&D 3.5 game a few years ago was set in a world called Tethyra, as well; I've been working on writing based on his world.  I'm very glad I stumbled across your work, though; I'd hate to post something about my/his world and have people be like, "Uh, guys...?" and point to your posts.  I'm going to have to check out Part I!  

Thanks for sharing this with us!  I look forward to actually critiquing your story!


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