Birds sang a beautiful melody that echoed throughout the misty Forest of Koor. The humid air and the little laughter of stellars caused the male to squirm from his deep slumber. Tired from a late-night raid, two lilac orbs gazed upon the horizon. Then, he was greeted by countless looming shadows of the winged serpents. Enjoying the serenity of the place, he stayed like that for a good moment, and when he had enough, he slowly stood up with the help of his scythe wrapped securely with red satin. His torn, beaten cape hugged his slender body as his short milk hair barely moved from the winter breeze.And right before his eyes, he was greeted with a sight he'll never get tired of gazing at, the full view of the lovely kingdom of Raxes, the eastern kingdom of the land of Yigena. The tree where he was standing was the tree of the Lady of Fire; it was the tallest on the continent, and standing at the uppermost branch of it indeed had its perks. He saw how darkness was chased by the illumina

"Come quick." Their mother ushered them to wear the coat right after their mother made sure that their dyed hairs were now dry. Ryzen swiftly followed her while their father stood silently at the corner. Ryzen could tell the resemblance of the attitude he shared with their father."You must reach the capital city before the bell of Korendell rings, am I understood?" asked their mother as if they were a kid but the tremble laced upon her voice didn't go unnoticed. Ryzen understood what their mother was afraid of. Ryzen and his twin sister, Raya, only had six hours to travel and living on the outskirts of the kingdom paid no help at all. They must climb the steep mountains of Derglib and cross the frozen lake of Raws.And in their sixteen years of existence, this would be the first time they would leave the premises of the Yolke Swamp, the place for the outcasts near the outer wall. From then on, they should enter the second wall between the lake of Raws and the mountains of Derglib, w

Ryzen and Raya were so used to a rural area that they felt overwhelmed by the drastic changes in the scenery. After passing the wall, Ryzen failed to take a glimpse of the captain of the holy knights that everyone in Raxes knew. Shrugging his disappointment, a red blood soldier gave them a pamphlet about the details of the annual coming-of-age ceremony. It said that after the bell of Korendell rang, the ceremony started, but the official selection or the main event would be held an hour before midnight. 'So we have four hours left as a free individuals before being proclaimed as a slave to some arrogant red blood noble,' he bitterly thought. He glanced at Raya, who was happily walking beside him while she linked their arms together. Her gaze never stayed put, and it was twinkling with happiness.'Happiness that would be gone long after midnight.'If this was his last drop of freedom, then he might as well enjoy it. Doing what Raya was doing, he looked awed as Raxians from different

Ryzen swiftly captured the blue butterfly.When its wings touched his palm, the butterfly turned into golden specks of dust and vanished into thin air, thus, leaving the piece of paper on his palm. Raya was still so busy admiring the event unfolding before her that she failed to notice the real magic happening beside her. Ryzen's heart thundered with dread as he slowly unfolded the piece of yellowish paper on his palm. He did not know how he would know what was written on it. After all, the lowest races did not have the privilege of learning how to write and read.Glancing toward the stage, ten flags were raised by each centaur. Each flag seemed to be a banner representing the teens' fate in this arena. Each flag had an embroidered drawing at the center of each flag. There was a book for the scholars or mentors, a home for the housekeeping, a shield for the guards, a sword for the next generation red blood soldiers, a feather for the messengers, an aristocrat hat for the silver blood

The seer was gone for two hours already, and Ryzen Rozenhart was left alone in the dingy old cellar. He was treated like a prisoner, with a centaur guarding beyond the locked door and at the end of the hallway. He could tell using the beast's eyes. There was no need to hide anything anymore.He was drifting back to sleep when the rustic door flew open. Ryzen was greeted with the presence of the seer. 'Oh, she has company.'A girl, barely ten years old in her physical appearance, was with the seer. With the pointed hat she was sporting, he could tell that the seer's companion was not any ten-year-old kid. Wizards tend to be deceiving in their appearance, after all."To be a fully pledged Avatar with a new identity, you must face the initiation every Avatar went through for centuries." The seer seriously informed him; the void in her gaze penetrated Ryzen, now Raya.'An initiation?'The centaur came again and led Ryzen to the much more profound and darker part of the cellar. It reeked