"Before we dive into this chapter, I would like to give a brief summary of the tribes, languages, people, and others involved in this story."
Vylaxys: The Land of The Zha'rielvora which was named after their living planet.
Located in a distant galaxy, Vylaxys is a sentient, thriving world inhabited by diverse tribes.
Notable Tribes and Cities:
- Zha'rielvora (Lyra's people)
- Veloxi (Kryo'nya's people)
- Eiravyn
- Aethonin Empire
- Valkahrior's reach
(And so on)
Languages:
- Ky'ralian (spoken by Veloxi, and Zha'rielvora)
- Nyraxian (spoken by Zha'rielvora)
- Zha'zixian (spoken by Zha'zik)
- Vylaxysian (ancient, planet-wide language)
Unique Features:
- Sentient planet with diverse geography and climate zones
- Interconnected tribal cultures and traditions
- Complex linguistic landscape with multiple dialects
Key Characters:
- Lyra'kaidos (Zha'rielvora): fluent in Ky'ralian and Nyraxian
- Kryo'nya (Veloxi): fluent in Ky'ralian
Note: Some languages, and names you will see in the story are made-up. Others are forged from real languages/names (or a mixture of different ones).
"Back to the story ."
Lyra'kaidos calls out for Kryo'nya but gets no response from him. A couple minutes has passed since the students were teleported to the strange eerie forest, and Lyra's panic mode started seeping in again. The eerie silence of the abandoned village heightened her anxiety.
Her eyes widened as she grasped her left arm, her nails digging deep. "What's happening?! Where are the others?" she asked, her voice trembling. She spun around, scanning the area frantically "And Where's Kry?!"
"Were we just sent here to be killed without even saying a proper goodbye?!" a boy named Speratoz, shrieked, his voice cracking. "Great gods of vylaxys, I'm not ready to join you all." He paused, gasping for air. "Spare my soul!" Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to breathe.
Lyra turns to the others who were sobbing from anxiety. She was also really frightened by the thought of dying so early into the challenge, but she tried to keep a straight face hoping the others would act tougher too. "Hey, Guys!" she exclaimed. They all turned around, looking at her with a desperate need for assurance of their safety. "U-uh..." she stuttered, definitely not expecting their gaze to be so focused on her. "L-look... I get that we are all panicking about our current situation but it's really not much of a problem," Lyra said, hoping her words could ease the tension in the atmosphere.
"What the frozen hells are you talking about?!" Vynesia asked. She walked up to Lyra, grabbed her shoulders and jerked her body violently. "Do you not see what kind of mess we are in?! I'm not crying about it but some certainly are. What if this isn't the place we were supposed to be transferred to, and we just happened to fall victim to–" Lyra pushed the girl's hands off her shoulders, releasing herself from the grip.
"Release me, woman. We are in the right place, okay?" she scans the area, carefully observing each and everything around them, and continues, "First of all, we are definitely not alone. I just don't know if they are hostile or not though."
"who?"
"The lumin-wood. Something seems off about them. I can't pin point what it is," a hint of concern in her voice. "Feels like they aren't what they appear to be."
They all turn to the trees, also known as lumin-wood because of their bioluminescent teal light they give off in the dark or where there's less light.
"There is absolutely something wrong with you," Speratoz, commented.
"Excuse me?! Aren't you Mr gods help me. I'm a baby who's dying early."
"What the...? I never said that. Watch your mouth, lady."
"Hey relax now. She's only trying to help, I guess," Zephirine intervened.
"Exactly, baby god," Lyra said. "I'm trying to help. What have you brought to the table." she approaches him with a mean glare.
"There are no tables, genius." he said sarcastically, "Open your damn eyes."
"Huh? I was only making a common expression. Who is this idiot?!" She asked, her attention now on the other students.
Just as the others attempted to intervene in the intense argument between the two, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the distance, sending a shiver through the air. They fell silent, worriedly trying to locate the sound.
"What was that?" Calanthia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't know. That girl did say something's off with the trees," Jaxonix responded.
"Should we just... enter the temple and–you know? Ignore it?"
"We can't," Lyra protested. "Didn't you notice anything as soon as we got here?"
"No doors. Am I right?" Speratoz replied.
"Exactly. So you actually came with a brain? I hadn't realized," she sneered.
"Wanna start that now?!"
"ssssshhhh," they all silence him.
"Why are you yelling?"
"She started it."
"Bro, shut up," Lyra trapped his lips between her fingers. "We need to find a way out of here," She turned to her right, spotting a sharp edged stone on the ground, and went over to pick it up.
"What are you doing?" Thaliah asked.
Lyra ignored her and kept talking. "My fellow scholars, I am Lyra'kaidos, or Lyra for short," She introduced herself with a bold voice.
Rudeness crept into the ignored girl's voice as she inquired. "Yeah? We know that. Got something else that's actually useful?"
"No more whispering? Okay," Jaraelia pointed out.
"I didn't know your name, though," Aethonix highlighted.
Lyra'kaidos hurled her dagger at a lumin-wood expecting a reaction but received none. The others had disapproving faces after Lyra's sudden action. "Hmm, No reaction," she indicated.
"What were you expecting after that throw?" Lyrikka questioned her, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just being careful. I've read about these things– this place, before. They can be dangerous when approached wrongly," she mentioned. With a swift, deliberate motion, she approached the tree, the soft rustle of leaves beneath her feet the only sound breaking the silence. As she raised her dagger, the fading sunlight danced across its blade, casting a golden glow on the trunk. With precise strokes, she etched a rectangular shape into the bark, the scraping of metal on wood echoing through the stillness.
Within the freshly carved frame, she drew the ancient sign for separate or divide: two diverging arrows, pointing outward from a central line, with different patterns around it.
As she finished the symbol, the dagger's tip scratched the wood, releasing a faint tremor beneath her fingers. The sound seemed to reverberate within her, a physical reminder of the boundary she'd created.
The carved area stood out, distinctly severed from the surrounding wood, as if deliberately excised by an unseen hand.
The group gazed at her in awe, mesmerized by the intricate details of her carvings. "Whoa!" They all exclaimed in awe. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"I have a thing for art. I love to draw and–"
"Yeah, yeah. What's the wood for?" Speratoz asked, bluntly cutting her off with a question.
She was irritated by his impolite remark, yet she responded. "We'll be taking names. I'm quite knowledgeable about this place. Would you consider me for the group leader role?" Lyra asked with a smirk.
"No," He replied. He took the rectangular wood from her and carved his name onto it. He handed it back to her, and walked away.
The name carved onto the wood was in the Nyraxian font with different shapes and letters. "Speratoz," she pronounced. "You have a nice name."
Her compliment took him by surprise but he ignored it. She gave the rest of the group the wood, and they all put down their names.
- Lyra'kaidos (female)
- Speratoz (male)
- Aethonix (male)
- Jaraelia (female)
- Lyrix (male)
- Jaxonix (male)
- Lyrikka (female)
- Zephirine (female)
- Vynesia (female)
- Calanthia (female)
- Thaliah (female)
Seven of which were girls, and four were boys. After taking names, They grouped themselves and spread out to find clues about the place, and agreed to meet in their initial location.
Group D's findings
Thaliah, Calanthia, and Lyrix set out for clues in the thick forest. The glowing trees aided in their navigation through the darkness. Thaliah's pace was quicker than Calanthia's and Lyrix's, giving them some distance.
Calanthia's voice trembled slightly as she spoke, her eyes cast downward. "H-hey... Uh, Lyrix." she said, her cheeks flushing with shyness.
Lyrix turned to her, and replied. "Yeah."
"Well... I... I was wondering, if we get out of here alive, can we..." she paused and fiddled with the leaf in her hand.
"You want to hang out sometime?" he suggested, "I... I'm not sure, if that's what you wanted to say. I..." His cheeks turned red as he tried to explain himself.
Calanthia nodded, meeting his gaze. Her eyes locked onto Lyrix's like magnets. The air thickened, heavy with unspoken emotions.
Lyrix's gaze held hers, his irises sparkling with warmth. Calanthia's cheeks flushed, her pulse quickening.
For a moment, they forgot everything else.
Then, simultaneously, they looked away, breaking the spell. Calanthia's lashes swept down, shielding her eyes.
Lyrix cleared his throat, his voice low and husky. "I would love to go out with you."
Calanthia's reply was barely audible. "You would?"
Their eyes darted back, meeting for a fleeting glance. The connection still simmered.
Thaliah halted, reminding them, "Hey, dreamers, may I remind you that, we are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no leads or whatsoever." They nodded apologetically, and kept moving.
Lyrix's gaze drifted toward the trees, his eyes scanning the foliage. Suddenly, a dark blur flickered at the edge of his vision. He blinked rapidly, wondering if it was just a trick of the light.
But the image lingered in his mind - a shadowy figure, swift and elusive.
Shrugging it off as a product of his imagination, Lyrix turned his attention to the landscape ahead. That's when he saw it: a small village nestled in the distance, its thatched roofs and wooden palisades glowing warmly in the fading light.
"Guys! Look!" Lyrix called out, his voice carrying across the clearing.
Calanthia, and Thaliah, turned to him, curiosity etched on their faces.
"What is it?" Calanthia asked, her eyes following Lyrix's outstretched arm.
Lyrix pointed toward the village. "A settlement. Let's check it out."
The group fell into step behind Lyrix, their footsteps quiet on the grassy slope. As they descended toward the village, the sound of laughter and cooking fires carried on the breeze, mingling with the scent of roasting meat and freshly baked bread.
The team looked at the lively village in shock and prepared their weapons for any hostility.
"Seems like we're not alone here," Thaliah said, her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"I thought this place was abandoned," Lyrix points out in shock.
"Let's hope they're friendly," Calanthia added, her eyes scanning the village's perimeter.
Lyrix's thoughts drifted back to the shadowy figure. Had he really seen it, or was it just his imagination?
As they approached the village, the group's presence drew attention. Villagers emerged from their homes, eyes fixed on the travelers.
The group stayed close, with vigilance, and caution they moved through the place. Some village guards stopped the three demanding they give up their identity but the team couldn't understand the guards language.
Lyrix attempts to explain their unfamiliarity with the language... "Please, guards, we can't really understand you. Can you understand me?"
Thaliah shook her head in disappointment, and took out her sword from the shaft on her back. She goes into a battle ready stance but Calanthia gestures for Thaliah to withdraw the sword. The Village guards also match Thaliah's energy but another villager interrupts them, claiming to the guards that she could understand the foreigners.
She emerged unexpectedly, a striking woman with porcelain skin, platinum blonde hair, and dazzling blue eyes. Vibrant, light blue, bioluminescent tattoos depicting glow-in-the-dark forest scenery adorned her arms and torso. Her attire was eclectic: a flowing, floral green and blue top, barely covering her chest, paired with a sheer, flowing skirt that exposed her toned legs. Her piercing gaze commanded attention. She appeared to be in her late thirties.
The three are mesmerized by her captivating presence, making them end the conflict. The guards seemed to respect this woman and left her to attend to the outsiders.
Her greeting echoed ancient vylaxysian... "Greetings seekers, our elders sense thy presence. Share thy purpose."
Group A's findings
Lyra'kaidos, Speratoz, and Zephirine were searching for clues in the initial location. They spread out looking for a way into the temple but still nothing has been discovered. Lyra found her way to the roof of the building with her daggers which dug into the walls, aiding her in climbing. She hoped to spot a trap door or a hole but found nothing.
"This sucks!" Lyra yelled.
Speratoz laid down on the soft grass, facing the sky through the cracks of the ground above, and closed his eyes, as if he had drifted off to sleep. Zephirine walked up to Speratoz, hovering over him with her arms crossed. Her face holding a disapproving look.
"Don't tell me you're asleep right now." she said.
"So, what if I am?" he answered calmly, his eyes still shut.
"Bro, get up. You can't doze off mid mission."
He opened his eyes, and got into a sitting position, facing her with a frown... "Oh, yes I can," he snapped, "You really think I enjoy this? Think again, purple hair. I do not."
"Why do you have to be such a child over everything?!" she queried.
Lyra'kaidos, weary from their quarrel, sank onto the rooftop floor, her gaze drifting toward the horizon. Lost in contemplation, she spotted a peculiar figure in the distance.
Her gaze lingered on the distant figure, curiosity piqued. Suddenly, unsettling noises echoed behind her. Whirling around, dagger ready, she scanned the rooftop, finding nothing.
"What was that unsettling presence?" she ponders.
She calls out to the two on ground level, warning them against the danger ahead... "Hey, You two! There's something lurking in the distance."
Confusion flashed across their faces as they turned to Lyra'kaidos, drawing weapons, ready for impending danger.
"What did you see?" Speratoz questioned.
"A strange creature," she whispers, "I heard voices when I–" A claw-swiping figure abruptly silenced her, barely missing its mark.
Darkness unleashed a colossal, black-hued terror, razor claws extended, jagged teeth snarling, eyes blazing infernal malevolence, wielding a double-edged axe forged in eternal darkness.
As Lyra'kaidos reunited with her battle-weary comrades, darkness resurrected the colossal mutant, its razor-sharp claws extending like scythes, jagged teeth gnashing with malevolent hunger, foretelling an abyssal reckoning that would shatter their very souls.