Capital of Eldora...
The large white color quartz door opened, revealing a grand hallway, filled with torches at each step, and a large red carpet on the floor with yellow trims. The marble floors caught everyone's attention, reflecting everything on top of it.
In the room, there was a vast circular table in the middle, having five big grand chairs, and in those chairs, were the five rulers of Valara, each ruling the five houses in the kingdom of Eldora, the kingdom of nobles. In the realm of Eldora, the Five Great Houses stand as pillars of legacy and power. Each House, bound by blood and essence, rules over its sacred lands with ancient rites and sovereign might. Their rulers, young yet fearsome, shape the fate of kingdoms — for where a House stands, so too does its legend.
The rulers are the strongest people in Eldora, and then the High Prince/Princess, Mages, and lastly the recruits. The five rulers are fearsome and ruthless.
High Lord Caelen Vaelthorne, the ruler of the House of Vaelthorne– The Silver Crown
The oldest and most politically powerful house in Eldora. Known for diplomacy, ancient texts, and the infamous light magic.
Warlord Varka Drakmor, the ruler of the House of Drakmor– The Crimson Fangs
Born in the volcanic plains of southern Eldora, the Drakmor clan thrives on battle and glory. Their warriors are known for their fire-infused fury.
Matriarch Lysira Elowen, ruler of the House of Elowen– The Blooming Grace
Rulers of lush forestlands and sacred groves. Known for their beauty, serenity, and dangerous soul magic. Lysira is said to have been born from a flower that bloomed at midnight under a blood moon. Her tears are rumored to heal... or kill.
Forge King Barden Ironvale, ruler of the House of Ironvale– The Stone Forge
Deep in the mountains lies the Ironvale fortress, home to ancient forge masters and warriors clad in stone-etched armor.
and lastly...
Lady Nerissa Marewyn, ruler of the House of Marewyn– The Tidal Veil
From the coastal sanctums shrouded in mist, House Marewyn influences both sea and state. Nerissa's bloodline is tied to deep-sea deities, and her every word can cause either a calm tide or a drowning storm. Their temples are carved beneath the sea itself.
"Ok everyone, that's it for today's meeting." A man with silver-white, long, and flowing hair, gets up from his chair, about to leave the room. Suddenly, they all heard a knock from the huge door. One of the soldiers by the door opens it.
"Sorry man, not right now. They're in the middle of a meeting." The soldier asked the short and tweeny guy to leave, but he refused.
"No sir, this is very important! Something huge has just happened in the Far lands of Eldora, in Gloomsbury!"
The guy comes rushing in, giving a letter to all the rulers.
"Geez, being a ruler is too much work." A loud and deep voice echoed through the room. All the rulers were imitating, with looks of fear and anger on their faces. But when they opened the letter, they seemed to be shocked.
"No way." Barden Ironvale stood up from his chair, slamming his big muscular fists down on the table, creating a huge mark on the table.
"Thorne died!? But how. He was one of the best fighters in The Stone Forge!" Caelen had a rageful look on his face.
The guy who gave the letters reported, "The murderer is unknown currently, and no one is planning to investigate. What are you guys going to do?"
"I know exactly what I'll do! I'll kill him myself!" Barden walked out of the room in frustration and sadness, as Thorne was a good friend of his. Thorne was on the verge of being promoted to High Prince, but sadly, a mysterious man in the shadows took his life.
A man with black, short spiky hair, with fiery red eyes, stood up and whistled.
"Wow, looks like someone's all fired up."
Caelen dismissed everyone, all the rulers exiting the room and parting ways with each other.
The main capital building of Eldora is a huge castle in the middle of The Commons. The city was filled with huge crowds and shops, expanding miles away. Inside the building, is where the nobles and rulers party and discuss tactics for their battles and operations. If you traveled to the north of the building, you would find yourself in the Houses of Essence. This academy was for the new recruits. To get in, you had to participate in the test of Essence, which only takes place every three years, and see which house you get selected in... or none.
10 miles from Eldora Main Lands
The rain started pouring heavily, making the dirt turn into mud. With every step Wayne took, he lost his stamina. The mud kept sticking to his shoes, forcing him to put energy into his steps. He's been traveling to his next location for almost 5 hours, and still no sight of buildings, just vast sight of grass and trees.
"Would be really helpful if I found something to ride."
His clothes started to get wet. He needed to hurry up before the sunset and the moon rose. He also couldn't forget that he just killed someone, and could be wanted. He suddenly heard what seemed to sound like wheels, scraping against the mud. He turned back, looking from afar, and he saw a shadow of a rectangular box, moving closer and closer to him.
The shadow came out of the fog, creating a trail of mist behind it. Wayne took one good look at it and saw that it was a carriage, packed with cargo. Wayne waited by the side of the muddy road, trying to grab the driver's attention.
He waved his hand, and the carriage stopped right before him. The driver seemed to be an old man, carrying the cargo he just had found.
"Where are you going, sir?" Wayne asked out of curiosity, hoping he was going to the place he needed to be.
The old man leaned closer to Wayne, aiming his ear at Wayne's mouth. It seemed like the old man had bad hearing, so Wayne yelled it one more time, louder, right in his ear.
"Ahhh, I'm going to The Commons of Eldora to deliver my cargo. Care to join?"
The old man had a smile on his face, so Wayne couldn't reject it, this was where Wayne needed to be, so he hopped onto the back of the carriage where all the cargo was stored and rested for a little bit.
Three hours later
Yawn....
Wayne removed the covering on top of him. The rain had stopped, and it was suddenly sunny and hot.
"Young man, you finally woke up. But here we are, the capital of Eldora."
Wayne quickly got up from lying down and looked at the magnificent stone buildings and the crowd waiting in lines in front of shops. And then he saw it, the huge and towering castle in the distance, covered in clouds.
So this was the kingdom of Eldora, the place of the nobles.
The old man stopped suddenly. It was a vehicle inspection to see if it was safe to let through. One of the soldiers checked the back and saw Wayne staring right at him.
"Sir, who might this kid be."
Wayne tried to act as innocent as possible. If they find out that he killed Thorne, things will end badly for him.
"Oh, he's just a kid that I picked up. He said he wanted to go here. I assumed he was here for the Test of Essence."
"Test of Essence? What's that?" Wayne thought to himself, what that was. He wanted to ask the soldiers but he hesitated, thinking it might blow his cover, so he just went on with the old man's saying.
The two soldiers let the vehicle through, and they finally entered the famous Kingdom of Eldora, the capital city. The view of majestic, with the sun in the back, and the tall medieval buildings covering the sky. The clouds wrapped around the tall castles, and the sun illuminated the roads and sky.
This was like a dream city.
"Wow, this city is super packed today. So are you ready for the test?"
"Oh, the test. Mmmm, I don't know actually."
"Isn't that why you're here?"
Wayne was speechless. How was he going to explain that a virtual thing in his head controlled where he had to be? But then Wayne heard a beeping sound, and the robot started speaking.
"In this mission, you will be taking the Test of Essence. The choice is up to you to join which House, but failure to pass the test will result in immediate death."
"Alright, you can stop here sir, I will walk to the academy from here."
Wayne got off the carriage and started his long walk to the academy. Everything was normal, but there was one problem with Wayne. He didn't learn what type of Essence he had.
Wayne walked further into the city, and he spotted the poster. It was a wanted poster, with a description of someone. Wayne realized the people in Eldora caught the news, that someone had killed Thorne, the future High Prince in the Stone Forge House. The description matched exactly to Wayne.
"A man with purple wavy hair, wearing a white t-shirt and black pants."
Wayne saw troops with heavy armor and hammers, riding their horses swiftly. They were on the search of the mysterious man, who killed Thorne, but what they didn't know, is that he was right in front of their faces.
A guy from a dark alley looked at Wayne and smirked.
"I can see you, but you can't see me."