Elysian Chronicles: A Dance in the Darkness

ope Minos isn't too upset with me, " she smirked to herself, knowing that she was in for an earful as soon as she caught up to her companion. She could already see the

f the city. "Wow!," she exclaimed after glimpsing the elaborate spirehorse carria

that she was reaching the edge of the Natus forest because the forest floor was slowly becoming more firm as the composition of the ground shifted from soil to gravel. The smell was even stronger as well because the poor were very unkept and lived near the outer parts of the city in the rural town of Tarmi. Nina gagged as she passed a rotten golonfruit in a pile of fallen leaves. Tempted to take it because it

she had never expected it to be so grand. The crest of the magical family, Arminius, was enchanted, so water serpents glided over the golden pillars embedded into the crests. The sparkle of the bluest sapphires glinted like stars adorning the tall pillars leading to the large gate. The smaller flags of the high-born Lavius family, protectors of the Arminius, flicked about whipping like velvet shadows beneath the lavish crest of the Royals, boldly accentuating the already stunning fabric. Nina shivered in excitement. The magic was in the air. Residuals of charms could be seen coming from the famous magic factory normally creating visions of lavenders and blues in the sunlight, but today's overcast sky had an eerie effect. Clouds of t

people around her by watching them quickly and closely. Minos was avid about her being able to protect herself and she took her training sessions seriously. She liked to create her own training games that she could apply in real life. As she moved through the crowd, she applied her training with Minos, making shadow-like movement

rotecting all true Tarmians from the darkness that comes from the curse of the lands. The wealthier the Tarmian, the more ornate the sapphires. She had always wanted to see up close what types of sapphires the Arminius family wore. She sighed, "Whatever, I just need to find Minos." She tried to keep moving forward but quickly realized that the person she had bumped into had not moved. She stared at the person in confusion. "Why is this person just standing here," she was annoyed and the people around them were grumbling because they were slowing the flow of the crowd. "Hey!," Nina yelled in protest as the person grabbed her by her arm and pulled her quickly to the right, stopping just outside of the fast, forward-moving crowd.

's face lit with excit

an grabbed Nina's wrist and she felt a shocking surge of magic rush through her body. Shivering from the sudden flow of magic, Nina was sure she had not felt this much energy in such a long time. "No, stop it!" Nina yelled, attempting to push the woman away as she noticed the lady's tall pale body began to wither away in front of her, cloak and all. Horrified and amazed, Nina gasped at the sight of the woman crumbling into a pile of translucent dust. She caught the glimm

noticeable amount of magic and Nina knew the stir of charms would cause others to notice that something had happened in a matter of secs. Deciding she had no time