MGP Chapter 1: [Untitled]

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Chapter 1: [Untitled]

There wasn't much that happened in the Eastern Protean Sect, not much that meant anything of great significance. Every day began the same, with the suns rays shimmering down through the leaves of a calm, pristine forest that lent itself to many mysteries, one of them being that the forest felt almost human in nature. Like a protective mother who watches over her children, the forest seemed to watch over its humble visitors. Animals turned their heads towards you, not out of fear, but out of genuine trust and respect. The trees seemed to move without a breeze, gracefully ruffling their leaves together in your presence. Now, if one were an outsider, this would be a rather strange occurrence, and one of a great significance. But as I stated earlier, this was nothing new to the inhabitants of this seemingly enchanted forest, specifically for one inhabitant in particular. Nao Rin, to put it in simple terms, had a connection with this enchanted forest, namely because he could become one with it at will. With the slightest will of his mind, he could become one, literally and figuratively, as his humanoid form shifted into that of a fierce mountain lion or a swift swallow. If he so wished, he could even become one with the trees, sharing in their communal presence. You see, he was a Protean, a vast, expansive, and easily adaptable race of natural-born shape-shifters, who prized their gift for its versatility and resourcefulness. For them, this world was normal, for everywhere in the forest, Proteans existed. They preferred no single form above the other, for their preference changes every so often. It was common to see the same Protean as a bird one day, become an ant the next, simply because the everyday lives of that organism fascinated him or her. Nao fit in perfectly with this society, but, as normal as his utopian world was, everything was about to change, as the next chapter of an era was about to unfold.

***

 

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"And so, the Tree of Despair was vanquished, and peace restored to the world, as the Eterna, the manifestation of willpower between a cycle of races, brought balance to a world of turmoil."

Nao put down the history book and sighed. The Eterna were some of the most revered figures in history, and yet, there were only a few works of pertaining to the resurrection that happened a hundred years ago. After a long gap in the cycle, the Eterna had reappeared again in the form of humans, but the hundred year gap since their reappearance had led many who had hope in the restoration of balance between the races in the old way to doubt the Eternas' existence again, even if the most obvious signs of their influence still permeated throughout the modern society. Nao, was not going to be privy however, to their gossip and speculation, steadfastly asserting his belief that the Eterna still existed, that they will made a difference in the world, even though their disappearance again turned their fleeting existence back into pure rumor. Nao had spent a good deal of the past few days researching the Eterna, all because of one person in his life, Mika Liao. Mika was the person who gave him the book, History, Mythology, and Beings of the Eterna, and it was she who had told him to read it. An Eterna fanatic herself, from what it seemed, Nao had seen her handwriting pop up numerous time throughout the text, and it was her handwriting entirely that documented the last known Eterna event in history, the creation of the Tree of Hope.

A knock on the door interrupted Nao's thoughts.

"Nao-niichan!" a cheerful, high-pitched voice sounded through the door. "Mei here!"

Nao chuckled, Mei was a constant visitor to his house, and despite her small stature, was a huge, refreshing bundle of energy whenever she came over to visit.

Phew~, I hope this is okay.  

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Nao left the book on the table and went to answer the door. As he opened the door, not only was he greeted with Mei's hair curls and her wide smile, he was also greeted by two other people. One, a red-haired young woman with a kind, wise smile, the other a lively brown-haired fellow.  

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"Well, don't leave us standing here, Nao, invite us in," the young man said.

Nao laughed. "Always a pleasure, Riu."

He turned next to the red-haired woman. "Mika."

"It is nice to see you, Nao," Mika replied. "You know, I think today is a really special day, don't you think?"

Nao had to think hard. He had been so focused upon finding out more about the Eterna that he had lost track of time. Finally, it hit him. "Oh right! Today's my birthday, you know?"

Mika smiled. "Happy birthday, Nao."

"Thanks, you know?" Nao replied. "Please, come on in, you know?"  

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Mika gave him a warm smile upon entering, and Riu gave him a high-five. Mei promptly proceeded to hug his legs, and Nao had to bend down to ruffle her hair playfully.

"You've been busy," Mika commented, upon seeing the mess of research notes, diagrams, and theories.

"Ah, sorry, you know?" Nao replied, embarrassed. "I've been caught up in that book you gave me that I completely lost my sense of time."

Mika laughed. "Do not worry, the same thing happened to me when I first read it. It is fascinating, isn't it?"

"It is, you know?" Nao replied. "Could you give me a bit of a hand with tidying up a little, you know?"

"Of course," Mika replied.

Together, the two of them held out their hands, and with a few quick chants in Elvish, the mess started to clean itself up. Messy papers were sorted into neat piles, and trash was incinerated and dumped into the trash bin, ready for disposal. Dust that had accumulated was swept away, leaving the place almost unrecognizable.

"I guess it was worse than I thought, you know?" Nao said, embracing the homey feel of his cleaned up house. "Let's go help Mei with the cooking, you know?"

"Let's," Mika agreed, walking with Nao into the kitchen, which was a bustling array of activity, as Mei single-handedly used her magical power to watch over everything as she quickly and efficiently worked to prepare Nao's birthday dinner. Mei was an accomplished cook as well as an accomplished magician, but even she had a few shortfalls in the chaotic environment known as the kitchen. "Careful!" Mika shouted as a knife came hurtling out of nowhere. She stopped it before it embedded itself in her foot and set it down harmlessly on the countertop. "Do you think you could spare a few extra hands?" asked Mika.

"Yes!" Mei shouted. "Mei use all the help Mei can get."

Nao chuckled as he took his place in the kitchen. He remembered the first time Mei came to this little town in the Eastern Sect, a long time ago.  

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No one exactly knew where Mei came from. She just appeared out of the forest like a tree sprite, with her light carrying voice and carefree attitude entrancing everyone. From what it seemed, she had borne no ill will to anyone, even those who had mistrusted her at first. It was discovered that she was a fellow Protean, and they had accepted her without any suspicion, just like that. Immediately, she started a friendship with Nao, to whom she was drawn too, and he had been acting as an older brother figure to her ever since. He taught her how to cook, and taught her magic. In addition, he introduced her to Mika and Riu, to the both of whom she also shared a sense of affection and intimacy that neither of them objected to.

So I feel like I'm just rambling. If you want, you can edit it.

Sky Yam

 

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The hustle and bustle in the kitchen produced very different aromas as various food items were cooked. A pot of chicken noodle soup was simmering over a fire as a salad was tossed. Mei and Mika had taken the liberty of preparing a cake, and Mei was now watching over it, making sure that it didn't burn, a bowl of freshly made icing nearby.

As Nao set the table with Riu, he was reminded of someone very important to him, someone that Nao-

"Food ready!" Mei called from the kitchen.

"We're ready out here," Riu called back. Nao's venture back into his past would have to wait. It had been a while since he had had good food in his stomach, and the smell was tantalizing.  

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At Nao's word, Mei and Mika came out of the kitchen, each of them supporting several dishes at once with magic. Riu and Nao joined in to help by placing the dishes on the table. As they sat down to eat, they caught up with each other on their various ventures, none of which were of any particular significance, but the feeling of being around friends on one's birthday tends to have a positive effect on the Protean psyche. It was like this until Mika put down her fork and looked towards Nao, a look of urgency on her face.

"Nao, could I talk to you privately for a few seconds?" asked Mika.  

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"Of course," Nao, catching her intentions. "Excuse us, you know?" he said to Mei and Riu.

Mika glanced over to Riu quickly. As the pair made eye contact briefly, Nao noticed how their eyes held little of the kindness and jovial spirit that had been there before. Now, they were replaced by serious looks. Mei took little notice, eating her food happily. Turning back, Mika led the way off into a separate room, out of earshot.  

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"What is it you want to talk about?" Nao asked seriously, dropping his usually cheerful tone.  

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"The Eterna," Mika said. "I am troubled that none have revealed themselves yet thus far. With the Milantian crisis growing ever more a danger to society as well as the economic deterioration of Germanoslovakia, the absence of figures to look up to has caused the hearts and wills of many to deteriorate into naught more than bleak surrender of reality."

"Mika, you know well enough that the Eterna will show," Nao said. "The cycle has not ended, nor will it ever end any time soon. You know exactly what happened a hundred years ago, and look what happened when it did. Civilization is still here, and we're still here. These hard times are only temporary."

"I do hope so," Mika said. "I do hope so."

"Come now, you know?" Nao said. "It's a party, why don't we celebrate, you know?"

With that, a smile returned to Mika's face, although Nao could sense that a small fragment of worry still clouded her mind, and frankly, even Nao was beginning to wonder when or if the Eterna would show up again and restore balance.

Nao's birthday party went on, with large amounts of food digested, gossip shared, and stories of the past retold with detail and vigor. But as the night wore down into the late, sluggish atmosphere of early morning, the energy of everyone present began to fade. Mei had fallen asleep gently in Riu's arms, and Nao's energy was also beginning to wane.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Riu said. "I'll take Mei back."

He got up, balanced Mei in one arm, and then grasped Nao in a friendly gesture, before departing. Mika followed him to the door, but hesitated. Turning back, she made eye contact with Nao, a serious, concerned expression on her face, but before Nao could comment on it, she had left the doorframe, vanishing into the night.  

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As Nao shuffled towards bed, tired and worn from the festivities, he looked towards the book on his desk one last time, as if it would suddenly give the answer to all the worlds problems, but as mysterious and magical the book was, in the end it was nothing more than pages bounded by worn leather.