A week swiftly passed, and Lunistria learned a lot about her little Seer princess.
She loves crochet and knitting, and sometimes a little bit of drawing if she was allowed to borrow a few tablets from the palace’s library. She learned that Nayrorei enjoyed drawing more, as she could get away with more of her imagination, than she loved the latter, but she made do with anything she got. Lunistria could only assume an innocent little girl like herself, who has been through hell with her family, would just take anything she could get.
During the times where her father would complain enough for Lunistria to actually train Nayrorei, the girl was still struggling to use any bit of her powers. She is a Kitsune, which allowed her to be more proficient with Dark Ink than the rest of her powers; but even that was going nowhere. She had an easier time losing control and nearly going berserk with her Dark Ink powers than actually being the one to control it.
She had a long way to go, and the days are getting shorter now that they were entering the Twilight Season.
There were four total seasons within this part of the galaxy; Summer, Autumn, Winter and Twilight. Summer was the regular hot season, Autumn was the beautiful orange and purple skied cool breeze that prepared the snow that fell in the Winter. Twilight accompanied a dark purple sky with a constant sunset, the most common season to deliver a blood moon.
The Shadowing was weakened, the same one that Lunistria fought with her teacher and the others she knew and became friends with.
Lady Alyntherra held up the fake sun that brought summer to the lands. Her teacher may had been a Knight, but not even the vows held between a Knight and Seer seemed to survive within The Shadowing’s stomach. She despised herself, far too much than she actually should. They were unprepared, it wasn’t their fault.
The Goddess of Creation, Alyntherra, predicted that The Shadowing would infiltrate her Domain during the Winter Season. Instead, it took them by surprise and slaughtered many in the throes of the summery breeze. The fake sun never rose ever since that day. The real sun will never return, the lands will always be cast to the three remaining seasons that welcome darkness.
None of this was their fault, they were only instructed to try and prevent The Shadowing from taking over Eldia as it had with the rest of Lady Alyntherra’s kins’ Domains, she created it as a safe haven for them to live in peace… Yet it was their Goddess who sacrificed herself to weaken the beast, and even with that, they struggled against its might.
Lunistria was there at the front lines with her teacher, but just as swift as they attacked, half of their force was consumed in a blink of an eye. They did everything they could, as more was consumed. They fought until their final breath, more was swallowed into its corrupted shadows.
Until…
She’s snapped out of her trance of deep thought by small hands that reached up to her cheeks. They wiped away tears that she didn’t even know were there to begin with, to see the little Seer Nayrorei look grievously worried about her. She faked a smile, “it’s okay, I’ll be okay in a moment. I guess I was having bad thoughts.” She tried to reassure her, but it wasn’t working as Nayrorei looked even more worried about her.
She could tell she was lying again, it came with being a Seer, and Lunistria definitely didn’t want to talk about her survivor's guilt with a child. As if sensing her hesitation to open up to Nayrorei, she simply hugged her as a way to comfort Lunistria, unsure of what else to do due to her mute. It was all Lunistria needed, she was always a hug type of person anyway. With small arms wrapped around her neck to hug while sitting on her lap, Lunistria hugged around her small body and kept her close.
“Thank you, my little princess.”
Coughs and hacks could be heard throughout the throne room and corridors. Lunistria bolted towards the source of it only to find the king hunched over struggling to breathe. His eyes were a darkened gray color, bleeding out Dark Ink and blood from his nose and eyes.
Lunistria was the first to assist the King, rubbing his back, desperately trying to figure out what was going on with him while Nayrorei kept herself hidden in the shadows. More guards spilled into the room but the king shooed them away and told them to keep their distance. Ither walked in with horror displayed over his face, and as he walked passed Nayrorei, he snapped at her to try and do something to help their father.
Nayrorei still didn’t move, and Lunistria knew it wasn’t because she didn’t want to, it was because she was scared.
“DO SOMETHING!” Ither yelled, his voice echoed loudly across the room, some of the guards even covered their ears from it. After another moment with silence, Ither muttered a insult under his breath as he grabbed her hard, forcefully dragging Nayrorei out of her corner and stomped towards their heaving father.
“Quit handling her like some tool, Ither!” Lunistria snapped, “she’s just a kid and she’s scared!”
Ither let out a loud “tsk” as he approached them, shoving Nayrorei to slam into the ground in front of the king. “She’s a Seer. Seers can heal. She’s gotta learn one day or we’re going to die when The Shadowing breaks its seal!” Lunistria huffed in annoyance, letting go of the king and instructed some of the guards to help him calm down while she picked up Nayrorei from the ground.
She breathed in quick breaths, trying her best not to shed a tear as the pain of falling straight onto her face grew the more she tried to force her powers to work for once. Lunistria’s calming voice soothed her, coaxing her gently to take her time and help numb her own pain before she could do anything for the king first. The more she sweetly talked to Nayrorei in a soft whisper, the angrier Ither became as his impatience grew.
All anger and worry diminished as the king’s health improved all of the sudden, slowly bringing himself up straight as he cleared his clogged up throat of the remaining blood.
“There’s no need to worry anymore, I apologise for that sudden outburst.” The King hoarsely muttered, “I was able to heal myself in due time.” He said quietly, but Lunistria took it as a insult to Nayrorei who didn't manage to do anything to aid her father. He stood up and walked to his chambers, ordering some guards to accompany him just in case anything bad was to happen again.
Before he walked out of the room entirely, he directed his gaze to the people of the room, “it was a vision sent by Lord Astra himself…” He paused, and hesitantly spoke his next words, “the seal is breaking, he cannot buy us any more time than he already has.”
Devastation erupted from everyone in the room, “how much time have we got left?” Ither spoke in defeat. Though everyone wondered what to do next, how to prevent this prophecy from coming true, how to handle it once again without the forces they had before in the first fight, the king kept his gaze sterned and directed at one person in the room.
Nayrorei.
“Lunistria.” The king seriously demanded, “either she becomes the greatest Seer we have ever had in this Domain on her birthday.” He paused, his glare directed straight at Lunistria this time, “or I hope to see an heir to take over her role in this battle ahead.”
Lunistria has always been calm when talking to the king, Nayrorei never saw anything with her aura when the king is present, but when they are alone, she seems to open up a lot more. Even with Ither, she kept it tamed.
But now, right at this moment, it flared up.
“Like hell I will.”
The king’s face immediately turned sour, “what did you say?”
“I said no.” She scoffed, her grip on Nayrorei never faltered from a gentle touch, but her aura said more than any of her expressions. “We still have time no matter what Astra told us.” She was pissed, she was furious, harshfully punctuated some words to bring her message across. She picked Nayrorei up and held her in her arms, while small hands returned a gentle grip upon her clothing. Before exiting out of the room, similarly to the king, she glared at him from across the room. “You gave her over to me to care for, I would have thought you weren't dumb enough to try and order her Knight around, because obviously you’ve lost your privileges to know basic parenting with her.”
The king opened his mouth as if to speak, but he hacked up remaining blood from before as Lunistria interrupted him with an even angrier voice. “You may be the king of this country, but I’m a Lunarian of the Cat Zodiac, not a Rhaya of the Fox Zodiac like you all. I’m not from this country and by the rules of the Zodiacs; I don’t have to listen to you. I believe she will do this, and I refuse to send her own child to die out in the battlefield for her.” After she forcefully pinned her opinion into the king’s mind, she walked out of the room while everyone remained shocked by her rudeness.
Ither looked at Lunistria in disgust, “she didn't have to be such a bi–”
“Ither.”