DISCLAIMER!

This is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This work may depict violence, alcohol consumption and

profanity words.

The Mysterious Gates of Asteria

Season 1 - The Freedom of Wind

In times gone by, when horses had their heads adorned with horns and majestic wings sprung from their backs, when pigs could fly in the endless sky and fish lived both on land and in water, there were two realms, Oria and Asteria, separated from each other by the endless flow of the great High Fairy’s Tears River, connected solely by a glorious bridge made of glass, yet sturdy enough to hold a thousand dragons at once.

Humans, elves, fairies, and all sorts of living organisms, big and small, easily walked from one realm to another. Trading magic, knowledge, skills, and even brides, whether male or female, they all abided by the law of love and understanding.

However, that peace came to an end when darkness slowly descended upon Oria, like a greedy mouth, swallowing each being that owned a soul. The servants of a world rarely touched by the warm light of day began to sow corruption and discord among the Orians, pushing them toward bloodshed.

Witnessing the grief caused by the ravaging wars and the decay of morals over time, the higher beings of Asteria took it upon themselves to restore the long-lost peace, by bestowing blessings on certain individuals and aiding them in banishing evil from the once-called Realm of Light.

The wars lasted hundreds of years before the ones who were once enemies could firmly hold hands again in unity, while darkness was forcefully driven towards the wastelands of the desolate Aieon continent.

However, the bloody disputes left irreversible scars, and evil did not entirely dissipate because corruption had already planted its roots. Countless lives from every race were sacrificed, and the once glorious bridge connecting Oria to the Divine Realm of Asteria fell, causing the gates that joined the two worlds together to close forever.

Yet, a promise was made right before the gates shut, that, whenever they were called upon, the divine beings, whether high or low, would answer their call, bestowing blessings once again on the talented inhabitants of Oria.

Thus, seven heavenly pillars emerged, to stand tall as testimony of that promise and as gateways for the divine beings to descend with gifts.

***

“What… what is this?” Aira asked, shocked, flipping page after page, just to find that each of them, except for the first, was missing the most important elements of a book: the words.

“Are you kidding me? Did they run out of ink for this one? How did this book get published like this? Cough! Cough!”

Crumbs were falling from her mouth, choking on a few as she tried to speak. Her messy bed sheet and part of the floor were now covered in stale potato chips after she had just kicked the plastic bowl storing them for days.

“Ugh! I thought I would die,” she said after chugging a glass of water down her throat, hitting her chest with her palm until she finally stopped coughing. After having calmed down a little, she cleaned her sheets, swiped the floor, and returned to check the book pages, in hope she would find at least another one that was filled with words. She even checked the bag she brought the books in and the receipt from the bookstore in case she had taken the wrong one.

It was the third book by the author she loved. Their second novel, ‘The Flower’s Tears’, ended abruptly, to Aira’s disappointment. After almost two years of waiting, she finally had the chance to get her hands on one of the first copies of the latest work, but all her hopes ended in hell.

“Ahh! I was so excited to read it that I forgot to check the contents,” she cried as she pulled her hair, rolling and kicking the bed with her slender feet out of frustration. And who would not be, were they in her place?

Aira was not only thrilled but also too much of an airhead. While in the bookstore, she mindlessly pulled the book from the shelf and slammed it on the counter as soon as she saw the author’s name on the cover, then rushed home as if her life depended on reading it.

The author’s works were the only comfort she had in her twenty years of life. Filled to the brim with magic, heroic adventures, heart-warming romantic stories, diverse villains, and heroes, those stories were the only ones that captivated her heart in her small world full of nothing but pitch darkness.

Orphaned before her parents even had a chance to see her walk or hear her say the words mama and papa for the first time, she was raised by an uncle her father trusted with his whole heart. Later, Aira found that his sole interest was taking the money her parents left for her after their deaths, along with their business, leaving her with no choice but to struggle as a modern slave in a house she never dared to call home.

Although she did not have the same opportunities as her cousins, she still managed to graduate, and then get into a well-known university, which infuriated her relatives greatly. She moved out as soon as she landed her first job, working as hard as an ox to make a living while separating herself from her so-called family.

The small apartment she rented lacked in many aspects, not that she had better choices in that area. Thus, she spent her free time reading and studying at the library when it was cold or in parks when it was warm outside. Her food consisted mostly of instant noodles. She only ate meat once a week, trying to save money for books and a better future after finishing her studies.

Yet that future she hoped for would soon take an unexpected turn. 

Author notes:

QUIZ:

What would you do if your uncle stole the money and business left to you by your parents as a child?

A. Sue him when you become an adult.

B. Make his food extra spicy every day.

C. Tie him to a rocket and launch it into space.