Lothar, Traetos Province, Southern Avestria

Mythra and Akorak had ensconced inside the temple for the night. It was a forlorn rune that had been abandoned a long time ago. Some of the corridors of the temple were shadowy and daunting. There was an unsettling serenity that engulfed the premises of the temple. Mythra was feeling like someone had been whispering through the pillars and the rocks of the temple.

There was a constant sound of the dripping water in the vicinity which echoed through the hollow corridors. Lichen and moss formed its home at the corners, living in harmony with the Kelises with their gossamer cobwebs that created bridges from one corner to another.

The wind whistled through the walls and the hollow pillars. Mythra was demented by the eerie ambiance of the temple. The figurines and the idols didn't make it any better to reduce Mythra's fear. Akorak was placing firebrands in the sconces to illuminate the milieu.

They had created a fire in the central region of the garden to give them warmth and a feeling of assurance. Once Akorak finished lighting the corners Mythra felt a bit relieved.

After finishing their meal, Mythra and Akorak went for a walk through the temple premises, to explore. Since they had spent their day searching for dry wood and collecting other resources for the night, they couldn't explore the temple. Akorak had held a firebrand in his hand, Mythra followed him.

He wasn't brave enough to go dawdling around the temple alone. Although Mythra wanted to sleep, he couldn't sleep alone in that frightening darkness. So he had to accompany Akorak on his walk because that's where the light was. As they walked, they saw a plethora of statues carved over the interior. Even though the temple was a monolith, they could see vestiges of different types of rocks that were used to construct the temple interior.

After the stroll, Mythra was quite exhausted and he requested Akorak to call it a night. Mythra was slightly nettled by the trepidation of the next day where he would have to walk for hours on end. That's when he realized that he was not the one for travelling on foot. They laid down on the garden, beside the fire that gave them warmth.

Mythra had spread his legs apart and his entire body felt like it was stuck to the blades of grass. Mythra had placed his palms below his head to create a cushioning for his neck. His eyes were fixated towards the night sky. After so many days, he had got the opportunity to see the stars. The last time he was gazing at the sky, his grandmother was still alive.

"Do you know the Aekar?" asked Akorak as he noticed Mythra gazing at the dark sky above. Mythra was baffled. "No, I don't... What's an Aekar?"

"The shapes that these stars form are called Aekar. There are hundreds of tales hidden in these small points of light. They are the keepers of our past... Some say they are the guardians." Mythra was astonished. He had always been curious about the points of light shining in the night sky. "What shapes?"

Akorak raised his right arm and pointed towards the sky. "Follow my finger," he said. By using his index finger, he started tracing a line of stars to help Mythra visualize a shape in the sky.

"Follow the long crooked line... Can you see it?" asked Akorak as he traced the line. Mythra followed Akorak's finger and could imagine a line connecting certain bright stars. "I do," he replied.

"This long crooked line joining these stars is called Nelam Oros...The river of heaven,"

"Nelam?... Isn't that a river in Lothar? I used to play on the banks of river Nelam..." replied Mythra.

"Of course you did... Except this one is a celestial river of the sky...It is said that Nelam Oros is where all the winged creatures were born..." explained Akorak.

"She was barren... she wanted children of her own but she couldn't have any.... So she prayed to Lord Seros to grant her the gift of life. She prayed till the rains became storms and the water became ice but Lord Seros was laconic. She prayed till the mounts burst into fire and the arid lands became lush but Lord Seros was silent. She prayed with every passing chime of the winds, dancing their way through the replenished leaves of the trees, yet Lord Seros wouldn't grant her this boon. She searched for Lord Seros by traveling through every valley and every ridge. She passed through every turn and she turned at every twist. She met with the lakes and she played with the mounts. She raced with the winds and she hid between the trees. She flew through the caves and she joined with the seas. She traveled from one corner of the world to another but all in vain, for Lord Seros was nowhere to be seen."

Mythra was intrigued by Akorak's narration and he harked at his words with the utmost eagerness. "Then what happened?" he asked.

"She decided to follow the heavens and she rose up and above until she reached the tenebrous void... All the other gods were impressed by her persistence. Perhaps, this was a test to know if she was worthy of having children. As she flew through the heavens, she quenched the thirst of all the gods with her sweet, pristine water. But Lord Seros had turned a blind eye to her prayers. Melancholic, she returned to the ground, and there she remained among her fellow mounts and trees," Mythra was intrigued and excited to know the entire story.

"Until one day, she heard a cry of a small child who was being chased by the beasts, determined to eat him. The boy rushed towards Nelam and he prayed to her to protect him from the beasts. Nelam being magnanimous, took him into her bosom and carried him far away from the beasts. She lent him her sweet water and she gave him the shade near the trees. To her surprise, the boy suddenly grew into a resplendent figure whose light shone beyond the far reaches of the world. It was Lord Seros, in flesh and bone, standing before her. Impressed by her magnanimity, he granted her the wish of being the mother of all birds. He bent lower and cupped his palms to drink her water. As soon as Lord Seros touched his lips to the river water, Nelam was blessed with life. Her progeny became the mythical birds like Geruda and Ashri who traveled to the East, and Berunda and Miro who traveled to the West," narrated Akorak.

"For her generosity, the other gods cast her into the sky and thence she became Nelam Oros, the celestial river. She is a remembrance of magnanimity and selflessness and there she remains to this day, shining her stars upon us, alongside her children," said Akorak and pointed the shapes of the four birds in the sky.

"That's engaging!... I wonder if all these stories are true... do you think all these stories happened?" questioned Mythra.

He was riveted on hearing the tale of Nelam Oros. He wished he had read some books that told the stories of the sky. He wondered if Herios knew these stories since he was an ardent reader. Akorak took a brief sigh.

"Who knows... Maybe they are all true or maybe they are just folklore created by our ancestors,"

"But why to create such stories?" asked Mythra.

"Because stories have the power to influence the soul," spoke Akorak after a long pause.

"A story is what binds us together. Legends and fables connect us to our past and pave the way for our future... They are the lessons from our ancestors and the teachings for our children," replied Akorak. Mythra hearkened.

"Stories act as the glimmering ray of light in absolute darkness. They give us hope when we feel alone... They teach us to be good and compassionate," spoke Akorak. Mythra was impressed by Akorak's narration and his way of telling things. It was as if he was listening to his grandmother.

"Granny used to tell us a lot of stories... I always felt safe when I was in her embrace... I felt like I mattered when she told me the stories of all the great kings..." Mythra concurred. Akorak smiled on hearing this. After a long period of silence, Mythra remembered something.

"What is Flambila?" he asked. Akorak was surprised on hearing that word from Mythra.

"Flambila is the Halo of Peace... It's a rare event of the heavens...I am surprised, How do you know about that?"

"Well, granny said that there was Flambila in the sky when Aerytha was born," replied Mythra. Akorak was perplexed. He raised his eyebrows and glimpsed at Mythra.

"Your sister? Aerytha Auctisila?"

"No, not an Auctisila. She is a Nelarii. She is my step sister who was also an orphan adopted by granny," he explained.

Akorak seemed flustered as he didn't respond. Mythra could see that Akorak was cogitating on something as soon as he heard about Aerytha's birth.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I was merely being curious..." Akorak replied dismissively.

"Either way... I am off to sleep. I am really tired..." said Mythra and turned over his side with his hands below his head as a cushion. In the next instant, Mythra was asleep and Akorak was flabbergasted on seeing this. He was benumbed on hearing about Mythra's sister and her birth.

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Footnotes:

• Kelises are spider like creatures

• Nelam Oros is a constellation

• Geruda, Ashri, Miro and Berunda are mythical creatures of Systara