MYRLLEN

True to her word, Queen Horizon welcomed everyone into her castle. The guards smiled at them as the queen led the group through one of the many large tunnels that traversed the castle's

Beautiful magic spheres illuminated the pathway in calming silver light, and the stone tile floor gradually sloped upwards as the dragon-sized tunnel meandered toward the surface. However, the group soon emerged into a large room with a massive mosaic map of the region, more detailed than Paragon's small table map. It looked like a dragon's eye view of the landscape, all in tiny shiny tiles.

"When you are ready, you can pick where in the country you would like to live." Queen Horizon smiles. "You can use this map, but we have paper maps as well. You're free to live in one of the other towns, or start your own."

Myrllen marveled at the map as they walked across the tiled floor. This place, it's beautiful. He continued to marvel at the castle's interior and its diverse inhabitants. Centaurs and fairies walked side-by-side, and he saw a mermaid sitting on the back of a unicorn.

"These are the rooms we prepared for you." Horizon smiled and gestured to the wall as she stopped. The dragon-sized passageway was comically tall compared to the human-sized doors that lined the stone wall. There were even two levels of human doors above the ground floor, accessible with a balcony and stairs. "Pick any room you want, and your personal belongings will be brought to you shortly."

Mamaa made the first move and approached the closest door. "Thank you, your majesty, for your kindness." She bowed to the graceful dragon, then held the door open. "Myrllen, Camille, Orion, come on, they have real beds."

"No hammocks!" Orion cheered as he rushed into the room, Camille on his heels with an excited grin on her face.

Myrllen blinked, then laughed under his breath as he followed his siblings into the room.

Immediately, he was amazed at the size of the room. Their old entire house was less than a quarter of the size of the central room, and that was not including the six rooms that branched off of it.

"The beds are massive!" Orion squealed in glee and poked his head out of the rooms. "Myrllen! Mamaa! Come see!"

Mamaa chuckled as she approached with Myrllen, then released a stun squeak as she gazed inside. Myrllen stood in stunned silence as he looked inside. The bed was so large, Camille's outstretched limbs could not touch all the edges. Orion gleefully jumped onto the bed, briefly springing his sister into the air. Even with both of them on the bed, they only took up half of the entire space.

"And there are five other rooms just like this!" Camille giggled.

Mamaa breathed in surprise, then blinked as a knock rang through the door. Her hooded ears twitched as she faced the door.

"I got it." Myrllen smiled to his mother, then approached the front door and opened it.

"Hello, I brought your belongings," A six-armed woman smiled as she held each of four the boxes and the kettle with one arm each. "Would you like me to come in or leave your luggage here?" All four boxes still had Paragon's little flag of their family symbol tied to them.

Myrllen blinked, then moved aside. "You can come in, it doesn't matter where you put everything, I guess."

The lady nodded, then carefully entered, then placed all five items next to the wall. After she stood back up, she smiled at the cloaked Stellan. "Would you also like a meal? We have food prepared if you would like it."

Myrllen blinked, then nodded. "Yes, for all four of us. It will be nice to get some good food. Paragon tries, but she's not the best at cooking."

"Good food is hard to come by on old ships like Paragon." The woman giggled softly, covering her mouth with one of her hands. "I'll bring you four meals from the food cart." She waved slightly as she exited the room, then brought in four white cardboard boxes and set them on the table in the corner of the common room. "Can I get anything else for you?" The six-armed woman kindly smiled.

"I think that's everything we need, thank you." Myrllen smiled at her.

She smiled and nodded. "Feel free to ask if you need any help, anyone with this emblem can help you." The servant woman gestured to a blue token on the side of her belt. On the blue background, a white dragon silhouette reminiscent of the queen curled around a sparkling sapphire. "Anyone who works in the castle has this emblem."

Myrllen smiled and nodded. "Thank you," He returned her wave as she exited the room, then walked back over to the bedroom his family was in. "Food was delivered, if you're hungry."

Camille and Orion blinked and stopped playing on the bed and looked at their older brother. "Food?"

Myrllen smiled and nodded. "And I've been promised it's better than Paragon's cooking. It's on the table out here."

Mamaa chuckled softly. "Let's eat, then we can continue exploring the room." With a wave of her hand, she motioned for her two youngest children to follow her and Myrllen to the food.

Myrllen arrived first and distributed the white boxes between four of the six places while the rest of his family sat down. Once everyone had a box, he sat down and gazed up to the white ceiling. "Thank the stars for this meal," he smiled, knowing the stars were listening. He could only hope that whoever's story it was, they freed the stars.

The rest of the Estell Family echoed his words, but as soon as the thanks were given, Orion tore his box open, releasing the delicious aromatic scent of the food inside.

Myrllen opened his box and saw his contained the same meal as Orion's: Roasted root vegetables and squash, grilled steak, garlic mushrooms, and a warm roll. There was also a small metal bottle of fresh water and silverware were in a space separate from the food in the top of the box.

"Woah!" Camille awed, then picked up the fancy fork supplied in her box, "Fancy!" She stabbed her fork into the steak and took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Delicious!" She squeed.

"Camille, remember to use your knife," Mamaa smiled lovingly to Camille, who with a quick apology, began to eat her steak with a fork and knife.

Myrllen tasted one of the mushrooms, then nearly purred as the flavor permitted his mouth. "This is all good."

Mamaa smiled and nodded. After a pause, she smiled softly to Myrllen. "So, have you thought much about Paragon's offer?"

Myrllen froze so quickly he nearly choked on a bite of steak. After he recovered his breath, he hesitantly answered, "I'm... still not sure."

"Aw-fer?" Orion asked, his mouth full of steak.

"Remember to swallow before you speak honey, and make sure you eat those vegetables too." Mamaa smiled at Orion, then nodded. "Paragon offered Myrllen a position as a ship's mage."

"You can be that?!" Camille awed. "That's so cool big brother!"

"I still don't know if I want to accept the offer, Mamaa, what if you need me?" Myrllen frowned. He moved to say that he was scared that a new life in Havenous was a ruse or an illusion, then remembered the star's words that Paragon was trustworthy. "What if something happens and I'm not here."

"But you would get to freely practice magic, your dream." Mamaa smiled softly. "And with Paragon's speed, you can be back here in a few days, no matter where in the world you are." She took another bite of vegetables.

Myrllen hesitated. "I... I still don't know."

Mamaa swallowed before she spoke again. "Paragon's offer will always be open, so you have plenty of time."

"Myrllen's so cool!" Camille beamed, while Myrllen briefly picked at his food with his fork.

It will be a good opportunity to learn magic, Myrllen slowly stabbed a mushroom with his fork, and the stars said Paragon was trustworthy... He paused, then looked back up to his mother. "Mamaa, have you ever heard of Lihania?"

All four Stellans paused as they sensed faint magic within the word. It was calming, mystical, and Myrllen felt his mind calm and his worries soothed. He noted how it felt similar to the feeling he got from the stars but felt more distant than strained and blocked. However, the feeling was fleeting.

Though the strange atmosphere quickly faded, Mamaa took a few moments to speak, "No, where did you learn that word?" She seemed genuinely mesmerized by the possible answer.

Myrllen hesitated. "The stars spoke to me the last night we were home, it was faint and strained, but they said Lihania was trustworthy and she was a gift from Lihania." Myrllen looked at his family's shocked faces as their magic senses felt the faint surge of mystical magic. This time was stronger than before, but it still quickly faded.

"THE STARS SPOKE TO YOU!" Orion screamed in excitement. "HOW!? WHAT DID THEY SOUND LIKE!?" He stood up in his chair and nearly climbed onto the table.

"Orion, please don't climb onto the table, I'm sure Myrllen will explain everything." Mamaa gently smiled as Orion slowly returned to his seat.

"It was quiet, and the feeling was kinda like what happened with saying the.... L... word." Myrllen paused but felt nothing.

"Lihania?" Camille questioned, and the fleeting presence returned and faded just as fast.

Myrllen nodded. "It felt similar but stronger. When the stars said it, I think they overpowered it. I felt like something was blocking the stars, holding them back." He paused. "When I asked them about why they hadn't spoken to us in a while, all they said was 'another's story.'"

"I pray to the stars that whomever they are talking about succeeds in freeing the stars." Mamaa looked up to the ceiling for a moment, then smiled to Myrllen. "Perhaps the castle has a library, or there's one in town?" She paused. "If Paragon is a gift from it, perhaps you can ask her?"

Myrllen hesitated, then nodded. "I'll try that after we finish eating." He took another bite of the delicious food, and his family did the same.

Camille and Orion finished first, then excused themselves and continued their escapades in exploring the room.

Myrllen chuckled as he watched his siblings, then stood after he finished his food. "Do you think they'll let me in the library?" He started to gather up his sibling's boxes and took them to the sink in the mini kitchen area of the room to clean the silverware and water bottles, then gently wiped out the wax-lined paper boxes to be reused.

"I don't see why they wouldn't, we are guests here," Mamaa smiled in assurance as she approached. She gently used her hip to bump Myrllen out of the sink area. "Go, I'll finish here and watch the kids. I'm sure one of the guards can help you."

Myrllen blinked, then smiled and nodded. "I'll be back soon." With a small wave, he walked out of the room, then glanced around the large passageway outside their door.

He didn't see anyone at first, but after a few moments, he saw an armored figure with the blue and white emblem on his shoulder. "Excuse me," He approached the armored figure.

"Ah, hello," The humanoid smiled, her low feminine sounding polite and welcoming, "how can I help you?" She gave Myrllen a gentle smile despite her sharp-looking teeth.

"Is there a library that I can visit?" Myrllen asked in a gentle voice.

"Of course!" She smiled and nodded. "It's down the street from the castle, I can show you."

Myrllen smiled and nodded. "Thank you," he followed her through the large hallways. He was surprised the passageways didn't twist and turn, everything was simple and nothing like the castles he imagined in his head. Decorations, both human and dragon size, lined the walls and occasionally hung from the ceiling.

Soon, the guard lead Myrllen through a large set of open doors and into the bright light of day and a large courtyard.

As they walked across the cobbled square, Myrllen couldn't help but marvel at the beauty within the area. Four fountains stood neat at the corners of the open space. A large marble monument stood in the center of an elven woman standing with the queen as equals. The castle made up three sides of the square and the walls were lined with reliefs of a multitude of different creatures and races. No species or race was represented twice as far as Myrllen saw, and there were even a few empty spaces for new carvings to be added in the future.

The area was populated with a multitude of creatures. A kelpie and a mermaid lounged in a fountain while speaking to an elf, a small dragon sunbathed while children played on his back. Myrllen even saw some tiny fairies speaking with a human wizard wearing a green cowl.

Once they reached the street on the open end of the courtyard. the guard gestured down the wider sidewalks that followed the wide road to a building with massive doors just down the street. "See the building with the circular stairs in front of it? That is the public library. I have to stay on the castle grounds on my shift, but most of the people I've met have all been very friendly and I know they will help if you ever get lost."

"Thank you." Myrllen smiled and nodded to the woman.

She nodded in return. "I should get back to my post, but I hope you enjoy the library." With a wave, she walked back toward the castle.

Myrllen waved back, then walked down the street, glancing around at the environment. All of the buildings had a set of dragon-sized doors with three sets of doors, each inside the others. There was a door the size of Myrllen's foot, a human-size door, one twice the size, and then the massive dragon-sized door.

Soon, Myrllen reached the library and looked up at it. The semi-circle of marble stairs had a variety of step sizes, with the largest stairs on the sides, and tiny stairs in the middle. As Myrllen climbed the stairs appropriate to his size, he looked up to the building, which had carved reliefs on either side of the door depicting highly detailed large trees. The wooden doors were painted with a sunrise in beautiful detail and were startling lightweight as Myrllen opened the human-sized door.

Myrllen immediately noticed the friendly scent of paper and books as he entered the quiet place. Massive bookshelves stood in long isles up to the ceiling and had stairs at the ends that led to railed balconies on the bookshelves. Different shelves had different sized books, and shelves with mixed boos sizes had the smaller books at the bottom on tiny shelves and the larger books on the taller shelves on the top.

"Hello." The griffin librarian smiled and waved with a talon. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm looking for information on Lihania." Myrllen stood on one of the platforms at the base of the desk so he could better see the griffin's face.

The librarian hummed, his lion tail flicking back and forth. "I suspect that will be in either the religion or legend sections. Those are on the back left side, on the second floor. There are stairs back there, or you can take one of the lifts just around the corner." He gestured with his talons as he gave directions, then pulled a pendant off the wall and offered it. "This will help you find the right books, just tell the opal in the middle what you're looking for, and it will guide you."

Myrllen blinked in surprise, then nodded as he accepted the necklace, then slipped it over his neck. "Thank you." He smiled a bit, then waved as he walked towards the suggested area. He soon found the stairs fit for his size, then climbed up the multitude of steps as he held the small opal in his hand. "I would like to learn about Lihania," he murmured to the gemstone, then blinked as it began to softly glow.

As he stood, amazed at the magic, he noticed a faint glowing line emerge from the jewel and weave through the shelves. None of the other visitors to the library seemed to notice the faint beam, even as it formed next to them or as they walked through it. What kind of magic is this? Myrllen studied the oval opal as he followed it through the lines of shelves.

Eventually, Myrllen reached where the light beam stopped, then faded as he reached out to pull the suggested book off the shelf. Initially, he couldn't read the strange language, but after a moment, the book's title magically changed to Commonish, his native language.

"The Embodiments of Duality." Myrllen blinked as he whispered the title to himself, then opened the book.

"According to ancient beliefs, Lihania is believed by many to be a sentient realm of positive energy, and the counterpart of Darhania, the realm of negative energy. They are a duality, said to be two sides of the same coin and one cannot exist without the other.

"People who believe in Lihania and Darhania believe that all actions release amounts of both positive and negative energy. This energy is almost always invisible, and the energies make their way to Lihania and Darhania. The sentient realms then use their energy to influence small things in the world, or keep the other from spreading their influence."

Myrllen paused, then skipped ahead to a page more focused on Lihania before he continued silently reading. "As a benevolent being, it is believed by Lihania worshipers that people who are blessed by Lihania or act as its servant have a magical rune on their person, often on their hand or shoulder. The complicated symbol softly glows white and is filled with ancient magic. Supposedly, gifts come with the symbol as well, such as understanding all languages, advanced healing magic, and even gifts of strength.

"Many believe that anyone with the symbol is trustworthy, as long as they wear the symbol of Lihania. Some say people with Lihania's symbol are even gifts themselves, as many of them devote their lives to helping others or making the world better. Some even say that there are things and people would not exist without Lihania.

"Objects are also able to be imbued with the symbol. Where Darhania's symbol is often carved on weapons or traps, Lihania's symbol is more often on shields and doorways as a symbol of protection.

"Some people reported that it can be removed, either by force or falling out of favor with the realm. There was even one account of a young man with the symbol on his left shoulder, and when his arm was amputated after an accident, the symbol reappeared on his right shoulder.

"According to some ancient tomes, Lihania and Darhania also have embodiments that take on physical form to help spread their energies in larger ways. The oldest volumes list the embodiment's name as "Li'hiet," while the more recent books list his name as "Light." This simplification over thousands of years is parallel seen in Darhania's embodiment's name."

Myrllen looked at the glowing white symbol on the bottom of the second page, the strange, complicated rune emitting a weak power identical to the energy he felt when he spoke Lihania's name. After a further pause, he closed the book, deciding he learned what he wanted to know.

Author Notes:

Ok, sorry for all the delays. But, you got an extra long chapter!

So basically, for now, I'm going to update whenever I can. I was planning to get a backlog when I originally went on hiatus, but covid made my life hectic. My job got busier during the pandemic because we had no lockdown mandates in my area and we were open.

Getting back into the grove of writing has been hard, so please be patient with me!