Chapter 1 - Jyrixi
Sitting up here, it seemed I could almost see the whole world. The lush jungles of the giant's region sat to my west. The desert sands of Urydre lies just beyond that. I could hear the waves hitting the shores on the beach of Dyrtus. In the midst of the dark waters an island is nestled shrouded by mist, uninhabitable by man or creature. To the south is the snow top mountains of Emepetin. However, all of these splendors could not satisfy my need to place my eyes on the region directly in front of me. A barren, charred piece of earth, just as black as the night. It has been nine years since Evanyl went up in flames to purify the land of the evil soaked into the ground. Those deemed innocent found sanctuary here in Jyrixion, my homeland of which I was named after. My aunts that were missing for a century were found and released from captivity. The world has gotten used to this peace we have found. Unfortunately, I find myself always on guard, as if at any moment Vyron himself will rise up from the ashes to take his revenge on us all.
Voices from the base of the tree broke me from my thoughts. Zakyrik and his daughter, Xanthea, were looking up at me and waving. "There is my favorite niece!" I exclaimed as I shimmied down the branches. Her violet eyes narrowed, "I'm your only niece!" My feet landed on the ground next to hers and I snatched her up, swinging her around in the air, "See? She is the smartest one, too!" She giggled loudly as I tickled her. A gust of wind picked up and a pink flower as big as her head floated by, catching her attention. As she ran away to chase it, Zakyrik looked at me with a serious expression, "Have you seen her this morning?" My head automatically turned back to the former spot that was Evanyl, "No, but it is the anniversary of you know what, so I have a good idea of where she could be."
As a matter of fact, I knew without a shadow of a doubt where she was. I started up the hill to the sacred spot of her mother's grave, glancing every so often at the wasteland engulfed in ashes beside me. Everyone lost something in the battle of Evanyl, but Xori, I believe, lost more than us all. Even though her family that perished were wicked, she still lost a father and a sister. Only her mother, whom she never got the pleasure of knowing, was without blame.
Xori was the only child Vyron did not tarnish with his wicked essence. He had too much going on at the time of her birth to fool with an infant, so her mother got to protect her with her kind spirit. Her love protected Xori from never succumbing to the fate of her sister, who was just as evil as her father. If not more. One night, her mother made an escape with Xori. Vyron, thanks to my aunts trapped in a binding spell to him, was forced to tell him of her departure. She had almost made it out of Evanyl, but Vyron was waiting for her there. Poor Xori lost her mother that night. Vyron put her body in an unmarked tomb on the hill behind his stables. It is the only part of Evanyl my aunts did not allow to burn. They encased the tomb with their magic so she can rest eternally untouched. Every year on the anniversary of the fall of Evanyl, Xori has come to visit her. She and Xanthea are the only ones allowed to enter, even though Xanthea has yet to be brought here.
Finally, I hit the boundary that would not let me pass a few yards from the entrance to the tomb. I did not know how long she had been in there, but I decided she did not need to be alerted of my presence yet. I sat down on a boulder and waited patiently for my best friend.
