To The Red Line

THE Universe contained two realms: Fulaina, the Human Realm and Margös, the Spirit Realm.

Both realms have lived coexistence and harmony for centuries since the leaders of the Five Kingdoms in Fulaina and a Spirit King of the Kingdom of Zágan, forged a peace treaty known as the ‘Humanity-Spirits Treaty’.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Heavy footsteps stormed harshly across the marbled floors of the empty hallways. A young Spirit King, covered in golden armour with the Spirits’ Royal Family’s crest, a burning Phoenix printed on his chest, ran hastily across the empty corridors. He could only hear the sound of his heart beating loudly against his chest. His long maroon hair, tied back in a high ponytail, swung swiftly as he hurried with all his might to reach his destination.

Finally, he stopped at the dark coral painted door: the Master Chamber.

With trembling hands, the Spirit King slowly reached out to the doorknob and held onto it. Taking a long deep breath, he exhaled and slowly turned the knob. His dark emerald eyes instantly met the two trusted figures standing in the centre of the private chambers, gazing back at him.

As the Spirit King opened his mouth to speak, a tall and bulky knight with the same Phoenix crest on his armour approached him. The knight raised his hand onto the King’s shoulders in a firm grip. “I’m Sorry Feird.” His voice trembled, “We couldn’t save her.”

King Ferid fell on his knees. Head lowered and his hands covering his face. He wept. He wept in grief for losing the love of his life. His beautiful Reliana.

The King wept and mourned the loss of his love when a gentle hand reached out and softly touched his shoulder. Ferid slowly looked up and met eyes with a beautiful, slender, and young woman clad in semi-full white silk robes that hid most of her figure. The woman gazed on sadly as she addressed him.

“Though Her Royal Highness the Queen may have gone to the Heavens, we mustn’t forget the gifts she’d left us behind, Your Majesty,” The young woman spoke gently, tilting her head at a small cradle behind her.

Ferid instantly froze.

“Your Majesty,” the knight cleared his throat. He firmly patted the king on the back and smiled as he spoke encouragingly, “Go ahead.”

Ferid swallowed hard and nervously approached the cradle. His expression slowly changed from grief to a sad smile. His heart filled with warmth as his eyes laid sight of an infant swaddled comfortably in a pink blanket and sleeping soundly.

Gently the Spirit King lifted the fragile newborn and carefully held her in his arms.

“May I present to you the crown Princess and future queen of this Kingdom,” said the young woman.

Ferid’s voice quieted to a whisper, “My daughter.”

Tears rolled down his cheeks. A smile broke on the grief-stricken King’s lip as he kissed his newborn on the forehead.

“There’s more, your Majesty,” The male knight behind him now held another infant.

Gasped, Ferid’s eyes grew widened at the other infant wrapped in a blue blanket.

“A double blessing, Sire. Not even the Oracle predicted this forthcoming.”

The knight’s golden eyes gazed down at the infant in his arms who began to cry furiously. The knight softly cooed the infant back to sleep before placing him beside his twin.

“What shall we do with the little one?” The knight asked cautiously.

Ferid frowned deeply as he thought.

Being blessed with fraternal twins in the Spirits’ old tradition custom is truly a rare blessing as well as a curse. Parents who were blessed with fraternal twins often have a dilemma in choosing between the two. At times, the family would be cast out due to having a male in the family. Tradition believes having males in the family will bring misfortune while the females are believed to bring endless prosperity and great fortune.

The Spirit Royal Family is no exception. It was rare enough within the Royal Spirit family to have a pair of twins, let alone, fraternal twins. The birth of a Princess would be celebrated in a grand ceremony filled with joy from the people throughout the entire realm, whereas male infants would often be killed or even burned alive. Those who did survive the misfortunes would never dream to inherit the Throne and be forced away for an arranged political marriage.

Thick empty silence between them grew as time passed by. The two subordinates held to their breath while waiting anxiously for the King’s response. The male knight refused to move from his spot nearby the young Prince who was sleeping soundly. He’d prepared to lay his life and even went as far as raising his own sword at the man whom he’d sworn to protect, should the latter choose to get rid of the infant.

Ferid turned his gaze upon the two infants in the cradle. Deep Emerald eyes stared intensively at their peaceful sleeping faces. A broad smile broke his lips.

“We’ll keep them both,” Ferid reached out one hand and played with the Prince’s small and fragile fingers. “No child of mine is cursed. This child is the product of love that the late Queen and I have conceived. This Prince shall rise and help to rule the kingdom with the future Queen. Both of them shall keep the nation safe and sound from any unwanted threats.”

His two subordinates let out a long relieved sigh upon hearing his words. Smiling at his King, the male knight proceeds by asking. “What will you name them, Your Majesty?”

“I shall name them both — Makai and Mika. Makai means Protector while Mika means Future in our mother-tongue, Ancient Aspaniac. These two shall be the hopes and protectors of our future.”

Nodding at the King’s declaration, the two subordinates saluted the King and the newly born twins.

SOON news of the Queen and the birth of the fraternal twins circulated around the Kingdom. Many were deeply saddened by the late Queen’s passing. Despite their grief however, the Spirits were very pleased when they were blessed by the birth of the future Queen. When it was announced that the future Queen has in fact, a twin brother, it caused a great commotion throughout the kingdom. Many feared the catastrophe that would befall them should the young Prince continued to live, hence, the Spirits demanded the young Prince be executed.

While news of the fraternal born twins reached the ears of the nobles and the great leaders of Fulaina, only few leaders had accepted the news with an open heart and, while others cursed out of fear.

Out of fear for his children’s safety, King Ferid had ordered the twins to stay away from the public’s eyes. He had arranged to build a small private Manor, within the castle grounds, in the courtyard.

YEARS went by and though the twins were confined most of the time within the castle’s compound manor, they were inseparable and lived happily. The only regular visitors they’d receive were the King and his Royal Advisor and personal bodyguard, a tall and bulky knight whom they affectionately referred to as ‘Uncle Leo’.

The twins rarely stepped outside of the castle compounds with an exception only for a special occasion such as birthdays. It wasn’t until the twins’ seventh birthday when things changed dramatically.

In that same year, a large scale war known as the ‘Great War’, broke out between the two realms. Blinded by selfishness and greed, the humans went to war with the Spirit, known as the Great War, and had attacked the Kingdom of Zágan. They’d also kidnapped the Spirit Crown Princess.

The Great battlefield later known as the ‘Red Line’— a passage between Fulaina and the Spirit’s World.

The long and endless battles that lasted for months, closed to a full season, before an unknown force unexpectedly landed in the middle of the battlefield and caught both sides off guarded with an unstoppable and powerful blast — thus ending the Great War.

The Spirit Army had completely vanished without a trace. Nobody knew what had happened to them. Rumours quickly spread throughout the realm that the Spirits were being punished by the God of Peace and Justice, Ifrat, for breaking the Peace Treaty and attacked mankind.

A man, known as the Master Oracle Khulai, placed a powerful magical seal on the portal that connected the Spirit Realm and Fulaina to keep the two races from colliding with each other ever again.

As time went by, men slowly picked up themselves and rebuilt their lives after the Great War. Very few people knew about the truth or the existence of the Spirits and the friendly relations they once had with the World Leaders of Fulaina.

Those who had lived throughout the war had sworn to never forgive nor forget what the Spirits had done to their homes and families. They’d continued to spread horrible stories about the Spirit to the young generations, feeding their fears and hatred toward the Spirits.

The truth of the Spirits and how they had mysteriously disappeared during the Great War were soon erased and forgotten by mankind…

Until now.