A Warrior's Dance

Prologue

Part I

Dance, sing, swing

Ride the waves and bow down to the sun.

We are now united as one.

I will be your sword and spear

You will be my golden crown

Now and beyond.

The stream of lights dancing in the sky was absent tonight. Instead, the full moon displayed itself, for the first time in weeks. It was a good omen, as what elders would say. The small island of River Lights stood beside the Sea of Elora, and the legions of Silver Neraides were there for a reason. They were there to guard the sea, to read the lights of the heaven and to keep their race pure and intact.

Silver Neraides was one of the few ancient races who survived the war. They held certain endless beauty, with their silver hair and skin, with green upturned eyes, men described them as pure perfection. They were the keepers of evil and the messenger of Sun God.

Men’s beliefs would say that there would come a time where evil shadows would emerge from the blue sea of Elora to spread a never ending darkness. The end of all races. But for centuries, the sea remained calm and steady, no sign of it giving birth to a demon. But still, nobody dared to navigate the legendary sea.

While everyone was busy preparing for the feast, a little neraida, age of eight, found himself wandering on the shore, looking for a stick sword. The night was young, the wind was warm, yet an itchy feeling crawled up his neck. Finding a stick sword shouldn’t be hard, he thought. Voices reached his pointed ears, summoning him to the waters. His eyes wandered on the dead sea, trying hard to make out the movement floating near the shore. A stick sword? No. It wasn’t what he had found, and instead, he narrowed his eyes as he focused on something strange from a distance.

He couldn’t tell what it was but he felt some danger and grave terror from watching it resurfaced even just for the tiniest moment. Glinting red eyes shone from it as the moonlight touched the creature’s face for a fleeting second. The child’s pale face whitened even more as heard the hiss coming from the monstrous thing in the water.

Shivering, he ran from the shore and went straight to the feast, eager to deliver the terrifying news. He had heard stories about the lurking demon beneath the blue sea of Elora. When he first heard of it, he knew it was just a tale, nothing more. But he wasn’t so sure now.

The feast was for the birth of the first born child of the Neraide’s king, and everyone was busy catering to the king’s needs. The boy tried to get passed the gates, determined to tell anyone what he saw in the waters.

One of the warriors spoke, halting the boy. “The ceremony is not over yet. You’re not allowed to enter.” He hovered his long thin fingers over his sword, intimidating the child.

“B-but I just saw…” he trailed off as he pointed his finger to the sea, still trying to name the terror he had witnessed not long after. “It’s of great importance for my king, sire. Come with me, I’ll show you!”

The skinny warrior, who had silver with a streak of bluish hair, stared down at the frightened boy. “Nothing is more important than the ceremony of the king’s first born.”

The other warrior with broader shoulder, wearing a green medallion, looked at the boy with curiosity, as if deciphering his thoughts. “Let’s hear him, Olswen,” he said. “What is it that you saw in the waters that made you demand the king’s presence?”

Panic returned into the little neraida’s face, making him paler than usual. “A-a monster… Like a snake. A monstrous snake!”

Olswen laughed but the other one remained curious.

“What exactly did you see?”

The boy shook his head, remembering what he saw. “A big snake water. Red hungry eyes. I think… I think I heard it hiss. His voice. L-like he’s beckoning me to the waters.”

Olsen chuckled. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re referring to the Sea Serpent.”

He nodded in terror.

Laughter died from Olswen upon hearing it. “Sea Serpents were nothing but a story, Thaeros. You don’t believe this child!”

Thaeros, with his stoic expression, silently disagreed with his warrior brother. His red long hair was prettily braided on his back to show every neraides in River Lights that he was the king’s first rank warrior. The most trusted. The Lieutenant. He was actually the only neraida who had red hair, making him a freak on the eyes of the elders. “What is your name?” he asked the boy.

“Xylos, my sire,” he answered.

“And you claim that you saw a sea serpent in the Sea of Elora, with your own little eyes, Xylos, correct?”

The boy nodded vigorously.

Thaeros thought for a moment. He could sense the fear in the child’s eyes but warriors like them were trained not to believe everything they heard. It was their job to doubt and learn the truth. Innocent as the boy was, he couldn’t submit himself into believing that the Sea Serpent did exist.

Because it didn’t.

“Send patrols to the shore,” Thaeros said to Olswen. The latter didn’t bother hiding his annoyance.

“Sea serpents do not exist. It is nothing but a tale made by men.”

Thaeros casted him a pointed look. “Don’t make me repeat it, Olswen.”

Without a word, he stomped away, his silver hair trailing behind his back.