Kiara made her way across the courtyard, checking a mental list of tasks she has yet to complete for the day. Having just finished the last of the outdoor chores, she finds herself strolling back inside and heading towards the tower. All that's left is to clean the lantern and she was finally free for the day.

The house was empty at the moment, a brief respite of silence. Her father was across the city trying to get the permits needed to tear down and rebuild a new tower for the lighthouse; despite the vigilant maintenance he forced them both to maintain, the 300 year old tower was rapidly showing its age more and more. New cracks seemed to appear as fast as they could patch the old ones. She might have found it funny if it wasn't her that was patching most of them. She hated this place.

The lighthouse was her prison and her father, it's warden. No matter how much she pleaded and begged to be free he never relented and just spouted on and on about how much of an honor this job is and how hard he's had to work keep this place from collapse. Compared to the rest of her family he only kept his attention on her and she knew damn well why.

Her mother was likely out running errands which she used as therapy from the chaos that is their home life, whether it worked or not Kiara could never tell. And her two older sisters, Marta and Eris? She scoffed at the thought; gods only know where they are.

And thus she is alone free to do anything she pleases... well almost anything. She knew if she didn't finish her daily chores she would be in major trouble. Last time she failed to complete everything while her father was gone she ended up on the ground tears in her eyes and bleeding from her nose, while her father screamed about 'the poor blind sailors'. He infuriated her. Every aspect of his life meticulously crafted to paint the picture of a perfect family. They were nobles he liked to claim, tasked with the great honor of being the lightkeepers, safely guiding ships to their mobile city.

She did always like that aspect of her life, the living on a giant, that is, a wandering city. That's why the lighthouse was so important; the city was never in the same place or if it was it certainly wasn't in the same orientation. Which made docking a huge hassle. It made sense that their jobs were important Kiara always knew that and perhaps given better circumstances she might have even found joy in it. But like most things her father stripped away any shred of fun to be found.

Kiara had heard that there were many other cities like hers built upon the backs of mighty creatures. Leviathans they call them, apparently they were just normal animals at one point but for various reasons usually a prolonged exposure to magic they never stopped growing and became walking ecosystems of life and magic. It was breathtaking knowing that the very ground which you walk on is alive and if you focus you can feel it pulse with energy.

They call their Leviathan and by extension city Chelenki, Turtle god. The lighthouse was located near the head of the creature and because of that when she had some free time Kiara liked to go to the edge of the shell, sit down and just watch as the giant turtle head bobbed up and down through the waves. If she focused she could hear the breaths of the giant be expelled into the waves parting them with an explosive fury. It was a simple joy but one that she greatly cherished.

After carefully polishing every inch of glass she released a sigh so heavy for a moment she thought she might bring the whole tower down. She quickly descended down the spiraling stairs and towards her room, now free for the day she wanted to go where she spent most of her time these days Aria's. She skimmed through her wardrobe already knowing what she was looking for, a simple green dress with vines wrapping around the seams, not her best outfit but certainly her favorite, despite not being able to wear it all that often. It had been a gift from Aria and one of her most prized possessions. She hastily changed into the dress and made her way to the door to leave but was immediately paralyzed with fear upon hearing a sound at the door and her father stepping in.

He was holding a collection of papers she could only assume were the permits he'd been needing. He stood towering over her, her mind racing away into a vault sealing herself away from the onslaught she knew was about to come. Kiara had hoped to have changed faster; she'd thought she had plenty of time to leave before being seen. She assumed incorrectly.

Her father stared her down, "Aster, you'd better have finished everything, it'll be nearly time to light the lantern." There was a hint of anger and malice behind his words. She could already feel the water beginning to cling to her eyes at the sound of the name, a name which her father wielded with a righteous fury against Kiara knowing it will upset her, knowing that it shreds away everything's she's tried so hard to make of herself, peeling back the artifice that is herself and sometimes when she hears it she believes him. Just hearing that name is enough to shatter every ounce of willpower she has.

His mouth turns into a scowl so deep she might accidentally mistake it for one of the many lighthouse cracks. "What the hell are you wearing, boy?" he scanned her up and down "you look ridiculous."

She could feel her legs vibrate with a terror so existentially dreadful it was a wonder she didn't collapse instantly. Her father walked past her towards his office muttering unintelligible words of contempt. She was lucky she thought, he must have been in a good mood having gotten the permits he's been trying to get for the past few years. She heard a door slam behind her and she was stirred from her state. She hobbled her way over to the doorway, left her house and ran to the forest to collapse into her sanctuary of magic that was Aria's.

***

It was a miracle she made it out of the house at all. She hated herself right now more than anything in the world; whatever glint of enjoyment she thought she was going to have that day was burned away. Her mind flooded now only with the inescapable shame that it is who she is. On the accounts of many in her city and most of all her father- Kiara should not exist. They believed her a fiction, a fantasy made up by the only 'son' of the lightkeepers to flee responsibility. She had heard the rumors the city passed about her, an immature child spoiled by the good life that they have, refusing to accept responsibility. Instead choosing to prance around like a fool and tarnish the good name of the lightkeepers. 'He' was a disgrace and dishonor to the family and it's a wonder 'he' hasn't been disowned. Kiara had thought the same on many occasions; the fact that she has yet to be kicked from her home is a curiosity of untold proportions.

It was Marta who had been the most supportive of her family, sure her mother was mostly accepting albeit deeply confused when Kiara's thoughts had unintentionally revealed themselves, and her eldest sister, Eris was mostly indifferent to the idea. Her father was disgusted with her. To him it made no sense, in fact it was completely asinine. Since she was a child her father presented her to the city as the one who would inherit the lighthouse takeover the duties once he retired, a duty passed down from father to son for generations and here she was spiting in the face of her heritage of *his* legacy. Kiara's father, always obsessed with keeping face, claimed 'it was merely a phase that she would grow out of it soon enough, she's just confused because of all that time she spends around girls'. Since then it's been over 6 years and despite trying on multiple occasions the phase has yet to cease nor does she think it ever will.

***

6 years ago...

It was early into the harvest season, the air was warm and fresh but not overbearing; the ocean breeze gently coated the floating island in an almost perpetual cooling dew. Aster was on a trip to the market with his mother and Marta. Eris was at home with their father studying for the entrance exams of the city college. Eris was always the smartest of the three even disregarding age. It was clear even when Eris was a small child she was going to do great things. Meanwhile Marta, while not as academically smart as Eris was still a far cry from the disappointment that was himself, Marta had a natural talent for the arts, a natural orator and painter. It was evident she would go on to create many culturally significant masterworks.

The young boy had become separated from his sister and mother shortly after Chelenki had traversed some terrifyingly treacherous waves. Usually Chelenki didn’t journey out too deep into the oceans but today for some reason it had and the turbulent waves had split her away. The market at the time was extremely busy. It was mid day and the heat had yet to get too intense. Lost in a swarm of unknown people and stricken with an anxiety to be free from the gazes of the people he fled the market. Running through the now slightly flooded streets of the city Aster attempted to run back to his home but the streets and alleyways are built like a labyrinth, impenetrable and dense. And before he knew it he was entombed even deeper into the city than he had been before. Coupled with his rapidly rising anxiety consuming his very being in an omnipresent torrent of emotions, he collapsed in an alleyway. He curled himself into a ball, hiding behind a pile of garbage crying himself to sleep, as he had done many times before.

He doesn't know how long he was there, minutes, hours, or days, regardless of how long it actually was. Aster felt like he had spent an eternity in that dark alleyway. He was finally spurred from his depression by a strange tall woman who had stumbled upon him and fearing for the small child, Aster was shook awake.

"Excuse me, little one, are you alright?" The voice coming from the women was warm, rich, and deep, much lower than he'd expected of someone who looked so regal. Aster had expected a more proper voice, perhaps a little sharp and precise. The woman was beautifully dressed, a long red dress draped over her, the shade was like that of bright clay, a warm inviting red that now that Aster thought of it complimented her voice quite nicely. It was a shame the bottom had become soaked due to the flooding but the women didn't seem to mind.

"I- I'm fine, yea, good. I'm good" Aster had said quite hastily and went to wipe the tears from his face but his face was long since dry. The woman, unconvinced by the young child's words, offers her hand.

"I'm Aria by the way". The woman had added hoping that by introducing herself she would come off as less threatening to the obviously scared child.

Aster slowly and cautiously reached up to grab the woman's hand, to which Aria pulled the young boy up off the muddy ground. "Do you have a name, little one? Are you lost?" Aria looked at the child carefully examining them. "Aster... and yes" the child meekly choked out with a subtle pain having to say the name, the child unsure why it even stung to say, it was his name after all and it's not like one can just change it.

Aria attempted to brush off some of the mud and caked on dirt of Aster's clothes to mixed results. She paused for a moment, looked around the alleyway and closed her eyes and muttered some words under her breath that didn't quite sound like they were real and waved her hand downward tracing Aster's body. At the same time a beautifully ornately carved wooden necklace began to glow faintly, as did his clothes. When the boy looked down to examine his clothes they were no longer the muddied pieces of fabric that they were even moments ago. They looked as clean as they had when he first got them. "Well little Aster what in the gods names are you doing out here? Where is the last place you remember being?". The boy taking a moment to compose himself, having been utterly shocked by the ephemeral experience he'd just had, stared blankly towards the women. Aria let out a small laugh "Never seen magic before? You are still quite young I suppose". Aster finally able to conjure a coherent idea thought back through the events that transpired to end up here. "Market! The market. I ran from there after the flooding. Too many people" Aster spoke quietly trying to keep his body language reserved but unconsciously shaking his head vigorously. He'd always been taught to be cautious among strangers and he was trying to employ that wisdom but something about this woman made her seem trustworthy. She mesmerized him, and as strange as it was he felt a subtle kinship with her he didn't quite understand. Then there was that thing she'd done to clean his clothes 'magic' she said. It was fascinating him to no end.

He had heard of magic before of course, who hadn't? Although his parents didn't let him near those who practiced it. There seemed to be a general unease towards those that wielded the ether openly. It was hypocritical of them of course as those same people who spoke out against the dangers of wizards, witches, or warlocks still utilized the vast tools that magic employed behind closed doors, albeit only simple tasks such as washing clothes, lighting the fireplace, or dusting. It was a rare thing to encounter practitioners of the arcane that that was all they did. They lived, breathed, and worked with the ether, harnessing its vast potential to command the very world around them. And now, from what Aster could tell he was now staring face to face with one such person.

Aster followed Aria as she snaked her way through the streets trying to stay as close to her as possible as to not be able to lose her. His thoughts stuck replaying the quite literal magical experience mere moments ago. The two were rapidly approaching a city square as the light began to pour out across the street more and more, the buildings around them moving away widening the street. Before they set foot in what Aster now realized was the market he had fled from he looked up at Aria struggling with how best to phrase his next words.

"Miss?" the boy barely croaked out. Aria looked down, a gentle smile on her face. "What is it, little Aster?" her voice was still ever so warm and inviting, full of compassion. "Do you think you could show me how to do that?" His voice shook with uncertainty at the insane request he had just placed upon this woman, this stranger who he knew nothing of besides her comforting presence. "Hmm, I presume you mean that little spell I cast earlier? The one that cleaned your clothes?" the boy nodded. "Well I'm sure your parents wouldn't take too kindly to some stranger teaching their child magic, especially given how opposed this city seems to be towards it". It was true that his parents would never approve of such things, there was the possibility he could convince them when he was older but being only a small child there was no way. The role of the child was to learn of responsibility and obedience. And too much magic served as an antithesis to that mission. If one chose not to conform to this idea of society they were ostracized and their wants and desires ignored.

"In secret then! My parents hadn't need to know, please!" It was a strange thing for Aster to be so resolute in a decision. He tended to just go along with anything that was told of him or pushed on to him. Aster wasn't entirely sure why he wanted this so badly but his whole being yearned for an opportunity like this.

Aria smiled at the boy then let out a little chuckle, "A devilish little child you are. Very well, since you seem so adamant towards this. You remind me a little of myself when I was younger." She reached into a small pouch tied onto her dress and pulled out a piece of parchment. Much like before she whispered a few indiscernible words before kissing the paper and a map burned its way across the page. "Here, when you wish to find me for your secret little magic lessons" Aria handed the parchment to Aster who hastily snatched it before furrowing his brow, thinking rather intensely. "If you're worried about your parents finding it not to worry I've enchanted it to your eyes only. To anyone else it's merely a piece of parchment". At that the confused look faded from the boy and they continued their walk into the market.

"There he is!" a young familiar sounded girl had cried out pointing towards the two who had quickly spun around to the source. Marta stood next to their mom tugging on her sleeve to get her to look where she had spotted her brother and a mysterious stranger.

Marta was frantically waved her other arm trying to collect the attention of her younger brother. Meanwhile their mom was breathing intensely, a hand resting over her heart. Aster hurriedly walked over to his mother and sister embracing them momentarily. Aria following close behind the boy spoke first "You have quite the expeditious child. I found him quite a ways west of here". "Indeed he is quite the troublemaker" his mother pulled him in closer, her look of joy at being reunited subtly being replaced with one of discomfort when Aria spoke.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure of finding my son?" Aster's mom said, trying to maintain the public pleasantries. "Aria" Aria replied a bit hesitant seeming to have picked up on the rather drastic mood change. "Well... Aria" there was an uncomfortable pause before eventually saying Aria's name "It's best that we get going now thank you". Aster happily and graciously thanked Aria for her help as his family began to wander off back towards the direction he was fairly certain was home.