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Chapter 1: Postbellum

(Kullervo)

“Do you know what makes a great warrior, dearly beloved?” I asked Eris on that airless, rainy summer night on our porch steps. She looked at me, thinking over the puzzle I had posed, her heterochromatic gaze changing slowly from its brown and violet majesty. One eye was electric green and the other was aquamarine to counter it, both resting beneath her wide brow like twin, elemental worlds. Her face reflected my own as only my first-born was created to be. I could see her mind process the query silently.

“I can only guess that it’s the same qualities that cause others to carry on and fight for a cause worth dying for,” she said assuredly and I nodded in answer.

She contemplated this as I came to my next piece of intellectual nourishment for my eldest child. “Which are found to be the weakest?” 

“Is it those who are inexperienced in any skill, father?” she bemused, shuffling her dark brown, bat-like wings close to herself.

“Nay, my child, it is those who have too much in one area of expertise alone. The jack-of-all-trades may not be able to do much with their skills, but they are better than a master of one skill and one skill only. I’m proud of you, my first-born!” We went inside our house at the edge of the world and sat down at the dinner table. 

Cora, my cherished wife, nursed our newborn while Fantasia, my second born, spoke a prayer over the freshly cooked rice and geravin meat. The farms of these cattle-like reptiles spanned many regions of this world and their meat was common fodder.

Nearing the end of our dinner, I finally spoke of a plan I’d been mulling over to my wife and children.

“We can't just let the girls be content with the skills they already have, they must continue to adapt.” Cora looked up from her food, and the baby with a frown. Her blood-red locks were chaotically unkempt from recent nights of little sleep. I continued, “I have business throughout the continent to ascertain the state of our world after this most recent war. I’d like to bring the four of you along with me.” 

“What more could they learn? They've had at least three decades of strong counsel from Magus Rom, tacticianary development from Alamu himself, government, literacy, music, and art from you, weapons training from Meseret, elemental control from Plecostomus, and weaponless combat from Vitaals. The whole kingdom has practically raised them!” Cora said at length, looking between our eldest and second-born. 

I thought for a bit over this entourage of kings and queens who had taught my daughters everything they knew. In order, these teachers of my children were the Magus of the Nocturnas; the previous king and queen of the Darkness and Light Clans; one of the six Void regents; and the arbiter of the Metal Clan, all of whom were situated under my rule.

“They lack culture, I’m afraid. Fantasia hasn’t left the house in months, Eris has been trained in nothing but war. They both could stand a little fresh air and conversation.” I said decidedly.

“Well, if you want to speak of culture, look no further than the Nocturnas. Vyvin and Vio come here five times a fortnight to teach them of their culture as well as agriculture and medicine.” My wife countered yet again.

Fantasia put her hand on mine with a begging look in her eyes. She was nearly sixty-eight years of age and still looked as young as if she were only twenty-three. She glowed with warm light that stemmed from a knife-like crystal jammed into her chest by assailants that had kidnapped her in her youth. “Please dad, can you get them to stop telling us about mushrooms? The last time they came, they made us find a species named shivri that was used to make people vomit.”

 “The stench haunted our vestments for months!” Eris chimed in seriously. I smiled and agreed to talk to the pair of Nocturnas along the way. Fantasia nodded at this, setting her plate in the centre of the oaken table with a shift of her six, dove-like wings.

“We will be visiting the major cities around the continent. You each will have your separate chances to meet both the common folk as well as the royalty I have established there. You will also be living among them for a day each,” I said matter-of-factly as I got up and took everyone's plates and utensils outside. I focused carefully, channelling what I had in mind and fire erupted from my hand, purging the dinnerware of any refuse. I came back inside and Cora made the final decision that we would leave in the morning. She stood carefully with our child and stretched her wings similar in appearance and manner to that of sparrow’s. 

It would be a quiet and restful night as we would prepare in the morning.