Of Cethore: Volume One

[spider8hawk]

This is a book written by me. It is also available here, on Wattpad.com. DO NOT STEAL! I am working hard on this. Commenting is allowed, just please don't quote all of my post, only the sentance or paragraph that you are commenting on.


n the world of Cethore, mystics have lived in peace under the guidance of humans. But there is a guild that feeds off of war; naturally, they hate peace and all who bring it. They destroy every human, leaving the confused mystics with no firm leaders to guide them. The guild stirs up trouble untill it is the brick of civil war.Seeing the devestation happing before their own eyes, a group of young mystics stand together to hold firm the beliefs of their ancestors. But with their lack of power, it is doubtful that they can bring back the peace of the past. That is, untill they stumble upon a girl called Celestine.

Celestine has been an orphan all her life with not a single piece of her family. Due to this, she doesn't know what her dicon is, thus she can never awaken her power. When she could feel the tension of war growing greater, she knew she had to do something. Boldly she goes into the harsh world with what little she had to bring peace somehow, not knowing of her hidden allies.

[spider8hawk]

*Will post more later!

[spider8hawk]

History of Cethore

In the beginning, there was man and there was the mystics. The mystics were being thought to be evolved from man, those with great power inside them known as Dicons, similar to Earth's Magic. The people separated themselves by their dicons into groups known as Dires. The dires hated each other, always fighting to see who was superior to the rest. And so, they fought, never asking why, never looking back. Humans were caught between the battles and quickly learned it was do or die.
Eventually, human stepped in between the armies. They showed the dires' the error of their ways and resolved how they can live together in peace. Giving up their violent ways, the dires let go of their past and embraced each other. With the humans' help, they soon found their worlds fused into one. With dires aside, the mystics came together in guilds where they could learn and teach others how to use their dicon.
In the shadows, there hid a guild called the Thorne Cults. They wanted nothing more than to see the humans and their beautiful harmony crack and crumble. They influenced people to hate each other once more. The humans tried to stop them, but there were very few pureblooded humans left. They were easily cut down, the human race lost forever. The Cults continued to poison Cethore's hearts and minds. Soon, they were on the brick of the worst war yet.
Unknown to the Cults, the younger generation had strong hearts that would not heed to the lies and deception. They began fighting against the darkness, forming their own guild. Little did they know that a war had already begun.

[spider8hawk]

Episode One: Chapter One

She didn't mean to break a fundemental law of mystics, but what else could she do? War was coming and there was no way that Celestine Torad was going to sit around just letting it happen. Now she had to pay the ultimate price, but if she could go back and do it all again, she would without a second thought.

Two cycles ago...

Celestine was on a boat heading toward the Fryco Legion, an area in Cethore where outbreaks among dires had become more and more frequent. Her goal was to resolve the conflicts forming and encourage them to spread peace. If she had to, she was willing to use the little dicon she had in order to at least keep the dires from drawing blood.

The entire voyage, she thought of ways that she could bring peace. When they arrived at Fyco, she made it her first goal to find a place to stay. While walking down the street, she heard a crash and angry voices yelling. Thinking it was a fight, she dashed to where the noises had come from.

The scene Celestine found was shocking. Instead of finding different mystics brawling, all she saw was a young man- probably in his late teens- lying awkwardly on the stone ground. A man stood in the door of a shop, yelling at him to stay out. She looked at the shop sign, seeing that it was a dicon supply shop. Typical.

The man righted himself, brushing off the dust as if it happened to him everyday. He picked up the bag that lay beside him, swinging it over his shoulder before walking away. Celestine wondered what that was about. The room would have to wait. She had more important things to do.

She entered the shop, the bell over the door ringing joyfully. The same man that had once been in flaming rage now sat calmly behind the counter. A fake smile lighted his face, presenting a cherry clerk that would welcome all. "Hallo, what can I get for you?" he said, a thick mountainous accent making his words roll off of his tongue.

Feeling uneasy, Celestine avoided his gaze. "I'm just browsing," she told him, hoping he would go away.
"Well, if you need anything, give a yell!"

Rushing to the safety of the aisles, she looked among the shelves for anything useful. There were common things such as spellcasting books, dicon weapons, and fusion stones. One thing hiding in a corner caught her eye. It was a dicon key, a powerful weapon that held the purest form of a dicon. Only humans could use them, for the reliac would consume the diconic energy of anyone that weilded it. Since humans were extinct, they were only relics now, used for collection or decoration.

An inching feeling came on Celestine. She wanted to take it, to use if somehow she found a human in need. Letting her instincts take over, she grabbed it and walked to the man.

Seeing her coming, he snapped to attention. "Find something you like?" he asked. She held out the key, gesturing that she wanted to know about it. "Oh, the dicon key. That is the wind key, gifted to the humans by the Wind dire's chief when they helped the them and Sun dire unite into the Sky dire. It is nice, but you cannot use it. Are you sure you want that piece?"

Smiling like an idiot, Celestine nodded. The clerk sighed, giving in. "Okay then. For you, I charge 2000 yules and I throw in keyring for free. "

»»

As she walked out with her new key strapped to her belt, she counted her remaining yules. She couldn't believe the price! For the same amount, she could have bought a three bags of dicon powder. But for some reason, she had bought it anyway. 783 yules. I should save it for when I really need it. Guess I'll be sleeping outside untill I can find someway to make money. she thought. She put her remaining coins in her purse and continued down the street.

Celestine needed to get back to her misson. Deciding to follow her senses, she wandered through the village aimlessly, looking for any signs of trouble. After a few hours, she had to rest her blistering feet. As she sat rubbing her poor soles, she heard a noise off in the distance. It slowly came closer, making it easier to hear. It was a ralley for war. What luck!

Quickly, the girl snapped on her shoes and charged toward the sound. The group was huge, consisting of at least two hundred peole. By the looks of them, they were the Volcano dire, the original inhabitants of Fryco. She had half expected them to be the ones that stirred up trouble. An idea coming to mind, she joined the throng of people. Wherever they were marching to had to be an important place. Maybe there she could make her move. She sprinkled a little fire powder on herelf, making her look like a Volanic dire. She marched by their sides, completely unnoticed by them.

They kept going for some time before stopping in a what seemed like the town square. They gathered around a platform that had been set up. Needing a better veiw, Celestine worked her way to the front. She managed to get a few yards from the front of the crowd, close enough to see everything on the stage in crystal-clear view.

A man came onto the stage, not waiting for introduction. Seeing him, the crowd burst into cheers, having seen him before. She turned to the person next to her, asking, "Who is that?"

The girl looked at her like she was crazy. "That's our leader, Ospin Vesper. Everyone knows him," she said.

Ospin waited untill the noise died down before speaking. "Fellow Volcanics, I am glad to see you here today. We all know about the Coastal scum that have been coming into our land and poisoning our families," he started. His voice boomed over the area, grabbing the attention of all in the square.

Encouragements were yelled out as he spoke. "Do you not remember how they treated our people so long ago? How they beat our sons and made our daughters slaves? They have been trying to take over our land for so long, and now we will just lie down and let them come in our citys? I don't think so!"

The crowd was getting restless. They were like wild animals wanting to break free of their cage. If Celestine was going to stop this ralley, she would have to do it now. She opened her mouth to call out.

"Who are you to lead them against their brothers?" a voice called out, drowning out her feble cry. All eyes turned to see where it had come from. The sea of Volcanics parted to reveal the man that had challenged Ospin. It was the same man that she had seen thrown out of the shop just a few hours before.

He made his way down the path that had been formed for him. "You are not even a Volcanic, you simply put on a covering. You speak of the deeds down during a bloody war, but you refuse to reveal what happened during the end of it," he stated. He stood at the bottem of the platform, looking right into Ospin's gray eyes. He turned to the people as he continued, "The Coastals and Volcanics found that each had done wrong deeds to the other because of trickery by the Forbidden dire. They united together with the other dires to overthrow the Forbiddens and fought together as brothers. You have been nothing but family ever since, so why turn your back on them now? Who will you follow: your forefather's paths of peace and prosperity, or this outsider's path of destruction?"

Murmurs filled the air. After what seemed like ages, someone stepped forward. "I will follow my forefathers." Others began to join in untill they were all crying out together.

The man turned back to Ospin, a smile on his face. "The people have spoken. You must leave," he said, a threatening tone in his words. Ospin seemed to growl. He said something too soft for anyone else to hear. Reluctently, he tured away, beginning to leave the square. As he went away in defeat, he glanced toward Celestine. She could be mistaken, but it seemed as though he starred right at her. A smile crept up his face, one that sent chills down her spine. She watched him untill he was consumed by the crowd.

The tension still in the air, no one made a sound. Someone dared to let out a cheer, and others quickly followed. The young mystic smiled to herself, glad that the ralley had been dismissed without any true harm. It was a good thing that guy had shown up. She probably wouldn't have handled it nearly as well.

Remembering the man, she looked to find him, but he was not were he had once been. She continued scanning the square, hoping to spot him amist the crowd somehow. She caught a glimpse of him going around a corner into the shadows. Pushing her way through the mass, Celestine made her way to follow him.

She looked frantically down the street, but he was no where to be seen. "Looking for me?" She turned to see him sitting on a rooftop. Had he waited for her?

"I-- you-- you shut that guy down so fast. Who are you?" she mumbled, a bit shocked by seeing him.

He rose from his position. He tossed something down which landed at her feet. "This will answer your questions." She stooped to pick up the object. It was a wooden cross with engraving on the back and along the sides. She looked back up to ask him something else, but he had already disappeared. She turned her focus back to the cross, which was now her only lead.


Lurking through the darkness, a shadow watched Celestine. He opened a comlink and said,"I found the keybearer."

[spider8hawk]

Ep. 1: Chapter Two

Celestine read the engraving for the thousanth time. She was sitting in a cafe in Magmia. She had been trying to figure out the cross as she had been for nearly twelve hours. It made no sense as to how it would answer her questions. It seemed more like a poem than a message, except it didn't rhyme. Written on the side was the phrase, "A rose on a mountain is still a rose." The back held to phrases, one upside-down and the other sideways. The sideways one said, "No man can walk straight while falling down." The other stated, "Beauty is as fletting as the sunrise, but a pure heart is a treasure worthy of a thousand gems."

Could they be a riddle she had to solve, like an anagram or something? No matter which way she worded it, it didn't give her any clues. Her brain hurt from all the thinking she had put into it. Paying for her drink, she left the cafe. She had been wandering around Magmia, hoping that the change of scenery would help her see a clue she had missed. So far, it had not worked as she wanted, but there was another way.

Magmia was home to some of the greatest minds in the kingdom. As a result, there were many people that could see things most people tend to miss. She just needed to find the right person and her struggle would be over. A historian, perhaps. She got a tingling feeling evrytime she thought about it. No, she wouldn't go to someone else. She had to do this herself.

Magmia was home to some of the greatest minds in the kingdom. As a result, there were many people that could see things most people tend to miss. She just needed to find the right person and her struggle would be over. A historian, perhaps. She got a tingling feeling evrytime she thought about it. No, she wouldn't go to someone else. She had to do this herself.

The first place she headed to was the library. It had all the material she could possibly need if the message referred to geographical or historical data. She bought a notebook and quil and took a seat at an open searcher scroll. With one click the transluscent scene appeared. She typed in mountain rose and pressed search. The first thing that appeared was the same line that was written on the cross. She read all the information on it, which wasn't very much.

Back to the search scene, she scanned through the other results. There was one that caught her eye. 'The Falling Rose Mountain'. That had to be it. She continued reading: 'The Falling Rose Mountain is known for its steep cliffs. The mountain was named after its rose bushes, which were growing off of the side of the cliff. The roses themselves are thought to be pulled toward the ground by gravity while the rooots stayed firm in the ground, giving it a look that it was falling. At the base of the mount is the city Fletting Sunset where torrist stay during their visits to the mountain.'

That was it! If only she had come here before. Nothertheless, the victory felt dry. It seemed too easy. She looked up heart treasure wood in the scroll. A suggestion popped up. 'Did you mean wooden heart treasure?' Guessing it couldn't hurt to look, she clicked on the link.

Up come a picture. It showed a wooden heart decorated with gems and precious metals sitting in a treasure box. Celestine zoomed in on the picture. There seemed to be faded marks on the side. She copied the down as best as she coud onto her notebook. Closing her tabs, she turned off the scroll.

She made her way to the front desk where a lady sat reading a book. A quick glance over the top of the spine made her smile. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked sweetly. Her lighthearted voice comforted Celestine a bit.

"There is. I was wondering if you had ever seen these marks before?" she asked handing the lady the notebook.

She starred at it for a few short moments before getting up to grab something. She plopped the book on the desk and began her search. Finding what she was looing for, she handed the book and paper back to the mystic. "These two seem pretty close." Celestine compared the two pictures. They were quite similar. "You'know, its nice to see young people take such an intrest in books. Not many people do," the lady complimented her.

She thanked the lady and went to a table. If she had to read the whole book she would. She read the artical. The markings were the symbol of the ruling human family, the Locktess. They put it on everything they wanted to be able to find in the future, including their children. She turned to the Locktess family history.

The last known member of the Locktess was Daniel, who was also the last king, had died nineteen years ago in a bombing. Most of the family's fortune was inherited by the lesser rulers of the surrounding area, all except one small fortune. The only will found specifically stated that the estate Pheonix Gem was to be given to an anonymous person, as well as an allowance of two-millon yules a year. Something told her the place she was looking for was the Pheonix Gem.
»»

The building the villagers had pointed her to was not at all what she expected. Its not like she imagined a big, beautiful palace with white walls and a luscious green garden, but still. It was about seven miles inside a dense forest. Celestine ended up climbing from tree to tree in order to get through the muck. All the while she had a strange feeling that someone was watching her.

The mansion itself was surrounded by a huge wall. The gates were made of iron with the Locktess mark holding them shut. She knocked on them, which somehow made them open. Once inside, she began searching for people. All she saw was overgrown weeds and vines climbing the sides of a sullen brick building.

"Well, well, I'm impressed. You actually made it."

Celestine whirled around. There he stood, right behind her as though he had appeared out of thin air. She tossed the cross to him. "I figured out your riddles. Now, tell me what I want to know. And while you're at it, take down the illusion. I don't like it when people make me think I'm traveling over harsh grounds for miles," she scorned him.

He seemed a bit shocked at first, but that soon turned into a respectful chuckle. "I'm impressed. Out of all the people we tried that on, not even a quarter detected it was a trick without a hint." As he spoke, the courtyard dissolved into a bright, feritle feild. Behind them stood the real Pheonix Gem. A few curious eyes peered at them from the windows. "What gave it away?"

In all honesty, Celestine didn't know how she could see past the spell. It just didn't feel right somehow. Maybe it was the creepy ora or the watchful eyes. She looked right at him without speaking a word. He didn't persist for an answer. Instead, he smiled understandingly.

"I'll take you to the Master. He can explain everything to you," he said, leading her to the open gates. "I'm Zora by the way. Sorry I was so cold and mysterious before. Master insists on testing people before-- well, you'll see. What's your name?"

Celestine let out a big smile. "Celestine. Celestine Torad."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Celestine. Mind if I call you Celes?"

"Not one bit."

[spider8hawk]

Ep. 1: Chapter Three

Celestine looked at the open door nervously. All she could see inside was the shadow of a man sitting with his back to them. Zora eagerly waved her in. Shyly, she stepped into the room and waited for further instructions. He followed her in, walking right up to the setted man. "Master, the girl I spoke to you about is here. She passed all the tests without difficulties," he said quietly. She was just barely able to hear him.

The master nodded, muttering something in return too soft for her to make out the words. Zora replied with more whispered words. Celestine got a bit nervous as to what they could be discussing. After some time, the man waved him away. He retreated out of the room, stopping only to tell her, "I recommend you be yourself."

With that, he closed the door behind him, trapping her in the dimmed room with the mysterious figure. "Come closer, my dear." He didn't sound like someone who was dangerous or threatening-- he actually sounded really nice. She walked forward, but kept a bit of distance between them. "So, I hear you figured out the riddle and detected the illusion in record time, huh? That shows determination!"

She wasn't sure whether or not he was complementing her. "Still, that doesn't say much about your character." Her shoulders dropped in remorse. That was true, but why did it make her feel so bad? It's not like she strived for his approval, though for some reason she wanted his respect.

"Come sit with me," he said, turning so he could face her. As he did, the room went from dim to bright. He was old enough to be her father but not her grandfather. He looked more like an uncle. He had a firm jawline and silvery-white hairs mixed in with black hair covering his round head. His faded blue eyes seemed quite gray, like the heavy clouds with light trying to shine though from behind them. Even from his seated position she could tell that he was short and didn't have too much muscule to spare, but she could feel that he was powerful with his dicon.

She felt comfort by seeing his face- as if the sight of him could balance the jumble of nerves inside of her. She obeyed, sitting cross-legged on the floor a mere arm's length away from him- close, but not too close. He looked her up and down, which wasn't too hard while they were half the height they were while standing. His gaze was caught on her bare arm. Curious as to what he was looking at, she looked at her own arm. There was nothing there but flesh. She turned her eyes back to the master, not wanting to look away again.

He grunted a bit, seeming disappointed. "My name is Nerok, but most of the people here will only call me Master. Of course, you can call me whatever you like. I heard you had some questions, Miss Celestine, he introduced himself.

It took Celestine a few seconds to find her voice. "Yes, I do, Sir. First off, what is this place? I mean, I know it's Pheonix Gem, but I want to know what's inside the building that makes it a real treasure?"

Nerok smiled in approval of her pun. "It would be best to start at the beginning. You know Daniel Locktess, king of the last humans? Well, he was a good friend of mine back when we were young. The last few years he lived, he had a theory that someone was trying to tear apart the peace between the clans. A few monthes before he died, he told me he was getting really close. He must've gotten too close because his entire family was killed by an 'accident'. I looked everywhere for his notes, but nothing ever showed up. It was only during the severe attacks just recently that I realized how Daniel failed: he was fighting a guild alone. I had no doubt that they had an army on their side, so I built up my own and here we are. Okay, next question."

Celestine could barely believe her ears. If he was saying what she thought he was saying then she wouldn't have to stand alone against the darkness creeping into people's hearts. Just from that statement, she knew more about the problem than she had learned the past few months. Her eyes sparkled as she put the pieces together in her mind.

"Are you implying that I could join your group, because if so, I would devote myself in a heartbeat," she questioned him.

He stroked his thin gray beard, thinking of what to do. "Well, your heart's in the right place, but this job is danergous. You will need to know how to fight and how to negotiate. Untill we can determine your skills you will never go on assignments alone. Of course, you would stay here the rest of the time," he told her. She simlly nodded in aggrement, waiting for him to finish. "Are you certain this is what you want? Once you swear yourself to our cause, your life will never be the same."

She took a minute to consider it. She had been so excited this past week she hadn't taken the time to think about her actions. If she left, she could back to her village and get a job. Settle down, find love-- and wait for the war to tear her life apart again. No, this was what she was meant to do. It was her calling. As soon as she stepped into the building she felt like she was home. She had never truly felt that before, not in any orphanage she went to or foster house gave her that fire before. This was it.

Celestine looked Nerok straight in the eyes. "This is where I'm meant to be. I'm not walking away," she said firmly, the fire in her eyes blazing.

The master smiled. "Then my dear, we only have one thing left to do." He stood up and she followed his actions. He closed his eyes, glowing as he began to cast a spell.

Somehow, she knew exactly what to say. "I, Celestine Torad, devote myself to the Mystic Alliance. To defend the light and strike the darkness. I will live as their sister and die by their sides. No force can break the bonds we make!" With that, she sucked in the power Sherok was making. It surged through her veins, collecting at her right wrist. It pushed its way to her skin, becoming a symbol embedded in her. The Alliance's symbol, her eternal mark.

She was a member of the Mystic Alliance.

The spell came to an end. Celestine starred at her wrist, looking at the mark as if it was the most important thing in the world. For her, it was. The duo exited the room, the excited girl's smile growing larger by the second. Zora was waiting outside for them. He clapped when he saw her mark, and others joined in.

Nerok waited untill the cheering died down. "Lorilie, please show Celestine to a room," he instructed, directing he to a cheery young girl.

The girl, Lorilie, motioned for her to follow. As she walked up the stairs, Celestine had a strange feeling she would like her new home.

[spider8hawk]

Ep. 1: Chapter Four

A banging woke Celestine from her slumber the next morning. It sounded like a fight in the hall. Jumping out bed, she dashed out of her room, not even putting on the robe she found or shoes. In all honesty, she wished she was a heavy sleeper so she wouldn't have woken up. The battle was between Zoran and a guy she didn't know. They had an intense wrestling match going on, which seemed like child's play compared to a real fight.

"You punch like a girl," Zoran taunted him.

"I'll show you a punch!" he yelled back.

The strange thing was, no one was trying to break them up. A girl opened her door to yell at them for being so loud, but no one stepped in between them. After watching them fight for a few minutes, Celestine pulled them apart. By the looks of them, they would have kept going, but when Zoran saw that it was her he backed off.

"You're not worth my time," he told him, straightening his shirt that had gotten out of place during the brawl.

His opponeant's face turned red from anger. "You challenged me, you dope! What, am I too tough for you now?" Just then, he noticed that Zoran was looking at Celestine. "Oh, you just want to impress the new lady, huh? She is kinda cute. Hey, girl, how's it going?" he said, a flirtatous look in his eye.

In the blink of an eye, Zoran punched him in the face. "Be respectful, for the spirit's sake!" He shoke his head in disapproval as the guy rubbed his jaw. "I am sorry you had to see that, Celes. That is our resident idiot Cyrus. You can just ignore him, most of us do."

She couldn't help but giggle. "Okay well, you boys stay out of troule. Nice meeting you, Cyrus," she said, turning back to her room. Once inside with the door shut, she heard the two start talking about her.

"Who is she?" Cyrus asked.

"Just a new recruit. Stay away from her," Zoran growled back.

"Hey man, I can talk to her if I want!"

"Oh, yeah? You gotta get through me first, tough guy!"

The sounds of their fight faded as they walked away. Celestine rolled her eyes. Boys. She decided not to think about them, at least not untill later. She grabbed some clean clothes from her drawer and headed to the bathroom. It had a tub, toilet, and sink, but it was better than the house she had to share with the other girls in the orphanage.

After taking a hot, relaxing bath, she went back into her room to try to find clean clothes. Lorilie had helped her grab some on their way up. She went to a chest of drawers, where they had put the items after choosing some that fit her. She put on a cute top and a pair of leggings, along with a scort from the closet.

Slipping on her sandles, she put up her hair and went out the door. She figured that if she wandered around for awhile she'll find— well, something. Hopefully food. As she walked down the halls, she ran into someone she recognized. It was Cyrus, looking much better now than he had while fighting Zoran. His shaggy hair waved in front of his face slightly covering his gorgeous blue eyes. He was well dressed in a suit that was stylish, but not showy. She hadn't noticed how tall and muscular he was before. He was brown, opposite of Zoran's pale-gray complextion.

He looked at her. Recognizing her, he smiled cheerily. "Hey, new girl!" he called out to her, walking over to where she was. "Sorry about the way I acted earlier. I can get overexcited sometimes, especially in the morning."

She smiled shyly. "Okay then. I'm Celestine, by the way. Do you know where I can get some food?" she asked. She hadn't eaten since the train ride to Magmia yesterday.

Cyrus chuckled. "Sure thing. I was just heading there myself. Breakfest is served from eight to ten every morning, unless something comes up," he said, beginning to walk down the hall. "Didn't someone give you a tour of the place?"

Celestine shook her head. "I was so tired last night, I just asked to be taken right to my room so I could sleep. All I know is where the girl's laundry room is!"

He seemed a bit shocked, but understanding at the same time. "Well, maybe after we eat, I could show you the place myself. After all, how are you supposed to do any work if you don't know where anything is."

She noted the way that they walked. Two left turns in the hall, down the south stairs, keep straight until you reach the wooden double doors. They went right in, Cyrus holding the door open for her. She let out a gasp when she saw the massive room. It was a dome-shaped room with a mirrored glass ceiling and plenty of room. There was about six rows of long wooden tables, each row having four tables separated in the center to make one long pathway. Off to the right was a bar where food was being served, along with other things.

One unusual thing was that there were many people scattered across the room, but most of them weren't eating. "This place also serves as our main hang-out area and an meeting hall," Cyrus explained to me. He pointed to the bar. "Just go up there and tell them what you want. It's all free, so you don't have to worry about that."

"That's not entirely true," a voice said.

Celestine looked to see Zoran walking over to where there were. He was wearing the same thing he wore when she first saw him in Fryco, minuse his cloak. She could see his muscles beneath tight sleeves, sleek and firm. He stood with his shoulders held high, giving him a look of confidence and athority. In the light she could see his green-black hair falling over his sickly yellow eyes. On top of that, his grey skin made him look devilous. All he needed was horns, wings, and a tail to be a perfect demon overlord.

He stood next to Cyrus with his arms folded over his chest. "Each of us must earn our stay. Don't worry, we're not going to make you do anything torturous. Every one of us here is assigned chores and training exercises, as well as missions if you join a team. You can choose which chore you do according to what you're good at, and yoy can change positions if you get tired of one job," he explained. "I'm currently working as an instructer and recruiter. Cyrus here works in the -- oaf!"

He was cut off by Cyrus punching him in the arm. They glared at each other, but Zoran soon calmed down when he read the look on his face. Celestine was considering asking what that fuss was about, but she had a feeling they wouldn't tell. Her stomach growled loudly, as if to tell them to stop their disbute and focus on her. That definately got their attention.

"Where are my manners, blabbering on while we stand here hungry. If that hadn't stopped me, I might've forgot to eat myself," Zoran apologized. He motioned to the bar where food was served. "Shall we?"

No one argued as they made their way to the bar. A young woman smiled at them when they approached. "Good morning. You must be new here," she said to Celestine. She greeted her with a handshake and smile. "I'm Nya, the main chef. What are we craving today?"

There were many great options spread out. They were all nutrisious, well-balanced meals. Celestine went with a fruit smoothie and eggs while Cyrus choose blueberry pancakes. She didn't know what Zoran got, for Nya simply handed him a white paper bag. After they thanked her for the food, then headed to find a seat.

"I have to run, but I'll see you later. Cy, show her around the place, okay?" Zoran told them before walking away. Celestine had an urge to go after him, him being one of the very few people she knew. Guess she would have to meet them sometime.