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Chapter One

"Silva! Stop running so fast!" A young man's voice called from within the thick crowd of people milling to get to the shrine of the God of the Land.
"No! If we're not there on time, Lady Celi is going to disown me and your father is going to be disappointed in his heir!" answeared a young female's voice. Prince Myok, heir to the throne of Kylu, sighed but continued to chase after his black haird friend as she darted between people. Silva had it easy. She was built smaller, so darting through crowds was like walking in a field for her.
The black haired girl pushed her way to the railing of the bridge and turned, her dark blue pupiless eyes scanned for her best friend. When she spotted him, Silva put one leg over the rail. Myok followed suit and threw both legs over before nimbly scaling down to the underside of the bridge. He caught Silva and they begain to run again, under the bridge and away from the large crowd.
The bridge was long and wide, so there were many wide crossbeams to run on. The grey waters were deep enough so that if they fell, they wouldn't die on impact, but they wouldn't drown either.
A bell rang clearly above them and they cast each other a nervous glace before continuing there run. Today was the day that the Myok's father, King Titem, would say his last prayer at the temple of the God before he went to his fort across the ocean to the east. He went there to train men for the God's army, and to receive his orders from the general's there. Myok was orderd to be there to help his father pray and to be claimed the ruler until his father returned. There was no regent in Kylu, and the queen was not permitted to rule. After the age of eighteen, women were forced to marry the man their parents had pick for them and all the power they might have had before was givin to the husband. Such was life.
Silva didn't agree with it.
The young women had to be at the temple because she was one of the maidens there. She was the one who would be carrying the sacred water to the king so that he could clense himself and swear loyalty to the God of the Land, now the God of the World. For reason unknown to anyone, even herself, Silva disliked the God.
As the two neared the end of the bridge, Silva lept off and onto a tree branch. She moved out of the way as Myok landed next to her. The temple was directly infront of them, and the secret door that led to the meeting room was unlocked.
"Almost there, and we havn't gotten too dirty yet." Silva laughed quietly as she started to climb down the tree slowly. The tree was old and knarled. Branches hung every which way and large leaves hide them from any gazes of the watch monks. There would be hell to pay if they got caught.
Almost as on que, the brnach Myok was standing on gave way under him, and on instict, he reached and grabbed the closes thing, namly Silva's arm. With a splash, both ended up in the shallows of the grey water of the Say River.
Myok laughed weakly, whiping his brown hair out of his equaly brown eyes. When he caught Silva's glare, he just smiled innocently.
"This is your fault, you know?" she told him, pushing black hair out of her face. Black lines streaked her face as strands passed over it. The dye had come out.
The prince stood up and took off his jerkin and a blue scarf as Silva untied her silk shawl that hung around her neck and wrapped it around newly reveild silver hair. She took the scarf and covered her face with it, only allowing one eye to see, then wrapped the jerkin around her arms. She mumbled her thanks before running up the hill. Myok kept a close eye around them before following after.

"I can't believe you two! We only have an hour!" The High Maiden scolded while pacing around, gathering clean cloths for the two soaken young people.
Silva ignored her as a girl held one of her eyes open before carefully putting a thin peice of colored glass over her eye. It was spelled so it wouldn't cut her eyes or blind her. She yelped as the glass hit and tried not to blink until the women had done her work.
"Silva! You put yourself in great danger going out there!"
"I put myself in great danger going outside." She snarled at her adopted mother as she was ushered behind a screen as Myok came back in. Myok was not suppose to know about Silva's true apperence, but after being her friend for almost seven years, he had seen her a few time without the hair dye and colored lense in her right eye.
Celi walked behind the screen to help her daughter into the robe. It was long, silky, and very very heavy. The sleeves ended almost a hands' width from her fingers and it trained to the floor. While her mother did her hair into a braid and pinned it up so that it wouldn't show through the mantle, which was placed on her forehead and pulled to cover her hair. Like her robe, it was deep blue and white. Before her mother could try to do any more, the girl ducked out of the screen.
In this city, demons were forbidden. Even though The God Tai used demons in the war, they had caused many casulties and shortly after the war, many were slaughterd. Human's feared demons, and the 'God' didn't want the humans to fear him. Though no one could prove Silva was a demon, no one could prove she wasn't one at the same time. Her appernece had been sudden, and in the shrine of the Goddess of Space herself, a Goddess who ruled the dead and life, and watched over demons.
"High Maiden Celi, you are being summoned to the waiting room by His Highness." A monk said bowing in the doorway covered in beads and cloth.
The priestess sighed before turnning to her daughter and her prince. "Wait here pleace, Silva. Prince Myok, you may come along if you wish."
"I'll stay, thank you." Celi nodded before walking out. Once she was out of earshot, Silva heaved a sigh and sat on the floor. She reached into a hidden pocket under the fifth layer of robes and pulled out bandages. Rolling up her sleeve to mid upper arm, she started to wrap the bandages around tightly. Black markings were etched into her skin and just as dark as the day they had appeared, two years ago. They ran from her shoulders, down the front of her arms, and ended with a large marking on the top of her hands. She normaly just wore paint over them, but with all the water she'd be carrying, the paint would surely come off, plus, paint didn't hide anything from the skards, evil looking litte pixies that followed the royal family to ditect poisens and traitors. Paint would make them look at her, and they would see her for who she was.
"Hey, need help?" Myok asked kneeling down next to Silva. She gave a sheepish smile.
"How could you tell?" He took the bandages from her and started to wrap her arms up.
Celi returned shortly. Myok left to go meet his father, leaving Silva with her mother. Celi picked at her cloths, making sure that they would be perfect for the King. After a few more tugs on her sleeve, a push on her lower back, the women hugged the girl.
"I feel something will happen, so let us go with the God of the Land's blessings." She muttered. Silva was led to the other three maidens who would be helping with the prayer. They bowed to each other, before walking up the stairs to the temple.

Thousands of eyes watched as the King acended the stairs. His cloths all showed signs that he was the ruler of this land. Blue and white, the royal colors. His hair was brown, but turning gray in areas. His eyes were a deep green, showing signs of a ruthless warrior, loving husband and father, excited child, and loyal king. His face, unlike his sons, was sharp around the jaw and chin area, and his nose was beak like, but lacking the sharpend edges. Myok had adopted most of his mother's features, other then his hair and eye shape, which were his fathers.
Like with many occasions, Myok's mother, Queen Itala, was not present. Actually, not many women were in the feild around the temple. Only little girls, young teens, and once in awhile a wife. A good thing about a maid, they didn't have to get married. If one wanted to marry, they had to go to Celi, if parents wanted their daughter or son to be married, they also had to go to Celi.
The High Maiden was standing at the top of the stairs. The four maids were kneeling. One holding a amulet, one holding a candle, one holding a cloth, and one holding a basin of water. The king reached the stairs, and slowly bowed before Celi. She reached down and placed a hand on the kings head.
"His Royal Highness, King Titem, Father of our land, Warrior of the God of the Land, the God of the World. You have arrived here to pray for the last time in years to come, correct?" Celi's voice rang out, carrying across the field for all to hear.
"Yes."
"You have come to cleanse yourself before you are received into your fort of thy God. Correct?"
"Yes."
"Are you pure to your God? Do you consider yourself worthy?"
"I do." The king repiled. High Maiden Celi removed her hand from the king's head and took a step back. She turned slowly and prayed to a statue of the God, Tai. Silva and the three other's bowed lower. There was silence until Celi turned around and bowed low to the king.
"Please step forward, my daughter, and allow the King to clense himself." Silva bowed her head before standing up slowly and walking to the king as he stood. He bowed down and held the basin up to him. The King placed his hands in the water, rubbed them gentally, then brought the water to his face. A few droplets of water fell from the bowl and onto Silva's unprotected hands. Gritting her teeth, the silver haired girl kept from drawing her hands away from the bowl and making a sound much like a hiss.
When the next maiden stepped up, Silva fell back in line and put the bowl gentally down on the tiled floor. She carfully hide her raw hands in the folds of the blue sleeve of the gown.
When the fourth maiden retreated back in line, Celi walked forward once more, carrying and incent. She placed a finger inbetween the king's eyes and cited a prayer before kissing him on the forehead.
"May Tai, God of the Land, go with you." The king bowed his head then walked back down the stairs to meet the embrace of his son. The maidens started to sing the song of the sun before slowly proceeding off the stairs and back down to the temple below.

"How are your hands?" asked Myok as he threw bread to the gulls. They gobbled up the pieces before making a noise much like a kitten and fly off. The gulls were a fair blue and the size of a large pillow. There beaks were a bright red color, but they never ate anything with blood in it.
Silva held up her arm and one of the gulls landed on it. To get bread out of her, he rubbed his head against the side of her face and made it's little sound again. As the bread crumb flew through the air, the gull took off. Currently, there were down by the ocean, which stretched beyound the horizen. The sun was setting in a ball of orange and yellow, causing the ocean's color turn a tint of purple. Silva turned her head and looked at Myok with a grin.
"It's been three weeks, they're fine." She said tilting her head a bit an smiling. A wave crashed up on land, splashing her brown knee length dress and boots. Her hair was back to the black color, but it was starting to wash out due to the ocean spray.
Myok reached out and snatched her hand, before her refleces could kick in. He pulled off the glove on her right hand to reveal bandages. Light, but still there. "Silva, your such a liar."
"Nuh." Silva took her hand back and shoved it in her pocket. "It's just not important enough to worry about."
A heavy silence hovered over the two.
"How's the training doing?"
"With my father?" Silva nodded. Myok sighed before running his hand through his hair. "I don't know, I havn't gotten a message from him in a week." Silva nodded again and put her hands behind her back.
"Hey, Silva? Do you believe that following the God of the Land is a good thing?"
Another silence. "No. I don't." the girl said slowly. "Somehow, I feel that he betrayed alot of people, and following him will lead to disaster. Why do you ask?"
"Because, my mother asked me too." Myok didn't catch Silva's questioned glance. "Mother believes something very bad is going to happen in the future, actaully, she's seen it." The Queen was a Seer. It didn't surprise SIlva one bit that she'd see something like that.
"What did she say?"
"She said she saw a dark shadow lurking behind the God of Land, and that shadow and the God are looking for someone. Someone who can destroy this world, and cross into others to destroy them too. Mother also said, that that person would be able to gather all the old Angels..."
"That's stupid." Myok looked up shocked. "All the Angels were sealed away a hundred years ago, and even though someone could destroy this world, there is no one who can cross into other worlds. From what I've learned, this is the only world. Other's only exist in fairy tales." Silva said, without any emotions. Myok scanned her face.
"You really don't remember, do you?" The girl turned her head to look at her friend.
"I forgot something?"
"You don't remember what happened two years ago, do you?"
"What happened two years ago?" Silva asked, turning fully. Before the Pronce could say anything, a clangor rang out over the town. Myok looked over towards were the sound was coming from. Silva looked over as well. The sound ment that a messenger had come with urgent news. There discussion would have to wait.

Myok stood calmy in the audience chamber, now changed out of teh white tunic and tan pants. He know wore a robe with the royal colors and the family crest. His mother sat on her throne, next to the empty one of the kings. Silva and Myok had split paths earlyier, so he hoped she had made it home safe.
Before him, kneeled a messenger and a figure clocked in black, most likely a high class mage.
"You have come to deliver a message?" Myok asked.
"Yes, my prince." The messenger stood and unrolled a long scroll. Clearing his throut, the messenger begun to read. "Nearly one moon again, His Majesty arrived at the Camp in Lumarna. Upon entering, there was a surprise attack. The camp fought for two days before it fell. Only three survivors were found..." There was a gasp from the queens throne, and Myok prepared for the worst. "Your father, my prince, was not one of them." Myok nodded to signal to go on. "The attack came from a tribe demons, orgin unknown. One of the surviors said that with them was a lady dressed in all black, with flowing black hair and eyes the color of topaz. However, all the demons after the attack were destroyed, an the women was not found. Supisons believe that she was either one of the God of the Land's helpers or a rebel demon tribe member. However, the resistence and the outcasted demons would never harm each other. So, most likely, she was one of the God's commanders."
"But, my father was not part of the resistence."
"We are aware of that." The messenger's told the rest. Myok's mother was part of a resistence. The attack was a warning towards her. The messenger was also part of the same group. "We have reason to believe that the demon plans to attack this city aswell. His Majesty, My King Myok, and his mother must be moved to a safer place." This meaning, moved to the hidden camp.
"When do we leave?"
"Tonight. Under orders of Queen Kora of the Water Nation." Kora was the leader of the underwater tribe. A tribe that lived underwater. They were out of reach of The God Tai.