Auvreria

AUVRERIA

By Viktoriya Molchanova

Published by Create Space at Amazon

Copyright 2013-1014
Viktoriya Molchanova

ISBN
: 978-1494942342

www.auvreria.
com

For my parents and best friend

Ancient China, the valley of the shadows

3,000 years B.C.E.

As I looked off to the dark horizon, clouds as thick as mountains moved through the peachy sky. The sky was radiant with soft azure and yellow coalesc
ing into a masterpiece. The mountains were going into a deep sleep as the glowing light faded from the pink cherry tree next to which I was meditating. The wind gently lifted my hair as the forces of darkness acquired full strength in my body. I was resting on top of a flat rock on a cliff higher than the mountains. In this mystical world of the past I had learned to master one of the elements of the universe. I felt fine; neither altitude nor pressure nor temperature affected me as long as I had my green cloak.

I saw the spirits of shadow search
for the faintest light they could possibly consume. The valley glowed with magic. The Tojan Lake sparkled as if a million crystal moon pebbles were glowing on the maroon surface of the water. The pebbles, from the light of the moon, reflected a straight path. The stars were the only source of light in this old valley.

I had no way to go back
to where I had started. I had to get what I had come for. The Omjang temple relied on me to obtain the key to eternity and balance. As I moved my hands in circles, shadows started whirling out of my marked palms. The darkness became tangible. It spread out into the sky like a drop of paint on the surface of water.

No moon
—good,
I thought.
There is enough power for the return of the white phoenix. I will receive the gem of darkness for my medallion if I pass this challenge.
A strong wind shifted the violet clouds that flew above the landscape. A white light appeared right at the edge of the cliff.

A
majestic phoenix glided down from the sky. On its body were symbols of Auvreria encrusted with gold, silver, and precious stones. The bird of balance appeared right in front of my eyes. Its skin was pale white, the beak was sharp and thin, and the wings resembled that of an angel. It ate a lotus floating above my hand. Its eyes looked into mine. As a gift of appreciation and fulfillment, the phoenix gave away a tear, which dropped to my other hand. The bird flew away into the depths of the luminescent sky.

The tear on my hand hardened into a perfect
, circular, black stone. As I put the gem into the necklace, an intense magic arose. The six elemental gemstones in my medallion were already present. Two remained to finish the medallion. When they all came together, my next destination would be the center of the universe. I would seal the power of the ninth element from the threat of destruction of all existence. My knowledge of the eight elements of Auvreria would help me with this task.

All the colors of the rainbow poured out of my necklace. I saw a glimpse of my dragon, Aurora, before I disappeared. Specks of magic circled me until I appeared in a new world, a place told
of only in legends. I was getting closer to the final battle between evil and good. I waited in wonder for the next turning point in my future.

How the story began...

Earth, the first day of school

September 13
th
, 2013

I am Nicole, a seventeen-year-old girl
who has to go to school this morning. I looked in the mirror when I woke up this morning: blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Life was ordinary and boring: nothing beyond technology, social life, education, and fitting in at school. High school was filled with boring parties, mean teachers, and untrue friendships. Cafeteria food was disgusting this year too.

Everything
was typical.I was fine with this life, until something changed the direction of my thoughts and made me realize my destiny. On the first day of school, I looked into the light that forced everyone into the darkness.

T
oo fancy
,
too sporty. Why is it so hard just to wear something the first day of school without being laughed at?
I chose blue jeans, dark shoes, and a plain shirt. I already had a headache. School was a place where teachers and students set expectations for the average teen. They always expected us to be someone we didn’t want to be. We were told how we had to think and shape our future regardless of our dreams.

I ate a
simple breakfast while thinking about the day ahead. I couldn't think about the taste of the food or enjoy the autumn morning. I grabbed my backpack and came outside. I saw the bus drive past me. I missed the early bus again. I decided to go to Delancey’s house and walk with her to school.

As I crossed the sidewalk, a butterfly with unusual colors landed on my right hand.
Its wings resembled a series of rose petals in different shades. It touched my hand, and I saw a glow emanate from its wings. My headache went away. Its smooth rays alleviated the tension in my body.The light continued to shine after the butterfly disappeared.

I had no idea if the butterfly was real or
not. It was probably one of my daydreams. A glowing butterfly couldn’t be real. Nothing unusual like this could exist. It might have been the headache, but it all went away. I just had to ignore it for now. After walking a few blocks through the silent neighborhood, I saw Delancey calmly standing outside.

“Hi! Want to walk to school together?’

“Sure, but we might be a little late. We might meet Ryan for once if he doesn’t come to school early.” Delancey was the type of person who would be there if you needed company. She had brown hair and eyes and liked to be sweet to everybody around her.

We came to the heart of the town
: busy streets and lots of shops. Delancey got a snack at a nearby bakery. She said, “I wish I could do my physics homework right for once!”

“I wish I could have more free time to finish my projects and study for tests. Have you heard about the school’s musical?”

“They might do
Wizard of Oz
this year!”

“I’m too shy to audition. I screw up in front of an audience.”

“Me too. Hey, look, that’s Ryan.”

A guy our age walked across
the street from us. He had dark hair and light brown eyes. He carried a book that he’d re-read four times. He said, “Hey, school’s about to start in a few minutes. We can take the shortcut through the park.”

“Sounds good to me,”
Delancey answered. We walked together through the small paths filled with golden and amber leaves. The warm sun shone. The squirrels were working hard to bury their nuts for winter. The birds were preparing to migrate south.

I said, “How’s the new guitar?
Does your uncle still want you to become a biologist?”

“It
’s awesome,” Ryan answered. “My uncle complains that it’s too loud, but my dad and my sister like it. I might someday surprise my uncle and become a musician with my own band.”

“You could make him feel better if you wrote songs about natural selection and Darwin’s theory,”
Delancey joked. We all laughed.

When we entered the
school building, Delancey turned right towards the gym. Ryan and I turned left to the lockers. While I grabbed my books, a girl came up to me and shut the locker. My books fell, and she walked past me, laughing. I didn’t say anything back.

Ryan said, “You know you could have said something about this, right?”

“I don’t really care what she did to me. I am not responsible for her actions. It’s not going to turn out to be a serious problem in the future.”

“It will if the same
thing happens to Delancey in front of you. Will you be responsible then?” Ryan turned away and went to class. I said nothing.

Nothing really happened that
day except in art class. A boy passed me a note at the end of class saying I didn't belong there. All the negative emotions in my mind couldn’t stay inside. After everybody left, a salty tear dropped on the paper, turned into a tiny seed, and grew into a blue, spiraled flower. I was so surprised that I touched it. Indigo and golden rays sprang out. I decided to keep all these strange occurrences to myself and hope the next day would be a normal, boring one.

The pool, ordinary
and not so ordinary

March 17
th
, 2014

Exams, essays, projects, analysis, assessments, midterms, and more work
left me no time to think about my birthday. I knew it was going to be a good one.Birthday cake and a couple of friends over at my house always cheered me up.

Today I
did an experiment with Delancey on how long a person can stay underwater depending on the force of the dive. We were on our way to the school pool to install our measuring devices: timers and a spring scale. Delancey was excited about getting a good grade, but I didn't care. In the afternoon I visited the pool again to check our data. In the dim room I saw a flash flying like a bird above the water. It dived into the pool and disappeared.

No
, it can't be...
I thought. Six months had passed since I’d seen anything unusual. I thought I was going crazy. I verified my experiment checklist and put on my swimsuit. I wanted to make sure the water was clear and normal. I stepped to the edge of the pool. The water looked the way it always did. Maybe it had been a mirage. I dove and saw a flash of light. I felt a hard blow as I slashed into the water, followed by an unnatural sensation.

A
few moments later I opened my eyes and felt the softness of my bed.
Maybe it had been a dream, yet I was still in my swimsuit. I had to change before my mother came into the room. I heard the door open and quickly pulled the blanket over my body, leaving only my face uncovered. Mom came in.

“You look as if you
just watched a scary movie in your childhood again,” she said. “Are you all right?”

“
Yes, I just had a very long, tiring day.” She looked at me with compassion and left the room, back to her own work and problems. One month till my birthday, and already strange things were happening when I least expected them. What was the meaning of all this? The world was slowly turning into an impossible fantasy. It was night, and I fell into deep, wandering dreams.

The next day: sun up, kitchen smell
ing good, birds singing. I change my clothes and come down the stairs. Delancey is there, unexpectedly. “Eat, eat, and eat!” she said. “I’m so excited to perform the experiment today! Did you check the measurements?”

“Yes...” I answered. She made me leave my house
before I had hardly eaten anything. As we ran through the streets I thought about what had happened yesterday. When we got to the pool, Delancey urged me to change quickly into my swimsuit. I stood at the edge of the pool.

I
felt the deck below my feet, and I turned in the direction of the water. I had that strange feeling again. The water glowed light blue. I dove in at Delancey's signal. Time slowed down.

I emerged out of the water into a world no human
had ever seen. I was near a shore covered with evergreen forests. It was night here. The stars were different. The landscape was too beautiful. I heard an old woman's voice behind me, rich in ancient history. “Child of Auvreria,” she said, “turn around and thine answers will be found.”

Tree of Life, a very mysterious land

March 18
th
, 2014

My curiosity overcame my fear
, and I turned around. An aged woman stood straight like the colossal trees around her. Her eyes were looking into mine. Her robe and hair moved with the breeze. Her skin seemed like the bark of a maple tree. “Come, child,” she whispered. “Guardian of her own fate...” I stepped out of the deep, blue, luminescent water onto the cold sand and took a warm robe she held out. I wrapped myself in it and took her hand as she led me into the tangled forest of wonders. The soft ground felt cool. It thumped like a big drum when I stepped on the forest path. She led me through mountains and paths of the deep woods. We came upon a clearing in the mountains overlooking a distant, gloomy valley that was only lit by stars. The shadows were shifting across the mountains. A huge tree as big as the mountains stood in the middle of the circular valley. I got that funny feeling again when we came closer.

I thought I was in a beautiful dream. I forgot about the experiment in the pool
; all was hazy in my mind. I walked on the inscribed steps of the tree. An arch appeared, and we entered. There was a spiral staircase that led down to a golden symbol. This symbol had eight lines in a circle that led to a point. It looked like a compass, and yet there was something special and original about it. The stairs had chambers connected to them. The tree was dark, but something illuminated the place with a warm glow. I felt harmony and peace as if the whole universe were balanced on one pebble and this pebble's equilibrium hadn't been shattered in a million years. The walls were filled with intertwining roots that demonstrated every event that had transpired here. With each step I grew more confused, and I had twice as many questions.