Chapter 08
Chapter 8
The blinding radiance slowly receded from the Great Shakka Hall.
Ten kingdoms stood beneath the golden arches of Luminosus, their rulers and delegates gazing upon the eight maidens who had appeared before them. The enchanted marble floor still shimmered with traces of blue light, as though the palace itself had witnessed the awakening of an ancient power.
Shaynna stood among the seven strangers, trembling.
Across the hall, Prince Finio struggled to reach her, but the royal guards had begun forming a ceremonial circle around the maidens.
“Shaynna!” he called.
She turned toward his voice, her eyes pleading for an explanation he could not yet give.
Before he could reach her, Lady Agartha stepped forward.
“Your Majesties. Honored High Gastans. High Asperos. People of Avelia.”
Her voice carried through the hall, silencing the murmurs of the assembled kingdoms.
“What you have witnessed tonight is not an accident. Nor is it a coincidence that these eight maidens have come together beneath the light of Luminosus.”
She turned toward the young women.
“They are the Sanggrelas—the daughters of an ancient blessing, entrusted with gifts that have passed from mother to daughter since the earliest days of our realm.”
A ripple of astonishment swept through the gathering.
“The Sanggrelas?” an elder of Gathorio exclaimed. “But their mothers vanished almost two decades ago!”
Agartha lowered her gaze.
“Indeed. And before they departed from the lives of their daughters, the previous Sanggrelas bestowed upon them their final blessings. These children were entrusted to guardians and adoptive families, protected until they reached the age when their inherited magic could begin to awaken.”
One of the maidens stepped forward, her voice trembling.
“Then our mothers knew what we would become?”
“They knew what you might become,” Agartha answered gently. “But a blessing is not a destiny fulfilled. Your gifts must awaken, your hearts must be tested, and your choices will determine the women you become.”
The young woman fell silent.
Another maiden pressed a hand against her chest.
“Were our mothers afraid?”
For the first time, Agartha's expression softened with unmistakable sorrow.
“They were afraid of what the future might demand of you. But they loved you enough to leave you a chance to live before the weight of your inheritance found you.”
Across the hall, King Levarro watched quietly.
Even his sons had never heard the whole story.
Agartha raised her hand.
Eight luminous sigils appeared above the ceremonial floor, each bearing the emblem of a different kingdom. Their colors illuminated the magnificent hall of Luminosus, drawing the attention of the High Gastans, the High Asperos, and the four princes standing beside their father, King Levarro.
“Let Avelia witness the daughters entrusted to the legacy of the Sanggrela mothers,” Agartha announced. “Each maiden carries the blood, blessings, and ancestral gifts of the woman who came before her. Today, their names shall be remembered.”
She turned toward the first glowing sigil.
“Your daughter from Sanggrela Misha—Princess Jewell of Agordom, Kingdom of Fire!”
A crimson flash erupted across the ceremonial floor.
Princess Jewell appeared within a circle of dancing embers, her regal garments shimmering with fiery red and gold. Flames curled around her arms before disappearing into her palms.
Agartha smiled.
“Through her mother, Misha, she inherits the untamed flame. With discipline, she may command fire, withstand its fury, and transform its destructive force into a shield against those who threaten her kingdom.”
Jewell bowed respectfully to the King before taking her place among the maidens.
Agartha raised her hand again.
“Your daughter from Sanggrela Laria—Princess Saphayr of Latiper, Kingdom of Lightning!”
A brilliant bolt of golden lightning struck the sigil.
Princess Saphayr materialized beneath a shower of electric sparks. Dark blue and golden light pulsed around her fingers as the air crackled with celestial energy.
“Blessed through her mother, Laria, she carries the speed of the storm and the fury of the heavens. She may summon lightning, move faster than the eye can follow, and forge barriers charged with extraordinary power.”
Saphayr lifted her chin as the lightning disappeared.
The High Gastans exchanged impressed glances.
Agartha proceeded to the next maiden.
“Your daughter from Sanggrela Kaia—Princess Mariella of Etara, Kingdom of Music!”
A melodious chime echoed through the hall.
Princess Mariella appeared amid ribbons of shimmering light, each ribbon moving in harmony with an invisible melody. When she extended her hand, the musical notes seemed to take physical form, circling her like enchanted silk.
“Through Kaia's ancestral blessing, Mariella may weave protective harmonies, soothe troubled hearts, and unleash vibrations capable of shattering even the strongest defenses. Her greatest weapon may be a melody that can change the hearts of those who hear it.”
Mariella smiled faintly as the last note faded.
“Your daughter from Sanggrela Nahara—Princess Nayomi of Ajonoth, Kingdom of Healing!”
Emerald light blossomed across the floor.
Princess Nayomi appeared with a soft glow illuminating her palms. Tiny motes of green light drifted around her, resembling fireflies in a sacred forest.
“Her mother, Nahara, entrusted her with the blessing of restoration. Nayomi may mend wounds, sense the strength of living souls, and preserve life when death draws near. Yet she must learn that healing requires more than magic. It demands compassion, wisdom, and courage.”
Nayomi looked at her glowing hands in quiet amazement.
Then Agartha turned toward the fifth sigil.
“Your daughter from Sanggrela Jaffa—Princess Ashleigh of Levithali, Kingdom of Wind!”
A powerful gust swept through the ceremonial hall.
Princess Ashleigh appeared in a spiral of white feathers and golden particles. Her garments fluttered as she rose several inches above the floor, suspended by an invisible current.
“Through Jaffa, she inherits the boundless sky. She may command the winds, soar above the earth, and awaken the invisible force that can restrain her enemies without touching them.”
The breeze intensified briefly before Ashleigh returned gently to the marble floor.
“May the wind carry her wisdom as far as it carries her power,” Agartha declared.
She approached the sixth sigil.
“Your daughter from Sanggrela Fevea—Princess Faress of Fordala, Kingdom of Books!”
An enormous ancient book appeared in a burst of golden light.
Princess Faress emerged beside it as its pages fluttered wildly. Thousands of luminous letters rose from its parchment, revolving around her before forming intricate symbols in the air.
“Her mother, Fevea, passed down the gift of forgotten knowledge. Faress may awaken enchanted writings, decipher ancient languages, and uncover secrets preserved in the written memories of Avelia. Some truths have remained hidden for centuries. Through her, they may finally be revealed.”
Faress watched the symbols with fascination before the letters returned to the open book.
Agartha's expression grew solemn as she faced the seventh sigil.
“Your daughter from Sanggrela Pertana—Princess Daphodil of Rateros, Kingdom of Earth!”
The ceremonial floor trembled.
Stone fragments rose from the marble, assembling into a magnificent ring around Princess Daphodil as she appeared. A deep rumble echoed beneath the hall, as though the ancient foundations themselves had awakened to welcome her.
“Through Pertana's blessing, Daphodil inherits the strength of the earth. Stone may answer her call, the ground may warn her of approaching danger, and the ancient foundations may rise to defend those beneath her protection.”
The stones settled gently around her feet.
“Like the earth, she must learn that true strength is not measured by how fiercely one strikes, but by how steadfastly one stands.”
Seven maidens now stood before the assembled court.
Only one sigil remained.
Its light was different from the others.
Blue.
Shaynna stared at it, her heart beating faster. She recognized that color—the same mysterious radiance that had swallowed her at the Falls of Hydranas.
Agartha slowly approached the final sigil.
“And finally,” she proclaimed, “your daughter from Sanggrela—”
Before she could finish, King Levarro abruptly straightened in his throne.
“Sanggrela Hetanani?”
His voice carried across the hall.
Agartha turned toward the King.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The daughter from Sanggrela Hetanani.”
For a moment, Levarro said nothing.
The stern expression he had worn throughout the ceremony softened. His gaze drifted toward the maiden standing beneath the blue sigil, and an unmistakable trace of sorrow crossed his face.
“Hetanani,” he murmured.
He leaned back, lost in a memory that seemed to belong to another lifetime.
“I will never forget Hetanani.”
The princes exchanged glances. They had rarely heard their father speak of the Sanggrela mothers with such tenderness.
“Her long, wavy hair,” Levarro continued quietly, “and that kind voice of hers. She reminded me so much of Cassiopeia…”
His voice faltered.
“My Hedda. My beloved queen.”
Silence settled over the hall.
“She died giving birth to my youngest son,” the King added, his eyes briefly turning toward the youngest prince. “There are memories a king may carry for a lifetime, no matter how many years pass.”
Agartha lowered her head respectfully.
“Hetanani possessed a rare kindness, Your Majesty. She gave that same tenderness to the child entrusted to her.”
Levarro looked toward the blue-lit maiden again.
“And what is her name?”
Agartha turned toward Shaynna, who stood frozen beneath the luminous sigil.
“My lady,” Agartha addressed her gently, “forgive me. I seem to have forgotten to ask your name. What is your name again?”
Shaynna swallowed nervously.
The eyes of the King, the princes, the High Gastans, and the seven other maidens settled upon her.
“I am Shay—Shaynna of the Water Kingdom of Hydranas, my lady,” she answered.
A soft blue radiance spread beneath her feet.
Agartha nodded.
“Princess Shaynna of Hydranas, daughter of Sanggrela Hetanani, bearer of the ancestral blessing of Water.”
The final sigil burst into brilliant blue light.
Enchanted droplets rose around Shaynna, suspended in the air like countless tiny stars. Within each droplet, faint images flickered—waterfalls, ancient rivers, and forgotten places that Shaynna had never seen.
She stared at her hands.
“So… my mother is Hetanani?”
The question escaped her before she could stop herself.
Agartha's expression softened.
“Hetanani raised you, Shaynna. She protected you and prepared you, whether you understood it or not. Her blessing has remained within you all this time.”
Shaynna's eyes filled with tears.
The woman she had known as her mother had never told her the truth about this extraordinary legacy. Now, in a foreign kingdom, surrounded by strangers and royalty, she was discovering that her entire life had been connected to something far greater than she had imagined.
King Levarro rose from his throne.
“Come closer, child.”
Shaynna hesitated before taking a few steps forward.
The King studied her face, searching for something familiar.
“Hetanani's kindness may live within you,” he said. “And perhaps, through you, a part of those we have lost will never truly disappear.”
He paused, his gaze lingering on the blue light around her.
“But tell me, Shaynna. Does Hetanani know that you have been brought here?”
Shaynna shook her head.
“I don't know, Your Majesty. Everything happened so quickly. One moment I was at the Falls of Hydranas, and the next…”
Her voice trembled.
“I was here.”
Agartha exchanged a grave glance with the King.
“Then the summoning has begun exactly as the ancient signs foretold.”
A murmur swept across the hall.
Levarro turned toward Agartha.
“What are you suggesting?”
Agartha looked at the eight maidens standing beneath their radiant sigils.
“Your Majesty, these are not ordinary daughters of the kingdoms. They are the successors to the ancestral blessings of the Sanggrela mothers. Their gifts have begun to awaken, and their arrival in Luminosus cannot be a coincidence.”
She raised her hand.
All eight sigils blazed together—crimson, gold, violet, emerald, white, fuchsia, earthy amber, and deep blue.
“Eight kingdoms. Eight maidens. Eight ancestral legacies.”
Her voice lowered.
“And a destiny that may determine the future of Avelia.”
Far beyond the magnificent walls of Luminosus, something ancient stirred.
Deep within the darkness surrounding the Blood Gemstone of Gathorio, a thin, almost imperceptible crack glimmered for a fleeting moment.
Then everything went dark.
The Blood Gemstone pulsed once in its iron cradle, the crack sealing over like a healed wound. Cold air coiled around the cavern walls. Somewhere above, stone grated against stone as hidden mechanisms answered an unseen call. A low hum vibrated through the earth, traveling upward until the marble floors of Luminosus trembled beneath the eight maidens' feet.
King Levarro steadied himself against the arm of his throne. Agartha's hand remained raised, her fingers trembling. The sigils dimmed but did not fade. Shaynna felt the water in her veins answering the stone's distant heartbeat. Across the circle, Jewell's eyes reflected crimson flame that was not there a moment ago.
No one spoke. The hall held its breath.
[CHAPTER_BREAK]