MagiStream

Magi Autumn, art by Libera
So lately some ideas for a Keep Story have been running through my head, so I've decided to put them all here! Some ideas have already been thought out, such as the human characters I created as follows:

Spoiler

Autumn;;
•The story's main character, a wind magi. Owns Fridan Keep.
•Appearance=first picture on this post!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rayna and Aneirin;;
•Autumn's parents, wind magi.
•Haven't fully developed their designs, but in a nutshell: Rayna is about 5'6" with brown eyes and auburn hair that reaches her mid-back. Aneirin has dark brown shaggy but short hair and deep blue eyes with a height of 5'9". Both wear apparel of the wind magi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frida;;
•Original founder of Fridan Keep from long ago.
Her exact appearance is unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyto;;
•Not a traditional magi with elemental control, but is classified as a Master Archer. Under a year younger than Autumn herself.
•Appearance:

...Ignore the Pokeball. Credit goes to hapuriainen at deviantart.com.

For now, the created chapters will have their own posts, but when this thread has more than one page I'll post all the chapters for a master reference here =)

Feel free to critique! ^__^

It was beautiful and warm that summer afternoon with cirrus clouds placed loosely in the sky. Amidst the rolling plains underneath was a pegasi-drawn carriage making its way down a gravel path.

“When are we gonna be there?” a young girl asked her parents who sat in the seats in front of her, directing the Confera Pegasi. In the meantime she held her small water-filled bowl containing two hatchling Araxies tightly to her chest.

“We’ll be there very soon, Autumn. Are you two excited?” asked the mother.

“I sure am, Rayna,” replied the father with a smile, “It’s the last day of our move—we should be settled in by tonight.”

“Yay!” shouted Autumn, suddenly energetic. She suddenly got up and huddled closer to the edge of the carriage, looking about while keeping the Araxies safe in her grasp. She placed a hand into the bowl and soon giggled at the sudden feeling of the two small hatchlings playing amongst her fingers. “The Araxies are so cute, Mommy!”

Rayna chuckled and said, “I’m glad you like them.” She grinned to the father, Aneirin, and lay her head on his shoulder as the family rode on towards their new home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Alright, woah Holly, woah Skye!” commanded Aneirin to the two pegasi, the two stopping at the family’s new Keep.

“We’re here, we’re here!!” Autumn said happily as her mother gently picked her up and carried the small child in her arms, Autumn still carrying her Araxies’ bowl.

“Take a look around, Autumn…this is our new home.” Rayna said as Aneirin removed the carriage from the Confera Pegasi and let them roam. Directly in front of the family was an incredibly tall and old-looking tower that was the main headquarters of Fridan Keep. For a few meters in each direction from the tower lay a sunlight-bathed clearing in the thick jungle that was Raza. Outside the clearing lay miles and miles of dark and trees.

“Wow!” Autumn shouted with a broad smile, looking about everywhere in amazement. Around them was near total silence save for the sounds of trees rustling in the breeze or the occasional chirps and tweets of nesting birds. High in the sky would at times be some of the Keep’s many Hippogryphs, enjoying their daily flights.

“Well,” said Rayna looking gently down at Autumn, “If you think this is great, just wait until we show you what else this Keep has! Close your eyes, no peeking!”

“Okay!” the young girl replied, covering both eyes with one arm and holding the Araxies with the other.

“Here, let me take this,” said Aneirin, taking the Araxie bowl from her. “I’ll carry them to where we’re going so we can place them there for tonight. They’ve had quite a lot of stress put on them from the moving.” Autumn nodded, then covering her eyes with both free hands.

“Good idea,” replied Rayna, “Now let’s be on our way.”

The family then trekked South through the dim jungle for a little less than a mile until they reached a new clearing—one that opened up to a large ocean cove. Said cove was surrounded on three sides by a thick beach with the jungle shortly beginning behind the sand. By that time, the sky was turning a soft hue of purple as the setting, reddening sun reflected nearly perfectly on the calm sea.

Aneirin and Rayna smiled to each other, then to Autumn.

“Open your eyes, sweetheart,” said Rayna. The child did as instructed and her mouth immediately gaped wide open.

Aneirin chuckled at the response and nuzzled her head. “You love it, don’t you? We had both promised that you would be with the ocean again one day…and now, here we are.”

“Oh, yes, yes, yes!!” shouted Autumn, clinging to both parents. “Can I look around?”

“Yes honey, but don’t go too far,” replied Rayna with a smile as she put Autumn onto the warm, white sand.

“I won’t!” she replied as she started right off to the shore. She took her sandals off, placed them in the sand and took her first steps in the water, her parents watching her affectionately.

"Yay, the sea!!" the child said as she splashed and skipped about happily in the shallow water. Aneirin soon came down and poured the Araxie's bowl water to the sea. The small hatchlings moved about slowly at first, then went to play with each other in deeper water.

"Here's where these guys will live from now on," he said with a smile, "They should stay right here where the water doesn't get too deep. We'll take you back here anytime you'd like."

"Oh thank you Daddy!" said the girl, "Thank you Mommy!" she then hugged Aneirin's leg tightly, Rayna smiling at the two from afar.

Suddenly in the distance was the faint sound of breaching. Autumn looked off in the distance and squinted to see the silhouettes of large fins surfacing from the water. Rayna and Aneirin soon noticed, and Rayna rushed to their side.

“What lucky timing!” said Rayna, “Nereus’s pod has come to visit us for the season!”

“Who are they?” Autumn said, looking up to them when one of the creatures suddenly surfaced a few meters away and came up to shore among the family. Autumn jumped, startled.

“Woah!” she said, but then grinned a very wide grin when she recognized it—it was an orca, a creature that she had been endlessly dreaming to see in person her whole life.

“This is Nereus the Akhlut in his orca form,” Aneirin said, smiling. The family gathered around the huge cetacean as Nereus let the parents stroke its incredibly smooth body. As they did so he opened his mouth in a big smile whilst lifting his tail from the water playfully.

“This is the most amazing day ever!” Autumn shouted, “I love you both!!” Autumn came close to the creature, and slowly pet its wet forehead back and forth. She closed her eyes and hugged the creature tight as the sun shone its last rays of daylight on the creature’s body and the surrounding sea. Rayna and Aneirin grinned. "We love you too," they said in unison as they too came to embrace both the orca and their child in bliss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later when Nereus had returned to his pod in the open sea, Autumn, Rayna and Aneirin had gathered inside the castle to the bedroom on the very top floor.

“So this is the place where we will all sleep,” said Aneirin, pointing to a large king-sized bed.

“It’s also where you’ll stay if we’re ever out running errands, Autumn,” said Rayna. “Understood?”

“Sure thing!” Autumn replied, “Because our friend Vardin will take care of me, right?”

“Yes, I certainly will,” replied a smooth feminine voice of the Keep’s Naga Ally that had just come up the stairs. “I’ll make sure she is safe when you two are gone, you’ve my word.” She politely bowed her head for Rayna and Aneirin.

“Excellent,” said Aneirin, “We once again thank you for all the service you volunteer to do.”
“No, no, the pleasure’s all mine,” Farvardin replied with a smile. “Now, it’s getting quite late, so you two had better set off.”

“Where are Mommy and Daddy going?” Autumn asked, looking up at the Naga.

“We’re going to get you an extremely special surprise,” Rayna said with a smile. “We’ll be back by midday tomorrow to give it to you. In the meantime, please feel at home—because we’re finally here.”

“That’ll be easy! I love this place already!” Autumn said with glee as she made herself comfortable in the large bed. “See you guys tomorrow, good night!”

“Good night, sweetheart,” the parents said in unison as they started their way down the stairs.
While Autumn lay in her bed, she was surprised to feel something suddenly land in her lap from a nearby bookcase.

“Cleo!! It’s been a long time!” Autumn replied, stroking the Temple Kitten. The feline gave a loud “mew” as if very happy to finally see the girl again. The young kitten then walked from her lap to her chest and settled there happily, kneading on her and purring quite loudly. “Oh I’ve missed you!” Autumn said, warming Cleo and herself by wrapping a blanket around themselves.

Farvardin smiled at the sight. “Now how about a nice nighttime story, Autumn?” she said, brushing a hand through the child’s long brunette hair.

“Yes, I’d love one!” she said happily as she cuddled with Cleo and happily listened to Farvardin’s relaxing voice before falling soundly asleep for the night, the Naga soon following.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Aneirin and Rayna continued their way through the jungle, the father said, “How on this wonderful Earth did we become so blessed to have a daughter like her?”

Rayna smiled. “Who knows? And to think, for a young age of nine years old, she already has a strong love for creatures, and few seem to scare her—After all, just remember the beach at sunset; Nereus--a huge five ton orca--just popped out of nowhere and all Autumn did was flinch!”

“Definitely,” said Aneirin, “Her fearlessness will without doubt take her a long way in this world. It’s already easy to tell that she will become fit for inheriting Fridan Keep.”

“Yes.” Rayna said, smiling. She held Aneirin’s arm with both of hers as they continued through the forest.

Soon they came upon another clearing in the jungle. But something seemed peculiar somehow…

“…Rayna. I remember coming directly this way en route to our Keep, but I do not remember there being a clearing here at all.”

“Neither do I. I wonder why this is here out of—”

Suddenly, pitch-blackness overcame the area. And with it soon followed blood-curdling screams from the pair, and ever-so-vaguely came the sound of evil laughter. Then almost as soon as this mysterious event began, it had ended…visibility returned to the clearing, albeit only via the moonlight and starlight like before, but Aneirin and Rayna…were gone.

*Skye=Wreath Confera; Holly=Sleighbell Confera
*One Araxie is a Kelp, the other a Coral

It’s been over a decade since the mysterious incident, and it still haunts Autumn in her dreams now and again. She thinks about them nearly every day even though it’s been so long. Since then, she has been able to fulfill many goals in her life, most of them because of the aid of Master Belmos who discovered Autumn a couple days after the incident.

The allies of Fridan Keep decided to let her go with him back to The Keep in order to become stronger; meanwhile, they would take care of the creatures that were left at home. While she was away, she progressed through the ranks of the magi with excellence. She had made friends and enemies along the way, and when she finally returned to Fridan Keep, she brought back many new creatures that she created bonds with.

Though all was mostly well, two goals were yet to be decided. Belmos had allowed her to go through all of the magi teachings without having yet chosen an element, so she was able to gain fair amounts of skill in a variety of them. And of course, her parents were still missing. But Autumn has decided that now would be the optimum time to truly discover herself, and in doing so she would hope to decide the element that suits her most. At the same time, she would deeply hope to solve the mystery of what happened to Rayna and Aneirin. However, she would not accomplish the most important goals in her life at that time alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Summer~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Autumn sat at the top of her Keep’s main tower, looking about the jungle during a humid evening. She sighed, stroking the white down of her beloved zebra-mynah hippogryph.

“Today was the tenth of June,” she said, “It’s been exactly ten years since my parents went missing.”

Everna chirped solemnly, nuzzling her forehead against Autumn’s forearm. She chuckled.
“It’s alright, Everna,” she said, “We’ll find them sometime. I know it. What’s even more special is that my nineteenth birthday is in a week, and at that time it’ll be ten years since I first met you. You, indeed, were an extremely special surprise...you're one of a kind.” Autumn smiled and laughed as the hippogryph cheerfully chirped before nearly glomping the magi, recognizing the compliment.

She rested her body against the large creature as she gazed at the sky above them. Stroking Everna’s black-tipped wings gently, Autumn said, “I love you too.”

..........

“Oh, dear,” came a feminine voice inside a dim, gray chamber. “Though I’m sure she has become a great magi, I’m extremely worried about our daughter. It’s just been so long since we’ve last seen her. And who knows what she thinks has happened to us?”

“Yes, it’s true,” said a masculine voice. “I’m worried as well, but thinking about the situation too much is not good. We must keep faith, dear wife, and one day I’m sure we’ll be reunited. However, for now, we must hush as the guards may notice our voices.”

“Right.” Said the woman as the two quieted down and huddled close to each other. Meanwhile…

“Oh geez, what to do, what to do…” said the voice of a young male who was listening to the conversation in an adjacent room, pacing back and forth. “I want to help them so badly. My parents…” he shook his head. “I just…I have to do something! Except I’m…sort of a prisoner, too.” he laughed nervously then continued, “If I could just get their names…”

“…Why are you talking to yourself, Ky?” said a fellow prisoner from across the room.

“For the last time, don’t call me Ky!” The male replied exasperatedly. He sighed. “I’m trying to help those people next door, but I’m in a pickle as to how I will…”

“Aneirin and Ranya?” said another prisoner, “And their lost kid? Don’t even bother!”

“Yeah,” said the first prisoner, “Their kid’s been separated from them for ten YEARS. You hear that? A decade! What hope could there possibly be?”

“Don’t doubt me...!” Kyto remarked, “When I say that something’s possible, then it is! Now, first things first. …what do I need first? Well I should start with their names, I guess…” The other two prisoners rolled their eyes.

“You three, shut your yap!” Yelled a voice from outside the chamber. The three jumped slightly, startled.

“Sorry…” Kyto said quietly and sarcasticly. “Hm…sometimes I regret not becoming a magi. Being unable to establish permanent close bonds with creatures…one of those would sure come in handy right now.” He sighed.

Then out of simple curiosity he attempted to open the doorknob to the next room. It was unlocked!

“Aha!” he said proudly, “Talk about a lucky break!” He then slowly and cautiously went inside. The older couple looked up at the man.

“Who are you?” the woman asked.

“Kyto,” he replied, “Master Archer, at your service!” he bowed to the two. “Anyway, I had just a couple questions. I, uh, kind of overheard you talk about your lost kid. I know I was eavesdropping but I can’t help but feel this need to help! What are your names?”

Aneirin sighed. “Unfortunately, we know of no ways that any help is possible for our dear daughter at this exact moment. But my name is Aneirin, and this is my wife, Rayna.”

“Well, hold on there,” Kyto said, “Maybe there is.” He winked. “Anyhow…Aneirin and Rayna, got it. What's the name of your kid?”

“Autumn is her name,” said Rayna, “She is a multi-element magi, living in Fridan Keep, or so we hope…”

“Autumn, huh?” Kyto said. Pretty, he thought. And Fridan Keep...Now why does that sound so familiar? “Hmm, how old is she?”

“Oh, don’t you dare get any ideas, boy,” said Aneirin with a sarcastic smirk. “That is, should you find her, which may be unlikely.” His smirked faltered to a somber frown. “Anyway, she’s nineteen.”

Kyto gave a worried frown at his saddened look. "So, how did all this begin exactly? I mean...if you don't mind me asking."

Aneirin looked up to him and smiled. "You seem pretty caring for an adolescent boy we've known less than an hour." He then told Kyto the main premises of what happened.

Kyto looked quite saddened. "Wow, sounds like you three had tons of fun. I just...can't believe some heartless cretins would take you both away from the kid right out of the blue."

"Indeed," Aneirin said, a tear forming in his eye.

"Aw, geez, I'm so sorry!!" Kyto said as soon as he noticed it, "I hope I didn't do or say anything strange...! By strange I mean...bad..."

"No," Rayna said, a tear forming in her eye as well. "We always get like this when we think about our sweet daughter too deeply for too long. We'll...be okay."

His expression of worry slowly turned into one of reassurance.

"...Well, alright. Hm..." Kyto thought to himself silently for a moment then said, "Great! I think I know all that I need to know now. Thank you both very much! I’ll just be on my way to go find her and then come back to finally free you two so you all can live happily ever after!”

“Hold on there, child,” said Rayna, “You really, truly expect to find her at all? Not only that but you’re going to do this all by yourself?”

“Yes and yes! Don’t you worry about a thing, ma’am and sir,” he grinned.

"But Kyto," said Aneirin, "You may be hopelessly unaware of just how long this may take! Only the gods know how long...it could take anywhere from a day to years more!"

“I know," Kyto said, smiling.

"Well then, son, if you're truly that up to it..." said Aneirin, "I have but one last thing to ask. What on this beautiful Earth compels you to go so far, for so long, for complete strangers?"

Kyto stood silent for a moment.

"Well we're not really strangers anymore, are we?" He said, "But that question...its answer will have to wait for later. Anyhow, leave everything to me! I'll now be on my way.” He grinned at the two before turning around to peek out the emergency exit door and reach for the doorknob.

“Wait, Kyto!” said Rayna, “That’s the emergency exit—if its alarm sounds, you’ll surely be caught before you manage to get very far outside!”

“Oh, they’ll never catch me,” Kyto said, “I’ve been running from ‘em for years…sure I’m one of their most wanted people for capture now, but hey! Anyway, I’ll be back as soon as possible!” He opened the door and scrambled out as soon as the emergency alarm began to blare.

“That ego of his will likely get him caught up in quite some trouble along the way,” said Rayna with an apologetic grin.

“That is indeed likely,” said Aneirin. “But now we have true reason to hope for the better.” The two smiled and huddled close to each other again, once again being forced to wait out parts of their lives out in their confinement...