Almost.

As soon as Arin and the guards “protecting” her are out of sight, Prince Yazner jumps down from a palace balcony above. Great. This is just what I need. The prince, about a year older than me, grabs at any chance he can to make my life miserable. I remember Arin’s words about respecting royalty and cringe.

“Boy,” He calls out.

”Yes, your Highness?” My voice is calm, not a single sillable betraying my emotions. I am no boy. 

”Go and fetch a tasberry drink for me.” He speaks with an air of lofty importance, matching the air that his nose is turned up, as if to say, I am of a thousand times more worth than you. That is why Prince Yazer hates me. He knows my job is considered to possibly be more important than his heritage. I return with the cup in hand and he takes it, the jewels on his fingers sparkling under the sun. As he sips it delicately, he causually comments, “I hear you’ve reachered the higher level of training.” I nod, not trusting myself to say anything. “Speak,” He thunders, scowling.

”Yes, Highness.” The words come out in a hiss, and I quickly clamp my mouth shut. The prince glares at me, politeness gone.

“Rude commoner,” He sneers.

Spoiled brat, I think bitterly. 

“I command you to show me your most advanced move.” I think quickly, and before he can say anything more, I mask myself. “Where are you?” He calls out. “Have you just masked yourself?” I begin to run before he can command me to show myself again. As I near the western chambers of the place, my masking wears off. I sprint into my quarters and slam the door behind myself before anyone takes note that I am there. Exhausted(magic takes it’s toll), I sink into my bed and fall asleep.

Hello everyone. If you are not aware of who I am, the name’s Jaden Selesky. My character sheet is posted on the Who’s Here? Thread. There are a few things I’d like to explain. 

Masking:

Masking can only be done by those who are both magically minded and magically gifted. It is the process of making something invisible to ordinary eyes. If you are extreamly powerful, you might be able to see through the masking. But masking also comes with a barrier. This barrier is impenetrable. The only way to get through is if you have made the barrier yourself. Unlike small parlor tricks and the magics of plants and animals, masking is extreamly tiring. It requires strength both physical and physiological. Unfortunately, not many are granted with masking abilities. 

Audorus:

Audorus is a kingdom of peace and prosperity. Why, you may ask, has it remained unscathed while the rest of Kyngdom suffers at war? The answer is as simple and complicated as this: masking. Maskers are trained to enforce the barrier around the kingdom of Audorus. They have been doing this for at least a century. The entire region remains unseen by outsiders, except those with powers that's limits are unimaginable. The king has reserved a special elite team of guards to “protect” the maskers ages 16 and above constantly. This is because, deep in the hearts of everyone in Audorus, there is a fear that the maskers will revolt and Audorus will be protected no more. 

Apprenticeship:

Every boy and girl in Audorus are apprenticed at age 13. There are many jobs to be done and the kingdom constantly needs new workers for it’s fast moving improvements. If you are apprenticed as a masker, like me, then you will be moved to the palace to begin your training. You are required to forget your past life and focus on the safety of the people.

My idea:

If you haven’t seen it already, my idea is that once Jaden escapes Audorus, he runs into Catastrophe. Because of Catastrophe’s great power, Jaden respects and joins him. He’ll probably gradually realize what’s going on though, and possibly switch sides.

I am very excited to be joining Kyngdom. Hope I get to know you other writers very well. Also, if there are any objections to any of this, please let me know. 

top please

I am not at the full capacity of levitation yet but... I’ll try.

Levitate thread, levitate!

xD Sorry, I’m pretty bored right now.

Come one thread... levitate...

There’s only thing besides ultimately powerful beings that can get through the barrier. Weather. Without rain, the crops in Audorus would not prosper. So, the protecters of the city allow rain, sleet, snow, and hail to come through the skies of our kingdom. Unfortunately, nature’s forces don’t stop Master Irvo from insisting on training in the courtyard. We’re literally drenched. And by we, I mean me. He is standing under a gazebo, watching me suffer. “Now, Selesky,” the old Masker commands. I mask myself, preparing for the scorn. “Hmph,” he comments. “I can see your outline in the rain.” I squeeze my eyes shut and imagine myself not there. Gone from existence. Erased. “Better, But there is much room for improvement.” I wearily unmask. We’ve been at his for hours! “Boy! Did I tell you to unmask?”

“No, Master,” I say dutifully, donning invisibility once again.

”I didn’t tell you to mask yourself again,” he shrieks. I know what you’re thinking. This is torture. How can I stand it? Relax. I’m used to it. For almost a month, I have been hear the following:

”Up, Selesky, up! A chicken could fly higher, boy!”

“You call that masking? The blind can sense your every step!”

“You must have a brain the size of a flea!”

”Pull, Selesky!”

”Selesky, run!”

”How did you even pass the apprenticeship exam?!” 

Everyday is the same routine. Wake. Eat. Train. Find Arin. Train. Eat. Train. Try to evade the prince. Train. Eat. Train. Sleep. Honestly, the only thing that brings me comfort is Arin. Under her tutelage, I learn technique, wrestling, and kryften, a magic that most have never heard of. Way cooler than training with Master Irvo. Now and then, she won’t have the strength. “Magic takes it’s toll,” she tells me, sinking onto her bed, exhausted after border duty. On those days, I leave disappointed. Today is one of those days. I head over to the royal library, doubtful I’ll find much to do there. The single librarian starts as I open the door, which squeaks and squeals. Then she dives back into the book on her desk, paying me no mind. I wander the curving isles, the dust on the shelves making them look like they haven’t been touched in ages. I’m near the very back of the library when I see a book that almost shimmers despite it’s gloomy surroundings. Kryften- for those who are of magical mind and heart. Kryften? That’s the magic Arin is teaching me! Maybe I can bring this book to her! The problem is, it’s too high to reach. I strain to levitate, this spell being the one I have the most trouble with. Finally, my fingers grasp the spine. I pull as hard as I can, but the book refuses to be removed! Frustrated, I allow myself to drop to the ground. Except, there is no ground! I’m falling!

falling

falling... 

Hope you like my last installment! Feel free to comment and offer advice, criticism, and anything else. Btw, I’m gonna ask a friend of mine(do you guys know unsuspectingstrytllr[that is her pen name, right?]?) for some sketches of me and the rest of Audorus, so don’t feel suspenses when she pops up out of nowhere to aid my storytelling with the art of... well, art. Thank you for reading.

Unsuspecting’s good. She’s going crazy about Nanowrimo this year. When I mentioned Kyngdom she looked up from typing and said, “Oh, tell everyone I says hi!” A bit later I saw a rough draft of some of the sketches I requested, so hopefully she’ll be on here soon. 

For the first five seconds, I’m too shocked to do anything. Then, my body makes contact with the surface of a smooth stone chute and I—er, let’s skip ahead a few minutes, shall we?

When I finally touch down on a non-slanted surface, I quickly pull myself onto my feet. I’m in a small room, lined with stone brick. There is a small bed off to one side, a intricately carved wooden desk against the wall, a few shelves holding various objects, and five unlighted wall torches. As I walk over to the desk, I see an old notebook, bursting to the maximum capacity with yellowed papers. On the cover, it says in gold lettering:

The Observations and Contemplations of Young Masker Wayne.

I’m about to flip it open, when I remember the time. I’ve spent about half an hour in the library already, who knows how long it will take me to get out of this place! Panicked, I turn toward the opening of the chute and notice something I didn’t see before. A wooden plaque carved in the same fashion as the desk bears the words:

A simple step can be to imagine.

What? Imagining isn’t going to help me get out of here! I turn my back on the saying and look at the shelves, hoping to find something useful. There is no way I’m going to have enough energy to levitate myself all the way up there. My power charm is only half glowing! Plus I have training after this! Yet as I’m pouring over the mysterious objects on the shelves(which are inset in the stone wall), I keep glancing back at the plaque. A minute passes. Then five. Ten. Twenty. I find myself standing in front of the plaque and taking a deep breath. I close my eyes and imagine stairs. Stairs that steadily climb back up to the library. I burn a vision of them in my mind, wishing for the impossible. Or maybe not quite impossible. When I open my eyes, the chute has turned into a stairway! I look in disbelief at my powercharm, which is now glowing intensely. Quickly, before the stairs can turn into a slide, I run up to the library. I push the book back in place, noting its words with reverence. Kryften. It had to have been Kryften. 

Hope you liked that last bit! *clears throat* Ahem. Unsuspectingstrytllr(now Kayla Kanvas) has decided she’s coming back!!! My partner in crime will be pairing with me in writing and doing what I cannot possibly accomplish(aka art[he heh]). With that awesome information, I’ll sign off!

Hello everyone! Jaden here!

And me, Kayla, in italics.

Thanks to K’s amazing art super powers, here are the sketches.

Btw guys, they’re not colored. I like pencils.