Main Character Crusades: The Jordinean Era

A fizzle filled the clearing as the opening Jordini had formed out of the nothing in front of them vanished out of sight just as quickly as it appeared. No doubt, they were entirely bewildered by this. Evanora immediately got up and inspected the spot, thoroughly confused.

“Where’d she go?” Evanora cried, slightly saddened at having lost her newest companion.

“She went home.” Magnolia stepped to her side, a red flower growing beneath where the opening had once been. She picked it, and after smelling it, arranged it carefully in her hair.

“Well,” Azia had just now had time to reflect on all that had happened to them, and was now astonished, “that was certainly…”

She trailed off, for no one had any words to describe all they had heard and seen. Though Jordini had purposely left details out of their creation, it was still entirely shocking to all of them. To all of them except for Magnolia, they had not even believed in a creator in the first place- and she seemed so normal to them all; even the clothes she wore were the clothes of a humble vagabond like themselves! Magnolia, on the other hand, reflected on the message she had received two weeks ago, from the spirits, which had prophesied this very thing to her. 

“So…” Staerrlingg stepped up as well, Kayne following him with a slight scowl on his face. “What do we even do now?”

The five of them pondered this for a while.

“Let’s… go back to camp.” Kayne responded, touching the hilt of his sword lightly.

“Yeah…”, was the unanimous response from all four of them.

They walked through the forests, nothing seeming as exciting or shocking anymore than what they had just seen. Even the appearance of Achak could not stir Evanora’s uncharacteristically contemplative spirit, despite being terrified of wolves. They sat by the fire together, staring at it as it flickered and danced, giving far more meaning to the saying, “Fire brings life.”

Before long, Evanora became restless and kicked her feet back and forth, irritated at the silence. Her pondering mood had finally been tapered, and she returned to her childish, immature self.

“Hey…” she looked around at her friends, all deep in thought, “did I ever tell you guys about the story when I was caught by the fishermen and-”

“You told us that one last night, Evanora.” Kayne interrupted.

“Uhm, what about when I escaped that great big white shark-”

“The night before last.”

Evanora stayed silent, unable to think of any more riveting stories to tell. Achak walked over to Magnolia, setting his furry muzzle on her lap. She rubbed his ears absently, but otherwise, she was far too entrenched in her thoughts about Jordini- the beliefs she had held for two years being displaced and destroyed for something entirely different.

In essence, that night was very quiet.

 

As Kayne, Azia, and Magnolia waved Staerrlingg off, they realized that their group had begun to fracture. Evanora had left them the week before, becoming incredibly homesick for the sea, and wishing to see her brother. Staerrlingg was now wishing to go home to find his friends, and perhaps find a way back to his hometown, also homesick.

This pairing had never worked well in the past. The three of them had very complicated relationships with each other. The only positive relationship between them was of Azia and Magnolia, who were on very good terms since they were so alike. However, without Evanora or Staerrlingg to break the three of them up, this pairing was bound to be chaotic.

And it was. Backhanded comments about various strategies and choices, mostly made by Kayne, who believed himself to be the king of strategy, were thrown left and right. Azia would retaliate by bringing up the unmentionable incident, to which Magnolia would then become triggered once again, her and Azia berating Kayne for the things he had said about the Nature Kingdom. This happened a total of three times in the week before Azia was returned to the Light Kingdom.

The sixth day of the week came. They were getting very close to the kingdom, only a day’s walk away. Kayne poked the fire before extinguishing it, a hard task without Evanora to cast water on it.

It was a mostly peaceful morning. Magnolia was still asleep, and Azia sat at the other side of the clearing, talking to Moon, her pet firefly, while packing. Kayne noticed her talking, walking over to her with a slight scowl. Dew drenched his cargo pants, the grass and leaves crunching under his feet and large frame. Under his shadow, she looked up, a slightly concerned yet frustrated look crossing her face.

“Yes?”

“You’re talking to your pet firefly again?” he smiled slightly, as she had always seemed slightly crazy to him- he had never believed anyone outside of the Nature Kingdom could talk to animals or insects.

She simply nodded, looking back down at her things.

“So,” he crouched down beside her, now at her height, “You’re going back home tomorrow.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“And you said you had a home to go back to, right?”
“Yes, the home I received in a deed.”

“You live alone, right?”

She gave him a blank stare, her single wing slightly vibrating with frustration. The other tried to imitate the healthy one’s movement, however, since it had been mostly burned off, it had not regained the movement it had once had.

Then, Magnolia woke up, stretching and walking over to the two of them, Achak at her heels. Just at the proper time, as they had been extremely tense and now had something else to think of.

“Good morning,” she said, still in the peace of sleep despite being awake.

“Good morning to you,” Azia responded, looking back down at her things.

“G’morning,” Kayne mumbled, walking back to the fire.

Magnolia looked at Azia, asking, “Why does he seem so upset?”

Azia simply shrugged.

 

There is not much else that needs to be said. The three of them slowly broke away, making their way home. Evanora was now home in the ocean with her brother and father; Staerrlingg in Ehrin with his father; Azia at her house, busy renovating it with spare money from odd jobs; Kayne in the army with his troop; and Magnolia finally finding her way to the capital of the Nature Kingdom, which she had been trying to find for eight years now.

And as time would pass, various things would happen. The kingdoms would unite under the rule of Magnolia and Cyrus, her fiance, and Azia would be offered a job to look after the Light Kingdom, now called the Light Province, which she would gladly accept. Magnolia would offer other important roles to her friends, yet the rest refused, not believing themselves capable. 

Kayne joined the navy, which enabled him to find Evanora and begin talking to her once again. From there, they reunited, all five of them, under a royal order. Together, the five of them began an era of peace- known as the Prowellian Era, named suitingly after Magnolia and Cyrus Prowell. This era would come to be known by many names by the people, but the five of them only called it one thing: the Jordinean Era.