[Chapter 1]

The Journal

Corrin, a girl in her mid-teens, sat on her bedside sifting through her collection of books.

"This page is left unfinished, Nawa," said Corrin as she scrolled through the fragile pages.

Corrin looked over to her furry companion Nawa and then flipped the thin delicate page of the old tattered tome over to the next page.

"...And the next page is completely missing. Torn right out," said the young girl with a loud sigh.

Nawa, the long-eared fox yipped, speaking to Corrin.

"No," said Corrin, "I've never heard of Sansora and the Vaeran Order before."

The girl thought deeply as she stared at her fox-like companion, lost in thought.

"It seemed like an interesting tale though, very descriptive. I'd like to visit the field. The author seemed to truly miss the way it was."

Nawa let out a loud yip.

"You've been there?! Really?" said Corrin excited, "So this book contains a true tale?"

Nawa approached Corrin, yipping her reply into the girl’s ear.

"What exactly was the Vaeran Order about? Did you ever meet one of those brave swordsmen in their strange metal suits?"

Nawa continued to quietly speak into her ear.

"Magical Knights? What sort of magic?"

Nawa tapped Corrin on the left hand with her paw, asking her to open up her hand which was firmly grasping the book. The Jerobi rested its left paw over Corrin’s flat open left palm.

"Is this something that the Order showed you? A hand trick of sorts?"

Corrin’s palm began to heat up as if a tiny growing ember was trapped between Nawa’s paw and hers. A blue hue illuminated from where the paw met her palm.

"Is that the magic you were telling me about?" I can feel it growing. It’s very hot."

Nawa looked down at the glowing blue spark between their touch and yipped. The small fox-like creature turned away from Corrin, and hopped down off of the table that Corrin sat on cross legged. Leaning over, Nawa grabbed a hold of a dusty tome, flipping it open with its nose.

Corrin sat amazed, looking at her palm, with wide eyes and an open mouth drooling.

"What was that, Nawa?" asked Corrin, dumbfounded, "How did you do that?"

Nawa looked back over to Corrin, who was still staring at her left hand, and yipped.

"That was just their handshake?! The Vaeren Knights must've been incredible."

A knock banged loudly on the outside walls of Corrin’s chamber.

Corrin closed her left hand tightly and hide the journal of the Vaeran Knights under a stack of cluttered loose pages on top of her bed. Her palm still glowed a faint light blue. Corrin quickly brushed her long ashen locks from out of her face and hung them behind her ears.

"How long does this last?" asked Corrin to Nawa, ignoring the knock.

A second knock tapped against the thin walls of her room.

"Does this blue light ever fade?" she questioned.

Nawa yipped loudly, and pointed to its left paw, which it then placed behind its back.

"What do you mean I have to hide it? Is this forbidden magic?!" panicked Corrin.

A third loud knock pounded against the side of her chamber.

"Uh, sorry! One second," announced Corrin loudly towards the doorless entryway to her chamber.

"Seriously Nawa. How long will this last?" Corrin whispered over to her companion, "I can’t hide it forever!"

"It's Lief," replied the voice of a young man from outside of the room, "It's almost time for the ceremony."

"It is?" Corrin exclaimed, hopping up off of the sturdy wooden table that she sat on.

Corrin hastily moved towards the hefty silk curtain that covered her doorway and peeked her head out at Lief, a young swordsman and serving guard of Corrin, who waited against the wall just outside of her chamber. Lief wore a big goofy grin across his face as he bowed to Corrin. He was patiently waiting for Corrin to notice his new formal robe, made of sleek black, which happened to arrive just in time for the ceremony.

"Hello, Lief!" She greeted, flustered with a smile. "I"ll be only a moment. I haven't even dressed into my regalia yet."

Corrin popped her head back behind the curtain and stuck her hand outwards towards Lief waving goodbye, then returned back beside Nawa at the table.

Lief’s goofy grin quickly faded. Peeking into the room from under the curtain, Lief watched as Corrin argued with her pet companion in the back side of her chamber.

Nawa’s long ears lowered from their upward state, and barked aloud.

"You didn't know this would happen!? What is that suppose to mean, Nawa?!"

The fox-like creature frantically yelped, as it tried to explain its actions.

"It's not suppose to pass on to me? Only masters can link with their students? You’re not making any sense."

"Are you almost ready?" Lief called out, watching Corrin and her creature bickered back and forth.

"One moment! I"m in the middle of something!" Corrin shouted at the doorway, "I still have to get ready!"

Lief peeked his head under the curtain.

"You must like one sided arguments." said Lief to Corrin.

"What?" said Corrin, barely paying any attention to Lief.

"Well, it looks like you're arguing with a fox." said Lief, "But, that'd be crazy because foxes can't speak."

Corrin placed her glowing left hand behind her back and looked over at the head peeking under the ruffled curtain.

"Go away! I still have to get ready and Nawa's not a fox, she's a Jerobi!" replied Corrin.

"Do you want me to help you get ready? Master Lillim said I am very fast learner." questioned Lief with a big grin.

Lief surveyed her messy room.

"This room is a sty. I"ll help you clean up!" said Lief.

"GET OUT!" Corrin and Nawa yelped at once, in unison.

Corrin's chamber was littered with books and more books stacked upon one another.

"Are you trying to read those books still? Do you even know that language?" questioned Lief in an attempt to pester Corrin some more.

"Yes," Corrin sighed at the endless amount of questions, "You already know I do! We've discussed it before! I"m trying to get ready, Lief!"

Lief laughed, "Alright, alright, I'm leaving," he replied as he pulled his head from out of the doorway, "I"ll meet you at the festival. Don't be too late. The Dance of Fire is very important."

The sounds of Lief’s footsteps as he left down the hall brought relief to Corrin and Nawa.

"Oh, right! The Dance!" Corrin exclaimed, "I need to get going!"

Nawa purred, as she looked up at the frustrated Corrin.

"You're in so much trouble, you know that!"

Nawa stood on its hindlegs, yipping.

"Yes. You're going to have to make up for it!" insisted Corrin to her pet.

Nawa handed Corrin a container of blended charcoal mix from her tray of ceremonial makeup with her two paws pressed up against it. Corrin blended the mix with water from a glass container and dipped her hands into the paint, rubbing and coating them in thick black paint.

"I guess that will do for now," she huffed.

Corrin quickly tossed her jars of makeup into her cedar basket which held the rest of her ceremonial regalia and charged out of her room- entering the bustling halls of her home, in the King's Fortress.