Year 1899, Planet Nymiria
At the center of the universe, beneath a clear sky painted in shades of blue and violet, crossed by slowly moving moons, rose the planet Nymiria.
It shone like a jewel in the darkness.
It was traversed by rivers that looked like living arteries, mountains opening onto vast, unimaginably beautiful green plains.
The land was made up of a great continent, full of blue and green lakes, completely surrounded by the sea.
At the center of that continent stood Zyren, the planet's capital.
Its people moved with grace among ancient structures reminiscent of ancient Greece: white palaces built from fine materials, adorned with columns and flowing white drapes.
The inhabitants looked much like us, dressed in light robes and tunics.
The city consisted of grand central buildings and smaller houses that surrounded them like a delicate village.
At the very center stood a black monolith, engraved with the name Ilaris, covered in ancient hieroglyphs.
It was guarded by a few knights.
For millennia, that monolith had held the power of cosmic balance.
People lived around the monolith, offering words and gestures to that deity.
Among the crowd that day, a young boy ran back and forth.
He had orange hair and green eyes.
He loved listening to the old stories about Ilaris and the city.
Sylen: "Mom… let's go down there, come on!"
Sylen's Mom: "Alright, but go slowly—I've got your sister in my arms!"
Sylen: "Come on, I want to hear the stories they'll tell today!"
And he ran off toward the monolith.
Mom: "Go slow, Syle!"
Dad: "Let him be. He knows how to take care of himself now."
Lilia (his little sister): "Mom, what's that?"
She pointed at the monolith of Ilaris.
Mom: "That's the monolith of Ilaris."
Lilia: "And who's that?"
Dad: "No one knows the origin.
What we do know is that Ilaris is the power of universal balance."
Lilia: "Wow… let's go there, come on!"
The three of them tried to follow Sylen, who had already reached the base of the monolith.
He stared at it, full of awe and wonder.
As on every feast day, people were telling stories—but he wanted more.
So he started wandering around the temples beneath Ilaris.
Sylen: "I want to see what's inside the temples.
I want to discover more… let's see where I can go."
He turned and saw two temples: one large and majestic, the other smaller.
Sylen: "You need permission to get in.
The big one is full of guards… but the small one… fewer of them.
I might be able to sneak in."
The boy approached the smaller temple, hiding among the crowd.
There were only two guards at the entrance.
Sylen (to himself): "Can't go in from here… let's try the back."
He circled around and spotted a small window.
It was tiny, but a kid like him could fit through.
Sylen: "Perfect."
He moved some small wooden crates, climbed up, and slipped through the window—though he fell on the other side.
Sylen: "Crap, crap… I'm falling!"
Poom! He landed hard but whole.
Sylen: "Ouch… that was a bit high… Wooow…"
He lifted his head. The inside of the temple was small but majestic, enchanting.
Sylen: "It's so beautiful…"
The walls were covered in frescoes with images and hieroglyphs.
He walked silently, amazed.
An ancient chariot was surrounded by symbols carved into the stone.
The more he read, the more fascinated he became.
Then he noticed—the air inside felt different.
Sylen: "Kinda chilly in here…"
A light breeze stirred his robe.
Sylen: "What's that?"
The scent of damp stone enveloped him.
He turned and saw a small altar.
Strange markings on it emitted a faint green glow. He approached.
Sylen: "These symbols… what are they? They're different from the others…"
They were symbols he had never seen before—not even in old books.
Sylen: "Why don't I recognize them?"
He stopped and stared at a column, touching its cold surface with his fingertips.
He traced the contours of the glyph gently.
Sylen: "They're beautiful…"
The temple seemed to hold its breath with him.
Total silence—as if he and the building were completely connected.
Then, a sudden noise broke the harmony.
Guard: "Hey, kid! What are you doing here?"
Sylen spun around. A soldier had come in to inspect and caught him.
Guard: "You know you can't be in here without permission. It's forbidden."
Sylen looked at him, entranced, his hand still on the stone. Then he smiled and closed his eyes.
Sylen: "You caught me! … I'm sorry, I was just curious."
The guard looked surprised, then gave a half-smile.
Guard: "Get out before I change my mind…"
Sylen nodded and ran toward the exit.
Sylen: "Thank you! I'm really sorry!"
He ran off.
Guard: "Aah… what a kid…"
Sylen exited the temple and returned to the main road.
He stopped and looked around at the crowd.
His smile shifted to awe. Then he looked at his hand.
Sylen: "That was strange… there was something in there.
When I touched that column, I felt something…"
Mom: "Sylen! Where are you?!"
Sylen: "Huh?"
Sylen: "Ah, mom! I'm here!"
His mother was a few meters away, holding his sister, scanning the crowd.
Mom: "Where on earth were you?"
Sylen (scratching his head): "I went for a little walk… sorry."
Mom: "Ugh… come on, let's go to your father."
Sylen: "Alright."
They walked away slowly from the temple.
That evening, Sylen was having dinner with his family at home.
Dad (pouring water): "Where did you go today? We couldn't find you."
Sylen was eating his soup. He paused and looked up.
Sylen: "Huh? Nowhere… just walked around."
Mom: "Sylen, don't lie. We don't lie in this family."
Sylen: "Mmm… I went to the temple."
Dad: "What? You know you're not supposed to go there alone.
How did you get in without permission?"
Sylen lowered his head.
Sylen: "I climbed through a window…"
Mom: "Sylen! You can't do that—it's wrong!"
Sylen: "But mom, I just wanted to see what was inside…"
Dad: "And what did you see?"
Mom: "Darian, what are you doing?! Are you encouraging him?"
Dad: "No, of course not. But since he's already been inside… let's hear what he saw."
Mom: "I can't believe this…"
Sylen lifted his head, smiling, and looked at his father.
Sylen: "Well… when I got in, I saw these beautiful frescoes showing Nymiria, the stars…
And there were tons of hieroglyphs."
Dad: "That must've been interesting."
Sylen: "It was amazing. Then I saw this sort of altar.
There were inscriptions that looked different, so I got closer."
Dad: "What kind of inscriptions?!"
Sylen: "I don't know… I've never seen them in any books.
But they were glowing. So I touched them."
Everyone at the table was listening intently.
Even little Lilia was wide-eyed.
Sylen: "As soon as I touched them… I felt warmth flow through my body.
It was… strange…"
He was staring at his hand while talking, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
Mom: "Oh come on… you probably imagined it.
Still, that doesn't change the fact that what you did was wrong."
Dad: "Yeah, Sylen. Even though your story was great… sorry, but your mom's right.
So… you're grounded!"
Sylen: "What?! Really? But you asked me to tell it!"
Dad (smiling): "Exactly. And now… you'll wash dishes for an entire week."
Sylen: "Ugh, nooo…"
The evening ended with the family laughing, while Sylen grumbled as he did the dishes.