Read In Search of Auria for Free Online

door opposite to the one
of the staircase.
    That could be the entrance to a
house , thought Erik. He dashed to the door and entered. This
new room, like the staircase, had been carved into the tree.
Everything inside was made out of wood or plants. In the center
there was a round dining table with four chairs. The carpet had
been made from red and green bindweeds weaved together. In the left
corner, behind a vine curtain, was a hole in the floor which I
guessed was a latrine, and beside it a wooden container filled with
water. On the opposite corner was growing a giant white mushroom.
It had a pillow on top and a blanket made out of leaves. Lastly, on
the wall of the bark there was a painting frame that reached from
the floor to the ceiling. At the top, the painting showed birds and
butterflies floating with the sun. At the bottom, trees and flowers
grew and bloomed. And in between, four dragonfly wings shone in a
myriad of colors.
    “Who would do all of this?” Erik asked
himself, “To carve stairs and a whole room? It would just be easier
to build a wooden house at the bottom. Anyway, I guess no one’s
home.”
    He wondered inside and sat on one of the
chairs. At that moment his stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten
anything since before the battle at Tally Village. Frustrated and
tired, he hugged his stomach and let the side of his head drop on
the table. And there, looking at the mushroom bed, he noticed there
was a stool with a bunch of nuts and berries on top. Erik jumped to
the stool and gobbled the berries and nuts without thinking it
twice. It was a lifesaver. He munched like a dog that hadn’t eaten
for days.
    All of a sudden, there was a noise from the
bark, a creaking. His military instinct turned on and he grabbed
the handle of his sword. The noise came from the painting frame. It
was slowly being lifted outwards. The frame had hinges on the top
that made it open upward. But, Erik couldn’t see who or what was
opening it from the outside.
    The frame creaked up until it revealed a
small balcony. The outward frame functioned as an awning. Erik
walked towards the balcony, unsheathing his sword just a bit.
    Something had to have opened it , he
thought. The balcony was decorated with a beautiful oak railing. On
it were wooden pots, each one holding the most beautiful orchids.
Their petals were blue with thin yellow lines. The sun behind them
made them look like if they were small fairies.
    Erik took another step, when out of the blue
a woman descended from above. Her back was towards Erik, so she
didn’t notice him. But Erik wasn’t looking at her , either.
He was staring at the four radiant wings that sprouted from her
back. She wasn’t just a woman; she was what the orchids looked
like, a fairy. Her wings were long, thin, and reflected the light
of the sun as if they were made of glass. Each one had segments of
lines and shapes, like dragonfly wings. But unlike the dragonfly’s,
each segment shone in different colors. One second they were
shining red, then the color would flow into yellow, and then blue.
She also had lines that ran from her back to her extremities. They
too flowed with colors.
    Erik was dumbfounded. He had merely seen a
couple of fairies in his lifetime; all common, the size of a
finger. But never had he seen a fairy as big as a human. She was
the kind of fairy he had only heard in legends. The colorful wings
and lines confirmed it. She was a Daystar, a fairy of the Sun.
Legend said that they lived hidden atop the Forest of Agony,
collecting the overabundant rays of the sun. If not, the star would
burn the world to a crisp.
    Erik sheathed his sword with a tap. The
sound made the fairy face him. She was incredibly beautiful. Her
tan skin matched perfectly with her blue eyes. Her attire was
completely made from the trees: a sleeveless leafy top, a fluttery
skirt and bark greaves. Her body was strong, but feminine.
    “Are you a daystar?” Erik asked. She
remained still, surprised to see him