High above the clouds, where Selvia's tallest mountain tore through the sky like a broken blade, a deep voice rolled across the morning mist.
"Luyanro!
Luyanro, where are you? Your mother is waiting!"
The voice belonged to a tall, broad-shouldered man standing at the edge of a jagged cliff. His dark cloak snapped violently in the wind, its edges fraying like the wings of some great beast. Sharp green eyes swept across the stone peaks until they narrowed upon a shadowed cleft in the mountainside, a small cave half-hidden by frost and silence.
Inside, curled against the cold rock, lay a boy no older than ten. Snow-white hair spilled messily over his face, and pale green eyes fluttered behind closed lids. He slept deeply, unaware of the storm approaching him.
The man strode forward without hesitation and seized the boy's shoulder.
"Wake up, Luyanro. Wake up."
The boy stirred with a groan, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he pushed himself upright.
"What is it, Dad? What do you want?" His gaze sharpened with irritation. "And how do you even know about this place?"
The man straightened, towering over him.
Luyac, leader of Selvia.
"With Frova, finding you is child's play," he replied coldly. "But that's not the point. Why did you run away from home?"
At those words, Luyanro's drowsiness shattered. His expression twisted as anger flared.
"Why?" he snapped. "Why do you even have to ask?" His fists clenched. "Didn't your precious daughter tell you anything?"
Before Luyac could respond, a calm, weathered voice drifted through the thin air.
"Master Luyac, lecturing your son so early in the morning?"
From the clouds descended an old man, his beard flowing nearly as long as the staff he carried. Though his movements were gentle, the air itself bent around him. This was Sepac, elder of the community, ancient, observant, and far more powerful than he appeared.
Luyac exhaled sharply but inclined his head.
"Old man Sepac. I'm not lecturing him. He disappeared from home without a word."
Sepac chuckled as his feet touched the stone.
"Ah, and you expect me to believe you never did the same?" His eyes gleamed knowingly. "Do you remember what you were like at his age?"
For the briefest moment, color touched Luyac's cheeks.
"That's not relevant."
"Hmph. This old man has no time for old stories anyway." Sepac rose once more, levitating as though gravity had grown tired of him. "Are you attending the community meeting today?"
Luyac smirked.
"And how do you plan to begin without the leader of Selvia?"
Sepac grimaced.
"Yes, yes, I know. Just don't be late, Master."
"Don't worry," Luyac replied confidently. "I'm never late."
With a snort, Sepac shot eastward in a streak of pale light, vanishing beyond the clouds.
The moment he was gone, Luyac's smile disappeared.
He seized Luyanro by the ear.
"Now, you're coming home."
"Let go!" Luyanro shouted, clawing at his father's hand.
The world twisted.
With a violent crack, like the sky tearing itself apart, father and son vanished.
They reappeared inside their home in an instant.
Before Luyanro could recover, a woman rushed toward him. She had long white hair like moonlit silk and piercing blue eyes filled with terror and relief.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"Sweetheart! Why did you run away?" she cried. "Do you know how worried I was? You were gone for nine hours. If something had happened to you…" Her voice broke. "I don't know what I would have done."
But Luyanro pushed her away, not roughly, but firmly. His eyes burned.
"Don't act like nothing happened," he snapped. "You know what she did."
Silence fell.
"Big Sis destroyed my masterpiece," he continued, his voice trembling with rage. "The art I spent two whole days creating. She ripped it apart like it was worthless." His hands shook. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to create something you want to be perfect? All I did was tease her a little, and she tore it apart like it was nothing. Like it was just useless paper."
He turned away, biting his lip.
"And when I complained," he said quietly, "you and Dad brushed it off like it didn't matter."