TEASERS
— 吴雪花. THE DRAGON PRINCESS
you-gave-us-a-galaxy (19)   «Gege! Put me down, you're being such a sore loser!» Xue Hua complained.

«Sore loser? Me? I am a fearsome, ferocious beast! I'm not a sore loser because dragons do not lose!» the sizeable beast roared.

Xue Hua snorted and hung limply from Yifan's grasp, keeping her eyes closed so that she didn't throw up. Yifan knew that she hated heights, and dangling from his claws did not make it any more comforting. To be fair, it was nearly dark and Xue Hua knew that Yifan disliked being out and about during the night where demons and other creatures of the dark would make any creature their prey. When he was holding her rather than riding on his back where she could slip, the journey home was much faster. Though, she wouldn't have had to endure this if she'd just gone along with his insisting that she had miscounted the sweets that she had bought for him. She had been right, and in embarrassment, he had scooped her up in his front claws for their journey home.

«Hold on tight, we're landing in a couple seconds.»

​Thankfully, Yifan managed to land on their cave's ledge with at least a little bit of grace. Normally, when Yifan made the flight from their clan's spot in the mountains to  a human village and back, his landings would be rather shaky. They had just made a trip to a village just north of the mountain and ate some delicious noodles. Obviously, Yifan hadn't been able to enter the village because he would've knocked down the  buildings and terrorized the townspeople, but she brought him back lots of sweets.

«Wait a second, I think there's someone already in our home.» Yifan growled and  crept silently into the cave. Xue Hua waited with baited breath as Yifan checked out the intruder. «Xiao Hua, it's alright to come in. It's a visitor here to see you from Moira Royal Academy. You'll have to speak aloud because he can't communicate telepathically.» Yifan reminded Xue Hua.

"Why have you come?" Xue Hua demanded the stranger the moment he was in her sights. Normally she wasn't this abrupt but the visitor had let himself into their home while they weren't present. Xue Hua was fairly sure that that kind of behaviour wasn't acceptable in any culture and not just in dragon culture.

The stranger bowed lowly before beginning his introducton. "My name is _. I've come from Moira Royal Academy, funded by the royal families of the land. Our prophetess, Prophetess Anoushka would like to extend an invitation to you, Miss Wu."

"What do you mean? Do you mean I'd have to leave the mountains? I can't do that - my family lives here. You can't expect me to simply abandon the folks that I care most about. It's nearly hatching season! I'm not going anywhere."

_ pursed his lips, "While it's within your rights to refuse the invitation, this is a rare opportunity. The Headmistress foresaw your reluctance and has also allowed your guardian, Wu Yifan, to join you at Moira Academy."

«What do you think, Gege? I suppose he seems nice enough. But what if he's one of those dragon hunters? I don't know if we should trust him.»

«Prophetess Anoushka has a wonderful reputation. If there were anywhere else in the world that I deemed safe, I'd say that Moira Royal Academy would be that place. I won't force you to accept, but I hope that you will. I'll be going with you, after all.»

«What if he's just using her name to lure us into a trap? And what about the hatchlings? How can we leave our home, our family?»

«I'd never let anything happen to you. Besides, we can always come back to visit or stay if we decide that we don't like the Academy, I promise. I'll need to return to check up on the clan anyway. You can come with me.»

Xue Hua sighed, realizing that Yifan had pretty much made up his mind. "Alright, we accept your offer on the grounds that we'll be free to return whenever we please and that we will not leave until after the hatchlings have hatched. Understood?"

"Yes, I will return to Moira Academy immediately to relay the news. Welcome to the Academy, Miss Wu."


— 真田由良 . THE ENCHANTRESS
AVIDARi (17)   "Yura? Yura! You're late for our lesson with Uncle Kaneki again!" Tama yelled in Yura's ear from his perch on her shoulder. "We need to get moving or I'm going to be dangled in the air like a fresh kill by his stupid Spirit of a snowy owl!"

"I'm just finishing my chapter," Yura replied, but stood up and slowly began making her way to the courtyard where she practiced with her uncle. She hadn't forgotten about her lessons - she was just completely contented to read her book on the history of mythical creatures.

"That's what you said last time. I know that you kept reading even though you promised that we'd be going!"

"I did not! You've just been nagging in my ear while I was trying to read so it's taken me even longer!" Yura snapped her book shut in annoyance. "There, are you happy now?"

Tama didn't reply, just hung on her shoulder the rest of the way to the courtyard. When she was almost there, she nearly ran into her friend Jungkook. "Oh, sorry! I didn't see you there."

"It's okay, Yura. Are you on your way to see your uncle?"

Yura nodded.

"Me too! Maybe he's going to give us a joint lesson? We haven't had one of those since we first got our Spirits! I'm sure that you'd kick my though. Even if Tama is still small for a ferret."

"Can I bite him? Please can I bite him?" Tama asked. Yura knew that Tama was joking - he actually liked Jungkook and his Spirit. Besides, Jungkook was part of a very respected family, known for their great skills at banishing demons. Jungkook was going to inherit the temple that the Jeon family had served and protected for centuries. There was no way that he would lose to Yura like when they were kids.

When the pair actually reached the courtyard, nothing was set up. There were no targets or any other equipment to give away what Kaneki had planned. However, when Kaneki turned so that his expression could be observed, Yura noted that he seemed more grim than usual.

"Uncle?"

"Yura, Junkook. I'm sure that you've realized that there are no props prepared for you. There is a matter that I must discuss with both of you."

The two glaned at each other quickly before returning their full attention to Kaneki.

"Your fathers have been discussing matters of great importance, especially since Yukimura is visiting the Jeon's shrine. This morning, I received a messenger pidgeon. You're both being sent to Moira Royal Academy." Kaneki raised his hands to show the two teenagers that he didn't want them interrupting him. "Your fathers believe that the demons are planning some sort of attack and don't want you two to be compromised. Because we are doing this to protect you, we will not be in touch often in case the demons wish to track your whereabouts. The demons do not abide by the agreement that Moira is considered neutral ground so we do not wish to give away your location. You leave tomorrow."  


— AMBROSIA ROWAN. THE FLOWER CAREGIVER
stormatsea (49)   Humans were such peculiar creatures. Many of them seemed to enjoy their time as they sat underneath her in the shade. She wasn't sure how she knew that they were happy, she could just tell by the way their food-hatches would open and then a loud sound would come from them. Their eyes would squint so that they weren't round like a potato's eyes anymore, but turn into thin lines.

However, not every human that came to her tree let out these happy sounds. There were some people that would come to her with little brooks coming from their eyes and they would let out sounds that sounded like a wounded animal. Although, it usually never looked like they had sustained any injuries. There was one boy that did not look like any other boy that she had seen. He was covered in hair. He also made wounded sounds but rather than curling up and letting water flow from his eyes, he picked up a rock that had been lying in the grass and used it to cut a long line down the bark of her tree. It was probably the most excruciating pain that she had ever felt. The boy did it only once, though and never returned to that place.

Today was not as bad as that day had been, but the humans were littering her courtyard! She would not stand for it! She provided shade for them all on the hot summer days and they repaid her by throwing their garbage around, rather than properly disposing it!

Hey! Hey you there! Stop throwing your foul trash in my home! Go pick it up and apologize to Mother Nature for your littering! She wanted to scream at them. The Earth needs your respect and care! How dare you-

The boy that had just left shredded paper pieces lying on the ground, suddenly screamed.

She was really confused until she looked down and saw that she was... like those human things! She felt around; she had hair on top of her head, eyes, a nose, a mouth and a body! How had she done that? Oh dear, did she really just scream at that boy when she materialized?

She looked around the courtyard. It was much different from when she was in her tree. She didn't know what it was like to really see, but other plants told her about the world around her so that she could form a picture. The most helpful plants were ones like toadstools that could walk and talk just like the humans (often companions of faeries or elves), but could still speak to other plants.

Someone cleared their throat. "Excuse me, did you just come out of your tree?"

She turned to the sound and saw a lady with long brown hair. She was beautiful. "Um... yes?"

"I see. How old are you?"

"I have 49 rings!"

The lady chuckled. "Do you have a name? Like how the humans have names?"

"I don't have parents like the humans."

"We all had parents, but some of us were planted away from them. I, myself, was supposed to be sewn in the soils of Spain but was carried here. I suppose that you could just choose a name for yourself."

She knew that names were an important part of being human. For the humans and other creatures with hearts, their names identified them and had meaning to them. "I've always liked ambrosia flowers."

"It's nice to meet you, Ambrosia Rowan. My name is Zarita Bermiego and I'd like to welcome you and invite you to Moira Royal Academy."

— 해라 NITHROEL. THE ELVEN ARCHER
Lion_heart36 (16)   Haera was an elf that had lived all of her life, or the bits that she could actually remember, in the Yakushima Forest. The Elders of the Yakushima clan had always been fascinated by Haera's existence. They had told her than when they'd found her as a baby but a baby with red hair - a sign that she was from a mountain clan. A few days after they'd discovered her, her hair had mysteriously turned a light blonde, which was a trait that belonged to the elves of the grasslands or prairies.

As Haera grew, the people of the Yukushima clan expected that Haera would grow tall like the clans of the mountains or the grasslands, but instead, she only reached 161 centimeters. The clan's healer chalked it up to the diet of their clan, possibly stunting her growth.

Her shorter height was definitely considered a good thing. Being tall in the forest was a disadvantage since it caused some elves to be more lanky, making it more difficult to navigate the underbrush. It also helped to keep the elves hidden from predators as well as prey. Currently, Haera was crouching with her clansmen behind a fallen tree. They had been tracking a herd of deer for about five kilmeters before they had finally caught up with them.

The group of hunters were sent out with instructions to kill only two deer; a buck and a doe. The elves respected nature and thus, only killed when they needed to and thanked Mother Nature for each life that they took, never killing for sport or wasting life. Haera was with the group merely to observe today, the two chosen archers were already nocking their arrows. The forest was silent as the two archers took aim.

Just as Haera noted that it was weird for the forest to be so deathly quiet, a chorus of growls ripped through the air. A pack of four wolves charged at the herd of deer, killing each one by clawing them apart, ripping at any part that they could reach. This infuriated Haera. The wolves were simply killing for sport! If they had simply wanted food, they would've given the deer quick deaths by crushing their jugulars!

"Hey, you furry-assed, ingrates! What's the big idea, killing those poor animals?" Haera had sprung from her place behind the tree and screamed at the werewolves that were still tearing up the lifeless bodies of the deer.

Oops...

All four wolves locked their sights on Haera.

"Run!" The leader of their hunting party shouted and all of the elves bolted.

The elves were just barely keeping ahead of the werewolves. Haera didn't know how they were going to keep up the pace (a full-out sprint) until they reached their village; it was five kilometers away, after all. Haera had hope that they would make it. At least, until one of the people behind her let out a shriek as he suddenly tripped over an exposed tree root, sending him sprawling to the ground.

No! Haera was already too far ahead to get to the elf before the wolves. Haera clenched her fists and broke out into a run toward the fallen comrade. She wasn't going to make it in time.

Just as the first wolf was nearly upon the elf, the ground shook and split open, creating a crack which the wolf fell into. The others in the pack attempted to go around the opening in the ground, but were also swallowed up by the earth as more holes formed.

"H-Haera," the fallen elf whispered, "what have you done?"

"I... I don't know." Haera stood in shock.

A hand fell on Haera's shoulder. It was the leader of their hunting party. "Haera, we'll need to speak to the Elders about what happened today. You know that, right?"

Haera nodded. "Do you know what they're going to do with me?"

"You just killed four werewolves. If they're part of a larger pack, they'll probably come after you. I think that the Elders will probably send you away. No matter what happens, you'll need to be strong."

Haera didn't know how she could be strong if she was to be sent away from her people, but she knew that the Elders would do what was best for everyone.  


— 陳梦怡. THE INDEPENDENT GENIE
SPONTANEITy (20)   Mengyi took in a deep breath and released it slowly. Freedom has never felt so good. To most people, besides slaves, of course, freedom was something that was nothing special; something mundane. As a genie, Mengyi had to guard her freedom every second, lest someone steal her lamp and force her to grant them three wishes, no matter how horrible, so long as they followed the genie guidelines.

Genies were, of course, tricky beings that often made you regret your wishes, but Mengyi didn't really want to sit idly in her lamp, waiting for her next greedy master to rub her pristine lamp with his fat, greasy hands. At the tender age of 18 (practically a baby in genie-years), Mengyi had set off from her village on the east coast in favour of exploring the lands of the west.

Thankfully, Mengyi had planned ahead, and left her precious lamp in an abandoned cave, back east so that if she were captured, she couldn't be forced to grant wishes. Of course, many genies would've thought her foolish, but Mengyi liked to think that she was brave and adventurous. Just last week, she'd met a man who could breath fire!

"I'm never going ho- hey! What's going on?" Menyi had slowly begun to return to her genie-form and then felt herself growing lighter as she turned to smoke. She was being called back to her lamp. She was going to give the son of a gun a piece of her mind when she appeared.

Mengyi was surprised to find herself back at the cave she'd left her lamp in. She opened to give the person heck for ruining her adventure when she noticed that her master was a girl. A genie girl. "Um... hello?"

"Mengyi, I thought it was your lamp."

"Um... how do you know my name?"

"Your father is an old schoolmate of my mother," the girl replied. "That's all besides the point. I know that it's rare for a genie to call upon another, but I need some help from you."

"First of all, you're a genie too, so you should know that my 'help' won't exactly be voluntary. Secondly, it kind of does matter since you'll need to sign the new genie contract that the king has just introduced." A scroll and quill materialized in Mengyi's fist. "You'll have to sign on the dotted line for my record."

The girl sighed, "I don't want to leave a record of my wish because I'm trying to keep it from my father."

"The only people that will see the contract are you, me, the royal archivist and possibly the king, but that's not likely since-"

"Mengyi. The king is my father." The girl stepped closer to Mengyi so that she could she her clearly. The girl was beautiful but her beauty was nothing special. The only thing that distinguished her as other was the smoke-like tattoo that covered her shoulders, indicating that she was of royal blood.

"Princess Byulgi?"


— 朱秋啊. THE PROPHETESS
ddeoktokki (22)   "It really is too bad that you can't have visions of my next move."

"Yes, but I suppose that would be cheating if I could do that. Besides, would you want to play with me if you knew that I could see what moves you would play?" Qiu-a mused.

"I suppose not. Although, it would be an interesting challenge to determine whether I could triumph over an other-worldly power with my cunning wit."

"Well, your wit is definitely formidable." Qiu-a had been staring at the black and white pieces sitting on the small table, searching for a move that would grant her a victory. So far, she hadn't seen such a move. Despite being able to see glimpses of the future through visions, the priests that had taught her to play the ancient game had told her numerous times that she often rushed into her strategy and would end up giving her opponent an advantage.

"Come on, we must have been sitting here for hours waiting for you to make you next move! You'd think that it would be a quick game; getting five pieces aligned." Qiu-a's opponent teased.

The doors to the sunroom where the girls were playing suddenly flew open as a young girl came rushing in. "Qiu-a! Qiu-a, a raven has arrived with word from the Academy of the central region!"

"Really? What does the message say?" Qiu-a asked without moving her eyes from the board. The game was no joke to Qiu-a and she was determined to win.

"The Prophetess of Moira Royal Academy received word about your 17th birthday and is intrigued by your existance. She didn't state how she heard about your birthday though, which I find odd because it was hardly a grandiose event by any standard, but she did. Anyway, she's offered to become your mentor to help you through your powers and train you to be the next Prophetess of Moira Royal Academy. They await your reply and will send a carriage and people to you to the Academy if you accept their offer."

"Do the priests know about this offer that has arrived?"

"Yes. They received the note last night and held a meeting this morning to discuss what the appropriate response would be."

"Do you know what they determined?"

"The priests would urge you to accept the offer from the Academy. It is a famous institution where the council members believe you could truly learn your full potential. They recognize that you would be a long way from home, but also see it as an oppotunity to interact with people outside of our temple, here in the mountains However, they leave the decision up to you. Do you require time to consider your answer?"

Qiu-a sighed. "No, I believe that the Prophetess sent the request because she had high hopes that I would accept."

"Very well, I will tell the priests to reply with your response." the girl bowed to the two wuziqi players and hurried off.

"By the way, I do believe that I've finally won the game." Qiu-a smiled as she finally placed her piece on the board.