Stanzas from around the world

The atmosphere in the castle was completely opposite to what I was feeling. Music and energetic conversation took over the long feast hall.

I saw all types of people there. There were warriors from the frozen north, explorers from the middle seas, nomads from the south desert and even some individuals from even further places, like a shaman from the west jungles and a noble from one of the east empires.

And none of them dressed like the weird woman in the cemetery.

“Welcome all, warriors from all around the world! You all know why you are here! Your sense of duty, or your hunger for coin brought you all here together in this night to remember!”

People laughed at the joke of King Pompovisky and the feast began.

All the Heroes who fought against Amaru sat at the most important table with the king himself and the leaders of each group of foreigners.

But even with all this happiness around, I didn’t want to be there.

“Please, all introduce yourselves!” asked the king to the newcomers.

The first to talk was the leader of the warriors from the north. She had long blond hair and a red armor with animal fur. In the middle of her helmet there was a single long horn.

“I’m Brita, of the skurd tribe. My ice is relentless and my boys are better than any Hero in Reinaria,” she boasted.

“So, you are a user of the Ice Stanza? I want to know how restraint is used in your lands,” said Reikokuna Takai.

“Restraint? Ice is anything but restraint. Ice is unstoppable death. The word that drives my Ice Stanza is inevitable.”

“How is that possible? The Poet made it very clear that ice is about restraint, perfectionism, and waiting for the right moment to act.”

A huge bald man laughed at his remark. His skin was darkened by the sun and he was wearing sailor clothes.

“Typical Reinarians, they think they are the center of the universe. Hi, I’m Tangaroa, captain of the Island Eater Crew. Let me tell you something, The Poet was a sailor from the middle seas, not a Reinarian, and just like the ice of this beautiful lady here, our water is about violence, love and freedom, not this cute empathy thing you have here.

“What? Water is empathy! And everybody knows that The Poet was a Reinarian!” Protested Rita Fiori.

“So, the Water Stanza for the sailors is like the Fire Stanza for us?” asked Ember Lascander.

“I don’t think it is anything like that,” said a beautiful androgynous person from an empire of the east, wearing a gorgeous intricately decorated red and yellow tunic. “As far as I understand the Water Stanza to the sailors is also about discovering and travel, like your Sky Stanza. It’s not an equivalency thing.”

“And you are?” asked Agnes Stein.

“I’m Ishaan, the pure sun. My Stanza is Fire,” they answered, drinking a sip of tea, way more elegant than the other leaders.

“And how does your culture sees fire?” asked Hiyoku.

“Our flames can hurt but also heal. Our word to it is purity. It can cleanse the world of monsters and sickness alike.”

“That is incredible!” replied Reikokuna Takai. “I had only seen fire as destruction.”

“Hehehe, the world really is vast! I’m Raed, vanguard of the nomads. Not to brag, but I’m a hybrid Stanza user. Earth and Sky, forming what I like to call Sandstorm”

“Wait, wait, wait” I had never seen Nikolay so flustered before. “Earth and Sky are literally opposites; how can you be a hybrid of both?

“For me it’s just natural, our life as nomads make my family very united and stable, but we always travel and have freedom to do whatever we want. That is the Sandstorm: the whole world is my home.”

“That is wonderful. Recently, I’ve been having some trouble connecting to my Stanza, so maybe we can talk later about…” Nikolay was interrupted by the rude Brita.

“Raed, your tribe has children and old people, are you really as strong as we need for this mission?”

“Oh, my dear Brita, don’t underestimate ate my nomads. We are greater in number than both your tribe and Tangaroa’s crew combined, and every member is connected to a Stanza.”

“Every single one?” asked Hiyoku.

Noticing that everyone was impressed, Raed gave a big smile.

“Of course, not all of their signatures are useful in combat, but as we have a lot of families traveling together through dangerous places, everyone is ready. Also, of course The Poet was a nomad.” He gave a crazy laugh after his speech.

The final leader was holding a knife, doing some wood carvings. He started to speak without stopping his work.

“Not only the meaning of each element is different in our respective countries, but the way our Stanzas manifest is different. This is what the Stanzas are like in the tribe I came from.”

That man was also alone, without any followers, but looked strong on his own. He had feathers in his hair and a dark blue jaguar by his side. He put eight heads of animals made from wood on our dinner table.

“I’m Acauã, a shaman from the deep jungles of the west and these are the Eight Stanzas in my tribe.”

How could totem heads be Stanzas?

“You in Reinaria use cute little poems, right?” asked the sailor Tangaroa. “Ours are sea shanties!”

“I know mine and Brita’s are also poems, but their words are definitely different,” the nomad Raed said.

We then all turned to Ishaan who, even while trying to show their own country’s superiority, didn’t lose their posture and elegance while doing it.

“The sources of our Stanzas are enormous and beautiful tapestries. I couldn’t carry mine here, but only by seeing them can you feel what your Stanza is. The Fire Stanza shows our god of fire, he has two faces, one representing destruction and the other the healing of fire.”

The discussion was getting heated and even King Pompovisky was trying to defuse the situation, but the one who really did was Helia Vivarium.

“When I looked at the Original Poem of Nature I saw the Nature Stanza. Our Nature Stanza, but it had more, a lot of things I couldn’t even understand. I think all our Stanzas come from the Original Poems and they somehow can encompass all our translations and interpretations of the entire world.”

“That is an interesting theory,” said Raed smiling to the girl.

“That might be true, but I think there is something way more interesting here in this table, right?” asked Brita looking at each of us Reinarians.

“Yes, Nina Nune,” completed the noble Ishaan. “A girl with not only the Void Stanza, but who has used multiple elements as well.”

Of course, all my companions looked at me, making these legendary adults also notice me. Raed laughed more at that news.

“And you thought a hybrid of Sky and Earth was stranger! You are a very interesting person, Nina Nune.”

“I would love to face you in a fight!” said Tangaroa, giving me a shiver down my spine.

Luckily, my friend, the King, cleaned his throat and changed the subject.

“Tomorrow you will be separated into two groups, one going after the Turquoise Demon and the Original Poem of the Sky, and the other will go after Amaru in the new place we think he is in.”

After all the tragedies we had been through I hadn’t any will to do more missions.

“So, you have information on these two targets?” asked Ember Lascander.

“Yes, something like an Elemental Demon, but way bigger was found by one of your allies in Starcourse, we think the Turquoise Demon is near Ferro Valley.

“Ferro Valley? I want to go there!” said Ember Lascander weirdly worried about that.

“Sure… I was going to ask where you Reinarians want to go, but since it is a very dry place I was thinking of sending Raed with his nomads and Ishaan to stop that Demon.”

“No problems from me!” said Raed with his strange joviality.

“I’m here to help.” In their own way, Ishaan was also showing excitement for the mission.

“What about the really strong guys?” asked Brita.

“Your men, Tangaroa’s crew and Acauã will go for the place we think Amaru is.”

Immediately, Reikokuna Takai and Agnes Stein got up with fire and sparks in their eyes.

“We want to go there!”

I understood that they wanted revenge on Amaru, but I didn’t get why Ember was so focused on that valley. Either way, I didn’t want to go to any of these. I was starting to give up on being a Heroine altogether. And then I remembered the woman from the cemetery and somehow that gave me strength for one more mission. Of course, I didn’t want to face my father again and with my skill set, I was especially effective against the Elemental Demon.

“I will go to the Ferro Valley as well.”