The Levels of Harmos

After his encounter with Raia, everyday seemed like it was full of excitement for Yami. Given the break from his usual routine of moping around and practicing magic by himself, these days seemed to be the best days of his life.

“BEEP… BEEP… BEEP” Yami’s alarm blares earlier nowadays. He excitedly opened his eyes and waved his hand at his alarm clock, casting a simple spell for it to stop.

“Alright! Today we’re hanging out by the river!” Yami exclaimed to himself.

In one swift motion he hopped out of bed and into his slippers, casting simple spells along the way so his blanket and pillows fell neatly arranged on the bed. He dashes to their cottage’s little bathroom to get ready for yet another exciting day.

“There he goes again, making such a ruckus so early in the morning.” his mother, Ao Hitsu, told her husband as she prepared their breakfast in their tiny kitchen.

“He does have a spring in his step these days. I think it’s quite refreshing,” replied Yami’s father, Midori Hitsu.

“I swear with the way this world works, that boy is going to be putting himself through miles of hurt.” Ao said with a sigh.

“That’s true, if only we held a higher position within the realm things might be better off for him. But alas, the Fates have dealt us our hand.”

“Midori…,” Ao began, the concern growing more apparent in her voice. But before she could finish her sentence, Midori continued to speak.

“However! The Fates are allowing him to have this for now, so let’s let him enjoy these youthful days of his!” Midori concluded, smiling but with tears starting to pool in the corners of his eyes.

“MOM, DAD! I’M HEADED OUT!” Yami yelled—unnecessarily, given the size of their home; a normal volume would have been more than sufficient.

“Already? Aren’t you going to eat?” Ao asked. Yami quickly grabbed some toast as he fixed his shirt.

“Ill, eat on the way! I’m headed to the river with Raia so I need to leave early.” Yami said with excitement in his voice.

At this point, he noticed the tears in his dad’s eyes. “Are you crying again?! How many times do I have to tell you? You and Mom do well by giving us this life. I’m quite content with how we live!” Yami shouted at his father.

“Yami!” Surprised by this, Midori begins to cry hysterically. “I have the best son in the world! WAHHHH!”

Ao nonchalantly walked over to her husband and patted him on the back to comfort him.

“Yes, yes. He really is an amazing boy,” Ao said in a deadpan tone but with a sincere smile. She turned to her son. “Don’t mind your father. It’s just that ever since you started coming home without getting into any fights and made a charming female friend, he has wanted you to enjoy your youth more.”

“I don’t really understand all that, Mom. But the Fates allowed me to meet Raia, so it can’t be all bad,” Yami replied, grinning. “Anyway, I’m taking the broom and heading over to Raia.” As he said this, he hopped on the broom like it was a skateboard and zipped out the door.

“BE SURE TO BE BACK AFTER DINNER! I STILL HAVE TO SWEEP UP THE HOUSE WITH THAT!” Ao called out at Yami from the window.

“I WILL” Yami shouted back from a distance.

“Ah, to be young” Ao sighed at her husband, who was still in tears.

“Yeah, we would do better not to worry him for now,” said Midori.

“Look who’s talking?” replied Ao. Midori turned red and looked away.

Yami soared past the cottages and buildings as he glided through the air on his broom. This was the usual way of travel for the residents of Harmos, as everyone could use magic. As Yami glanced at the scenery he could see partners on their way to work and opening their shops, eateries, and factories.

His parents were also partners in their craft store. Each day they would walk to the small shop that they ran, producing only a little magic for the Council of Fates. Their shop was located at the Edge of the capital, not so far from their house.

In Harmos, the more magic your household could produce for the Council, the closer you lived to the center of the city.

If we were to split the realm of Harmos into parts, there would be three of them.

The first part was the Heart, the area for the prominent families who made the greatest magic contributions to the Council of Fates. This means that this was the poshest and most extravagant area in the realm.

The second part was known as the Edge. This was the part of the realm where Yami and his family resided. The citizens in this area produced significantly less magic than the residents of the Heart but could still contribute to the Council of Fates.

The last part was called the Outskirts. The citizens here were not able to contribute to the Council of Fates at all and were living under the welfare program of the Council. In short, this was where all the individuals without a place in the realm’s magic system lived. It was a painful truth that not all were fated to live a harmonious life within the realm, but everyone simply accepted this.

Raia was part of the Zo family, one of the more prominent families in Harmos. Their estate was located near the base of the Council of Fates’ grand office, the structure that towered above the entire realm. It was a great distance from Yami’s house, which was why he had been borrowing the family’s one broom lately.

As he approached Raia’s estate, the sun was already high in the sky.

“Drat, looks like I am still a little late. I never really noticed how far the Heart was before,” he thought to himself.

But when his feet touched the ground, his worries were lifted as he found Raia happily waiting for him.

“Sorry Raia! I’m late again but I got here as fast as I could!” he explained.

“It is quite alright, Yami!” Raia replied with a smile. She smiled so radiantly that Yami caught himself staring at her again.

“Ha ha ha, still daydreaming, Yami?” she said. “We’d better hurry to the river before our keepers take notice.”

She hopped on the broom, hugging Yami from behind to brace herself for take-off. He still wasn’t used to Raia riding behind him, so this action caught him off-guard and made him turn red for some reason. Despite this shock, he quickly obeyed, and they took flight towards the river.

“Raia, what did you mean when you said you wanted to leave before the keepers take notice? Are you not allowed to go outside today?” he asked as they flew across the sky.

“Oh, that. It’s not that I’m not allowed. It’s just that my parents have been getting weird lately about how I’ve been spending my days. ’You must be more wary about how you invest your youth,’ they say. So, they’ve been arranging extra etiquette lessons for me to prepare me for what the Fates have in store,” she explained.

“Yeah, my parents have been acting weird about me enjoying the present, too!” Yami said.

“I don’t really understand what their problem is, I mean the Fates did allow us to meet each other and spend all this time together. So, I’m sure they have our back!”

“Our parents are just worrying over nothing! Right, Raia?” he replied with a smile.

Somehow his words put her more at ease about her skipping her etiquette lessons for the day.

“You’re quite right, Yami!” she replied as they flew off to the horizon.

***