1 Etheria

Golden birds flew in arcs in the astral sky, hovering above the minarets that outreached the clouds. Etheria- the astral city of sky-high minarets, gleamed in the golden sunlight.

Soft winds ruffled a teenaged boy's shoulder-long black hairs. He smiled, gazing at the setting sun which would soon descend lower, illuminating the crystalline bottom of Etheria; the city that always floated in the sky.

A winged silhouette emerged at the horizon, approaching the lad whose smile widened with glee as he looked at the silhouette.

"Flora!" He exclaimed, reaching out with his hand. The silhouette turned out to be a beautiful teenage girl with auburn hair and winey eyes. Her bright white wings flapped behind her as she landed beside the boy.

"Ossian!" Flora smiled brightly, taking his hand. She kneeled down and he kneeled up; their eyes twinkling.

"You're right on time, the sunset is here." Ossian said, pecking Flora's lips. Flora blushed and nodded.

The winds blew past the minaret again, ruffling the couple's hairs. Flora's wings looked even more attractive with the slight ruffling of the feathers. Ossian stroked a wing proudly before slinging his arm around her shoulders. Flora rested her head against him, sighing, as the two sat gazing at the setting sun.

"I envy the mortals. They get more of the sun than us." Flora smiled.

"I don't envy them as you're my sun. I get you all to myself." Ossian smiled.

"Oh, you sure flirt!" Flora blushed.

"Nah…" Ossian grinned. "After the 'coming-of-age' ceremonies, we will finally be together forever. Every day of our lives will be full of light and happiness."

"Yes…" Flora exhaled a deep sigh and leaned against him again.

The chirruping of the birds, the whooshing of the winds filled their surroundings for a while. The sun slowly sat, illuminating the crystalline bottom of Etheria. This refraction created a unique veil of rainbow light, surrounding Etheria and doming towards the center up above but not quite encasing entirely. This mesmerizing beautiful scene was the best time of the day. Almost all Etherians would come out of their dwellings and admire the rainbow veil in the sky every day. This rainbow veil was the finishing touch to this utopian civilization.

"Are you prepared for your coming of age tomorrow?" Flora asked.

"Hmm-hmm." Ossian smiled. "It's going to be exciting. We have to display our powers to the noble elders to prove our competence. Afterwards we will be counted among adults and can choose a partner for life during the girls' coming-of-age ceremony."

Flora exhaled nervously. "It's so different for us girls though…" Her gaze turned inward. Ossian sighed and stroked her white wings.

"It will be entirely different for you. I love your wings on you. They fill me with pride. Oh, how beautiful my beloved is with her pure white wings!" Ossian grinned, infecting Flora with a smile.

"I wish every girl could get a partner like you. Then the coming-of-age wouldn't be called…clipping." Flora said. Her tone turned sadder by each word.

Silence filled between them. Clipping was another term used for girls' coming-of-age rite. They indeed would get a partner, but not of their choosing. The men would choose them instead. And then, they would clip the girls' wings, taking them for their own selves.

"It's unfair." Ossian said solemnly. "But it is the traditional law."

"I bet men invented this law." Flora huffed. "Men always wanted to fly, but they couldn't without wings that women are blessed with from birth. So, the men decided to clip women's wings out of envy and greed."

"Flora…" Ossian sighed. Clipping had been the tradition for centuries past. "I am sure, at some point it must have been considered an equivalent willful exchange. Men share their power with their female partners for a lifetime in exchange for gaining their wings. If only women's power cores could generate power on their own…"

The unfairness of nature punched Flora in the face. She clamped down an urge to groan & whine, and took to nuzzling into the crook of Ossian's neck to smother herself. At least there was hope in Etheria as long as men like Ossian existed.

"Someday, men and women will be equals." She prayed.

"Someday for sure. Let our pairing set an example." Ossian pecked her head.

The couple gazed into the flowy rainbow veil, leaning against one another, hopeful towards a happy future.