11 As Golden as the Sun

The first thing Selene noticed was the heat. It was so hot that she started to remove her cloak after a few minutes. She can see her friends try to adjust to the new high temperature of their location, while Mikael seems unbothered by it.

"You okay in there?" Selene asked Mikael.

"Yup, been here a couple of times. You'll get used to the heat." Mikael answered Selene.

"Does father know that you've been sneaking to Solaria every now and then?" Selene asked, her eyes laced with suspicion.

"Maybe, " her brother replied with a smirk.

"Father wouldn't mind though, he knows I can handle myself, unlike somebody" his eyes looked at his sister from head to toe.

Selene crossed her arms to her chest and grumbled "I'm not that weak you know"

"I know, " he chuckled. "Just very, very, very, easily distracted"

"I'm not!" Selene cried. "I'll have you know, I wouldn't be one of the top sorceresses in Lunaria if I was easily distracted! I can focus on anything that I want. Hell, I even memorized – "

"Hey, Selene look at this!" Kai shouted, "They're selling beef skewers here!"

Selene whipped her head to where Kai is. "Really? I want one!" She said as she strolled to a merchant cart selling various foods on the street, leaving her brother laughing.

It was going to be a long, and wild adventure, Mikael was sure of it.

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Solaria is a place of the Sun, with its dry lands littered with high bronze buildings. While the air was hot and arid, the winds blowing every now and then helps the people cool down a bit. With the sun often shining, greenery was present, but not as abundant compared to Lunaria. They make up for it by the huge amount of minerals and gemstones mined in their lands. Solaria is a glittering city of rocks and sand.

Due to the increase in the number of visitors from Lunaria, it's not unusual to see people in hoods and cloaks roaming their sandy streets; Solarians on the other hand, wear clothes that help refresh them: sleeves blouses and tops, linen trousers, and thin skirts.

What they might lack in fashionable clothing covering their skin, they make up for with the bundle of jewels hanging from their necks and arms. Jiggly gold bracelets adorned with red and orange gems, partnered with layers and layers of delicate necklaces and dangling earrings- men also adorn themselves with jewelry, with rings stacked upon each other in their fingers and gold anklets on their feet.

Selene and her friends were mesmerized by the locals, with their exotic clothing and mannerisms. Solarians are born of the Sun, forged by the harsh heat; their manner was brazen and sharp, unlike Lunarian's gentle and soft actions. They get what they want, no matter the costs.

Mikael left the girls in one of the town plazas while he looked for a place where they can stay in during their trip. He gave the girls enough money for them to have fun and buy things that they like.

Sola immediately went to a dressmaker, saying that she needs to look like her ancestral Ardeat while they stay in Solaria. Kai went to look at pretty gemstones at a jewelry store, meticulously investigating each and every jewel that caught her eye. Selene however, was basking at the sight in the plaza; the Solarians in their wild habitat.

She watched as the children ran wildly to and fro from her view, with great abandon. She watched as the women brazenly touch and whisper to men. She watched as the men laugh loudly at each other and bicker with happiness. She watched as fights started and ended and start again, in a never-ending cycle. She watched until her eyes were dried out by the sun. She watched, fascinated by these wild men and women and children, so vastly different from the culture and environment she grew up in.

When she got tired of watching the people, she started to wander and ask if there are any bookshops available in the town. An old lady pointed her glittering finger to the east and said "I'm not sure if it's still open, but the last bookshop that I remember is there, right around the corner."

Selene thanked the old lady and informed her friends where she is going. "If I'm not back after twenty minutes, look for my brother, then look for me," she said. "It will be easier that way, instead of you two looking for me, and him, looking for the three of us"

Sola shakes her head, "No, he told us to stay here in the plaza. I don't want to be on the receiving end of your brother's non-stop nagging while we go look for you".

"Sola is right," Kai said with a frown. "We can go look at the bookshop once your brother is here"

Selene, annoyed by her friends stopping her, gave them a glare. "It's just around the corner! Nothing bad is going to happen. Why do you guys get to look at shops that you like and I can't?"

Sola was getting annoyed as well, she was ready to answer Selene when Kai stopped her. "Fine" Kai said. "Just come back if it's not there. We will only wait for twenty minutes. After that, we'll drag you out of there"

Selene gave her two friends a big smile and hugged them. "I'll be back," she said, and then she dashed to where the old lady pointed. "Twenty minutes!" she heard Kai shout.

It took her a few minutes, but she found the bookshop. It was a small thing squeezed between two other large shops, and so unadorned that you would miss it if you weren't looking for it. She entered the bookshop and was surprised it was empty. Lunarian bookshops were always filled to the brim with people. 'I guess Solarians value physical prowess rather than their brains' she said to herself. The only person at the bookshop was the keeper, who didn't even glance at her. Selene took a deep breath and smiled. At least she can browse books in peace here.

After she bought an interesting book discussing the effects of the literal sun and moon on the elements and the varying degrees of power they can amplify or reduce, she stepped outside the shop and realized that the sun was starting to set, and twenty minutes has passed. She cursed herself for not minding the time and walked back to the plaza. She must have turned the wrong way when she saw that her surroundings were unfamiliar. 'Shit. I guess I'll just go back to the bookshop and wait for Mikael and the others there' she thought.

As she was walking, she suddenly felt that eyes were looking at her. She can't pinpoint who and what, but she felt being observed. Feeling scared, she hastened her pace, when she read steps behind her when she heard whispers. She started to run, not looking or knowing where to go, trying desperately to confuse whoever was following her. She was so panicked that she suddenly bumped into someone, sending them both tumbling down the street. As she gathered her stuff, she saw a strong hand in front of her. She grasped it and the person whose hand she was holding helped her get up.

"Are you okay?" A deep male voice asked her with concern.

When she looked up, she came face to face with a man whose eyes were as golden as the sun.