Lavender Eyes: Lavender Eyes, #1

By Arum Lee

Long ago, the world of Terrenter was created from the wishes of lavender dragons who wanted to find a place to call home. After the world became flourished with nature and humans, the dragons left the world save for one. That dragon continued granting wishes for humans until it disappeared one day. Now, people rarely remember its existence and only believe them to be folklore.

Arcturus Mercury believed they truly existed and is searching for evidence. His travels bring him to the barren icy lands of Eternally where the dragon once lived. Braving through a never-ending snowstorm, he stumbled upon a trapdoor in a cave where he encountered Nova, a mysterious and beautiful man with lavender eyes who seems rather knowledgable about the lore. Nova then proposed to grant Arcturus's wish on the condition to help him grant the wishes of all living beings in the world.

Arcturus slowly realized that helping Nova is much more complicated task than he expected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ecargmura
• Release date: Jan 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223612926

Arum Lee

Arum Lee lives somewhere in the southeastern United States. She is Korean American, and a butler of two dogs. Her blog is Arum Journal, where she writes reviews of pop culture media. She also writes serialized webfiction under the alias Ecargmura.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Lore

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Two children, a seven-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl, were giggling as they were having fun reading picture books together in a dimly lit room. The girl kept pointing to one drawing and calling out the object’s name incorrectly and when the boy kept correcting her, she kept yelling the incorrect name out of stubbornness.

A man entered the room. It’s time for bed, you two.

The boy groaned and pouted, but did listen as he closed the book and placed it on the nightstand behind him. He then carried the girl onto the bed as he climbed up the bed himself. Dad, will you read a story to us today?

The man was a bit worried as he checked his watch. I’m a little busy...

Please? The girl repeated his words.

Their father gave in as he grabbed a stool. Fine, fine. What do you want me to read to you today?

That one!

Their father was rather bewildered. That one? He then hummed. It’s been a while since we last read it together. Fine, we’ll read that one tonight.

He grabbed a rather thick book from the nearby bookshelf. As he opened it, he cleared his throat and started reciting the words inside. Long ago, roaming lavender-colored dragons once inhabited the universe. They traversed through many worlds to find a place they called home. Every planet they went to did not accept them for they already had rules and people.

Why couldn’t they accept them? The boy asked with concern.

It was because they were big, scary and looked very different from regular animals, which scared humans.

That’s not fair.

The father gave him a gentle smile as he placed a hand to his scarlet hair and patted it. It definitely isn’t fair.

Not fair! The girl barked out.

He chuckled as he continued, After soaring through the universe, they eventually found a barren planet. They made a wish for the planet to become their home. The wasteland flourished with nature, and some pieces of land cracked and became their own separate land. They named their new home Terrenter.

That’s the name of our planet! The boy remarked.

His father smiled as he continued, The three large barren lands became countries named Ilacier, Lamina and Plasma. All three had their own unique climate that each dragon liked. However, the emptiness wasn’t satisfying. Although they were the only inhabitants, they couldn’t call Terrenter home. From the worlds they visited, each had humans and animals. They wanted that as well. They wished for them to appear, and it came true; they were truly satisfied.

The boy frowned. The teachers at school say that humans came from animals and whenever I tell them we came from dragons, they look at me weird.

People believe only what they want to believe. If something goes against their beliefs, they deny it.

Why do they do that?

Because they don’t want to get hurt.

The boy felt a sadness in his heart as he recalled the way kids and teachers had ridiculed him for believing in dragons. It made him feel angry but also lonely. Why couldn’t people believe in him? Why do they choose to deny his words?

I’m not wrong...

He felt a hand on his shoulder, which startled him. He was no longer in a dimly lit room with his sister and father. Instead, he was in a bustling cafe where the scent of coffee lingered. The sudden change in scenery confused him. His reflection on the window showed that he was no longer a seven-year-old boy, but a fifteen-year-old adolescent boy dressed in a school uniform.

You okay, Arc? A boy with blond hair asked out of concern as he sat back down.

Arcturus forced out a chuckle. I’m fine. I guess I was just dozing off... He took a sip of his coffee before wincing at how hot it was.

Dude, careful! You’re going to spill some on your book! His friend pushed the book away so that the drops of coffee fell onto the table.

Arcturus frantically wiped the mess away. He then checked his book. The page he was on was still clean, which made him sigh with relief. He took a deep breath in order to calm down.

Are you okay? It’s not like you to get absent-minded...

I guess I was just thinking about the past after reading this book.

About your dad?

Yeah, I just remembered an instance where my dad was reading this to me...

Arcturus then focused back on where he had left off. The dragons found happiness in granting wishes for humans and animals. They were able to communicate with both. Animals didn’t ask for much, but humans continued to make them grant a variety of wishes. As time passed, humans’ wants gradually declined to the point that they no longer had anymore. In turn, the dragons became unhappy; although they had found happiness in calling Terrenter home, a world where they couldn’t function properly was no longer satisfying.

His heart sank when he read this excerpt. He always loved the dragons, but reading the part where they were no longer needed had upsetted him. He couldn’t understand why humans had stopped wishing when there was so much to wish for.

Are you at a sad part? His friend asked as he took a sip of his own coffee.

If you had all the wishes you wanted granted, would you still ask for more?

Not really? If I got everything I want, why do I need more wishes?

He made a good point. If people were full after eating a full course meal, why would they want to eat more? That was normal for people. Yet, Arcturus couldn’t accept that thought.  Even if he had all of his wishes granted, he still wanted more. This thought concerned him; would he be considered as selfish and avaricious?

Arcturus continued reading, Because of their newfound unhappiness, the dragons, save for one, fled the world. The remaining dragon was different. His love for Terrenter lingered; he loved the world, so he knew it was his duty to stay despite not being useful anymore. His dedication moved the people’s hearts, so they did all they could to make him happy; they started by giving him a name: Souhait.

Souhait...

Hey, Arc, look at this! Ariel is in a new Hope Corp watch commercial!

His friend showed him his smartphone that was playing a commercial of a young girl showing off a fancy watch that looked more like a bangle than the traditional one. He couldn’t help but to smile at her wide smile.

He took a glance at his own wrist. When he blinked, he saw the bangle-watch on his own wrist. He then looked up and saw that he was no longer in the cafe; he was in a small room now.

A voice recited, As the dependency of wishes diminished, Souhait’s existence was slowly forgotten. One day, a war broke out between the three countries. When humans finally had wishes regarding it, Souhait was gone.

The worn book was not in his hands, but in the possession of a boy with white hair who was pacing back and forth as he was reading aloud. He started humming as he stopped moving about.

He looked up at Arcturus and asked, Where did Souhait go?

Who knows? People say he’s just fiction and such.

But you believe he existed.

That’s why I’m on this expedition. Arcturus stood up from his bed and looked out the window. He saw a sunset and the ocean through it; he was on an airship that just departed and flew through the sky. The sunset illuminated the water, making it sparkle. It felt as if he was floating on a sea of stars. The sight ignited a fiery determination in his heart.

People dismiss Souhait’s Lore as fiction but I’m here to disprove that. I will find the truth. Are you with me, Kori?

He took a good look at Kori who was standing next to him. In addition to his white hair, he had long ears that resembled a lop-eared rabbit’s; there was a bright yellow earring dangling on the left. The more he fixated on the earring, the colder the room became.

Arcturus started shivering. The room was unusually cold as if someone opened the window on a freezing winter night. A blast of cold wind blew onto him, causing him to clench his eyes shut.

When he opened them, he realized he had been lying down on the snow for quite some time; he had been reminiscing about the past as if he was on the verge of death. He sat up. The freezing tempest chilled his entire body, preventing him from reverting back to his drowsy state.

I have to keep going...

He mustered up all of his strength to get up and keep moving alone.

Chapter 2

Arcturus the Adventurer

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In the midst of the malevolent snowstorm, the determined young adventurer traversed slowly. A heavy gust of wind blew off his hat, exposing his long, unruly, scarlet hair that danced erratically; unconcerned about his hat, he pressed on. The force of the frigid gusts and the depth of the piling snow made him tread even slower. He stepped on something that wasn’t snow, so he hastily bent down and picked up a tree branch and shoved it into his satchel. Another strong gust of wind blasted at him; it was much stronger than before, so his scarf flew off from his neck. He felt colder each passing second. This caused him to suddenly stagger and fall onto his knees. He let out a weak cough; his energy continuously depleted for he hadn’t had anything to eat in a day.

Is it just me or has this blizzard gotten stronger than it did yesterday? He stared at the sky. He couldn’t see it due to the heavy clouds and continuous snow, so he checked the visibility of his surroundings and noticed dusk drew near. Traversing through the snowstorm at night was very dangerous. He needed to find a cave or any other similar type of shelter to rest for the night. Knowing that he was in the middle of nowhere, he got up and resumed walking.

He reached his hand out and felt a rough surface. Cliffs and other rocky edges on this island often had small caverns that he usually took shelter in at dusk. If he felt something with his hand, he would know that a cave would be nearby. He then placed another hand on the wall and guided himself towards a possible nearby cavern. Fortunately, there was a cave with enough space for him to rest for the day. He entered and quickly took off his goggles and rested them on his neck as a makeshift scarf. He removed his satchel and sat down; he quickly reclined back and felt the smooth surface against his body, which allowed him to sigh in relief.

Arcturus Mercury was a traveling adventurer enduring the cold in order to reach his destination: ruins made of ice. He wasn’t sure how long it would take for him to find them. It had already been a week since his arrival on this island, Eternally; his adventures had started four months ago. It was a perilous choice for he had to leave his current life and loved ones behind in order to risk his life in this eternal blizzard; he came here because this was his only chance.

A quick chill came to his body, causing him to sneeze. He then reached out for his satchel and spilled out all of its contents: branches, a matchbox, a jar with only one ice cube remaining, a small canteen, a journal and a pen. First, he gathered the branches and piled them up carefully. He then grabbed the matchbox and lit a match to make a campfire. Once he felt warm, he took off his chartreuse padded coat and goggles from his body; he wore a black turtleneck sweater and pants underneath his heavy outer garments. He rolled up his sleeves; his right wrist had a black hairband and his left had a black bangle that he unbuckled and laid it aside. Taking off his boots was a longer process than the rest due to its complexities, but he managed to get them undone; his legs were now alleviated from the weight. He then took out his hair band to gather back all of his scarlet locks and used the band to tie it into a loose ponytail with the shorter locks falling onto his face.

He then reached out to grab the jar and looked closely at the ice cube; it still maintained its cubic shape even though it was next to heat. He took it out to feel its texture; it was cold like a regular ice cube, but it wasn’t as transparent, but was more opaque than its counterpart; there was an iridescent color that made it unique. He shoved it into his mouth and crunched on it slowly. His face contorted with how cold it was. Before consumption, his stomach had felt empty, but now, he felt immediately full; he drank the remaining water he had in his canteen as well. He was happy to be full, but the sight of the empty jar caused that joy to be momentary. A shocking revelation came to him: he ran out of rations.

He wasn’t sure how long it would take for him to reach the next cave and to find another food source. The thought of this caused him to groan. This is the real game of survival now...

Frustration quickly built up, so he grabbed the journal and pen. He skimmed through his past entries, found a blank page, and wrote down: Today, I have progressed through more snow. I am now in a cave where I ran out of iridescent ice. What should I do about food and water? No animals live on Eternally. Should I eat snow?

He became curious as he looked at the snowstorm outside and pondered about the pile of ice bunched up on the ground. He put his journal down as he got up and approached the cold. Kneeling down, he grabbed a handful of snow. Although he was full, his curiosity was insatiable. He brought the snow towards his nose. It had no scent, but that did not deter him. He opened his mouth and his tongue greeted a new cold sensation. His teeth became chilled as he rolled the substance inside his mouth. The heat of his mouth made it melt quickly; his mouth now contained water, which he drank as a finishing touch.

He savored the taste on his way back to his journal. It doesn’t taste like anything, he wrote. He noted that it would be better off melting it as a source of water and not food. Realization about his desperation to survive surged within him as he laid down in frustration.

I ate snow? he sputtered. How ridiculous. I am ridiculous. He placed his hands on his face to cover his own frustrations. I am crazy. I am desperate. I do not deserve to live after eating snow.

He gasped after hearing his own words, causing him to grab his closed journal. He took a deep breath and slammed it against his forehead. Negative thoughts, begone!

The sound was quite loud, causing Arcturus to wince in pain. Even though he had gone without a proper meal for months, he still had strength, to which he was relieved. The sound kept resonating with the cave; Arcturus noticed it was unusual, so he kept listening.

Does this cave have a tunnel?

He then grabbed his bangle and strapped it back onto his left wrist. He took a good look at the device. It was a black rectangular device with a dark gray rectangular screen. Next to it, there was a small circle that had a blinking red light.. He raised a hand to his left ear that had a dangling yellow earring attached and pressed it with his index finger. A hologram screen popped up in front of him. Kori, materialize a throwing knife for me.

AFFIRMATIVE. A male voice responded as the hologram screen disappeared.

The blank screen glowed blue and the requested knife materialized from the screen, starting from the handle. Once the tip of the blade finished materializing, he grabbed the weapon and examined it.

It was a thin metallic knife specialized for throwing as it was light and had a flat, circular handle. He first threw it against the wall next to him, just to hear what sort of sound it made when colliding—small clinking noises. He then placed it on his left hand and stretched his arm. Taking a deep breath, he lunged forward and threw the knife.

He had expected to hear the clinking noises from before but he heard nothing. Noticing how unusual it was made Arcturus’s heart skip a beat; his tired eyes had a spark of excitement. There was a tunnel in this cave like he had expected, so he quickly gathered up his belongings, got dressed and then grabbed a lit branch for light. He slowly traversed through the tunnel.

It was a long linear path with nothing noticeable; no animals seemed to have resided here. Arcturus anticipated what lay beyond the tunnel. He then saw his knife that landed on the ground, picked it up and proceeded with his adventure.

~

Arcturus wasn’t sure how long it had been since he left his campfire, but he became worried as the branch became shorter and the end was yet to be seen. He then grabbed another branch from his bag and passed the fire onto the new one and proceeded.

Soon, he had used up three branches. He stopped and checked up on the branches he had left: one. He knew he could use matches, but fire used them up quickly. He hastened his pace. Panic came to him because he worried about what this tunnel could actually be.

Could this place really be a cave? Am I just being misled to think that this tunnel could be something important but is actually just a waste of time?

He soon collided against a hard surface, causing him to drop his branch. He winced in pain as he rubbed his nose and chin. He then glanced over at what he had collided against: a wall. Panic surged into him as he realized this was a dead end.

This can’t be! He immediately surrendered as he groaned and leaned against the wall. Is this really the end for me?

He then scanned his surroundings. The area around the wall wasn’t much because it was just an enclosed space. He then looked down and noticed an unusually smooth surface that did not match the gravel of the cave.

What is this?

He quickly placed his knife down and got out his journal to note his findings. Once he finished, he put his journal back into his bag and examined it. It’s smooth and wooden. What purpose does this have? He then felt a thin crease in the middle, which caused anticipation. Could it be a door?

He tried opening it from the edges, but it did not budge. He tried stomping on it, but nothing happened. He got out his knife and tried to pry it open, but the weapon kept slipping out of his hands in every attempt.

Is this really a door? He wondered in frustration.

He quickly surrendered as he decided to scan his surroundings again. He then noticed something unusual at the corner of the cave; it was a bit hard to see given how dim the light was. He went over and grabbed the branch to see what lurked at the corner; it was a bat.

Arcturus became happy. It’s a bat! It quickly changed into fear when he realized something unusual with his discovery. Wait a minute, animals do not reside on this island.

Knowing that it was risky, Arcturus threw his knife at the bat. When he landed a hit, the bat suddenly moved erratically, unlike a real animal. The wings spread out and its eyes started glowing. He gulped when he realized it was a mechanical bat. It started screeching; he covered his ears. When he took a step back, he realized he could not feel a surface underneath; he looked down and saw the wooden door opening. Fear surged within him.

It was a trap door? He thought as he fell in. He was too late to grab the edge of the hole as he submerged into the black abyss.

Chapter 3

Does the Dead Dream?

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Arcturus found himself staring at a cloudy sky, free from the snowstorm, while sitting on a swinging bench from a porch. He felt unusually relaxed; it was as if stress was entirely uplifted from his body. The gentle breeze tickled his nape and forehead; he realized his hair was short when it was currently long. He noticed his arms were crossed and looked down to see himself gently holding a rabbit; it felt rather smooth for a furry creature.

I guess this is how it ends. A dangerous journey like this had a high risk of failure–death–and Arcturus knew that. If he had truly met his end, he wanted to die in a serene way. While death did feel calm and peaceful, wallowing regret came to him. He had accomplished nothing. He did not want to die; he wanted to keep on living.

Arc! The voice caused him to gasp. He turned to see an adolescent girl with auburn hair wearing a school uniform running towards him with worry plastered on her face. Her eye color was the same as his. Are you really leaving?

Why are you here? He couldn’t speak up; he wondered if it was shock controlling his nerves. His mouth started to move on its own. Yes, I made up my mind. He was confused about why he had no control over his words.

Why? An aching sensation stirred within him when he saw her upset expression.

Because I want to prove to the world that I can accomplish the impossible.

You’re going to miss my birthday! Why chase something impossible when you have people who care about you, like me?

Sadness overwhelmed him as Arcturus raised a hand and patted the girl’s head. He felt his lips curl into a sunken smile. I’m sorry for being a terrible brother, Ariel. You have Grandma and Grandpa with you.

But, it won’t be the same without you. She pursed her lips and hung her head low.

He placed the rabbit on the bench as he stood up and placed both his hands on her shoulders. How about this? I will miss your fifteenth birthday, but I’ll do my best to come back before your sixteenth birthday.

Lies. He thought to himself. I’m such a liar.

Her face was full of anticipation. You better promise! I won’t forgive you if you don’t come back!

Arcturus forced out a chuckle, just so he would conceal his sadness and guilt for a plausible unlikely chance that he would be able to make it back by a year. The thought of breaking a promise churned an unpleasant feeling within him. His heart ached.

I’m sorry, Ariel. I can’t make it to your sixteenth birthday and the ones afterwards. I am dead. I can never see you again.

You are alive. A voice called out to him. He searched the vicinity for the source.

When he turned around, the scenery changed into the black void he had submerged into. He had control of his own words and actions.

You are alive.

When he turned around once more, the rabbit that he held onto was floating in front of him at eye level. The sight of it caused his eyes to widen. He wanted to speak, but overwhelming sadness prevented him from doing so.

The rabbit blurted out, You can’t die. Not now. Not yet. Not ever. Live.

Those words resonated into his soul. Tears started trickling down. He covered his mouth to conceal the frown his lips had plastered on. The rabbit started floating away. A sense of urgency came to him as he reached a hand out. His legs were unable to move.

Don’t go! Come back!

It did not obey his words as it kept floating further away until it was no longer in his line of sight. All Arcturus felt was distraught as he collapsed onto his knees and laid down. He covered his face with his hands in order to conceal his sadness in an empty void.

With all of his strength, he whispered, Kori...

His body felt heavy; it felt like fatigue was draining his energy. Kori had told him he was alive, but he believed the opposite. He believed he was dead and that the afterlife happened to be an amalgamation of nightmares of regrets and despair. How long would he be tortured from these unpleasant dreams? Would they ever stop?

He screamed.

Chapter 4

Lavender Eyes

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A cold sensation suddenly brushed against his face, wiping one teardrop off his face. His eyes widened, transporting him from a black void and into a lavender one. He sat up with his hand on his cheek. He was warm and alive.

Where am I?

You’re awake. Thank goodness. A soft voice called out to him. He turned to see a woman smiling at him.

Who are you? He leaned back to keep his guard up.

Relax. I won’t hurt you. The more he heard his voice, the more he realized that the person in front of him was not a woman, but a man.

The man had an androgynous appearance for he had round