The Legend of the Constellar King

The next day, Laniro gathered the men he had chosen yesterday. They were thin with pale faces. Laniro had decided on twenty-one soldiers to accompany them to Moonatoria. Six of them were sick, looking as if they had a lung ailment because they kept coughing and were weak, yet they were thin. They also had two other companions who were extremely thin, as if they were truly deprived of food, looking like skeletons. Five of them had disabilities. For example, two had lost an eye, and one had a severed hand. Three of them seemed to have no illness but were not robust, and were also somewhat thin. Only one was healthy and sturdy. Laniro chose him so that someone would remain, as he thought the sick and thin soldiers he had chosen might die.

"Head to the Ossibian Sea, the northern part of Ossibuz," Laniro commanded. "Bring thick clothes so you don't get an asthma attack." Laniro saw that they were already at death's door.

"We will wait for the king's return because he went to Cypriox to find out what's happening there, but don't worry, he'll be back in an instant."

The men Laniro had chosen were overjoyed because they thought they would be traveling with the king. Yes, they would be joining him for his sake, but they didn't know where. This was the first time they felt they had worth, even with their illnesses and disabilities. The other sturdy soldiers sitting on rocks next to rock tables were surprised and envious.

"Why didn't the king choose us?" a soldier asked his companion, his voice dispirited and lifeless, much like their land, which was experiencing a light hail of ice and a cold breeze. His breath steamed and his chest heaved. "Us, the sturdy and strong, were ignored by the king?" The soldier heard the deep, guttural grumbling and discontent of his fellow soldiers. The sky was cloudy, slowly pouring fine white ice onto the rocky land. He leaned his large machete against a rock and grabbed some furniture to add to the fire to make the surroundings warmer. The warriors' footsteps grew louder when Lanero passed by; they deliberately made their chins tremble to get his attention, but just like their thick animal hide suitable for the current winter in Ossibus, the noise didn't have any effect.

Laniro heard their conversations but just ignored them. He stepped three times on the stairs, then stood on the stage, head held high, looking at the soldiers below. Snow was already covering the wood he was standing on, but its black color was still noticeable. A small bell rang, a signal to call the people for an important announcement from the king.

The king who had gone to Cypriox immediately appeared. Out of respect, they all gathered and faced him. They saw a black bird perched on the king's shoulder. A crow! The king stared at all his soldiers from left to right. More were still arriving.

"Listen, all of you!" His thick voice echoed, and other birds flew off. He felt the cold clinging to his hand; even with the noisy crows on the roof, the king's voice was still clear to the people. "We will journey through the frozen Orcasian Sea!"

Everyone started murmuring, making different noises and talking amongst themselves. Everyone wanted to join the voyage.

"But only a few will come with us!" the king said. The soldiers had different reactions upon hearing this. "You will stay behind and guard the kingdom!" Matar blurted out. "Laniro has already made his choices."

"What about us?" a soldier shouted. "Who will supervise and command us here?" He had a large body and was holding an axe. He was Adamoth, Laniro's friend. And a skilled warrior of Matar.

"I now bestow upon you the position of leader of the soldiers, and I command you to maintain peace in my kingdom and be a blade against those who try to take advantage of my absence. They will obey you, from this day forth." He said, formally appointing Adamoth to the role of commander of the soldiers.

"Thank you, My King," Adamoth knelt and bowed his head.

Adamoth stood up and faced the king with his head held high.

"From now on, you will obey Adamoth," Laniro said. They all knelt and paid their respects to him. Matar returned inside his palace to prepare himself for the voyage and journey to Moonatoria, but a vision appeared to him and said: "Wait for a woman outside of Moonatoria after your conversation with the king of Moonatoria."

Laniro also sent the chosen soldiers to their ship. Afterward, he and Adamoth had a conversation. Matar and his party began their journey west, riding black horses. Some soldiers escorted them to the sea, and when they arrived, the twenty-one soldiers were already on board. There were also soldiers there who were guarding the ship. They would also join the voyage. It took Matar four hours to travel from the kingdom to the port.

The voyage began. The ship was large enough to pass through the frozen, icy ocean. From the very first day, they encountered and passed a lot of snow. Large chunks of ice were floating in the sea. The temperature was getting extremely cold.

On the second day, they came across a ship that was wrecked and covered in snow. This ship was believed to have been destroyed by a large whale. The cold intensified and became deadly. They saw gigantic icebergs and mountain-like formations of ice. As they went further, the passage for the ship became smaller and narrower in the middle of the solidified and white waters of Orcasian. Three of Matar's companions gave up and died. They couldn't handle the extreme cold. The ones who died were simply thrown onto the deadly ice. Although everyone was shivering, they continued their fight against the cold. Matar was completely wrapped in thick clothes made of animal skin. His crow was dead. Thе аuthеntiс vеrsiоn is оn М|V|LЕМРY_R.

On the third day, a fierce and truly deadly cold attacked them. The passage through the ice was extremely narrow, so the ship's progress was slow. On this day, five more died. Only thirteen were left. At night, another one died. Laniro was starting to worry that all the men they brought on the voyage would be gone.

"My King, there are only twelve left, and the sad thing is, what if we run out of companions?" Laniro reported. "We can't be sure if their lives will continue in this cold place. And it's a miracle that those who are sick are the ones holding on strong." Laniro added. "The other disabled people are dead, and the four sick ones are also dead?" he continued.

"Gather the reincarnations of their crows, and have them fly when we get to Moonatoria, but tell them to roam all over Moonatoria!" the king said coldly.

"If that's the plan, then alright, I'll command them once we get to Moonatoria port," Lanero replied. The bodies of the dead soldiers were thrown into the Orcasian Sea.