The Da’Fenix

Dawn, one of the most beautiful times of the day descended upon the mountains of Roxor, as the birds woke up and sang their melodies, dew collected onto the swaying grass and in one of the largest town, Baro, the people welcomed the new day with smiles and joy as the they went onwards to their chores.
The kids full of energy and oblivious to the cruel ways of the world danced and played in the stone laden streets of the town while the farmers went to tend to their fields and the merchants opened their shops, hawking their products as the marketplace bustled with activity, some selling, some buying while some argued as they bargained.

The people's life fulfilling and complete however, that isn't the case for everyone. At the centre of the town stood a grand and magnificent 3-storied building, whose structure and condition itself was a testament to the passage of time that it had seen. The entire building seemed to be carved out of a single block of dark red stone, which although seemed dull, was once the epitome of beauty and lustre. It had a spherical dome on the top on which were carved various scenes of war and bloodshed. On top of the dome was a sculpture of a man who had an insignia of a phoenix on his left chest and he held the Sun and the Moon in his right and left hands respectively. The man looked straight up into the sky as if lost in deep thoughts and below his feet was carved the word Da'Fenix in gold and black. All these on closer observation gave one a feeling of realism as if they themselves were experiencing every single thing. A huge rectangular area was situated in front of the building.

A group of teenagers aged between 11 to 13 years could be seen standing in that rectangular area .Outsider the rectangular area were various adults and aged people observing these children. They stood in the windows and doors of the surrounding buildings while some occupied the streets. Despite the presence of so many people a complete silence could be observed in the rectangular area except the occasional discussion among the aged about the future of these teenagers . Anxiousness could be see. on the faces of the children, as some fidgeted with their fingers and some bit their nails. The more nervous ones even had their backs drenched in sweat. However among these children, stood out a few who were surrounded by others, becoming the centre of their groups. These children were the victims of worship and envy of the surrounding children as well as the adults, becoming the so called 'Prodigies' or 'Gifted'. They had an air of confidence around them, and seemed to be able to accomplish any task regarded of its difficulty.

In another corner of the town, stood a shabby hut which had an adjacent courtyard. In the courtyard one could also see a small pond with crystal clear water reflecting the bright rays of the sun. The stillness of the water was abruptly broken when a boy broke out of the surface, the water droplets glistening on his tanned skin as his wet jet black hair sticked to his forehead. His eyes closed as he took pleasure basking in the morning Sun.

"Aasir, you rascal," came a shout out of the hut,bringing the boy out of his enjoyment ,"get out of the pond right now. You are gonna be late as always. Don't you realise how important today's day is. All the children should have already gathered at the Awakening Hall by now and you still have the time to dilly dally," lectured a woman in her 40's with waist length brown hair that swayed with the wind and a fair complexion, as she came out of the hut holding a towel and clothes in her hands. She walked towards the boy, glaring at him, however her anger couldn't hide the tenderness and warmth for the boy visible in her eyes.
Aasir grabbed the towel from the woman and wrapped it around his waist, stepping out of the pond. "Late ?" He asked, confusion visible on his face," why would i be late Aunt ? Isn't the Awakening Hall supposed to open at 8 ? I am quite sure that there still a lot of time to get there."
"I see that you are getting smarter day by day, young man," said his aunt twisting his ear. "However today you are making a fool out of yourself. Its true that the Hall opens at 8, however everyone has to gather half an hour before and i am sure that everyone already has," she said triumphantly.
"What !?" exclaimed Aasir. "S**t. I didn't know that. The Examiner and Town Head are gonna kill me," he said grabbing the clothes in a hurry as he put them on not caring about the wrinkles that resulted due to his carelessness. His aunt sighed watching this thinking about how she spent the entire night making those clothes for the ceremony. Well nothing could be done, now that the deed had been done.
"Well, hurry along now and don't forget to grab something from the table to eat on your way. You wouldn't wanna faint during the most important time of your life, would you ?" she said planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Thanks aunt, i will. See you after the ceremony," saying so Aasir rushed out of the courtyard and into the hut.
Grabbing an apple out of the fruit basket, he rushed out on to the road, running past the people and shops making his way to the hall, eagerly anticipating the destiny that awaits him, after all he was the last descendant of the once famous Da'Fenix.

Author's Note

What do you guys think of the dialogue and descriptive writing