"I don't want power!" Selay shouted. "I just want you!"
Fiona smiled softly. "I love you more than anything. That's why you must live. No matter what happens, live. Even when it hurts. Even when I'm gone remember, mom loves you ."
She leaned in and kissed his forehead. Her body began to glow, breaking apart into light like morning mist.
"I love you," she whispered, fading in his arms. "You have to live…"
"Mom!" he screamed, clutching the vanishing light.
The garden echoed with his cry. Butterflies of white light swirled around him, drawn by his sorrow. They surrounded him..dozens, then hundreds..until they covered him like a cocoon of radiance.
And then—
Selay woke up, shouting, "Mom!!" He bolted upright on a wooden bed, covered in a wool-and-fabric bedsheet.
His breathing was heavy, his face pale with the remnants of emotion.
He wore a light, long-sleeved white robe and was wrapped in a simple, warm-looking blanket.
The room around him was modestly constructed entirely of wood. Not too big, not too small, it had the cozy feel of a hand-built shelter hidden deep in the jungle.
Everything, from the floor to the ceiling beams, carried the scent and texture of old timber.
Selay didn't look like before.
His features had matured. He now resembled a fifteen-year-old, with mid-length golden hair and golden eyes that held a quiet, older gaze than before as if childhood charm had disappeared and he had fully become a teenager.. one shaped by time and memory.
Sitting up, he touched his forehead and murmured to himself, "That dream again…" He pulled the blanket aside and swung his legs to the floor, thinking, "It's been five years since that day. I've seen that memory as a dream twice this week… and probably hundreds of times over these five years."
He shivered in the cold and walked toward the window, where a warm white tunic and a thick cloak were neatly folded.
He dressed quickly, his thoughts still wandering. "It's been five years for me and the ones who escaped and came here that day. But for the rest of the world... that day was nearly fifteen years ago."
He stood there looking at the closet and took a deep breath and said to himself " I think it's time... I have been waiting for this for a year...from last year."
He opened a wooden closet. Inside lay a sword not made of steel, but of dark, polished wood, shaped like a finely crafted blade. It wasn't just a toy. Despite its material, it had the presence of a real weapon.
He picked it up and slid it into the makeshift scabbard tied to his belt.
Beneath the sword sat a box, the only visible object in the room that wasn't made of wood
Except for the window glass, mirror, the door and a lantern that had different materials than wood. There were other things in the room such as some painting or the half eaten water on the glass that were not made of wood but those were not visible in the dark room where only little light from outside came.
However the box was elegant, well-crafted, small, and ornate which in size was about the size of a cooler. Selay opened it gently after looking at it and a moment of hesitation .
Inside were several glowing pearls, each one the size of a sparrow and engraved with numbers only visible up close. After a moment of consideration, he picked the one marked with the number *fifteen* then closed the box and returned it to its place.
He shut the closet and turned to the window. Morning fog blanketed the outside world.
The sun had not yet risen. Without opening the window, Selay turned and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Outside was yard size of a small field . In the center stood a stone sculpture of a galloping horse as an emblem of freedom. Surrounding the yard were five wooden buildings, all connected side by side. His own home was to the left of a larger, two-story house in the center. On the right side of the big house stood two more single-story homes, similar in size to his.
To the far left was not a home, but a large cattle shed where a few horses rested peacefully.
Behind the houses, the land was surrounded by dense trees. Past the trees, a still sea glimmered without current. This entire village stood at the corner of a massive island, an island that once didn't exist. Now it spans nearly 100,000 square kilometers, mostly covered in forest. Only specific parts of it were cleared for homes and small farmlands. There were a total 10 villages in the island each separated by jungle but each are similarly large and inside the jungle there is a path that connected those villages. And the village at the corner or close to the sea was where those path shopped
A magical barrier encased the island, rendering it invisible to the rest of the world.
Selay wrapped a white scarf around his neck, shielding himself from the morning chill. A fence marked the perimeter of their yard. By the gate, a tree stood with a hollow , where he placed a folded note before stepping out.
Beyond the fence lay more homes, spread across the forest edge. Selay followed a straight path marked with signs of horse hooves. The houses became fewer, swallowed by trees. A wide trail cut through the forest, guiding him toward the main road.
Eventually, he reached the broader path, where the forest cleared and more houses appeared, each surrounded by fences and small yards. There were over thousands of houses with some houses the size of factories.
Some homes had cattle sheds with horses, cows, or other animals sleeping quietly under shaded shelters.
Some houses were made differently. Some looked like it had people who made cloth, some looked like it had people who made armour, some houses were of farmers, some houses had woods around them indicating this might be a house of a woodcutter.
The village, hidden in fog, still rested in the peace of early dawn.
He continued along the path as boots pressed against the damp soil as the quiet rhythm of his steps echoed faintly in the morning stillness.
After several minutes of walking, passing by nearly a hundred houses each quiet, their animals still asleep, passing a small wooden bridge which had a small river like water flow under it, he reached a wide field where crops swayed gently in the cold breeze. Narrow dirt paths ran between the rows, leading in various directions across the island.
Without hesitation, he turned right, following one of the paths. He said nothing, thought nothing. He simply walked, taking in the crisp air, the quiet rustle of leaves, the softness of fog resting low over the fields. The silence around him felt alive.
Eventually, the path led him to a secluded clearing surrounded by trees, an old graveyard. It was large in size but held few graves, scattered unevenly among grass. But one stood out among the rest which was a solitary grave slightly elevated above the others in slightly far from the rest marked by a finely carved stone that read:
"Queen Fiona Sento."
Selay stepped forward. He approached the grave slowly, and then, with quiet reverence, lowered himself onto his left knee. His back remained straight, his gaze fixed downward on the gravestone. His right foot rested flat on the ground as he knelt before the woman who had once been his world.
"Mother," he whispered, his voice soft, steady, but laced with pain, "it's been five years since you left me… yet I've followed everything you asked of me. I've done my best to live as you wanted. I made mistakes, yes...but I've tried. I hope you can forgive me for the things I couldn't do right."
He reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out the pearl marked with the number 15.
"Today is my fifteenth birthday...I'm fifteen today, Mom. And with all my heart, I'll open the gift you left for me to be opened today." He paused, then his thumb gently brushed over the smooth surface of the pearl. "If you're watching from wherever you are… Please, allow me to see what you've left behind."
He held the pearl up and continued, voice firmer now:
"I'm fifteen now. I'm allowed to take part in combat. I've trained myself, kept my blade sheathed unless it was truly needed. I promise I'll never use violence in anger. But if there are those who threaten the innocent, who harm humanity… I won't stand by. I'll fight."
His eyes lowered.
"Father's body still hasn't been found," he murmured, his voice trembling slightly. "But I haven't opened a single pearl until the day you said I could. I've stayed honest with you… always."
As he stared into the pearl, his reflection shimmered faintly across its surface. His golden eyes reflected back at him then, like a spark, a childhood memory flashed into his eyes.
Here's a refined and improved version of your scene, keeping the emotion, flow, and fantasy tone intact, while enhancing grammar, dialogue, and structure:
It was a memory from when Selay was just six years old.
He had woken up early, the morning sun gently spilling through the tall windows of the royal bedchamber. Warmth surrounded him which was not from the sunlight, but from the embrace of his mother, Fiona, who lay beside him, her arms wrapped protectively around his small frame.
"Mom?" Selay mumbled sleepily, trying to wiggle free.
Fiona stirred at his voice, blinking her eyes open. "Oh… sorry," she whispered, pulling her arm away gently. "I must've dozed off."
He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and glanced at her. She looked tired… I'm a little worried.
"Did something happen?" he asked.
Fiona quickly shook her head with a soft smile. "No, no… it's nothing." Then, leaning closer, she added warmly, "Happy birthday."
"Today?" Selay blinked in surprise.
"Yes," she giggled. "Wait right here, okay? Let me bring your gift."
She climbed out of bed, walked to the large closet, and opened a carefully locked chest ( The chest where he in present took the purl from this is the same chest but that looked much newer.)
She knelt beside the chest, inspecting the contents carefully.
Selay with curiosity , climbed down from the bed and peered over her shoulder. "What are those?"
"Oh, nothing," Fiona said quickly, trying to block his view.
"They look like shiny colored stones," he said, eyes wide. "Are those my gifts?"
"Well… not exactly. But technically, yes," she replied, clearly trying to keep a secret.
"Huh? That doesn't make sense…" he muttered, reaching out to touch one.
But she gently grabbed his hand. "No, sweetie. Don't touch them."
"Why not? You just said they're mine."
"They are," Fiona nodded, "but not all of them. Not yet."
"Then whose are they? Diana's? Doulong's?" he asked.
She chuckled softly. "No, darling. They're all yours. Every single one."
"Then why can't I have them now?"
Fiona searched carefully through the piles until she found the one she needed marked with the number six. "There it is," she whispered to herself, pulling it out and locking the chest again.
She turned to Selay and held up the small, pearl-like object. "You can't open all of them yet," she said, "but this one… this is for today."
"Just one?" Selay pouted. "So I get the others tomorrow?"
"Nooo," she laughed. "But on your next birthday, I'll give you another."
"That's a whole year away!" he groaned and lunged playfully at the chest. She quickly hid it behind her back.
"Listen," she said, crouching down to his level closing the gap, "If I wanted to , I could give you everything now. But I won't. Because these are gifts meant to grow with you. One for every year."
He tilted his head. "Huh?"
Fiona gently placed the pearl in his tiny hand. "See this? It says six. That means you can open it today now that you're six. There are a hundred of these pearls. One for each birthday. They're all unique. And only when you reach the right age can you open them."
"Why?" Selay asked, curiosity lighting his eyes.
"When I was pregnant with you in my tummy..." she said, voice softening, "I had little to do, so I spent my days preparing something that could stay with you forever. Something that could be with you, even if I couldn't."
She paused, then added, "Each pearl has something I made just for you. A gift, a lesson, or a wish. But if you open them early, the meaning may be lost."
She placed the chest back into the closet, then held up the pearl again. "Alright, give this a kiss."
Selay grinned. "Okay!" He kissed the pearl.
It glowed instantly, making his eyes widen with amazement. "Wow!"
"Wait for it," Fiona smiled.
The glow shimmered brightly, and then the pearl slowly transformed, unfolding into a soft white scarf that gently fell into Selay's hands.
"It turned into… a scarf?" he said, lifting it in awe.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
"I think so…" he replied, still inspecting it.
She smiled faintly. "I'm sorry if it doesn't seem special now. But someday, when you're older..if you still love me as your mother...you'll understand what it truly means."
"Really?"
"Really. But only if you promise me one thing," she said, holding out her pinky. "Never open the others until you reach the right age. Not even one. If you do… I may not rest easy, even in death."
"I promise, I guess," Selay said, linking his pinky with hers.
She pulled him into a warm hug. "I hope so."
The memory faded, and Selay blinked back into the present, his hand still clutching the pearl marked 15. He looked down at it, eyes filled with emotion.
"Thank you, Mom," he said like a whisper, and kissed the pearl.
It glowed , then slowly floated into the air, glowing brighter with each second. Selay stepped back slightly, watching in awe as the pearl morphed into a small ornate box.
He reached out and caught it gently. As he opened the lid, a necklace glowed inside, a small glowing golden crystal at its center.
"A necklace?" Selay whispered, holding it up. The small crystal at its center pulsed with a faint golden light, warm against his palm.
"Am I... supposed to wear this?" he wondered, heart pacing slightly faster.
He slipped the necklace over his head. The moment the crystal touched against his chest, instantly a surge of energy flew through his body and the glow intensified, blazing like a flame catching air.
Then it struck his chest.
A searing pain pushed through his chest, as if fire had erupted beneath his skin. His breath caught, his knees buckled.
"What the hell...! Why is it..." he gasped, collapsing to the ground.
The world spun. His hands clutched at the necklace, fingers trembling.
"It hurts... my chest... what is this?!"
Instinct screamed at him to tear it off but he hesitated.
"No.... I can't. I won't."
The pain sharpened, burning through his veins like lightning. His vision blurred. Then it started to be darker and sounds and his visions started to fade.
And after a few seconds that felt like eternity everything went silent.
The pain was so intense that he could not say anything, scream or think.
A wired sound came to his ears saying something in Fiona's voice and then....
His body went still. And the world faded to black..
TBC...