There are quite a few new terms in this story, but they aren't exactly made up. They are borrowed from other languages. For instance, the word Evren is Turkish and means universe in English. For this story I wanted to have a multi-cultural feel since it reflects the world where I grew up.
Elara is a person of color with Vitiligo. Vitiligo is a skin condition where you lose pigmentation on patches of your skin. I was inspired by a woman I saw at the grocery store and I thought she was so beautiful, I decided she would be one of my characters. Elara is named for one of Jupiters moons.
The next character we meet is named Vera, a young Vietnamese girl. She was named for the American astronomer, Vera Rubin, who "changed our fundamental view of the cosmos, from a universe dominated by starlight to one dominated by dark matter."
Now on with the story.
Elara stood in her usual spot on the dais in the center of a spacious room known as the Qalea Chamber. It was where Vera and Rigel learned the secrets of the Evren from Elara. The chamber also served as their school and was a home away from home on Earth, which all three of them shared. Elara stared at the entry platform in front of her deep in thought.
Vera’s voice echoed off the walls of the bright white limestone chamber. She was Elara’s young apprentice and was always at her side. Her eagerness to spring into action at the slightest request made her the perfect sidekick. And there was no one Elara trusted more.
“What else do we need to do?”
Elara held up her index finger without breaking her concentration. She stood in front of her black tufted throne absorbed in her thoughts. You could tell by the way her eyes moved that she was going through a mental list to make sure that everything she planned was in place.
While Vera waited, she let her eyes wander up the unending wall and allowed her head to fall back as she gazed at the cosmos high above. There was no ceiling to top off this grand chamber. The Evren appeared rotating as Earth twirled in its vast expanse.
Elara surveyed the octagonal room one last time and looked directly at Vera, who leaned forward, bouncing on her toes, awaiting instruction.
With a confident nod, Elara said, “We are ready, but there are a few things I’ll need your help with when I am gone. Follow me.”
The grand staircase curved up, leading them to the library on the second floor. At the top of the stairs was a great white wooden desk. Elara stopped and picked up a bulky book with the familiar Evren symbol on the spine.
“I need you to help me maintain the historical records. Not for very long—only when I can’t be here,” she said, handing Vera the book. Her eyes widened and she leaned back a bit.
“I trust you,” Elara said.
Now that Rigel was on his way, it was time for Elara to leave. It was too dangerous for her to remain there with Rigel so close. If he captured her, he planned to imprison her for eternity so that he could use her power for himself. They were not willing to take that chance.
Elara casually raised her left arm to reveal a flesh-colored tattoo of an arrow on her forearm. Squeezing her hand into a tight fist, she watched as the once-obscure mark took on an orange glow. The light then traveled down her arm. When she opened her hand, a ball of light hovered over the middle of her palm. In a flash of bright orange light, she vanished.
Awesome world-building!