Sakura Tree

Sakura Tree

Characters:
Sakura
Mamoto
Malkin
Shansu
Matsuro
Leara
Morgan


First off, don't mind the title of this story. I hate it. I first made this story many years ago, back when I had no idea that Sakura was such a generic overused name in anime.
Sakura Tree is a lot more story-oriented  than my other stories, so I'll provide an overview of the world and important history here.




ST takes place in a fantasy world. There is a board of three kings and their court, and then below the kings there are governors of regions. The city of Sentina is where ST takes place (most of the time). Sentina is a huge walled city with great religious significance, as it is home to the Sentina clock tower and temple, which were both built to honor the Sun and Moon. The city is so big that it is it's own region. The governor of Sentina, though he is technically on the same level as other governors, is regarded as being more important and having more responsibility than other governors. Sentina is sometimes called the second capitol because it is often thought of as being even more important than the actual capitol.

The Clock Tower
Originally known as the Sun's Tower. The tower is said to be built by the gods.
There is a legend of a second tower called the Moon's Tower that had been lost (sort of like the Holy Grail legend)
It's not actually a clock. It's like a giant sundial. Sentina is a circular city, and the walls are very tall. The "clock tower" is just one tall tower, and the sun casts a shadow that falls onto other smaller towers around the city with crystals on top that glow when struck by the sun. By looking at which ones are lit and which aren’t, you can tell the time of day. This worked while faith in the religion was still strong (during Mamoto's time) but now it has faded out, and technological advancement is on the forefront of society now. The other buildings have become taller, blocking out the tower's shadow. Without it's use as a clock OR its religious significance, it has become merely a tourist attraction; a curio, almost.

The Legend
The Sun is usually depicted as either a man or an eagle. The Moon is usually portrayed as either a woman or a silver wolf.
The Sun and the Moon were born at the same time, and were in love. They both stayed together all the time, resulting in one half of the world being light and the other pitch dark (monsters ended up originating in the dark). But suddenly, the Moon started to eclipse, and transformed into the Chaos God and started rampaging. The Sun had to drive her out, and he chases her around the world endlessly as she transforms back and forth between her true shining self and the Chaos God. (the transforming = moon cycles)
In the story, Mamoto represents the Moon, Sakura represents the Sun, and Leara represents the Chaos God.

The Protector tradition
Because Sentina is such an important city, it is often under attack by monsters and people. The Moon, feeling guilt for the destruction she caused, made a pact with man to help them fight off the monsters that attacked their clock tower. Man gives a child, and the Moon gives a wolf, and the two become a pair that has the power to protect Sentina. A golden (female) wolf puppy is found on the doorstep of the home of a newly born boy, basically. The boy and the wolf grow an extremely close bond and are able to communicate to eachother without words. A new Protector is born even before the acting one dies; the acting Protector trains the replacement. Mamoto is the LAST Protector.
They are deeply associated with the religion of the world, and often take special part in ceremonies and the like. Protectors are treated with reverence by the people of Sentina, though some of them may end up becoming corrupt because of the special treatment they are given.

Beast Men
"Beast Men" is a phenomenon where a child is born with animalistic features. It is said to be a curse. The cause is unknown, with theories ranging from infidelity to straight-up bestiality...
In Mamoto's time, they were discriminated against and stereotyped as savage monsters, and not allowed to do various things like participate in government or join the royal guard, etc. They really aren't any different than normal people, except heightened magical ability seems to be connected with beast men.


Related Pages:
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