Adventures of royland

              THE NEPELANG YELLOW TAIL 

                          Chapter one 

    Dense jungle pressed close, the humid air thick with the scent of rain-soaked earth and the whispers of ancient secrets. I clung to the rough stone of the Nepelang tower, my fingers aching as I pulled myself up with all my strength, each step a battle against the slick surface Covered in vines and moss and dead leaves, The rain had just fallen,  the ancient stones treacherously slippery, but I pressed on, driven by the need to decipher the secrets of the  walls. As an archaeologist and anthropologist, this was my life’s work—unearthing the lost stories of forgotten civilizations.Near the top, I spotted a shadow in an opening that appeared to be a window. My heart quickened. There was no record of anyone living in these ruins—after all, the Nepelang civilization had vanished nearly eight hundred years ago. Curiosity overwhelmed caution, and I leaned in to peer inside. What I saw sent a jolt of disbelief through me: a large woman, bathed in the golden light streaming from the opposite side of the tower, sat calmly as if she belonged there.I knew no one was supposed to be here. The Nepelang people were long extinct—every text, every artifact, pointed to this undeniable fact. Yet here she was, a living, breathing enigma. Without thinking, I hoisted myself through the window to get a closer look.The moment she saw me, her calm demeanor shattered. With startling speed, she hurled a spear in my direction. It whistled past my ear, embedding itself in the wall behind me. My heart pounded as I raised my hands in a gesture of peace, trying to convey that I meant no harm. She spoke then, her voice sharp and commanding, in a language I recognized instantly—the ancient Nepelang tongue, thought to be lost to time.It was impossible. My mind reeled as I stood there, mouth agape. The Nepelang people were gone, only their ruins remained, and yet I understood her words, though I could not speak them myself. I had spent years studying their inscriptions, piecing together the puzzle of their culture, but never did I imagine I would hear their language spoken aloud.She told me no one was allowed in the tower but her people. Her people. My confusion deepened, but before I could process the implications, she turned to leave, commanding me to follow. As she did, something caught my eye—a tail. She had a tail.I must have stared too long, for she snapped her head back, eyes blazing with anger, and shouted at me to stop, saying it was a grave disrespect for anyone but her father to look upon it. My throat went dry as I nodded, silently chastising myself for my lack of discretion. But I followed, my mind spinning with questions, my disbelief warring with the undeniable reality before me.We descended into the heart of the ruins, and as we emerged into a vast clearing, I saw them—dozens of people, all with the same small yellow tails, all bowing deeply as the woman approached. It struck me then—she was not just a woman. She was royalty. I was in the presence of a queen, perhaps even a goddess among these people.The chief of the tribe, a towering figure with a solemn expression, stepped forward, holding a bamboo rod with an air of authority. Before I could utter a word, the warriors seized me, binding my hands with vines that bit into my skin. Panic flared, but I forced myself to stay calm. With my toes, I scratched a message into the muddy ground: I come in peace.The chief’s eyes narrowed as he read my message, then he asked me, in the ancient tongue, how I knew their language. I explained, as best I could, that in the world outside, scholars had been studying the markings of the Nepelang people for centuries. His gaze darkened as he listened, and when he spoke again, his voice was heavy with sorrow.He told me that his tribe had been cursed, cut off from their ancestors for the sin of having a tail. My heart ached as I realized the depth of their isolation, the pain of being separated from their own history, from the world that had forgotten them.As I stood there, surrounded by the living echoes of a lost civilization, I knew my life would never be the same. I had found the Nepelang people—not as relics in dusty tombs, but alive, hidden away from the world. And now, I had to find a way to bridge the gap between our worlds, to help them reclaim their place in history, or perhaps, to protect their secrets forever