[[Ch 2- The albu
So, what did you find?
It’s some kind of a compass…
Ashim, don’t do this. It looks like a fake. It could be just any old compass.
No, it’s not. Look. North is in that direction. But the direction this is pointing in… It’s more east.
-
…I don’t buy it one bit.
Listen Ashim, you need to promise to me that if we reach that spot and don’t find the Lost Land, you’ll turn back and come home with me.
Alright, I know!
*sigh*
They keep walking.
Let’s set camp here for the night.
-
*Ashim wakes up at night and sees something glowing moving across the snow*
*He hears footsteps and sees a huge shadow move*
…!
*Nudge* Nima!
-
Ashim wakes Nima up.
Ugh… What?
Look at this, Nima!
They see the animal pouncing and missing each time.
What is it?
It’s an albu. A large creature with a long neck and tail.
It’s very docile in nature.
-
They hear it roar.
It must be calling its family. But there’s no one around.
Nima: That animal is looking for its family. They probably died long ago. But it’s looking for them.
Ashim pounces at the animal and the animal acknowledges him but keeps following the light.
Ashim: Hey albu! Over here!
-
Nima: Maybe its family followed the same light.
Ashim: What’ll we do? Let’s keep following it.
Nima packs everything up and they follow the creature.
They walk for ages.
-
A carnivorous night time animal attacks the albuu, but it fights it off.
-
‘Albus aren’t night time animals’.
‘It must be tired’.
‘Is the light that special to it?’
They see one tree in the snow and the albuu bites the fruit off it.
‘It looks tired, but it seems determined to follow that light’.
After more walking, dawn approaches.
-
[Full page spread?]
Ashim: Finally, morning!
Finally, the light goes down a cliff. The albuu stops and looks down. Beneath, one can see nothing but a luminescent light.
-
‘That there’, says an old man,
‘is a gathering of energy.
The type of energy that was used in wars, but has many uses.
It still remains concentrated in clumps,
and is dangerous to anyone who touches it.’
‘This is the energy of the planet’.
-
‘That albu’s family must have followed the light to their doom’.
The albuu imagines its family falling down the cliff.
Albu: *groan*
Nima: ‘Poor albu’.
Old man: ‘Come, why don’t we gather round a fire and tell our stories?’
Nima and Ashim: And that’s what happened.
-
Old man: Fufufu, very interesting.
To think young -uns like you would go on a journey to find the Lost Land.
I’m here to search for my lost wife.
She went missing one day while searching for corneorites.
I hope you’ll find her.
By the way,
Why don’t you show me that compass?
Fascinating.
-
It is very simple in design. But it has superb craftmanship.
I can tell that it’s something special.
May it guide you well on your journey.
By the way, I was hoping to ask you,
What did you grow up believing in your village?
‘Well, we were told that….
-
There was once a goddess that lived on our earth. It was green for as far as the eye could see.
She enjoyed frolicking around and picking fruit.
Everything was in abundance.
But then, humans got greedy.
First they started cutting down trees and removing plants,
and then they got jealous of the goddess who could create plants at will, and they killed her.
-
After that, there was no one left to look after nature, and the world began to die.
Old man: Hmmm, I see.
In my village, the legend is quite different.
Legend goes that there was once a great war. The humans of that time had found a very advanced, strong power source.
-
This power source was used in the war
and eventually caused the destruction of and levelled our land.
That clump of energy in the magnetic pit is a monument/memento? of that war.
The energy is attracted to particles of the same energy.
-
*Silence*
-
Each village has their own telling of the story of the Big Freeze.
Fascinating, isn’t it? I wonder which one is right… if any.
Maybe they’re all right in some way or another.
Here
Have a piece of advice…
-
Old man: There’s a blanket of fog ahead. The only way through is to….
Old man: Follow the light.
*old man slowly nods and closes eyes*
Old man: Nothing ever truly goes away. What’s thought to be lost might appear before you some day.
Nima: I had a feeling that we wouldn’t be turning back now…
Thanks!
-
They look at each other, and when they turn back to the man he is gone.
…!
He’s gone!
They see what looks like his haunting face in the campfire.
Huh…
-
Well, I guess we’re back to searching for the Lost Land. Maybe this guy will come with us? He has nowhere to go.
Albuu snorts.
Ahh, gal.
Albuu looks happy.
They set off with the albuu.
Ashim: Hey you know the magic that old guy used to light the fire? I wanna know how to do that!
Nima: Maybe we’ll run into more magic users on our journey.
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