“Nonsense!” 

Kai grimaced as Sacclin wrapped bandages around his torso. His back and face were purple with bruises, and there was still crusted blood lining his nostrils and lips. Sacclin had been treating him at the inn’s lobby since the afternoon, and it was now dark outside. He had also been scolding him the entire time.

“Just…Nonsense!” He continued.

“You said that already…” Kai remarked, groaning as he adjusted himself on the stool. Sacclin pulled the bandage tighter, causing him to yelp.

“It’s not a joke, boy! You know the rules!” Sacclin snapped before gritting his teeth.

“Stay Safe, Stay small.” Kai recited.

“I’m starting to think you don’t know what that means! No risks are to be taken, especially with your body!”

Kai knew his body well. It had always been this way. Brittle, frail, quick to break, slow to heal. It was worse when he was younger. So much worse. Years passed before he could move further than short distances on his own. He used to be a sad bag-of-bones, sluggish and exhausted from hauling along his own skeleton. It took ten years of physical training with Sacclin to get him anywhere close to normal, but he was still far from it. None of that mattered today, though. So the question remains…

“Why?!”

Kai snapped back to reality after Sacclin spoke. He sat on the chair behind him and sighed.

“I just don’t get it, kid. This here is so unlike you.”

“Unlike me? Or unlike you’ve taught me, Sir?” 

Sacclin narrowed his eyes.

“I’m teaching you how to live, kid.”

“No, you taught me how to survive. I’m not living here.” Kai coughed before swallowing the blood that rushed up his throat. His emotions were agitating his body further, but he kept his gaze fixed on the elderly man before him.

“I haven’t lived a single day … since she died.”

Sacclin’s face wrenched as he stared into the boy’s eyes. Deep black with a hint of seaglass green in his lower iris. Behind his gaze lay an endless abyss of doused ambition and unfulfilledness, like entropic black waves, crashing over themselves again and again. But he glanced away; he couldn’t afford to give him hope. The time for that had long passed.

“So what, huh? All of this…helping me with the Inn, fishing with the men on the beach, and Jenny…none of that matters.”

Kai’s eyes opened wide, but slowly his teeth began to grit as he dropped his head in frustration. He began to speak quietly but sharply.

“The people here are fine. Jenny …is fine, but-” He got up from the bench.

“Every crumbling bone in my body tells me, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m sure of it,” he said as he hobbled up the stairs as quickly as he could.

“We’re not done here, boy!” Sacclin called after him.

“I’m tired, sir!  Besides, tomorrow is a long day.” He yelled back.

Sacclin stood at the base of the stairs, puzzled and fuming. He grabbed the edge of the wooden railing and squeezed it until cracks forked through it. Splinters stabbed into his hands, and slowly, blood trickled down into his wrinkled palm. He sucked his teeth* and grabbed an old rag from the reception table to sop it up. 

*Suck teeth - An expression similar to scoffing*

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. The boy had lived with him for almost ten years now, and he had never acted out. He always followed directions perfectly and never complained, no matter how bad the circumstances were. He had even tolerated an old geezer like him who had no experience parenting and was just doing what he thought best. Now here he was, bandaging him up from his first-ever fight and a stolen Cy-Bike in his front yard. Why now, of all times?

“Probably best not to think about it too hard,” Sacclin mumbled,

“Besides, he’s right. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

10 years ago

“Another one, Mommy! Another!” 

A young Kai bounced around on his bed, full of energy and excitement. He was a sickly little thing. Sunken cheeks and the black circles around his beady eyes completed his ghastly face. His limbs, like sticks welded to his tiny body, flailed around from his joints as he jumped up and down. He enjoyed himself for a few more seconds before coughing violently mid-bounce and settling on his bed, exhausted. He looked down into the hand he was using to cover his mouth and saw small spots of blood sprinkled onto his palm. 

A warm hand reached forth and held his cheek as his mother sat beside him. She was stunning, at least in Kai’s eyes. Mary Smith, a beautiful woman of eastern descent. Black hair, 5’11, and a soft smile that made you want to sleep in her arms. One of the few easterners to remain on Astia’s side of the barrier. To him, she was like a being that belonged on another planet, but there she was, making sure he was still alive.

“Now, Kai, you can’t overdo it. Remember our steps, br-”

“Breathe *cough* slowly,” Kai wheezed out. 

He took a deep breath in. His mother's teachings always saved him from the pain. First, breathe in slowly. Then, feel the blood flowing through your system. Wherever there feels like there is too much blood or it is flowing where it shouldn’t, push it back around your body. He followed her instructions perfectly, reducing his internal bleeding before opening his eyes and looking back at her.

“Done.”

“Very good, Kai. You’ve gotten better at doing it on your own.”

She ruffled his hair, and he pushed her hand away playfully. His mother was one of the best doctors in Annaguaua. Her methods were…peculiar, but she had saved many lives, including his own, with her alternative approaches. Kai’s eyes stared straight into his mom’s as he pleaded for his earlier request, his lips wobbling in desperation. His mother smiled weakly.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else you want? I tell you stories every night…”

Kai paused for a second, choosing to think deeply before speaking.

“Can we get Dad back this year?”

His mother’s smile faded. Her eyes averted his gaze as she spoke softly but sincerely.

“Honey, that…that won’t be possible. Your dad has very important business and can’t come home for quite a bit longer.”

Kai expected this answer, but still bowed his head in disappointment. His mother couldn’t bear the topic any longer and quickly shifted the conversation.

“Fine, Mister. I’ll tell you one more story, but only because it is your birthday.”

Kai’s eyes opened wide, and he raised his hands into the air, ready to shout, but dropped them quickly, remembering his mother’s earlier instruction to remain calm. He instead chose to snuggle under the sheets and eagerly await his story with a joyful grin. Because of his condition, he wasn’t able to move around much, so he had barely spent time outdoors or even with children his age. His body’s state meant no sports, no parties, and being stuck indoors with tutors all day. Story time was the only escape he had from his life’s monotonous cycle and a genuine chance to let his imagination roam free as he visualized the plots. It helped him forget that he wasn’t like other kids in the ITCU and made the dull, concrete walls of his room feel less like a prison and more like a home. 

What made it more tolerable was that his mother was an excellent storyteller with no shortage of incredible tales. Stories of a giant being defeated by a boy, an army being swallowed by an ocean, and food raining from the sky to feed a wandering people. She rattled off so many of them from her little book, which she kept snugly in her purse. It was small, white, and had a strange golden T-shaped symbol in its center. Kai’s excitement rose as he watched it rise out of her purse bag. Which one would she tell today? 

His mother flipped through the book swiftly but with focused eyes. However, as the pages turned, her gaze slowly began to trail as her mind seemed to wander. She eventually reached the end of the book without choosing a single story. Kai tilted his head in confusion as she put the book back into her purse and placed it onto the nearby dresser. She sighed before her face slowly returned to a gentle smile, and she leaned forward to her anxious son. She held his bony hand between hers and spoke softly.

“How about this? I’ll tell you a completely new story. A very important one, that you must never forget.”

A new story? She hadn’t told a new story for several months. Kai was used to the same twenty or so stories cycled from the white book. He didn’t mind the repetition, though. The same tale told with enough vigor and details could always be interesting. But a new story after all this time, coupled with his mother’s strange tone, built a curiosity in him he couldn’t explain. Fearful that if he spoke, his excitement would overtake him, Kai just nodded slightly. His mother leaned back and waited several seconds before nodding as well.

“There exists a place, high above these lands, and hidden deep within the folds of this world. A land with Amber-clad skies that rest above cool blue soil that shimmered with a cobalt hue. Luscious greenery, crystal clear rivers, and landscapes so perfect in appearance, they looked as if the greatest artist painted them onto the earth. This place was home to a people who were forgotten by time. Righteous folk known as…the Followers. This place was their Haven.”

Kai’s eyes widened. No other story had started like this. His imagination raced to keep up, painting a radiant picture of this floating haven. His mother continued.

“Their environment was beautiful, but the people themselves even more so. Farmers, Scientists, and Leaders who are far more capable than anyone in all of Astia. Tools, Buildings, and transport our people on earth probably wouldn’t see in the next hundred years.”

“A-Amazing! But why are they called the followers?” Kai chimed in.

“Well, that’s because the Followers served someone far more incredible than themselves. A great king, who protected and guided them. He was known only as The Most High.”

Kai pictured a giant figure who towered above his people as they knelt before him.

“ That’s soooo awesome! Wait…How did he protect the Followers?”

He removed his hands from under the covers and punched his fists into the air multiple times.

“Did he beat up all their enemies ‘til they begged for mercy?”

His mom laughed and pulled his hands back down to his chest.

“No, sweetie, he’s far too powerful to just ‘beat up’ their enemies. And since when have you been so violent? Have you been surfing the AllNet again?”

“So how did he do it then?” Kai pressed her, nervously dodging her question.

“The Followers were not fools. They were a peaceful people, but knew that others would come who covet their lands or who wanted them dead. So the Most High gave them guardians. Powerful individuals who excelled in combat and had prowess in fields that exist beyond this world. Reality was their canvas, and enemies moved aside to clear their path. They were known as…”

Kai’s eyes opened wide as his mother's lips moved.

The night was quiet.

No whistles from the wind, no humming from the street lights. 

It was as if the Angel of Death had slept the night’s air and hovered quietly over the town…

Before its wings dropped.

BOOOOOOM!