X1.2.2 - The Caravan and the Kami

  When the dust finally settled, he heard voices. At first, he suspected that he was imagining things. To his surprise, however, several people popped out of the wreck. His eyebrows shot up, mimicking the upward stretch of the creature's rigid legs. His eyes swept across the ground, noticing a green, star-shaped fruit, followed by another, blue and shaped like a cube. Scattered around were several more—purple, pink, spiky, round, and other ones with even more bizarre shapes and features. The strangers scattered, picking up the fruit strewn on the sand. A man wearing trash as armor rolled out. He made his way out of the tangled mess, screaming orders at the others in a foreign language, saying something along the lines of:

  "Look at this mess," and "I don't want to be here; today was supposed to be my day off."

  Roa attempted to scream, hoping to get their attention, but all that escaped his throat was a weak groan that resembled a rubber chicken being sat on; it was quickly drowned out by the noise of the workers scrambling to fix the mess. He tried to push himself up, but his body betrayed him, leaving him stuck there on his knees, with his arms limp at his sides, and his mouth cracked open. He began to cry, but his eyes could not even spare a tear in that state. He bowed his head, defeated, letting his torso shake and bounce in futile frustration.

  One of the workers noticed the young man at last, and the strangers gathered around him, rushing over with wide eyes, as they spoke hurried words to one another. They offered him water and strange dates, large and round like grapefruits, and ten times as sweet as their Earthly counterparts. Roa’s eyes shot open as overwhelming sweetness filled his mouth, like thunder landing on his tastebuds. They laid him down with gentle care as he ate and drank to his heart's content, while the massive bug was unraveled with great patience.

  Once he had regained enough strength, the boy sat up with a jolt; a wide, terrified look on his face.

  "G—g—giant," he screamed, pointing straight up, behind the crew.

  A massive head popped over the canyon; a monstruous being with the face of a Human, but skin that reminded him of stone and dust. Everyone scrambled, jumping back onto the millionpede in panic. Someone grabbed Roa’s arm, pulling him up onto the creature and shoving him inside one of the tents attached atop its furry back. The bug's legs activated, like an army on the march, kicking up a dust storm in its wake. Its long body straightened out, whizzing out of the canyon at an impressive speed, into the wide-open desert. The young man, bouncing around inside the tent at first, was heard snoring soon after.

  He woke up refreshed. He had slept for hours on what turned out to be a much smoother ride than expected. He felt himself coming back to life as energy returned to his body. He glanced at his arms; the tattoos had disappeared. The tent was filled with colorful pillows and soft, comfortable sheets. A tarp shielded him from the rays, as air flowed through the tent, cooling him from the desert heat. The sun was now on the opposite end of the sky, to his surprise, however, it was now followed by a second one, popping out on the other end of the heavens.

  "No wonder it's so hot here," he said, gazing at the wilderness whizzing past him, as the bug’s legs marched on like a powerful locomotive never losing speed.

  The desert was immense. The dunes went on forever and were only occasionally dotted by clusters of rocks, sticking out here and there, like red islands in the orange sea of dunes. The chill of night creeped in after what seemed like a never-ending day, one far longer than any on Earth. The millionpede slowed and rolled up onto itself, forming a large, tight spiral, to rest for the night. The workers had gone to sleep and not a single sound could be heard. When the young traveler felt the need to relieve himself, he lifted the covers and slipped out of the tent. He slid down the creature's hairy side, landing onto the soft, warm sand. The pitch-black night was darker than anything he had ever seen in the city. When he raised his eyes, his mouth dropped at the sight of an endless sky covered in colorful stars; not white, but resembling a rainbow of dots above. He had never seen so many in his life. He stared up for a while, as if hypnotized by their twinkle, and the faint glow of the twin moons. When his eyes shifted back down, he leapt back, paralyzed in fear, bumping his shoulders against the millionpede. In front of him stood a strange being, emerging from the darkness with slow, deliberate steps.

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  It was twice as tall as he, and its hooves pressed on the sand but left no tracks. It looked like an eland antelope, with its large horns twisting onto themselves backwards, its neck skin drooping, ruffling down, and its short, light-brown fur covering its large body. It was painted with many colorful handprints, glowing magically in the darkness, like lanterns in a festival at night. The two stared at each other in the peaceful silence of the cool night, until the being broke the stillness with an ancient, wise voice, speaking in a language the young man could understand.

  "Long ago, when my ancestors roamed this place, there were rivers, lakes, savannahs and forests. There were bushes, trees, grasses and herbs. There were animals that flew, animals that ran, and animals that swam. Back when my ancestors roamed this place, there was everything," it paused, as the breeze caressed the boy’s hair. "Now—there is nothing."

  Roa stood frozen. He had no idea what he was seeing. Then, it continued to speak.

  "Beware, oh, Humankind, you have forgotten your place within the Sacred Whole. You have abandoned your connection to the Great Mother of Humanity—Nature."

  Roa's eyes opened wide. He somehow did not feel threatened, a sense of reverence filling him as he quietly listened to the animal’s words.

  "You destroyed the Sacred Balance for the sake of your own creations. Your—imagination. You destroyed the real, for the sake of fantasy. Now behold the desert before you. Death only greets you now, where life once stood."

  The Sunflower mustered the courage and replied.

  "What happened to this place? What did they do to it?"

  The being shook its head, its horns swinging left and right as it let out a sharp exhale.

  "The few with power actively destroyed it. They wanted too much. The many without it, let it happen. They did not care enough. They killed everything, together, and manifested it. Death. They called the Desert forth, and so the Desert came."

  One of the workers heard the boy talk and popped his head out of a tent. He said something to him, gesturing with his arm, as if asking what he was doing out there.

  "Are you seeing this? What is it?" Roa asked him, pointing over and over towards the creature that towered in front of him.

  The man, however, did not understand. He looked out into the darkness without noticing anything at all, shrugged and went back inside, yawning. Roa turned around and the large, colorful beast warned him again.

  "Beware of those who destroy that which is truly Sacred, all that brings forth life and sustains Humanity. Beware, for they will eventually come to destroy you too."

  It took a few steps forward, and as it was about to touch the young man's chest with its snout, it disappeared into thin air, leaving him with one last admonition.

  "Together, you have failed. Together—you shall fall."

  "No, wait! Please, there's still a way!" bargained Roa, but no answer was given.

  The Sunflower crawled back up into his tent. As he laid down, he thought deeply about what he saw and the words that it revealed to him. He felt a desire to be thankful, remembering Eralay's words.

  "Thank you for the water I drank, the food I was given, the shelter I am in. Thank you for my life, and the opportunity to try to find what I am looking for, again—tomorrow."

  He had only listed a few things, but they felt like a lot at that moment. He stared at the quiet darkness that surrounded him and understood what the first tattoo meant.

  "Key, smiling face, equals, thanks: The key to happiness is gratitude" he said, smiling and closing his eyes, as the twinkle of the stars above shone through a tiny hole in the tent.

  Find out tomorrow in the next exciting chapter of The Greatest Fight!

  X1.2.3 - The Old Lady’s Tea House