Chapter 1: The Beginning
40 000 years before present-day;
The sun was setting. The sky changed to the glow of red and orange, blending itself over with the the vast rusty desert below. Only the shadows of the trees and shrubs that stood out off the ground that made the difference between the earth and the sky.
For one lone man, it was a beautiful sight but sadly, it was to be his last.
He had walked on this great land for a very long time. Longer than any human that was born to this continent. His extended longevity was granted to him by the Flame as its Keeper. He still retained the same body, even after centuries. A bond was created between the man and this land. He could almost feel life that thrived through this ancient continent. The red deserts, its mighty rivers, cold blue mountains and vast black plains. Of both people and wildlife. Wandering the land from sea to sea, the lone man saw the beauty of the land and nature. From the smallest curiosities to the grandest wonders.
He met people along the way, tribes each country he traveled through. Most called him as 'The Keeper' while others referred to him by his original title, 'The Lone Fella'. Even before becoming the Keeper, the man was a wanderer. He didn't belong to any tribe nor did he stay in one place for too long and was always on the move through the land. He had his share of danger through his journeys but it didn't deter his love for this continent. It was one of the reasons why he was chosen.
He met spirits and strange mythical creatures, even gods and goddesses. Many of which he befriended while on other times fought against in the defense and protection of the good. But regardless, all respected this role for his sacred role.
But... there was one spirit however that needed to be dealt with. A creature of such evil and darkness that even spirits of the shadows feared it. Already too many people had fallen victim to this being and fell many others shuddering in fear of falling into the same fate of their brothers and sisters.
For the lone man knew what it wanted...
.
As the sky darkened, the stars appearing in the blanket of night as he waited. Waiting for him. The glow of the embers from the campfire flickered behind him as he watched the last of the sun's ray shine over the horizon. In the darkness of the bush, a shadowy figure appeared as it crept closer to the open.
"...So you finally came, Kirroo."
The creature then emerged from the shadow and into the light of the campfire. It stood twice as tall as the man, thin body covered in black from head to toe. Long arms with sharp claws at both ends and a thorn-like crown on its head. His face, there were only its hollow eyes and a mouth of sharp teeth. "So we meet again, Flame Keeper or was it the Lone Wanderer?" It said in a hissing manner. There was a strong ominous aura radiating out of the creature.
The man turned to the dark creature, maintaining a firm facade as he looked up to the corrupted being. "You don't have to do this."
Kirroo simply laughed, it sounded demoniac that it could easily scare a little child. "You know what I want, my good friend. Give me the Flame or everything you swore to protect will be destroyed."
"It was never your's to take," the man shouted out in defiance. "It never was and never will!"
The creature narrowed its eyes as it towered over him and glared him down. "If that's how you're going to play with...then I'll shall destroy you first!" Kirroo then suddenly swing his long arm over to the man. Its sharp claws dug into the red ground as the Keeper jumped out of the way, dodging the claw attack. "You will never escape from me this time Keeper!"
The Keeper looked up to the creature with burning eyes as he grabbed his spear. "Why are you doing this? You were an honourable leader and warrior. Why turn into this?!"
Kirroo laughed maniacally. "The man you knew and fought is gone." The dark creature sneered with a smug. "He wished to be stronger but his desire for power was too great. So he sold his own spirit to the darkness." This caused the lone man to gasp, only to narrowly miss a surprise shadow attack by the corrupted being from behind.
Landing on his feet, he let it go with a heavy sigh and he glanced up at Kirroo with determination burning in his eyes. His grip on the spear tightened and took a deep breath as he readied himself with a sad frown, "Then you leave me no choice."
As soon as the last sun ray faded away from the horizon, the dual started.
With only the campfire the source of light surrounding them, Kirroo took advantage of the darkness, disappearing into the shadows as the Keeper used all of his abilities as he tried to sense for the dark spirit. He only managed to duck another shadow attack from his right; the man tried to slash attack the dark creature with his spear but only managed to tear off a bit from its seemingly twig-like arm before a counterattack, causing him to lost grip of his spear.
With no weapon, he was in a vulnerable position as Kirroo towered over him. "It's mine!" He raised his claws and they launched onto the man. The Keeper jumped out of the way in time and the sharp claws instead hit the campfire. Kirroo immediately took aback his burnt claws in pain, sending embers flying into tall grasses and shrubs, igniting into flames.
With fire surrounding them, there was no escape. The lone man winced, he had to defeat this creature...and he was running out of time.
He spotted his spear behind Kirroo as the corrupt being stood over him with its eyes narrowed down menacingly at the man. The Keeper suddenly sprinted, dodging shadow spikes and attacks from the dark creature. He slid across the dusty red ground, grabbing his spear and immediately made a slash attack as he turned around to Kirroo, with a deep gash across the creature's chest.
Kirroo stepped back as it yelled in pain. The man then grabbed a large burning stick from the ground and faced the dark spirit. "I'm very sorry, my friend." He threw the burning stick into Kirroo's opened wound and soon his body was burning in dark flames, reducing it into black ashes.
It was finally over. The Keeper had done his last duty. The flames and the campfire died down into small glowing embers around him. He started to feel weak and...light. He looked down at his hand as it started to fade away like sand into the cool breeze. The man took his last moment to look up to the starry night and close his eyes.
In truth, he had already given up his title as the Keeper long before this confrontation and passed down the Flame of Life to another person...someone more deserving for the title and responsibilities that it carried. "You're safe now, child..." The Lone Wanderer whispered as he faded away to the wind, knowing that the Flame was safe.
...Or so he hoped.
.
.
.
"Do you think that I can do this?"
"That depends entirely up to you, child."
Deep within the cool, thick bushlands surrounded by the tall eucalyptus trees, a young boy who looked no older than a toddler looked down at the flicking light of a tiny flame in his hands. It was a special flame, the Flame of Life as the spirits and elders called it. It had a pleasant warm feeling that tinged on his skin and through his veins almost like a heartbeat. It was the only light source around the young boy and his grey friend, even with the moon shining behind the branches of leaves.
"I don't know. This...'Keeper' duty sounds very important." The child sighed, "I'm not sure if I'm the right person for this..."
His glare-eyed grey friend climbed down from the tree branch and jumped onto the ground next to the young child. "Don't doubt yourself. The Keeper won't have given you the Flame of Life without good reason. You are the 'child of the Dreamtime', are you not?"
"Yes but..." The young boy sighed, his eyes reflected the light of the Flame on his hands. "...what if I made a mistake and messed up? What if I fail..?"
"Well, this isn't the outgoing and daring gurung that I was somehow befriended to... You'll be able to this. You are a special one like your wiyanga after all." The young boy's grey friend assured him.
The young boy smiled, "Thanks." He then took a deep breath and exhaled. He stood up to his feet, careful with the tiny flame in his hands, he let the Flame sink into his hands and a sudden surge of warmth rushed through the young boy's body. His eyes momentarily glowed with a flickering warm light. "Come on then, wiyanga is waiting for us." He picked his grey friend up into his arms and ran off back to the campsite.
Author's notes:
Translation:
Kirroo = cold (sounds fitting for the character)
gurung = child
wiyanga = mother
This is actually a rewrite version of this fic, which I started almost two years ago. I had been planning to this for a very long time but due to procrastination and self-doubt, it's only now that I got around to do this.
Anyway, this is a Hetalia fiction story that will focused around Australia and the Aboriginal mythology, as well as New Zealand (female) along with America, Canada and England. Hints of pairings, mainly AUS/NZ (though fyi, I'm not a regular shipper). Supernatural and adventure, maybe a bit of dark with history and mythological spirits added into the mix. Second chapter will be soon!