Fate Is Made, Not Written
Chapter I – The Beach
Push and pull. Ebb and flow. Eyes closed. He felt his remaining clothes being tugged at by the current. It felt as though he was near land. Tossed and thrown about by the thrashing flow beneath the surface, he could barely breathe. Finally regaining consciousness, he began flailing and soon felt a pain in his leg. The shoreline was coming closer as the waves spat him towards dry land. His floundering arms began picking up sand from the shore, as he got closer. With one final wave, the ocean threw him on land. The shallow water waxed and waned around him as the ocean pushed and pulled. The warm, dry sand stuck to his back, arms, and to the remaining sheet around his waist. He lay there, barely able to stay awake. The sun was warmly beating down from above. All of a sudden a silhouette of a head appeared in front of the sun. It looked as though it has wings. He reached out to grab the figure, but alas, spent of energy, he passed out.
The smell of burning tinder filled the air as a campfire blazed. Crackling away, the fire burned, maintaining light as the sun began its descent beneath the horizon. A soft breeze blew across the beach, the nearby trees and foliage waved back and forth as the air blew through them. It was still warm from the daytime sun, but the natural cooling of the ocean began to seep up from the sea. He began to stir, feeling the mat made of giant leaves underneath him. His eyes slowly began to open, with blurry sight. Blinking a few times, his senses were coming back to him as he woke.
"Ahai", murmured a voice. He sat up to gaze upon a rotund, middle-aged man sitting across the fire pit from him. "Well son, you sure have been through quite an ordeal, haven't you", the voice continued "A whole day an' a half, keehee" the man chuckled softly. "If only I had the time to sleep as much as you, ooooh boy, that'd be certainly sweet".
"Where…where am I? Who am I?" the young man who had just awoken asked timidly. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned and let the needed fresh air fill his body. He looked down to see small cuts around his arms and on his torso. His eyes went further, and as he saw the frayed gray sheet that covered his waist down, a piece of white cloth was tried around this left calf and wrapped around his shin. The sharp pain returned to his leg that sleep had forced him to forget. "What…what happened to me?"
"Well now, that" the man replied, "is a question for my nephew right here" as he pointed at the ground to his right to a tan, blonde haired boy, sound a sleep on a leaf mat, palm fronds covering him. The young man's head matched the silhouette shape that was seen before consciousness was lost. The man proceeded, "he has been caring for you since you washed up on the beach. For now, let us let him rest; after all he deserves it for providing a constant and careful watch over you. As to where you are, this is the crescent island of Istan" said the man as the last slice of sun slid beneath the horizon. "The answer to who you are, we were hoping to find that out from you when you woke. My nephew found you whilst in daily fitness training as he and his comrades were running on the beach. They saw you washed up on the shore from a short distance away and ran up. My nephew Antony instructed that it was his duty as First Spear of his squad to deal with the situation and insisted that the rest of the group carry on with training, save his Second Spear to go get me. I was not able to get here right away, and I have not been here long to watch over you, for the most part it was Antony. I guess you got here by the sea washin' you up to shore. You do have a right nasty cut on your left leg though under those bandages. In your tumble in the sea, some shells or part of the reef might have cut you. You must have been spun around quite a bit too with all those small cuts on your body, but not to worry, they will heal in time. However, in answer to your question as to who you are, I respond with a question, who are you?"
"I don't know", replied the young man with the cut leg, "all of my memories are gone…seems I no longer have a name. Which reminds me, what is your name?"
"Name's Mstembe, but you can call me uncle. And you got no name, right? Well let's give you one then. Everyone has to have a name, 's not just a label, it is a title after all!" he said, handing the boy a pouch filled with water.
"I washed up from the beach, seemingly forgotten, what do I need a name for?" the cut boy asked. He took a drink from the pouch, the fresh water felt good on his parched throat.
As he stoked the fire, Uncle replied "Each person leaves a mark on this world, no matter who they are. Could be a good mark, or bad. Either way, you leave behind a legacy. You leave behind a new age. You leave behind a way of life. You leave behind morals for others to look up to. Either way, what you leave behind is a truth that will be seen by your name. Our past leader, who delivered us from a wretched age, brought forth a new one as she left her morals and values and became a god. Kormir, became the goddess of truth as she lead us to a new age of peace and light, away from darkness and secrets. We associate this new age to her and her name and what she brought to our people. That is why you will have a name young one."
"This...Kormir you say, she sounds as though she is a saint, yet god and human at the same time"
"Yes", Uncle continued, "as she made her sacrifice to seal the dark god Abbadon, in death, she found truth and became a god. I know, we shall fashion you a new name, in honor of Kormir. Now let's see… Kom…Komme… Keena….Kimra.. Kii…Kal…Kai….Kai! That's the ticket! You shall be known as Kai.
"I guess…why not? If it is an honor to Kormir, it sounds alright to me", the young man said softly.
"Sounds good", chuckled a happy Uncle in full agreement. "Anyway, as to where we are exactly, no, this is not our home, it is just a makeshift camp due to the circumstance. Antony and I live on the edge of town; it's not far from here, but far enough to not make it there tonight in your state. It's a small farmhouse" he said contently, "It is nicely located near enough to the beach yet enough in the jungle to grow mango which we sell at the marketplace. Once you have recovered enough you'll come to the farm. For now, sleep; you are still exhausted from your chaotic arrival. You need to heal, so get some rest."
"I do feel like I got kicked by a centaur…" Kai said in agreement. Following Uncle's advice, he lied back down onto the giant leaves and shut his eyes. Kai laid still, his mind swarming with the light shed on what exactly happened to him. He took in the surroundings with his four other senses to try and put his mind at ease from what had just taken place. He listened to the waves tenderly falling on the shore, smelling the ocean and burning embers on either side while feeling the warmth and cool on their respective sides. He could still taste the seawater in his mouth, wanting it to go away. 'A new name' he thought to himself wondering what exactly would ensue in his new life. Kai inhaled deeply as the surroundings registered in his mind. He heard Uncle mutter something to himself about the farm and mangos as exhaustion set itself in. The cool breeze flowed through his hair as he drifted off to sleep, ready for the next day and a new life.