Wholly Unremarkable
Suggested Theme:
Main Theme- Blackstar by David Bowie
The humans were different. Were like the mythical origins of the Cothica. Were from a far-off land. Were colored differently. Were so utterly alien. They were remarkable, even with the fear exuding from them like an unbearable stench. But then, they opened their mouths:
"Did he say, 'Kiru City'?"
"Yeah, and he's Kiru!"
"That's impossible, Kiru City was founded thousands of years ago!"
"Guys, I think I know we are now. Dranakis Threshold took us through a portal, a portal through time. We're in Ancient Perim!"
After that, Kiru barely managed to hold his kind smile. They probably thought he was terribly confused, but, really, he was barely holding back his disappointment. He thought they were from a distant, exotic land that could possibly offer something, like food or information, to his Tribe. Instead, the humans were from a distant future and another world, at least that was what he gathered from their muddled explanations.
They were from thousands of solons into the future; a future where he was long dead and no one knew what he looked like in that future. Or at least, these humans seem to convey to him. Mortality had always weighed heavily upon him, even before he founded his Tribe. He seen plenty of Creatures die; he nearly died himself a couple of times. He dealt with mortality by helping his Tribe, having sex, or drinking.
Right now, he's drinking.
He's warm like he's by a bonfire. He knows this means he's getting dangerously close to being drunk. He looks out the window of his hut and sees the stars glittering in the sky; the moon is absent tonight due to some gray clouds cloaking it like a rolling fog. It's beautiful out tonight, and now he wants to take a walk. It wouldn't be the first time he's taken a walk when he was this close to being drunk; in fact, he uses walking in his condition as a way to sober up. Better than waking up Najarin and Afjak at this hour to ask Najarin to concoct a potion at this hour. But then again, Afjak could be secretly out with Vlar at this time. Nonetheless, he's not going to bother his dear friend right now.
Outside, from a top of the highest hill in his city (maybe more like a village if the descriptions of the future Kiru City are anything to compare to), he can see the patchwork of dark huts and dirt paths that his Tribe spent solons constructing and re-constructing after attacks from UnderWorld raiders. Najarin's hut is pretty much the only hut, aside from his own, to not get devastated when raids happen. He can see the little kindling box that Afjak would constantly store his kindling in; he can also see one white candle lit inside the house. Najarin is most likely scribbling some notes on a scroll for the results of his Mugic experiment today. Or maybe, he's recording the historical event of the first arrival of humans to their little village.
Again, Kiru does not go to bother his friend, especially when Najarin is busy at writing. It's almost as bad as interrupting the Muge when he's making Mugic. Instead, he walks out of his village but not out of his territory. He doesn't want to deal with Voorx right now; apparently, the humans offended him and Abohan had to save them. Now, he and his Tribe will have to wait a whole day for Voorx to forget about this little incident.
He heads aimlessly to the north for a while and then heads into the east. He heads into a forest with trees taller than he'll ever be; the leaves are a deep, dark blue that can only be found in the cold hearts of precious stones. The trunks and branches are white and glowing like the moon hidden by the rolling fog. He has never been here before; usually, he likes to take his strolls beyond Voorx's geysers, but that can't happen tonight. This place feels otherworldly like the humans appeared to be to him….until they opened their mouths.
"In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah.
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all,
Your eyes."
It's singing, or maybe sing-song chanting. It's coming from deep within the forest; it's possible that there is a Troubadour in the forest. However, most Troubadours tend to sequester themselves in their territory, the UnderWorld. Yet, they are the only Creatures, even if they are UnderWorlders like the vile Kaal, who possess the ability to sing like….stars made flesh. They sing poignant riddles, historical epics, or romances, and this song seems like something a Troubadour would sing.
"On the day of execution, on the day of execution,
Only women kneel and smile, ah-ah, ah-ah.
At the centre of it all, at the centre of it all
Your eyes, your eyes."
Troubadours are not warriors; in fact, they are viewed as weaklings in their Tribe. However, what saves them from starvation or from being slaves in Kaal's mines are their stellar voices. They are mainly used as entertainment and are actually free in comparison to the rest of their Tribe, most of whom have to work for Kaal. Kiru knows this because a Troubadour once stopped by the village; he couldn't recall the Troubadour's appearance, but he'll always remember the Troubadour's singing. It's quite possible this singing is coming from a roaming Troubadour.
"Ah-ah-ah,
Ah-ah-ah."
Kiru walks to the source of the singing. This could very well turn into a trap, and Kiru knows this. Even in is his almost drunken stupor. He's fought in this state before, against some UnderWorld raiders, and he promptly roasted them. When he's in this state, he's less-inclined to be merciful.
"In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah.
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all,
Your eyes.
Ah-ah-ah."
Then, the singing ceases, but Kiru still walks in the direction of where he heard the song coming from. The trees become thinner and thinner until they become a wastrel grove. He finally sees the source, and he almost gapes. The singer is not a Troubadour; it's a human. The human has golden tourmaline hair with streaks of crown gold; his eyes are like two agates, bottomless brown and shining madly. He's wearing a green tunic with a black shawl draping his thin shoulders; he has on strange leggings like the humans, but it clings to him like a second-skin.
"Something happened on the day he died,
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside.
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried,
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)"
He stomps his black leather boots and shakes like he's suffering a seizure. He then walks around a spring-green candle while continuing his shaking. The human closes his eyes like he's praying to the Cothica; he stops his shaking and then trots backwards around the candle.
"How many times does an angel fall?
How many people lie instead of talking tall?
He trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd,
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar, I'm not a gangster)"
He cups his hands around his mouth like he's going to blow on an invisible horn. He then paces around the candle like he's trying to control his anger. Kiru wonders what the human is doing. Is he dancing? Is he praying? Or is he stark raving mad?
"I can't answer why (I'm a blackstar)
Just go with me (I'm not a filmstar)
I'm-a take you home, (I'm a blackstar)
Take your passport and shoes (I'm not a popstar)
And your sedatives, boo (I'm a blackstar)
You're a flash in the pan, (I'm not a marvel star)
I'm the great I am (I'm a blackstar)"
The human then skips around like an exaggerated fool; his hair swishes in the air like a scythe about to cut some wheat. Kiru realizes that the human is dancing some kind of dance. Perhaps, this is how humans dance, but this seems so violent and joyful like a sadistic torturer. This human looks…familiar. Kiru wonders if this human is the same human with the pink glasses. Except this human looks so…..alien. Sounds so wonderfully alien.
"I'm a blackstar, way up, oh honey, I've got game.
I see right so white, so open-heart it's pain.
I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes.
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)"
His movements are alien too like this otherworldly forest. Kiru realizes that this could be a dream; he could be sleeping and having one of those weird lucid dreams he gets sometimes. This human singing like a star made of whipped flesh could be just a figment of his imagination. Of what he wanted the humans to be earlier. To be remarkable.
"Something happened on the day he died,
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside.
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried,
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a star star, I'm a blackstar)"
The human smirks, grins with bleeding lips. He swirls and claps like he's trying to kill something small and irksome. He then puts his small hands on his boney hips and moves them sensually like he's a seductress being coy. Kiru is a bit disturbed by this because he feels like the human knows he's there and is just toying with him.
"I can't answer why, (I'm not a gangster)
But I can tell you how (I'm not a flam star)
We were born upside-down, (I'm a star star)
Born the wrong way 'round (I'm not a white star)
(I'm a blackstar, I'm not a gangster
I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar
I'm not a pornstar, I'm not a wandering star
I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)"
He throws back his head and makes a silent cackle like a conqueror enslaving his rival's people. The human, the singer, the alien, the blackstar is relishing this. He's relishing the music coming from his cracked lips. He's relishing the way the spring-green candle is slowly melting into the sea grass. He's relishing that he has an audience.
"In the villa of Ormen, stands a solitary candle,
Ah-ah, ah-ah.
At the centre of it all, your eyes.
On the day of execution, only women kneel and smile.
Ah-ah, ah-ah.
At the centre of it all, your eyes, your eyes.
Ah-ah-ah."
The human collapses beside the candle, careful to not blow out the candle, and Kiru almost runs up to him to see if he's alright. The human does not open his eyes but smiles and then laughs. Kiru wonders if the human is suffering. The way he convulsed, the way he sang, the way he smiled bloodily; it seems like suffering in Kiru's olivine eyes. He wants to help him.
"Kiru the Magnificent, the Oligarch of the OverWorld! Nice to meet you again!" The human shouts excitedly and sits right up with his eyes wide open and his face splits into an unpleasant smile like he's taunting the Oligarch. He knows me; it has to be one of those humans from earlier. The one with the flame-colored hair and pink glasses, but he looks so different. So alone. Kiru wonders if this human might be related to the flame-colored boy like a brother or a cousin. Or it could be another facet of the boy. The human dips his head down toward the candle's flame; the flames add sparks to the oily-darkness lurking in the human's eyes.
"Who are you?" Kiru finally goes over to the human, flees from the cloaking of the otherworldly forest. He can handle this human if the human decides to attack him; they aren't exactly a tough species. Well, at least that is what the human children taught him.
"I'm Kazdan Kalinkas. Have you met a happy goof with hair standing like fire and pink glasses? That's me; well, that's me from a little more than a year ago. Although, from my perspective, I am him in about more than a year later. To sum it up, I am him from just a little bit farther into the future." He is the future version of the human who is also from the future; time travel is….something I'll leave to Najarin to figure out. Kiru firmly decides.
"Kazdan? I thought your name was Kaz." Kazdan stretches his arms over his head; Kiru hears a bit of creak coming from the human's bones reminding him of his own bones.
"It is, but it's more like a nickname. Kazdan is my true name. I'm only called Kaz by my mom and friends….now, it's just my mom. Come and sit with me by the pagan candlelight!" Kiru doesn't know what the word pagan even means, but he does what Kazdan wants. At least, for now. Maybe talking with him will sober me up. Kiru thinks a bit selfishly.
"Any particular reason why you're by yourself in a Location that is a fair distance away from the safety of Kiru City?" Kazdan begins to laugh; his laugh is like the popping crackle of a dying bonfire, surprising and brief.
"It took me so long to get here, to get back to Ancient Perim. I even had to get help with navigating my way through—it doesn't matter. Anyways, about a couple days of ago in my time, I had a conversation with my past self, who isn't going to meet me for about a month and some odd days in his time, and I realized how fucking delightful it was to interact with the past. So I decided to pack up some necessary supplies and live in the past for as long as I want." From what Kiru can decipher, excluding the time travel bits, Kazdan is basically going to live here for an unforeseeable future.
"So you're planning to live in this forest, which could be crawling with bandits or other dangers, just for your own amusement. I am obligated to implore you to either go back to your home or come with me to Kiru City where I can offer you some protection." Kazdan leans back and looks up. Kiru looks up and only sees the rustling of the blue leaves like an ocean in the air.
"I love how you used some there. It would've been arrogant for you to leave that out and it would've been a lie too because there's no such thing as complete protection. No one can offer complete protection; I've learned that the hard way, and so have you. So, no, no thank you; I quite like it here." There's a look in Kazdan's eyes that twists Kiru's heart; it's a wistful look of remembering past pains, past mistakes that might've cost him his friends. He wants to help the lad; he really does, but he felt the same way about Vlar a long time ago and that led nowhere good.
"Alright, then why were you singing?" Did you know I was in the forest? Kiru almost asks but decides not to because it sounds too egocentric. Not everything is about him like nothing is about Kazdan.
"Well, after spending almost a day dragging my supplies here, well not 'here' here, I wanted to unwind. Didn't feel like reading or exploring, so I just decided to sing. Sing to see what I can lure here. Haven't done that in a while." Again, the wistful, sad look returns to the human's face like a clingy lover. He's aged from a happy child to a desolate young man, and in half a solon. Kiru wonders what kind of man Kazdan will grow into.
"That's dangerous; you don't know what monsters lurk in these woods." Kiru notices that the candle is melting through the green candle like Flame Orbs through glaciers, sloppily and sluggishly. The wax drips onto the grass, spring-green covering a patch of emerald.
"Don't worry, you're here. You can kill the monsters that come to me, eliminate another threat to your home. I've been used like that before….." There's a half-hearted smirk splayed on the human's face, but his eyes are misting with ghost tears. He's not going to cry consciously but subconsciously. Kiru almost moves to offer a pat of reassurance that everything will be alright, but Kazdan arches away from him. Distrustful, not wanting another wound.
"Seems like you're using me. Vengeful, aren't you?" Kiru regrets the accusatory tone laced in his words. He's treating the human like Vlar, the little thief dallying with his dear friend's son. Kazdan is not Vlar. The human smiles emptily, prettily.
"Karma's a bitch. That's all I'm going to say." No, you won't; I'll make you talk some more. Kiru is a bit shocked by his own impulsive thought. What can the human offer him that the past humans couldn't before? It's not like the human knows any merchants or other villages that can benefit his Tribe. Nor does the human know how to defeat Kaal; he actually asked the other humans that and they didn't know.
"What do you plan to do here with your free time?" Kazdan reaches down and plucks the spring-green candle from its perch; he cradles it with both of his hands, not even flinching when the hot wax dribbles hotly onto his careless palms. Kiru sees a glimpse of the happy, nervous boy he met earlier; a softness to his features, melting in time with the candle. He looks vulnerable, curious, and worshipful as he once was.
"Be…just be….healing…myself. Honestly, do what I wish to do, no matter how inconsequential or childish the impulse happens to be. So what do you plan to do here?" Kazdan sets the candle down back in its spot; he doesn't even clean his palms of the precious wax staining his fingers like dried blood.
"Visit you, make sure you're alive." Kiru cannot leave this human be, at least not all of the time. Just some because he has his own people to look after.
"Aw, that's sweet of you. Wish that was hereditary." The last comment throws Kiru's mind in a whirl. He has a gut feeling that Kazdan is referring to a descendant of his; considering how Kazdan is from thousands and thousands of solons into the future. So a descendant of mine most likely ruined his life and he probably wants revenge. I don't think he's foolish enough to try and kill me just to eliminate the existence that caused his current melancholy. Kiru doesn't know much about time-traveling, but he's pretty certain that time itself would just breakdown if such a major change were to occur. Also, Kazdan would probably be eliminating himself in the process, and Kiru doesn't believe that the human wants to die. But what does he know of Kazdan's mind?
"You can go now; I'm tired. Leave me be, please." The please contradicts the insolence of the earlier part of his sentence like an OverWorlder becoming an UnderWorlder. Kiru is tired too, tired and somehow sadder than he was before. He needs to back to Kiru City, get some sleep, and protect his Tribe. Kazdan isn't part of his Tribe.
"I'll come and visit." Kiru doesn't add soon because he doesn't know what the future holds for him. For all he knows, this might be his last interaction with Kazdan. The human did say he's going to be here until he doesn't want to be. He could be fickle enough to leave tomorrow. Kiru hopes he is.
"Only UnderWorlders deal in absolutes." Kiru doesn't correct Kazdan; instead, he leaves as quietly as he came. He heads back to his Tribe, to be amongst the familiar again. There's only so much strangeness he can handle in a single evening. But he hopes that he can build up his stamina for it.
Kazdan watches Chaor's OverWorld ancestor walks away from him. Chaor gets his stride from his forefather, and I still can't bring myself to hate him. Kazdan purses his lips and lowers his head back to the candle's flame. He watches the flame continue to burn through the candle, gradually in his eyes. He is reminded of Chaor. He is reminded of kindness. He is reminded of weeping. He blows out the candle.
Author's Comments- The green candle bit is actually based on this little ritual I found in Teresa Moorey's The Fairy Bible, "Preferably at the Full Moon closes to the equinox [Autumn Equinox], place good-quality wine in a stemmed glass or chalice, and take it into the garden or a secluded place. Raise the glass to the Moon, say, 'Mab, I honor you' and pour some on the wine onto the earth. Drink a little and say, 'Mab, I drink with you.' Then return home, light a bright-green candle beside your bed, gaze at the flame and say, 'Mab, give me wisdom.' Place some jasmine or rose oil on your pillow, extinguish the candle—and drift into Fairyland. This is a little ritual that you can repeat during any Full Moon if you wish." I also used the choreography from David Bowie's Blackstar music video for Kazdan's little performance around the candle.
Initially, this was not the sequel I had planned for I Will Always Love You. Originally, I was going to go directly into Kaz's story where it was supposed to eventually lead into what he becomes in the I Will Always Love You story. Instead, I choose to go from Kazdan (yes, I'm going to distinguish the two where Kaz is the character we're familiar with while Kazdan is basically the nightmare I created for him) which is about his time in Ancient Perim and with Kiru; eventually, when it ends, I'll detail how Kaz becomes Kazdan. In a sense, this story and its planned sequels are like a sequel to another story that has yet to be written, but the events have already transpired. So for the most part the story is a bunch of foreshadowing, some symbolism, and exploration of characters such as Kiru. Mostly, Kiru and Kazdan.