by Oumar Dieng
“You,” he said with a scary echoing voice. It was as if two people were talking simultaneously, repeating the same words. The second voice sounded otherworldly; it was as if it came from beyond our realm.
After I had seen Battu’s demonstration of brute strength, I knew that I could not allow him to hit me; he was far too powerful. So I dodged his hits. Every time he punched, I ducked or rolled aside. I did everything I could to avoid getting hit.
“Enough!” he yelled in frustration. “No one will prevent me from bringing on the era of the Naaju!” He raised his fists in the air and, with full force, slammed them to the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked me off my feet. Battu grabbed my neck and slowly lifted me in the air.
Suddenly I noticed a distressed look on his face. I took advantage of the situation and reached out and grabbed his large hand, parting his fingers to free myself from his deadly grip. It was working; my feet were touching the ground again. For whatever reason, he was weakening.
I noticed that my necklace was glowing, and the brighter it glowed, the stronger I felt. It felt like energy was traveling through my veins. I punched Battu in the gut with such force that he got thrown backward, far from me. As suddenly as it came, the flow of energy stopped. My knees became weak.
Yakhar managed to get back on his feet just as I fell. I summoned all my strength and stumbled over to check on Dad. At that same moment, Battu dusted himself off and grabbed the staff that was lying next to the lifeless body of his father, Dagrof.
“We need to leave the city,” I said to Yakhar. I quickly revived Dad, slapping him, and got his attention as much as I could, and we carried him outside of the compound.
We headed toward the market where we saw the merchants. They were getting ready to depart the city. Yakhar quickly convinced the leader of the merchants to allow us to catch a ride with them. We didn’t care much where the merchants were headed so long as it was away from Paakon. The three of us hid in a cart, covered with light food items and condiments. We could hear Battu order the guards to follow us. The guards who were outside of the palace hadn’t witnessed what had happened. They would probably blame us for the death of Dagrof; it would be impossible to explain this situation away. So, we fled.
13
The Kingdom of Garabon
The caravan transported various types of merchandise: food, animals, household items, even exotic commodities. Once we felt that we were far away enough from Paakon, we got out from under the food where we hid. I checked to see if Dad was OK. His gunshot wound was still there, but it looked different. Dark veins running down his back exacerbated the surrounding tissue.
“I have seen this before,” Yakhar said. “It appears that his wound was healed and reopened.”
“They can do that?”
“Yes. It’s a way to torture prisoners.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“He needs a healer,” Yakhar said.
On the way to another city, the caravan passed a small, isolated settlement on the outskirts of the Teramon kingdom. The homes were burned, and people were tending to the injured. Several lay on the ground; some were dead, others were seriously injured. We approached one of the inhabitants and asked him if he knew of a healer nearby.
“There used to be one,” he said, “but the healing center has been destroyed. It’s all gone,” he said in despair.
“What happened here?” Yakhar asked.
“It was Battu. He sent his guards looking for something. They also pillaged the settlement and asked us for what little we had. When we refused, they attacked everyone."
The leader of the caravan informed us that we were headed for Oakmu, a city in the kingdom of Garabon. He also told us that there were very skilled healers that could heal not only the body but also any psychological ailments. “If we could get him there, they’ll heal him.”
The caravan’s respite was cut short when men who were on the lookout for the Vacamon joined up with the rest of the group. “They are coming,” they said.
“Who?” we asked.
“Battu and his people.”
We hurriedly left the settlement. The caravan leader ordered everyone to leave behind anything that was not essential or was too heavy to carry. We got on our way and put as much distance as we could between us and Battu’s people.
After a few hours, the tree line on the outskirts of Oakmu was in sight.
“Beyond the trees,” Yakhar said, “lies the kingdom of Garabon. The Vacamon guards will not be able to follow us there; it is Garabon territory.”
Most of Oakmu was built in the trees. The inhabitants had designed elaborate agglomerations of tree houses. The homes stood as high as fifty feet off the ground. A multitude of bridges connected the houses one to another. The Garabon were small people, but they managed to build an impressive city, living in communion with nature.
As we made our way through the trees, families went on with their lives. There were injured people from the destroyed settlement who had arrived before us. A group of Garabon children ran and met us. One of the children put his hand on an animal in the caravan, and his hand disappeared, matching the exact skin color and texture of the animal. When he moved his hand, it went back to normal.
“Did you see that?” I asked Yakhar.
“Yes. One of Garabon’s abilities is to meld and be one with the environment. They can change their skin complexion at will. It is how they protect themselves in the forest, especially the young ones. They can hide in plain sight.”
We arrived at the main dwelling of the Garabon, a house that used the natural hollowness of a tree that was thousands of years old as a refuge.
“This is where you will find the chief elder, leader of the Garabon. This is where we part ways,” the caravan leader said.
The Garabon spokesperson met us at the entrance. “Welcome to Garabon,” he said.
“We seek the protection and sanctuary of the chief elder.” Yakhar nodded.
“All the children of the land are welcome here,” the spokesperson said. “This way, please. I’ll lead you to the chief elder.”
“Welcome to Garabon,” the chief elder said. “It’s an honor to have you, Your Highness,” he said, looking at Yakhar. The chief elder, leader of the Garabon, was short and small in stature. He had greenish hair and bushy eyebrows. “You must be the traveler.” He looked at me.
“I am,” I said.
“I got word of Battu’s insane rampage. But rest assured,” he said, “my people will help in any way they can.”
“Thank you, Chief Elder,” Yakhar said.
“Call me Magaal,” the chief elder said. “Battu has always had a thirst for power. He feels that only his kind, the Vacamon, should lead Centaura.”
“I think there is more to that than power,” I said. “When he attacked us, he was not himself; it was as if a shadow was giving him strength.”
“A shadow?” Magaal said. “Yes. I know this sounds strange … but he also said something about bringing on the era of the Naaju. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Tell me exactly what happened,” Magaal asked.
I explained how easily he overpowered the guards and how his eyes changed color. Magaal, the chief elder, sat on his chair, silent. I could see how concerned he was by the look on his face.
“We cannot allow Battu to succeed,” Magaal said. “But we all should be very concerned,” he said to Yakhar. “I believe Battu is after the five elements.”
“The five elements?” Yakhar said. “They would be of no use to him.”
“True. Inherently, the five elements cause no danger when separated,” said Magaal. “However, together they have tremendous power. There were five elements, one entrusted to each kingdom. The Council of Elders thought it would build trust among the different people.” He continued telling the story, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “The Light of Bakkul was given to the Seyamon, the Book of Wisdom to the Akamon, the Elixir of Akhmore to the Teramon,
the Staff of Knowledge to the Vacamon. Finally, my people were entrusted with the Seed of Life. These five elements, when brought together, have limitless power that can be used for good or evil.” The look of concern turned into one of fear, which was very unsettling to see on the old Garabon’s face. “With the five elements reunited, Battu could breach the veil between our dimension and the Naaju’s. They would be free to roam into all realms where life exists.”
“Could the Naaju make it to my world?” I asked.
“Yes. No place would be safe. Not even Danaya,” Magaal said.
A Garabon scout ran into the room. “Chief Elder,” he said, “we are under attack! It is Battu. He’s here.”
“It is uncanny how quickly they caught up to us,” Yakhar said.
“No matter,” the chief elder said. “We must protect the seed. We must stop him.”
“Is the element safe?” Yakhar asked.
“Yes, it is heavily guarded.”
“Yakhar and I will stop him,” I said. “We did it before, and we can do it again.”
“No,” Magaal said. “The Garabon are my people, my responsibility; it is my duty to protect them.”
What’s with the elders on this planet? They all rush into danger like it is nothing! I thought.
Magaal went out to the main grounds, where most of the people were. He assembled the Garabon fighters, who were armed with homemade explosive concoctions. Magaal organized his troops and ordered them to set up a perimeter inside the Garabon compound.
The fighting was fierce. The Garabon, despite their small stature, were very agile and held their own against Battu’s troops. But Battu managed to get inside the compound. He was now facing us. He walked up to Magaal, who tried to reason with him.
“Battu, the Garabon have no quarrel with you. You must stop this nonsense!”
“Nonsense is that you elders, who call yourselves wise, have been allowing travelers to come to Centaura and ridicule our customs. I will reclaim my place as the rightful heir and successor to my father and rule Centaura the right way,” Battu said.
“You have no claim to the throne. By Centauran law, it is the turn of the Seyamon to rule Centaura,” Magaal said.
“Well then,” Battu said, “I will just have to take it all by force. Now, where is the Seed of Life?” he asked.
“You will never get your hands on it,” Magaal said. “I will never tell you.”
“Very well then,” Battu said.
Just like I had seen him do before, Battu extended his arms and summoned his dark power. He brought his hands together and rushed at the Garabon elder, who he punched with full strength. The elder executed a series of well-choreographed hand movements and gently dodged Battu’s attacks. They fought intensely, but the elder was no match for the brute strength of Battu, who brought him to the ground. He attempted a blow that would have finished the elder, but I intervened.
“Leave him alone,” I said.
Battu stopped and directed his attention to me. Yakhar was by my side, shield up, weapon drawn. “You again,” Battu said. “This time there is no escape.” He pulled his father’s staff and shot a dark beam of energy at our feet, knocking us both back.
“Get him out of there,” I said to a couple of Garabon guards, who created a distraction by throwing their concoctions at Battu. The explosives detonated with a highly effective concussive force. Although it did not have much effect on Battu, it created a much-needed diversion. The Garabon rushed and grabbed Magaal and moved behind us.
Battu looked invincible; the staff somehow allowed him to react faster and channel his strength as well as recover quicker. Both Yakhar and I attacked simultaneously with limited effect; if anything, we just pissed him off. We decided to pull back into the forest, but Battu followed us.
After retreating for a while, we came upon a clearing in the forest, filled with sharp crystals sprouting from the ground. Our retreat was hindered. Battu walked toward us. We had no other choice but to fight. Battu pulled his staff and held it in the air to summon his dark powers. A black aura surrounded the staff and grew denser the longer he held it. He was charging it, preparing for a fatal blow.
A strange yet familiar sensation engulfed my body. My crystal necklace glowed again, but this time it glowed brighter.
“You bear the sign of the Protector,” Magaal said. “Harness the power of the Crystal Forest.”
I hesitated.
“You are stronger than you think,” Magaal said.
Battu pointed the staff in our direction and fired. I raised both arms and opened my palms instinctively toward the incoming projectile. A bright veil of light appeared in front of me, blocking the shadowy projectile. I abruptly pushed both of my palms forward in a smooth motion as if to push back against the darkness. The resulting shockwave knocked Battu and his troops out.
Battu got back up, quicker than his guards. “This is not over,” he said. “Besides, I got what I came for.” As he said that, a guard ran from behind the compound and handed him a small satchel. He opened it, looked into it, and smiled.
“The seed, he has the seed!” Magaal said.
We ran toward Battu. However, before we could get to him, he vanished in a dark shadowy cloud of smoke.
14
The Council of Elders
The Garabon were reeling from Battu’s attack. They were injured; both Garabon soldiers and civilians throughout the compound. We set up a triage unit in front of Magaal’s home. The elder was hurt, but his injuries were not life-threatening. He thanked us for intervening to save his life and protect the Garabon.
“I owe you a debt of gratitude,” he said to me.
“Can you help me understand what happened during the battle?” I asked Magaal. “During the battle with Battu, I had the same sensation I’ve always had. It’s the same feeling I’ve always got before getting a splitting headache. Only this time, instead of getting a headache, I felt powerful.”
“A long time ago, there was a powerful race of beings that appeared on Centaura,” Magaal said. “One moment they weren’t here, the next they were everywhere. They took over everything. These beings wanted one thing and one thing only: to consume every living being.
“At first their influence was nothing more than a nuisance; people started seeing them in their dreams. That was the first stage. When people fall asleep, their soul leaves their bodies during a short window when they reach the deepest of sleeps. It is at that moment that the Naaju can transport your soul into another dimension, leaving your body virtually lifeless. Sometimes, while the soul is journeying back from their dimension into our bodies, we can wake up. That’s why we can’t move, and when we scream, nobody can hear us. That’s because we are trapped between their dimension and ours.
“But soon after that, many Centaurans started hearing voices and acting strangely.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“People were doing things that were completely out of character for them. They were doing things they would never do lucidly. And this happened to all races within the five kingdoms. That was the second stage,” he said.
“Soon after that, the powerful beings manifested, mostly in shadow form. They could suggest thoughts to most and controlled people’s behaviors, especially those who were struggling with hardships, like grieving or an illness. With that, they nearly decimated the population. They became so powerful that, for the first time, the five kingdoms came together. But even the five kingdoms’ armies could not defeat them once they were fully integrated into our world. It was as if they knew everything we were thinking before we did it: every attack, every plan, every thought we had. They had tremendous power and could travel short distances in a blink of an eye. The situation was so dire that most people in Centaura could no longer function. Resources were scarce, and people were dying.
“The kings of each of the five kingdoms came together. Each kingdom chose the wisest among themselves, and together they founded the Council of Elders. The Council
was tasked with one thing: defeat the beings who came to be known as the Naaju.
“The Naaju are a race of beings that have been around since the creation of the universe. They were meant to be the guardians and the protectors of time itself, across the universe. Time did not affect them. They could see the past, the future, and the present. They guarded the fabric of time and the very essence of the universe. But they became greedy. They wanted to possess all the knowledge and power in the universe. Because of their mutiny, their creator took away most of their powers and abilities, leaving them as intangible beings. They could no longer feel anything material, and lost the sense of touch, no longer able to interact with the visible world. For millennia they have been looking for a way to regain their former glory. To do that, they would need to pierce the veil between their dimension and ours.
“The first Council of Elders came up with a mystical weapon comprised of five elements. Two of those elements were forged from the Crystal Forest. The mystical weapons could only be wielded by a Centauran of a pure and balanced soul. The Council of Elders called that single individual the Protector. Many Centaurans tried to wield the weapon but failed. It is said that the Protector would bear three of the signs, one of which is that they would have to be a descendant of the first Protector. The other is that they would have a genetic marker and the ability to control any element forged from the Crystal Forest.” He stopped, walked up to me, and looked into my eyes and continued. “You defeated Battu by putting yourself in danger to save others. You also managed to summon your strengths from the Crystal Forest. And finally, your courage and your willingness to put your life at risk for others convinced me that you are the Protector.”
“Whoa,” I said. “I am not the Protector.”
“You may not think you are,” Magaal said, “but your actions have proven otherwise. Who gave you that necklace?” he asked.
“My mother, when I was younger. I have always had the headaches but never knew why.”
