Owen

The sun peeked over the horizon as Lavernius marched through the collapsed kingdom. He always looked around to see if he could see something moving, but he never saw anything. There were no animals, monsters, or people. Part of him felt relieved and the other part felt disappointed.

Lavernius continued marching through the wasteland. A few miles down the path, he stopped and sat down on the ground. He pulled out his sword and leaned against a tree. He stared off into the distance.

A small bird landed on Lavernius' shoulder. He stroked it softly as it pecked at his neck. Its feathers shimmered in the sunlight.

"Huh? There is life here." Lavernius said out loud.

"There's nothing there." a voice said

Lavernius looked around with his sword pointing outward.

"Who's there?" Lavernius asked

"I know it's been a while, but you don't recognize me at all?" the voice asked

"No." Lavernius said

"Look at your neck." it said

He looked down at the orb hanging around his neck. He took hold of it and smiled.

"Wishing orb." Lavernius said, "I guess we haven't spoken in a while because I haven't wished for anything."

"This journey is going to be long. I thought you would need company. Especially since you've been walking around for two days and you are already losing your mind." the orb said

"I guess I should give you a name." Lavernius said

"That would be nice." the orb said

"What about Owen?" Lavernius said

"Yeah, I like that." Owen said

Lavernius sheathed his sword. He continued to walk down the dirt path. Owen started to talk and keep him distracted from the journey. Each night, Lavernius camps out. He built a fire and sat down.

"Do you need sleep, Owen?" Lavernius asked

"No, I wish. I'm always awake. Always thinking. Always hearing. Always seeing." Owen said

"Wow." Lavernius said

"I will wake you if something approaches. I've become fond of you, Lavernius." Owen said

"Thank you." Lavernius said, "Good night."

"Good night." Owen said

Lavernius fell asleep. The moon was high and bright. The wind was cool and calming. The area was silent. The only noise was the fire cracking until it died in the middle of the night. He lay alone in the domain of Light. There were no creatures within miles of him.

He woke up to a beautiful ashen sky. The wind was warm. He stomped out the fire and spread out the coals on the dirt. He packed up and ate on the way.

"How far is the nearest village?" Lavernius asked

"It is four days." Owen said

"It will be worth it, right?" Lavernius said

"Yes, you will become incredibly powerful." Owen said

"The mountain is three days west from the village. The ocean is seven from the village." Owen said

"The Atlas is near the ocean. I saw it in a dream." Lavernius said

"Not this ocean." Owen said

"What ocean?" Lavernius asked

"I'll tell you after you reach the Illuminati." Owen said

"Alright." Lavernius said

Lavernius continued his trek. Owen didn't say much more than that. They camped each night and kept on moving forward. Lavernius reached the end of the forest and he came across a massive rock. It had an odd shape. Lavernius walked up to the rock and touched its surface. The rock looked out of place. It was in between two forests.

"It's a landmark. People used to do these so they wouldn't get lost." Owen said

"Oh, that makes sense." Lavernius said

Lavernius looked closer. On the rock was some writing someone carved. It's faded away over the years.

"What does it say?" Lavernius asked

"I have no idea." Owen said

"Can you read it?" Lavernius asked

Owen tried reading it, but he couldn't make it out.

"Come on. Let's keep moving." Owen said

"Okay." Lavernius said

The sun began to set. Lavernius set up camp once more. He sat down next to the fire. He stared into the flames. Lavernius thought about the future. The fire crackled and sparks shot up into the air.

"Owen?" Lavernius asked

"Yes?" Owen said

"Where do the stars come from?" Lavernius asked

"Interesting question... I believe Kayotic created them to guide the travelers in the dark. He placed them in patterns so the people knew what direction they were going. Using the stars, humans created the four cardinal directions. People came up with their own beliefs of how they were created and what they are. The universe is vast. I don't know if there is more life outside of our planet, but Kryptonick and Kayotic created the universe. They could have created anything." Owen said

"Do you know any stories?" Lavernius asked

"Yes, a lot." Owen said

"Tell me the best one you know." Lavernius said

"There was once a boy, he lived in a small village. His village was surrounded by a thick and full forest. He would often go to the edge and look between the trees. His mother would run over and grab him before he ventured too far. He never saw anything, so he didn't understand why he wasn't allowed in the forest. One night when his mother was sleeping, he snuck out. He wandered into the forest all alone. He kept looking back to see if he could see the village. When he turned around and didn't see the village he began to panic. He quickly turned around and ran as fast as he could in the direction that he came from. He was lost. He began screaming, 'Mother! Mother!', but no answer. He stumbled upon a giant tree. Hanging from the tree seemed to be stuff sowed in silk. He cowered under the tree. He cried and cried. 'Do not cry,' a voice called from the top of the tree. Climbing down was a giant spider. Its eyes glowed gold in the dark. 'Are you lost?' he asked. The boy nodded and ran over to the spider. 'I can help you' he said. The boy nodded and pleaded for help. The spider felt the warmth of the boy and was surprised that he was not afraid. The spider had an idea. 'Take a bite of my leg and drink my blood' he said. The boy did not understand but did what the spider said to do. The boy's eyes changed color, they were gilded with gold. One of the spider's eyes turned dark and it became shrouded with darkness. The boy managed to return home safely, as he exited the woods he could only think about how the spider graciously gave aid and helped. Another child got lost in the forest, and again the spider said to all six of them, 'Take a bite of my leg and drink my blood.' The children did what they were told. The spider only had one golden eye left. One last child wandered into the spider's nest. This child was not afraid of the forest, he had a sword and was prepared to fight. 'Are you lost?' the spider asked him. The boy did not answer. The spider climbed down the tree and faced the boy. The spider was blind in seven of his eyes, the boy knew this and attacked the spider. He cut out the spider's gold eye and ate it. 'Why? Why do you hurt something that has only helped?' the spider asked the boy. The boy did not answer. The spider heard him walk away. Many years have passed. The spider heard footsteps. 'Who goes there? I cannot see.' the spider said. 'What have we done to you?' the man said. The voice was familiar to the spider. The spider heard the man scream in pain. 'Directly below your mouth is something for you to eat.' the man said. The spider hastily ate what the man had thrown. The spider's vision returned to one of its eyes. The spider looked at the man, he was bleeding from his left eye and his hand was covering the wound. 'Why would you sacrifice your eye and help me?' the spider asked. 'When I was a child, long ago, You gave up your power to help me return home.' the man said. 'Thank you, kind, kind human.' the spider said. The spider licked the man's wound and it stopped bleeding. The man stood up and watched the spider climb up the tree. The man left the forest and continued to visit the spider." Owen concluded.

"The spider gave the only thing he had. Humans are terrible." Lavernius said

"The boy returned and gave back to the poor spider. Not all humans are bad." Owen said

"That's true." Lavernius said, falling asleep.

"Good night, my friend Lavernius." Owen said

"Good night. Owen, my friend." Lavernius said

The sun had completely set. The moon shone brightly and the stars danced in the dark sky. The wind picked up and set a cool breeze. Lavernius fell asleep beside the fire, as it died slowly. Owen watched over Lavernius and made sure he was never in danger.