Embodiment of Divinity
"
"No, that's not-"
Initially, he thought of naming himself after the place where he came from—a reminder of his past identity. 'Let's go with Earthen, because I'm from Earth hahah. It's not like someone would know about it and it sounds cool too' was what he thought. But, upon hearing the little girl's explanation, without second thought, he changed his mind. He never knew that his shallow naming sense would actually have a deeper meaning in this new language.
"Alright, just call me Erten," he said, offering his hands to the little girl.
"What do you want, you wanna
"It's a handshake. Here, let me show you. You take someone's hand like this and do this."
"Huh? What's this for? Do you have to shake it three times?" She asked, puzzled by the weird gesture taught by the same weird boy.
Before Erten could answer, Ball, his friend who was always up for something new, jumped in. "Hey, what are you doing? Let me try too!" said Ball, not wanting to miss out the seemingly exciting hand play.
Onumer laughed in surprise, her confusion melting away into delight, while the boy in her left arm wriggled, trying to escape her tight, helpful arm. Their laughter added hue to the already noisy playroom.
Soon, the caregivers announced that it was time for the afternoon meal. The children hurried to eat, their chatter and laughter filling the air. Afterward, it was time for the outing session, and today it was Erten's group's turn, including Ball. Excitement buzzed in the air as they stepped outside the nursery, their eyes wide with wonder at the bustling activities of the village.
Tribesmen were busy with their daily tasks, and the children watched in awe. The older children who saw the outing group cooed at the babies' cuteness, despite their own adorableness. Some older boys flexed their muscles, showing off to the younger ones. In response, the children from the outing group tried to mimic them, puffing out their tiny chests and flexing their little arms.
Weirded out by the scene, Erten nudged Ball, who was flexing his non-existent muscles. "Come on, stop that. The real deal is over there."
Erten grabbed his friend's hand, and without the caregivers noticing, they slipped away, their little legs carrying them towards the training grounds. They arrived at the fence surrounding the area where the teenage tribesmen were training. The sight before them was mesmerizing: some wrestled, some lifted heavy logs, and others performed agility workouts. The rhythmic thudding of axes and hammers filled the air.
Standing on tiptoes, the boys peered over the fence. Ball's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow, these guys are way stronger than those we saw earlier."
The two friends tried to imitate the trainees, striking poses and flexing their non-existent muscles. But the constant thud of hammers drew their attention. Ball asked, "What's that noise?"
Erten shrugged, "I don't know. Let's go see."
The two boys ran off towards the source of the sound, their curiosity driving them forward. They arrived at a construction site where several tribesmen were hard at work. Some were splitting logs with precise swings of their axes, others were digging the ground, and a few stood on leveled surfaces, using large hammers to drive beams into place for what seemed to be a house.
Erten watched in fascination, his mind flashed back to his past life, recalling the times he worked building log cabin. He was intrigued by the process, noting how different it was from the log cabin he built for his neighbor. These structures were more rudimentary yet functional. He wondered if they had any form of written planning or blueprints. While Ball was captivated by the tribesmen's strength and precision.
Erten's attention shifted to the old man overseeing the construction. He recognized him as the same old man who had accompanied the shaman during his previous escape from the nursery. Intrigued, Erten squinted, trying to catch the old man's words. Being vigilant and thorough, the old man's gaze swept the site, ensuring everything was in order. As his gaze swept over the area, he noticed two little boys with their head fixed at the construction site, one of them squinting directly at him while the other dropped his jaw in awe.
For a moment, the old man ignored them, but then he realized—there were no other children around, and more importantly, no caregivers in sight. Uneasy, he turned his head fully, his eyes locking onto the two boys.
The squinting kid shuddered under the intense stare and nudged his friend.
"Look, he's staring at us," Erten whispered to Ball.
Ball slowly turned his gaze towards where Erten was pointing. Startled, the two boys bolted, their little legs pumping as fast as they could. Before they could get far, a caregiver appeared, already sprinting towards them. The boys were scooped up, one in each arm, like two mischievous kittens caught in the act.
The old man grumbled, "Wild little brats," but nodded in acknowledgment to the caregiver who returned the gesture with a resigned smile as she carried the boys back to the group, hugging them tightly like a protective gorilla.
As they were carried back, Erten's mind raced. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed something important, but for now, their adventure was over. Back at the nursery, he exchanged a glance with Ball, both boys chuckling in agreement that they had experienced something extraordinary today.
Back in the nursery, the other children were gathered for their afternoon nap. Erten and Ball were set down gently, the caregiver's stern look reminding them to stay out of trouble. They nodded solemnly, but as soon as her back was turned, they stood up and shared a conspiratorial grin. Today's adventure had only whetted their appetite for more.
- - - - -
Somewhere in the village, the great shaman hurried towards the northeastern village. This village, inhabited by the elderly and agricultural-focused members of the tribe, also served as the training ground for aspiring shamans, who would one day become the village's spiritual guardians and replace her as the current nane'. Her mind raced with the implications of what she had seen as she entered the village's main house and greeted everyone present. Her sudden visit drew immediate attention.
"I have news and a question for you all," she said, her voice steady but filled with urgency. The room fell silent, all eyes on her. The elderly members, wise with age and experience, listened attentively as the shaman posed her question. "Do you recall the tale about 'the harbinger of great change'?"
A murmur of recognition spread through the room. Several elders spoke at once, "The Great Romula."
The shaman nodded, her face serious. "Yes, a Romula, the only beaked serpent from the northern cold plains."
One of the eldest members, his face lined with years of wisdom, his voice trembling with age and reverence, recounted the tale. "The Great Romula is a direct messenger of the Great Guardian, birthed from Nature's embrace, taking the form of a beaked serpent. It will only venture outside its natural habitat to bring forth either a good sign or a bad sign."
The shaman listened intently, absorbing every word. She then shared her startling revelation. "I just 'saw' energy similar to The Great Romula's description. It was moving towards our village."
Gasps and murmurs filled the room, shock evident on every face. The elders exchanged worried glances before turning back to her. "What do you plan to do?" one of them asked.
"At the moment, I'm not sure. Its energy doesn't feel threatening, but we must be prepared. I'll gather the shamans and have them ready around the tribe."
With a sense of urgency, the old shaman quickly made her way to the apprentice shaman's training area and relayed the news. Their faces mirrored the shock and concern she had seen in the elders. The shaman briefed the apprentices to stay alert and enter their spiritual realm at a time they agreed upon. They were to scatter to several key locations: the shaman's hut, the warrior's residence to the west, the northeastern village, the southern village's main house, the barn, the meat storage, and lastly, the nursery.
Night fell, and the shamans moved to their designated spots, each in groups of two, with two accompanying the great shaman in her hut. The villagers, though curious, greeted the shamans respectfully and dared not question the shamans' presence, except for those in the warrior's village who immediately inquired about the purpose of the visit. Upon hearing the reason, they agreed to stay alert and wake up immediately if the shamans called for them. Some villagers decided to stay awake, watching over the shamans as they entered their meditative states.
As midnight approached, the creature's light began to enter the tribe's area. The great shaman, in the spiritual realm, addressed the Romula with respect, asking for the message it brought to their tribe. The Romula, however, did not respond. Confused, the shaman asked again. In response, the Romula showed her the path where it intended to go. To her surprise, its destination was the nursery.
Surprised, the old shaman emerged out of her meditative state and quickly woke the other shamans. She instructed them to gather the others scattered throughout the village and converge at the nursery without alerting the rest of the tribe.
The old shaman tracked the Romula's energy, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She was struck with awe upon seeing the creature from their legends in front of her eyes.
The Romula, resembling a white beaked serpent with scales forming thick, pointed ridges, exuded a chilling energy. Despite its massive radiance of energy, the creature was only as large as a wrist. The shaman followed the Romula carefully, as if escorting it. The serpent moved purposefully towards the nursery's door which the shaman opened with much anticipation.
The creature navigated its way inside, seemingly knowing exactly where to go. It slithered to a particular cage, where a certain child was sleeping peacefully—the one whose energy could not be perceived by the shaman. The Romula coiled around the child's body as if embracing him, and settled in that position.
Curious, the shaman sat and entered her spiritual realm. She observed as the Romula's energy being absorbed into the child. Slowly, the child's spiritual body began to glow, revealing a pattern like that of water ripples that can be seen under a clear water, with brighter energy seeping through the lines. The energy was unlike anything the shaman had ever felt.
The flow of energy grew more turbulent, and the shaman felt as if her spiritual body was being pulled in as well. The child's energy glowed brighter and brighter, illuminating the surrounding energies. As the wild flow of energy interacted with the shaman's spiritual body, she felt a soothing presence, temporarily rejuvenating her energy.
When the turbulence became too violent, the shaman struggled to exit the spiritual realm but found herself unable to. She finally managed to wake up with the help of another shaman who snapped her out of the trance after seeing her mumbling with her eyes turned showing its white side.
Exhausted and drained, she instructed the other shamans to let the Romula be and to wait outside. Not long after, the Romula came out, its body now the size of a finger. All the shamans heard its request to lend their energy, to which they willingly gave. The Romula, interacting with various energies, also gave part of its energy to the shamans, rejuvenating them. Thanking them, it continued northward, its size now restored to about an arm's width.
The great shaman, filled with awe and reverence, addressed her fellow shamans. She instructed to keep their divine interaction with the Great Guardian's messenger a secret, honoring the sacred event they had just witnessed.