Beyond the Ordinary

William Aleyn lets out a silent sigh as he reclines in his chair, struggling to focus on the droning voice of his philosophy teacher. He is supposed to be absorbing profound thoughts on existentialism and the nature of being, but he is too busy wondering how long it will be until the school day is over. All the other students sitting around him are taking notes. William opts instead to put his head on the desk, yearning for the solace of sleep. William is a big muscular eighteen year old with long raven-black hair. He is wearing a black and green attire.

"Mister Aleyn!" the teacher shouts.

William snaps his head up and looks at Mrs. Hargrove who is eyeing him with a scowl on her face.

"I am not going to tell you again; pay attention," she snarls, making the whole class stare at them both. "Your father does not pay this school for you to sleep through my lessons," she continues.

William mutters something under his breath. He knows it is his own fault for deliberately ignoring the teacher, but he still hates being told what to do. He especially does not like it when the professors mention his father; a very well-known philosopher who has won many awards. He has sent William to one of the only schools in this world, and he has hated it since the moment he has stepped on campus. William has no interest in becoming a philosopher like his father. He has no real interest in becoming anything, actually. Well, at the very least he has not found anything that he wants to do.

He has thought about running away from school many times before, but he is a bit nervous about the idea for one particular reason; the very same reason which makes him uneasy just to be around other people, especially at school. He is not like the rest of them. William has a very special, very unique ability. He has the power to control plants. He has no idea why or how. He is not in complete control of his powers. Sometimes he makes plants blossom out of nowhere and moves them in many ways, but sometimes his command over nature seems hopelessly out of reach. He never has the chance to fully explore his powers with his father constantly pushing him to succeed as a philosopher. William has never told anyone about his powers. Not even his mom or dad. How could he? People already treat him differently because of his parentage. The last thing he wants is for them to look at him like he is a freak. He only ever talks about this to his pet cat, but that cat died. He distances himself from everyone and does not bother to make any close friends.

When the class finishes, William hurriedly goes outside. He admires the beautiful weather, the rush of the wind and the sound of the sea. Finally, he is free. He approaches a mountain covered by lots of trees and begins a steady ascent. In moments of solitude like this, he makes plants grow and pull him upwards. He finally reaches the top, where lies a mango tree. To his astonishment, he finds a pirate captain, sitting by a small campfire as if he has been waiting for him. He hands William a mango.

"Hello, William," Captain Demetrius says.

William freezes.

"Do I know you?" William asks.

"Just sit down and eat," Captain Demetrius replies, gesturing towards the ripe mango he holds. "I will tell you everything," he continues.

William hesitates at first but proceeds to sit down. He eyes the fruit with a mix of suspicion and hunger.

"How do you my name? Are you one of dad's friends?" William questions.

"No," he says calmly. "Tell me, William, why do you enjoy being around nature?" he continues.

"It clears my head, I guess," William replies, his voice barely above a whisper as he stares into the flickering flames.

"Why do you need to clear your head?" Captain Demetrius asks.

William stays silent for a moment. He does not want to open up, especially to a stranger; however, there is something about this man that makes William trust him.

"There are many things. Firstly, my father is trying to force me to become a philosopher. Secondly, I recently lost my pet cat. It was my only friend. She is gone, and nobody cares but me. My father does not even want me to grief for her. He wants me to move on as if she never existed," William states.

"I am sorry for your loss, but let's be honest, William. There is another thing that drives you into being around plants all the time," Demetrius says.

William panics and rises to his feet.

He turns his back to Demetrius and says, "It is getting late. I should get going. I have school tomorrow."

"You cannot run away from who you are, William," Demetrius says loudly, halting William in his tracks. He pauses for a moment then continues, "I have heard talk of a boy who can move plants without touching them, bring them to life without planting them. I am Captain Demetrius, and I need your special ability to save this world from the Evil Lord."

William's eyes widen. He knows about the Evil Lord, who has conquered the whole south. How could his ability even be useful against such a powerful figure? Demetrius proceeds to tell William about the origins of his powers. He then tells him that he will have to lie to his father and tell him that he is going away to learn philosophy with experts. He hands William a map made of papyrus paper with a red X on it and some instructions on the back.

With that, Captain Demetrius stands up and walks away, leaving William standing on the peak of the mountain with a paper in his hand and excitement in his heart. He is tasked with traveling to the castle marked on the map. He has so many questions to wonder about in his journey like how does Demetrius know about him? He is sure that all his questions will be answered in time. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for William. He finally feels a sense of purpose he has never felt before. He is going to be with a man that relies on his powers rather than fear it. He stashes the map in pocket and scrambles down the mountain. When he is near the end, he summons a plant to appear beneath him and carry him quickly to the ground. William sprints back to his house. His father is skeptical of his story, but William does not give him a chance to talk. He packs his belongings, gets on a tiny boat and heads towards the castle.

John Callis is a young genius fourteen year old kid with brown braided hair. For the past several weeks, he has been working on a cannon that is able to blast multiple cannonballs instantly one after the other in order to be quick on the battlefield. This invention has the potential to change piracy forever. So far his tests have not gone quite as he has hoped. However, he believes that this time will be different.

"Test number twelve. Here we go," he mutters to himself.

He is standing in front of a large cannon, and he loads it up with six cannonballs, which are smaller than the regular cannonballs. He takes a deep breaths as he takes aim at the endless expanse of the sea. It does not matter that he has no target. All that matters is that he shoots. With a thunderous roar, the first three cannonballs are blasted in rapid succession. For a fleeting moment, John thinks his invention has finally worked. However, it breaks down before the forth cannonball is launched. John lets out an exasperated sigh. He looks at his invention with disappointment. Will he ever get this thing to work? John looks up at the sun, then checks his watch. It is already three-thirty. If he wants to get some stuff from the market and be home in time for dinner, he has to hurry.

At the fruit stall, he is greeted with a smile from the cheerful owner, Lady Maris.

"Any progress in your invention," she asks, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Yes, but it is still not ready," John answers, feeling a little embarrassed.

Lady Maris chuckles kindly, tucking a strand of gray hair behind her ear.

"You will get there one day, young man. Just keep at it," she encourages him.

John grabs some apples, pays for them and quickly leaves the stall. He goes on to buy more products from other stalls. As he makes his way towards his house, two kids bump into him on purpose. They jeer at him and call him "freak" and "dweeb". John sighs. He sees the two kids rejoin their mother. John silently envies them. It is rare that he goes somewhere with his mom because she is always working in the shop, selling blunderbusses, flintlock pistols and muskets. Meanwhile, his father is busy pirating and trying to discover hidden treasure. As he continues his journey home, John cannot help but be drawn to the beauty surrounding him. The vibrant colors of the buildings and the sounds of laughter and conversation fill his senses. Despite the hustle and bustle, John feels at peace. John finally arrives at his house. He looks at the dry landscape that lays beyond. He thinks to himself: of all places to live, why here? This is a large clearing outside the city, where not very much grows apart from small tufts of yellow-green grass and a few scraggly bushes. He gets inside the house and calls for his mother and father, but they are nowhere to be found. He searches for them around the house but ends up finding his father, an old man with a wrinkled face and white hair, sitting with another man, who has long gray hair and a gray beard.

"Sorry, I did not mean to interrupt," John stammers.

His father looks up at him with sad eyes.

"John, there is someone important that we would like you to meet," his mother says while standing behind him.

Her eyes are also filled with sadness.

"His name is Captain Demetrius," she says, pointing at the man with the gray beard.

Captain Demetrius rises from his seat.

"Nice to meet you, John," he says with a smile.

"Am I in some sort of trouble?" John asks.

"Not at all," Demetrius replies, gesturing for John to sit.

They both sit down.

"What is your greatest aspiration, John?" Demetrius asks.

John is caught off guard by the question.

"I guess.. helping society through my inventions," he answers.

"That is very noble, but what if I told you that there is a better way to help society than constructing cannons?" Demetrius says

"How did you know that?" John wonders.

"John, you may not know it yet, but there is something very special inside of you. I need that special thing to defeat the Evil Lord. It is going to be a long war, but it is a war that you can help me win. Will you?," Demetrius says.

John stays silent for a minute. His parents and Captain Demetrius all look at him, waiting for an answer.

"As much as this excites me, I do not know if I am ready to leave my parents," John says.

"Look, son. This maybe not the ideal path to go on, but it is a good path. It is the path you need to become a man. Your mother and I are going to be so proud of you when you become a war hero," his father says.

"Then I will make sure I do not let you down," John says with determination.

"Very well. I will leave you now to gather your stuff and say your goodbyes. Meet me at the castle marked on this map," Demetrius says while handing John a piece of paper.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Demetrius says, rising to leave.

The rest of the day is devoted to getting John ready for his trip. That night, John is unable to sleep. He keeps tossing and turning, trying to wrap his head around everything. Every thought eventually leads to a question, and each question makes him frustrated. His biggest wonder is what special thing was Captain Demetrius talking about? And how did he know about the cannon? Does he have spies? Mostly, though, John is nervous. He feels like a tremendous pressure has been put on him, and he is afraid of what that meant. There is also the fact that he is going to leave the only people he has ever known to fight in some sort of war. He is not even sure of his ability to fight with his weak body.

Morning seems to take an eternity to arrive. Once the sun is up, so is John. His stomach churns with uneasy yet excited energy. He does not want to eat breakfast but does so anyways. His parents watch as he takes his bag, steps onto a boat and leaves. John wonders what kind of adventure lays ahead and whether he is truly ready for it. Despite his fears, John know that he can't miss out on this opportunity. It is his chance to make a real difference in the world and to prove his worth to those around him.

Wimund opens his eyes. He has been dreaming again; dreaming of a life he has never known. This time, he has seen the face of a pirate with one blind eye and red bandanna.

"Protect the vulnerable, for true courage lies in standing up for others," the man declared in his dream.

Each day, Wimund has a different dream. This is not the first time he has seen the face of that man. He has also seen other people in his dreams. He has no idea who these people are or what his dreams mean, but he has a weird feeling that he once knew these people and lived with them. Wimund sighs heavily and gets up slowly. His legs are stiff with sleep, and his vision is blurry as he moves to open the closed window. He loves the warm sun, and the sound of twittering birds. Once he changes into his day clothes, he walks to his kitchen where he prepares himself some breakfast and eats it quietly at the table. After he finishes his breakfast, he takes a look at a recipe book, scribbles down the names of a few ingredients on a thin piece of paper and exits his house to buy them.

Wimund is tall, thin and teenage-looking. He has light brown wavy hair. The village in which he lives is called Harbor's View, a small fishing-village that is surrounded by a wall of coral reef, protecting the harbor from waves and pirates alike. The harbor is filled with a variety of fishing boats, ranging from small canoes to huge sea-faring ships. The village is famous for their rich marine ecosystem and diverse fish catch. Wimund has woken up in Harbor's View many years ago bloody and bruised with no memory of how he has gotten here, where he is from or who his parents are. All he has is his own name. The village has taken him in and treated the numerous wounds that strained his body. Here Wimund has remained for seven years, silently hoping that he will one day remember his past. Harbor's View is right behind the Mutiny River, where the Evil Lord's army is blocked right now. Cave Trolls have tried to attack the village multiple times, but they always failed thanks to Wimund and other brave warriors. Wimund has no idea where he has learned to fight, but he is exceptional at it. Villagers though are very scared of being conquered by the Evil Lord. Most of the brave men of the village have traveled to the other side of the Mutiny River to try to prevent the arrival of the Evil Lord or Cave Trolls but not Wimund as he does not believe that they can defeat them all on their own. Cave Trolls are ugly monstrous gray colored skeletons with large noses, large teeth with gaps between each two and red eyes. Some of them have several heads or just one eye. They wear armor including metal chest plates and helmets and are armed with cutlasses.

"Hey, look! It is Mister Mystery," a young child says, pointing at Wimund.

All the kids quickly turn their attention to Wimund. The local children are fascinated by Wimund and his story, so they have taken to calling him Mister Mystery. They leap upon him with their usual unbridled enthusiasm and curiosity.

"Mister M!" a little girl cries as she and others struggle to keep up with Wimund as he walks. "Did you have another dream today?" she continues.

Wimund looks at her with a gentle smile then says, "Yeah, I dreamed of a man with an ugly face. That is not enough to tell me anything about myself though."

"Where are you going?" a kid with messy hair questions.

"To the market," Wimund answers.

"Can we come too?" Several kids ask at the same time.

Wimund nods. All the kids cheer and begin to happily skip and wander by his side as they make their way through the dirt roads.

"My brother said that you once fought off fifteen Cave Trolls at the same time!" one boy exclaims. "How did you do it?" he asks.

Wimund's smile falters. He remembers the day the boy is referring to very well. It was several months ago, but the village is still talking about it. Fifteen Cave Trolls have come to the village one night in an attempt to raid off its supplies. As usual Wimund and a few pirates were ready to face them in a battle and defend the village. They fought well, but the Cave Trolls overpowered them. Wimund was disarmed. He was about to get hit and probably injured if not killed, but suddenly yellow beams went out of his hand as he tried to protect himself with his hands. The beams knocked out all of the Cave Trolls to the ground. As Wimund continued to aim at them, the beam made a hole in the body of one of the Cave Trolls, and that was when the rest ran away. His beams cut through both the armor and Troll skin. Of all the mysteries in Wimund's life, this is the biggest. He is not sure what this power is. He has gained partial control over this power through practice, but he rarely uses it due to his fear of unintentionally hurting someone.

Wimund looks at the boy and says, "It is a long story. I will tell it to you in another time."

The little boy's eyes fell with disappointment. The children eventually become bored of Wimund and leave him as he shops in the market. His interactions with the sellers are short and to the point. He goes home after he gets all the ingredients he wants.

A couple hours before sunset, the little girl from earlier knocks on Wimund's door.

"Mister, There is a stranger in town, who wants to meet you. He is not a Troll, he is just an old pirate captain," she announces.

Wimund's face is full of surprise. He does not get visitors very often, and when he does, they are mostly other villagers. The little girl leads him to the old man with gray beard and hair.

"Stella, run home, now," Wimund says calmly.

The girl obeys without hesitation. Wimund approaches the stranger with cautious curiosity.

"What brings you here?" Wimund asks.

"I am looking for a young man by the name of Wimund," the old man answers.

"Here I am, Wimund at your service," Wimund states.

"Delighted to meet you. My name is Captain Demetrius. May we please continue this talk at another place, where we can sit down? I just came from a long ship ride then walked for about thirty minutes to get here," the old man says.

Wimund nods and leads him to his house.

Once they are inside, Wimund asks, "How do you know my name?"

"Words travel fast in these waters. Everyone knows about Harbor's View, and the hero, who has protected it with his elemental power of light," Captain Demetrius says.

Elemental power of light? Is that what Wimund's powers are? He wonders.

"What is it to you?" Wimund questions.

"Why do you defend this village, Wimund?" Demetrius asks.

"They helped me before. I am only returning the favor," Wimund replies.

"Let's say a person, who you never met, is attacked by a Troll. Would you still protect him?" Demetrius says.

For some reason, Wimund's mind is transported back to the man from his dream.

"Yes because I need to protect the vulnerable, for true courage lies in standing up for others," Wimund says.

To him, the words feel like a promise resonating deep within his soul.

"Wimund, I need your help in ending the Evil Lord and his Cave Troll army. Your special ability, along with those of others, are capable of doing so. Here is a map to the place you should meet me at. Sorry for the rush, but I have got other places to go to. If you are afraid of leaving this village unguarded, do not worry. I have already hand picked many honorable men, who are ready to risk their lives to protect the village. The day is growing short. I must go now," Demetrius says rapidly and loudly.

Demetrius stands up. He has said a lot in a short amount of time, and Wimund is still processing his words. Wimund watches as the man leaves. He has many questions. Who is this man? How does he know about Wimund? Is he connected to his past? What other abilities exist out there? Unable to think, Wimund goes out for a walk to clear his thoughts. The cool night air brushes against his skin, and his breath comes out in small puffs. He passes by houses that belong to many people he knows well. The idea of leaving pains him, but it might be his only chance to know who he is. Besides, if they do defeat the Evil Lord, the village will be completely safe again.

By the next morning, Wimund has still not made up his mind. That is until he sees Mr. and Ms. Henderson. Their faces are lined with sorrow. Their son is one of the people, who have traveled to fight the Trolls on the other side. Everyday, they cry their eyes out. If their son is dead, they will not even know. They pray everyday for his return. Wimund has a chance to end all this suffering not only in the village but the whole world. There is something else too. He has had another dream last night. He seen the same man from the previous dream, and he told him to trust Demetrius. Wimund announces to the villagers that he will be leaving to fight the Evil Lord and the Cave Trolls. He assures them that others will arrive soon to keep this village safe. The children are the ones, who are hit the hardest by this news as they love Wimund not only because of his stories but also because of his kind personality. Wimund will miss them too. Their smiles have always brightened his day. However, he must do this. He packs a small bag, rides a boat and makes his way towards the X on the map.