Gaea Awakening- Act 1

The Earthen Boy

(Some Notes- Dwuaso and Asakan’s culture are inspired by the Shona of Great Zimbabwe.)

“Millenia ago, the power known as chaos appeared in the world of Gaea. It was a power that created empires, and destroyed them. Created powerful beasts that now roam the planet. Changing mankind, changing this world down to its very roots… Powers thought to be supernatural, Impossible, Fiction, have become reality. Now, over 5000 years later, this power has spread throughout this vast world, and brought about a paradigm shift. But the question remains, what of its inhabitants…”

Opening 1

In the very center of the Supercontinent that made up Gaea’s lands, there was the nation of Dwuaso. A minor kingdom filled with dark skinned people, that trace their ancestry to the Savannas of the northeast. It was filled with many cities, filled with tall spires of glass and steel, and advanced technology that caused the population across the world to skyrocket. Even with the advance of technology, in the nations of Gaea, smaller towns which stayed with the more traditional architecture, still existed in large numbers. For Dwuaso much of these settlements were in its eastern realms. In the far east, near the nation's borders, there was the Ibascin Mountains. And at the very foot of these mountains, there lies a particular town known as Asakan. It was a serene village, the large, round houses, constructed by use of stone bricks, coming directly from the quarries in the region.

The roofs on top of the buildings were mostly constructed of clay tales, in various colors. typical of the region’s ancient architecture The giant earthworks surrounding the city, thick walls built with stone brick, had a number of patterns engraved on them. It was formerly the capital of one of many ancient empires, one that outsized the nation the city was under the rule of. However, that was centuries ago. Nowadays, it mostly went beneath the public eye.

Though, the community’s residents enjoyed living there regardless. After all, that was none of their concern. It was no different for a young boy, living near the edge of the city, living in an oblong house similar to the others, placed on top of the walls. He looked to be about twelve at the most. Dark colored skin, and curly black hair, filling out his clothing well, and wearing a simple tunic. With silver-colored beads around his waist, as well as some sandals upon his feet.

In one of the three bedrooms that lay within, The boy laid with his eyes closed, on a mattress, the frame of the bed constructed with welded iron bars. A small lamp sat beside him, on a table at his bedside, providing light. Or, at the least, it would have been, if it wasn’t off. His breathing came slow and steady. There wasn't any noise other than that from outside the window, where the wind blew softly.

"Inorema, Breakfast!" A deepened voice called out.

However, with no response, the source of the voice began to trudge toward the room, footsteps clamoring on the floors.

"You awake in here?"

A man's voice shook the boy slightly, causing him to open his eyes slowly. They widened when they saw the figure standing before him. Dressed in long orange robes made entirely out of silk.

"Big Bro?" Inorema mumbled groggily, as he rubbed his eyes. He began to look up at the man. He had dark brown skin, and dark purple hair, spikey in form. His broad-shoulder body was covered in scars, just as his face was. Inorema finally lifted himself from his bed, stepping toward him. Of course, he recognized who this was, the one he called his older brother, Yakakura Pasi. Inorema swung his legs over the side of the bed, as he stood to his feet.

He glanced at the table at his bedside, looking at the clock, and swiftly began to get ready, removing his sandals, and putting on boots that lay near the room’s door. He looked down upon his body, making sure he hadn’t forgotten any article of clothing… Last thing he needed was that happening again, he looked up at his brother.

"Alright, Let's go eat.." Yakakura replied. He motioned towards the door, using his hand to beckon him into the hallway.

As Inorema walked out Yakakura would follow soon after. The two made their way through the hallway, passing by three other doors on the way. Eventually, they stopped in front of a large doorway that led to the house’s largest room, which lay in the center. Separated from the house by use of internal walls. It was here that the kitchen sat. Within, was a boy who looked similar to the other two, dark skin, and short black hair. Though, unlike them, he was very young. About 6 at the most. In the table in front of him, was a clay bowl filled with porridge.

"Garikai, Enjoying your breakfast?" Inorema asked. Something that caught the boy's attention.

A smile came onto the child's face, as he nodded."Mmhm, Yummy." Garikai replied. He took a bite of the porridge, before continuing. "Can I have more?"

"Sure," Inorema said, grabbing the bowl, he strolled toward the stove, which held a pot. Before he grabbed a steel Ladle, scooping some into the bowl, and walking back to the table, putting it in front of him.

"Thanks, Rema!"

Inorema nodded, as he began walking out of the room, Something Yakakura took note of.

"Leaving without food?" He questioned.

Inorema glanced over his shoulder

"I'll get something while I'm out, it's a big day, after all!"

"You guys are having your last test at the academy,right?" Garikai questioned.

"Yep. If I pass, I'll be a fully-fledged warrior, ready to hit the road and travel across the world!" He responded.

"That's awesome! You'll be the best warrior ever!" Garikai exclaimed. Inorema stepped back toward the kid, Ruffling his hair.

"Yep. And I'll make sure to come back to visit you all!" He responded.

The youth began to make his way out of the house, running out into the circular hallways, going toward the thick, wooden front door, and turning the knob, opening it.

"Make sure you visit our parents before you leave!" Yakakura called out, as Inorema ran out.

He began to run down the street, heading toward the center of the city. He was greeted by a few people in the center. At this time, most of the town was in the fields, working on their farms. Most of them were sitting on the benches, eating food, and relaxing. Save for the energy filled boy, who'd made himself known throughout both the village, and the few that surrounded them.

As he continued his run, something made him stop in his tracks.

"Yo, Rema!" A youthful voice that was familiar to him yelled.

He glanced over his shoulder, seeing a familiar face. "Kutinhira, There you are!" He shouted, returning the greeting.

The boy, Kutinhira, had dark blue hair, and red eyes. He wore a simple outfit consisting of a white shirt, stained green pants, and sandals on his feet. Most notable were the rods of unblemished silver that were around his belt loops.

"Yep... Can't believe we're finally graduating. It's been a long four years..." Kutinhira trailed off, as he glanced around with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh, Weird, I knew we agreed on Nine O'clock... Where is Mheni?" He continued

Inorema Shrugged.

"Don't know why you're surprised. When has he ever been on time?" Inorema questioned, rhetorically.

"True enough..." Kutinhira muttered.

"I-- Huff--- Resent that!"The two glanced in the direction of the raspy voice, finding none other than young Mheni, his head drenched in stretch, and his body hunched over, as he braced himself on his knees.

"Good morning, you guys..”

"Good morning, huh... Don't tell me you stayed up all night again?" Inorema responded.

"W- Of course not.. What would make you think that?" Mheni retorted.

"Come now, don't act like an idiot." Inorema scoffed.

"Haha, So what did you do? Besides staying up late, obviously." Kutinhira interjected.

"Shut Up, Kutin." Mheni responded.

"You knuckleheads, messing around again, Eh?" The three directed their attention to the source of the voice, a muscular man that stepped out of an alley, between two of the shop fronts. He wore black armor that left both his body, and his face unseen. Along with a red cloak draped over his shoulders. Most notable, however, was the downright gigantic sword that was sheathed on his back.

Inorema began to step toward him, " Well, If it isn't Old man Simbi."

"Shouldn't you all be running off to the academy?"

"We're just taking a little detour, going to get some food." Inorema responded.

Simbi sighed, reaching inside his pocket, pulling out a small pouch, which contained several coins and bills alike. Not too long after, he dropped them into Inorema’s hand.

"Try not to spend it all in one place."

And just like that, the armored man began walking off.

"Hey, wait!" Inorema called out after him.

But the man kept walking, until he disappeared into the shadow’s of the alley.

"Well then..." Inorema said, as he put his gaze back onto his friends. It wasn’t something they weren’t used to, they never were able to find out much about this Simbi guy, despite the fact that he’d shown up in the town for years now.

“Man. I can never read that guy.” Kutinhira commented.

Theories about him began to move through all three of their heads soon after… Apparently, losing sight of their original goal. That was, until Inorema moved his gaze to a clock that remained on one of the many building’s walls. And as he took a closer look, he took note of something. Something that made his eyes widen.

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"Wait, He's right! We can't be late today! We gotta get there before class starts!” Inorema yelled.

Their gazes flew to the clock as well, as they caught notice of the time as well. They all began a dash toward the northern areas of the city. Running across the cobble paved roads as they did so, a somewhat common routine, given the lack of reaction from those around them. Their run through the city continued, until they’d finally arrived at the academy. A large brick building, constructed of stone. Its walls had Numerous symbols etched into them. The building itself consisted of many different rooms, and winding hallways. leading to the center, where the courtyard of the building lies, within the building itself, unlike the rest of the building, lacking a roof.

The dash continued, until Inorema found himself crashing into someone, headfirst. Something that made him step back, groaning as he rubbed his forehead. With the same happening to the one he bumped into. They both closed their eyes, opening them around the same time.

"Ah! Watch where you're going, yo-" He began in a pained tone. Pausing as he looked up, his gaze falling upon the boy’s features. It was then that he went silent.

"Well, well... If it isn't Inorema Pasi." The boy said.

A frown grew on Inorema's face, as he took note of who he was. A familiar face, no doubt.

"Wesumango..."

He looked about the same age as the three, dark skin, and a head of spiky, dark brown hair, with pale, orange orbs. He wore a simple outfit consisting of a white shirt, stained green pants, and sandals. The three had constantly competed with Wesumango and his two lackeys through their time in the Academy. All six wanted to be on top, but they never did manage to get past each other, which was something neither side liked.

Wesumango stepped forward, placing his hands on his hips.

"I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd have the guts to come here."

Inorema scoffed,

"Let's see if you're still talkin tough after we beat you, Wesumango." Kutinhira replied.

Wesumango smiled, "We both know you guys can't beat my crew"

"We'll see about that...'' Responded Inorema.

Wesumango and Inorema began staring each other down, seemingly, neither willing to give up their position, something that didn't go unnoticed by the students that walked around them.

"Those two again?" One asked.

Another nodded.

"Yeup. The other fourth years told me Inorema and Wesumango have been like this even before they enrolled." They responded.

Another shook her head as she continued on her way to class. Eventually, the three began walking past him, leaving Wesumango behind, making their way through the school's gate, and into the hallways. Many had questioned why he acted like this, but Inorema always gave a simple answer. "I don't like the smug look on that guy's face…" and Wesumango would usually say the same. By this point, nobody knew, and nobody tried to figure it out. The three continued making their way into the building, clearing the gate that led to the stone-walled, marble tiled hallways of the academy. The halls bristled with activity with the large number of students. Some casually spoke, while others rushed to get to their classes, and some simply stood by themselves. They made their way down the hallways, until they came across a large, circular staircase.

"Alright, let's get to the classroom." Said Inorema.

"Yeah, yeah." Replied Kutinhira.

They began to ascend up the stairs, when suddenly, a voice rang out from above.

"Hey, hey, Rema, Kutinhira, Mheni, good morning!" Called a young, Feminine voice.

The three looked up to see a light skinned girl, a sign of her different origins. She wore light-blue, leather armor, along with a black skirt, which extended to her knees. Her long, blue hair flowed down to her back.

"What's the matter? You look like you're in a rush." She continued.

They continued making their way up the stairs, stopping in front of her.

"We just got a little caught up. You ready for the test, Elincia?" Kutinhira asked.

The girl nodded,

"Of course, I was practicing hard last night." She responded.

She began walking, with the boys following behind, like on the first floor, a number of classrooms lined the hallway.

"I'm sure you'll do great. Let's all pass, Alright?" Said Inorema.

They continued to make their way forward, until they reached their classroom, which lay at the end of the hall. Something that was soon followed by a rather tall woman appearing in front of them, apparently, making her way out of the room prior to this. She was a dark, muscular woman with silky black hair. She had an eyepatch over her right eye, and a scar running diagonally under her nose. She wore a thick leather chest piece, red in color. Mostly more than enough to serve as protection. With pants of the same color on her legs. But what was most notable, was the large gauntlet that lay on her left arm, there to support her style of fighting. This was their teacher, and a warrior many in the city knew, Oma Chibhakera.

Oma nodded at them, before walking out of the classroom, moving past them.

“Looks like Oma’s still acting the same…” Kutinhira mumbled.

Elicinia, Inorema, Kutinhira and Mheni made their way into the room, seeing many familiar faces. The students they'd gone through their four years in the academy with. A total of 30 stood inside of the classroom.

"Guys, How's it going?" Asked Inorema.

Soon enough, another member of the class, apparently there before them, walked up. It was a caramel-skinned boy with short black hair, wearing a black coat, over a purple tunic. His arms were slightly toned, due to his training. With a thin pair of glasses on his face.

"Good day, Inorema." The boy said, greeting him.

Inorema stepped forward, shaking hands with him. "Heya, Ngwara! Everyone else is already here, I'm guessing."

Ngwara smiled, "You guessed right."

Conversation around the room began, as the students mingled with one another. The jubilant mood within was clear. That was until Oma entered the classroom. And as the student body took notice, The conversations stopped… Nobody wanted to be the target of HER anger, after all.

“Alright, line up.... It's about time that we get started." She said sternly.

The silence continued as they listened to this, lining from one end of the class to another. Waiting for her to continue her words. Satisfied, she nodded.

"Alright... Let's cut to the chase. For your final exam, You'll be breaking up into teams of three. We'll be heading into Junon forest, at the base of the Ibascin mountains. Your assignment will be to gain a certain number of points. You'll gain those points by slaying monsters... But, that is not the only way, You can also gain them from battling one another."

The class broke into excited chatter. Some people would begin talking amongst each other, while others would start discussing strategies.

"Quiet." She ordered once again.

Once everyone returned to silence, before she continued on.

"You'll be staying there for one day, and you will be provided with food and water beforehand."

She gestured toward the ten large backpacks that lay at her side.

"We leave in 2 hours, see me in the courtyard when it's time. Be ready. Am I heard?" She called.

"Yes!" They all yelled.

Now, she began to walk out, stopping just shy of the door.

"You've all been here for four long years, all waiting for this time. Don't let your hard work go to waste." She continued. Soon after, making her way out, and leaving them to their own devices.

"Mheni, Kutinhara..." Inorema called out, nodding at them.

He received two nods back. Just like that, their team was made. Elicinia and Ngawara walked toward one another.

"Ngwara, Wanna team up?" She questioned, smiling.

"Sure thing, Elchina." He answered.

"You guys still need a third, right?" Another voice questioned. Strolling up to Elicinia and Ngawa, was a boy with dark brown skin. His brown locks slicked back, and his eyes a bright blue. His body looked very fit, he wore no shirt underneath his black vest, leaving his bare chest in view. On his hip, there was a sheathed Bakatwa, a double-edged sword. With its length a little above his arm.

Elicinia nodded. "Yep, go ahead and join us Piurze!"

Now, it was simply a waiting game. They were all ready, and none of them were willing to give up, especially not now. A feeling of anticipation rolled through the room, as they all waited for the time to run out.

2 hours turned into 1, and 1 turned into half. The teams began to grab the bags assigned to them. Before, they began to make their way to the school's internal courtyard. All the students packed together, moving down the hallways towards where the courtyard stood. Once reaching the entrance to the courtyard, they split up within, waiting for their teacher to arrive. As it had in the classroom before, discussion had carried on.

Inorema's gaze moved around the room at his competition. It looked like everybody had decided to stay... Of course, a certain boy was not excluded from this. Wesumango began to walk up to him, Kutinhira, and Mheni. Though, this time, he was joined by two others. The tension between the two rival groups was clear as they gazed at one another. With the same thought running through their head, how they were going to beat them down. With all the fights they had before, it wasn't a surprise. Only this time, they wouldn't be stopped.

Apparently, taking note of this, was Ngarwa, who began to stroll up to the group, soon followed by Elicinia and Piurze… His gaze went to Wesumango, and then, it went between the two he came here with.

"Well, if it isn't Nkomo and Pukui... Still acting like lackeys to Wesumango here, eh?" Ngarwa commented.

"We are not his ‘Lackey's’!” The one to Weusmango's left, retorted.

The one speaking was, by far, the tallest one in the class. His lanky body was covered by a white robe, which ended just above the knees. His hair was light green in color, and fell straight across his forehead, This was Nkomo.

"That's right!" A feminine voice called out. The source, being the one to Wesumango's right, Pukui. This girl was much shorter than the rest. She had dark brown skin, and jet black hair. Her features were very sharp, giving off a stern appearance.

She wore an outfit similar to Nkomo's, only hers was a deep red. And lastly, a longbow, as well as arrows.

All three glared daggers at Ngarwa, before he spoke again.

"Sure you aren't... You all just happen to be so quick to listen to him." He said, looking over the other two.

Hearing this, both Nkomo and Pukui snarled.

"Shut up! If we wanted to hear what you have to say, then we would ask you ourselves!" Nkumo replied angrily.

Ngarwa chuckled at this response.

"Sounds to me like you can't deny what i'm saying... But I'm not surprised. After all, it's not like you two can do ANYTHING without Wesumango, am I right?" He taunted, grinning.

Both Nkomo and Pukui growled. However, neither responded verbally. Instead, they merely stared back at Ngarwa, grinding their teeth. Something that drew chuckles from those who observed this. A rather common sight, no doubt. While this took place, they all continued to wait from the courtyard, until they heard a familiar voice ring through the courtyard.

"Alright, let's get started!"

They all looked toward the source, Oma.

"Get to the airship!" She commanded.

At once, the students began making their way out of the courtyard. The crowd swiftly moved through the school's hallways, which, by now, had a scant amount of students. Who'd since gone to their respective classes. The fourth years began to make their way outside, eventually clearing the door, as they began to walk on the stone paths that circled around the building. Continuing on until they reached the back where the earlier mentioned airship lay, along with 3 others. Likely to be used by the other fourth year classes.

It was small, seemingly able to carry about 100 people at the most. Its outer layers were entirely metal, painted blue. Its structure was rather simple, with its top deck having several windows lining the Ship's length. While the bottom section simply contained open spaces, filled with cloth-lined seats, but not much else.

As the hatch for the ship opened, allowing for the students to file in, Inorema cracked his knuckles, as he glanced at Mheni, nodding, before turning to Kutinhira, nodding as well. He received one back from both. And they began making their way with the rest of their class. It didn't take too long for the rest of the students to make their way on. The hum of the ship's engines began to fill their ears as the hatch closed. Outside the ship, the grasses began to weave, blown by the rapidly moving air. The wind blowing against them caused the trees surrounding the area to sway as well, as the ship began to float upward, before flying out into the Azure sky.

In the hangar bay, Inorema sat with his eyes closed, and arms crossed. A smile on his face. One that intensified, as he remembered the reason why he'd spent the years doing this training, pushing his body to its limits…

"I'm real pumped up now... I'm gonna be a great warrior, Just like you!” He thought.

Act 1 - End

Ending 1