The edge of the village, Korvath

Kofi

As the twin suns rose, the morning dew glistened on the leaves of the trees. I was near the edge of my village, staring into the unknown wilderness beyond. Living in Korvath my whole life, I wondered if I would ever get to see the other realms someday. The stories weren’t enough for me. I needed to see for myself. I noticed a familiar bug crawling along a leaf. It was a blue beetle. I picked it up, smiling while examining it closely. 

“How many of you are there? Is this the only bug in Korvath?” I asked.

Suddenly, a soft humming caught my attention. I turned to see another gray insect. It glistened in the sunlight. 

“I’ve never seen you before.” I said as it hovered in front of my face. Another one landed on a left beside the beetle as if trying to copy its movements. Within moments, more of these insects appeared landing all around me.

‘What is happening?’ I thought. 

Out of nowhere, an excruciatingly loud noise startled me. It came from the village. The beetle flew out of my hand as I ran to investigate. As I got closer to the village, I could hear screaming. 

‘Metrolians.’ I thought.

I watched villagers run in fear as cybernetic soldiers with mechanical suits started destroying everything around them.

A woman caught my eye. She was wounded, seemingly using her last bit of strength to create a leaf barrier around her crying baby moving it out of harm's way. The invaders had already taken control of the village center and were spreading out in all directions.

I had to do something. I heard stories of the Metrolians previous invasions on Korvath including ones that took place in this village. During their last attacks, I was too young to help, but now that I had my powers, I was ready. I ran towards the village center, ready to face any soldiers I saw.

“Kofi!,” someone yelled in the distance. It was Kenji’s voice. I ran to him. He was defending our home from a soldier with two extra cybernetic arms, a Four-Armed Soldier. The soldier threw a punch at Kenji which was dodged and countered by  Kenji stabbing him in the chest with a thick flame-dagger.

I looked up to Kenji not only because he was my older brother, but because he was reclaimed as the best flame user in the village. I one day wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a great fighter too.

The soldier laid on the ground grabbing his wound. Kenji kicked the soldier out of the way and quickly said “Kofi, get outta here. Me and the older fighter mages will defend our home from Metrolia. Look for Kaya and Tola and go find a place to hide.” 

I was frustrated that he still didn’t think I was ready to fight, but I just wanted me safe. I obediently followed his instructions. 

“Kaya! Tola!” I called out.

Before I could get too far, I was stopped by a soldier on a mechanized cheetah. I looked behind me for Kenji, but he was not there. The soldier pounced towards me. I propelled myself out of harm's way with the help of my groundbending. 

“I knew that would come in handy.” I said, proud that I successfully performed the trick I’d been perfecting for months.

I knew I couldn’t run from a Mech-Cheetah, so I thought of my next move carefully.

“You destroyed my village. You will pay for that.” I said.

 The ground beneath the soldier became a hole. 

“Aggghhh” he yelled as he and his mount fell.

Just as he attempted to escape, I covered the top of the hole, burying him alive.

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“Maybe Kenji was wrong. I can fight!” I said as I continued the search for my friends. I could hear the sounds of battle all around me. Eventually, I spotted my friends, Tola, Kaya, and Chima, Kaya’s animal companion, sitting behind a large rock. They were nursing their injuries as best they could. Tola had a wound on her arm, and Kaya had a bruised knee.

While I was running towards them, relief flooded through me. 

"Are you guys okay?" I asked.

Tola nodded, "We're fine, Kofi. We managed to take down a Four-Armed Soldier before we got injured." My eyes widened in amazement. "Really? How did you do it?"

Kaya grinned, "We worked together. Tola used her telekinesis to take some water from the river and cause him to slip and fall. Chima used her electricity to paralyze him for a few seconds, then I pushed him in the water. It was awesome! Isn’t that right, Chima?” She squealed and they high-fived each other. I was proud of them. 

"Can you guys still fight? We have to go help more people.” I asked.

We sprinted towards the village center. The same excruciatingly loud sound from earlier occurred. When we arrived, we found that the tide of battle had turned in our favor. Kenji and the other fighter mages had successfully defended the village. I didn’t see any more soldiers so I assumed the remaining soldiers retreated. I spotted Kenji.

"Kenji! Did we win?" I asked. 

Kenji grinned. "Of course we won. We are the strongest village in the entire realm! That was easy! Thank the Beasts you’re okay, though." 

“I wish you saw what we did, Kenji!” Tola and Kaya told him how they handled their soldier.

“Wow you guys are a good team.”

I told him how I dealt with the Mech-Cheetah soldier.

“So, you buried him alive? That is cruel, little bro.”

He held out his fist and we fist bumped. 

“But awesome at the same time. Ya know, he’s probably still in there screaming for help like ‘Help me! Anyone there?’’ he joked.

We all laughed.

“Do you think Dad would be proud?” I asked.

He pulled me to the side. “What did I tell you about mentioning him? He left us, remember? So try to leave that traitor out of your memories. I know it's hard, but trust me, okay?” Kenji whispered.

“Ok.” I said.

We rejoined the group.

“Do you have any idea what that loud noise was, Kenji?” Kaya asked. 

“It’s the Metrolia transport machine,” he answered. “I don’t exactly know how it works, but I know a big spotlight appeared from the sky and about 50 troops appeared in the village. We heard it twice, so I’m guessing they left by the same means." 

Tola with a perplexed look on her face questioned “Kinda like magic?” 

“Not at all!” Kenji exclaims, “What those morons do is nothing like magic. They use technology, which is used for evil. Magic is always used for good. They’ve attacked nearly every village in Korvath. We’ve been fighting with them for years over our land. Unfortunately for them, we were prepared and possess the strongest fighters in the whole realm. Anyways, I’m getting carried away. Technology and magic are completely different. Remember that. Don’t get them confused..”

I looked around at the village and felt bittersweet. The villagers cheered as they realized we had won the battle. But why was there even a battle in the first place? Why does Metrolia attack us for no reason? Many homes were destroyed and there were even some casualties. For what? Why are they so evil? What did we do to deserve this? I didn’t really care. The bittersweetness turned to anger. All I knew from that moment was that I wanted to put an end to Metrolia for good. I needed to get stronger like Kenji so I could do that.

“What are you waiting for, people?” Oda, our village chief mage asked. “You just won against Metrolia! You are strong, valiant and courageous. We have lost many amazing people, and we will mourn for them on a later date. Today, we celebrate. We shall remember the ones who have fallen and rejoice victory with joyous celebration. That's what they would want us to do! First, let’s let the doctor mages heal the wounded. Then, let the festivities begin!”

Although she was the newest member of the Korvath Council and the youngest chief the village had ever had, she exhibited the most resilience I had ever seen. She had been through so much throughout her life, including losing both her parents as a child and being taken in by who is now the elder of Korvath, Ma’fora. He is rarely present in the village because he is always out helping other the realms across Orionis. For this reason, she became the village’s collective child, just like me, Kaya, and Tola. She grew up to become an extraordinary leader and fighter, with the help of her gravitation abilities. 

The talented musicians of the village used their unique abilities to create beautiful melodies and enchanting rhythms. Tola, with the help of some of the other mages, used her telekinesis to make the trees dance and move with the beat of the music. The trees swayed and bent in time with the rhythm, adding a special touch to the party. Kenji and Chima, using his fire and her electricity, helped create a colorful display of fireworks in the sky. Beautiful explosions lit up the night as a symbol of the village's victory. Gynor, the village chef, used his food magic to create delicious and exotic dishes and drinks. The food had a wondrous array of colors and flavors, and the drinks bubbled and fizzed. I laid down on the jungle grass, looking at the moon, soaking it all in. Joy overtook the anger that previously filled my body.

After the festivities concluded, my friends and I met up with Kenji. Their wounds were healed.

“Did you guys have fun?” Kenji asked happily. 

“Yeah!” We said in unison. Chima squealed. 

“I’m proud of all of you. Go and get some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.” I looked at the river then turned back to my brother. 

“Can we sleep near the river tonight?” I asked, pointing at the water. 

Kenji was hesitant. “Sure, why not? You’ve earned it,” Kenji said. 

“Chima, you’re in charge.” he joked. Chima excitedly jumped off Kaya's shoulders and hugged Kenji’s neck. 

We laughed. 

“You’re not coming?” I asked.

“No, I’m gonna go see what there is to clean up then go to bed at home. Goodnight!” he waved, then walked away.

We said our goodnights as we walked towards the river. It was a cool night. The village was calm. People were seen cleaning up from the previous activities. 

Tola said “I can’t believe we actually won, guys! And we fought real soldiers and beat them down! Metrolia technology has nothing on Korvath magic.”

I smiled. As I laid down next to my friends, I thought about everything that transpired during the eventful day. 

“Goodnight guys.” I said. I slowly closed my eyes as I drifted into sleep. 

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I yawned lethargically before opening my eyes. Upon opening them, I immediately realized I wasn’t in Korvath anymore.