Chapter 30

The Beginnings of a Journey

It only was a few moments of silence, The bow was more than enough to confuse the young kaiken boy, as he looks up at Safiya, who has a smile on her face, but is also a little embarrassed by the introduction of Xu. She clears her throat as the boy blinks but stands a bit straighter and bows as well with a bit of nervousness and confusion to his voice. "My name is Jak, Sir". Xu is curious on his name. "What a nice name to have, Jak, tell me how you received it." Jak scratches the back of his head, but then remembers. "Oh, well I got that name because my favorite snack as a baby was Jakfruit" Safiya chimes in, "Yes I could never go a day without him scurrying off to climb one of the trees and him stuffing his face with them, so I decided to name him so. You are still a baby, though". She says ruffing his hair, dirty blonde hair up. Xu kneels down and looks at Jak eye to eye. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to accompany me on a trip to the next coming months. In turn, I would like to train you and teach you my clan's ways. But if you wish to stay here, I will not stop you. All I have is my word." Jak looks up to Safiya with brightness to his eyes, both as a reassurance and with utter excitement. He could go outside the village? That sounds amazing. He always wanted to explore and see the world, but he never thought it would happen. But he is then realizing the true intentions of this request. He had to make sure it was the correct thought, so he looks at Xu with curious eyes and asks, "Sir, are you, Asking to Adopt me?" Without uttering a word, Xu just smiles and nods, looking at Safiya, who has slight tears of happiness welling up in her eyes. Knowing that her intuition about Xu were true. After a bit of talking, some more tea, and calling in someone from Nocturnia that had proper authority in making documents for the adoption paper work, most of the pages were signed. But there was one last thing that needed to be written down. Safiya turns to Both Xu and Jak, and looks at the paper. "Now there is one more thing that needs to be written, his name. I used Jak as his first and his last name, but now we could change it, if you wish, Jak." Jak thinks for a moment, but then looks to Xu. Xu takes a moment and then takes the ink and quill and writes a name down onto the parchment. Safiya reads it and places smiles, covering her mouth with her palm. "Then it is settled your name shall now be Wu Jak Shimon carrying the Shimon family name and having a name represent your Adoptive fathers', Xu Zhao Shimon." She then continues to read and is shocked by the revelation. "As forth, you will also be..." She read its again on her own just to be sure then recites it once more. "The adopted son of Safiya?" She looks up at Xu. Xu then shrugs, "Well you did raise him for all this time, it wouldn't be fair or right of me to take him from his Mother now, would it? Not after still owing her that drink as well." Safiya shakes her head but wipes the happy tears from her eyes. "That is very true you do owe me a drink, and then some" She laughs and hugs Wu Jak tightly, and lovingly he begins tapping as he seemingly cannot breathe from the embrace. Lamians are known for their strong embraces.

A half a year has passed and Xu and Wu are seen waving at Safiya as they begin to leave to the west of the village. She sports a newly polished silver band on her left ring finger as she waves back to the two as well. She then enters back into her home. Wu and Xu begin their journey, exiting the town from the west. As they walk, Wu is looking around at the desert formations and the vast valleys of dunes in the distance. Just as they passed the entrance of the village. He looks at his Adoptive Father with curiosity, "What is it like outside the village? Have you been to the cities?" He continues asking so many questions and Xu though still getting used to both, fatherhood and the lamian traditional engaged life, he is delighted to answer every single one. These past few months are a great step into his next goals in life, and maybe perhaps he can pass it down onto Wu. They travelled through the desert, the heat baring down onto them. While Wu seems to be squinting and just barely struggling to climb the dunes, Xu walks through them with ease without seemingly feeling the effects of the heat. "How are you even doing that?" Wu asked, seemingly panting from the amount of effort he has to do to not be stuffed with sand. Xu looks at his footing and then onward. "Before I used to have to focus to be able to endure the traveling, I was about your age when I started, actually. But now I can do it without thinking. As we travel I want you to try to feel your surroundings, try to blend yourself with it instead of fighting against it. The air you breathe, the food you eat, and the liquids you drink. Let it be an extension of your inner mind. Flow like the rivers and carve the terrain freely and without resistance." He points out to the dunes that are a vast distance away. "We are going there, we must speak to someone to bless us on the journey ahead. Stay strong, and we will get there in no time. I know you can." He then continues, and Wu takes a sip of from one of his water pouches and follows a bit behind Xu as they continue.

The desert haze slowly begins to fade as the redness of the sand dissipates gradually into the blues of the night sky. The moon basks proudly in a full display as the two sit into a very steep valley of sand dunes. Both the fire and the moon cast shadows on the grainy floor. The stars, though not very prominent, still show the vastness of its mysterious and fleetness of the night sky. Peppering the sky with its prowess. Wu is eating some cooked chickencrow while Xu sits crossed legged in front of the fire, breathing deep and slow. He begins to whisper a prayer, but Wu isn't able to pick it out, as it seems to be in some other language other than common. "Monah do fin klo, Hon dii draal." are the only words he hears before a soft rumbling in the sand is felt around them. The sand shifts and the dunes bend and mold but don't seem to faulter in shape nor form. Wu is looking around confused as to what is going on, but Xu assures him, "It is alright, just calm your mind and listen carefully. Do you hear her in the sands?" Wu is confused, but he tries his best to focus on the sound of the shifting sands. He doesn't believe his ears at first, but as he concentrates he can hear the slight twinge of a voice, it is very hard for him to focus on it, but it is there. After he hears it, however, the sands stop moving and the slight rumbling stops. Xu smiles and picks up a small handful of the grains, and then slowly spills it back onto the ground beneath him. "There it is done, we will be safe to sleep tonight with her blessing and no harm shall befall us while we travel out of the desert for the time." Wu tilts his head, "Who is she? Is she the goddess of our world that you prayed too?" Xu shakes his head. "No, not exactly. She isn't the goddess of the world, but you could say she was a seed from her. But not to the extent of her being actually born from her. More like she was created from the elements the goddess has made. Her name is Maj'haral, and she is a being of the Elements of Sand, the Sister to the the Element of the Sun. One of the many beings we follow in my clan that once thrived in the ancient times. She is the last of the elemental beings that resides in the world. The others are lost to time. She protects us, just as I will do for you and your Mother." Wu looks to the sand, then back to Xu. "Is she hiding?" Xu then shakes his head. "Yes and no, the mysterious forces that tried to wipe the elements were thwarted, but only she remains. She still does her duty as an Elemental to protect the world and keep it in balance, but she does it within her domain. Maybe with time she will show herself once more. For Now, we should rest, you have a lot of training to do tomorrow morning so rest up." Wu is in awe as he looks at the blue dunes all around him. To think that this Elemental shrouds the entire desert with her presence for this long, she must be a big being. He lays his head down and closes his eyes, still pondering the words that were spoken through the sands just prior.

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The next morning approaches sooner than expected and the duo are seen walking through the dunes and approaching a large sand spire like towers in the dunes several holes are carved into the spire and Xu points at it. "I want to see if you can make it to the top of the spire to its plateau at the top. If you can make it up there before your shadow reaches below you, then you will pass. Begin" Wu walks up to the spire and looks practically straight up, the spire is fairly tall, taller than most dunes or even buildings for that matter. He rubs his hands together and begins to attempt to climb it. The points he is able to hold are wide and slim, but he is experienced with climbing all the way from when he was just an infant, so he uses his experience to benefit this endeavor. It took him a about two hours or so to climb it and with one last bit of effort he grasped the very top panting heavily from the climb as the sun almost reaching its peak in the sky. He looks around and notices Xu was on top of the spire as well seemingly waiting for him. "Huh?" Wu exclaims with confusion as he looks down then back up to Xu. "How did you get up here without me seeing you climb it" Xu chuckles and hands Wu a water pouch. "You were to focused on climbing, you forgot to open your senses to your surroundings. The key is to do the task but be weary of others. But you passed." Wu takes the pouch and downs the water quickly letting out a sigh of relief from the refreshment. They continue to climb multiple spires for the rest of the day.

Training days turn into weeks, training weeks turn into months. The duo continue to train in the desert for the rest of the year into the next. Time passes and now Wu Jak is a teenager of thirteen, He has been training with his father for five years. It shows in his body though he is not yet as tall as Xu, Wu body is prominent in muscle definition from climbing and hiking in the desert landscape. He has learned to be one with the desert to its entirety and learn the basic fundamentals of survival and awareness. He also learnt his fathers martial arts. Though it isn't Auramancy just yet, he is learning the key stances and styles of the Dragon Clan and even learnt some tricks from his Lamian mother surprisingly. Now sporting gold bands on their fingers Xu and Safiya watch their Son do task around the village. Collecting Bowfallo Milk and delivering it to various village folk and adjacent desert towns. Tending the farms by plotting, sowing, and harvesting the land, and even hauling the goods to be sold and bartered. He even studies from books from time to time to appease his mother. Young Wu Jak has become a piece of his father's routine that he does in the village and a staple to strive for in his age. Something that Xu was expecting of his son. But of course sooner or later something in the village becomes a stir. For when his childhood schoolmates begin to cause trouble with a visiting merchant.

"Huh? what do you mean this cost twenty bronze pieces now? A week ago it was only fourteen dont try to swindle us old man" One of the taller boys sneers at the merchant who raises his hands defensively. "No it was always twenty bronze I can assure you young man. I just was not present last week and had my assistant come to town that day. You must have talked down the price to him thats all." The group begin to complain once more. "Oh so it is our fault he let us buy it for that price huh, some service this is" The merchant starts to look around seeing that a lot of attention starting to stir up in his direction. "Hey, keep it down, your making so much of a scene, look i'll sell it to you for fourteen bronze if you just be quiet about it" The boys snicker and agree and buy their goods and high five each other. Wu then walks up to the band and calls them out. They look Wu up and down and scoff. "Whatever banana breath, go bother someone else." They walk away and Wu sighs in disapointment but then turns to the merchant. "Excuse me, My father sent me over to pick up a special item from you Sir. The name of the order was for Xu." The merchant dabs his forhead with a cloth too wipe away the sweat and looks to Wu "Oh yes you must be his son. He said good things about you young one, Say, how is your mother doing? I hope your staying out of trouble for her sakes." Wu nods his head sheepishly and assures he is as the merchant rummages through his various crates. "Now lets see... Ah, here it is." A long staff wrapped in very fancy cloth is pulled from the box. he hands it to Wu. "Tell your father it is in pristine condition, and if he doesn't like it I will go all the way to that dwarven blacksmith myself and give him a good talking too." Wu nods in agreement but thinks to himself that he knows that is probably not going to happen after seeing him be swindled by just teenagers. He then bows and returns back to his home unsure what this staff is meant for. His father never uses weapons, seeking to use his bare hands alone to deal with most foes, He does not know if he can even call his fathers bracers weapons. Could it just be another delivery he plans to give to him or is it something else?

He enters the home to see his father who is sitting in a meditative position. He opens his eyes to see his son standing with the staff in his hands. "Ah wonderful, It has arrived. Just place that onto the stand above the fireplace if you will." Wu does just that and unwraps the covering on the staff to see the many markings that are plastered all over it. "So what is the staff for?" Wu asked with a bit of intrigue to the craftmanship. Xu answers "This an artififact of great importance to our clan. One of the many weapons of the past, used to help channel Auramancy outwards, and imbued it to affect objects in the outside world. A Staff that obeys one's will and use it too manipulate its own size or ones Auramancy to great degrees. I had asked the blacksmith to add golden tips to each end so it may be rested as a decoration" Wu places the staff onto its pedestal and admires it "That is amazing father. It is like a sword, I guess, like an extension of oneself, but for magic, right?" Xu nods and smiles. "Exactly". With that Safiya enters the house carrying a large basket of produce and goods. Wu springs into action and helps his mother with them "Oh Wu, you shouldn't have, but thank you kindly." She slithers over and kisses her husband lovingly and also kisses her son thanking him once again on the forehead who, Wu, embarrassingly, brushes it off playfully. "Now, are my boys ready for dinner?" The two cheer in excitement. Both raises their fist in the air. Though they are trained to be calm and relaxed, Once food is mentioned they will always be excited for their next meal.