“A person is not truly dead even when their body is destroyed. Those who have the power to control souls are said to - Koh. Koh!!”
A small youth of about 12 or 13 woke from his nap. He was in a classroom, surrounded by a few kids around his age.
“Sorry, Teach”. He said, looking away and scratching his head. This wasn’t the first time he fell asleep during lectures. It certainly wouldn’t be his last.
A girl, about the same age, tried to contain her laughter, seeming to enjoy Koh’s predicament.
The instructor saw this but decided not to comment.
“Sigh, of course. Ok class, I know learning about the spiritual side isn’t as fun as training for battle or working with chi. But nonetheless, it is as important! It could save your life or someone else’s.” The instructor shook her head and continued her lecture
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“Ooh Koh, you have to teach me how to fall asleep during Elder Sha’s lectures.”
“I wasn’t trying to…. I think I’m just tired from training.” Koh responded, not necessarily believing it himself. His shoulder slunk.
The girl, noticing this, tried to offer encouragement.
“I know. Training is tough, especially training with the Beast Hunters. I’m sure you’ll get it, you're the mightiest boy in town!” She exclaimed while gesturing wildly with her hands. And she waited for a beat to let the boy next to her take in the compliment.
“Though you did use to fall asleep during lectures and that was before you started training..” She said looking at the boy next to her, with a grin. After all, she didn’t want to offer too much encouragement. If she couldn’t tease the boy before her, then what was the point.
Koh’s face turned red. He had started training for the Beast Hunters only a few months ago; but he alway had trouble staying awake during lectures. He just couldn’t sit around for too long, he figured.
As the two were conversing, a tall, skinny man who looked like he was in his thirties stopped in front of them. He bowed towards the girl and looked at Koh.
“We’ve determined your exam to officially become a Beast Hunter. You are to hunt a pack of wolves in the eastern region. The one leading them has stepped into the second stage but its pack consists of only a couple in the first stage and the rest not even worth mentioning. Anything you find in this hunt and can bring back is yours to keep. We just need the pack leader’s canine to confirm your kill. More information will be sent to you and your house. You have a week to complete this task. Good luck.” He said. Then he bowed again to the girl and left.
“A pack of wolves huh…” Koh grinned. His heartbeat accelerated.
The girl could feel Koh’s excitement. But she was still worried.
“The wolves can be cunning. Their numbers can make this a difficult challenge. However, I know you can do it!” But she wasn’t TOO worried though. After all, as she said, Koh was the strongest boy in their village.
“Thanks Sana. After this, maybe I can finally start catching up to you.” Koh looked at Sana and stared for a bit. Her red hair seemed to dance with the breeze. Koh moved a strand of her hair from her face. Her sunlit eyes and yellow pupils widening.
Sana blushed. “Dddon’t ssttart getting cocky, yooou!!”
Koh laughed, “I have to start preparing for the hunt. I’ll be back in a week.” He hugged the girl next to him.
“I’ll see you soon.” He said and started running towards his home.
Koh was always easy to read. Not that he hid his thoughts very well, or that often. Maybe that’s what she liked about him.
“Miss, it’s time for your soul training. The Grand Elder wouldn’t like it if you showed up late.”
The voice belonged to the shadow who appeared behind the girl left behind. A frown crept up on Sana’s previously smiling face.
“Yes, yes.”
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Koh was getting closer to his home. His home. He still couldn’t get used to it. Not even after a few years. He could still remem -
His thoughts were interrupted as he felt something coming his way. Danger. He dodged to the left and kicked his leg up at the assailant. His chi rose inside him and moved towards his leg.
The assailant blocked the kick with his hands and immediately regretted it. Being pushed back, the assailant tried to throw another punch but the figure in front of him crouched down. And then the assailant felt it. Powerful arms surrounding him and pushing him into the chest of his victim. It was a hug.
“Brother Kai.” Koh said, hugging his assailant.
Kai was about the same height as Koh, the same age too. But Kai didn’t feel that way in this hug. He felt small.
“Haha…” Kai laughed sheepishly. He thought he could finally get one over his talented older brother. Older only by a few months, he silently whispered in his heart.
“There’s a notice on the board that said you received your hunt. And it seems your senses are still as good as ever.”
Koh laughed, and started walking towards his home with his brother. Putting his arm around him.
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“I need to collect my spear, rations, a cape, a knife, and whatever else mom and dad feel I should bring. I plan on leaving at dawn tomorrow.” He could see his younger brother’s shoulder droop.
“I’ll be fine, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
Kai knew his brother was strong. Stronger than any boy in the village. But the hunt was always calibrated for the strength of the test taker. The test would be more difficult but the rewards were also much better. His brother would become a trainee of the most elite warriors in the village. If he could survive.
The two boys stopped in front of a large wooden two-story house. The house had shades of brown matching the trees in the forest as its primary color. A few windows could be seen sporadically across the house. It had three different doors with different signs in front. Each door was red. A sign in front of the middle door read, ‘Home of the Raks’. This was their home. As they walked in, they could hear sounds of the two inhabitants running around. And they were shouting.
“Where are the wards!? THE WARDS!” A voice yelled from far across the room.
“He’s going to need fire! THE STONES! WHERE DID YOU PUT THE FIRE STONES!?
“ME!? Where did YOU put the fire stones!?
Kai and Koh started laughing. Their parents were crafters - their father a wood worker and their mother an enchanter. They were considered to be the very model of calm, quiet, hard workers. The pride of the craftsman in their village. They didn’t seem so calm now. Or quiet.
“Mom, Dad, we’re home!” Koh yelled.
The sounds stopped and then picked back up again. The pattering of feet got closer and all Koh could feel was warmth as they engulfed the two boys. If a stranger saw this scene, it would certainly look like a wholesome family. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except one of the members didn’t really look like the other three. The two oldest ones had dark brown hair and tan skin with what looked to be tattoos covering their body. The youngest also had dark brown hair and tan skin. The older woman and the youngest’s boy’s hair seemed to move as if by magic. Their eyes were as green as the forest they inhabited. Kai had yet to earn his tattoo, but it would come eventually.
And yet, the boy surrounded by warmth had black hair and light, pale skin. And dark brown eyes. He was different. Actually, if you were to look at each villager and compare them to Koh, he would look completely different from them. None of the villagers had his black hair nor his complexion. None of the villagers had brown eyes, much less one’s so dark. And yet, he still called this place home. He belonged.
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“Be careful of the spirits in the forest. Look out for other beasts.”
“Don’t get caught up in chasing other creatures. Oh, what else. What else.”
Koh’s parents were trying to give him some last minute advice as they sat around the dinner table. The dinner table his father built. His father would never say he was the best wood worker in the village - but he would say he was the second. And none would refute that. He was a large man, imposing. Muscles bulged from his arms and yet his gut was rotund. His face had slight signs of facial hair: a hint of a beard on his jaw and whiskers coming in from around his lips. The color of his burgeoning facial hair matched the hair on his head - dark brown. His voice was deep and calm, it reminded others of the sea.
“I’ll be okay. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve been in the eastern region of the forest before.” Koh said to alleviate his parents.
“Oh we’ll always worry, little Koh.” Said his mother. She was an enchantress. Not many in the village could control spirits and if Koh was being honest, he didn’t really know much about the spirits at all. His mother did, though. It seemed like she could give life to weapons and give power to tools. Though she could breath life to any tool or weapon, lively was not a word her customers would use to describe her. But when it came to her kids, she was as animated as some of the tools she’d enchant. Her short, dark brown hair and slight build made for a sharp contrast with her significant other. They were a unique couple and a unique family.
Their house wasn’t just a place for the family to sleep,eat, and live. It was also a workshop and a place of business. Actually it was two workshops and two places of business. A sign outside of one of the red doors read ‘Rak’s Enchantment’ and the other ‘Rak’s Wood Work’. And Koh tried to help them with their work. He really did.. He was unfortunately not a great help to his mother due to his lack of ‘spirituality’. But at least he could carry logs for his father, and the logs from the forest were not easy to lift. While Koh might not be as ‘spiritual’ as his mother, his physical prowess was tops in the village - for his age. Similarly, his brother was very much gifted, maybe even more so. Kai was excellent in communicating with spirits and it was likely he would become a Seer. He could help his mother with her work and maybe even start his own enchantment business. Once he got his tattoo.
“Oh I’ve got a surprise for you, son.” His dad said as he left the small kitchen and went to his workshop. The workshops for both parents took much of the space of the home. The kitchen and bedrooms were smaller. Koh didn’t mind it though, he felt that this made the family seem closer. It was warmer this way.
When he came back, Koh’s eyes went wide. In his father’s hand was a spear. Not like his training spear, but a legitimate hunting spear. His training spear was smaller and made with common wood. It had a stone for a head and while it was useful for training, it would be detrimental when it came to hunting. It was more likely the spear would snap and he would hurt himself before it could pierce a beast. This new hunting spear was about the size of a grown adult male in the village. And Koh felt the males in the village might be bigger than anywhere else. The spear’s body was a mixture of dark brown and deep green. Its head had a majestic crown, a tooth of sorts - sharp and it emanated danger. Unable to contain his excitement, he ran out of his chair and hugged his father.
“This is from BOTH of us. Right Kahn.” Said his mother, staring daggers at the older man. Koh ran to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Right, Prea.” Said Kahn, nodding his head sheepishly.
“This spear is from both of us. It’s made with Spirit Wood from the West Forest. A tooth from a Stage 3 Tiger adorns the head. Your mother has enchanted it with sharpness and durability. It should serve you well for this hunt and maybe for a little bit after. Use it well but it is still just a tool. Remember nothing is more important than your life.”
Koh knew Spirit Wood was expensive and getting a tooth from a Stage 3 tiger was difficult. Though his parents would not say they were rich, it was difficult to say they were poor. In the village, there wasn’t really a concept of money; it was about bartering and the word of a villager was worth its weight in gold. Now, a reliable woodworker and an enchantress would do well in that environment, much less such talented ones. Spirit wood was reserved only for true warriors in the village and the only way to get parts from a Stage 3 creature was from an expert Beast Hunter. His parents had always treated him like their own son - never once did they skimp out on taking care of him. They wanted the best for him and he could feel it. And Koh teared up, no, he cried. His memories of his life before the forest came and went but he didn’t think he could get luckier becoming part of this family. He could never imagine finding this warmth anywhere else.
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On the second floor of their house, Koh laid on his bed, his new spear next to him. Everything else he needed was in his bag. Fire stones, an enchanted ward, a water flask, lots of jerky, and spare clothes. His knife, he got for his 10th birthday, was next to his spear. He was excited, and a little bit anxious. He was mostly excited. He couldn’t sleep. Anticipation filled his body.
Kai shared the room with Koh and was also staring at the ceiling. His bed, a spear away. And then he spoke, nervously.
“You know, the spirits talk to me. I’m getting close to fully becoming a Seer. I can feel it. Soon I’ll be finished with my training and you’ll be a Beast Hunter. This village will have the greatest Warrior and the greatest Seer come from the same family. We can make history. But you, brother, you have to survive the hunt.”
“I will brother, I will.” Koh said with determination. And they became silent. Both stared at the ceiling, contemplating what the future could hold until eventually, drifting off to sleep.