426 Years B.M.E.-- Before Merlin Era

 

“Chieftani! Chieftanii! Look look!” 

 

A small girl ran with high enthusiasm. Excited as she called out to her elder. Her fingers pointed towards a figure off in the hazy distance. Her silhouette contorted from heat emanating from the desert sand. The chief waved her off and continued to mold his clay. 

 

“There’s someone coming! I’m sure it is.” 

 

“Bah, give it a rest already Kannupi. You’re probably needing more water. There’s nothing over in that direction except 20 miles of desert. Noone comes from there.” He continued to make his trinkets, not sparing a second glance over in that direction.

 

“No. But I’m serious!! There’s a girl!”

 

She pouted and stormed off, kicking the sand. She was ignored yet again. The sluggish body walked through the desert terrain and before long fell over and slumped onto the ground. She looked off into the distance as the tents that came into view seemed to disappear. Of course, another Oasis. She had holed up in her building for over 200 years. How did it become such a mass desert-land? She had no idea that the terrain could change that much in such a short time.

 

As she drifted off into another cycle of death, something happened. - An interruption of some sort. Water was fed to her and she slowly felt all the cells in her body being charged up by the cleansing blessing. Her eyes shot open and she saw the eyes of a concerned man, her daughter, and various other villagers all around her. 

 

“Are you alright? I was certain you were already dead.”

 

Lusha laughed. “I was.” She got up and began to drink profusely, grabbing the man’s snakeskin flask. The Chieftani quickly reassured her it was quite alright. They had more water back at the camp.

 

She shrugged off his reply. “Resha.” She said. That was all she stated. As the man was about to walk away, he stopped instantly in his tracks at the word. She did not want to waste any time so that was the quickest way to get anything wrapped up. 

 

She wasn’t sure if such words would still be valid in this era. But given the man’s reaction, perhaps it was so. The man quickly rushed back over to her and bowed deeply. “I’m sorry. I had not realized it was you. F-forgive my insolence.” 

 

Lusha waved him off. She was not too interested in the apology, just that her needs were met briefly. After the experiments she had just performed on herself, her mana was depleted greatly. Food, or anything with sustenance could get her in the right standing right away. 

 

Kannupi looked at the scenario before her, unaware of what was going on. She had never seen the Chieftani bow like this before. After-all, why would you need to bow to a stranger who was just on the verge of death?

 

He scurried around frantically. “Hurry! Get her my verdan!” 

 

“U-ugh. Y-yes Chieftani!” One of the men quickly ran and retrieved his mount, pulling on the reins. A giant bird exhaled intensely and quickly flapped its wings. This desert creature was one of the best mounts one could have in this sector of the world.

 

The man offered his hand to help her onto the creature, but she declined and got herself up and onto the saddle. Kannupi blinked and rubbed her eyes. This had to be a figment of her imagination. Perhaps the water she had drank was contaminated by the salt mines and she lost all sense of rationality. Or perhaps that was what happened to the Chieftani.

 

“Papaa… are you drunk? Why is everyone helping this weakened girl?” 

 

When those questions left her lips, she had felt a wrath she had never known possible. So quickly did the Chieftani turn, that she could not even see his movements. The embrace of aggression met against her cheek and sent her flying into the desert sand. She tumbled, coughing up dust that she had swallowed and the world seemed to move at a slow.

 

“NEVER!” the words that he was saying were in shouts. Yet, she could barely hear it in the background over the ringing that unfolded in her brain. “NEVER SPEAK THAT WAY TO VISCIRILIS! You must never!!”

 

As her eyes met his, they could see nothing but frantic fear. This was the first time she had ever been punched. The warmth of blood trickled down the side of her head. Her own father… had punched her?

 

Her mother quickly ran to her side and gave her a hug. “Please, Virald, she’s but a child. She doesn’t know any better.” 

 

The world still moved slowly to her as her mother wiped the blood from the side of her face using her shawl. It’s white fabric was stained with red and the sand that rubbed off with it, also stuck to the blood on her clothing. “Listen… my love.. You mustn’t ever say something like that. Do you understand? Not to her.”

 

She looked over at the girl who was still seated upon her fathers verdan as he profusely apologized. Such a shameful act was something she could not have allowed her father to do. After all, he was the head of one of the thirteen clans in W’alshad. How could he do something like this?

 

Her attention turned back to the girl that sat proudly upon her father’s mount. Her eyes met the red eyes of the enigmatic woman. And from there she saw a darkness that should not ever be carried within a human body. From the top of her seat, she had looked down upon her, with a look of delight at her experience. She seemed almost to say ‘know your place. Those like you should only crawl before me.’

 

Kannupi bit her tongue. She knew there were many things in this world that she did not yet understand. After-all, she was only 12. This was one of those moments when a new part of this world was being shown to her. She could only hope the explanation made sense. 

 

The encampment was a size of about 80 different households. Giant silver tents erected into the sky made from the skin of Hessan snakes. A type of wraith that was common in these parts. Their skin was resistant to all temperatures. After-removing all the scales, it served as a beacon against the deserts beating heat. 

 

Various tents had dotted themselves across the terrain. Their pale-pinkish color stands out amongst the golden sand. When they had arrived, many people stopped what they were doing. Those who were sanding their hides, and separating their ores seemed to stop instantly in awe. 

 

The Chieftani walked alongside his bird, accompanying the great Viscirilis as he had called her. Red hair, red eyes, and a frame of a young woman. She had to be 7 or 8 years older than Kannupi at most. She could not understand why she was receiving treatment like this. Especially since she got so much attention. Her father rarely paid her attention to begin with.

 

They arrived at the master tent and went in. Everyone else continued about their business. Yet, one could tell they were all frantic. There was a cloud over the entire settlement. She had only seen this type of feeling when the droughts had occurred years back. An uneasy feeling of an impending doom.

 

As people returned to their normal routines, Kannupi decided she must know the answer to everything. She began watching the woman. Attempting to hear what was going on within. 

 

“Lady Viscirilis… I did not expect to see y-”

 

“Please, Virald. Call me Lusha.” She smiled a warm smile that seemed to set everything at ease. Various other people remained around the room and could feel the tension de-escalate. “It’s been 200 years since I've been back.” She took the tea that was offered to her and drank it. The pause that she had given just now to drink, no one dared swipe for their own words. “I’m curious… how in the world could the terrain have changed so much?”

 

She gave a look to the Chieftani, that suggested he was free to answer the question. This was rather troublesome, as he had no idea how to even begin answering that question. “F-forgive me Lady Viscir- L-lusha. These deserts have been expanding long before my birth. As such, I do not know how the state of the world was beforehand.”

 

She paused and then clicked her lips. “Understood.” 

 

Fearing her dissatisfaction at her answer, he continued quickly to recover. “B-but I am told, that it has all happened through a series of droughts.”

 

“Oh? So you do know something after-all.”

 

“Forgive me. I cannot rely much on second-hand information. They say these droughts happened more than 180 years ago. Right after your last departure. By the time we had noticed any change… 20 years later, the desert had grown wider and wider.”

 

“By now, the deserts are far too great. The great City of Vorn had already succumbed to its reach and Virma is following suit.”

 

Lusha sighed. “And yet, none of you had elected to seek my counsel? This predicament could have ended years ago.”

 

“My lady…we could not possibly hope to disturb your greatness with minor squabbles. Not when we ourselves have nothing to offer you.”

 

Lusha glared at the man and his failed attempt to appease her. In fact, he had perhaps only served to make her more and more angry. “And… should, do to your conditions, an individual of divine talent succumb to his lack of health, long before realizing that talent… would that not have been the worst crime against me?”

 

“T-that is correct, Miss Lusha.. P-please…forgive our insolence.”

 

Lusha finished drinking her tea and beckoned for one of them to bring her more. He quickly poured out the water into her cup. Lusha stood up and dusted her robes, removing the grains of sand that had elected to fancy her.

 

“A long time ago, I had first come to this nation to find a place abundant in mana and life. Do you know why I had chosen this place specifically?”

 

“N-no, your Excellency.”

 

She stopped mid-story to note his calling of her ‘excellency’. That was a new one. She continued. “It was because long ago, me and my companions once raided this land, and destroyed everyone within it. When we did, we had entrapped their souls into the terrain so that the mana would grow here.”

 

She stopped for a second to allow the man to think of what it was she was saying. “We did the same to the Empire of Fabrica. We did the same to the Assuri, and many times over we had done such actions.” She drank her tea again, this time standing up. “When mana does not leave the terrain, it remains in the plants. In the animals, and in the food you eat.”

 

“Out of all of them. When things first started out. This country, right here, was the most powerful in mana. Your ancestors feed all of you. And harbor strength within all of you… and they were the most powerful. That is why I chose this country.”

 

Lusha finished her tea and sat down directly in front of the man so that they were only 1 foot away from each other. “So you do understand my frustration… when the country I declare the strongest, becomes weak from lack of malnutrition?”

 

She still did not have any mana replenished yet. However, they could feel a tremendous presence just now. That made every cell in their body scream. The Virald could only look down and keep his gaze averted. “Yes… your excellency.”

 

“I will be leaving within a week. Please, give me your best meals and take me to meet the consultant. I trust it is still the Viridis family?’

 

“It is as you say.”

 

“T-thank you, Lusha.”