ark125x

Hi all I'm back. Life was a real B recently. Grandma passed away and I was having writers block. So I wrote something else in the meantime, a bit of a one-off. Hope you like it. Maybe I'll write more of it if I get into a slump again. Main story will continue next. Just treat this story as if it's in a separate universe that Becca happens to be peeking into for fun.

In the bleak wastelands a young teen at the cusp of adulthood walked on bare feet. He was too young to remember his name when the miasma appeared, but he was known as Led. It was an easy name to remember and accurately reflected his tendency to be hard-headed. Of course, there was another unspoken reason his name sounded like lead, and that was that the guy’s head was practically devoid of intelligence.

Led lived a simple life in the wastelands where miasma was a constant threat and raiders were the most common neighbors. But with a single-minded attitude he never let the world get him down. Even earlier today, when he was held up at knife-point, he simple resigned to giving up all his valuables.

Unsurprisingly the mugger even took his shoes, as beat up and old as they were, even shoes could be of value to someone in these times. With no food or water or shoes Led carried on unaffected with worry. The nearest outpost was miles away so Led planned to search for a remote village or shelter before the nighttime miasma settled in.

As bad as Led’s brain was, he at least roughly knew about how bad the world had gotten. In the past humans lived in cities and countries blessed with everything needed to survive. Food and water were abundant and people were scattered in lively communities. He thought those people took their ordinary lives for granted because suddenly the miasma appeared. Murky clouds fell over people and any who breathed it in died painfully. Those who didn’t immediately die mutated and along with animals became monstrous swarms that roamed and killed.

The miasma also had an effect on crops and water supplies, tainting rivers and lakes and turning the sea into hazardous beds of poison and piranhas. Civilization crumbled as resources dwindled and panic set in. The current area where Led lived in used to have a proper name but now is only referred to collectively as the wastelands.

Led wasn’t too worried about running into any fiends in the barren wastelands because they generally stuck to areas dense in miasma. What he was more worried for was not finding any adequate shelter once the sun went down.

Miasma had a weak presence to light but at night it grew to be a thick fog that spread all around, bringing fiends and death with it. To survive the night Led needed a shelter that could block out the miasma or use a light source to ward it off.

Fuel was too precious to burn and most trees dried up due to the miasma. An electric torchlight would suffice but Led didn’t own any even before he was robbed.

At that time Led was trekking on the road with some porters like himself, those who made a living transporting supplies between settlements.

The guard assigned to the convoy turned on them, killing the merchant in the lead and scaring off the porters. Of course Led was too slow to drop everything and run away. The ruffian took pity on him and let him go, only after stripping him clean of food and water, shoes included.

There was a fine line between being kind and being ignorant to pass up free supplies.

Led focused on moving down the road, hoping to spot a town or friendly stranger. He constantly reminded himself of what his old man used to tell him.

He had no knowledge of who his parents used to be but the old man who picked him up raised him as best he could. From early on he realized that Led was different to others and would be easy to be taken advantage of. He tried his best to teach the boy how to survive but eventually settled on just teaching him how to lead a valiant lifestyle.

One of the old man’s lessons that Led could properly remember was that, if one lived with honest optimism then things would work out somehow. Led kept his spirits up as he traversed the endless scorching desert. His bare feet were chapped and bruised but he didn’t mind it.

As the sun started to set he tore off a rag from his shirt and covered his mouth with it to filter out the miasma. It wasn’t too effective for long but Led was oblivious to such an obvious fact. Just as the rag was too soaked in miasma to filter any more, Led saw a light in the distance.

He dashed off towards the light and eventually reached the source. He was surprised to see a store in the middle of nowhere all lit up like fireworks. It’s surprising that someone would choose to set up a shop in a place devoid of any traffic, equally surprising was also the sheer brightness of the lights and the cost to keep it running.

Such a store was a dime a dozen before the birth of the wastelands but currently electricity was a precious resource. It was hard to produce electricity or find light-bulbs that were in decent condition. Most resorted to burning assorted kindling with gasoline to keep away the miasma and fiends.

The store resembled old world architecture from a long time ago, but Led had never heard of such a shop in pristine condition out this far from any people. A normal person would be suspicious and doubtful, likely suspecting the sight to be a fever dream. But Led just sighed in relief that he had found a place he could weather the night through.

The shop had a big sign with bold ink hand writing. If he could read, Led would realize it said, “The Estranged Curio”. But this kind of auspicious detail was wasted on him. He pushed open the door with a chime’s ring announcing his presence.

「 Welcome. 」

A strange voice that was hard to describe as old or young, male or female, greeted Led’s arrival.

Led 「 What is this place? 」

Shopkeep 「 This is the Estranged Curio. Home to many wonders and destinies. 」

True to the name, the shop had shelves of strange trinkets and bobbles, some of which a rarity in the wastelands. This fact Led doesn’t pay attention to as he has little knowledge of the current market trends.

Led 「 Hey, uh, shopkeep person? 」

The shopkeep is veiled by a curtain hiding beyond a counter so Led is unable to tell from just the voice what gender the shopkeep is.

Led 「 Is it cool if I just chill here for the night? I don’t have any money on me right now. 」

Shopkeep 「 That is perfectly fine. We welcome any and all customers that manage to find their way here. 」

The shopkeep hints that this curio shop is not often visited or found, only to see that Led isn’t even paying attention to their words. He is looking around like a bright-eyed kid in a candy store. His gaze moves from antiques to stop on seeing an ordinary looking book on a shelf. The simple cover has no words or distinct features.

Led opens up the book to see strange words that don’t resemble the usual words written on signboards. He figures it must be a different language but any experienced reader could tell that these symbols don’t represent any known language on Earth.

Shopkeep 「 It seems that book has found it’s destiny with you. Why not take it? 」

Led 「 But I don’t have anything to trade for it. 」

Shopkeep 「 That is fine. In the Estranged Curio you can obtain anything you desire, the customer need not pay anything. In fact, this shop’s purpose is not to sell, but to find owners for these mysterious objects. If this book chose you then I can only give it to you free of charge. I have no say in this transaction. 」

Led 「 That sounds complicated. But my old man always told me, you should always return favors. A real warrior does not accept charity, he repays his due books. 」

The shopkeep lets out a chuckle at the simple and pure intentions of the young man. Of the few people that have passed through this shop, it would be a first that someone did not display any greed.

Shopkeep 「 Then how about this, you can borrow the book for now, and return it at a later date. 」

Led gave it some thought and nodded.

Led 「 I’ll be sure to return the book and when I do I’ll also bring a gift worthy of it. 」

Shopkeep 「 I highly suspect whether you can bring an equivalent gift, but I look forward to it. 」

Led grabbed the book and found a corner of the store to sit down and crack open the moldy book. Then a look of realization dawned on him: he didn’t know how to read. He was about to ask the shopkeep if he could read but then on further inspection he noticed the book’s pages were blank.

Led had never heard of a book that was blank, unless it was a diary one was meant to write in? But mysteriously symbols and characters appeared on the page like rising out of a fog. Led had never learned to read so he only stared curiously. The letters disappeared and new ones appeared but Led stared blankly at it without being disturbed in the slightest.

The book trembled like it was upset which startled Led.

「 Goddammit! Can’t you read you moron! 」

A voice spoke within Led’s head. He looked left and right but couldn’t find the source of the voice. It was childish and sounded way younger than Led.

「 Down here smarmy! 」

Led 「 A talking book? 」

{ I’m not a book! Get me out of this thing and I swear I won’t kill you! 」

Led 「 I didn’t know that books could talk. Cool. 」

Book 「 Oh for the love of-- turn to the last page of the book. Do it! 」

Led 「 Alright but you don’t have to yell. 」

Perhaps it would be prudent to suspect the talking book’s intentions but Led always believed people were honest like him. He did as instructed and turned the pages over. On the last page of the book was a large sigil like he had never seen before.

Book 「 Rip that page out of the book. 」

Led 「 But won’t that hurt you? 」

Book 「 I’m not actually a book so it won’t. Now tear it out! 」

Led only assumed that the talking book had its own reasons and tore off the page with the large symbol. As he did so changes happened to the book, it looked like the mold and dust vanished and the book looked good as new.

Suddenly a light flashed from the book and leaped out of the pages. That light settled on the shop floor and changed to a person’s silhouette. A short and stout young boy emerged from the light and pointed at Led.

「 I’m finally free, free from that accursed book! Now, as promised I’ll spare your measly life, but you now owe me so your life is forfeit. 」

Led 「 Sure. I’m Led. What’s your name? 」

The boy wasn’t expecting Led to agree so readily that he took a step back and regained his composure.

「 Listen carefully. They call me… Florence. 」

Led paused and Florence’s face darkened. Despite Florence’s young age, in actuality he had lived for close to a millennia and accumulated much wisdom. Yet with all of that fame he did not forsake the namesake he was given by his departed parents. He was used to getting teased for his name but it still affected his mood. He waited for Led’s ridicule but it never came out.

Led 「 That’s a good name. I’m jealous you get to have such a nice name. My old man named me Led because he was lazy and it was easy to remember. 」

Florence 「 What’s so special about my name? It’s practically like a girl’s name. 」

Led 「 But it sounds like flowers, and I like flowers. I’ve only seen one once but it was so pretty. You know, it’s been my dream to one day plant a bunch of flowers. 」

Florence’s mood became better as he inwardly chuckled to himself. Indeed, a young man like Led who could wholeheartedly praise a stranger’s name was an amiable person.

Florence 「 Well Led, follow me and one day you’ll have a whole garden full of flowers. 」

Led 「 Is that possible? I thought it was really hard to grow flowers, especially since the dirt and water are all dirty. 」

Florence closed his eyes and waved his hand in the air. To Led it seemed like he was swatting a fly but an undetectable energy radiated in Florence’s hands.

Florence 「 I’ve read your mind so I know of this miasma. It is no problem to me. In fact, for your loyalty I shall reward you and teach you the secrets of the power I possess. 」

Led 「 You’re going to teach me? My old man said I’m not a very good student, so I don’t know about that. 」

Florence 「 Nonsense! I have raised countless legends, and you will be no exception. 」

Led 「 But what are you going to teach me? 」

Florence 「 I am going to teach you the very essence of the universe, and with it you will be able to create miracles. I will teach you… the Spirit Arts! 」

Led 「... Spirit Arts? What’s that? Can I eat it? 」

Florence 「 Spirit Arts will let you control the elements and bend time and space, granting you strength akin to a god. You’ll be able to summon raging storms and sweeping waves, just a thought can change the entire landscape. 」

Led 「... So, it’s magic? 」

This short statement caught Florence off guard and his mind grinded to a halt as he took it in. He couldn’t believe that Led’s first thought about it was to call it magic, as if it was something so simple to grasp.

Florence 「 Magic is just parlor tricks in comparison to Spirit Arts. They’re nothing alike! 」

Led 「 So what exactly is Spirit Arts? 」

Florence 「 It is the hidden nature of the galaxy, the gateway to the apex of all organisms. It is about taping in to the powers of a new dimension that mortals have never seen. 」

Led stayed silent with his head churning to understand Florence. A short moment later and his knit eyebrows relaxed as he came to a simple conclusion.

Led 「 So it’s just like magic, right? 」

Florence 「... Yes, it’s like magic. Is that easy enough to understand? 」

Led 「 Yeah, I get it! Why didn’t you say so before? 」

Florence let out a sigh but in his mind he wanted to rage against this buffoon. He held back out of dignity but this would not be the last time he came face to face with the simple mind of Led. Looking back on it, Florence would praise the self-control he used to display.

And so began Led’s journey to master magic(Spirit Arts) in the wastelands where miracles are scarce and human generosity even more so.