The First Kingdom

Humanity has now rediscovered metal. They struggled to make any use of it. First, they found copper. Eventually, they made bronze. 

The advancements all came from that one tribe I have been watching. They were the first to make bronze. They were the first to keep animals. They even figured out how to farm. Although it was crude farming. 

Their population had grown from dozens to hundreds and have just broken a thousand. I was anticipating a new hero to rise.

A hero was seen by me. A boy that would look out into the distance at times. I could practically read his mind. As he would train himself with sticks and stones. He became a warrior at 17 years old and never looked back. When he was 21, he had been a few battles. All resulted in absorbing a tribe or driving off more barbaric tribes.

Unfortunately, cannibalistic tribes and those that worshipped non-existent gods roam the Earth. I thought to eradicate them myself. However, this is apart of their growth. Learning the hard way makes the lesson stick.

This man, Nathan.

He seems to worthy of the hero's path.

There are three cannibal tribes around his tribe. Nathan's tribe could easily crush one of them. However, it would leave their town vulnerable to attack if they tried to wipe out one of them. This frustrated them and only allowed them to be whittled down over time.

Nathan has always been the one to fight them on every occasion he could.

I found him worthy. I wasn't going to give him power like the last hero. I was going to make him choose the power.

Which is why I made a heart made from black matter and put it on his wooden table in his mud hut. If he touches it, he will understand what to do with it. Then it would be up to him to accept the power.

When Nathan woke up one morning, he saw the black heart and had some fear in his eyes. He went to touch it anyways. Once he touched it, he stopped as information about the heart entered his mind. Then he stopped touching the heart. He gave one final hard look and then walked out of his home.

I raised a non-visible eyebrow at his actions.

"Did he just reject my power?", I asked myself.

I observed him for the rest of the day. He came in and out of his home multiple times but never gave the heart another look. I was a little bewildered.

I could not sit still and watch any longer. When night fell and he was about to lie down in his simple straw and skin bed, I appeared before him abruptly. He was startled, but did not panic. He remained calm but looked at me warily. 

I speak, "Why did you reject the black heart. You are worthy of it. Or else I would not have made it for you."

Nathan fully stands up, "Because it is not my power. It is not the power of a man. I can protect my people myself with my own abilities."

I hum, "You believe this power to be inhuman. Therefore, you reject it in favor of power a man is capable of."

He nods, "Yes, the cannibals have their gods. If that is a god, I don't want their favor. Which means I don't want yours."

I chuckle, "Fair enough. However, I never said I was god. Nor that I was not human."

"What do you mean?", he asks.

"What I mean, is that I am human. This power I have was created by humans. It is a human power that I saw fit to share with you.", I answer.

He is surprised, "You're human? What is your name?"

"Rathanael is what my mother named me.", I answer. I then remove my film of black matter for the first time in centuries to show him my face.

He marvels at the completely normal looking face that is undoubtably human.

He asks while still getting my identity through his head, "What does that name mean?"

I answer the unexpected question, "It means thwarter of demons."

He takes another look at the heart, "Well, the cannibals and their gods are demons to me. Using your power to destroy them would fitting."

I agree, "It would be fitting. They are an eyesore and detriment not only to your people. But to all of humanity as well. Their gods don't even exist. They are just figments of their imagination that feeds their insanity. For if they were real, I would have killed them by now."

Nathan chuckles, "Good to know."

He walks over to the heart, picks it up. Finally, he presses it against his own heart and it melts into his chest.

His body grows heavy for a moment before being filled with a newfound strength. He turns around.

"Tha...nk....you?", but I am already gone.

I went back into my underwater home and watched. Over the next month, Nathan took the fight to the cannibals. He went alone to each tribe and wiped them out. It only took a month because some ran away. He tracked them all down and killed them. He did enlist the help of other warriors and hunters to clean up the stragglers that ran though.

Now, the town was safe from human threats for the time. Nathan became a popular person. His power and words were great. After a year, he was made to be the leader of the town. Which still had no name of its own. As it shared the name of the tribe it grew from.

Summer

In the years that followed, the population grew exponentially as farming came into being. Although it was simple.

After 20 years of being the leader, Nathan was turned into a King. The first King in this new history of humanity. The town is now a primitive city of stone. 

15 years after becoming King, Nathan took a wife and had 4 children. Three boys and one girl. Bronze was also discovered. Its refinement was highly uncertain as the process was undeveloped. In time, it would be improved.

I never appeared again before Nathan during this time. Interestingly enough, he made a single statue of me from stone painted black. It was around life-sized. It was placed in his home in a normal corner. He even carved my name on it, along with its meaning. He had me holding out a black heart in my right hand.

I am unsure on what compelled him to carve out this statue, but I did not mind it. He never prayed to it or anything. He would simply look at it, as if to relive a memory. His children and wife asked him one time who Rathanael was.

He answered them, "He is a human, that thwarts demons. If you ever meet him or receive a black heart. Know that you are worthy of great responsibility, and unique destiny."

They did not fully understand his words, but he changed the subject anyways. The black heart will allow him to live longer than my last hero. 200 years at the least.

Nathan did not hold on to his position though. He handed the title of King to his eldest son, Eric.

Nathan then backed off of leadership completely. Only offering advice when Eric asked.

Eventually, Nathan had an idea. He wanted to go out and find more people to bring into the kingdom. As travelers, and small nomad tribes have passed through, often remaining.

Eric supported this idea. However, Nathan did not accept taking anyone with him and wanted to go alone. Eric was reluctant, but accepted as he believed in the strength of his father.

Nathan then left the Summer Kingdom, as it is now named. It was located in what used to be Spain. Nathan traveled around, spreading the word about the Summer Kingdom. He always eliminated barbaric tribes when he came across them. He did not hide that he was the first King neither when the subject came up. 

This earned him the moniker of the "Wandering King". His deeds of destroying extremely violent or cannibalistic tribes earned him fame across the land that I know has Europe. Many tribes and groups made their way to the Summer Kingdom by just hearing his stories. Such a powerful figure attracted them. When they arrived, King Eric took excellent care of them and most assimilated smoothly. As the laws were fair, and life was good. Those that did not, were exiled or killed if need be.

There was a violent nomad tribe that tried to invade the kingdom. They were met by bronze weapons.

Nathan was angered when he heard about the attack. Although, knowing that Eric crushed them, filled him with pride and eased him. It spurred him to focus a bit more and destroying the war-like tribes that could not be negotiated with.

This was the beginning of a new age. I was pleased with how fast it was all coming along. I was expecting it to take far more time.

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thanks for reading