1 Prologue

Towa sat cross-legged on the sand. His dark skin glistened as the humidity stuck to his face. He breathed in and out. In and out. As he did, he listened to the waves lapping against the shore. It would be dark soon, and he needed to keep his concentration on the sound of the ocean, or what he was attempting to do wouldn't work.

His talents, even with complete concentration just weren't what they used to be. Not since the reckoning. Not since the days of Edenis. Not since the world was pure. He longed for those days as desperately as a man in the desert longs for water. If only he was whole again. If he could just feel once more that might, that power.

Towa sighed, recognizing that his mind was drifting. He inhaled again, and suddenly he felt a familiar shadow cast itself down on him. Towa sighed and released his meditative posture. He stood up, placing bare feet into the sand, and walked out into the water, away from his new, yet all too familiar companion.

"Oh, come now, don't be that way." The other one said.

Towa continued his stride into the ocean until the water was at his waist, his grey cloth trousers soaked with the salty liquid.

"You know, it doesn't have to be like this." The other continued.

"I know." Towa stated plainly, keeping his eyes on the horizon. The sun was setting and they should be here by now.

The other walked to the solitary tree on the island and elbowed it. A shiny red apple fell from the branches above and landed in his hand as though it was always meant to be there. The person took a bite and groaned at the exquisite taste. "You've got to try this, Towa, it's to die for. I mean it, you would just die."

Towa was nothing if not patient. He stood his ground, not even his arms moved in the water. A mass of darkness started to shift a ways off in the ocean. Towa reached out his mind to stop the horde from getting too close, afraid of letting his unwanted companion see what he was doing.

Go. Find them. Towa instructed.

The mass changed its trajectory and retreated away from the island. Towa considered looking back then to see if the other one watched the event. It took every bit of energy that Towa had to project his thoughts to the Tatuni, and he hoped that it was enough. Enough for them. Enough to save them for just a bit longer.

"Seriously, you don't want this?" The other questioned. "How about this instead?" He elbowed the tree again, and as he did this time a perfectly round orange fell and landed in the other's open palm. He dug his fingernails into the skin and peeled the rine, letting loose a distinct citric aroma into the air.

Towa felt the scent hit him like a wave crashing on the shore. He considered briefly what it would mean to accept the other one's gift. How bad could it be? How bad had it already been, living the way he had? He blinked away a tear and licked his lips, tasting the salt from the ocean on his mouth. Towa turned around and walked back onto the beach away from the water, not once glancing up to look at the other person. He sat down in his previous spot. The sand stuck to his feet and legs, but he resisted the urge to brush it off. This was his, even if nothing else on all of Erridium was anymore. This island was his.

"Mmm. So juicy." The other said through a mouthful of fruit. "Not hungry, Towa? Oh, I know! How about something else? Shall we play a game?"

The other one snapped his fingers. The skies above heeded the command and grew dark with rainclouds while the waves grew larger in the ocean. Towa stood up and spun on his companion. In the man's blue eyes, Towa could see what was going to happen. The bait had been laid, the trap set and ready to spring, the prey moved into place.

"Stop this, stop this right now." Towa demanded.

The other grinned flashing perfect white teeth that matched the color of his straight short-cut white hair. "No, that's no fun! You have to play to win."

A bolt of lightning cracked in the sky and the world erupted with thunder. Towa heard the cries of others caught in the storm on the ocean, and he ran. He jumped into the water without anchoring a destination, relying on his hearing and other talents that he possessed to guide him to the place he knew they must be.

"You'll never reach them in time, Towa! You can't save everybody, you know." The other one shouted over the din of the waves crashing onto the shore. He watched as Towa swam out into the storm toward the boat already sinking into the dark abyss.

The other one smiled as another bolt of lightning filled the sky heading right for the tree. The thunder shook the island, yet no fruit fell as it had when he provoked the earth. The tree caught fire, its leaves burning hot while the rain pelted from the clouds to extinguish the blaze. The man, the provoker, the architect of all of Towa's torment had disappeared, just as quickly as he had arrived leaving Towa to his frivolous attempt.

The waters grew still. The Tatuni had not yet departed as they saw the maelstrom approached. A familiar tug came upon their emotions and as they did before they obeyed. The black squid-like creatures moved in a herd toward their destination. Towa emerged onto the shore as the Tatuni used their long tentacles to project both figures forward. Ignoring the smell of burnt leaves and bark from the tree that once provided him refuge from the sun's constant onslaught, Towa pulled the lone survivor of the other one's snare onto the shore. He breathed life bringing air into the child's lungs and the boy shot up gasping and in panic.

"Rest, my child. You are safe." Towa instructed.

The young boy was panicked. "Matina, Matama!" The boy cried.

"Your parents did not make it. I am sorry. Now, rest." Towa conjured up all the talents he could muster and pressed hard against the boy's emotions.

In response, the young child's eyes looked upward to the sky now growing dark from the sunrise. The boy's eyes now closed, Towa leaned in and checked the child once more, and felt the heat come from his breath against the water still wet on his cheek. He laid the boy down onto the sand and looked out at the water to the Tatuni.

"Thank you." He said.

From the water came a glow. A spectrum of magnificent lights in an array of colors filled the water now dark from the descent of the sun. Towa let the tears fall this time. "I cannot compel you any further, I must remain here, but this boy has lost enough. He will die. I humbly request your help."

The glow of the Tatuni approached the beach as tentacles surrounded the child. He was dragged off by the creatures and floated in the water upon the backs of the magnificent creatures who carried him away from the small island. Towa sat in the sand and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.

Perhaps tomorrow he could make up for the strength he exuded today. Perhaps tomorrow he could face the other again, and finally, take back what was taken from him so long ago. Perhaps tomorrow he would kill a God.