4 The Red Planet (Part 1)

On Serven, in the tribe of the Red-Dawns, the kahuna dressed in white animal fur clothing, stood before his tribesmen while holding the precious child in his arms. At two-hundred-thirty seasons old, he was known to be the oldest and strongest kahuna Rabbi on Serven. He may look slim and weak, but many of Servens inhabitants would know that beneath that weak appearance was a well-trained warrior that could swiftly kill any expert fighter without them even knowing what happened.

Another fact to know was that since he was strong and since his hair and eye color were vaguely similar to Rayah, he was chosen as the next kahuna when the previous kahuna died. His hair, that was braided in numerous small sections against his scalp and down his back, was platinum blonde, while his eyes, that were staring at the child in his arms, were dark pink.

The same child who was exhausted from crying earlier, was now sleeping peacefully as if unbothered by the noise around her. The tribesmen that surrounded the hut where the tribe Ali'i(1) lived were offering prayers toward Rayah and shouting toward the sky that was lit with vibrant blue and green ribbons of light.

"A sign! A Sign! Our God has descended upon our tribe!"

"O' child of Chaos, bless us with your grace."

"Please bless this unworthy soul with your mercy, O' child of Rayah."

The tribesmen were kneeling on the dirt ground with their legs tucked underneath. They relaxed their arms so that they hung loosely on either side of their body. The back of their hands was resting on the ground, while their palms were open toward the sky. Some of the tribesmen had straight backs while others were hunched over, but with their eyes lowered to the ground or closed, their head was turned to the right side, as if to let the cheek touch the right shoulder. With their head turned they were exposing their vulnerable neck and heart towards their God, but in this case, they offer themselves to the child in the kahuna's arms.

The kahuna showed no emotion on his face as he brushed the child's white hair to the side, while slowly tracing her face from her closed eyes to her plump little cheeks. The kahuna watched as his actions caused her little face to scrunch up in displeasure. He stopped as she let out a small whine as she began to squirm in the kahuna's arms.

The noise from the tribesmen immediately halted. The older tribesmen continued to keep their eyes closed and head bowed, while those that were children would occasionally look up in curiosity toward the kahuna, only to be scolded to look down by their parents or family members. They held still as if in fear of making any more noise. The kahuna ignored his people as he calmly rocked the child back to sleep. She slowly relaxed again in the kahuna's arms. When she fell back asleep the kahuna watched her for a moment longer before he turned toward his people.

His eyes scanned over the people, causing many to bow lower under his aura. He opened his mouth and spoke. "Listen well, my tribesmen." His voice, although not too loud, still reached everyone, implying them to look at their kahuna. "Not too long ago, Ali'i El-Lin(2), through a battle with chaos, gave birth to a pair of souls."

The words spoken caused many to look up in surprise. A pair of souls were not uncommon, but they were considered rare and, in some cases, a jinx within a tribe. This belief of misfortune caused many souls to parish before they could even grow. So, the seven tribes of Serven agreed that once a pair of souls reach the age of seven seasons, they would be forced to fight against the other in order to see who is stronger. The one who wins will be allowed to live in the tribe, while the other is either killed or banished. Although it may seem cruel, this unspoken law allowed for stronger warriors to be born.

"The soul who was born first is male." He looked at the entrance of the hut behind him toward a tall and intimidating male figure. In that man's arms was a sleeping child wrapped in fur. The man wore a brown leather skirt held by a similar leather belt. On his shoulders he wore a grey and black speckled fur cape. "Ali'i Kai-Den(3) will speak the name of the first born."

"Honorable kahuna," Kai-Den, the chief of this tribe, lowered his head to pay respect toward his kahuna, "since this child is the first-born of me and my zhena(4), El-Lin, we decided to name him, Kai-El(5)."

"Hm." The kahuna nodded toward Kai-Den. "A good name." He looked tribesmen before him. "You have heard the name of the first born. Now it is time for the second born."

Many shifted in anticipation as they now all looked toward their kahuna. They knew about the second born but they did not know its gender. The kahuna refused to speak about it, so they could do nothing but wait for him to speak.

"This child is the first-born daughter to our strongest warrior and Ali'i, Kai-Den, and his zhena, El-Lin." The kahuna held the child up toward the sky. "This child is the rebirth of our God Rayah, the Devourer, the Original of the Rabbi, and the Ruler of Death. So, from this moment on her name shall be known as Lalah(6)!"

The tribesmen joyously cried toward the sky that was lit up with green and blue lights. The lights above seemed to grow brighter, as if accepting the naming of the child. The Ali'i, who stood to the side, was smiling with tears in his eyes as he watched his daughter, his own flesh and blood, get blessed by his tribesmen and their God. He turned to look inside of the hut at his wife who was still in bed. She was crying tears of joy for the blessing that their God gave to them in not only blessing them with one child, but two.

Ali'i El-Lin knew that after that terrible battle many seasons ago, she would not be able to give birth to a child due to the internal damage cased by the poison. Even after she was cleansed of the poison, it still left a terrible scar that left her barren. She felt guilty because she could not give her muzh(7) a child nor a successor. But she was also glad that her muzh did not care and loved her regardless.

She always prayed to Rayah in hopes that he would heal her so she could have a child. She was even willing to give up her strength in return for a healthy child. She prayed and worshiped continuously, until her prayers were answered. She was carrying a child. The tribe celebrated and gave tribute to Rayah for his blessing.

As time passed, El-Lin discovered her strength slowly leaving as the child grew bigger. She then understood that Rayah took her strength in order for her to have a child. In the beginning, she was upset and even cursed Rayah, much to her muzhs horror. But in the end, she understood that sacrifices must be made, and words spoken should be kept. She was truly glad that her God did not take her life in return for her child.

She would be able to teach her child everything she knew, and she could even watch them grow. When it came time to bring forth the child into this world, she was ecstatic to hear her child, her precious son, cry out loud and full of life. She was tired as she watched her muzh hug their son. But she was not able to relax much longer due to another round of pain.

Her surprise was quickly overshadowed by determination, as she began to welcome another soul into their tribe. After she heard her second childs cry did she understand that her battle was finally over. She looked toward her father, the kahuna, to see what her child looked like, only to freeze in disbelief as she watched her father wipe away the blood from her childs pure white hair. When she remembered her father's face, she began to laugh.

Kai-Den entered the hut and knelt by her side. "Zhena, thank you." He kissed her head. "Thank you for choosing me in this life and blessing me with two beautiful children."

El-Lin smiled at him. "Thank you for loving me, muzh."

"Ali'i Kai-Den, Ali'i El-Lin." The kahuna walked toward them with their daughter, Lalah. "I believe it is time you get some proper rest along with the children."

El-Lin chuckled. "Can I though, papa? You won't keep me and my children apart, right?"

"No, my light. You and the children had a long battle with chaos." He gently passed Lalah to his daughter. "A long rest is what all of you need."

"The kahuna is right, zhena." He placed Kai-El next to El-Lin and laid down on the bed. El-Lin turned to Kai-El and placed Lalah next to her brother. When Kai-El and Lalah were next to each other they both relaxed, as if they had finally found peace in the chaos around them. "Sleep is the best medicine." He smiled as he stretched his arm out over the children who were in the middle and his wife who was opposite of him, encircling them in a protective hug. El-Lin smiled back and placed her arm over her children as well.

Exhaustion finally set in as the family of four succumbed to sleep. The kahuna who was on the side smiled and turned to leave the hut in order to let them rest. When he reached the entrance, he paused and looked back toward the young family. The parents were asleep along with the son, but the daughter was awake. She looked around her with curiosity, simply unaware that her actions seemed odd. With her curiosity satisfied she simply wiggled closer to her brother, and then fell asleep.

The kahuna smiled to himself. "Curiosity is good." He turned and left the hut, pulling the leather ropes in order to close the entrance. "But too much curiosity is bad." Once the entrance was sealed, he left toward his own hut.