Chapter 1- Crawl Through The Desert

The hot yellow sun blazed down through the clear skies onto the tall sand dunes below. The sky was a deep azure blue, lacking any clouds as far as the eye could see. The unmitigated heat developed a mirage that emanated off of the sand dunes. An ocean of massive golden grained dunes had stretched off and over the horizon in all visible direction.

On a day like that one where the air sat still with no wind to speak of, the valleys of sand remain completely silent. That is all but one sound. The pained sound of a boy grunting as he slowly inched forward along the base of a particular sand dune. behind him, a trail of blood had been streaked down, up and over a dune out of the boy's line of sight. Slowly and painfully, he pulled himself toward his destination by the grip of the fingers on his right hand. His baby blue eyes looked dull and unfocused. Surely the result of poor eyesight, mixed with the injuries he had sustained.

His left arm was severed and gone, and both of his legs were broken into right angles just above his ankles. Covering his shirtless tanned torso were deep gashes oozing blood.

In between his clenched jaws, a dark grey stone was held tight. There could be seen a faint glimmering light. The stone was slightly transparent but retained a cloudy opaqueness that barred one from looking through it clearly. In the center of the stone, a tiny yet vibrant violet light swirled around in the shape of a lemniscate.

Pulling himself to the top of the dune, he withdrew his bloody fingertips out from the burning sand beneath, to angle it above his eyes deflecting harmful sun rays. Squinting with his myopic eyes, he searched the horizon for the oasis city he was a resident too.

After a good minute, he spotted it not too far off in the distance. He could barely make it out with his failing vision, but he was able to make out the relative distance it was from him.

He dropped his face to sand resting his head on fiery sediment. Rubbing his bleeding fingers through is blonde hair leaving it sticky and red, he let out a tense sigh.

Lifting his head back up and jamming his fingers into the sand, he readied his resolve.

As the boy had begun to pull himself forward he was stopped by a deep raspy voice.

"One must remember that by falling, one will learn how to move safely."

Shocked by the soundless approach of the unseen man standing behind him, the boy pushed against the sand floor flipping onto his back, simultaneously pulling a dagger out from a scabbard attached to his ragged white pants.

The man who had snuck up behind him was a man who looked to be dressed like an easterner. His black hair was slightly concealed within his straw hat. He wore white clothes that looked unwashed and dirty. Looking down to the clunky white wooden sandals on his feet it became clear to the boy that this man was a traveling practitioner.

The boy waving around his dagger to keep the man at bay, called out nervously to him.

"s-stay back! you aren't taking my soul stone. I killed the beast so it's mine. I'll kill you if you try to take it. I-I mean it!"

The man then noticing the stone, spat out the grass stem that hung out from between his lips prior.

"What's your name boy?"

The boy swiftly responded, "W-What's it to you?"

"Mm… One must learn to walk before they run. That blade would sooner shatter than pierce my skin. So, you tell me, can some defenseless kid crawling across the sea of sand on the verge of death dare to act so arrogant."

The boy was panic-struck by the man's response. averting his gaze from the blurry figure before him.

"M-My name is Mulad."

Mulad took a deep breath in and out. dropping the dagger to the sand below, he spat the soul stone from out of his mouth into his open palm.

Wincing, Mulad held the soul stone out in the air for the man to grab, then defeatedly mumbled, "Here take it, I was just going to sell it anyways."

The man smirked while squatting down to the ground. After retrieving a ceramic flask from inside his robe pocket, he uncorked it and held it tipped above Mulad's face.

"Here, Drink."

Mulad confused by the stranger's random act of kindness, inquisitively asked, "Aren't you going to take the soul stone from me?"

"Drink."

Mulad complying with the mysterious foreigner request, tilted his mouth to the lip of the flask.

Sparkly clear water streamed down through the air down into Mulad's mouth. The sun's light bent into colorful rainbows within the pouring liquid. To Mulad It tasted like the purest water he had ever drunk. Almost as if it were absent of any taste whatsoever.

A fading trance overcame Mulad and when he came back to, the pain of his injuries had completely vanished. Looking down he saw his bare chest with crystal clear vision. The water had healed his injuries. What's more, it had also restored his vision which had been steadily degrading ever since he was incredibly young. However, looking over he mournfully observed that his arm was still indeed very gone.

The man having had noticed Mulad's attention to his lack of an arm, solemnly remarked, "It can only restore what you have, not what you have lost."

Lifting up his arm while pulling back its sleeve it was revealed that the man was missing his right hand.

Looking up Mulad could now see the man's face clearly. It was the first time he clearly saw someone's face in many years.

The man's face was aged and wizened. He looked to be maybe 60ish. Despite this, it seemed as though he retained a lot of his youthfulness. He was a very fit looking man with chiseled muscles that contorted his white robes.

"S-Sir, may I ask your name?"

Quickly after asking, the man's face turned to one of suspicion.

"No. You may not."

"It's best if you forget you met me."

"U-Uh. Okay?!"

Sighing lightly, the man softly spoke, "Next time you try to hunt a demon beast, dig the well before you become thirsty."

With that, the man turned away and walk down the steep decline of the sand dune toward the direction of the town.

Mulad sitting forward momentarily put the soul stone in his mouth and placed the dagger back in its scabbard. Then while dropping the stone from out of his mouth back into his hand he observed the spinning lemniscate of purple light. He viewed with ir surreally vivid clarity. It was magnanimously beautiful. Though Mulad was missing an arm which had now healed into a stub, the simple recovery of his sight was enough to bring him to the verge of tears.

With a tightly clenched fist around the soul stone, he shot up and turned to call out to the mysterious foreign man.

"Wait! Wai—"

When he turned to face the mean he was gone. He was like a ghost that hadn't ever existed, to begin with. Mulad was both disappointed and awestruck by this feat.

Faced with little options he dusted himself off and began to walk toward the city. Though, this time he could see the city in a way he never could before.

Rows upon rows of sand huts the same color as the sand itself all centered around the oasis pond. The colors of vibrant green grasses and palm fronds exquisitely contrasted with the barren gold sand that stretched out into the distance and beyond. The water reflected back the azure blue sky while retaining its clarity. It was a gorgeous sight unalike anything he had thought to be possible.

Mulad had been onset by a raw sense of apprehension. He became worried about what would become of a crippled 14-year old boy with no loved ones to speak of.

Clearing his mind, he abstained from further contemplation on the subject.

"Who was that mysterious man?"