Chapter 1: Kiran

OmniOne First Law: "One Shall Live Life, Blessed By Me, To Its Fullest."

"How Interesting…"

"Don't stop chasing…"

A lifeless body lies on the shore. Waves crash in the ocean. The high tide started long ago and is rapidly rising. 

"Welcome! Welcome! I understand…"

"Wake up Kiran."

Wave after wave flows over his body. 

"Chase the light…"

The splashes cause some water to enter the body's mouth. Water rises, touching the edge of his lip. 

"KIRAN WAKE UP!"

Eyes open, the body quickly emerges out of the water. A salty taste sits in the back of the boy's throat. 

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

Water drips out of his mouth.

Huff… Huff… Huff… 

He stares at the water, looking at the hazy reflection before him. 

The boy can make out a few things. Pale skin. Blue eyes. Blonde hair with edges that stand slightly up. 

"My name is… Kiran?"

A rush of information enters his mind. 

"AAAGH!"

Kiran grabs his head. He rolls in the salt water, arching his back. 

"S-S***! AAGHH!!"

He takes deep breaths and slowly drops his hands from his head. His eyes face the sky. The blue shines brightly. Noises can be heard, even though his ears are covered by water. 

"Where… am I?"

Sitting up, he surveys the area. Left, then right. Only sand. Front, then back. A forest and an ocean. 

"How did I get here? What's going on?" 

Kiran stands up. He dusts off the wet sand. 

His orange jumpsuit drips with water. 

He sees footprints around him. He checks his black boots and lifts the sole before pressing his foot on the ground. The soles match. They lead to the trees in front of him. Not too large. 

"Guess there is only one way to go…" He gazes at the forest. He starts to follow in the footsteps in front of him.

Sand changes to soil and grass. The footprints have disappeared. The ocean can't be seen anymore. Kiran continues forward. Deeper into the forest, he stops. 

Kiran is mesmerized by all the trees, bushes and sounds around him. 

Each colour is so bright it entices him to look more. Each scent is more pungent than the next. The sounds are more engrossing. Chirps echo loudly. All this information slowly enters his mind as it swirls through his brain. 

He recalls animal species, birds to be specific. Trees and how they grow. His own body, as the smells, sounds and visuals enter his body.

"Where did I learn all this?"

A path emerges deeper into the forest. Stones are laid out on the sides. More footprints are on there. He nods and takes it. 

When he gets even deeper into the forest, he stops again. A small patch of greenery catches his eye.

"Whoa… What's that?"

He leans down, bringing his nose closer to a bright-coloured plant. Information enters his mind as he observes it. Letters visually form in his head as he stares.

"A… flower?"

Sniff. Sniff.

More information enters his mind again, his eyes widening. He touches the base, only to feel a prick on his finger and pull away.

"A… rose? Yeah. A rose!"

A winged creature lands on the rose. 

"Whoa! A butterfly! An actual butterfly!"

He stretches out his index finger. The butterfly flies away. 

Kiran finds himself hypnotized by the combination of branches, leaves and sunlight. His mind starts to trail off. 

"I've never seen an actual butterfly before. I've never seen anything like this before! Wait… how do I know what that is?" 

Kiran tries to recall any memories. The only clear thing is when he woke up. 

"Those can't be my only memories… There must be more…"

"…help."

His head snaps. A sound cuts him off from his thoughts. "What was that?"

"Help!"

The sound is this time much louder. His eyes narrow. He dashes in that direction.

"Please help! Someone! PLEASE!"

The sound gets louder and louder. Branch after leaf is swatted away as they slap against Kiran's body. 

"HELP!!!"

The screech echoes in Kiran's ear, causing his eyes to go wide. He stops and finds himself right next to a broken tree, the source of the cries found; a boy with blonder hair than him, wearing the same orange attire as he is. 

Across the boy is a big black bird. Picking at something Kiran can't make out with the trees in his way. He can only see the blonde boy trembling. 

The bird lifts its head. Tilts it, while glaring at the terrified boy. 

"NO NO HELP!! GET AWAY!! SOMEONE PLEASE!"

Kiran grips a nearby branch that's broken off. The branch barely fits in his hand, but he has a grip on it. His muscles tense. 

The bird raises its wings. It's gone. 

Everything around Kiran suddenly turns pitch black and pure white. 

FWISH.

CRASH!

The black beak meets wood. Kiran's arms brace. He finds himself between the bird and the boy. Kiran's heels dig into the ground. 

"ARGH!"

"RAA!"

The bird immediately retreats a few metres back after striking.

Kiran breathes heavily. He has a clearer view of the bird. 

The beak is much darker than the rest of its body. It is slightly shorter than Kiran and has 3 eyes on its head. They keep alternating their position as the bird frantically tilts its head over and over. 

"What do I do? It keeps glaring at me… like it's making sure of something…"

Sweat drops from Kiran's head. He hears his heartbeat. 

"Is it going to strike?"

The bird takes a step closer. Kiran's grip tightens. "HAAAAHHH!!!" He slams the branch into the ground. A splash of dirt dropped onto the bird's beak. 

"RAA!"

The bird turns around and flies back into the forest. 

Kiran holds his ground for a few more seconds before finally dropping to his knees. He lets go of the branch with his chest heaving. 

The blonde boy still trembles, but he speaks first.

"A-Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I guess… I just ran too much. I need to catch my breath."

Kiran stands up. He inhales a big gulp of air before turning to the blonde boy. 

"I'm Kiran. What's your name?"

He reaches out his hand to the blonde boy. The boy sports a traditional bowl-cut hairstyle. 

"I-I am Garnett."

"Nice to meet you!"

A warm smile forms on Kiran. At first, Garnett holds his hand by him, but then he grabs Kiran's hand as he is helped off the ground. Kiran notices a girl lying behind the tree Garnett sat against. 

She is wearing the same orange clothing. Her chest moves up and down slightly. Kiran breathes out. "She's alive." 

"Do you know where to go?" asks Kiran. He doesn't take his eyes off the girl. 

"Yeah. There was a big man. He was like, all blue. He told us we just need to follow in his direction. We found a path and started walking. That was a while ago though…"

"A while ago? We? What do you mean?" Kiran looks at Garnett. 

Garnett grabs his wrist. His hand trembles from the force. 

"We were a group of about fifteen. Her included. She said she could not remember anything. We started talking to her and she remembered her name… and she grabbed her head, screaming. Then she yelled she could not see, and passed out."

Kiran's gaze turns back to the girl. "Huh... Sounds very similar to me. At least I can still see," he thinks.

"What about the others you mentioned?" 

"We tried waking her up. But then that… thing showed up."

"That big bird?" 

"Yeah… I think it was a crow. At first, we ran. Then, we hid. Still, it somehow caught us each time. Everyone tried to protect the girl… They all tried their best."

Garnett's grip tightens on his wrist. A slight shiver on his wrist follows.

Kiran looks at Garnett. He then looks around and sees some of the orange clothing they are wearing scattered around, along with drops of red splattered in different areas. 

"The bird is gone now at least. I'm sorry Garnett." 

Kiran stares down at the ground. "Could I have helped if I had been here quicker?" 

His focus returns to the unconscious girl. His hands clench up into fists.

"Let's take her. We need to get going before the bird returns."

He hunches down.

"What?! We cannot! The bird specifically tried to get her and-"

"That's all the more reason we can't leave her. Get her arms over my shoulder."

"And if the crow returns to attack us?! Do you want to end up like the others who tried to protect her?!"

"Then you run. Please. I can't leave her here. Please help me."

Garnett peers into Kiran's eyes. "He does not appear to exert hubris, unlike those others…"

"Fine."

"Thank you."

They get her off the ground and onto Kiran's shoulders. 

"All right. Let's go."

"You do not have to tell me again. This way."

They walk until they find a nearby path. Stones are aligned in a singular line on the sides. 

"This is the path we followed." Their footprints match those on the path. Their eyes survey the area as they walk. 

"It doesn't seem like the bird is near us."

"Yeah."

"So…uh. Garnett."

"Yes?"

"Do you know where we are?"

Garnett stares at their never-ending path. 

"I do not know. But it is dangerous. I guess this is something The Trials prepared us for."

"The Trials? What's that?"

"Are you serious? Do not tell me you are about to scream like that girl you are carrying. As soon as we mentioned The Trials that is when she remembered her name!"

"I don't think so. I already had a headache earlier recalling my name. So what's The Trials?"

"That is where we have been our entire lives. We were born there, grew there, everything. That is where-"

Every creek, crack and chirp causes them both to eye their surroundings. No bird in sight. Other animals are not seen. It is only bird chirps that can be heard. 

"Let us discuss this later. We need to focus and leave this forest. The blue man was in this direction I believe."

"All right." Kiran's mind wanders. "The Trials? We are wearing the same clothes… so we must come from the same place. Just like this girl." 

The volume of nature diminishes as footprints on the path increase. There are other paths from the sides that have connected and made the path bigger. Still no sign of others.

"I wonder where everyone is. These footprints match ours, and you saw others with you Garnett."

"Well Kiran, I guess we are about to find out." 

A big building appears when they exit the forest. A sign that reads 'Welcome to Arkodia Newborns!' is above an entrance.