Altair's Intents

Morning rose in the harrowed plains, the two moons separated from each other with their individual distinctiveness clear in the sky. The western moon descended like a prideful God while the eastern moon descended like a pitiful one, a natural polar opposite that comes together in the night to bathe the desolated plains with both their dimming radiance. Their setting revealed the morning plain skies with it's pale ghostly gray light that shone on the lands and the icy white clouds that filled it. Shadows of the jagged mountainlands shaded the creeping gray sanguine fog far in the distance making it appear to be more ominous as it slowly devours the lands that are still not shrouded by it. Dark and gloomy, the trees rose back to their roots and stood up in it's midst enduring the mist's glacial wind.

Only silence could have remained as a sound in this empty lands, it was however ruined by the noisy footsteps of two men walking on foot from midnight to morning.

"You still good kid?" a raspy enthusiastic voice of a man silently echoed in the plains.

"Yeah..I am, I think." exhausted and out of breath Altair responded.

"Alright good good, at least you have cardio strength."

Altair who was a bit offended by the words that the man spoke can only see himself as a useless weight weighing on the back of the mighty man.

"Th-thanks I guess." he can only thank the warrior.

Finishing their exchange of words they continued to venture out in the open.

The two seemed to be both completely content with the eerie silence that the plains present.

Altair took a look at the man and wondered.

'Such a monster, what could have brought him such power.'

Then he looked at himself. He was frail and weak, he looked like a twig if compared to the mighty stoic warrior's radiating confidence and effulgence. Altair was strong, he know that himself, but this stoic warrior just transcends the laws of human strength and limits. How did he even broke the barrier that keeps humans away from transcending into a higher and stronger being? Or did he even transcend at all? What could have led him to acquire such a tremendous strength that shouldn't be allowed to be possessed by any mortal being? Altair wanted to know.

Carefree and whistling the stoic warrior stopped in his tracks making Altair halt his steps as well.

"Kid..I just realized that I didn't catch your name. Aha it has already been hours and we haven't even known each other yet? That's comical isn't it?" the man said laughingly letting out a loud ridiculed laugh that reverberated in the plains.

"I thought you already know me since you know that I came from Earth just like you." Altair responded.

"PFFT-- What am I an oracle?!" the man jokingly said bursting out into a hearty belly laugh slapping his knees and holding to it.

"AHAHA AN ORACLE! AHAHAHA I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, STOP STOP IT!" holding to his own belly he continued to cachinnate even louder completely forgotting about the huge wound on his body.

"OW! FUCK! SHIT! TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT ONE!" he reacted loudly.

Altair flustered a bit from the reaction of the man.

Letting out a calming sigh the stoic warrior started to wipe the small joyful tears away from his eyes and the man properly stood up stopping his boisterous and ridiculous laughter.

"Oh boy I am so sorry for that, where are my manners am I right?" the stoic man apologized properly still silently chuckling for a bit.

"Oh right, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Oculo Bendetta, weird name right? The owner of the name is strong though." he added.

'Oculo Bendetta...strange name for someone who claims to have come from Earth like me.' Altair silently thought.

"How about you young lad? What kinda name did your mother give you?."

Turning his head up to the tall man doubt clear in his eyes with also a hint of clear grimace upon hearing the term 'mother'. He can only sigh in exasperation as he scratched his head gently and responded with a blunt tone in his voice.

"Altair, just call me that."

Oculo can only look at him with a serious wondering stare, as he patted the young man gently on his shoulders.

"Altair, I will be sure to remember that name."

Altair confused as to what he is feeling now only tried to get a hold of his own emotions as he still cannot understand this jeopardizing sensation, he can only remain speechless as the tall man lifted his hands away from his thin weak shoulders. The gentle touch of the giant offered a feeling of security and genuine care. He wanted to at least trust the man even by a pinch but he is too much of an emotionally stubborn man to let his own feelings dictate his decisions and let it shatter the elusively existent heart that he has at the end of the day. He have been through more than a lot of times where his mistrust comes back biting on his own ass, making him lost fate on putting his emotional trust on someone ever again.

"Right." He can only respond.

The two then continued their walk in silence, occassionally the loud whispers of the wind breaking it.

They both have been heading towards a straight direction for most of the hours now with no sign of difference in the landscape, the road was long and Altair do not even know where the stoic Oculo is headed, he only followed the footsteps of the man carefully like a true companion of the gentle giant. He didn't wanna ask because he didn't wanna bother the peace of silence that Oculo has been enjoying.

They continued their trek for hours until dusk.

Without food and even without water Oculo was unbrazened and unbothered, he was still in his peak condition, vigor and strength still circulating throughout his solid muscles. Altair on the other hand, looked like he was one step away from the grave.

They have stopped for a while but Oculo continued to step forward slowly, Altair who is on his knees dehydrated and starving could only slowly follow.

"We are here Altair."

Crawling from exhaustion Altair faintly heard the man's words. He mustered all of his strength, every last ounce of it to just stand up and take a look at the view Oculo was staring at.

'W-Wow..' Altair said to himself unable to utter any words due to exhaustion and amazement.

An everlasting lake of crystal clear water was beneath the ledge Altair found himself standing on. He feasted his eyes on the wonderful view of the waters with Oculo standing behind him also basking in the beauty of the lake.

The mellow lake gently waves as if dancing on the tune of the underworld gale, creating a faint glimmer everytime its weak current comes in contact with the dimming light that came from the sunless illumination of the gray skies. A sight of a cold and thin misty fog levitated above the waters, it created an elegant cold atmosphere that is freezing the air in the lake, although not harsh enough for the waters to solidify into thin ice. Quite a number of melodic and exotic aquatic plants thrived on the majestic lake which both produced a non-overwhelming number of chilly sweet aromatic scents that harmonized with each of the individual smell, and a symphonical hymn that can bring sheer euphoria to the ears. This lake is an embodiment of ecstasy for the soul.

The sight of the misty fog however made Altair remember the horrifying existence of the gray crimson mist that loomed on the titanic skeletal mountains in the faraway distance. He can only imagine the greedy crimson mist devouring the snow white fog one day on a hungry slow conquest just like how it consumed the distant mountainlands with it's incarnadine smog.

Altair trembled by just picturing out the phenomenon.

A still silence shortly befell on the two adventurers and Oculo was the first one to break it.

"So uh.. Altair, I know that you are following me for a reason." Oculo stated.

Indeed, Altair followed Oculo not only for the security that the mighty giant offers, he also wants to become a stronger version of himself. He did not want to be pitiful, afterall he was once an apex predator. It leaves quite a bitter aftertaste in his mouth that he wasn't able to retaliate against the rotting beast that attacked him yesterday night, and so he seek strength that is able to slay such monstrosity. Though he can never even begin to dream of being stronger than Oculo he still wanted to learn from an invincible warrior such as himself.

"Is it perhaps strength you seek young one?" he added with a bit of a smile clear in his face.

Altair who was still drowned in the harmony of the lake turned his head towards Oculo and calmly answered.

"Yes."

Oculo looked at him with a manly expression in his face.

"Perfect, perfect."

The stoic young warrior then stepped forward, closer and closer to the small thin man that is Altair.

"Your training begins now." Oculo uttered as he pushed Altair off the ledge.

And then in a matter of seconds Altair felt like his body was infinitely heavy, bleaking cold biting on his skin as he sunk deeper into the frigid lake.