Chapter 7: The First Arrival

Kael woke the next morning to the sun little more than an inch above the horizon. The village he and Lyra had shaped from nothing lay quiet and still in the soft light of dawn. He stood there, watching it all as if the world were waking around him from the edge of the garden. The trees sang sweet melodies to the birds and sent, all at once, a breath of light wind that brought scents of fresh soil and flowering petals.

And it was the crunching sounds of footsteps that broke the stillness of the moment. Kael turned to see Lyra approaching him, sunshine at her face, and it was very early in the morning.

"You're an early riser," she said, standing beside him. "I half-expected you to still be asleep, dreaming about rearranging the stars or something."

Kael chuckled. "I don't need sleep, remember? Besides, I wanted to be awake when the first settlers arrive."

Lyra smiled, her eyes on the village she had created with him. "You're excited, aren't you?"

Kael nodded. " It's strange, isn't it? I have all this power, and yet, I feel more anticipation about this village than I did when I first learned of my omnipotence."

"Maybe that is the reason it is true," Lyra said softly in a whisper. "You're not building something merely for a gain in power. You are building a home where people could live and grow. That's more significant than all the powers in the world."

She sat beside Kael now, and he welcomed the passion she was talking of. Lyra had been his better than a companion for weeks now. She reminded him why all things mattered as he changed reality with his thoughts, and in those little moments when he was not stooping low over reality, it was what made Kael feel the most happy.

As they stood there in comfortable silence, a flicker of movement caught Kael's eye. A series of figures appeared along the length of the path leading into the village. The first settlers were here.

Lyra was aware of it as well, her grin twisting mischievous. "Looks like our guests are here."

Kael nodded; a surge of anticipation rose within his chest. They would be the first to cross the borders of the village, the first to breathe life, the one he'd built for the strangers. Soon enough, they would be the heart of a community that he and Lyra had brought into being.

They made their way slowly, the group of men and women and children, faces both wary and expectant. They had come out from the villages and the towns along, for they had heard that which one hears, a new settlement, promises of peace and prospering filling the air. A place whose news had spread itself freely, but Kael was particular about who he invited to come live in the village he had brought into being overnight-those seeking a quiet life, free of the chaos with which the world seemed to populate itself.

As the party approached the edge of the village, Kael stepped forward, greeting them.

"Welcome," he said warmly, offering a smile. "This is your new home."

The settlers looked at each other, unsure of how to react. It wasn't every day that a group would be greeted by a man whose air was at once quietly authoritative and yet strangely reassuring. But there was something in Kael-something reassuring and pleasant-that allowed them to relax.

A tall, weathered man stood at the head of the crowd. Plain rags on him, seamed by creased lines of years of hard labor, and yet, a glint of eagerness in his eyes.

"Is this the place we've heard tell of?" the man asked gruffly though not unkindly, "the village where we can begin anew?

Kael nodded. "It is. My name is Kael, and I have built up this village for people like you, people in need of a peaceful life. There will be no fight or struggle here. You shall live as you wish to."

He regarded Kael for a moment, then nodded his head. "I am Elias," he said, extending his greeting by holding out his hand. "And we are glad for the opportunity."

He shook hands with the man. The palm felt coarse, an affirmation that perhaps he may have suffered a life as rough here as he had before coming here.

"You can find everything you need in the village," Kael said, pointing at the cottages and beyond them the fields. "All of the houses are set ready for you, and the lands are fertile to grow crops. You will be able to farm crops, raise livestock, and live off from that land. There's also a river near to get fresh water."

They stood there, with awestruck eyes at the village. It had to be too good to be true; for most of the settlers, a place where they could live in peace, undisturbed by the ills of the world.

A woman stepped forward, leading a small child by her side. "You built all this? In so short a time?"

Kael smiled gently. "With a little help, yes."

Lyra stood silently for a moment, then stepped forward to stand beside him. "It's true. Kael has a bit of a... unique talent for building things quick."

She shuffled out of the way of his massive strides as the settlers exchanged curious glances, then looked away. For them how it was important wasn't relevant; only that they'd found a place to settle.

Kael and Lyra trailed behind the settlers as they walked through the village. They answered their questions, describing everything ever sold in the settlement. The cottages were simple, but reasonably strong each and containing all that could be needed to lead a comfortable life. Beyond the village, fields of tilled earth and preparation held promises of plenty through harvest in the coming months.

And, laughing with gleeful shouts, children ran on ahead to play on this strange landscape opening out before them, in every moment tasting this new air. The look would have pleased Kael with self-congratulation, for he had needed this-to make a place for people where they could live in peace, free from the burdens of war and fear.

It was not a day of frantic tempos, but in any event it was little time before hours had elapsed, and the settlers were nicely fitted in their cottages. Elias and the other men of the settlement were conferring on how they'd till the crops and raise the animals, while the women were getting things ready for cooking in the cottages. The stony, silent village of hours ago rang out with laughter, conversation, and the hum of ordinary activity.

Kael and Lyra sat atop a small hill, where they could see down into the village below. She was standing there, looking down on the settlers as they went about their work-sun low on its arc now, making everything dappled and warm golden.

"You did well," Lyra said softly, her voice swelling with pride. "This village is going to be something special."

Kael nodded, a quality of happiness embracing him. "It already is. These people-they've been through a lot. They deserve a shot at happiness."

Lyra smiled back at him, reclining on her hands. "And you're going to make sure they get it, aren't you?"

Kael looked at her with a faint smile playing on his lips. "That's the plan."

They sat for so long in comfortable silence as the village began to realize new rhythms, watching the stars come out in the night sky to finally satisfy Kael. He'd made something worthwhile, a thing of value that would last. And in the quiet of this world, he finally discovered his purpose.

But silent the moment was, Kael couldn't help but feel that this was just the beginning. For all its peaceful and serene quality, even a village built by an almighty being had some problems still left. The world outside was so unpredictable. And though he could keep everything from happening to these people in most aspects, some things were bound beyond his sensibility.

"I wonder what next," said Kael, staring out towards the horizon.

She looked at him with a thoughtful face. "Whatever it is, we will face it together."

Kael nodded, comforted by what the woman said. They had built something special-together, a haven from the chaos of the world. And with that came something permanent: peace and prosperity for all who sought them.

And as the shadows fell and the village receded into the quiet which filled it for most of the day, Kael and Lyra sat side by side upon that rocky hill above the landscape: a small easy moment, but one with greater meaning than any display of power could manage.

And in that one moment, Kael finally learned something: it wasn't the extent of power a person held that defined him, but how he chose to exercise it.

The next day would have enough disputes, openings, and encounters. But now, however, Kael was satisfied to simply be-to exist amidst the stillness of the beauty of the world he had helped to create.

And with his rare days of peace and quiet, he really felt peaceful for the first time in a very long time.