Zekita's breach

During one of my training sessions, we were attacked. A group of bald, grey creatures called the Mawnd found their way near our camp. Thankfully, we were able to fend them off before anyone got hurt. The young boy, Chris, explained that in this area it was common for Mawnds to attack the outskirts and that they were perfect for Curter training.

The next day, I woke up feeling extremely refreshed; my body had adjusted its circadian rhythm. I walked to the balcony, and it appeared to be shortly after sunrise. Perfect. I began my morning workout, and when that was over, I was treated to an amazing shower. It had only been three days, but it felt like an eternity without running water to clean myself.

The problem, though, was that I had a mental ache that I couldn’t get rid of. I decided the best course of action was to pray and let God handle it. After praying, I still felt off, but not as much as I had before; the homesickness wasn’t going away this easily. I decided it would be better to aimlessly walk through the mansion before Chris came calling for me, so I got up from the ground and found the clothes they had set out for me.

What I was given was nothing short of elegant. Chris’s estate had an unparalleled sense of style. Laid before me was a hybrid between formal pants and a shirt. It was unlike anything I’d seen before. It had a dark navy color that felt amazing on my skin. To top it all off, were theintricate designs all over the piece. Fantastic—this was extraordinary. I wore this new outfit and covered it with a matching coat. The coat itself felt extremely light and was a perfect complement to the entire ensemble. This is what formal casual clothing was supposed to look like. I had even been given a perfume bottle. I sprayed it all over my upper body and felt like Moriarty ready to ruin Sherlock’s day. The scent itself was not otherworldly, yet it perfectly matched the vibe of this building.

I decided to take one last look in the mirror and noticed that my hair had grown significantly; there was no way it should have been this long. It had been barely visible the night before my reincarnation and now it was two centimeters long. How long had I spent in that void? Whatever was happening was likely far beyond my comprehension.

Having dressed for the occasion, I stepped out, and there I saw a woman. She appeared to be waiting for me, writing something in her notebook. It couldn’t have been Beth because this one had hair, and a grey one, that reached well beyond her shoulders. When she stood up, we were almost eye level; her height far surpassed any woman I had known. She bore a strange smile. Her face seemed sculpted, in all the right ways.

“You’re surprisingly awake early.”

“I was able to rest on the train ride, so I was already fueled up from last night.”

“I am Mera, by the way. Mera Shortfire.”

“Shortfire? That’s a strange name,” I said, trying to make the conversation sound less awkward. God, I hate small talk.

“It is, yeah. But not as weird as you, Waijin. I can’t believe I am speaking with one of you.”

“I suppose. This entire prophecy thing is a bit too much for me, but if it is what I must do, then it is what I will do.”

“That’s better than most Waijin have said before. You’re the third actual Waijin we’ve ever gotten, you know,” she gestured for us to walk, and I followed her.

“Actual Waijin? Chris explained that to me last night, but I was barely paying attention.”

“The problem with summoning you people is that it’s random. Sometimes we get children, elderly people, and other times…”

“What happens?”

“Dead people.”

“Dead?”

“We’re still new to this entire summoning thing. Idrisa summoned their first Waijin 30 generations ago.”

“And how do they die? Do they get summoned with no limbs?”

“The place where they appear after being summoned is…” I gave her time to finish. “Sometimes half their bodies literally clip to the ground. It’s a gruesome scene to witness. When we try to help them, the wounds unfortunately prevent us; they die from excessive blood loss.”

“That’s… unfortunate.”

This killed the conversation, and the remaining walk was silent. I shifted my focus to the house and instead admired its beautiful architecture. The carpets were lined in red and had beautiful patterns; their bisque color provided an amazing contrast, allowing the flowery designs to stand out.

We continued walking for about fifteen minutes, and I knew we had definitely left the mansion’s living section because the environment shifted to a military tone. Apparently, this was more than just a mansion. We reached an exit, and I was proven right. Open land stretched before us, where a bunch of military individuals were training. The area around them was brimming with people somehow related to this training. Is this how many people are needed to maintain a training regimen?

Chris caught up with us a few minutes after our rival. Beth was with him as well. She smiled as soon as she saw me, and somehow that made me feel better. I bowed to her, and she returned the gesture. When I raised my head, I saw a frown on Mera’s face. Oh god! Thankfully, Chris spoke, and that made us all focus on him.

His expression was serious, and the tone instantly shifted.

“Something bad happened,” he started, looking at Mera. “Sekita’s wall was attacked.”

Her eyes opened at that, and I was left confused.

“What is happening?”

They all stared at me, and thankfully Beth began explaining. “Remember how we told you that Naffar is split into seven states?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, one of those states is called Sekita, and it is the one closest to Mount Hord.”

“Mount Hord is where we’re supposed to go to find an answer to the fog, right?”

“Exactly,” Mera affirmed.

“Then why are you all so worried? We were heading there anyway.”

“Neld, you don’t understand. I know this is getting old, but don’t you also remember what we told you about Naffar?”

“That you’re a peaceful people and all; you said a lot of things.”

“Yeah, exactly. If we’re peaceful and Sekita’s wall is attacked, who do you think is behind that?”

I stayed quiet, not knowing how to answer. The four of us stood in the middle of their army’s training camp, discussing possible war reports. Everything is so strange.

“Basically, there are these creatures that only exist on the mountains, and they very rarely attack our land. Especially not this deep into Sekita.”

“And it has never happened when a Waijin is summoned,” added Chris. “We’re going to change plans. We’re leaving tomorrow, and the festival will have to be rushed.”

He turned to the two women. They looked worried and were silent for a few seconds before agreeing with him. He turned to me one last time before he left.

“Unfortunately for you, your training will have to pick up pace. Instead of a month, you’re getting seven days. Can you handle that?”

I looked him deep in the eyes and nodded firmly.