Dust Devil (Part I)

THIS RITE OF PASSAGE had been a time-honored ritual in desert elven culture for generations; when their children reached the age of adulthood (fifteen by their standards), they must challenge and defeat a death worm, the apex predator of the Lai-Fatt Desert. Only after that accomplishment will they be regarded as adults, allowing them to forge their own path in life. In preparation for this day, the Lai-Fatt Desert's elven boys and girls spend the majority of their childhood disciplining their bodies and honing their magic. If successful, this would prove to be the first of many highlights in their young lives. If unsuccessful, only death’s cold embrace awaited from beyond the mortal plane.

For Kei S’han of Neema, this was an opportunity to prove to his parents, his tribe, and himself that he was ready to leave the drylands behind, to join his older sister Shein in Marduk, and take on the world outside the one he’d always known.

It was scorching that day, approximately thirty-seven degrees Celsius (one hundred degrees Fahrenheit), typical weather for the Lai-Fatt Desert. With beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, Kei took his stance, bending his knees, his steel club in his right hand. Closing his eyes, he cast aside any creeping doubts and focused on channeling his mana, creating an electric charge starting from his club hand before spreading throughout the rest of his body and into the sandy pavement from which he stood. This charge was used to create an electromagnetic pulse that lures out death worms, given their sensitivity to strong frequencies.

“I shall let the winds guide me as it guides the sand.”

The famous words of S’hara of the Dunes came to mind. A legendary elven prophet who was said to have spent decades living in the desert’s harsh conditions, capable of taming death worms through sheer force of will alone, her philosophy and practices were not only an inspiration to her fellow desert elves but to people the world over.

Kei kept his eyes closed, heightening all of his remaining senses. After what felt like the longest five minutes of his life, he could soon feel a faint rumbling from beneath his feet. His large ears twitched as the rumbling grew louder and louder. As his eyes snapped open, the ground beneath him began to shake violently, but he did not stir.

And then something huge emerged from the sand a few feet away from him. A massive dust cloud obscured the creature’s body, but Kei’s keen elven vision was able to see right through it and make out its features. Death worms are estimated to be around four hundred meters long and their skin was as beige as the sand it dwelled within.

“Took you long enough,” he snarked. “Now, let’s see how you fare against this!”

Kei took his club and began spinning it like a propeller, creating a powerful wind vortex, causing the sand around him to pick up and become airborne. The wind blew furiously as a massive barrier formed between him and the death worm.

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!

The worm unleashed a deep, guttural roar, baring its endless row of sharp, almost sword-shaped, teeth. Its indomitable form loomed over the young elf, recognizing him as a threat.

Kei's parents, a few elders, and other villagers stood on a large dune in the distance, observing the young man’s trial and its entirety.

“There it is,” Kei’s father said, his muscle-bound arms crossed. There was a gleam of nostalgia in his eye before turning to his human wife. “Time to see what our boy is made of!”

“How can you smile like that?!” She nudged him. While Kei’s father watched on in excitement, his mother was the opposite.

“Come now, dear. This is the day Kei finally becomes a man.” He turned back to the ensuing battle. “With one's life on the line, surely a decade's worth of training must bear fruit one way or another.”

Being a native of Neema herself, she of course understood the importance of this tradition, although having seen so many others fail, including her old friend, her husband’s sister, and their fathers before them, she was fraught with worry. She clasped her quivering hands and laid them on her bosom, uttering a brief prayer to Mother Terra. Her golden eyes, which Kei inherited, shone with trepidation as she returned her gaze to the scene, watching her only son face this trial with bated breath.

The wind vortex created by Kei’s spinning club swirled around him, kicking up a tempest of burning sand and obscuring his vision for real this time. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline surging through his veins. With each swing of his club, he launched volts of electricity, aiming for the vulnerable spots of the death worm, particularly its sensitive underbelly.

The massive creature, with its jaws wide open, burrowed beneath the surface, making the ground quake as it reemerged, lunging up over Kei with lightning speed before bearing down towards him with its deadly maw. Kei’s reflexes kicked in, taking a huge leap backward and using the vortex to bring the wind towards him, forming another sandstorm barrier. The ground beneath him quaked as the death worm crashed into his defenses. The impact sent a powerful shockwave throughout the young elf’s body, but the barrier held firm, protecting him from the creature’s ferocious assault.

It’s as the stories say: these monsters are nothing to scoff at! I mustn’t waver for even a second!

Kei’s concentration was unyielding as he maintained the wind vortex and kept his focus on the death worm. He had trained for this moment, honing his skills day after day, year after year. His body moved with fluid precision, his club an extension of his will.

“Raaaagh!”

With each strike, Kei channeled his mana into his weapon, empowering his attacks with an elemental force. The steel club crackled with electricity as it connected with the death worm’s armored hide, sending sparks flying and eliciting roars of pain from the creature.

Kei’s parents and the others watched on. Nary a human among them could make out what was happening and even the elves were struggling to keep up, but they dared not move a muscle, no matter how intense the environment became. Enduring such harsh conditions was something desert elves prided themselves on.

“Kei…” As worried as his mother was, she couldn’t help but smile proudly at how strong he had become, to create winds that rivaled even his father was a feat one simply could not overlook.

The battle raged on, the desert sands becoming a battleground of swirling winds, flying sand, and the clash of metal against the beast’s impenetrable scales, Kei’s movements were graceful and agile, dancing around the death worm’s attacks while delivering calculated blows. Allowing the wind currents to guide him, just as S’hara’s famous words had proclaimed.

However, the death worm was not an opponent to be underestimated. Its massive size and strength posed a constant threat, and its endurance seemed boundless. As the battle prolonged, fatigue began to settle into the young elf’s limbs, his muscles protesting the exertion.

Sensing Kei’s weariness, the death worm seized the opportunity. It launched itself into the air, its colossal body soaring toward Kei, jaws wide open to claim its prey. In that split second, Kei’s instincts took over, and he tapped into reserves of magic he didn’t know he possessed.

Alright. Let this be the killing blow!

Summoning the last of his strength, Kei raised his club and unleashed a torrent of elemental energy, the hollowed steel ball on top spinning as arcs of lightning crackled through the air, intertwining and forming a net of electricity. The electric web collided with the airborne death worm, engulfing it in a dazzling display of power.

“Fortis Fragore!”

The death worm writhed and convulsed within the electrified grasp, its massive form trembling with each surge of energy, Kei’s muscles strained as he poured every ounce of his mana into maintaining the spell, his body trembling with the effort.

Come on, body, don’t quit on me, now! We’re almost there!

And then, with one final surge, the death worm let out a spine-chilling screech, its thrashing ceased as it succumbed to the overwhelming power of the spell. The creature’s massive body crashed to the ground, creating a tremor that echoed across the desert.

“......”

“““……”””

The winds died down, the sand settled, and an eerie silence descended upon the battlefield. Kei stood there, panting heavily, his body covered in sweat and sand. The weight of his accomplishment finally sunk in as he gazed upon the death worm carcass.

“Never…again…” he remarked, dropping to his knees. He may not have sustained any significant injuries, but his efforts to slay the creature alone had taken a toll on his body. Then again, had the death worm been able to land a clean hit, the pain he was feeling would’ve been the least of his worries.

As the dust cleared, Kei’s parents and the tribe members approached, their eyes wide with astonishment and pride. Kei’s father stepped forward, a mix of emotions evident on his face.

“Well done, my son,” he said, his voice filled with admiration. “You have proven yourself, today, not only to us but to yourself. You are now a true warrior.”

“Many thanks, Father. You honor me.” The young elf stood up and bowed respectfully, but his father’s words filled his heart with joy. “I shall use everything you’ve taught me to better myself. Not only as a warrior but as a man, too.”

Kei’s mother rushed forward, her worry now transformed into overwhelming relief. Tears welled up in her eyes as she embraced her son tightly, whispering words of love and praise.

“My baby boy… I’m so glad you’re okay...”

“Yes, yes. I’m alright, Mother.” Kei smiled as he returned her hug. “I’m quite filthy, you know. I wouldn’t want you to get sand up your nose.”

“Oh, please,” she chortled, squeezing him tighter. “Your uncle and I would take turns burying each other in the sand for fun. This is nothing!”

He didn’t have a rebuttal for that. “Fair enough.”

Kei, his body weary, but his spirit elated, looked out at the vast expanse of the Lai-Fatt Desert. He had overcome the ultimate challenge, emerging victorious against the desert’s apex predator. The rite of passage had been fulfilled, and he knew that his journey was just beginning.

With the triumph still fresh in his heart, Kei made a silent vow to himself. He would leave his village, and venture further into the drylands until he reached Marduk, New Dragonia, where he would join his sister. Like her, he would take on the outside world, armed with the strength, courage, and wisdom gained from this life-altering experience.

And so, the young elf was hailed as a hero by his people, prepared to forge his own path and embrace the adventures that awaited him beyond the sandy dunes of the Lai-Fatt Desert.

◆◇◆

That happened almost two months ago. As he buttoned up his red Basilisk Academy uniform shirt, the corners of Kei's lips curled into a nostalgic smile. There was a knock at the open bathroom door. Peering from behind it was Shein S’han, Kei’s older sister. She wore a black apron bearing the logo of the local apothecary shop, where she worked as an apprentice. Her long light brown hair was tied into a top knot bun.

“Are you ready for your big day?” She asked in the elven tongue.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he remarked, studying his uniform shirt more closely. “Although, I’ve been meaning to ask, why red? Aren’t basilisks supposed to be green?”

Shein found humor in her little brother’s confusion. “Well, if I were to hazard a guess, perhaps it’s because green is already a primary color of Green Man’s Academy of Witchcraft. They were around long before any of the other major schools, mind you.” She stepped up to him and fastened his necktie. “Plus, New Dragonians love, love, love their dragons. The dragonfolk are especially enamored with that big red one, so I guess red probably felt like a no-brainer to the school’s founders.”

Kei smirked. “Sounds like someone’s been hitting the books.”

“But of course! As should you if you aspire to make it in the outside world, Brother. You’d best remember that.”

“Yes, yes. I hear you loud and clear.”

She smiled proudly. “Good. Well, I’m off to work. I take it you can handle going to school on your own?”

“I have the map memorized,” Kei affirmed. “I should be fine.”

“Alright, then. Have a great first day!” Shein gave him an affectionate pat on his bandaged shoulder. Her eyes lingered on it briefly before turning on her heel and leaving the bathroom. Kei placed his hand where hers had been, feeling the gauze wrapped around his left shoulder, making sure it was still tight and secure. He could see the pain and guilt in her eyes. Just then. That day haunted her still.