TVD UNIVERSE: KAELONU THE ETERNAL HUNTER
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CHAPTER 1: Ashes on The Wind
/Tunisha-unknown village/ 1500 A.D
On a seaside village, the air smelled with salt and sea. The weather rainy with the rumbling of thunder. Villagers already holed up in their mud brick houses, away from the heavy storm.
On the muddy streets a young boy no less than fifiteen sprints across, careless of the cold wind and rain beating his face. He dashes towards the smith forge, filled with clanking sounds loud enough to blend with the wailing winds and beating rain—like a divine music for the gods.
Within the house, a young robust man, his skin tone caramel brown, short twist mini fro hair, half naked—showing off his tribal tattoos like ancient runes across his back and arms, the glow from the heat reflecting the sweat filled body added an ethereal beauty to his tattoos as though they moved as waves with every move he made.
In the midst of his hammering, the air booms with the roaring breath of fire. A great crucible, chained and suspended above the smoldering forge, glows like the sun — filled to the brim with molten metal, its surface bubbling, hissing, alive.
"Master Kae! We need your help!"
Suddenly — a loud CLANG!
The young lad, trips over a stray hammer on the soot-slick floor.
He stumbles — arms flailing — right toward the chained crucible.
Everything slows.
The lad lands hard, his body slamming into the metal base that steadies the crucible's chain.
The vibration is slight — but enough.
CREAK—!
The heavy crucible tilts.
Chains groan.
Molten metal sloshes, rising up one side — a wave of glowing death ready to spill over. The lad eyes widen, dread creeping in, his arms shielding his face.
But before the crucible can tip—
A blur.
The blacksmith appears like a shadow from flame. He lunges, spinning his back against the crucible, planting his feet firm on the blackened stones.
His arms shoot up, grabbing the crucible's scorching iron rim, bracing it with all his might.
A searing hiss—
A torrent of red-hot molten metal sloshes forward — too late to stop it.
It spills.
Directly onto the man's bare body. First it strikes his right shoulder, sizzling sound, it slides, crawling like liquid fire down his chest, wrapping around the curve of his ribs, dripping off him in glowing beads onto the forge floor.
Yet, he remains unscathed.
The room is stunned silent.
Kaeluna, his expression calm, he holds the crucible steady, unmoving, as if what he held was nothing but a feathered pillow.
The lad trembles, staring up at the man who just took the fire meant for him. Bewildered by what he saw and experienced.
"...Are you hurt?"
The lad shakes his head, his mouth half opened, unable to utter any words yet.
Kaeluna releases the crucible, still steaming yet his skin looking as smooth as a baby's bum. Seeing the lad still in shock, Kaelonu speaks again
"What got you flustered to almost kill yourself, Aziz"
the young lad—Aziz, finally remembers why he rushed over.
"Quick, it's urgent! Old man Rafik got pierced by a fishing spear while trying to steady the boat with the others. I was sent ahead to get you before the reach his home. I left them by the shore to hurry over!"
Kaelonu listens calmly before nodding in understanding.
"Go back, I'll head over soon"
Aziz nods and rushes back towards the door. Before he opens the door—
"Oh and Aziz"
Kaelonu calls out to him, making him pause to look back towards Kaelonu
"What happened here... stays with us"
"Ye—yes. No one will know. An—and thanks...for saving me"
Kaelonu nods before he turns his back towards Aziz, who finally makes an exit.
Now alone, Kaelonu walks over to his unfinished work. Because of the interruption, the work has to be redone, he sighs picking the red hot work with his bare hands.
With a squeeze, he folds the object before throwing it back into the crucible.
Picking up a tunic, he walks out of the forge.
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Inside a house, the scream of a old man Rafik echoes around the walls of the building. Three men hold him steady on a table, his wife at the corner worried, her face wet in tears seeing her husband in a sorry state. Aziz sets up the kitchen counter with herbs and tools that may be required to save Rafik. It was a routine for him as the apprentice of the healer in the village—Kaelonu.
Yes. The village lacked a healer and by chance Kaelonu had settled here half a decade. With his vast knowledge in medicine the villagers accepted. Luckily for them, they realized Kaelonu was a man of many talents as he was equally skilled in smithing. Hence, he became the village blacksmith and healer.
In the background, Rafik screams still echoed. Soon, the front door opens, Kaelonu enters and walks straight towards the injured man. His eyes roam over the bloodied thigh with the spear head coming out from the other end of the thigh.
"Has the tonic been prepared?" His head still down as he checks the wound, he speaks to Aziz.
"Yes, just like you taught."
"Add the veil flower too. The wails of a child are beginning to irritate me" Kaelonu chuckles
"You bastard" Rafik responds to the little jab, easing his tensed muscles by little.
The men finally relax, hearing the tone of Kaelonu. It could only mean that the situation was not dire. However, Rafik's wife was not calm
"Will he be okay? Will my husband walk again? I warned him! The weather wasn't good but he wouldn't listen!"
"Relax. He will be fine. If he takes the medicine accordingly he should be able to crawl in after two full moons" Kaelonu replies, his hand stretched over to hold the bowl filled with steamy liquid handed to him by Aziz.
He takes a sniff from it confirming the ingredients in the mix. He places it close to Rafiks mouth who drank the content in large gulps.
"Yuck...taste like shit"
"Ohhh...and how often do you taste shit?"
Rafik glares at Kaelonu without a word, the former smirks back. A little longer, he speaks up again
"The drink should be in effect now. So I'll get started"
Rafik's face becomes flustered, worry filled. He asked
"Ar—are you sure? What are you going to do?"
Kaelonu ignores him, his hand holding the broken shaft of the spear for a pull. Rafik gets unsteady with the action, his friends, the other men holds him tighter this man but it only causes Rafik unrest.
"Hey! Hey! Wait! Wait! Don't hold it like that! AAAHHH.....ahhhh...ohhh I didn't feel anything...I have so much bloo—"
Thud
Before he could finish, Rafik faints seeing the sight of the spear being pulled and blood gushing out. The faces of the men scrunch at the sight but held their ground.
Kaelonu ignores them, as the stops the bleed as he continues his treatment with herbs and stitches.
Moments later, he covers the wound with a bandage filled with herbs.
"What happened out?"
"We don't know, suddenly the weather changed and the sea roared in anger. It felt out the ordinary like it was more man made than natural" one of the men spoke up
Kaelonu raised an eyebrow toward the last sentence
"Man made?"
"Aye, man-made...we don't know but what we do believe is it was beyond natural. This isn't the first time we have been on the sea"
Kaelonu speaks no further before turning to Aziz. He gives him instructions on what to do next as well as the prescription. He has been training Aziz for more than two years, so he believed the rest could be handled by him as the main crisis has been settled.
Done with the treatment, he steps into the heavy rain out amidst the invite of Rafik's wife for him to wait out the rain. His pace under rain, steady and firm, gradually increasing into a sprint heading out of the village.
Knowing he was out of sight for any prying eyes, his speed became unnatural
"MOANA....OBA!"
With his call, a bird cry and a roar announces the flight of a ghost eagle directly above the fast Kaelonu and a black panther matching his speed.
Without stopping, the panther jumps towards him, transforming and merging with his tribal tattoos. His eyes glowing Bright as he release an growl. Reaching the edge of a cliff.
"Be my eyes Moana! HEEEEHOOOOOOOOO!!!"
He screams as he leaps higher than natural before diving into the sea.
Splash
He plunges into the sea, swimming towards the center of the storm.
Edging closer, he sees his target, a colossal sea serpent—Amelghazûn. With a flick of his wrist, his runic hand bead glows and a bone knife appears in his hand and soon a battle erupts beneath the boats of fishermen.
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