Lukki rushed as far as he could into the crowd, squeezing through the endless swarm of people who were also awaiting the Spirit of Gold's arrival. His heart raced with anticipation, but it also bore a twinge of anger. He wanted to hit himself for leaving his blade back in his hollow. He tried telling himself that it couldn't be helped as he'd been rushed here by the sudden announcement, but after all those years of work, the thought that he might just miss his one and, potentially, only ever chance to present his work to The Spirit of Gold was just unbearable.
As a sea of shoulders and elbows slammed against his arms, knocking him side to side until he could barely keep his balance, he saw a few crafty kids climbing up trees and decided to follow suit. Now sat atop a small tree branch, Lukki was finally able to see ahead, albeit with a few leaves in his way. A few minutes later, cheers erupted among the crowd that was further ahead, and Lukki perked his head up, eyes scanning far and wide until he finally saw it.
A Saabi began its descent from the sky above. Its outer shell was a bloodied white, like wine spilled on plain cloth. As its feet reached for the ground, strong winds blew through the area. Lukki struggled to get rid of the leaves that blinded him. Once he could see again, Lukki turned back to the Saabi and from its back, saw a face he never expected to see, but was glad to anyway.
Olaani Burciaga, Kallistaia's Kiu'ra, hopped off first with the help of all the guards around them. The crowd came to life right there, and even Lukki himself cheered for her. She really was as beautiful as the rumors said. Golden brown skin that radiated a strong glow even under the dim light of the clouds. Long black hair that cascaded down her back in luscious waves all the way to her waist. She stepped over to the crowd and greeted as many of her people as she could. If Lukki wasn't so focused on his mission, he probably would have fallen in love with her right then.
Her robes hugged her body and all its curves so well that Lukki almost couldn't look away. Red really was her colour. But now came the moment he had been waiting for almost half of his life. His heart raced again. The guards came together around the Saabi once again and with all their collective effort, helped the Spirit of Gold off the creature's back.
Lukki straightened his back. He could feel his skin warming up. His armpits got sweaty and he had to stretch his legs out.
Finally, one of Lukki's biggest wishes came true. He had finally met the Spirit of Gold. His bright, caramel brown skin. His rich, flowing white curls. His beautiful face that mixed sharp outlines with soft features to create the perfect mix of masculine and feminine. Hiukko Oana. He was a gift sent straight from the spirits above. The perfect human. His expression was calm and neutral, focused even, as he passed through the crowd with a grace that took Lukki's breath away.
He had to show him that sword. The crowd started moving, following after the two royals. Getting off the tree wouldn't be easy. When his toes touched the ground he bolted through the crowd, knocking past everyone in his way. He'd have to run to the other side of the area, deep into the Haito region of the island then all the way up a mountain and back, and he'd have to do it quickly.
He could already feel his lungs burning. He hadn't even made it far. He was still in the middle of the crowd. With a grunt he pushed himself harder, all the way to his hollow, and once he got his hands on the blade his body finally gave out and he collapsed on the floor. His heels ached, his thighs felt weak, and his lungs felt so heavy that he feared they may sink down to his stomach. He definitely couldn't run anymore.
So with quick steps he crossed the bridge over to another mountain and began a long walk back into the central part of the area to the Kio temple, where the Spirit of Gold would most likely be heading to if he wasn't already there. His gift was wrapped nicely in a dark cloth, and held close to his chest for protection.
He reached the Kio temple, passing a group of Dunadians who were cleaning the area. His heart ached for that lot. Even if their fate was a decision made by the spirits, it was still unfair. He saw another one sitting under one of the trees, not working unlike the others.
There were a lot of guards standing by the temple's entrance, way more than usual. "Um… e-excuse me.." he said, "I h-have something I would like to p-p-p-present to the Spirit of… Gold. May I please go inside?" He held up the weapon in his hands for them to see.
One of the guards tried to grab it, but Lukki recoiled. "No! Um… th-this is for M-M-Master Hiukko. Him only! P-Please let me inside."
The guard pulled his hand back, "No. Today's not the day, kid. The young master's busy with something important."
"Please!"
"I said no. Now get lost!"
"Please, you don't understand." Lukki grabbed the man's wraps. "I… I… I, I have to give this to him. P-P-Please!"
"Okay, fine! Give it to me and I will give it to the young master for you."
"N-N-No! I… I want to do it myself. C… Can't you just let me in?"
Another guard stepped over, "Entry into the Kio temple is prohibited without an invite. If you do not have an invitation from the Kio'ni or anybody else that governs this temple, then please leave. I won't tell you again."
"You can go sit with that Dunadi girl over there." The first guard pointed to the tree under which the girl sat. "She came here with the Kiu'ra and the Kiu'ro. If you wait with her, maybe you'll get lucky."
Lukki kicked the rock under his shoe and listened to the guard's advice. He wished he could just pummel those guards and walk in, but he didn't have the strength for that. "H-Hello," he waved to the girl as he sat down. But she only paid him a glance before looking away. That didn't surprise him. It was rare to get even the smallest peep out of a Dunadian. They were also very obedient to their masters, willing to do anything for them no matter how crazy. Everybody called them the perfect slaves, and they were one of the hottest commodities in the world. Even more than food and water.
But this girl looked different from all the other Dunadians. Though she wore the same rags, her skin was paler. Bruises and cuts everywhere. Her hair was white and messy and… no way!
Lukki couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her "Tattoo?!"
She flinched away from him.
"B-But how? You're a Dunadian. It shouldn't be allowed." And she had so many as well. How many Spirit Seeds did this girl have?
"Are you leaving now, Kiu'ra?" He heard one of the guards ask. He turned his attention back at the entrance and saw Kiu'ra Olaani stepping outside the temple.
"Yes, we're heading out now. Sumi is going to show us to our hollow." As she had her conversation with the guards, Lukki noticed how the girl next to him kept her emerald eyes locked on her. The Kiu'ra met her eyes and walked over to them.
"Hi, I'm sorry about earlier. But our meeting is finished now, and they're about to go show us to our hollows. Let's go." Then she held her hand out to Lukki, "Hello, it's nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"M-My name is Lukki."
"Lukki," she repeated.
"Um… K-Kiu'ra," he held his gift out for her to see. "I… I want to give this to your h-husband, but the guards wouldn't let me inside without p-p-permission. Is it okay if I sh-show it to him?"
"I think it should be fine. But it's up to him to decide whether he wants to accept it."
Lukki paused for a bit, unsure if he should say what he wanted to say next, "Um, c-can you please take me to him?" He clutched the sword tight, anticipating rejection.
"Sure," the Kiu'ra said. "Come with us and then once we've settled in, you can show it to him."
Tears welled in Lukki's eyes, "Th-Th-Thank you, Kiu'ra! Thank you so much!"
"It's my pleasure."
Then the guards lined up again and out from the temple came the heir of the Oana clan. The future ruler of the Kallistaian island. The most important person in the world. Lukki hid behind the tree, hugging it tightly from behind. He even dropped his precious gift.
The Kiu'ra looked confused. "Is everything alright?"
Lukki nodded, unable to get the words out of his mouth.
"Well, he's right over there. Let's go introduce yourself."
Lukki shook his head frantically, keeping his head behind the tree. Kiu'ra Olaani tugged at his arm, but Lukki didn't budge.
"Are you nervous?" she asked. Her chuckles made his cheeks warm up. She wrapped her hands around his own, gently rubbing them with the tips of her fingers, "You have something you want to show him, right?"
Lukki nodded again.
"Then let's go." She pulled him away from the tree and this time, Lukki let it happen. The Dunadi girl followed behind them. The closer Lukki got to the Spirit of Gold, the more he felt himself disconnect from reality. Everything started to look… fake to him. He grew light headed and dizzy, he was sure he would either collapse or throw up soon.
He couldn't even look at his wraps. His eyes were planted on the ground.
"Hiukko, this is Lukki. He says he has something he wants to give you when we reach our hollows." He felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and push him closer. Lukki could now see his feet.
"Come now, Lukki. Introduce yourself."
He opened his mouth but all that came out were senseless mumbles. He couldn't believe himself. His one and only chance and he blew it in such a disgraceful manner. Now he definitely didn't want to look into the Kiu'ro's eyes.
"Okay, let's go." Another voice sounded from the temple. It was Sumi, the Kio'ni's daughter. Her brother Jinga was behind her as well. They both led the way forward, with everyone else following behind them.
Lukki tried his best to calm himself down. All the outside noise had been drowned out and he could barely hear the conversation Sumi and Jinga were having with the two royals. The most he heard was muffled laughter.
The walk to the hollows was a long one. Lukki had had enough of those for one day. They had to walk up mountains and cross a number of bridges on their way, even dealing with rowdy crowds.
"Lukki, are you okay?" He heard somebody ask.
"Y-Yes, Kiu'ra."
"Please, just call me Olaani." She said,
"Huh?"
"I said, just call me by my name, Olaani. We're all the same age, so there's no need to be so formal. I want us all to be friends with each other."
"O-Olaani."
They crossed the final bridge, this one connected two mountain peaks together. Lukki had never been on the bridges this high off the ground before, walking so close to the mountains' mists. Even with the sturdy red wood to walk on, he couldn't stop imagining himself falling off the bridge somehow.
"Shut up! Stop trying to scare me!" Master Hiukko suddenly yelled. Everyone stopped just as they were about to cross the bridge.
"Is something wrong, Hiukko?" Sumi asked him.
"No, just forget it." he told them, before getting off the bridge.
"U-Um, w-was it… the ghost?" Lukki hesitantly asked.
"Huh?" The Spirit of Gold stopped.
Lukki froze when their eyes met. He'd heard about this before. About how the young master claimed he could speak to a ghost. Lukki still didn't know what to make of it. He didn't want to believe that ghosts were real, but at the same time, there was every possibility that the young master could in fact speak to ghosts. However, ghosts and spirits were not the same thing, and they didn't even converse in Sogol, that's what made it hard for people to believe in the young master's abilities.
"I… I heard that you could t-talk to ghosts," he stuttered.
The young master said nothing else to him. Now Lukki himself wished he were a ghost. But then he heard him mumble again,
"It doesn't matter. It's not like he actually believes that."