What a weird dream I've had...
Through the window, sun rays were now sneaking into the small room where Kona had just awakened.
Rubbing his eyes, the little boy was ruminating about his visions, confused about how a dream could feel so real.
However, as he opened his eyes, an unexpected reality appeared before him: that same spiraling gas he'd seen that night...
It's still here... It wasn't a dream?
Just then, Eve called for him:
"Kona! Are you awake? Can you come help your mother?"
Kona jumped off the bed, contemplating his surroundings, as if he was looking at his room for the first time. Slipping between those intricate fluctuations, the boy reached the kitchen, where Eve was cleaning the floor.
"Hey! Good morning? How are we doing today, my sweet boy?"
Eve had been trying to cheer her son up, lately, but her efforts hadn't had much of an effect. This morning, however, she had the impression that something else was bothering the pale boy.
"Kona? Are you ok?"
Her son was walking towards her, arms spread out, as if trying to catch some invisible flies, and his gaze seemed lost among the ceiling beams.
"Mother... What's all of this... smoke?"
Eve instantly felt like something was off, but tried not to overreact:
"Silly, what do you mean? Another one of your excuses? C'mon, come help me clean this mess."
She can't... She can't see it? How is that possible? It's everywhere...
"Mother, can't you see these... spirals?"
---
That evening, Eve told Junas about Kona.
"Dear, he wouldn't stop telling me about these weird, twisty spirals. Initially, I was hoping it'd be a joke or a way to distract me from the chores, but then..."
"So, basically - you're saying our son now has visions, right?"
Junas was sitting at the kitchen table with a gloomy face and a hand in his hair. It seemed like Fate wouldn't let them rest.
After remaining silent for a little, the man finally raised his head.
"Alright. If this is what the Gods have planned for us, then so be it. But it'd be foolish of them to think that we'd go down without a fight."
The former mercenary was now standing up, his fist pressed on the kitchen table. Sparse tears now streaming down his cheeks, but his voice lost no composure:
"Remember my plan of finding a doctor? Well, tomorrow morning I'll be on my way to Varelan. I'll bring here the most knowledgeable doctor of the Southern regions, may the Gods strike me down if I don't."
---
The next morning, as the cautious sun barely peeped over the treetops, the man had already set off. Riding Bum - their trusty donkey - Junas had already covered a good portion of the distance separating the Gerga village and Varelan.
---
As the sun began setting behind the imposing mountains west of the city, a dignified man was walking through the crowd, supported by an inlaid stick. He had very little gray hair left, and deep wrinkles that time had engraved in his skin. His green eyes, undisturbed by the numerous faces surrounding him, gazed freely, far towards the west, carrying a sense of nostalgia.
At the venerable age of 78, Doran - that was the man's name - had started feeling useless.
Old age had constrained him in his study, where he spent his days reading and analyzing books and ancient texts. But when he was younger...
You see, Doran was a scholar, who earned his living through the mentoring of high profile individuals. However, back in his younger days, he used to go on adventures all around the Mainland, in search of ancient tomes and unresolved mysteries. His curiosity and strive for knowledge had once fueled many dangerous and incredible endeavors, but now...
Oh dear Sun, I'm sure I, too, will soon have my own dusk. But I'll miss you.
The grizzled man's face smirked, as he covered his eyes from the last orange rays of the day.
I should write a poem that starts like that. A gorgeous poem, at that.
While lost in his thoughts, a resounding voice stirred him up.
"I am sorry to disturb you, Sir. My name is Junas Valen. I don't mean to sound rude, or bother you, Sir, but I've... I've been going around Varelan searching for a healer, or an expert medic, and everyone suggested me to search for a man... Well, a man that looks just like you, Sir."
(To be precise, people had told Junas to search for that man in that specific road, as his habit of taking long walks at dusk was known among the citizens)
The dark haired man in front of him, he was definitely a peasant. The way he spoke, the way he carried himself...
However, something about that man... Despite the respectful way in which he'd spoken, Doran could see the resolve in his eyes.
This man... he's determined. He cut straight to the point, no hesitation. Let's see where this goes then...
Doran smirked:
"It appears you have caught me. Yes, I am indeed the one you're searching for, son. Doran, that is my name, although I suppose you're already aware of that."
Junas, nodding uncertainly, stared at him.
"Well then, what is it that you need from this elderly beard of mine?"
"Elder Doran, I apologize for my disrespectful behavior, but I'm in dire need of your services. You see, my son... Something happened to my son - well, to our village, to be precise - and now..."
"Junas, was it? Slow down, son. Tell me the whole story, from the start. Us elderly people have plenty of useless time, you know?"
Junas cleared his throat and, slowly, proceeded to narrate the events that had disturbed the peace in the village and in his family.
"... and then, this morning - my wife told me - he woke up talking about some weird visions... I'm afraid, Elder, that a curse has struck my only son."
"Tell me more about these visions, Junas"
"Well, Eve - my wife - she told me... she said that Kona wandered around the house looking all disoriented, with lost eyes, and it seemed as if he was trying to catch something invisible. When she inquired about it, he told her that there was some kind of... spiraling smoke twisting in and around the house. She initially bought it as a joke, but as the day went on, he wouldn't stop acting all weird. With all the terrible stuff that has happened, I'm afraid-"
"Wait, son. Did you mention spiraling smoke?"
"Well, yes, that's what Kona - my son - said... I'm not too sure what he meant..."
You see, Doran, during his many years as an explorer, had once gained possession of a set of dusty old tomes, regarding things like "Magic" and "What every sorcerer should know", and various others. Initially, he thought they were some religious books, but for a series of unfortunate events, he'd never gotten to reading them. Recently however, while strolling around his library, he'd noticed those ancient manuals and, being an elder scholar, with not many other occupations, he'd decided to give them a read. Inside, he'd found some delirious theories regarding the existence of a hidden form of energy that the books called "Flow", along with a set of various instructions on how to interact with and control it.
Obviously, he'd written them off as rubbish. Hallucinatory books written by some ancient lunatic.
However, listening to the story of that peasant, and hearing about those visions...
Something about it resonated in his mind.
And just like that, the spark of adventure had reignited in the old man's heart.