In a place that looked chaotic, the ground was rough and uneven. It was full of slopes and irregular terrain, as if it were the remains of the collapse of something huge or the ruins of ancient buildings.
Trees were spread everywhere, but they were far apart from each other. From time to time, a giant tree appeared, taller than fifty meters.
Three men and a boy were walking across that harsh land. They were heading toward a place where three wooden huts stood, with a fire pit in the middle.
The sky had turned golden as the sun approached sunset.
After a while they reached their destination, where two other people were waiting for them.
One of them smiled and said:
"Welcome, cousins. I hope the journey was not too difficult for you."
Another man laughed loudly and said:
"Hehehehe… Fuad, my cousin, always worries about others. Yet he is the same man who stayed in an abandoned place full of dangers for an entire month."
A large man spoke in a calm voice:
"He has the right not to be afraid, Kamel. He is not a weak person… and also because I am with him."
Kamel burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Yes, of course, Sakhr. Who would be afraid when you are with him, you beast? Come here and greet me."
Then Fuad turned to the other man and said:
"And you, Hussam. I believe this journey was truly difficult for you."
Hussam smiled slightly and said:
"As you know… there is no travel without hardship."
Then he looked at the stranger among them.
"But the important thing now is that you arrived safely. May I ask: who is this respected gentleman?"
Hussam said:
"Well, this is Mr. Marian. He is an exploration expert and a researcher who is passionate about knowledge. He offered to help us for a small payment, and we believed the offer suited the nature of our work."
Marian extended his hand for a handshake and said with a gentle smile:
"I am Marian. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Fuad smiled widely while shaking his hand.
"No, the pleasure is truly mine. You do not know how much we needed your help."
Marian raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh? Really?"
Fuad said:
"Yes, but it is a long story. You certainly need rest first after the journey. Please."
After a short time the sun completely disappeared beyond the horizon, while the star that never disappeared from the sky became brighter.
The five men gathered around the fire. They ate, drank, talked, and laughed together.
Fuad asked:
"How are the rest of the family?"
Kamel laughed while answering:
"Haha, the same as always… wonderful fools."
Sakhr smiled and said:
"Well, grandfather will be very happy when he hears what you said about him."
Kamel pretended to be surprised.
"Me? What did I say? Hehehe… I only said they are doing very well."
Sakhr sighed and said:
"Well… whatever."
Marian tried to change the subject and said with enthusiasm:
"Have you heard about the recent discoveries about the Ancients? They caused a big sensation in the world."
Hussam raised his head with interest.
"Really? What are they? You have made me curious."
Marian was happy because he finally found a chance to speak.
He said:
"Some ancient documents were discovered recently. Only a small part of them has been understood so far. But they suggest that the land we live on is not flat as we believe. Instead, it is a huge flattened sphere."
He paused for a moment, then added:
"And the more exciting thing… it is not at the center of the world. It revolves around the sun."
Silence filled the place for a few seconds.
"Huh?"
"What?"
Then Kamel burst into loud laughter.
"Bwahahaha! A flattened sphere? What kind of wine were those Ancients drinking?"
Marian smiled awkwardly and said:
"Well… I know it sounds unbelievable."
Hussam shook his head and said:
"Are you sure about what you are saying, Mr. Marian? As you can see, the land is flat in front of us. How can it be a sphere?"
Sakhr said:
"Yes, this must be incorrect. In the end, the civilization of those Ancients was destroyed."
Kamel laughed again and said mockingly:
"Hahaha! Yes, they left us magical monsters that do nothing but kill, and magical tools that we use to destroy each other."
Fuad raised his face toward the sky.
The bright star was shining strongly in the darkness.
He said in a calm voice:
"Oh bright star… I do not care about all this nonsense I am hearing. I know that you will guide me to the right path."
He sighed slightly.
"For you are the one who created me… and created this world with your light that never fades."
The other men also raised their faces toward the sky.
But the boy sitting far from the fire, at the edge of the cold darkness, was different.
He was looking at the ground.
His hands were pressing against his ears.
His body was trembling silently.
Marian noticed this scene.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
But before saying anything, he instead said:
"Well… where were we?"
Then he continued speaking:
"Actually, there was another interesting part in the documents that were translated."
He paused for a moment and then said:
"There was a sentence that said:
Know what you consume.
Do not eat everything that is offered to you as long as you have a mind.
Good ingredients can create something deadly if the recipe is wrong.
Then it also says:
Doing these things is tiring, and it is easier to eat anything instead of dying from hunger…
but in the end you will die as well."
Kamel laughed again and said mockingly:
"Bwahahaha! It seems that the book they found was a cookbook!"
Fuad shook his head slightly and said:
"Well, enough of this strange talk that the followers of the sun enjoy, Mr. Marian."
Then he smiled lightly.
"Since we are speaking about the Ancients… let us move to something more important."
He told them to wait for a moment.
Then he stood up and entered one of the huts.
A few moments passed.
Then he came out carrying a wooden box.
He returned and sat near the fire again, placing the box in front of him.
He looked at everyone and said with a mysterious smile:
"You will not believe this… but I think our hunt was successful this time."