Chapter 60: Omens

Tey'un gasped, his breath catching in his chest as his eyes slowly fluttered open. His dream hunt had concluded, and he found himself lying in his bed back in Home Tree, surrounded by his family and the concerned gazes of the priestess and priests.

"Welcome back, son," his mother's gentle voice reached him as she tenderly brushed a hand over his forehead, offering comfort in his awakening.

Sitting up slowly, Tey'un found himself under the intense scrutiny of the priestess and priests. Questions poured forth from their lips.

"What visions did you witness?" one priest inquired.

"Did your spirit animal reveal itself?" another asked eagerly.

"Where did your journey lead you?" a third pressed.

Tey'un shook his head timidly, unable to find the words to convey the depths of his experience.

A collective gasp swept through the priesthood, whispers and murmurs of concern rippling through their ranks. The high priestess raised her hand, demanding silence. "Tell me, boy," she urged, her gaze piercing, "What did you see?"

Fidgeting nervously, Tey'un avoided their eyes, his Asperger's making it difficult for him to articulate his thoughts aloud. Silence hung heavy in the air.

"It's alright, son," his mother's gentle voice interjected, sensing his struggle. "Could you draw for us? Show us what you saw?"

She handed him a piece of charcoal, gesturing toward the blank wall of their home.

Taking the charcoal, Tey'un moved to the wall and began to sketch, his hand guided by the vivid imagery still fresh in his mind.

He drew the outline of the small island surrounded by a vast ocean, capturing its essence with deft strokes.

The priesthood watched in rapt attention as he continued, sketching planets, nebulas, and celestial bodies filling the sky.

Gasps and whispers filled the room as his drawing took shape, each stroke revealing more of his mystical journey.

Finally, he depicted the meteorite hurtling toward the island, its impending impact rendered with striking clarity.

The priestly figures exchanged incredulous glances, stunned by the accuracy of his portrayal.

With meticulous detail, Tey'un proceeded to draw the mysterious metallic object from his dreams, replicating its intricate symbols and arcane symbols with uncanny precision. Drawing with meticulous detail, the Starfleet Delta emblem.

The high priestess recoiled in silent horror, her hand pressed against her heart as she abruptly rose and left the room, followed closely by the bewildered priests.

Outside, Tey'un's parents approached the high priestess, their faces etched with worry and desperation.

"Please, high priestess," his father implored, "What does this mean?"

She shook her head gravely, her expression fraught with dread. "It is an omen… A dire omen indeed," she declared, her eyes fixed on Tey'un as he continued to sketch the enigmatic artifact from his dreams in perfect detail. "That boy is touched by darkness, not of this world."

—

Days passed, and the whispers of Tey'un's foreboding dream swept through the Na'vi tribe like a raging inferno. By the next day, not a single member of the tribe had escaped hearing some version of the young boy's vision.

"I heard he witnessed our world engulfed in flames!" One mother chattered to another, her tone filled with concern.

"Well, I heard it was worse than that. He saw nothing at all, just an endless void of emptiness…" the other replied, casting a wary glance at Tey'un and his mother as they passed by.

Tey'un's expression remained blank and detached as he walked alongside his mother.

From his earliest years, Tey'un had endured relentless teasing and ridicule due to his condition and his difficulty in connecting with the other young warriors in his tribe. While they engaged in playful activities, he often sat alone in silence, his gaze steady and observant.

However, the cruelty only escalated when news of his ominous dream spread throughout the tribe.

As he and his mother made their way, a group of boys hurled rocks and sticks at him, mocking and jeering. Their taunts ceased when the noble chief's son intervened, rebuking them sternly. As the future leader of the tribe, he commanded their respect and halted their harassment. Then, with genuine warmth, he approached Tey'un and his mother.

"I apologize for their behavior," he bowed respectfully. "Tey'un, we are heading to the beach for a fishing expedition. You should join us. Now that you have completed your Uniltaron, you are welcome to accompany us."

Tey'un stood silently, avoiding eye contact, while his mother, eager for her son to engage with his peers, accepted the invitation on his behalf, "Yes! that would be wonderful!" she readily agreed, gesturing for her son to follow the chief's son.

—

Out in the ocean, about a quarter mile from the shoreline, Tey'un sat quietly on a raft with three other Na'vi teenagers and the chief's son. The four teens whispered to each other, their voices barely audible over the rolling waves, as Tey'un stared blankly over the ocean's horizon, a storm was quickly approaching.

Suddenly, Tey'un turned, startled by the sound of splashing, only to find himself alone on the raft. The shoreline was receding, and he realized the other boys had played a cruel prank on him.

Desperately scanning the waters, Tey'un searched for any sign of help, but he was entirely isolated.

The sky was darkening and distant thunder rumbled, the waves grew larger, and a tropical storm approached.

The wind intensified, propelling Tey'un's raft further into the ocean. Soon, he found himself in the midst of a fierce tempest. Waves crashed violently, tossing the small raft in all directions.

Tey'un screamed in terror, clinging to the raft's edge as rain poured down and lightning illuminated the chaotic scene. The shoreline vanished from view, leaving him surrounded by darkness and the deafening roar of the storm.

With a deafening roar, a massive wave crashed over the raft, sending Tey'un plummeting into the depths of the ocean.

Struggling to stay afloat, however he was not the greatest of swimmers, he kicked and flailed in the pitch-black water, his panic escalating as he sank deeper and deeper into the void of the ocean.

Amidst the darkness, faint glimpses of light from the thunder revealed a silhouette emerging from the depths. It was a Nalutsu, a behemoth shark native to Pandora's oceans.