Bab 3: Eternal Stone
In the village, Grandpa Ouwei was waiting expectantly for the return of Aezir. He was staring at the forest with hopeful eyes. Slowly, as the Suns in the sky moved, teen after teen came out of the forest; however, Aezir was still nowhere to be found. Grandpa Ouwei did not mind, though, since only two Suns were up.
Time continued to pass; soon, there were already three Suns in the sky; One in the east, one in the middle, and one in the west. More teens continued to come out, but still, Aezir was nowhere to be seen. Three turned to two, then to one, then to none. Grandpa Ouwei had no other choice but to return to his house.
The villagers were silent when they saw Grandpa Ouwei. Even those who mocked him earlier did not speak since they knew just how painful it is to lose someone you care for.
Tears dropped down the face of the old man as he walked. He was certain that Aezir had died. No one ever came back from the Lost Forest after the night. 'You were a good kid.' He thought.
Meanwhile, in a cave under the ocean...
"Blegh!" Aezir threw up water after water as he woke up. He found his stomach aching as if someone was jumping up and down on it. To his surprise, there was actually one when he opened his eyes. It was a little furry creature in a shape of a ball. It had thick blue and white fur that looked highly fluffy. The only visible trait of it was its two tiny feet and big bright eyes.
'How cute!' Aezir thought. He then slowly sat and patted down its savior. "Thank you, little fella."
The furry ball tilted its head and enlarged its eyes as if understanding Aezir. The latter was in deep thought. He cannot remember how he got here. The only thing engraved on his mind was the eye that he saw before drowning. He looked around and saw an enclosed space made of rocks and soil. The ceiling seems to be protected by some kind of array to prevent it from collapsing under the pressure of the sea. He figured out that the little fellow must be the one that saved him.
While looking around, he saw a peculiar stone in a random part of the enclosure. Its pure white color separates it from the entire room. When he picked it up, he noticed a golden lotus symbol on it.
'What is this--' He had not finished his thoughts yet when an unbearable pain permeated through his body.
"Argh!!" He exclaimed. The pain from the weather earlier cannot possibly compare to his pain right now. The little fellow quickly ran away from Aezir and cowered in the corner of the enclosure.
The pain continued to intensify as his shirt was torn apart by the unknown force. Slowly, a mark was engraved into his chest. It was the same lotus from the stone. Finally, after 10 minutes of hellish pain, the engraving was completed. The mark was positioned on the skin just parallel to his heart.
[Kid, lady luck must have favored you quite a lot seeing that you got here] Aezir jumped out in shock when he heard a deep manly voice in his head.
"Who are you!?" He exclaimed.
[I am the collector of your soul,] the voice said.
Aezir was petrified. 'Am I dead?'
[Just kidding! HAHAHA! You must see the look on your face!] Then a man with a muscular physique appeared in front of him. He had a barbaric face and scars all over his body. The man was almost transparent, but his form was still recognizable.
"You! Who are you!?" Aezir asked with a sneer. 'This damned ghost!'
"You probably heard of my name; I am Khavahk Chelehc!" The man proudly stated.
"Who the hell is that?" Aezir sneered.
"What!? How come you have never heard of me? If I recalled it correctly, it should have only been 2,500 years since I vanished from the world. My legacy should still be resounding like it happened yesterday. Are you living under a rock!?" Khavahk asked, seemingly greatly offended.
"I am from the village called Fallen Village. I have not been to the outside world yet."
"That explains it then."
"So, who are you? Are you someone great?" Aezir curiously asked.
"Great? If I am only considered great, then there will be no legends!" Khavahk proudly stated.
"How narcissistic!"
"It is true! I am the Chief of the Chelehc Tribe. We are the strongest tribe to ever exist in the Sound Continent. Emperors and kings bowed before my presence when I was still roaming the lands." Khavahk bragged.
"If you are so strong, then why are you only a spirit in a rock now?" Mocked Aezir. He already deduced that he was from the stone. He realized that it was the only variable.
"You! In the world, no one dared to claim the title of the strongest. Sometimes, you meet unfortunate circumstances that will seal you into a f*cking stone of all things!!" He started the second sentence rather calmly, but he burst in the end.
"Anyway, this is fate. I am also not the only one who was sealed inside." Khavahk said with a defeated smile.
"You mean someone else can talk beside you?"
"Well, not at the moment. Let me show you."
A mysterious array quickly formed below Aezir. Bright lights covered him. Energy from all around him merged with him as the point; then, he vanished out of thin air.
"Kyu?" The little fellow who had been watching him all this time wondered. Its eyes became watery, and it was apparent that it was sad.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone