A tale in the desert

[Brian]

Liao stood where he was, waiting what happened next, trying not to fidget or reach for the star in his pocket.

[Dracos]

The ancient elder coughed once.  "Please, young Liao, come and sit.  We wish to hear of your trial."

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao nods, and sits before the elders, and says, "It was very dark."  He looks nervously to the elders for approval to continue, and then goes on: "In the darkness, Brother approached.  And he'd lost his leg, so he asked for mine.  And then he was gone, with my leg.  And then Father came, and could not hear me, so asked for my ears.  And then...."  Liao continues the litany, detailing the discomfort, the pain, and eventually the numbness after he'd given away nearly everything.

"But then ... then someone told me I did it wrong," he says, bowing his head in shame.  "Someone said that I needed to keep my strength to do my job.  And then ... I was told to take my fate in my own hands ... and either take hold of it, or be a child forever."  Liao then pulls the star out of his pocket, finally looking at it now that there is light.

[Dracos]

The elders were, for a moment, at least visible disturbed.

"bring that here, child.  And explain in detail, who told you this and what did you see?"

Dracos

[Brian]

"Well," Liao says, fidgeting slightly.  "There ... was ... one other thing, but it was really unhappy."

Liao then closes his eyes and goes into detail about the army of demons and the destruction they wrought ... the cities that Liao had never before seen, or really heard of ... and the implications of the speaker that he was somehow responsible for preventing the horror. "'This...is a future as it stands, but not...as it might stand,' it said," Liao finishes.

[Dracos]

The men looked quite grim, eying each other silently as they considered what they had been told.  For a moment, silence was the lord and master of the room.

Finally, Elder Hiu, seer of what the shadows hide brushed his chin.  "Show me this star that you pulled from the heavens."  He reached forward with a hand.

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao held out the star he retrieved from his vision.

[Dracos]

Elder Hiu examined it consideringly and looked to the eldest for confirmation.

The eldest nodded and gave his judgement.  "Liao, speak of this to no one.  We shall meditate upon this.  Come the morrow, you shall return here."

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao nods, and then runs back to his own house.

Once there, he lies down for a bit to recover from the visions.

[Dracos]

The night passed on, his meditations only being interrupted by a warm bowl of soup.

Soon, morning was upon him.

Dracos

[Brian]

Morning comes, the trial is over, and today Liao is to meet with the elders.

Liao greets his parents, washes up, and once he makes sure he's properly dressed and presentable, goes to meet with the elders, forgetting breakfast in his anxiety over the visions.

[Dracos]

When he arrived, the mood was decidedly grim, an atmosphere of seriousness fully taking hold of the room.

"Greetings, young Liao Xhiu of the Feng family.  Come, sit before us."

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao bowed to the elders, and then sat as instructed, looking to them for guidance silently.

[Dracos]

"Liao...we have meditated at length upon your vision and considered that it could only be true prophecy.  A warning from the future as to what awaits."

"It has been pondered and considered.  And the conclusion is that you must leave here.  The vision I had was quite clear....  there are two others who shall bear crests like the one you were given.  You must bring them together, and in doing so, you will find the strength to help ensure these events do not come to pass."

Hiu rose.  "In order to ascertain where they are, I have meditated.  I am certain now that one is in Sixton.  You must go there.  But the journey is long...  So it is time for you to study the secret art of teleportation."

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao blinks at this, and nearly scoots a step back, away from the elders.

Steeling himself, he timidly asked, "Teleportation?"