A tale in the desert

[Dracos]

The sun was just beginning to rise over the small town in the sandy desert, Desert Town, the snakes burrowing into the sands to avoid the burning sun.

The houses, if one looked at them from afar, looked akin to a small mountain, each built just so on top of each other, blended together as if some artist had placed each and every one.  Catci circled the village, providing a natural border around it.

Here, in a smaller house, a young boy awoke in his bed.  Today was an important day for him.  He'd been meditating all of yesterday in preparation, for the Elders had called upon him to come to be tested in the chamber of Darkness Before the Moon.  He'd never before been allowed near this sacred chamber, hidden in the highest room upon the village and sealed from every side, a small trapdoor beneath it, leading from behind the elder's room being the only entrance for it.

But time for that in a moment.  For despite his seriousness, there be other important things to draw his attention.

Like breakfast.

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao rubs the sleep from his eyes, and then opens the window to look at the sun for a minute.  After admiring the view, he changes out of his bedclothes, and into his kung-fu suit.  Once that's properly adjusted, he puts his aesthetic's robe on over that.  The kung-fu suit doesn't usually make him too warm, but the heavy aesthetics's robe can be very warm.

Once properly attired, Liao pads out of his room to meet with his parents, who are already awake.  "Good morning Father, Mother," Liao says quietly.

[Dracos]

"Greetings son." Liao's father briefly acknowledged, already having started his morning meditations.

Liao's mother smiled warmly at Liao, bringing a warm bowl of rice to the table.  "Remember, Liao to be respectful of the elders today."  She advised.

His brother was somewhat conspicuously absent at the moment.

Dracos

[Brian]

"Yes, Father.  Yes, Mother," Liao replied in the subdued manner he was accustomed to.  The rice was bland, but it was also all that was required; more was a luxury.

Once he had finished, Liao bowed silently to his parents, and opened the door, pausing a moment to see if his parents had anything else to warn him about before he departed.

[Dracos]

They did not stop him, letting him go.

He did have a few minutes to compose himself.  It wasn't every day a child such as himself went before the great elders.

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao took a breath to still himself.  In his mind, he already had an idea of how things might go, even though he didn't really know what would happen.  He was sure it would show him exactly where he belonged; behind his brother, helping him do his work.

Whatever that was.

Maybe the mystery would be revealed today.

Blinking his eyes to clear his mind, Liao began padding his way to the wash area, to clean up.  Once he had finished washing his face, he resumed his path to the elder, pausing only once to make sure his robes were in order, and his hair was neat.

[Dracos]

He arrived soon in the room of the elders.  Three great wise ones of his village peering at him as he entered.  

Lio Zhu, the master of warfare, his aged body twisted with muscle, his scared visage hiding ages of experience in the arts of destruction, sat on the left, clad in a green robe with a slight silver trim upon the edges, the only indication of this ancient man's station among the residents of Desert Town.  He regarded the child Liao calmly, his eyes neutral.

Kez rak Hiu, seer of what the shadows hide sat to the far left, beneath him a purple carpet upon which he rested his tired legs, the famous staff of ancients held calmly in his hands, horizontal across his form.  His steel gray hair ran along his back, carefully trimmed as he watched with sharp green eyes, seeming to judge with every motion this young boy who came before them.

Finally, Zia Czar, the oldest in the tribe, descended of the clan of the stars.  No hair sat on his ancient crown, a simple gray robe being his only accedance to the chilly climate of the desert at this time of year.  He watched with bright eyes, defying his age.  His crinkled face bent slightly as he smiled.  "Welcome child Liao Xhiu of the Feng family.  We are aware of you and recognize your right to come before us."

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao bowed deeply to the wizened elder, not rising until the elder nodded.  "I am glad to be before you," he said quietly.  "I come to weather the trials of the Darkness Before the Moon."  Bowing again quietly, he remained low to the ground until spoken to again.

[Dracos]

"You do honor to your family name.  Remember, the trial is a personal one.  It is not to be trivialized.  It shall reach to your inner limits and beyond.  It shall teach you things that your mind may not yet be ready for.  Listen to them well, young Liao.  Do you have any questions before beginning your trial of Darkness Before the Moon?"

Dracos

[Brian]

"No, Elder," Liao said quietly.  "No questions.  I am prepared to recieve the wisdom of my trials.

[Dracos]

Elder Hiu rose.  "Follow me, child."

He lead to the back of the room, slamming his staff once into the ground.

The roof opened, a ladder sliding down out of it.

"Here, you go alone."

Dracos

[Brian]

"Yes, Elder," Liao says meekly, bowing to everyone before scurrying up the ladder, trying to appear calm, despite a small spark of excitement he could feel inside.  What was inside the room of mystery?

[Dracos]

The first thing that struck him was the darkness of the room.  It was all encompassing.  The only fragment of light that dared enter the room was from the small trapdoor he'd come from.  And even that was taken from him as the door closed, leaving him standing in the darkness.  He couldn't tell how big the room was.  It could be as huge as the entire village or just ending outside of his line of sight, which slowly faded as the his eyes started realizing there was no actual light to see by.  The room was entirely silent, not even the sound of his own footsteps being audible to his ears.  The floor was polished rock beneath his feet.  At least, he thought it was, for that was how it felt.  The room was neither cold nor warm, nor did he feel the flow of air across his skin.  He was certain though that there was enough to breath, for the air in the room was fresh.

Dracos

[Brian]

Liao reached one hand for the trapdoor to escape before he caught himself.  This was a trial!  He couldn't run, now.  Not from this.

And what was darkness except an absence of light anyway.

Liao felt around him at around waist-level, checking to make sure he wasn't near any walls.  Once he'd established his position, he immediately began practicing one of his kata with exaggerated care and slowness.  If he was able to complete the kata without feeling a wall, or a drop-off, or ... something ... then he'd do it again the right way.

[Dracos]

He did not bump into anything.  For all he could tell, the room could be endless.  An empty space, barren of any trait save the darkness and the floor he stood upon.

As time passed, he heard a slight hum, an incredibly soft sound, audible only against the perfect silence of the room.

Dracos