《The Four Territories (Sample)》


 1 - Loathed

    Esh, eight years old and small for his age, leapt from the orphanage entrance and out onto the streets. Ash fell from the sky and covered his already dirty hair. He was a happy kid, though he had no one to share this happiness with. No one liked a purple-haired freak like him. No one liked a humanoid who broke a sweat under the Red sun. He wasn¡¯t like them. Not entirely.


    Trying his best to make friends, he followed the other children down the street, struggling to keep up. His breathing intensified as the Red sun whipped the back of his neck and dried the air around him.


    ¡°Esh!¡± cried the orphanage head mother. He turned around.  ¡°You forgot your mask!¡± She was right; he had completely forgotten in his excitement. The ash in the sky had already begun filling his lungs, and he had started to cough. He ran back and grabbed his breathing mask, which was a simple crafted sort of thing made of linen. It clasped around his head with a pinching elastic string making it look like he was wearing a muzzle. It was large, bulky, and made the air so much hotter to breath.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he told her shyly.


    She bent over and peppered his forehead with her nasty kisses, but he was happy to have them. Any affection would do. Everyone hated someone as different as he was, and out of all the humanoids he¡¯d known in his lonely eight years at the orphanage, she was the only one who didn¡¯t treat him like a monster. Her fat made her fun to hug, and her giant boobs were great to stuff a crying face into. He called her his fake mother.


    He turned and raced to catch up with the other kids, the mask¡¯s strings already rubbing the back of his neck raw.


    ¡°Eww, it¡¯s following us,¡± he heard one of them cry. ¡°Ugh, he¡¯s gonna freeze us,¡± said another.


    It was true that he was always much colder to the touch than the other kids, and that he could not take the heat. As far as he knew, he was the only one of his kind who had to wear this annoying breathing mask which made it even more difficult for him to make friends.


    ¡°Guys, wait up!¡± he gasped, holding his side as they began to cramp.


    It didn¡¯t take long before he was on his knees, pulling back the elastic band of the mask with one hand to give the back of his neck a break. He turned his face up to the sky and squinted at the fiery red ball that stared right back at him. Ashy sweat filled his eyes as he turned his gaze to the other three orbs in the sky which, in his opinion, were much more pleasant-looking. It wasn¡¯t that they were more beautiful, but that it was actually possible to look at them without your eyes melting.


    In the North, Esh could see misty blue dust floating around the sapphire sun, and if he looked closely, he could make out the waves that moved and crashed against each other.


    In the West was his favorite sun of all, the Green sun, which looked like a giant furry Green booger. Some of the kids said certain animals actually lived in the forests upon its soil¡ªbut they may have just been screwing with him. He had no way to discover whether it was true, because the library close to the orphanage had no photos of any other territory but his own. His fake mother had told him that once, a long time ago, the library had carried such photos, but they had been purposely put to the flame.


    The last sun, which resided in the North-West, was the dead sun. It was rotting and falling apart, casting a dark shade over its territory, and one could almost smell its decay. The sun looked as if it might, at any moment, just tear apart and fall onto the territory it had once nourished. Even if it had been possible for Esh to visit this territory he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to, but the sun was still very beautiful in its own creepy way.


    When he was rested, he got back up to his feet, and was disappointed to find that his fellow orphans¡ªhis companions, as he thought of them¡ªhad all run away. He decided to just walk until he saw or heard them.


    As he walked he made sure not to step on any of the bugs that crawled into his path¡ªnot for fear of squashing them, but of hurting his own foot on the sharp metallic outer shells which protected their soft gooey parts from the dreadful sun.


    ¡®Dreadful sun¡¯? What he meant was the all-powerful sun of flames, the life-giver, the source of the strength and knowledge of the humanoids of Reah. That¡¯s what his schoolteacher would have made him say.


    He waved to a butcher who was holding down a non-compliant metal animal, which he was about to open up with his large sharpened-bone-blade. At Esh¡¯s friendly wave the butcher dropped his blade, and it crashed to the floor as he lifted his hands to make a horribly rude gesture. Seizing this opportunity, the animal leapt from the table, speeding past Esh.


    Lessons in the Reahlic language were taught at his school, once in the morning and once before school let out. Esh took this opportunity to learn as much as he could in order to become more like his race, more like the humanoids of Reah.


    However, despite his position at the top of the class, Esh still struggled to gain acceptance from his peers and having a good command of Reahlic wasn¡¯t helping.


    He looked down at the ashy road he was walking on, and wondered what it looked like under all the black soot. It was impossible to find out, for he knew that even if he dug a deep enough hole, it would soon be covered up by one of the molten rains that the massive volcano, Gurgamosh, vomited out every so often.


    Humanoids who¡¯s profession it was to predict Gurgamosh¡¯s combustions and warn about upcoming molten rains would blare the announcement of impending doom. Everyone would then scatter to the shelter of their metal-covered huts. The humanoids of Reah could tolerate the heat, but the rain was different. If it touched your skin, you would melt, and once it got on you it was impossible to shake off. You just had to let it take its course down your body, devouring flesh and bone alike. It was no wonder the great aristocrats of Reah had chosen this as the method of their death penalty.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Finally he heard it, the laughter of his fellow orphans just around the corner, too. He took off in the direction of the sound.


    As he rounded the corner he stopped in place. The kids were having fun alright, but not the kind of fun that he himself enjoyed, not at all. The mean orphans had found the trash worker, the lowest and most degrading job that can be given to a humanoid of Reah. Esh had seen this old male before and the only reason he had noticed him was because he was the only humanoid who had never once shot him an evil glance, spit at him, or called him names.


    The elderly male, not paying any attention to the derogatory remarks thrown his way by the children, picked up the trash on the side of the road. From broken liquid canisters to rolled up fume sticks, the worker picked them up and placed them in a bag over his shoulder. What was astonishing was the way he picked up the trash. To Esh¡¯s amazement, the Elder slipped his food under a slimy looking piece of trash and swooped it straight into the air while turning his back just at the right angle to catch it in the sack on his back. He did all this without breaking a sweat and with his eyes closed!


    Esh seemed to be the only one who noticed this graceful motion for the orphans, realizing their words were having no affect, began to throw stones.


    ¡°Look at this piece of shit,¡± said a taller and fatter male child, picking up a sharp looking stone and hurling it towards the trash picker.


    The Elder still paid them no mind and was dodging each stone with the least amount of effort and movement while picking up trash. Was he dodging? Or was it by accident?


    Finally, one of the stones reached its destination, hitting the Elder in the chin.


    ¡°Yes! Take that shagra shit!¡± said the taller one picking up yet another stone.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Esh screamed with his high childish voice making every orphan turn towards him.


    ¡°Oy! You don¡¯t like it? Why don¡¯t you come here and make me stop!¡± said the tall kid walking towards Esh. However, he was stopped by one of his ugly comrades who pointed him towards where the Elder had been¡­ Had been¡­ He was gone!


    Esh was shaking, he knew what was to come. He turned to run but the older orphan had gotten to him. His name was Mehch but Esh always called him nasty ears because of all the ear wax that was stuck inside them.


    Mehch gripped Esh¡¯s shoulders so tight that it made him squeak in pain. ¡°Look what you have done little kid! That old fart was able to slither away on its belly because of your dumbass interruption!¡±


    Thirteen year old Mehch pushed Esh hard into the dirt and held him there with his left hand while using his right hand to rip at Esh¡¯s shirt. With a few tugs, Esh¡¯s back was completely exposed. Mehch bent over and Esh could feel his heavy sinister breath.


    ¡°Soooooo,¡± Mehch said, shoving Esh¡¯s face into the ash, ¡°Why are you still alive?¡±


    The question sent Esh¡¯s heart racing. Half of him did not understand the question and the other half completely understood. Why was he still alive? Why did everyone hate him? Was it because his hair being a different color?


    He started to sob.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, cry you baby. You know you¡¯ve done wrong. Your birth is a slight against us true bloods of Reah!¡±


    Mehch flipped Esh onto his back. He could now see into the yellow eyes of the monster before him and that¡¯s when he noticed the flip bone knife in his right hand. Mehch, following his eyes grew a very devious smile. His eyes gave away his plan.


    Esh began to shriek. He went completely delirious with fear, calling for anyone, anyone at all to come and rescue him. And humanoids did come, oh yes, but not to help. They came to watch.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t one of us, you aren¡¯t pure! You belong to the loathed!¡±


    Esh heard only half of what was being said, for he was concentrated on the mini bone-blade being lowered to his chest. He squirmed harder and harder to no avail as Mehch was far too strong. He felt his hands and legs being pulled apart from his body, his arms held by his fellow orphans and his legs¡­ by adults.


    ¡°This is long over due, you piece of shit. You need to be marked with the sign of the loathed! The sign of the despicable!¡± Mehch cried, finally touching the skin under Esh¡¯s shoulder with the fiery tip of the blade.


    The adults and orphans began to chant Loathed! Loathed! Loathed!¡± which evolved into laughter as Mehch¡¯s blade pushed deeper, making cold blood rise to the surface. Esh screamed and screamed but nothing made the pain stop. Mehch¡¯s hand drew the blade slowly from the upper shoulder, down his chest, and to the opposite hip filleting him wide open.


    Esh stopped screaming and his eyes stopped focusing. The adults and orphans released him and stepped back. Some even left out of boredom. He wasn¡¯t able to lift his head but used a hand to touch his torso and trace the river that had been carved across his body. There was no pain.


    Esh had somehow alway knew this would come. He was despised by all and should never have been born. He deserved this he supposed and let himself smile. Finally, it was over.


    Mehch spit on the ground and turned his back to Esh. He flung the blade into the air over his shoulder. The bone-blade spun in the air until it stuck deep into the middle of Esh¡¯s river in the center of his gut. Still, no pain, only cold pressure.


    He was all alone, or at least he thought he was alone. Then the hallucinations began. Some sort of animal crawled up next to him, brushing him with its hard metallic body. It began to howl or cry, Esh couldn¡¯t tell. The beast probably wasn¡¯t even there at all, but either way it kept him company throughout his transition to eternal bliss or eternal suffering.


    Esh was sure that the sun would be the last thing that he saw, until a sudden darkness was over him. Had the sun finally gone out? Or had he? Were these his final moments?


    He smelt a mixture of dirty stench and alcohol. Was this what hell was like? He deserved it¡­ He wasn¡¯t true a Reahlic.

 2 - Land of Sin

    Flames danced around Esh''s body, leaving charred black skin that instantly dried and cracked to reveal new skin ready to go through the frying process all over again. All around him were humanoids in the worst pain imaginable. To his left was a group of humanoids being suspended by hooks through their abdomens. The hooks moved on their own, sticking the closest victim. If the hook had any trouble getting through the bone it would simply back up and charge again and again into the previous hole until it forced its way through. When the victim opened his mouth to shriek small hooks flew inside and, Esh imagined, had morbid fun inside the victim''s guts.


    To his right there was a line of humanoids. All were nude and trembling, waiting for their turn to have their limbs attached to two giant four-legged beasts made of black energy. Without warning, the beasts would snap into a sprint and tear their victim in two. Sometimes the pull was fast and killed the client instantly or they would choose to take their time, step by step, and let the skin rip oh so slowly. It was sort of like tearing a shirt apart, but instead of cloth fringe it was shreds of skin.


    In the distance was a sort of giant circular trench with a massive wheel of spikes that continuously rolled in circles on its perpetual path. Massive red circular eyes and a red smile rested on the flat side of the wheel. It had a face, a face that did not turn with the wheel itself but kept its eyes looking below as it crushed the humanoids unlucky enough to have been dropped in. After death, the bodies would reawaken only to be put through the same death over and over again by the spiked wheel. The only sign of relief they would have from this pain was the fresh batch of bodies that were pushed into the trench by three foot black energy goblins. Humanoids pleaded with them, on their knees even, but this just made the leverage better for kicking them into the course of doom.


    The only substance that covered this land besides fire was the blood, blood that dried instantly giving off a smell that could easily have been worse than some forms of physical torture.


    Esh became aware that all of the torturers were the same, or at least made from the same stuff in the idea that they were all... without light. Just dark dirty clouds that took murky shapes of beasts, goblins, and hooks. These creatures often turned to black gas to move on to another form of fun because they had become bored with what they were currently doing.


    But something was wrong. As soon as Esh appeared in their realm, they turned their attention to him and only him. There must have been thousands upon thousands of sinners with their eyes long ago melted by the heat, that were present and ready to be tortured, but it was Esh who the torturers wanted. He could tell by the way they looked at him with their little envious red eyes.


    Finally, it was his turn. Hooks pierced each of his shoulders, not a perfect piercing either, but through the shoulder blade. Esh opened his mouth to scream but there was no air in this land, and no air meant no scream. He was lifted into the air, higher and higher. He had the best view of this park of horror. The hooks stopped a moment and Esh could see two other humanoids hoisted from two different parts of the park and they both headed towards him, traveling by hook. Both of these humanoids soared towards him at an insane speed. They hit him, their cauterized bodies sticking to his and leaving a large part of their flesh behind when they swung backwards.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Esh gasped.


    Even without eyeballs and with cracked teeth Esh knew these humanoids. He couldn''t recognize them by their appearance but he could feel it. They were his parents.


    Before he could even reach out to touch them he was hoisted away. He was now so high that at some point he couldn''t even see the land of sin anymore.


    His eyes slid open ever so slightly, letting light seep in. One figure was hunched over him and it took his eyes several minutes to adjust. However, he knew instantly by her voice that it was his fake mother. He could feel her tears plop onto his face.


    "Oh Esh! You''re awake! I thought... I thought..."


    She began to speak far too fast in Reahlic and even others who were fluent in Reahlic probably couldn''t have understood her anyways for she had began sobbing and trying to talk at the same time.


    He really hoped she wouldn''t start touching him for the pain had started to reach his brain now. How was he alive? Hadn''t he just been to hell? Had it all just been some crazy nightmare induced by his traumatic experience?


    He coughed up blood and it was wiped from his face, but not by the hands of his fake mother but by someone else''s. Esh summoned all his strength to turn his head and was shocked to see the trash worker sitting by his side. Before Esh could ask any questions the male raised himself with the same graceful movement Esh had seen earlier and was out the door before two seconds had passed. Esh let his head drift back. What was he doing here?


    "Who did this to you?" asked mother in the common language, her speech finally understandable.


    He didn''t answer, and he didn''t think mother expected him to anyways.


    There was silence in the room for a few minutes, his fake mother still stood over him crying. He wasn''t surprised that there wasn''t a doctor in the room treating his wounds. For all he knew, one of the adults that held him down could have been a doctor.


    "I think you should know," said mother, "that the elderly male that just left was the one who brought you to me." Her wrinkly face twisted as she stepped back and really took in the mess that Esh was in. It wasn''t pretty and it was highly likely he would be dragged by his feet back to the depths of sin land.


    Mother left the room and came back with a canister of compressed liquid. Esh shook his head, knowing how precious liquid was this far inland but mother ignored him. She pressed the tip of the canister and spray wet her hands. She carefully let the liquid drip from her hand to his wounds. This seemed to worsen the pain.


    She added soap that she had found, an also valuable resource, and cleaned his wounds. He tried to get her to stop, for the pain was too much and he knew she would get into trouble with Korp, the head Master.


    She finished the cleaning job and went to the worst part of all. The sewing.


    As far as Esh knew she had no skills as a nurse but she did have skills making clothes for the children. His skin would be her fabric.


    The procedure took an hour and the pain began to make Esh convulse, his eyes often rolling back into his head. He would pass out and she would wake him up with liquid, stopping completely until he was awake. Oh how he wished she would just finish the job while he was mentally away.


    When the job was done she went to clean herself up, leaving Esh alone with his sobs, dull pain, and... anger... Yes, lots of anger. He was tired of the way he was treated and swore to himself, that if he lived, he would get revenge on Mehch.


    Revenge would keep him alive.


    The door opened but it was not the elderly trash worker or his fake mother who entered, but the handsome Korp. His smile was always ear to ear, teeth larger than normal, and wearing a black tunic. Smoke floated from a very thick fume stick that he kept in the corner of his grinning mouth.


    Esh had just left hell and yet the devil had found him.


    "Hi dearie," Korp said, shutting the door behind him.

 3 - Savior

    "Poor baby... Poor sweet baby, all hurt and... vulnerable..." Korp said, walking up to his bed''s side.


    "I just don''t understand, who could do this to such a sweet little baby as yourself." Korp started to rub the skin around the freshly sewed wound, his eyes not leaving Esh''s.


    "Who did this to you? Tell me! I''ll make sure justice is served!" Korp''s fingernails began to scratch Esh''s stomach. The devil wanted him badly this sun-cycle.


    Korp had a reputation. A reputation that even made the great sculptor Mehch piss his trousers. Korp loved his adolescent males, but loved them a little too much. Esh had heard stories of orphan males being sent to his office for a scolding but they never returned.


    "Why don''t you wanna tell me? Do you not trust daddy?" Korp said, his eyes coming to angry points and his huge muscles flexing under his tunic. "Don''t fucking ignore me, Shagra shit!" he hissed, slamming his fists on Esh''s bed and sending ripples through his body, tears coming to his eyes.


    "Oh Creator, I am sassy this sun-cycle! Ignore me, son. Ignore my silly silly blunder." Korp''s hands returned to Esh''s stomach, but much lower this time. Even the pain couldn''t mask his discomfort in this situation.


    The door opened and in walked mother. Korp''s hands were off of him immediately.


    "What the hell happened here, Myaderah?" Korp asked, his tone much deeper and professional.


    Myaderah bowed with both hands out, as all the employees were expected to do and answered, "Head Master Korp, one of our own orphans did this to Esh! They... They sliced him up!" she cried and ran up to hug him but he pushed her away.


    "How could you let this happen? How? How Meyaderah?!"


    She dropped to her knees and started to sob hysterically. Esh had already figured she blamed herself. Blamed herself for even letting him try to belong. When and if he ever healed, he would hug her and tell her it wasn''t her fault.


    Korp turned to Esh, "I assure you my son, we will get to the bottom of this!"


    The head Master turned on his heels and was out of the room.


    Sleep wouldn''t come. It was dark in his new cell and every time he moved on his squeaky bed the beast on his chest would awaken. He could feel something cold running down from the sides of the wound. He lifted a finger and carefully swabbed the wetness. He brought it to his nose and nearly vomited at the smell. It was the smell of death.


    He couldn''t remember what the room he was in looked like for he was pretty much delirious when he had first awoke. By the time his mind had cleared up the room had been pitch black. There were no lights under the door and no moonlight shone through any window. The darkness began to play with his head, often morphing into strange shapes, creatures or even humanoids he knew. He wasn''t safe behind closed lids either, the creatures of the dark found him there too.


    He heard the door creak open. There was a pause and then he heard quiet footsteps begin towards him. Please, not Korp. Please... Not Korp. Not the devil.


    Esh began to squeak and wiggle but an unfamiliar, "Shhhh," took him by surprise.


    The figure was to his bedside in half a second.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "You''re dying, lad," said the stranger.


    This wasn''t news to Esh for he had already died. Or at least, he thought did.


    "Should have kept to your own damn business."


    The young male''s eyes widened. Was this? Couldn''t be. How did he get in? What was he doing here?


    Esh tried to sit up but was instantly held down by his neck.


    "Stay down, will ya?" the stranger whispered, removing his hand to start fiddling with something in the darkness.


    Esh complied but so many questions buzzed in his head. This could be only one humanoid, the trash worker. But why was this old male here? Who would want to visit a dying loathed?


    "You aren''t going to like how this tastes lad, but it will save ya it will."


    A canister was held to his lips and before Esh could resist the trash worker sprayed something foul down his throat. There was an instant wooziness that overtook him and he wanted nothing else but to spit it back up. However, the trash worker would have none of this and covered Esh''s mouth with a hard pressed hand.


    "You need to drink, dammit. I''ve risked too much to come here for you not to cooperate," the Elder said, applying even more pressure. "Now, I''ll let go if you promise to swallow."


    Esh shook his head and the pressure was released. He forced himself to swallow the snot textured sour liquid. The room began to spin.


    "This outta stop the infection and speed up the healing process."


    Esh heard the male stand followed by footsteps headed for the door.


    "Wait," Esh managed to say and the footsteps stopped.


    "You will see me again," the male said.


    The door opened and closed, leaving Esh in complete darkness.


    If the healing process was sped up by the nasty medicine, Esh couldn''t tell. He was in bed for what seemed like forever and little red sores began popping up under his back side. He had no books, no games, and no company. Except, that wasn''t true for Esh did have company every moon-cycle.


    About an hour after all the sounds of the orphanage ceased as everyone fell asleep, Esh''s door would open and Korp would slither in. He wouldn''t say a word, he would just walk over to a chair in the corner and plant himself there for a very long time. He spent this time smoking fume sticks and...... watching him. Esh hated how the only light in the room was his yellow eyes. They say the more yellow your eyes were the more the blood of the sun of Reah had blessed you.


    Esh never truly knew when he would fall asleep, he would just open his eyes and the sunlight would creep through the halls and into his room. Korp would not be there, not even the ash of his fume sticks.


    Sun-cycles went by slow, slower than Esh thought possible. He found himself counting seconds, minutes, seeing how long he could go before getting distracted by vermin escaping through cracks in the wall or bugs being caught by bigger bugs. And with his time alone, with this punishment for being sliced open, his anger grew. He didn''t know what exactly it was he wanted to do but he did know one thing, he would change. What else did he have to fear? The worst had already been done to him.


    Did he want to kill Mehch? Did he want to perform the same procedure on him? He didn''t know. All he knew was he grew more and more angry each sun-cycle and could only stuff all of these emotions down deep inside him. If he caught himself becoming too angry he would run through his verb conjugations and vocabulary of Reahlic. Anos, to have. Sentas, to feel. Chakras, to dream.


    Finally, mother came in. He was mad at her too. Why didn''t she come to visit him? Was she too busy eating? Esh took that thought back instantly and felt like ash for thinking it.


    She did not look good, as if the life Esh received daily was donated directly from her. Black circles under her eyes, and... was that a bruise on her cheek? She limped over to his bedside, a limp that had never presented itself to Esh before. What was going on?


    He was able to sit up by now and asked her what was going on.


    "You don''t worry!" she yelled, making him jump. Her cheeks were red, but the softness returned in her eyes. She pulled up a seat next to him and they sat in silence. Her presence was so soothing that he began to cry. Mother tried to hold it in but could not. This was their therapy and besides, crying indoors was a treat because tears outside would evaporate before they even left the lid.


    She had only been in the room for a few minutes before Esh looked up from his bed to see Krop''s head peering through the door, his eyes wide in horror. As soon as mother turned to see what Esh was looking at, Korp had changed back to normal and he entered.


    "Myaderah... Outside... Please," he said.


    Mother rose slowly, her chin to her chest and she slumped out of the room. Korp closed the door slowly, staring at his favorite young one.


    There was a loud smack and a cry of pain.

 4 - Training

    Life continued and so did mother''s beatings. After Esh''s release from his cell, the other young males had left him alone entirely. However, the struggle wasn''t over yet. Laying in bed for such a long period of time, often in his own excrement and urine, left his body covered in leaking sores.


    The first thing Esh did was run to the nearest mirror to take off his filthy bandages. What he saw made him drop to his knees.


    A large scar started at his left shoulder and crossed his entire body to his right hip. It was thick, shiny, and very soft to the touch. Esh did have to congratulate Mehch on his handy work, he had created a Masterpiece.


    And yet it wasn''t the scar on his chest that made him drop, but the two circular scars on each of his shoulders, exactly where the hooks had punctured him in the land of sin. It took a few seconds for his breath to return to him.


    This couldn''t be possible. Maybe Mehch came back and added these accessories while he had been passed out. He hoped this was true.


    His time at the orphanage did not change and everyone around him acted as if nothing had happened. Nothing at all. Esh didn''t have any scars and he for sure had not be opened up by a bone-blade for all the humanoids of Reah to see his insides. Didn''t happen.


    Esh no longer chased after the others, or tried to win their acceptance. He stuck to himself. The only thing he had to look forward to was the Choosing in which all fourteen-year-old males and Females were given the position in life that would fit them physically and mentally.


    He would become a soldier, yes! A soldier. He would show them all how tough he was, how worthy to be of the land of Reah. But how? He was 8 years old, shorter than most of the other males and was by far the weakest. Yet the eight-year-old pictured himself in the gigantic armor of the army of Reah, the Red sun gleaming off the metallic pauldrons. And no set of armor is complete without the large heavy sword all soldiers had strapped to their backs, ready to be unsheathed and swung into action. He pictured all the humanoids clapping and cheering for him as he walked the streets, his purple hair completely forgotten.


    He would have to train, and train hard. He would start this sun-cycle.


    And Esh did train hard. During the unsupervised recesses, while the other males and females played, Esh was doing push ups. He couldn''t even do one, so he figured he could do them on his knees... barely. One knee push-up turned to 50, and one regular push-up transitioned to 50.


    On his ninth natal sun-cycle, Esh treated himself to trying to do a pull-up using one of the bars that clothes were hung over. Training would be his natal sun-cycle gift to himself. However, just like the push-up, he just hung there, his face scrunched with effort.


    So he swung, and swung until he was able to swing his chin over the bar. After two weeks he was able to do a single pull-up. After a month he could do ten!Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    By age 11, Esh made himself pick up every single heavy object he found. He would walk around the playground picking up all the heaviest stones he could, even picking up a few of the other smaller orphans as well. He kept up with his push-ups and his pull-ups.


    Push-ups, pull-ups, and lifting heaving objects wasn''t all but he would run and he would run fast! Orphans would watch him start at one end of the street where he would sprint back back as fast as he could until his legs failed him. It came to a point that he was running so much that his lungs soon forgot all about needing protection from the ash in the air. Esh, himself, did not notice the change. It just so happened that one sun-cycle he had forgotten to dawn his mask and since his lungs gave him no issues he never thought to use it again.


    Every moon-cycle Esh would crash onto his sweat stained bed and fall asleep immediately. That was, until, one moon-cycle upon falling onto his bed his head hit something hard underneath the sheet. He tore the sheet off expecting to find a stone placed there by one of the orphans, but that wasn''t what he found. There, on his bed, was a brand new copy of Reahlic grammar. He instantly felt guilty. He had been slacking tremendously in his studies, sometimes not even showing up to class.


    But wait, how did this book get here? He couldn''t think of anybody who had the money to buy such a shiny book, or even anyone that would do such a kind thing. That moon-cycle, when all the other orphans were asleep, Esh opened the book.


    To his amazement, he did not find Reahlic grammar on the pages inside. No, but instruction on the grammar of the language of the Green humanoids. Vivreonish.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes for fake mother had told him all of these books had been put to fire. All knowledge of the other territories were forbidden and those who hid such pieces of information could face time in the prisons. What was even more interesting about this book was that the cover seemed to not have been altered, as if this book was made to deceive the eyes of others.


    His bottom lip quivered and tears fell from his eyes. This was the best moon-cycle of his life. He opened the book and read, forgetting completely about the generous stranger and his fatigue.


    Esh was now age fourteen, ready to be chosen, ready to become a soldier. He never quit his training and never gave himself rest unless he was ill. He began to steal too.


    When unsuspecting orphans were turned away Esh would take their food and scarf it down. During moon-cycles, he would sneak into the pantry and eat until his heart was content. He was pretty sure his mother suspected him, but said nothing. He had become stronger and had even went through a growth spurt. The only orphan that matched him in height was Mehch, who had become even fatter and lazier. Esh nearly laughed out loud when Mehch declared he was going to join the army and become general. "Not with that belly," Esh had thought to himself.


    Esh would also pick fights, using them as practice. Bruises were the norm and he was soon feared just as much as hated.


    He would have tried to pick a fight with Mehch, but he had always been under the protection of Korp. The orphanage headMaster left Esh alone, he had found his new toy. Mehch liked it.


    Esh''s stolen food helped a lot with his growth, but he was still always fatigued due to the extra studying he was doing. He became top of his class once again and not just in Reahlic, but mathematics and history as well.


    Mother became noticeably less attached to Esh, and this hurt him so bad. Yet... he knew why. She brought him trouble and he brought her trouble. He knew Korp beat her and beat her hard. He would come back one sun-cycle and stop him, no matter the cost.

 5 - The Choosing

    Esh sat with the other 14-year-olds under a metal roof held up by four tall poles. He looked down at the shoes he hadspit shinedearlier that morning to see that they were now smudged with soot. The ash in the air marked the shirt he had tried so hard to freshen up with excess liquidcanshe''d found in random garbage bins around his neighborhood.


    This was the happiest sun-cycle of his life, replacing the time he had found the secret grammar book on Vivreonish. Soon he would be leaving the orphanage for good and would be heading in the direction of prestige, to respect, and to acceptance. He was confident that he would be chosen for the role ofsoldier.


    Three lieutenants came to the orphanage four weeks ago to run all the orphans through some sort of crazy physical test. They were forced to climb ropes, run long distance, fifty push-ups, and even had to complete a session of hand to hand combat with each other. He wasn''t surprised that he was the only one to make it through the running section. He had been training for this.Mehchdidn''t even complete the rope climb, falling after making it five feet. Esh had to stifle a laugh when he saw how red the fat bully''s gut had become from rope burn.


    Since no other orphans had made it to the fighting part of the test the three lieutenants were forced to bring a few other kids who had passed the test from other schools and orphanages. Esh took care of each of them rather quickly, especially after he took off his shirt revealing his scar and using it as a tactic of fear. Two of his opponents had even refused to fight, choosing to cry instead.


    AsEshsat straight up in his chair, he felt a sense of pride for the first time in his life. He couldn''t help but puff out his chest around the other kids.


    In front of thewaitingfourteen year-oldswas a podium surrounded by about thirty chairs where the kids'' future bosses would be sitting soon


    Kids chatted with one another excitedly. Through each of their mannerisms, Esh was able to tell which kids were from Reahlic royalty and which had been drug away from juvenile gangs.


    It wasn''t long before a nasty fight between a royal and gang member erupted and ended quickly with both of them bleeding but it was the royal who was now missing an ear.


    "What the hell is going on in here!" screamed a fat sweaty male who had just entered under the metal roof. Behind the fat male walked behind him two large males porting the menacing shiny armor and Esh instantly forgot about the fight. The fat important male turned his head and yelled over his shoulder for someone to call an emergency care unit.


    The ceremony didn''t get started until the royal and gangster were transported out. Thegangsterdidn''t go without a fight, but it only took one punch to the gut by one of the armored soldiers to silence him. Esh heard a crack and was sure the blow had broken a few ribs.


    "Now..." said the fat male, wipingsweatoff his forehead. He wasn''t hot, he was just too big for his body to handle, "We can start the ceremony!"


    Strangers dressed in all sorts of different uniforms began to pour into the makeshift auditorium, most of them were not happy to be the representative of their trade. It was just another sun-cycle of work for them. The orphans were the only ones cheering, the other kids seemed unhappy to leave their homes or wherever they came from.


    "Everyone sit down!" demanded the fat male, his eyes running through the crowd of orphans in disgust. "Last year''s ceremony took too much time and as you all know, the humanoids before you have work to do. So without further blabbing, let us begin."


    With a flick of the wrist the male had pulled a large piece of parchment out of his pocket and placed a monocle over his eye. Esh doubted the important gross male needed glasses at all, it was just another way of placing him higher in the hierarchy.


    "Rotz!" cried the male and a young male in the back stood. "You are hereby sentenced to maintenance. Congratulations." Before anyone could clap the male had read another name and then another.


    "Grond! You are sentenced to guard duty at the prison. Darurah, sentenced tomidwife." The male began to read faster and faster and soon two or three kids were standing up at once. "... sentenced to painter! ... sentenced to surveillance! ... sentenced tomail! ... sentenced to..."Stolen novel; please report.


    Esh''s excitement began to lessen and lessen as the ceremony dragged on. Had they forgotten about him? The auditorium was now only him and about twenty other kids.


    "Mehch!" cried the fat male and Esh''s head raised. The sentence came quickly, "sentenced to the army!"


    Mehchsqueaked and he fell over getting out of his chair. As he ran up to the two armored soldiers he turned around and gave Esh a smirk. How could this be?Mehchdidn''t even make it up the rope! He was almost as fat as the male sentencing the kids and was no better than a piece of shit dropped on the side of the road by ashagra!


    Esh made himself shake it off. He had come too far to let something like this get in his way. He knew he would make a better soldier than Mehch and he would prove it.


    "Esh!" cried the announcer.


    Esh''s heart raced and he stood with lightning speed, startling the fat male before he could even read the sentence.


    "Err, um, yes... Esh, let''s see. Oh! Yes, sentenced to garbage duty. "Chindrah! Sentenced to..." and that was that.


    The young, hardworking, scarred and mentally abused orphan stayed standing, sure of himself that he had heard incorrectly. He had just been sentenced tosoldier, ya, that''s right. He would become an excellent soldier. He would walk down the streets and humanoids would yell his name. Lieutenant Esh! Lieutenant Esh!


    Yet reality began to melt back into place. He realized everyone was staring at him, including the announcer who had stopped reading.


    The ceremony was over and everyone was walking out with their new employer.


    Beads of sweat mingled with tears at the end of Esh''s nose. He was all alone now under the metal roof. His misery took all of his attention away from thesun-cycle''sheat, heat that was more intense than usual.


    How was it possible that he had not been chosen assoldier? He was by far the best! He was even smarter than them! It wasn''t fair! All that hard work... and for nothing.


    Esh fell off his chair and pounded his fists into the ash, splashing the black all over his body. Tears ran down his cheeks as he kept smashing his fists, ignoring the pain. It was only until he noticed his fists were bleeding that he did stop. His head drooped and his forehead rested in the dirt. He closed his eyes


    But he knew why he hadn''t been chosen, because of his hair, his eyes, and... his parents. He would be punished yet again for being bred by a traitor and a loathed.


    Ten minutes must have passed by before Esh realized he wasn''t alone. He could feel a presence behind him, and he opened his eyes.


    Through his legs was the Elder, the male whom Esh had helped six years ago. His white beard had grown longer and he now wore large black sun shades.


    And he was asleep.


    The Elder was snoring very loudly which made Esh wonder how he had not heard it before. He stood up quietly and tried to make his escape before the Elder awoke.


    The snoring stopped and the Elder leaned his head forward.


    "Not too happy are you, lad?" he asked with a smile. His teeth were surprisingly white, too white for someone of Reah.


    "Why didn''t you ever come back?" Esh asked, turning back towards the Elder. It was the first question that popped into his head, a question he hadn''t even know was important to himself. But it was important.


    "I never came back because I never left," replied the Elder. He pulled a long cane he had strapped around his shoulder and placed it in front of him. "Why would I leave when you are so interesting to watch?"


    Esh was instantly creeped out and at that moment he wished he could go back in time and stop his eight-year-old self from ever getting in the way of the orphans and their crude game.


    "And besides, who else would protect you from that mean ole Korp."


    Esh''s eyes widened. This Elder actually knew about Korp? How could he?


    "What do you know about him?" Esh asked, momentarily forgetting he was just sentenced to garbage duty.


    "All I know is that he is very strange and very dangerous. He has problems in the head, I think."


    Esh was starting to believe Korp and this Elder were both crazy.


    "However, I never did have to step in. Looks like he found someone else to play with," said the Elder, standing up and turning his back to Esh. "Come along, we have to pick up all the undesirables that Reah has left on the street."


    "You might as well place me in that bag of yours," Esh said under his breath. The Elder, with lightning speed, turned around and slammed his cane into Esh''s right temple making him crash to the ground.


    Helayedthere holding his head, his body stunned. His cheeks burned out of pain and embarrassment.


    The Elder bent over and put his face directly in front of his. Esh could smell alcohol on his breath. "I don''t ever want to hear you say that again," he hissed. "Do you understand me, lad?"


    Esh nodded his head and the Elder gave him a hand up.


    "Let''s go, we have work to do."


    ************************************************


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