Nova and the 100-year march

CHAPTER ONE, VOLUME 1, ACT 1: LOST IN MARCH

A hundred years ago, the first purge left the remnants of Indoria scattered across the realm. Hunted and threatened, with no place to call home, no refuge, no hope. what once lightened the skies, fell to its demise, souls buried in shadows, and life forfeited. Hopeless, weak, and destroyed, the people felt. The shadows grew stronger, nameless they were, fierce beings, lifeless souls, lurking at dawn and hunting at night. Nude open skies, with no stars and no light.

The legend says the stars are destined to be reborn. Indoria, the realm of stars, can never die. The legend says stars and lives are bound to skies. Follow the stars, and you shall prevail.

 The legend says, when all hopes are dead, the plea of solace echoes through the realm, carves the skies of the whole realm, and summons the one to rebuild, restore, and prevail, the one who shall have the eternal glory, and its legacy, unchained. 

Follow the stars, and you shall prevail. Legends, and old-timers tales;  what else would people say nowadays? A hundred years of fear can change a person's mind. And now, the odds are not in the legends' favor, nor life.

Far in a deserted uninhabited land, an old-timer and a lad marched. Pale white skin and ashen hair, Parted Lips, and Half-Closed, green swollen eyes to stare at a man's demise, laying on his moving deathbed and the young blood pushing the cart, the stars guide the march through a forsaken venture with little hope and even fewer supplies.

"No place for old rusts among stars, nothing but a burden to younger blood, perhaps he who shall bear Indoria's light and I shall rest at last", the old man mutters.

Long hair, as dark as the depth of oceans at night, with grey eyes bright as an Almerian star, the remnant of an ashen world, midst of despair and lost memories, his flame of youth remains untamed, and even a feral lad with a vibrant soul can't hide the carved horrors his memories haul on his eyes,but he knows profoundly that non-can or shall bear this burden but himself, as he was the last child Indoria had.

The lad asks, "To whom you are talking, uncle?".

"to my last bit of hope",the old man says,"hope to get me off your back, hope to set me free again, hope to guide you instead, what purpose shall I serve? You are better off without me,I teached you all I know, gave you all I have, just like everyone else,perhaps now I shall rest".

"The others left, you know, all of them. Grew desperate, and got lost. The supplies were not fair to us too, they said. They chose perishing over fighting for food ,kept hold of their vows as a token of pride.

 They did not know if there would be an end to this long march through this desert, so they chose to become guests to Almeria's dust and mist and let the unknown decide for them, little did they know, how desperate they were, this land favors no one, and only one fate awaits for the fallen here, eternal despair. 

They gave up on themselves, yet believed, hoped that their youngest may carry the light again, honor their memories, and take it to a new dawn, a new world if he ever survived."

The lad sat beside the old one, remembering the moment he woke up, the moment he felt vulnerable and lost, yet found the old man guiding the march.

"You were unconscious, son," the old one said. "Seven fortnights swiftly passed, you were cold and tiny, on the verge of death, we thought you wouldn't live too long to talk or remember.

But we kept faith in you, Nova the youngest, the last son, the last survivor. I'm not going to last much longer. I'm an old man, wounded, heart and soul, deemed to die here for sure".

The lad said, "Hold your wit uncle, we're both alive now, survivors. We will find a way through this forsaken land, we are close, they've told us to follow the worm scent the stars repel, I can sense it, see it, a new life, new memories, in honor of the old ones.

 "Will you honor mine, lad?" The old one said and what else would it feel like less than a  farewell, the lad looked at him and smiled" Of course, I will, we will. The stars will guide us both, just like you taught, just lie you told, just like you believed".

The old Uncle puts his hand on young Nova's shoulder and says"Know your worth, son, and follow the light the stars cast. It'll guide you in times of need. Don't give up on your life, on this world. Remember your roots, the people who trusted you, and traded their lives for yours. They were all believers like me, but you are much more than that, son.

You are the last survivor, and a son of glorious days to come, and I'm just a shard of old times". "Now I can rest, our people can rest. You lived, you survived. Now go reach the stars, Nova, reach out to your legacy and be the star who casts light. Be the last star to never stop, to never perish, to never die."

A heavy burden he became, the old man realized he was unfit for a venture and no longer had a goal to live up to, it was time for farewell. But how could he tell the young lad of his yet-to-come plan, desert him? Exhausted they were, midlest of  Almeria, the deserted dreamland. The lad set up the camp and into the stars' depth they sat.

when the lad fell asleep, the stale old man decided to take on his new venture,just like their companions, dust and mist seemed a good custodian for a perished man. It had to be done, supplies were shrinking. By that time, the odds were shrinking to one as well, a certainty of death.

Realizing what comes ahead, the old one crawls out of camp and into Almeria's mist and sand. The lad felt the absence of his old friend, he is alone now, without a farewell, the old one vanished as well, the mist disappeared, and a specter is all that's left.

Left alone, the lad starts moving on, he knows a farewell is no good choice for a last say or a Parting confab. toward the unknown, grieving in silence, appreciating his companion's bet, to honor it, he must survive, he hoped, he did.

Seven nights, supplies lasted. Nova, the young lad can march no longer, losing strength, strayed with none but his spirit and the little hope left, fainted to the ground. Before his eyes were shut, he felt the warm breeze again, he saw a blue flame. "Am I hallucinating?" he said. The lad fell.