Resilience Run

Chapter 15

Daniel was one hundred percent correct about my opinion of the village, it was in fact, really beautiful, especially right next to the crystal clear lake that looked like it was as big as an ocean. The smell of salt in the air was comforting, reminding me of when I was a kid and my parents would take me and my sister to the beach for a whole day.

"This place is beautiful!" I said as we started walking into the town, "I love it!"

"This is the kind of place I would settle down in," said Rhys, "Medium-sized, quiet, next to water..."

Rhys trailed off, looking around with me as we walked until our eyes settled on a family playing in the grass, a mother and father watching as their kids played with a ball, tossing it back and forth. The ball bounced off one of the kid's hands and fell my way.

"Incoming!" I said as I picked up the ball and tossed it back. One of the kids grabbed it, then tossed it aside as the kids started crowding around me, forcing me to stop in my tracks.

"You're Oktu's Second!" one of the kids yelled, "Can I get a scripture on my ball please?!"

"I'm who and you want a what?" I asked as the parents approached to stop the kids.

"Come back here!" the mother said, "I'm so sorry about that, ma'am."

"Uh, it's fine," I said, "But why did the kid call me that?"

"Oktu's Second?" the woman said, "It's a nickname for that woman who escaped the Requiem Run. Rumor has it she's been moving across the country, helping those in need and saving the weak."

"Oh, really?" I said, noting the snort of a held-back laugh that Rhys delivered right behind me, "What do you think about that?"

"I'd have to see it to believe it," said the woman, "You can't believe everything you hear nowadays. Though, if I'm being honest, I never believed in the idea of the Run. There was always something... off, about it."

"I know what you mean." I said, "And I agree whole-heartedly."

The woman nodded, then her eyes squinted, just for a second. After that, her eyes widened a little, and she turned back to her children. I figured it was about that point she realized who I was, and wasn't sure how to approach the subject. All the better for me, since Daniel was motioning for me to hurry up.

"You told me I was growing a reputation," I said as we walked through the town, "You never told me I had a nickname."

"Especially considering what the nickname is!" said Felice, "Oktu's Second, that's a big claim to make!"

"Isn't Oktu a god or something?" I asked, "Beat some big bad demon and kept the world going or something?"

"From what I know," said Daniel, "Oktu managed to kill the Essence Cleanser and created a new world for us to live on, destroying the first one to keep the Cleanser from ever coming back."

"That's not the story I remember." said Felice.

"That's different from what Mama told me too." said Rhys.

"I mean, it's a legend," I said, "So that means it's been told probably for thousands of years, so different people are gonna tell the story differently."

"That's true." said Daniel, "Though, I believe Oktu's Second is a perfect nickname for you, Riley."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "I know I'm amazing, but I'm not a god."

"I think what he means is that you do good wherever you go," said Felice, "In all the stories I've heard of Oktu, there's one thing that's always been consistent about him - he'll help anyone in need, no matter what."