The Outcast's Rebirth

PROLOGUE: The birth of the Otherworldly

"I can't feel anything... I can't feel the pulse of my child..."

A woman dressed in richly embroidered red attire cried out to the other person in the room, tears welling in her eyes as she clutched her protruding stomach. The other person, trying to comfort her, reached out and embraced the pregnant woman.

"Calm down... Your instincts might be off. Stress isn't good for an expecting mother," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her dark brown skin.

She was the wife of the most prosperous chief, a woman who should have been joyous at this auspicious time.

This was one of the greatest festivals in the village of Zhilakai-the Sacred 'Maji Moto.' It celebrated the chiefdom's sacred lake and its life-giving waters, believed to have healing properties, and it was the time when water spirits visited every wet season.

The young woman looked at her husband, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

"Maybe I'm wrong..." she said, her voice trembling.

She was a Zahava Razi, once an apprentice to the female priest, known for her sharp senses in healing and herbal knowledge. But now, despair gripped her at the thought of losing her child before it was even born-a terrible omen for the chiefdom.

With a soft smile, she kissed her husband back. "Today is the last day of the festival. I think we should ask the Rashakh for help."

The chief nodded, drawing her close. "Yes, it's best that we do."

***

Modern Day...

"Keith... Hey, where are you going?"

Keith heard a loud voice behind him and immediately knew who it was. Steadily walking ahead, he ignored the voice, not even turning to face his troublesome friend.

It was only when he reached the empty classroom and placed the heavy box he was carrying on the group desk that he finally gave Ethan some attention.

"We're here, Ethan. This is where I was headed-the place you loathe the most."

Ethan, the 'Campus Heartthrob' and Keith's childhood friend, rolled his eyes, plopping into a nearby seat. His large frame seemed out of place in the small chair, making it look like he was sitting in midair from a distance.

"Hey... Come on, man. You know I don't actually hate this place; it's just that most of the stuff you all do makes me feel like you're insulting my IQ."

"Because it's less than average. And besides, it's just some calculus tutorials. It won't kill you. Look, I even got some textbooks from the library. They're really good. Here, take this one."

Ethan was hit in the chest by a five-inch-thick book. "Ouch! What the-hey, 'Calculus in Revised Form'? What am I, a nerd?"

"No, you're a student. And I think this will be perfect for you."

"Yeah I'm not doing this," Ethan said, dropping the heavy book and standing up. "I'm going to the dorms if you need anything."

A small sad smile played on his lips as he watched Ethan leave.

"I'm fine."

After a while, silence of the room was a bit eerie. Keith lost track of time as it passed in a blur.

'No one came for the tutorial,' he thought. It was always like this.

Fed up with reading, he stood up and began to arrange the textbooks. He planned to return them to the library before heading home.