Zephyr The West Wind (Chaos Chronicles, Book 1)

The First Trial

Ever since I could remember, the people of Dentro, aside from the Chief, had looked down on me. My father was not from the village and had left before I was born, and my mother had died when I was six years old. After her death, the Chief had taken care of me until I was old enough to live by myself. The Chief was my father in all respects but blood.

When the villagers had found out that my mother had gotten pregnant by an outsider whom they knew nothing about, she was ridiculed and lost all of the villagers' respect. Eventually, she became too weak and sick to handle the pain of being alone and passed away. The Chief gave everything to me. He was my father, and my hero. And so, as I walked down the path towards Demon's Pool, I made a promised to myself; I would not let the Chief down.

Unlike the path leading towards the village square, the route to Demon's Pool, Demon's Path, slowly passed into a cold and darker climate. The sun and heat became shielded by clouds, and the sky trees to my left began to look less healthy and alive. The bark, normally bright green, slowly became darker as I walked, until it almost looked brown. After minutes of walking, I finally came to the end of the path, only to be blocked by a large number of people filling up the entrance to Demon's Beach—exactly where I was supposed to be for the ceremony. Trying to find a space between the people to get to the end of the beach, I accidentally bumped into the back of a person wearing a red rain jacket and a hood.

"Watch it!" said the woman in an angry voice. Turning around, she noticed that I had been the one to hit her. "Oh," she said as she scowled and made way for me.

"Thanks," I replied with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. Taking the opportunity the woman gave me, I stepped in front of her and made my way through what seemed as an endless crowd of people of all ages wearing different-colored rain coats. As I began to reach the end of the mass of people, I came to a large platform.

The platform, seemingly almost as large as the beach itself, which spread far enough to fit five hundred people, was filled with different items. On one side stood a bunch of cages containing some of the many demons that had recently been caught on the cove, a few hundred feet away from where the platform stood. On the other side was empty space. The space meant to be used for the upcoming test.

In the center of the platform stood the Chief and a tall figure with long gray hair. Refocusing to try to see who it was, I realized it was the Chief's second in command, Hovan. Hovan was known as a cruel and greedy man who wanted the Chief to retire or find death so he could become the village head. Looking up and smiling with his pale, round face, beady black eyes, and mustache, you could tell he was enjoying the attention.

"Men and women of Dentro," he began in his mocking tone. "You came here today, just like every past year, to witness the Trial of Adulthood, the test that has been given since the founding of Dentro. To begin the test, I give you our honorable and yet elderly chief, warrior of the past and current head of the ancient house of Deka that helped found Dentro!"

As the citizens' applause died down, the Chief began to speak.

"We begin life by copying everything that we see. Crawling, walking, talking, and everything else that we do as a child has been copied from past generations. Speaking as a member of one of those generations, I thank you all for coming to see the next generation as they begin to take on the responsibilities of adults and show us the strength of their wills!" said the Chief as he pointed towards a row of four teenagers.

"The Trial of Adulthood is a test given to those deemed worthy at the age of thirteen by the head of the village. These children will be chosen by one of the five ancient stones of the universe: the Sea stone, Ouranos stone, Void stone, Balance stone, or Dream stone. As stated by our ancestors, only when the time is right shall the stone shine and choose its partner. After being chosen, the child must prove himself to his new life partner; after he does so, the stone will reshape itself into the item best suited to that person, essentially joining two entities to become one—" Interrupted by his own cough, the Chief concluded his speech. "Let us begin the ceremony as I call each child up to the table beside me," he said, waving his hands over a table covered by a white cloth. "Let us begin!"