20-2-2-4012 DM, Arang, Telama, Hilaraya
The midday sun blazed through wisps of white clouds in the bright blue summer sky as Dari felt a gentle westward wind on his face. He was sitting on a darkwood chair at the courtyard of the Garalahi under the shadow of a tall marblewood tree, which was about ten arms high with a wide crown of yellow-green leaves that made a nice cool shade against the summer's heat. The bells of the temple, which was just a few arms away behind him to the north, had just had heralded the coming of the thirteenth hour of light and, in about an hour, he would be headed to the Hall of the Majarani. He was wearing his light brown linen tunic, a pair of white linen trousers, his favourite black leather sandals, and his crimson marapi around his head, which secured his wavy shoulder-length hair in place. He just had luncheon with his parents, the Periji, the Sheriva, and Mistress Ola, and decided to relax in the courtyard before going to Hall.
Despite his intention to relax, Dari's mind kept returning to Amyi's account of what happened at the port. And of his gift... He thought he had just dreamt all of it because it seemed like the sort of thing of which he would dream. What surprised him was when Amyi told him that he sang in a strange tongue because he remembered singing to the hanginaradu in the common tongue. The Periji said that it was one of the things he could do as a bayaharadu. He didn't even realise that he could do that. He also thought that being a bayaharadu would make him feel different somehow, but he felt quite normal, except for one thing. Every time the wind blew, he heard chimes playing a soft melody in his ears. The Periji reassured him that he would eventually learn to block it out if he willed it. It felt strange, a good sort of strange, but still strange nonetheless.
Dari felt a sense of joy welling up in him as he took in the sound of chimes that came with the breeze. The realisation that he was given the bayahara, the Gift of the Winds, still overwhelmed him. He was able to help the people of Arang with his haradeju, his gift. He had always wanted to be able to help others. That was the reason why he wanted to become a menayaadu, a healer, when he was younger, but he knew that his talents were more geared towards a career in the visual arts. Now that he was a bayaharadu, he didn't have to see many cycles before he could help others. Mistress Ola told him that the Arangi fisher folk had a bonfire feast the previous night in his honour because of the bounty that they caught at sea. This made him smile. He might have looked silly smiling all alone under the marblewood tree but he didn't care. There was nobody there to see him anyway.
His parents... The thought of them suddenly placed Dari's spirits under an ominous storm cloud. They told him that he would have to leave Arang to study so he could learn how to become a proper bayaharadu. He had never been away without at least one of his parents with him, and this time he would have to travel to a faraway place without either of them. He had always thought that it would be nice to see other places on Tahana or even just in the country of Telama, but he never thought he would do this without his parents. He thought he still had eight cycles with them. Sure, the Periji would travel with him, but the Periji was neither Amyi nor Anya.
Dari intended to make for the capital after his coming of age to further his studies in the visual arts and eventually become a chariadu. He wanted to create masterpieces, travel to different places, and support his parents financially as a successful silapadu. Now, his future seemed uncertain. He had to leave earlier than he intended and study something else entirely. The Periji said that he would still be able to continue his studies in the visual arts while studying to become a bayaharadu, but that would divide his attention. All of the greatest chariani in history dedicated their lives to the visual arts. That was something he would no longer be able to do and he didn't have any choice. He had to accept that he would be dedicating his life to becoming a bayaharadu.
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The Journal of Dreams (The Tales of Tahana - Book One)
Fantasy** Peaked at 3rd in #Fantasy & 4th in #Adventure ** One windless summer afternoon, Dari Lamuan unexpectedly receives a rare gift from the Ten Gods -- the Gift of the Winds, which gives him the power to control the winds and to commune with wind guar...
