Weirdos IV: The Emerald Heart

Chapter 11: Changing Tides

The midsummer sun is currently glaring all over the land—scorching the exposed earth and wilting the green covers of the forest. Thanks to the strong breeze coming from the vast blue ocean, young Emilia didn't feel the hot rays of the sun above. She's currently spending her time picking up colorful shells strewn all over the beach. Several meters behind her, some older kids are currently swimming in the sea or playing in the sand. Despite their calls to join them, young Emilia didn't even glance at the older kids and just continued picking up shells. Every now and then she would pick up a really beautiful shell, hold it against the light to admire its beauty, and put it inside her basket together with the others.

Young Emilia doesn't mind being alone. In fact, she likes being alone. She's the only kid of her age on this island. The older kids are too old, and the younger kids are too young. Maybe that's the reason why she grew up feeling a bit disconnected from the other children in this place. She's only a kid, but she no longer has a place in their world—a world guarded by towering cliffs and enormous waters.

She knows very well that this island isn't the only island on this planet. At times when she's alone, she would spend a long time sitting on this beach and gazing out into the vast ocean embracing their island—wondering how the rest of the world looks like. She tried asking her father, but the answer she got came in the form of a painful slap in the hand followed by an angry rant. Her mother consoled her later and told her that there are questions that are not meant to be asked, especially on this island. She never asked the same question again ever since that incident.

Emilia wanted to tell her parents that she's just curious about the world outside their island. Maybe her father went angry because he thought that she's going to leave this island when she grows up. She wanted to say that she's just curious, but she will never leave the island. In fact, due to her frequent excursions all over this place, she has known nearly every single living creature residing here.

That's why when Emilia saw a strange-looking black bird flying towards the island, she immediately abandoned her shell-hunting and dashed towards their village as quickly as she can.

It's the first time that Emilia saw that kind of bird on this island. As it flew above her, she saw streaks of bluish-black smoke trailing the bird. All of a sudden, a loud honk erupted from their village. Emilia ran even faster as the older kids also dashed after her. The loud honk signals every resident of the island to come to the village center as soon as possible.

Emilia ran past primitive houses with wooden walls and thatched roofs, past all the other people who were also heading towards the same direction where she's running to. By the time she reached the village center, the bird was already morphing into the figure of a young man wearing all black. The village guards surrounding the village center aimed their weapons at the newcomer. Emilia's mother, along with some of the elders, stepped out of the town hall while carrying weapons.

As the final wisps of bluish-black smoke evaporated, the young man stood up slowly. Emilia noticed the uneven posture of the newcomer, as if his legs aren't strong enough to support his entire body. She then walked around the village center to have a better look at the young man. Emilia immediately noticed the man's streak of green hair contrasting strongly against a jet-black hair and the cosmic green eyes that seem to be holding inside them the stars and galaxies of the universe itself.

"State your name," Emilia's mother said.

"You already know me, Aunt Edina," the young man said in a low voice. "But for the sake of your people, I am going to introduce myself. I am Ezekiel Lucas Ytteria Evanesca—"

"Weorthans are not welcome on this island," one of the elders said.

"I am here not as weirdo, but as a fellow human being," the newcomer replied calmly.