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Chapter 1
He had wandered for 3 days, constantly second guessing his sense of orientation as to where the giant ship had approximately crashed. Yet now, as he stood before it… He just couldn’t go in. The skinny, exhausted boy made for a sad figure against the behemoth that had crashed into the hillside. His name was Lundi and he had just lost a very dear friend.
His emotions ran wild. There was selfish, irrational anger. He was angry at Lagi for leaving him, especially since Lagi had him to thank for his life. Lundi quickly smothered this feeling, shame quickly following the childish notion. The vision Lagi had granted him was still fresh and he fully understood Lagi’s reasons for what he had done.
Yet still he harbored this shred of hope that he might find some sign of Lagi inside Shelcoof - the name the Empire had given the monstrosity in front of him. Lundi just couldn’t move on, not just yet. Not without any perspective. After all, his family, his whole village, everything he knew, was gone.
Was it worth it? He hesitated. But he was sure. He knew he had been part of something very important, yet it already began to slip his mind, like a dream. Yet one name, “Sestren”, he swore not to forget. Sestren was the reason all this had been necessary.
Lundi sighed, gathered more courage than he ever thought possible and stepped inside. The giant crack in Shelcoof’s side lead to a large hallway, it’s high ceiling barely visible in the darkness. More images flashed in front of the boy’s eyes. Flying through this very ship, shooting down hordes of bio-engineered nightmares. Another satisfying image of obliterating 3 of Shelcoof’s 6 main wings. Lundi felt a distinct proudness of the deed; watching those whale-sized instruments falling into the gravity storms below.
However it scared him, too. His bond with Lagi had granted him a frightening sort of ruthlessness. Sure, everything he had destroyed had just been Ancient bio-horrors, yet he couldn’t help feel pity now for all the lives he had taken. Those beings were merely fulfilling their Ancient masters task and most likely did not bear any true malice towards humans. Demonizing one’s enemies was certainly a less glamourous human trait.
He went on forward. Then, all of a sudden, he felt it. A single pump of a heart. A sensation he hadn’t dared hope to feel again. Lagi was here. He had to be.
Lundi began to run.
Lundi stopped dead in his tracks. In his haste to find Lagi, the size of the giant hall he had walked into had barely registered in his mind. All he saw was a slow, periodic glow on a wall at the far side of the hall. Dread slipped it’s way into his heart.
Deep inside, he already knew he wouldn’t find what he had hoped for. Lundi was no grown man and despite how his symbiotic relationship with Lagi had steeled his mind and body, that was now slipping from him and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
Lundi wiped the budding tears away and slowly made his way past pieces of wreckage, his eyes absolutely fixed on the glow ahead. Soon, his fears were confirmed. It wasn’t Lagi - at least not exactly Lagi. A large, circular object was seemingly fused into what appeared to have been the main reactor of Shelcoof. As the boy came closer, he recognized patterns on the bronze colored crest.
It was Lagi. It had been Lagi. It was a relief of some sort - as if Lagi had been transformed into some sort of unique metal or bone. Standing in front of it now, the boy realized the source of the heart beat he had felt. It WAS Lagi! Yet the slow beat was already becoming weaker.
Lundi couldn’t hold the tears back now. He knew, no, he felt. Lagi had held on - not in a truly physical way, but something else - just for them to be able to have this final moment. The two had been as close as very few beings have ever been. Lagi’s thoughts may have not been as clear and outspoken as a human, but Lundi always understood him perfectly. It went beyond friendship, beyond love.
Lundi touched the glowing center of Lagi’s crest and whispered his goodbyes. The faint beat had finally stopped and the glow was all but extinguished. The boy gave in to his despair and wept for what seemed like days.
After the boy had recovered, he stayed a while to be sure he hadn’t missed anything. Curiosity overwhelmed him and he took a closer look at Lagi’s crest. It looked like some unique metal, but felt like bone. Like oddly warm bone and Lundi couldn’t fathom how this was possible. Shelcoof was completely dead, as was Lagi. Something had remained here and Lundi knew - someday, perhaps Lagi would return and continue his purpose. Shelcoof had just been one “tower” of many.
“After all this, he is still with me.” Lundi whispered.
Once again, the vision played before his eyes… A large tower, standing on an island being the most prominent image. A dragon enters the image, flying towards the tower. Two figures atop it. Lundi wondered if he would be Lagi’s rider once again or if that was someone else. The other person was a total mystery to him.
Something stirred in his memory at the sight of the tower. Something about it seemed connected to Sestren, but Lundi just couldn’t find a coherent thought concerning the link.
With a heavy heart, Lundi returned to the entrance of the great hall, looked back only a short moment, and ultimately left Shelcoof behind him.
With no true goal for the moment, Lundi decided to return to what was left of Elpis, his old home. Immediately Lundi noticed how quiet and subdued the world seemed - as if it were still recovering from the monumental events that had scarred half the continent. He came across only few other humans and a single monster that had quickly taken flight after one shot from Lundi’s barely functioning gun. He was annoyed that his aim had been so far off. Lundi was hungry and had intended to kill the thing, but he was just too far off from his prime as Lagi’s rider. As for the gun, he guessed he only had a handful of shots left, if any. A twinge of yearning befell Lundi, but he quickly shook it off. Lagi was gone and he just wouldn’t be able to rely on the Ancient gun any longer.
He realized he’d need training to survive out here. While he considered himself already quite knowledgeable concerning coolia breeding, returning to that just didn’t feel right after all that had happened. A certain visitor years ago came to his mind. A hunter had traded excess meat and tools for an old coolia and had left quite an impression on the young boy. Maybe he should seek him out. Still, Elpis would be the best place to start.
Several months had passed. What had been a journey of weeks on Lagi was turning out to be a navigational nightmare for Lundi. It was impossible to retrace his steps without a dragon, leading to large detours through seemingly safer areas. Lundi was famished and it showed. He lived on barely edible and nasty tasting plants, an occasional small animal being a true feast to him.
Yet he wouldn’t give up. This wouldn’t do, not this sort of death, after all that had happened. He had to continue Lagi’s cause.
Weeks passed. The landscape was becoming familiar, he even met a tradesman who had barely recognized the boy. The man was kind enough of to give Lundi a warm meal and a tent. He also confirmed Lundi’s location - he was only a few hours away from Elpis. The boy gave him what was left of his Ancient gun as thanks, especially since he started to feel silly for his sentimental attachment to the now useless gun. The man might be able to make a profit off the parts somewhere.
Having said his good-byes, Lundi continued on towards Elpis. Many thoughts crossed his mind - would he just find faint shells of buildings? He wasn’t sure how much destruction the monsters could’ve caused after he left. Whether or not he wanted to find any personal belongings. 14 years he nearly longed to forget. His father hadn’t been the most kind man, Lundi having felt a whip more often than a pat on the back. He barely knew his mother, who had died when he was still a toddler.
Lundi started to wonder, he should’ve reached Elpis by now. He decided to climb a small height to gain a better view of his surroundings.
Lundi gasped quietly, having apparently climbed upon the very cliff he had stood on when Elpis had been destroyed. Not much was left of this town of breeders. The main buildings still stood, but the rest of Elpis was nigh obliterated.
The boy made his way down the cliff, fear and hope being equal companions.
To be continued…