Like all great things, the Kinuch Empire fell at the end of the Second Calendar Era. New empires have risen, others have fallen.
#
Year 1721 of the fourth calendar era.
"Crazy stuff, isn't it Kordell?" Luell asked me as he left the History class we had just taken.
"Yeah, the story behind the previous calendar eras is pretty crazy, like a comic book saga." I answered. Luell enjoys studying history and science. The same can be said of a loser like me.
"Okay, I gotta take those horrible economics classes, see you later man," he said before leaving.
#
I tried to sleep on the bus for a few minutes but the slight headache caused by the bus movement made that impossible. With a sigh, I lifted my head from the cold window I'd leaned it against, looking at people oblivious to my concerns.
Turning on my phone I noticed several unread messages from different chats, One was painfully sore to look at.
3 unread messages from Mum, With a gloom expression I opened the chat
_Mum_
[6/24, 17:51] Mum: when coming back from work help me collect 2k on credit from Mrs Yale
[6/24, 17:53] Mum: Hello Kordell, pls tell Mrs Yale to send 2k to my account now
[6/24, 17:53] Mum: I need it urgently ans i will give her back
She probably meant 'and'.
Feeling a little nauseous I shoved my phone back in my pocket.
#
The chilly wind rudely greeted me as I came down from the bus. The streets were bustling, actually it seemed more like it was coming alive. Vehicles though were stuck in traffic, moving so slowly they seemed like giant tortoise crawling on the road.
Using the gas station to cut the ridiculous bend, I greeted some elderly people I knew, though most of them responded mildy, some didn't.
Entering Gordon street, I stopped at Mrs Yale's kiosk and greeted her.
"Good afternoon Mrs Yale."
The middle aged woman gave a quick reply and attended to some customers.Of course I didn't mind waiting for her to get to my turn, and soon she did.
"Hello Kordell, what do you need?" she asked.
Nervously chuckling I said in a low voice
"My mum said could you send 2k to her account, she'll pay back later."
I could see the reaction my words brought to her, it was only for a second though, but I could still see it. With an annoyed sigh she said
"Alright tell her I'll send it, but the total she's owing me should be-"
"6500 Ma, I haven't forgotten" I said.
"Alright "
"Thank you Ma, I'll be on my way now."
#
I entered the house as the report came,
The silent television screen flickered with images of chaos and unrest, broadcasting the rebellion unfolding in the distant nation of Great Duteria. The streets were ablaze with fiery passion, as brave protesters faced off against a formidable regime, their determination radiating through the screen. Smoke billowed from the barricades, echoing the cries for justice and freedom that were left unspoken but felt deeply.
I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
I took some money out of my wallet, threw it in one of the kitchen drawers, then went into the shower.
When I was in bed, I took out my phone and started answering chats. ....Most of them were GC messages, hardly anyone else is texting me. sad no? I know.
I grabbed the old MP3 player from the trash heap on the chair. Unlike most people, I'm not on the cutting edge of the music most people listen to, preferring to listen to the phonk genre. As the sounds of the digital beats filled my ears, my mind fell asleep. Mom came back around 7am, I ran some errands for her and quickly retired to my room.
#
Over the next few days I continued my boring and monotonous life.
"...so that's what it's about, what do you think?" Luell's voice came into focus as my mind was brought back to the cafe I work part time at.
He was sitting on a stool near the counter , while I served him some black tea. Sasha my co-worker was currently on break and the Cafe was mostly empty so we could talk about anything here.
"Hmm? oh yeah sure I think you should go for it." I answered absent-mindedly.
Luell gave me a curious glance, then said in a caring tone.
"You know Kordell these days you've been less and less active, the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Oh don't mind me, I'm just drifting. I don't what to do with myself, but you don't need to worry about that."
Currently 17 and I was having issues with my grades despite being hailed as a genius as a kid, I wasn't good in combat so I also couldn't join the army.
These days I feel like there's a gloomy filter allover my life.
If only I had a good trait then I could probably join the army or become a beholder protector.
The Keepers were gifted men with different abilities. These abilities are gotten from traits, the Keepers hold one or more of these so called traits, hence the name Keepers. The traits ranged from Mundane to useless to supernatural. Someone with a good trait like the fire blood will have fire related abilities. Most people didn't have traits even most soldiers don't, except rare beholders special forces.
Most protectors and soldiers weren't beholders. The protectors basically took care of beholder and supernatural matters, making sure beholders didn't abuse their powers, finding unregistered beholders, having districts and protecting internal peace of a designated district.
There were a lot of things the protectors did, it wasn't just limited to law enforcement, there was espionage, informants, specialists, the list just went on.
In truth protectors are just a part of clans that ruled the kingdom.
After a few minutes of chatting with Luell about civilian matters, he left the Cafe and Sasha came back.
#
8:36pm
I was done with my shift, walking down the street with my hands buried in my sweat shirt pocket.
"Damn I hate the cold!"
If there was one thing I despised it was cold weather, it was the perfect condition for one to easily fall sick, and mind you I easily fall sick!
I got to the bus stop and waited for a bus.
While waiting, two men dressed in grey coats walked towards me.
They were protectors.
"Good afternoon I'm Micheal and I'm sorry for bothering you, but I and my colleague need your help." Michael greeted.
He seemed to be in his early thirties. He had a sharp face with little tufts of hair sprouting from his chin.
"Sure what do you need?" I replied casually.
"Ryt give me the photo." Micheal asked his colleague Ryt.
Ryt was abnormally huge, as a giant he probably stood around 2 meters tall.
His skin was abnormally pale with a tinge of blue and he had a wide chin. He's dark green eyes were sharp and focused, like a predator. He must be of an orc descent.
It's common knowledge that at the beginning of the Fourth Calendar Era, the different races; Humans, orcs, elves and dwarves began interracial breeding. The calamity of the previous calendar era, The plagues, had wiped most of the population, some way or another people found out children born from inbreeding were more likely to get infected by the plagues. So people began interracial marriages and the offsprings had stronger genes than the parents, that was essentially how the people survived the plagues.
The result of the new breeding practices was the unification of the four races into a single race, man. Although you can tell some people's ancestry by hereditary traits. For example, people with slightly pointy ears were probably of elven lineage, giants with abnormally pale bodies that had a tinge of blue or green were of orc lineage, people of dwarven lineage were not easy to spot, but they were somewhat short and somewhat muscular.
I saw Ryt pull a brown paper bag out of his pocket and give it to Michael. Michael pulled out a photo from the envelope. It featured a photo of a stunning redhead beauty who was probably in her late twenties. She had a birthmark on the left side of her neck, her red eyes looked sharp enough to pierce the photo and reality itself, and her lips formed a reassuring smile. "Uh no, I don't think so?" I answered.
Michael looked at me and asked again. "Are you sure you haven't seen her?" Please try to remember. Perhaps in a secluded alley or under a bridge?
This time his voice was a little different, somewhat enchanting, as if compelling me to poor my heart's secrets to him.
I contemplated in thought for a while, searching my memories for any clues, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember.
"No I haven't seen her, but if I do I'll report to the nearest protectors station."
Mike asked a few more questions till he was satisfied.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation, Me and my associate will be going now." This time he seemed convinced.
Returning the envelope to Ryt, both men walked down the street before disappearing round a curve.
#
While waiting for the bus, I got tired of standing and decided to sit on the bench.
Rain came pouring heavily, and lightning lit up the dark night.
"I wonder what Luell's doing right now"
My mind suddenly thought of my friend. I walked away from most people, but he didn't seem ready to leave me. It was kind of annoying, but also somewhat nice.
As the downpour continued, I dozed off to the sounds of the pitter patter rain drops.