In the heart of Botswana, nestled along Majane Road, lies a village called, Gouna. A place where the rules of society bend and twist in unusual ways. It is a village without a chief, where the people, all descendants of the Tswana tribe, live in harmony, treating one another as equals. Here, everyone is free to speak their mind, share their dreams, and work together as a close-knit community.
Among these villagers is a boy known as Medina. He is the heart of Gouna, loved by all for his unwavering loyalty and commitment. Medina's role in the village is unique. As the messenger and delivery boy, he carries messages, brings lost people back, and finds objects that others cannot. One such object, the Soulfinder, appears at least twice a year, aMedina is always the one to retrieve it. His knack for finding lost things earns him the nickname "Megafinder" among the villagers.
Medina, though, is no ordinary boy. He grew up without parents and, though surrounded by the warmth of the village, is still on a quest to discover who he truly is. He doesn't question his tasks, no matter how strange or mysterious they may seem. He is driven by the attention and affection he receives, and by a deeper, unspoken desire to find his purpose in life.
One day, while returning from his latest mission retrieving yet another Soulfinder, Medina encounters something that will change his life forever.
Medina floated silently through the dense woods, the newly recovered Soulfinder glowing faintly in his gloved hands. It was a strange object smooth, cold, and pulsing with a life of its own. Though he had retrieved it many times before, he never understood its true purpose. It always disappeared into the care of the elders, who offered no explanation.
As he moved through the forest, his mind drifted to his own mystery. Who were his parents? Why was he different from the others in the village? His ability to float, his unique connection to the Soulfinder, and the odd whispers he sometimes heard when near it all of it weighed heavily on his mind.
But tonight, his questions would find a strange beginning.
Medina stopped abruptly. In the shadows ahead, as a figure emerged from them, it was a being unlike anything he'd ever seen. Its upper half resembled a human woman, but its lower half was not whole or solid and incorporeal as his.
"Who are you?" Medina called out, his voice steady despite the unease creeping through him.
The being tilted its head and smiled, an unsettling, wide grin that revealed sharp teeth. "I am Jusky. And you?"
"I'm Medina," he said cautiously, gripping the Soulfinder tighter. He had encountered wild animals and strange happenings in the woods before, but this was entirely different.
"What kind of creature are you? How is your lower half… not solid?"
Jusky's grin faltered as she noticed something equally odd about Medina. She gasped, pointing at his feet. "And what are you? You're floating! No creature moves like that!"
The two stared at one another, each seeing something unfamiliar and unsettling. Jusky's fear took hold, and she turned to flee. But running through the dense forest was no match for Medina's gliding movement. He caught up to her with ease.
"Stop!" he demanded, grabbing her arm.
"Let me go!" Jusky screamed, struggling to break free.
Medina hesitated. The Soulfinder pulsed in his hand, its glow intensifying. He remembered the warnings of the elders: Never touch anyone with bare hands while holding the Soulfinder. But Jusky's thrashing left him no choice. His glove slipped off, and his bare hand brushed her skin.
The forest exploded with light.
*A Vision Unveiled*
Medina was blinded by the brightness. In the light, visions unfolded before his eyes, he saw a Vision of his parents, their faces blurred but unmistakably filled with love; a younger version of himself, bound by a mysterious force; the villagers standing over him, whispering words he could not hear.
The craviyal that had bound his legs for as long as he could remember began to unravel, its dark tendrils falling away. For the first time, Medina's legs were free, but they were weak and unsteady. The craviyal slithered away like a living thing, leaving Medina to collapse to the ground.
"What is happening to me?" he cried out, panic gripping his chest. "Am I dying?"
The craviyal's voice echoed in his mind. "You broke the rules. You touched the Soulfinder. You are no longer my master."
Medina watched helplessly as it disappeared into the woods.
*An Unlikely Alliance*
Jusky, who had been knocked unconscious by the light, stirred awake moments later. She found Medina on the ground, sobbing.
"What did you do to me?" she demanded, keeping her distance. "Why are you crying? Did you think you killed me?"
"I..... I don't know what's happening," Medina said, his voice trembling. "I can't move my lower part is unrecognisable. I have become like you."
Jusky hesitated. Despite her fear, she couldn't bring herself to leave him. "You can't move, can you?"
"No," Medina admitted.
After a long pause, Jusky sighed and crouched beside him. "Fine. I'll help you for now. But don't get any ideas."
She hoisted him onto her back, and together they made their way to a nearby abandoned house.
*A Fragile Partnership*
Over the days that followed, Jusky and Medina worked together to help him regain his mobility. Jusky crafted wooden supports to aid him, while Medina, still reeling from the loss of the craviyal, shared stories of Gouna and the mysterious Soulfinder.
Jusky, in turn, revealed her own troubled past. An outcast in her village, she was seen as a bad omen and shunned by her people. The two found solace in their shared loneliness, though neither fully trusted the other.
Weeks turned into months, and Medina's legs grew stronger. Slowly, he began to walk on his own, though it was a painstaking process. Jusky, meanwhile, started to see Medina not as a threat but as a kindred spirit.
*A New Journey*
After a year and a half, Medina was finally able to walk unaided. Grateful for Jusky's help, he offered her a place in Gouna, promising her a fresh start in the village that had always been his home.
Jusky hesitated. "Do you really think your people will accept me? Someone like me?"
"They'll see what I see," Medina said. "A brave, kind soul who saved me when no one else would, even when my craviyal couldn't. I have to show them that they should not be afraid of the Soulfinder as they still have hope of moving without the craviyal. "
Jusky smiled for the first time in a long while. "Then let's go."
Together, they planned for the journey back to Gouna. Medina had to find his village again as he no longer had the craviyal that used to guide him back. They wanted to give the village elders the Soulfinder they have in hopes for answers concerning it, as it has been a symbol of mystery and power, for a long time and Medina's connection to it had been irrevocably altered.
**What awaited them in Gouna would test their bond, their courage, and their understanding of who they truly were.**
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