Chapter 1 – Lost
"Lexington, awaken."
Lexington opened his eyes and saw the blue of the sky. He clenched his fists and felt small rocks move through his fingers.
Where am I? he wondered.
Soreness coursed through his body. He had no recollection of what happened before he arrived wherever he was. He slowly sat up and felt his head rush. He had no bearings. His white robe was tattered and ripped at the ends. His belt was loose and he felt the coarseness of the small rocks graze against the palms of his hands and the back of his legs. He shook his head.
He panned around and saw only rocks and various desert plants. Shade was sparse, but he realized it was that hot. Although the sun was bearing down on him, he felt no discomfort in its warmth. He decided to stand despite the extra effort it required.
Once on his feet, Lexington tried to lift off the ground. Flying would be much easier than walking, but he could not. Had he lost his ability to fly permanently, he wondered. He assumed that the time was noon by the sun being directly above him. Because of this, he again realized he had no bearings of north or south. He just started walking. The soreness in his right calf was slowing him down. He realized if he kept walking gingerly that he wouldn't walk in a straight pace. He forced his right leg to walk normally while grimacing at the pain.
Being a Celestial, he wasn't accustomed to this sort of muscle soreness. Aside from this, he was also worried that he could not fly nor did he have any recollection of how he arrived in the desert.
Have I fallen? He wondered.
He had also realized that he no longer had Aequitas, his obsidian longsword. Normally, he would be able to summon it at a whim, but no longer. Fear suddenly gripped him. He could no longer fly nor defend himself with a weapon. But what, in this place, would harm him? There's nothing around. There's no one around.
The soreness that originated in his right calf had spread to his entire right leg. The favoring of his left leg started to worry him. He knew that soon he would start walking in circles without any sense of direction and that his left leg would also grow sore.
Fortunately, the sun was towards his back. He knew now that he had been walking east this whole time. Unfortunately, he still had no idea where he was going or how he would return home. To make matters worse, his head and arms were getting increasingly heavy. Thirst and hunger also plagued him. Soreness? Hunger? These sensations were unknown to Celestials. Without a doubt, he knew that he was now a human and he was dying. But at the same time, if he died, would he not simply end up back home with his kin and King?
He didn't know - not for sure at least. The rules with his kind are different than with humans. He worried. Fatigue had set in at this point and he knew it would not be long before he could walk no longer. Despite his dismay, he admired the beauty created by the long shadows cast by the setting sun. His right leg finally gave in and he felt him self fall. Fortunately, the sand was soft. He gave one last passing glance and saw a faint light up ahead, but couldn't make out what it was.
Night had fallen and he could already feel comfort of the cool breeze, but he was still thirsty and hungry. He heard voices.
Delusion setting in, not a good sign he thought.
But the voices were real, he knew this the moment he felt hands upon him.
Then black.
---
Lexington once again opened his eyes. White. His eyes slowly gained focus to the crusty surface of a ceiling of a well-lit room.
"Am I dead" he said aloud.
"No, son, you're very much alive. Drink." replied a husky voice.
Lexington sat up again using more effort than he initially thought he needed. He grabbed the small cup on his bedside table and drank. The water was soothingly cool. The soreness in his arms and back forced him to lie back down.
"Where am I?" Lexington asked.
"You are in the home of Albeus, the lord of Shantei."
Lexington turned to see a tall stocky man with a thick black beard standing erect by the door. He knew that this man had to be a soldier of some sort although he wore no armor, but instead was dressed in thick canvas like material with a sword sheathed at his side.
"Are you Albeus?"
"No, my name is Mardul. I am Albeus' headguard. My men found you wandering in from the Badlands."
Lexington closed his eyes again. The weight of his eyelids was unbearable.
"What, may I ask, were you doing in the Badlands?"
What was I doing? Lexington paused to think. With his eyes remained closed, and he replied "I don't know. I don't remember how I got there."
Mardul gave a slight grunt. "There's no way you could have survived the Badlands for long. I find this hard to believe simply because we are at the very edge of the Badlands."
"What is the Badlands?"
"The Badlands is a vast desert and it is surrounded by the Dead Ocean. Despite it's name, the Dead Ocean has long been plagued by violent storms. Those who favor life know to avoid the Dead Ocean by all means necessary. It is because of the Dead Ocean that the Badlands remains uninhabited save for Shantei. Shantei survives only because of the River Luildel and the few vessels that stop by. It is amazing that you were able to walk out of the Badlands with your life. You must be blessed."
Blessed Lexington thought to himself before passing out.
---
Lexington awoke once again to the white ceiling of the room he had been staying in. The light that poured in from his balcony window was softened by the billowing beige curtains. He sat up and stretched his legs. He felt surprisingly well. He stood up and walked out to the balcony and peered over what was a humble village. There were maybe two dozen homes and a few large town centers. All the buildings were made out of the same white clay that was used to build the large manor of Albeus, lord of Shantei.
The sound of faint moaning echoed from a particular nearby building. It was a bit larger than the other homes. At first, Lexington was alarmed, but then he did vaguely remember of meeting places that humans used in a carnal sense. The particular term escaped him, but he knew the house was used for unbridled pleasure in exchange for goods. He shook his head in disgust.
Another set of moaning and grunting gave Lexington reason to leave over the edge of his balcony. He saw a thinly framed man with a heavyset woman with unsettlingly large breasts.
Fornicators.
Lexington had never witnessed the act of humans engaging in sex, but it was surely an interesting sight. Celestials never engaged in sexual acts due to the lack for need to procreate. Celestials were soldiers for the Omnipotent and had no time for carnal distractions. He leaned himself against the balcony and the adjacent wall and continued to watch the fornicators.
The thin man was standing while squeezing the breasts of the fat woman who was on her back. Her legs were spread while the thin man kept thrusting himself into her. Lexington noticed a swelling in his pants, something new to him though he understood the reaction. The sensation worried him. The more human he was the farther he was from being a Celestial. He turned his focus back on the rest of the village.
At first, Lexington had though Shantei was a city or a nation but it was not so. The walls that surrounded Shantei were a little taller than the average man and were not very thick. There were no gates to the village but instead were simple openings. Lexington was well aware of the brutal and warring nature of man and was surprised to find a village so poorly defended. Shantei was open to attack from anyone. But then again, who would want to attack Shantei? Aside from being a humble village, Shantei was merely the last stop to certain death - that death being the Badlands.
As humble as Shantei was, the village was crowded. He could already tell apart the travelers from the natives. Most of the natives were women and surprisingly beautiful while the travelers well all men and accompanied by camels or horses. The natives were lightly clothed due to the heat and the few travelers were heavily clothed to protect themselves from the weathering desert sands. From his balcony, he could also see the River Luildel and its one bridge. The bridge was oddly thin yet rose very high for such a wide river. He could also see the small empty stretch of trodden dirt that led from the city to the bridge. He could tell that not many people traveled to Shantei. Again, he wondered why anyone would.
---
With his strength returned, Lexington set his sights on finding how he was no longer a Celestial, yet he didn't know where to start. All he knew was that he woke up in a desert and was two week's journey from the nearest city by boat. But even if he left, he wouldn't know where to go. Lexington sat in his bed, face in his palms, and sulked.
