Genesis

Chapter 1: The Midst of a Storm

I clutched my legs tightly to my chest as I huddled within a small nook that had formed within the barely noticeable roots of the incredibly large tree. The rain fell around me from off of the thick leaves of the tree. The thick droplets of the heavy rain continuously crashed upon my head, soaking my clothes through to the bone.

The rain was freezing, but I felt entirely unaffected by it. Not once did it cause me to shiver. My body was resistant to the throng of extreme temperatures. The heat of an intense fire couldn't harm me, just as the chill of a deep cold could do nothing to me.

The storm clouded my surroundings. As it hit the ground, the water began to rise up again in a cold mist that blocked anything more than ten feet in front of me from view. However, ten feet in front of me began a massive crater that sunk fifteen feet into the ground at its center and rippled out.

The crater was something I had formed as I fell from the sky. I only recently awoke within it. I was nearly completely covered in a pool of water. There was no telling how long ago the storm had started, or how long ago it had been since I crashed through the forest's dense canopy.

The crater was filled with pieces of shattered trees and broken, knife-like pieces of shrubbery, as well as hundreds of leaves that must have dropped from the canopy as I crippled its branches. Off the center of the crater an entire husk of a tree lay stretched across.

Two things were on my mind. Firstly, that I had no earthly idea where I was, which was slightly ironic. I was pretty sure I wasn't on Earth any more. Secondly, I couldn't remember much about who I was, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there were people important to me who's faces and names I just couldn't recall.

I could remember some things. My name is Korbin. I was born on Earth. I had power, and a lot of it. And, finally, that not too long ago I was afraid, but I couldn't remember why. I had never felt afraid before, but the emotion still clung heavily to my mind.

What could it have been that imprinted such fear upon my brain?

A loud clap of thunder sounded and shocked me out of my thoughts. When I had first woken up, lying in the midst of that pool, once I shook off the nausea and shock, I shot into the skies. The mist above the tree line was lessened from below and allowed me greater sight of my surroundings than a horde of trees could.

The forest canopy spread out like a sea for an eternity. Far off in the distance, to the west, I could see a large field through the rain, but the rain shadow blocked most sight. Off to the east, barely in range, a host of mountains rose up high into the sky. From my height, measuring out the distance mentally, it would take weeks on foot to reach it, but I could fly. If I wanted to go there, I could reach it in an hour or two.

Maybe I would head in either direction eventually, but any travel would be suspended right now by the storm. Right now it would be best to stay where I was. There was no use in losing my way now. Maybe it would be beneficial for me to remember where I was.

My stomach growled.

Where would I find food? There was no telling how long I would be here for, no way to know what I would do. From what I knew, no physical object had the capacity to kill me, but could I die of hunger? I know that my body doesn't suck up its energy from the sun. There wasn't one right now anyway.

I had never particularly felt afraid for my life before. I have always been confident in my abilities to take care of myself. I'm not stupid either. I know a lot about Earth. But, then again, this wasn't Earth. Everything here could be completely different. The beasts may not give nourishment. That would be weird, but it was a possibility.

Was there life on this planet? There were trees, so there had to be some sort of life here. There was at least oxygen. But, given the fact that I could breathe underwater, there was no telling if what I was breathing was even the same sort of air I was used to back home. I had never honed my senses enough to be able to tell the difference.

I could breathe, that's what mattered; but, regardless, I was still hungry.

It took hours for the storm to stop, and it was well into the day before the thick mist cleared up and allowed me to see. I had fallen asleep to the constant pitter patter of the rain. I thought I wasn't tired, but, apparently, I had been more exhausted than I forced myself to believe I was.

The grass at my feet hung heavily with the drops of rain that still clung to them. My clothes were soaked, but small parts of them seemed to be hinting at drying off. I decided to speed up the process.

I leapt into the air, spinning in a tight twirl and flinging droplets in every direction. By the time I stopped, most of the water had been forced out of my clothing. It left me almost dry, but not completely.

The inseam of my pants decided that it didn't want to release its water. Apparently, I would be required to walk around with a wet spot between my legs. That was unacceptable.

I pulled my pants off and started swirling them around until they became a blur. After nearly a minute of constant spinning I finally decided that they were dry enough to put on again.

I slid them on quickly, as if someone or something could walk up at any moment and see me in my underwear. I don't know if I would be embarrassed, frightened, or confused. Any one of those things would be right emotions to feel. I knew nothing about the planet I was on, if it was even a planet.

Could something with so much flora not be considered a planet? I guess Endor was considered a moon. Why couldn't this be?

I looked down at my right hand and turned it upside down. I observed the ring that circled my ring finger. My father had given the silver circlet to me when I was thirteen. He had said that it once belonged to his brother, but refused to say anything more about it. Before he had given me the ring he never said a word about having a brother. The way he spoke about him, though, implied that he didn't want me asking questions. I inevitably had to let it go.

I pulled the ring off my finger and held it up to my eyes, spinning it slowly.

Fire cannot be quenched by pride, only muffled beneath its weight.

The inscription swirled around the inside of the ring. It was small, but my eyes were among the best in the world. I could read it clearly.

Don't expect some long, drawn out explanation of what it means. I don't know what it could mean, or even why it should be important to me. My father had told me that one day I would understand its purpose. It had been three years, and I've looked at the words at least once a day, more in the beginning. Still, the words meant nothing.

I slid the ring back on my finger. Now wasn't really the time to ponder my life. I needed to find food, or at least find some way to start acquiring it, but then I would also have to find it, so, yeah. But first, I had to pee.

I walked over to a nearby bush and dropped my pants to my ankles. No one was going to be around. Who was there to care if my butt was hanging out and I was full monty?