A middle age man with brown hair walks down a set of stairs toward the second floor of a construction project. He is among a large group of others who are diligently working to erect a 4 story building. A skeletal framework of metal is built along the projected sides of the building, and large mounds of metal and wood are surrounding the structure.

Klay stands to my left, and I relay to him instructions he will feed the workers. I look and say, “We need a better way than people to carry these materials...Is there any animals or other things we can use? ”

“The largest animal around here is the goth. They are way too rare to use like that, and...Well son let’s just say I hope you never see one.”

I almost fall onto the upturned clay I’m standing on. The unexpected comment makes me spill the drink I have in my glass. I look down and regret losing it in my small fit.

“I can tell Dad. They sound terrifying,” I say while raising my voice.

“Haha. You know it didn’t take long for you to start talking back. Make fun of me all you want. I promise Goths are death incarnate. You should be thankful they haven’t attacked recently.” he says while hugging himself and shivering slightly.

“Or you should be thankful of forces you don’t understand,” I say while looking at him and winking.

“Cryptic as always I see,” Klay says while walking up to a random man to give him directions. The man nods and heads back to go and help a group of 6 other men carry a large pariah glass gerder. I smack my forehead as I watch the least effective method of moving large materials ever.

“The damned Fauraks won’t cooperate now matter what I try. Is there any other animals? Like any large mammal creatures? On the mainland maybe ?” I say while pulling my hair.

“Not that I recall….Well you know about the juklo right?” he says while crossing one arm and pointing the other hand at me.

I rub my brow as I say, “I have definitely asked this before. You have never brought this up. Gimme ten years and I’ll make a metal moo-I mean Faurak and it will do whatever I tell it to. Until then we are stuck. ”

Klay scratches his head for a second before asking, “Can you tell me why you need these so bad?”

I go and put one hand on his shoulder before saying, “I...I know its hard to picture. But imagine if we had the moose carrying these materials. We could feed it grass, and it would move this for us. We could use its manure for fertilizer, milk for food, and maybe even travel. Think about riding one to Baltora. We could go to its towns in weeks instead of years.”

“I just don’t see that as a hugely beneficial thing. I haven’t been to the mainland, but I can’t imagine a land that uses animals for that sort of stuff...” he says.

“I know. What animals live in the badlands?”I ask while grabbing his other shoulder and raising my eyebrows.

Klay’s brow lowers, and his voice deepens as he says, “We don’t go to the badlands. I won’t take you there. Goths get thicker as you approach the Baltaria sea. The beasts can make you mad just by gazing at them...I’m not joking.”

I hold my hands in front of my face and shake them. I can’t believe I’m having this conversation. I killed at least 30 goths 2 years ago, and now my dad is preaching to me about saving myself from them.

“How about this dad. I am going to take a map. I am then going straight into the Badlands. I will destroy goths with my power, and return with some beasts of burden to save those poor...” I glance over at the men, “ poor souls from lifting or dragging hundreds of pounds with just their arms.”

“This isn’t a violation of human decency son. Nobody here is asking you to go risk it all for some hope somewhere. The people here need us.” my father says while raising leaning forward and flaring his arms outwards.

“Nobody asks me to do anything. Maybe I just want an excuse to explore the world for awhile? How long would it take to walk the all the coasts of Lorscall?” I ask.

“At least 10 lifetimes.”

“What about going through the badlands. What is on the other side? Some immigrants come from that direction,” I say.

“There is Centra...But besides that it’s just the Wilds, Son. This world is larger than any human can know. All I know is explorers either never come back because they die. How about you go to Baltora and see if you can find something? That sounds infinitely better,” he says while pointing towards the South East.

“I know! What’s that dessert to the south?”I ask while shaking the man by his arms.

“Slane? It’s got a few places. Why?” he asks.

“Civilization had to form for some reason right? Plus I can get close if I....How close is the southern point of Baltora from there?” I say.

“Fairly close. Maybe 4-500 miles away,” he says.

I cringe at the news. It is an incredibly far distance. It seems the world is much larger than earth. Gravity is stronger...I guess time is the only true measure of distance...

“Is there really no way to leave and be back in less than a year?” I say.

My dad keels over while laughing before he can stutter out, “A year? Haha! You would be lucky to make it to Baltora in a year. Much less come back.”

I furrow my eyebrows and stare the man down until he stops laughing. The world is cruel. It has gigantic apocalypse fairies, gurgling tentacle sacks, but no fucking horses…

“ I wonder...Can I use my power to make a horse...Dna...” I mutter softly.

“What? Dna? ”my dad asks while shaking his head slightly.

“Nothing dad. How about we go through the badlands into Centra? How far is that?” I ask.

“Going around takes 6 months. I’d say….1 month straight through, but that’s impossible,” he says.

“Alright. Sounds good. Let's go get the map and go to Centra through the badlands. I need you and 3 others,” I say while imaginarily grabbing him and others to follow me.

“Son no. I won’t...” he says while shaking his head.

“Dad. I think it’s about time I show you something,” I say as I point towards the forest.

My dad looks at me with a questioning gaze before following. We walk past the turned up dirt on the construction site to some nearby grass. After that we reach the border of the forest and enter. The large evergreen trees block out the sun with airtight locks of green, and the ground becomes uneven and jagged.

We reach a decently far away spot before I stop. I point my dad towards a rock to sit on. After he arrives I change my pointing finger towards an evergreen tree.

“So dad. I was ‘gifted’ right? Please check this,” I say as the air around me shimmers.

Tiny glimmers of bent light flicker around me, and the ground lightly shakes as I point my arm at the tree. I open my fingers and the tree bends like a ripple of light is warping it. Moments later the tree falls down with the hiss of sand. The 300 foot tall tree hisses loudly as the last bits of sand come falling down.

I turn to face my dad. He gawks like I walked upon water. Every facial muscle tries to pull his jaw lower, but it hit its limit. He slowly loses balance and falls over like a statue. The man hits the dirt without blinking.

My nerves heat my face, and I start to blink shyly. The man continues to remain frozen in the ground before slowly raising himself. He looks back at the pile of sand then to me. He repeats the action twice more before finally speaking.

“....You....How long?” he says while going and picking some of the sand up.

“Since the great light,” I declare.

“You...You made the desert years ago?” he says.

“Every goth since then has been killed by me. I’ve killed dozens.”

“You...This is...” he grabs his head and starts to stumble.

I run to catch him and help him sit down on the rock again. He grasps his head as though bludgeoned by the recent news. I see him stare a thousand yards deep through the ground while he sits. I wait for another 15 minutes before he swallows deeply, pats his shirt, and stands up.

“I see. You can’t use this much Nox. Each time will cost you, but...” he stares back at the pile of sand, “I can see you have...Talent. I still don’t like the idea of going to the badlands, but...If having these animals will help us like you say...How can I...Say no to someone who has saved our lives countless times? You said you need three right?” he says while coming closer to me.

“I think that will do,” I say while clenching my shirts sides.

“Don’t worry son. I don’t know a father who would hate his son for being so...Interesting. Really I can’t be more proud of you...It’s just surreal,” he says while he gently rustles the hair on my head.

“Not the first time I’ve blown expectations right? Seems like something I just do,” I say while giving him a curly smile.

“Now! Who are we bringing? I want some rugged people,” I say.

“I’ll get you who you’re looking for. Now we need to make sure the construction project goes as planned. We gathered at least a hundred people to work on it for the next week. Can’t keep them waiting...” he says.

Several hours pass as we spend the day working on the project. I help sometimes when directing people, and my dad plays the role of a construction leader aptly. I think my dad would have been better as an actor. When the sun sets, a small framework made of wood and red glass is slowly being built. In the distance behind it a large collection of pink leaved pariah trees are being grown and cultivated.

The influx of manual labor and my knowhow have combined to make Tauss the production capital of Lorscall. We make pariah glass, wood, steel, and soon we will make oil...Oil is the hardest thing to convince people that we need, but at this point they almost brainlessly follow my orders...I think it’s better that way.

I walk through the winding pathways to see many half finished construction projects. Large piles of bricks or plates made of the moldable pariah glass lay everywhere. The glass’s durability outranks steel, so people use the material for everything. Steel will still need to be used for many different buildings because it does not shatter like pariah does whenever it breaks, but the look and feel of the red glass glistens aesthetically.

I walk to the center of town where all of the roads have already been cobbled with perfectly square pariah glass, and my breathe is shortly taken away. The city has become a gem near the courthouse. I look to see shops lined with fanciful architect only possible because of pariah, and large wooden columns and furniture amply supplied by the surrounding forest.

I reach my favorite place to eat close to the center of town. I open the wooden doors to reveal a lively bar. Many townsfolk are dancing and drinking. The people smile as though they are living wonderful lives, and softly grin.

At this point I walk through the crowd and see a familiar sight. man is slumped over a barstool made of wood, and has his head hanging low. He grabs his mug and stares into it like a bottomless pit. I see a single tear fall onto the table.

The short man is an all too familiar sight. At this point seeing him creates fissures in my heart and fills them with tar. I approach the raging inferno, and stick my hand into the flame when I say, “Guaro...How’s the drink?”

The old man stiffens as he hears my voice, and grabs a napkin to quickly clean his face. I see him pick a mug up and turn around. Somehow his face has recovered much of its lost vigor whenever he finally replies with, “Fine my young Waulack! Care to sit with me at one of the booths?”

I see his disguise, but I allow the survival of his dignity. I order steak and youse, and we walk toward a private booth out back. The wood embellishes the pariah that pervades the interior design. Guaro says, “I saw you helping your dear old dad! You too make quite the team whenever you put your mind to it.”

“I can only do it through the enrapturing leadership one of my closest subordinates brings to the table,” I say while throwing him a wink and a nod.

“If I can help the town in any way I am ever so inclined to do so. With you as a leader, I know I can follow. Cheers to you, kid,” he says while raising his glass and putting his other hand around my shoulder. The alcohol reeks from his breathe, and especially off his drawling voice.

I raise my glass of water obediently, and he breaks the glass with his mug. He stares at it for a second before laying his mug down. He chugs the entire glass before laying it down and staring at me. I see his flushed, fatty face, and my vision blurs while my throat constricts.

The man reddens and grimaces for a half second before regaining control and saying, “I am just so glad...I have something to throw this meaningless life at...”

I cringe at the compliment thrown at the man he does not know is responsible for his sadness. My field of vision slightly blurs and tilts. My secret sears my mind and I eventually see them fall out of my skull onto the ground. The black sludge dripping from my skull ruins my very plane of existence. They vaporize into a dark gas that poisons the air of the room.

I flinch away from the sight as Guaro says, “Young Waulak. Don’t cry for me...I’m only as happy as can be knowing I serve the greater good,” he says while wrapping his hand around the side of my neck and shoulder.

I open my mouth frantically to tell him about the black sludge when a dark shadow forms off of his hand and shrouds parts of my body. My guilt bubbles black in the shadows, and I look up to see the man putting on a smile for me. He says, “...You know...I love you Nox. I can’t say you're perfect. Too bossy at times, and too clever at others, but you do what you think is right no matter what. If it wasn’t for you...I don’t know where I would be...” he says while tears freely flow from his face.

Mental anguish cascades onto my very soul. Hot streams of water so toxic it poisons the world’s innocence pour from my hollow eyes. The space around him distorts, and I stand up while maintaining eye contact.

I break into a run before the situation consumes me. I run out of the bar. I run past the paved streets of red onto the older roads of cobble. I run past the bad part of town with only dirt roads and desperate shanty towns surrounding its edge. I run into the forest dark as death at night.

I awake from a trance to find myself somewhere very far away from Tauss. I breathe with stripped lungs as I continue to run. A lake is near the edge of my vision.Stopping in front of the lake, I collapse on my knees and stare towards it.

“AHHHH! Wahhhh. Ahhhhh….” I wail towards the lake. I see the two moons softly reflect from the still lake water. Stars I don’t remember stare back at me through the mirror like surface. Complete silence momentarily appears before disappearing in the wind.

I look up and lament one last time. I stare back down into the lake and see my reflection...And another robed figure standing behind me…