Another day of fishing, another day of staring into the abyss and praying for something exciting to happen. Has all my accomplishments and trials been leading to this moment? Spending my last decade of life alone in a miserable forest in a godforsaken valley in the outskirts of civilization?
Who knew retirement could be so boring! I spent fifty god damn years in the army working my ass off to become a General so that I could earn enough gold to retire in peace. But now I can’t even enjoy a single day of my well-earned rest without dreaming about my life in the army.
Why the hell did I retire so soon? I was only seventy, there was still a decade worth of fight left in me. Dammit, I should have died on the battlefield in a blaze of glory like in those stories I read as a kid. At least that would have been a quick death. This day in day out of fishing, cooking, shiting, and sleeping till I die is eating away my sanity.
What was I thinking when I chose this land? It’s hundreds of miles away from the rest of humanity. Did this have to be my preferred reward for all my years of service. Oh right, I hated humanity… a bunch of power-hungry, money-grubbing sticky fingers…but they aren’t all bad… no all of them are scum and deserve to burn in hellfire. S***, I am developing a split personality out of sheer boredom!
How about getting a pet? On second thought maybe that isn’t a good idea. I did spend several decades killing beasts I doubt I can stop myself from killing a pet beast if it looked at me the wrong way. Shame my War Horse died in the final battle. He was a fine steed and deserved a good rest for all those years of keeping me alive on the battlefield.
Maybe some farming to keep my mind and body busy? That could work but I would need lots of seeds and tools. Better go on a trip to the nearest town and grab all I need to build a farm. Should I get cattle? No, this will be a vegetable farm. I don’t want my final days cleaning up beast s*** and piss.
I used my old War Axe to cut down a dozen trees then pulled out their roots to clear land for the seeds I would plant. It took a week to clear the land I had selected to grow my future crops. It was hard work but it gave me something to look forward to every day. After that was done I packed up some rations and headed out of the valley I called home.
It took five days for me to travel on foot from my secluded home to the nearest village that had a seed merchant. Along the way, I killed a couple of mountain bandits who were unfortunate enough to block my path and scored a few dozen gold coins that must have been stolen.
I had traded away the last gold I had left on me to buy several small pouches of crop seed and farming tools. Gold wasn’t much use to me as I can live off the land so there wasn’t any reason to keep hoarding it all. Since this was the first time in a long time I went on a trip I decided to indulge myself with a few brew jars using the gold I confiscated from the bandits.
In my youth, I never had much time for farming due to all the training needed to join the army but I do remember the basics to get a successful harvest. All you needed was hard work and enough water to get great crops. I am sure it’s more complicated than that but I have time to learn through trial and error.
On the way back home I passed by a murky lake that had fish leaping out of the water in the hundreds. Their scales glistened the sun’s rays causing them to sparkle as they flapped out of the water. This would have been a fisherman’s dream spot but I knew better than to think they were jumping out of joy.
It was an odd sight but these kinds of events happened on Cormund. Especially when a portal to another world opens up underwater. Usually, underwater portals are connected to the underwater locations in the hidden worlds. When this happened water from that world will flow into Cormund and when it closes the vice versa.
This caused quite a few strange fish and lifeforms to appear in the lakes but since no one knew what came through they generally ignored it unless it came to the surface. This applied to the portals that opened in the air or on land.
However, the Beasts and birds would be noticed by everyone in the area. This meant they would be hunted down by Trophy hunters who could sell their kills to the nobles who fancy eating hidden world meat at their extravagant dinner parties.
I could faintly make out the bright light of the portal emitting its rays of light through the murky lake. Some part of me wanted to go through the portal to explore a new world and see its wonders or horrors. But logic prevailed in the end and I held myself back.
Humans who passed through to our world were ordered to be captured for slavery. Their bodies could not harness our world’s essence nor could they be allowed to wander around freely and upset the status quo with their world’s culture and systems. The same could be applied to me if I went to their world.
It might sound cruel but there is a reason for these harsh sentences. In Cormund’s history, there had been hundreds if not thousands of individuals who arrived here and decided they are going to take over the world with their knowledge from their original world.
Sadly a large majority of those fools were in over their heads. Most were eaten by random beasts or got killed when they arrived at the first human settlement. They did not understand our language, they could not use our monster cores, nor did they have basic outdoor survival skills, and least of all martial art or weapon skills.
Some even thought they were in a fake reality meant for amusement. They ran around stealing and murdering everything they saw hoping to get some ‘EXP’. In the end, the two most powerful kingdoms jointly issued a common decree that all hidden worlders were to be executed on sight or chained up to be sold as slaves.
My Grandfather was a hidden worlder who arrived in Cormund when he was barely five years of age. A young wealthy couple found him on their travels. They decided to adopt him and provide him a home to grow up in. The law turned a blind eye to the couple due to their status but such cases are hardly ever heard off.
The reason why this portal fascinates me is that I hadn’t seen one for nearly twenty years. They all just stopped appearing all of a sudden. The priests in the temple of Rivera were clueless about it as well. There was some mad hater who claimed that the Goddess was dead and our world is cut off from the hidden worlds.
Regardless of why it happened, it did cause a stir but eventually, life carried on. Wars kept happening, murders, thieving, betrayals you name it. No one had the time or knowledge to investigate the disappearance of the portals.
After spending several minutes reminiscing the past I decided to leave. The fish had stopped jumping out of the water and a small whirlpool appeared at the center of the lake which indicated the portal was closing.
Right then my eyes caught sight of the body of a small boy rise to the surface of the lake attached to an inflated orange vest. No one else appeared next to him apart from several blocks of ice.
I noticed the boy was being pulled back into the water due to the whirlpool. I dropped everything I had on me and jumped into the lake and swam as fast I could to save the boy.
He might not survive the return trip from wherever he came from. Luckily the distance wasn’t much, I was able to close the gap in a dozen seconds and managed to pull him towards the shore.
Once my feet were able to find firm footing I lifted the boy out of the lake and placed him on the grass and checked his vitals. He had a lot of bruises along with shallow cuts all over his body but otherwise, his life wasn’t in any danger.
I rolled him to the side and slapped his back a couple of times. His eyes opened up before he coughed out all the lake water in his system. After groaning for a while he slowly looked around his surroundings. Shock and confusion could be seen all over his face.
“Where… where am I?” The boy asked.
Huh? I heard those words before. Wait! Is he speaking English? This is almost too good to be true. I dig through my memories for the right words and reply to him with a laugh.
“Haha! You are in Cormund now boy. You are lucky my grandfather taught me how to speak English otherwise this would be a very difficult conversation.”
The boy looks at me and tilts his head in confusion. He didn’t seem to be registering what I said. Maybe my English was too mangled for him to understand. I rarely met anyone else who knew how to speak English so I might be a bit rusty.
“Where are my parents?” He asked as tears poured out of his eyes.
Oh, damn. This is not going to end well.
“Boy… you were alone when I found you.”
“Alone?”
Great, he understood that word at least. Now here comes the waterworks.
“Yes, alone.”
“I want my parents!”
“That’s not possible, the portal to your world is gone forever.”
I replied while pointing to the center of the lake which had regained its usual tranquility.
“Noooo! I want to go baaaaaccck!” He wailed as he slammed his little fists onto the grass. He kept repeating it over and over again before he curled up and quieted down.
I waited patiently for him to let it all out before asking.
“What’s your name boy?”
He slowly looked up to stare at me with bloodshot eyes and snot running down his nose.
“Ram.”
“How old are you Ram?”
“Ten, I am Ten!”
“Alright, then you are not a little kid anymore. Big boys like you shouldn’t be crying.”
Ram wiped away the tears and snot with his wet sleeve. In a few minutes, he calmed himself down. I had to admit the boy had courage. Not many people who traveled through the portals could adjust so quickly. I guess his young age is playing a big role.
“Old man, I am hungry.”
“I happen to have some jerky… Hey! Don’t call me old man!”
Ram grabbed the jerky pieces I pulled out of the bag that I bought from the village. He began munching on it with gusto and replied with a stuffed face.
“What’s your name then?”
I pondered about it, I couldn’t make a ten-year-old kid address me by my rank of General. It would be odd if he called me by name. I wasn’t his dad or uncle so it would not be right for him to refer me as such.
I let out a defeated sigh.
“Fine, you may call me Old man.”
Ram smiled and nodded as he took another bite out of the jerky piece.
That little punk was enjoying this. Is this how you treat your savior damn brat?
“Old man do you have a house?” Ram asked as he munched on his snack.
“Yes, why did you ask that all of a sudden?”
“I want to sleep in a bed.”
“Oi Oi Oi! Did I say that you are going to live with me? Anyways my house is a day away from here.”
Ram swallowed the last piece of jerky before bringing out the teary eyes. This kid has good acting skills.
“Where will I go?” Ram asked.
The first thing that came to mind was to find an orphanage in a nearby village and dump him there. But then I remembered the fate that awaited the kid if anyone else realized he is a hidden worlder. The law would ignore him if they knew who I was but for how long? Maybe he had a better chance with me than anywhere else.
“I guess there isn’t anywhere else. Alright, but I will make you work for your food and lodging. You are a tenant and nothing more got that!”
“Yay!”
He shot his arms up and began to dance I think. But then he stopped to turn towards me and ask a question.
“What’s a portal?”
It seems he is finally ready to understand what happened to him.
“Well, a portal is what brought you to this world. It’s like a big ring that acts as a door.”
“This is not Earth?”
“No, this is the world of Cormund. But my Grandfather came from Earth as well so we have something in common at least.”
“Any grandkids?”
I nearly coughed out my lungs. Flashbacks of traumatic memories begin bubbling but I quickly extinguish them.
“No, I live alone. Why do you ask?”
“I would have someone to play with or at least their toys.”
For a ten-year-old, he behaved like a five-year-old. Maybe he didn’t have a normal childhood?
“I can make some wooden toys when we get back.”
“Awesome! Thank you thank you!”
Ram yelled as he jumped onto my back. He didn’t weigh much but the jump came out of nowhere. How can he be so intimate with a stranger, didn’t his parents teach him anything? I could be a pedophile for all he knows!
“What do you think you are doing?”
“We are going back to your house right?”
“Yes, but why are you on my back.”
“My daddy used to carry me around when I got sleepy. AHHH I’m so sweepy…”
Ram let out a loud yawn.
“Oi! Wake up…”
Poor kid, he must have been holding out to make sure I didn’t leave him behind. Maybe it won’t be so bad to have him around. I can get free labor to help with the farm. If he is willing to clean up dung then I could add a few livestock.
I gently place the kid in one of the traveling bags. The kid is ten, he doesn’t need to be carried around like a baby. I will treat him as luggage until he learns how to behave.
I pick up the seeds and farming tools from the spot I dropped them. Then I continued with my journey back to my house in the secluded valley. As I walked my mind kept replaying the events that took place along with why they happened to me.
That night after I set up the tent and began roasting the last bits of rations I left in the bag. Ram woke up from his sleep and emerged out of the travel bag to gravitate towards the source of the smell.
“If you listen to my story then I will give you a few pieces.”
“I can eat and listen at the same time!” Ram begged as he salivated.
“Fat Chance! You will fall asleep immediately. Now sit there obediently and I promise you will get to eat something once I am done explaining to you about your new home.”
“Fine!” Ram replied as he pouted. But he did show an interest in what I had to say.
“Every human in Cormund is descended from humans who migrated through the portal you came through for over countless millennia.”
Ram didn’t seem to know most of the words but he did understand the meaning I was trying to convey.
“The portals are the work of the Goddess of Paths ‘Rivera’. According to the book of origins, Cormund was once a lifeless rock with nothing but water and dirt. Goddess Rivera used her portal powers to open gates into all the worlds that exist but can not be seen with human eyes.
First came the plants, trees, and insects. Then came the Ancient beasts. Huge creatures that could change the landscape of the world with their steps alone.”
“Wow! Can I see one of them? They sound like dinosaurs!” Ram exclaimed in joy.
Is that what they called ancient beasts in his world?
“Urgh, Very few of those still exist in this world but their descendants adapted to the new world and diversified into dozens of smaller beast forms. They propagated so much that entire food chains emerged with those beasts serving as the foundation.”
“Circle of life right.” Ram nodded.
“After that came the great migration, it is said a cataclysm destroyed many of the hidden worlds. Rivera used her portal powers to save every species she could from those worlds before they died from starvation and extinction.”
“Like Noah’s ark?” Ram asked curiously.
“I am not sure what you’re referring to but the influx of these species resulted in the ‘Chaotic age’ on Cormund. Every living creature evolved into deadly lifeforms to rise in the ranks of the food chain. The slaughter was so fierce that it is said the landscape and oceans turned red from the blood that was spilled. Every beast developed an inner core that made them capable of harnessing the power of the elements. The landscapes changed once more as Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Spirit, and Blood clashed for dominion.
To solve this Goddess Rivera brought humans to bring order to the chaotic world. Thousands upon thousands arrived from different hidden worlds and different eras of technology. They were all said to be members of great civilizations that each had a thousand years of history. They organized into armies and went about pacifying the lands to build cities and farms. New customs and traditions native to Cormund emerged. The new society was called the Children of Cormund. They are considered the first civilization that our world birthed.”
“Are the Children of Cormund still around?”
“Of course, but they live on a different continent.”
“Different world?”
“No, they live on Cormund but the other side. It is too far for us to go and see them.”
Ram’s stomach rumbled.
“I guess you can eat it now. It’s enough to know on your first day before training.”
“Training? First day? What are you talking about?”
“I believe Goddess Rivera sent you to me for a purpose. I don’t know what it is but I assume it’s to protect and raise you to be a fine warrior.”
“Wow! I can be strong like you?”
“Maybe not as strong as me but strong enough to survive. Now tell me do you know how to fish?”
“No”
“Do you know how to take care of livestock like goats, chicken, and pigs?”
“No”
“Do you know how to hunt small game like rabbits?”
“No”
“Can you shoot an arrow?”
“No”
“Can you water plants?”
“I think so.”
“Rivera have Mercy!”
To be continued…
