Out in the stretches of Africa, there was a large tribe that sat alone. There was nothing but desert surrounding them.
The homes sat made out of mud and grass, wooden poles forming the frames they surrounded.
The men were dressed in animal hide skirts wrapped around their waist. The women were dressed in dresses made of rough leather that was bright orange, reflecting so much light it was nearly blinding.
The men walked around with large, oval shaped shields made of wood frames and string holding leather in place. They wielded long and large wooden spears with metal tips, the only metal the entire tribe had with them.
Each man had a belt of throwing knives above their skirts, ready to be pulled out and used within a single moment’s notice.
They walked through their small village of buildings, music filling the air.
A few people were playing lovely melodies and harmonies on small wooden thumb pianos, while a few others played complicated and intricate rhythms on small wooden and animal hide drums.
“Chima.” One adult man said loudly, speaking in their native tongue.
A young, dark skinned boy ran over with a wide smile.
“What did I tell you about running off on your own?” The Father asked.
“I’m sorry Father. I was just with Waanzi. He was showing me the magic his Father could do.” Chima said.
His Father softly chuckled.
“Oh really? Magic that he can do but I can’t?” He joked as the two began to walk together.
“He was able to make the sand move. It was like a moving painting.” Chima said, sounding enthusiastic.
His Father softly laughed.
“I have taught you the most important magic my Son. Something like that is not needed. It is selfish magic.” His Father said.
“I know all of my magic Father, but I want to know more. I want to know all of magic.” Chima said.
His Father laughed rather loudly as Chima stepped in front of him.
“I am not joking Father.” Chima said.
“I know…that’s why I laughed.” His Father replied.
“Why is that funny?” Chima asked.
His Father sighed as they stopped walking.
They looked out onto the vast expanse of sand and very thin vegetation that was sporadic on the ground.
“The world of magic is one that is larger than our own. It is so large that it would be impossible to learn it all, let alone master it. You need to study the magic that I have shown you, becoming the greatest master of it that the world will ever see.” His Father said.
“Yes Father.” Chima said with a large smile.
He looked up at his Father, who looked forward to see something in the distance.
Chima turned, but all he could see was a cloud of sand and dust flinging into the air.
“Chima…go to your Mother.” His Father said.
Chima looked nervous, until his Father quickly looked down at him.
“Now.” He said with a very serious tone.
Chima ran into the village, but he turned at the first building and leaned against the wall. He looked around the corner as more men wearing the same animal hide skirts and weapons made their way over to stand alongside Chima’s Father.
A group of people dressed head to toe in silver armor were riding majestic, powerful white horses that came to a stop. The sand and dust came in a wave that blasted against the tribe, but the men stood firm and unmoving like statues.
One of the knights began to speak a language that none of the men knew. They looked at each other confused before turning back.
“What brings you here?” Chima’s Father asked.
The knights know looked at each other.
Chima stared forward at the knights, locking onto a crest that covered the chest of the silver skin. They had large rectangular shields made entirely of metal, covered in massive crosses.
Chima was confused.
He had never seen those symbols before.
The knights all dropped down from their horses, marching forward and standing face to face with the men of the tribe.
The knights began to speak very loudly, a language unknown to the men.
“We do not know what you wish for us to do, but we welcome you to our village.” Chima’s Father said, stepping to the side and motioning for the knights to walk.
The knights looked at each other unsure.
One had their hand resting on the hilt of a sword, ready to strike any second.
“Father!” Chima ran over to him.
Chima’s Father looked horrified as the knights all quickly drew their weapons.
Chima stopped in place, fear covering his face as the knights and the men of the tribe all stood ready to fight.
The knights were screaming in their language as Chima’s Father ran to him.
“Chima! What are you doing?” He shouted.
One of the knights suddenly went to slash his sword.
Chima screamed, as he stared at the sword coming down.
The entire body suddenly froze in place, all of the other knights jumping in fear and shock.
“Chima…” His Father said before turning around, seeing the man in silver armor frozen in place.
Chima was breathing heavily as he looked forward.
The knights were confused and afraid, all of them looking around to see if something was the cause of it.
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Chima was sitting on the floor inside of his small home, curled up with his head buried between his knees.
After a while, Chima’s Father slowly made his way into the home.
He didn’t say anything, but his face was pure sorrow and sadness.
Chima looked up with tear filled eyes.
Two of the knights walked into the home, walking over before grabbing Chima by his arms. Chima freaked out and looked at his Dad, who struggled to look into his own son’s eyes.
“Father? Father what is happening?” Chima screamed.
The knights kept dragging him away as Chima kept screaming and kicking.
He tried to use the magic that he knew, but nothing worked.
His emotions were unfocused and unclear, preventing him from focusing.
Chima watched the entire village. They all stood and watched him being dragged away, clearly upset and angry but unmoving from their spots.
“Please!” Chima shouted at the top of his lungs.
Chima’s legs dragged a path in the sandy ground before he had his arms and legs tied together with rough rope.
They nicely laid Chima over the back of a horse as they all mounted them.
Chima wanted to break free, but the ropes were tight and restricted his movement.
The knight sitting in front of him tied more rope around his body, tying a knot around the body of the horse so Chima didn’t fall off.
Chima looked out as the horse began to run quickly, his home village disappearing into something smaller than a speck of dust. Chima cried quietly, fading into sleep after becoming exhausted from crying alone.
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Chima slowly began to wake up, freezing cold inside of a damp room.
He opened his eyes and looked forward. He saw a wall of iron bars in front of him, an identical space across a very thin walkway.
Chima got to his feet, but fell backwards.
His ankles and wrists were both chained to a brick wall behind him.
He could barely move. He was locked into place.
After a period of time that was impossible to keep track of, Chima looked forward to see a knight opening the iron bars that formed a doorway.
Chima stared forward as the knight made his way over, unlocking the shackles and lifting Chima off of the ground.
Chima was unable to understand anything that was being said. He was forced to walk through the thin hall, then up a spiraling staircase made of brick that was rough and painful against his bare, bruised feet.
Chima held back tears as he was pushed up the stairs, walking up so many that his legs were wobbling and shaking once he made it to the top.
Chima was shoved, nearly falling over but continuing to walk.
Chima looked around as he entered a massive hall. Marble floors and walls covered in hundreds of paintings.
Massive marble columns holding up the ceiling. Chima had never seen such a large indoor space before.
He looked down as he felt the floor change. He was now walking on a soft red carpet stretching forward to a large golden throne.
Chima looked forward to see a man dressed nearly head to toe in gold, listening to beautiful harp music filling the air.35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtVwQyjXlT
Chima looked over to see a beautiful young girl strumming a harp. She had long, straight blonde hair and playing with the skill of a decades trained master.
She finished her music and the King began to loudly applaud.
He spoke more in the language that Chima didn’t understand, but the girl stood up and bowed.
She made her way over to a small chair on the side of the room surrounded by other instruments.
Chima looked around confused when the knight next to him suddenly dropped down to one knee. Chima was confused, but slowly lowered himself to do the same.
The knight and the King began to exchange words, Chima unsure of what was happening.
He looked up at the King, who waved his hand around.
The knight nodded and stood up, lifting Chima up and beginning to motion with his hands as he spoke.
Chima stared blankly, the knight sighing and seeming frustrated.
He took Chima’s hands and began to wave them around, as if trying to make him do something.
Chima kept looking confused, and the knight was clearly angry despite his face being obscured.
The knight suddenly drew his sword out and lifted it in the air.
Chima screamed and fell back as the knight slashed down, but when it hit the ground it had been transformed into a bouquet of flowers.
The knight sighed and lifted the flowers up, pointing them at the King, who loudly laughed and applauded even harder than he did for the young girl.
Chima looked confused, but began to understand.
Chima slowly stood up, whispering to himself.
“Focus Chima…all you have to do is…”
Before Chima could finish, the knight suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, being replaced with a cow covered in small silver armor.
The King was laughing very loud and hard, clutching his chest hard.
Chima panicked and tried to turn the cow back into a man, but instead the cow stood up on its hind legs and began to dance around.
The King was laughing painfully hard as Chima looked confused on what to do. He turned to look around, noticing the girl was also laughing while covering her mouth.
Chima softly smirked and turned back.
He thought hard, the cow suddenly turning back to a man in a elegant dance pose. His armor was on the floor, leaving him only in undergarments with the helmet covering his head.
The knight screeched and quickly covered his body, grabbing his discarded armor and trying to put it back on.
The King was crying from laughter and stood up, giving Chima a massive round of applause.
The King began to speak, but Chima couldn’t understand what was being said.
He was grabbed by the knight as they finished putting on their armor.
Chima smiled, feeling as if he had done a good job. As if he had made the King feel happy and joy.
Chima was taken back down to the dungeon, almost having extra pep in his step as he entered the small cell.
He turned around to say something to the knight, but he was clocked in the fast with a violent punch to his face. The silver glove added so much weight and force into the punch, knocking Chima out in a single second.
Chima’s body was limp and unmoving, but the knight continued to stomp and kick his body over and over and over.
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