Chapter 1: A Low Standing Some-None

The silent words of empty spaces,
The whispered cries of a sickened dawn,
The cut tongues of a thousand parched men;
All await the birth of a some-none
To lead, to feed, to heal, to kill, and
Shelter all from the coming of night –
For this giant who saves you and me is
The sacrifice for all of us to thrive.

Twilight suffused the market streets of Orron with spice-laden air. Above the sun hiding city walls, a dimming sky stretched with long smudges of twilight colours. Daylight fading to a soft glow marked the end of workday; people spilled outdoors like the gentle riverward breeze.
The filling of streets was not only circumstantial, dominated with people going back home, it equally was occasioned by people coming out to enjoy these hours.

Jyevodirr, son of Nyivingi and late Ragadirr, was just another someone in this crowd. He, along with his faithful friend, R’vag, had received their first payment within the city’s walls today, and both were presently free to do as they pleased. Food, entertainment or violence in different stalls and buildings were the prospects that now lay sprawling before them.

Humming a rustic tune he only half remembered, Jyevodirr inhaled the lingering scents of freshly prepared food. His nose was overwhelmed with stimulus; his stomach murmured in response. As a gluttonous youth who loved tasteful food, this was a self-inflicted torture he committed regularly.

Being born in a simple village, he hadn’t the privilege of wealth or good education. His father had already passed away, and his mother was still toiling through her life with the tightly knit village community. Eating very expensive food was a luxury he never had a chance to partake in.
So now that he had it, there was not a shadow of doubt that this night was a time to recklessly throw money at food. He wanted more than just the usual grains and beans!

Dreams of luxurious food having charmed his mind witless, Jyevodirr turned to his steadfast friend with an apelike grin. “Well, theyi? Thinking the same thing as I am?”

When R’vag turned to answer, an equally silly smugness in his eyes almost pounced at Jyevodirr. “Definitely not! I mean, okay, you think some crazy things sometimes; but theyi, you are as innocent as a baby suckling on….”

The spicy taunt was cut off by an indignant smack to the head, but R’vag’s laughter was uncaring.

“Alright, alright!” he raised both his hands in a surrender, contrary to his continued laughter. “I won't tease you about that. But I mean what I said! You know me, theyi. I was thinking adult things; you know, thinking if I should go, find a ravishing lady up for some steamy tussle, or if I should just eat first.”

“Ugh!” Disappointment and disgust scrunched up Jyevodirr’s face. “You only think with your head down below!”

“Maybe. Nothing wrong with that!”

There was nothing to be done after that response but sigh. “You know what? Do whatever you want. If you want to go, then go. If you want to eat, come with me. We just got so much money, I can't think of anything other than mind shredding delicacies!”

R’vag did not come to a judgement immediately. His pause was thoughtful; his decision was thoughtless.

Finally resolute, he turned to his to his lean friend and laughed again. “Go ahead and eat, you bleating kid! This man, though? He is going to introduce himself to the strongest woman stalking the streets of Orron!”

Jyevodirr’s face softened to a smile. This was just how his friend was, living a more bodily life than many.

“Alright,” he relented, “Just make sure to eat something.”

“Will do!”

The young man watched his friend prance through the streets and eventually disappear around a corner. Left alone at last, he cast another long, peaceful look at the picturesque city nestling him.
The sky had darkened a little more and lamps had flickered to life in irregular succession. Night was still around an hour away.

Having filled his sensory appetite, the young man let his feet carry him away through the narrow streets, past many food stalls and taverns. To his own surprise, he did not feel like stepping inside any of them. He did want to fill his stomach, but there was more to his desire too. Maybe R’vag wasn’t the only one who wanted to sate another hunger first.

Unlike his friend, Jyevodirr truly did not care about getting sweaty with a woman right now, or anytime soon. Neither was this due to a lack of sensual desire, nor was it innocence. He had his own ideas of love and care, woman and passion. R’vag may call him silly for it, but he knew himself well. He was fragile in these matters; too hesitant to rush in, too easily disappointed. He only wished he would someday find an immensely powerful lady who would cause him to sprint towards her without a thought.
But that was far away someday, and it had nothing to do with his hunger now.

Neither did his hunger have anything to do with a new experience.
The world was an unimaginably vast place, and Jyevodirr understood this very well. There were sights he had yet to see, novelties he had yet to experience, and an infinity of things unknown to his tiny mind with meagre knowledge. He wanted them to surprise him with their existence.
But not today. Not now.

Right now, the only thing Jyevodirr was hungry for was something he could do. He had to rush for nothing but his ambition right now.
In this gleaming gateway to the riches of the zaxa, the first step towards his dream was securing a person. This man, not much older than himself, was his key to unlock the finest flavours of food and the richest aspects of richness that had, up to this point in his life, eluded his grasp.
He would certainly have Rraos Arroxath at his side.

Emerging from these thoughts with conviction, Jyevodirr found himself in a lavish street. He fixed his eyes straight ahead, and his gaze landed upon an imposing wooden door, carved with fierce forms and varnished to an impressive shine. The building to which this ornate door belonged was a large, sand coloured one standing about three stories high. An extremely faint aroma of food was barely escaping its indoor imprisonment, but he could pick up on it. Above the door hung a shining plaque with the word – firresyith. Diner.

This was exactly where he needed to be. This was the location Rraos Arroxath visited most frequently during this hour of the day.

Back in his village, Jyevodirr had nearly everything he could ask for then. But the first thing he lost, a thing most people at his village had been blessed with, was satisfaction. He was not satisfied with himself there. He was too powerful, too impulsive, too large for his village. It didn’t do him any favour that this was also the village’s unanimous opinion.

So, he had set out on a journey to be himself and live out what was meant for him.

With his strength, he could easily have fought anywhere and made a place for himself. But he wanted more. He needed more. And he wanted to give more.
This was easier said than done, though, as he could hardly think of anything to gift the world. He wasn’t smart enough for that. The most the countryside youth could achieve was finding people to give more to the world. Even that he couldn’t do for the whole world, so he wanted it for his beloved empire at least. To the rest of the world, he could give an example.

To do any of that, Jyevodirr needed power first. Power and recognition. He needed to be the strongest individual in the empire; he needed to be the one that led all. He needed to be the Kraturr.

This was the exact reason Jyevodirr was after Rraos Arroxath. Maybe he was naïve, but this Rraos person was unlike anyone he had met in his life. The Arroxath youth was unlike even his own ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’. He was a strange fellow who could do more than he did, who had a far greater capacity of strength than he could exercise. In short, the young Arroxath almost appeared to be scum, but he had the capacity to do and be more.

Presently, a burly guard approached the unmoving young man. He recognized the guard’s stride and stood up straight.

“Do you have a reservation, or any business at this premise, Qaiz’rra?” The man asked. He stood nearly twice as tall as Jyevodirr; his question and his actions were befitting of a guard driving away loiterers.

The countryside youth understood the guard’s demeanour well enough, having worked as security personnel himself at Orron. That did not mean he had to like it when he was treated as a loiterer. He was only treated in this manner because he did not have a good standing within the empire. Being challenged in important matters was understandable, but to be peppered by these inconveniences for the littlest reasons was too much.
This was another reason, if a petty one, for Jyevodirr wanting more.

“I am here on business,” he replied as formally as he could, also letting loose a trickle of his strength. “I must talk with Qaiz’rra Rraos.”

The guard standing in front of him was steady, unflinching.

“I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place, Qaiz’rra,” the guard responded. “This establishment belongs to the Arroxath family, yes, but business is conducted in the estate. Were your meeting to be here instead, you would have received a reservation with a strict warning not to lose it. If you have it, you may produce it before me.
If your meeting, however, was not scheduled here, you have the timing wrong as well. Dealings are had during the daytime, assuming yours is not a private deal. If it is, you should be off immediately, if you don’t want to risk tardiness.”

Jyevodirr frowned, the heat within him slowly rising. Would he need to take drastic measures right here and now? Against the Arroxatha?
Making a commotion right here would force his entire plan to change. Was such an enormous departure just for a chance really worth it?

Deciding it would be a smarter choice to back off and wander the area, he forced out a smile. He was not extremely proficient in lies anyway. The chance of getting caught was higher and stupider.

“I’ll be back with the reservation,” the youth promised. It was a lie within reasonable bounds. “When I am, I will be allowed in, I hope?”

“Of course,” the guard smiled. Jyevodirr was unsure what that smile meant. “The estate is down south, around five farsteps away from the city. I look forward to seeing you again.”

The countryside youth slunk away slowly, glancing back to see where the guard was. As expected, the pillar of a man stood right where he had been left, scanning the young loiterer’s movements with a hawk’s gaze. There was no choice but to give this place a wider berth and approach Rraos Arroxath in a completely different manner.

Right then, he heard someone address him. “You! Aren’t you a guard of Qai Vaong'rr? What are you doing here?”

Jyevodirr recognized this voice!
His luck was favouring him! His perseverance had paid off too!

“Qaiz’rra Rraos,” the countryside youth acknowledged, tilting his face up to look the taller person in his eyes, “I was hungry and wanted to see what your place has to offer.”

“And why did you think you would have the opportunity, having nothing to do with us?” The young man of interest probed, unaware of the joy he was causing Jyevodirr by having this conversation.

“Having nothing to do with the Arroxatha?” Jyevodirr answered back with a grin. “Maybe. But having nothing to do with you? Don't be too sure. I may have something you want to hear.”

In response to his answer, the corners of Rraos’ mouth twitched into what would very likely have been a sneer, had the older youth not possessed enough control over himself.

“And I am an Arroxath of high standing,” Rraos retorted, “What makes you think a some none would have anything of value to me?”

Jyevodirr’s grin widened. Without wasting any time, he confidently stepped closer to Rraos.
The cold sensation of metal kissed his neck, but it didn’t bite. He had stopped, and so had the blade.

“I thought you were more than just an Arroxath heir? Was I wrong?” Jyevodirr whispered. The atmosphere immediately turned oppressive with resentment. The countryside youth stepped back and away from the blade, then continued on loudly before Rraos could respond. “I could help you out, you know? Who knows what you could get from just listening to me?”

The heat emanated from Jyevodirr’s chest. It tried infiltrating into his brain. It wanted him to take action, to use violence and force the world to his whims.
Still, he did not indulge in it. Talking and taking things slowly was better. This moment was supposed to get him a friend, a companion to his cause, not to overpower anyone and anything in his way. This empire was all about strength, and strength was more than a mere show of brute force.

Calming down his racing heart, he watched tiny expressions of conflicting emotions race through the older youth’s countenance. There could be no surer sign that the young Arroxath’s curiosity had been startled to wakefulness. So, Jyevodirr finally turned his attention to the figure accompanying Rraos.

The other person was shrouded from head to toe. The clothes hid everything about him, from his identity to his subtle movements. Had the youth not been able to peer through the world of God, he would not even have been able to guess the person’s gender.
This was the man who had pressed a blade against his throat.

“You had better be worth my time,” Rraos’ sudden declaration snapped Jyevodirr out of his scrutiny.
He glanced back at Arroxath youth, who beckoned him to walk ahead into the diner. He complied.

The guard that had turned him away had seen this exchange, so the guard nodded with his fist at his chest when approached by Jyevodirr. The young man nodded back, and the towering man stalked away.

“Have a good day, Qaiz’rradula,” one of the two guard at the front door greeted the little retinue. Both guards were standing at attention.

“Thank you!” Jyevodirr smiled cheerfully at the guards. Then he promptly walked in first through the doorway.

“We’ll be sitting at the common tables,” the command from Arroxath youth floated in before Jyevodirr could stray too far inside the tastefully lit room. The urge to choose a table for himself struck him hard, but he fought it down immediately. He was not bereft of tact.

Rraos swept past Jyevodirr without a delay, choosing a brightly lit corner to sit at. An attendant came rushing forward, but the Arroxath youth dismissed him with an offhand wave. He followed up that movement with a few wiggles of his pointer and index at Jyevodirr, indicating he was being summoned. The young man did as he was directed, taking a seat opposite to the older youth.

Jyevodirr looked around, sponging up the atmosphere in the room. It was a nicer place than anywhere he had ever been to. In this consideration, he was excepting one place he had visited half a month ago as a guard for Qaiz’rra Vaong’rr. He had to, since that was another establishment owned by the Arroxatha.

Just like the other establishment, the first thing here that stood out was the air. It was rich with an exquisite assortment of scents from masterfully cooked food.
Not only in smell, it also was pleasant in its feeling, carrying a coolness that made the room refreshingly temperate compared to the world outside. The atmosphere was so stable, so perfectly comfortable, it could not have been anything but artificially maintained.

The lighting in the room was also placed with artistic precision.
Large, radiant lights sat within glass shells along the wall, all spaced apart in regular intervals. Between them, dimmer lights glowed softly, casting only the softest illumination around them. The ceiling overhead held a grander display, where numerous individual lights in their glass shells were twisted and fused into spiralling chandeliers of different forms and sizes, their intricate arrangements weaving a complex, interconnected design. Dark walls gleamed under this tapestry of light and shadow, while the floor, dense slabs of polished volcanic rocks, reflected the lights above like a calm lake reflecting the starry sky.

This character of luxury was not something Jyevodirr could have ever imagined without having been here himself. It was outstandingly beautiful, exceedingly intricate, and absolutely different from the beauty and intricacy of the outside world.

“Did you come here to gawk around?” Rraos’ scathing remark forced his attention back on the table. “I don't have time to be dawdling around with you. If you have no good information for me, I’ll have you thrown out of the city. Be warned.”

The older youth’s attitude was annoying, but nothing he couldn't put up with. More concerning was the absence of the Arroxath’s personal guard, who had to be concealing himself nearby.
During the meeting between Rraos and Qai Vaong’rr, this man hadn’t been so openly present. Even today, he had been afforded only a brief moment to focus on the guard. So, there wasn’t much he had been able to glean off the man.
He had to be careful with his approach. But before he could do that, he needed to engage as directly and honestly as he could.

Jyevodirr leaned forward and stabbed straight into the heart of the matter. “You're not exactly intending to be the Arroxath heir, are you?”

Rraos’ reaction to the question was as expected. His breathing became shallow, pupils dilated and fists bunched up.

“Don't worry,” Jyevodirr continued in a hurry to diffuse the tension, “I’m not here to rat you out, or to threaten you at all. I’m actually rather refreshed to have found someone like you. You are quite interesting, you know. But like you are more than what you seem to be, so am I.”

“Just stop beating around the bush, boy!” Rraos hissed, growing angrier by the minute rather than placated.

Jyevodirr sighed. He hadn't realized he was being indirect. He only wanted to make Rraos listen calmly, but that now seemed about as likely as a frog swallowing the entire city.

“I want to be absolutely direct with you,” he spoke with a frown, “but it looks like I wasn’t. So listen, but listen calmly, please.”

He paused for a few breaths. Then he laid down the first fact before his listener. “I want to be the next Kraturr.”

The older youth’s face twisted into a furious mask. “And what has that got to do with me, you brainless buffoon?”

Before he could seethe any more, Jyevodirr resumed speaking. “I know you don't believe that this is important, but hear me out first.”

He paused again, all the while keeping his listener pinned by a serious gaze. Directness was over, so now it was time for caution.

For the first time since arriving at the city, Jyevodirr purposedly drew on his strength deep enough to leave a notch in the world.

“Be limited,” he muttered under his breath.

Having put his precautions in place, the youth thrust his face across the table towards his listener, who suddenly looked out of his depths.

“Before you think I belong to any faction, let me tell you that I don’t. I belong to no one but myself. Whether you believe it or not is up to you,” he whispered. “What you must believe though is that you are going to get into trouble very soon. It has not been long since I was sure of this information myself. I can also explain why I know this, but you wouldn't believe me. To you, I’m just a stranger who has nothing to do with you. I’m not sure if even this warning will do you any good.
There’s a lot more I want to talk about, but we can do that later. For now, let me just keep you assured – when you run into trouble, I’ll help you out. I told you that I want to be the Kraturr so that you know what my intentions are. I have no trouble fighting. So, I’ll be your xamos when the time comes. There will be a time when you need one. Until then, I’ll be waiting around in the city.”

Getting past his initial discomposure, Rraos had initially been livid. Then, the more he listened, the more the lines on his face changed till, at last, fear dominated the landscape of his face.
But he did not shout, nor lash out. He was an Arroxath and he had his nerves about him.

“Who put you up to this?” Rraos’ cracking voice was louder than he intended. “Do you think this is funny?”

“I didn’t ask anything from you,” Jyevodirr raised his arms in a plea for peace. He slowly loosened the strength coiling within him, then sunk back into his chair. All this while, his expression did not cease being serious. “I didn’t say anything harmful or threatening too. Sure, I did give you a new worry, maybe…. but it’s much better to be worried and prepared than relaxed and caught off guard, right?”

His listener seemed unconvinced. The older youth’s face was still sculpted in the same mix of angry and fearful.

“And listen,” Jyevodirr continued, “I told you my intentions. I also offered you my aid. So, you can be sure what I just said is not a threat. I would not joke about something like this, risking my standing and my occupation. Why would I pull a stunt like this, where the only reward would be to get thrown out of the city at best?”

“To manipulate me?” Rraos snapped suddenly. Jyevodirr paused.
This was not a possibility that had crossed his mind. Could his actions be considered manipulation? Surely not?

“I think you’ll just have to risk it?” he was forced to let his seriousness dissolve into sheepishness.

“Fine,” Rraos allowed, this time unable to smoothen the sneer out of his face, “let us suppose that you genuinely want to help me. What is the profit in all of this for you? What price are you going to exact from me for your apparently noble assistance?”

The younger youth had been waiting for this question. This would be his surest, clearest answer.

“Your friendship.”

Rraos scoffed.
His fear and anger morphed to suspicion. Then, for a moment, incredulity showed up. Finally, all of it gave way to consideration and reflection.
Silence settled ponderously on the table between the two young adults.

Back from the moment Jyevodirr had left a fleeting notch in the world, the diner’s workers had noticed something was amiss. Hushed conversations had rippled out amongst them, as they subtly converged towards the unusual table, ready to strike if necessary.
But nothing had happened. All the strange excitement ended with silence. Those on alert soon dispersed like thunderclouds after rain, leaving behind only suspicious glances – and the lone, threatening guard from before. This eerie man showed no signs of being alert, quite unlike what his continued uninvited presence suggested.

Right now, Jyevodirr was feeling cheeky. So, he threw the shrouded man a sly smirk. The man noticed this impudence, as did Rraos, though no one reacted. The Arroxath youth was too deeply immersed within his own thoughts; the shrouded man likely did not care. Getting no response out of anyone, Jyevodirr settled with making himself comfortable.

All this excitement had left him feeling hungry again. He wished he could order something and eat. Just thinking about all the delicacies that must be served here made his mouth water and stomach complain. Jyevodirr knew well, though, that wishing and having were two different things, both separated by the enormous valley of dedicated effort.

That was precisely why he was satisfied. He had taken the first steps across the valley of effort towards good food and his dreams right here and now. Yes, this was a very good evening.

Jyevodirr’s introspection ended when Rraos suddenly sighed and shifted like a snake shuffling to wakefulness. The older youth blinked and nodded at the shrouded man, who refused to move. He frowned, choosing not to push the matter.

“I’m hungry,” Rraos abruptly declared to no one. “You have given me quite a lot to think about, Qai….”

“Jyevodirr.”

“Yes. Qai Jyevodirr. I shall remember your name.”

The success made Jyevodirr so happy, he would have cheered had he been anywhere else. This was one matter beautifully concluded! He wondered if he could push his luck.
As if reading his mind, Rraos offered him the politest smile afforded to mankind.

“Unfortunately, Qai Jyevodirr,” Rraos regretfully bared a false heart, “I am hungry and must now ask you to leave. I wish to not see your face until your promised time. I assume you understand why?”

What a petty, sweaty, smelly goat this Rraos Arroxath was!

“Can't you let me eat something too? You know, for the novelty I have offered to you this evening?” Jyevodirr tried for the last time.

“I seem to recall that you wanted something entirely different in exchange, did you not?” The Arroxath gleefully rang the death knell for Jyevodirr’s gluttony. “In the world of trade, Qai Jyevodirr, you do not get anything for free. You knew what to expect the moment you decided to walk in here, did you not?”

Jyevodirr could refute that, but he could see the end of this story. He would not be eating here.
It was better to leave now when he was still feeling victorious.

“Thank you for the evening, Qaiz’rra Rraos,” the young man whined out with difficulty, nodding with his fist on his chest. His ally for the evening nodded back for the final time this day.

Jyevodirr got up and walked out of the front door. He did not forget to nod politely to the guards, but he did not respond verbally to their greeting. Too much energy had been drained getting over Rraos Arroxath’s last, spiteful move.

The young man shambled down the streets, somewhat damp in mood, but his troubles did not last long. His miniscule vexation melted away with the familiar greeting of spice in the air, carried to him by the same riverward wind. It urged him to hurry, so he increased his pace. In a matter of minutes, he burst out of the luxurious streets, tumbling onto the narrow, bustling ones ringing with an unceasing, uproarious glee.

Jyevodirr silently stood there in appreciation.

The sun had now set and darkness ruled the sky. Some glimmers of purples and pinks still lingered at the western edge of this blackness, like a love song upon a lovestruck person’s lips. The lights of the streets, nothing like the diner’s artful lights, blazed out vibrant, unrestrained colours over the streets without a care for harmony. The dull, rocky streets lay beneath their perpetual film of dust, bearing the testament of a thousand footsteps and the careless visits of natural forces.

Today, he had finished his job here, gotten paid, and even furthered his ambitions. He had enjoyed an evening in Orron undominated by leisure. Now, evening had left, night arrived, and he was still here. Life pulsed around him everywhere here, and he was a part of it. He was happy.

Humming a countryside tune from his village, Jyevodirr skipped like an eager child into an open food stall. It welcomed him in with a laughter and a greeting.