Desert Wizard: The Youth Awakening the Ancient Magic

At the border of the dry, endless sands desert is a small, peaceful village. The houses are built with yellow clay bricks and are set in order around the oasis. With it being so dry, the villagers lead a simple life, growing a few crops and raising a small flock of sheep. Karim is an ordinary boy from the village. He is slender, with black hair that shines under the sun after being outside for a while. At this age, he has the gentle look of a teenager, with innocent deep brown eyes filled with curiosity. His skin is tanned, a result of his hard work in the desert environment. An orphan, Karim was taken in by the village elder, Hassan. He is a bald, white-haired old man who walks with a stick. There is kindness and wisdom in his eyes, having suffered the consequences of life. He once was a brave traveller, whose footsteps traversed every inch of the desert, but settled in this village due to a sustaining injury. In Karim’s heart, Hassan is like a guiding light in the middle of the desert. When the sun shines over the sand dunes, Karim wakes up and goes to the shepherd’s hut to pick up his whip. He needs to take the sheep to the grasslands as part of his daily routine. Along with being a hardworking boy, Karim is very observant, as he glances at the beautiful sandy sea shimmering in the sun glowing in the distance. The sand dunes glow as if they are trying to uncover ancient and mysterious secrets. For Karim, the desert is both familiar and unfamiliar. Familiar, due to the awe-inspiring vastness, and strange for all of the endless secrets hidden within. Once Karim gets to the grassland, he looks for a shady spot to relax while watching the sheep graze. He often fantasises about what life would be like outside the desert. Occasionally, he catches a glimpse of the slow-moving caravans in the distance. The merchants are clothed in rich attire and have all kinds of unique goods in their possession. The merchants always bring Karim small snippets of news from the outside world, which deepens his yearning for the unknown. Karim’s ordinary lifestyle was uninterrupted until one night. Karim fell asleep recalling the calm prior to a storm while staring at the gems encrusted in the canvas above, which appeared encapsulated within the sky. That is until, in a blink of an eye, he envisioned himself standing in what seemed to be a never-ending ocean of sand. What began as a relaxing desert peace was quickly followed by a strong wind and a sandstorm that resembled a demon, instantly consuming Karim from every angle. To make matters worse, panic broke out and optional mobility vanished, leaving him only the option to run. Any attempts he made were utterly futile; his legs felt as if they were cemented to the ground, seamlessly preventing movement. The sandstorm's intensity dialled up a notch and turbulence increased, which began to inflict harm on his face. Desperately – yes. But only silence accompanied him due to the howl of the wind carrying his thoughts. The seemingly endless fear was quickly substituted when Karim unexpectedly woke up. It was a dream, but no reality could be defined as bland. ‘Wow, was that surreal,’ he began to envision, followed by a sudden shift, now facing down at his palm which was emitting what appeared to be a strange light. To add the cherry on top, this light seemed to represent a burning out candle or will-o’-the-wisp and contained an alluring beauty that was blue in colour. Karim's reaction was disbelief, as it was so new to him, and he tried touching the light with his other hand, but there was no sensation. Karim felt confused and frightened at the same time. He did not understand the source of the light or its purpose. This was something especially strange for Karim, considering his small village had never experienced such an unusual phenomenon before. The light slowly began to fade or disappear, almost as if it was never there to begin with, yet the warmth in his palm told a different story, confirming that it was, in fact, real. He was bewildered. He spent a long period of time staring at the light trying to understand its symbolism. The remainder of the night was difficult for him, as the strange light and the sandstorm in his head did not stop. This phenomenon perplexed Karim deeply; was it an abstract thought or something literal? Karim woke up with lots of questions, as well as feeling tired. He went out to herd the sheep as he did every other day, but this time his mind was elsewhere. He was still locked in thought about everything that had happened the previous night and because of that, he nearly let the sheep scatter on a few occasions. The sun was at its highest around noon. It was scorching hot as always, and the ground was baked mercilessly. Karim decided to take the sheep to a place where there was some shade. He wanted to let the sheep rest. Sitting with his back to the now familiar desert, he did a bit of looking. The internal conflict he had was getting worse. Then a soothing breeze picked up, the wind winning the battle to lift some sand from the ground. Having blocked his eyes to begin with, when he lowered his hand, Karim was greeted with the spectacle of the sculpted wind trapping in front of him. The swirling and gathering of dust formed an eagle made entirely out of sand. The eagle looked as if it were going to take flight at any moment. Karim was wide-eyed, completely enthralled by the sight in front of him. Was this connected to the odd, glowing light he saw in hand the night before? Karim attempted to focus on the sand eagle, and to his amazement, the eagle did a few loops in the air at his command and then vanished into thin air. Karim was ecstatic and frightened at the same time. In attempting to control the dust surrounding him, Karim realised he might be putting himself and the village in danger. It highlighted how clueless he was about this newfound power of his. After some time, Karim kept experimenting. He noticed that he had a remarkable bond with the sand, being able to command it to do his bidding without even trying. Karim came back to the village in the evening with the feeling jitters in his heart. He didn’t even want to tell Elder Hassan, who had always loved him, about today’s events because he was terrified of what the villagers would think of his strange ability. Would they be frightened and consider him an outcast? But what Karim didn't realise was that the strange powers he displayed had already fascinated an unknown visitor. This visitor was a mysterious sorceress, Safia, cloaked in white, with an elegant and majestic bearing, coming straight from the depths of the desert. Safia's sharp eyes pierced everything in this world and scanned it thoroughly. She was with a staff which was embellished with shining stones. The stone on her staff's top was shimmering like it was holding everlasting power and the light it skillfully emitted was gentle. Her sensitivity to magic was astonishing, so much so that while exploring the mysteries of ancient magic in the desert, Karim's powers served as a beacon, leading Safia to this small desert village. The previous night, Safia noted each detail regarding Karim on the sand hill a little to the northeast of the village. She found Karim seated by his house looking exceedingly confused and worried. At that moment, it clicked for Safia that this was the boy she had been meaning to meet. Safia sneaked into the village during the night. She walked over to Karim’s house and gave a soft knock on the broken wooden door. Once Karim heard the knock, he was startled. Who in the world is here at this hour? He opened the door and was met face-to-face with a middle-aged woman wearing a white robe. Karim squinted at her and asked, “What do you need?” Safia smiled at Karim, “Child, my name is Safia,” she said. “I am a sorceress and I am here because I could sense the magic power that lies within you.” With Safia's filled words, Karim's heart was alert just as he was, “Why do you say that? What do you want?” Safia perceived the clear uneasiness on his face, “I’m not intending for violence here and I mean no harm,” she stated softly, “You don’t need to be scared.” All the peculiar experiences you have undergone are a result of the magic power located in your body awakening.” Karim decided to inform Safia of everything regarding the sandstorm he dreamt of the previous night, as well as his ability to control the sand. Slowly at first, but completely in the end, Safia managed to learn what he was describing. After listening, Safia nodded and said, "My child, you carry with yourself the legacy of the magic 'Soul of the Sand'. This magic power is wondrous yet dangerous, as it has drawn the attention of powerful dark forces. You have to learn this power within the least amount of time. Otherwise, you would not just be in peril but the entire desert, and the entire world for that matter, would be in catastrophic peril." With an expression of surprise, Karim exclaimed, “What is this soul of the sand magic? This phenomenon completely bewildered him. He inquired further saying, “What is the next step to take? I’m nothing but a simple boy desperate to avoid further sanctions upon the village.” Looking at him gravely, Safia proceeded to say, “Child, avoiding reality will take you nowhere. The situation will still be there. You have to confront it head-on. It is within my power to yank you from this place. I can take you elsewhere where you can train to learn how to harness this power. It is the only way for you to protect your village, yourself, and the world.” Karim started contemplating deeply. This thought would lead him to elder Hassan and the calmly simple villagers who loved him dearly. His wish was that they would not suffer in any way due to his actions. But for him, leaving the village for an unfamiliar area for intense training was no small feat. “Sana, move!” she heard Safia command. Safia noted Karim's discomfort, adding, “Child, that is your mission. Your potential is like no other. That is a responsibility given to you by heaven. You must have faith in yourself. You can definitely do it.” At last, Karim inhaled deeply and said, “Fine, I will accompany you," meeting Safia's determined gaze. "I am willing to go through training to defend my village and the world.” “Wonderful,” Safia began and continued, “we will set off tomorrow at dawn. You should spend today saying your goodbyes to family and friends.” Safia lightly chuckled before instructing him to go. Karim nodded with a smile, but as he watched Safia walk away, he felt a whirlwind of emotions. With a single realisation, his heart sank. Such a life was no longer waiting for him. Instead, he was set for the arrival of the most unpredictable, thrilling journey for the rest of his life. Karim walked into the house and sat next to the bed. He remembered with gratitude Elder Hassan’s kindness while raising him and the blissful periods spent with his little friends. He had a lot of memories with the village, but tomorrow, he would have to face the reality of an unfamiliar world. It was both worrying as well as anticipating to think about how the future would unfold. Karim spent the whole night tossing and turning in bed. He recalled details of the village alongside every single word Safia uttered regarding ancient spells as well as sinister powers. Karim finally fell asleep in a daze as soon as the dawn light climbed up to the window.