Of Flame, Sand, and Gold

Episode 1: The Water That Waits

The cobblestone street of Aru'Shenu was a mess of mismatched stones, their edges chipped like ancient teeth that hadn't seen a dentist in centuries.

It was the sort of road that looked like it had given up on looking good a long time ago.

The sky overhead looked like it had eaten one too many baked goods; heavy and gummy, like the clouds were on the brink of a sugar crash and about to break down into rain.

You could almost smell it; an odd combination of damp stone and something more nostalgic, like the kind of rain that came just before the first day of learning something new.

That nostalgic scent always made Kaelen feel like he should be doing something productive, like running errands or reading a book… But today, his errands were a little more deep than most.

He was on the far edge of Aru'Shenu, a section that was less ‘pristine city’ and more ‘cobblestone battlefield.’

The buildings here leaned in on themselves, like they were trying to whisper secrets they weren’t supposed to share.

And below, a lazy river slithered like a snake in a comfortable nap, winding its way through the city, creating a natural boundary between the old town and the newer districts.

The rowboats that glided across its surface were the only ones moving with any real sense of direction; most other things in this part of town were either too drunk or too old to do so.

Kaelen’s job today, the last one before he could call it quits and drag himself home, was to meet some client in this awkward corner of the city.

Not exactly the kind of work you’d expect for someone who had the build of a man who could snap necks for breakfast. He wasn’t exactly the friendly neighborhood handyman.

Still, he was a man with a mission. One last chore to finish up, and then he'd finally get to sleep.

He walked along the cobblestones, the gentle breeze pulling his cloak behind him. He was staring off at the flowing river, lost in the sound of its gentle current and the rustling leaves overhead.

A thought crossed his mind; what if he could just jump in, let the water carry him away, and forget about everything for a while? Maybe drift all the way to the ocean, where the worries couldn’t reach him, where the past could drown with the tide.

But he wasn’t the drifting type; he didn't ‘escape.’ That was when he felt it. The shoulder bump. The one that was just a little too forceful, a little too deliberate.

His body swayed to the side, and suddenly, he found himself teetering dangerously close to the edge of the walkway.

And the next thing he knew; plop.

He was in the water. Not just any water either. This wasn’t some serene, romantic stream.

This was Aru’Shenu’s very own version of an aquatic slap in the face. The water was sluggish, sure, but that didn’t make it any less cold.

The second Kaelen hit it, he felt like he’d been dunked into a bucket of regret. His body shot straight up, hands flapping like an angry chicken caught in a thunderstorm, trying to grasp at the edge of the stone before him.

He wasn’t a swimmer. Not because he couldn’t, but because he never had the need to.

The river never exactly invited him to take a dip before. This was his first time in something other than a puddle.

He managed to catch a breath; barely—and his voice echoed across the stillness of the water, desperate and flailing.

Panicking without screaming, Kaelen managed to look up through water-slicked eyes.

Standing above him, arms crossed with the unmistakable confidence of someone who had everything under control, was a man.

Sahen Drevaris.

The name was whispered in corners, muttered like a prayer or a curse, depending on who you asked.

Kaelen had heard of him, of course; everyone had. He was a law enforcer, sure, but he was also something of a myth in the flesh.

You didn’t walk through Aru’Shenu with that face without attracting attention. And Kaelen knew that face well.

Sahen was tall; almost unnaturally so standing well over six feet, and his skin looked as if it had been kissed by the sun too many times to count, as though even the desert’s heat had decided to sculpt him into a living monument of power.

But it wasn’t just his size or his golden-hued skin that drew attention; it was the eyes. Grey, piercing; like a storm cloud right before it unloads, watching everything, calculating.

His smile; oh gods, his smile was the kind that could ruin your life in the span of a single sentence. And that smile was fixed on Kaelen now, wide and knowing.

“Need a little help, my friend?” Sahen asked with the air of a man who’d heard that question before but was still somehow enjoying it.

Kaelen sputtered, flailing as he tried to get a grip on his situation. He looked up at Sahen, trying to piece together his scrambled thoughts. “Why is a law enforcer walking carefree in this part of the region”? He asked

“What is weird about a law enforcer walking past any street in town?” Sahen replied, with an innocent expression on his face.

“I mean, that’s what we do, right? Enforce laws. Just keeping' it casual…”

“What?!” Kaelen squinted up at him, water dripping down his face. “Your job is to ‘casually’ stroll the streets? Is that how you enforce laws around here?”

Sahen grinned, shaking his head. “Nah, not at all. I definitely don't do things casually.

If anything, I’m a professional when it comes to being... charming.”

They both burst out laughing.

It wasn’t the easiest thing to do when your lungs felt half-full of river water, but something about Sahen’s presence made it impossible not to.

Once the laughter died down, Sahen straightened up, his grin softening into a mischievous, yet somehow patient, look.

"Let me teach you to swim," he said, his voice deep and serious, like he was about to impart the secrets of the universe.

Kaelen blinked. "Wait, what? You... You want to teach me to swim?"

"Why not?" Sahen shrugged, still standing there looking like he owned the river.

"I’m just a friendly guy, trying to help you out. Plus, someone in your position probably shouldn’t be relying on luck to avoid falling into streams."

Kaelen’s mind struggled to make sense of it.

They’d just met, and suddenly this guy was offering swimming lessons? It was like he had missed a chapter in the book of normal.

“You’re... you’re joking, right?" Kaelen asked, lifting himself onto the riverbank, dripping wet.

“We just met! Why would we—"

“No, no, don’t get me wrong, friend,” Sahen interrupted, his voice suddenly softer, almost sincere. “You’re a citizen of Aru’Shenu. I’m a law enforcer. It’s my duty to make sure you stay... afloat.”

“Afloat?” Kaelen raised an eyebrow, still trying to digest the strange turn of events. “I think you’ve done your part already. I’m out of the water now, thanks to you... And I wasn’t even that desperate!”

Sahen just chuckled, tapping his fingers against his temple with a sly smile. “Tomorrow,” he said, as if it was already decided. “I’ll be waiting for you at the end of the stream. Where the water’s faster. Deeper. That’s where you’ll really learn what it means to swim.”

He gave a two-finger salute and a grin so wide it could split the horizon. “Be there, same time tomorrow. Or... don’t. Your choice, friend.”

Kaelen just stared after him, water dripping from his hair, his mind still boggled by the entire interaction. “What... is that guy's deal, anyway?” He muttered to himself, feeling more like a confused child who'd just learned a new word, unsure of whether to laugh or cry.

And with that, Sahen was gone, leaving Kaelen standing by the river’s edge, dripping wet, but somehow, just a little bit more intrigued.

And as the river’s current tugged at his thoughts, Kaelen wondered; what did Sahen really mean by “fast”? And why was he so eager to teach him how to swim? The real questions were only beginning to surface.