Tale of Kairu

Chapter 5, Cursed

They had been traveling for a week when they reached an oasis. Nova and Kamiron both looked at eachother with a look filled with happiness. Nova ran towards the water and happily started filling some bottles with water. They hadn't run out of food and water yet but being able to get fresh water and refilling their supply felt great. As Nova filled her bottles she noticed Kamiron wasn't standing at the water with her, but was still by the camel (which they got in trade for their horse).

"What's wrong Kami?" Nova wondered.

"This oasis isn't on any of the maps we bought." Kami pointed out.

"So we're lost."

"Getting lost is the first step towards finding the lost library."

Nova had to think about that for a moment. What he said made sense, because if they were nowhere on their maps, then they might be close to the ruins that were also not on any map.

"How will we get back?" Nova asked.

"We will ask Uireb for an old map of Sibaria, it should show the desert how it used to be, with the ruins and this oasis both on there." Kami answered.

"The ruins before they were ruins." Nova corrected him.

"Yeah, but that means there is no going back now, we have to find the Amar's lost library."

Nova nodded, and they started setting up camp in the shade of some trees. That night they were able to make a decent campfire and ate better than they had eaten in a week.

When they were ready for bed they kept the fire going, to scare off possible threats from the desert. Even if there weren't many. Nova woke up just before the break of dawn. In the days she travelled with Kami she had gotten used to waking up before the sun came up so she would be ready to leave when it did.

Nova noticed Kami was gone. He was gone and so was the camel and his stuff. Nova panicked. He must've decided to leave her behind, but why do that after travelling together for more than a week? She didn't get it. Her eyesight became watery as she started crying while she waited for him to return. After two hours her eyesight went dark. She heard a familiar voice in the back if her mind, but she could not recognise it.

"It's always like this. They always leave. Its always the same."

The words kept repeating as Nova fell deeper into darkness, until she suddenly saw a light. She got up and stumbled over to it, to find a beautiful lady with long blond hair, much like her own, and wearing a blindingly white dress. The voice belonged to this lady, but she still could not recognise her.

"Who are you?" Nova asked as she wiped her tears.

"I am you, or rather, you are me. I, we, are Karlek, incarnation of love. But lately there has not been love. I was cursed by Gofos to no longer reincarnate upon death, but instead live inside the minds of those that have lost love. When you lost your parents my curse brought me to you, but my curse also keeps love from blooming." The lady explained.

"If you are cursed to live inside minds, then how come you never went missing like Uireb did?" Nova realised. "After all, Gofos died over 500 years ago, when your niece Iriel killed him."

"Gofos was killed, but he did not die. He lives inside a man named Ton Veru, the man that killed Iriel. Ton Veru cursed me, and the other divines, a few years ago."

There was a silence between them. If a man lived, strong enough to curse the divines, then the problem Kami wanted to solve was much beyond his capability. Nova's sadness turned into fear.

"What do I do now, Im trapped in a lost part of the desert without food."

Nova said, mostly to herself.

"For you bare me as a curse, no love or friendship can exist around you. If you are lucky, someone finds you, but they will leave you too some day. I'm sorry for this." Karlek said.

Suddenly they heard footsteps in the darkness. From the shadows the shape of a man appeared.

"Sorry about your curse Karlek, but I won't leave Nova behind when we are this close to our goal." Kami appeared from the shadow and the moment he did, light started emitting from all three of them, and the darkness went away. Kami was standing next to Nova in the oasis, and Karlek was there too.

"You came back, despite the curse... How?" Karlek mumbled.

"The curse is strong enough to affect the cursed divine, and the people around her, but it seems Ton Veru was not prepared for the son of a divine to intervene. I'm glad to meet you Karlek, I suppose you are my grandma, Mel is my mother."

Mel was the demi-god of peace, and Karlek's daughter. divines did not often get children, and especially the offspring from a demi-god did not often grow older than 5 years, because the child of a demi-god did not have the power or lifespan of a divine, but did have the magical essence, and it often got too much for a non-divine to survive. Being the child of a demi-god didn't mean much special, and they often went through life like a normal being, without anyone noticing their bloodline.

Karlek smiled and hugged Kami. When she was finished hugging, Nova hugged him too.

"Thank you for coming back Kami."

Kami's smile was as big as ever.

"On another note, I saw some ruins to the south-east, we should go there while we still have the light of day."

The three left towards the ruins, happily telling eachother stories about the things that had happened.