Prolouge
Legend has it the world was once ruled by a species of humans that were once called ‘Breka.’ They were a species of sorcerers with never-ending wisdom to match their never-ending lives. They were known as the first versions of man, said to be led by none other than God himself. There was no need for sex or impregnation when they all could live for an eternity each. There was no need for weapons when there was only ever peace.
And as every legend goes, there was something that ruined it all.
The tragedy goes something like this:
In the land of Brekas, all held peace and love for one another and their arts. Upon one fateful day, a man by the name of Dante reared his head.
The existence of the boy was nothing short of shocking to the Breka living in their own version of Eden. To them, there was nothing living outside of their beloved and tranquil home.
With the arrival of the boy came many stories of many unknown lands. Some with more water than land. Some with no water at all. Some dry and brown. Some lively and green.
Dante brought with him a kind of sorcery which he called ‘fire.’ It held more warmth than the touch of multiple bodies and brought forth a variety of new products such as cooked meals. In the dark of night, this ‘fire’ would provide light for those unable to see in the darkness, brighter and much easier than the sorcery they already knew of.
Though, in its wake, the ‘fire’ left ‘ash.’ A dark, dust-like substance in place of once lush, green grass.
With the arrival of Dante and his ‘fire,’ came fear. Some loved and admired the warmth and light of the flames while others feared the destruction it would one day bring.
After much arguing, the wisest and most trusted of the Brekas decided the boy would be forced to leave. Dante understood and prepared to leave the next day.
However, before the next morning could come, the Brekas Eden had been reduced to nothing but ashes and the boy was nowhere to be found.
It hadn’t taken long for the Breka to come to their conclusion; the resentful boy having set their Eden ablaze before leaving without being seen.
With the death of so many Breka, it was decided life would be needed to start anew. Banding together, the few remaining Breka altered their genetics. By sacrificing their eternal lives, they made it possible to reproduce and recreate life.
These few remaining Breka were the first true humans.
What the story doesn’t mention is, as with every species, there’s always the odd ones out. While the ‘few remaining Breka’ sacrificed their eternal lives for the creation of the human race, some Breka stayed hidden and kept their lives as they had always known them.
The destruction of the Brekas Eden brought along a reason to live.
Compared to the numbers they once had, a handful of Breka survived and stayed as they were but for one purpose;
To seek revenge for their lost brethren,
To find the man who had brought about their destruction,
To kill the one known as Dante who had first shown his control over the power of fire,
To make him regret the day he stepped foot on Eden’s soil.
Of course, to me, this was nothing more than a story. Most likely made up by someone bored out of their minds. Maybe even intended to be a threat to children, not unlike the story of the boogeyman coming to get you if you misbehave.
However, when I was younger, I believed every word. I remember hearing the story from the patient my mom - a former in-home-nurse - was hired to attend to. She insisted that it’d be a good idea for a ten-year-old to help tend to an elderly man living alone.
Thinking back, a lot of things could have gone wrong with that. Though, I doubt my mom ever considered ‘old man telling her only son a story revolving around murder and revenge’ as something to worry about. I can still remember how outraged she was when this seemingly kind man had described the near extinction of something that could be the human race to an innocent child. In vivid detail as well.
She was furious when she heard me talking about it that night after we got home. I remember promising to myself and the old man that I would help the remaining Brekas and stop Dante if I ever met either of them.
As I got older, however, I found out everyone had their own stories about how the world was created and how humans came to be. Some told of a man in the sky who one day decided to create an entire planet and all the life on it. Some told of evolution and how everything started from a collision in space. A few even combined the two, saying the man in the sky started everything and allowed it to grow and evolve on its own. Then there were stories of people sacrificing themselves to be the Earth and Sky so all life could live in their place.
It didn’t take long for me to realize, everyone had their own story and that the ‘Breka’ just so happened to be that one person’s version of how life started.
It's been almost ten years since then, and all I can say is this; I should have believed him.
