Fiction:Everlands/Stories/Journal of Jacen Jhuul/Chapter 1: Youth

'''[This is the journal of Chosen. Written sometime during the Dark Age, it recounts his childhood.]'''

“This journal contains my tale. Figured I should jot down what I remember and what comes next. Let’s start from the top. I was once known as just Jacen. I didn’t have a last name. I reckon my birth parents didn’t have one or didn’t bother to give me one before they died. Can’t really say… I didn’t know ‘em. Anyhow, Ma says she found me as baby alone in the woods. ‘Course she took me in and raised me as her own. Surprisingly somethin’ like that was really uncommon. People being kind for kindness’ sake. I didn’t really understand that until I was older.”

“I grew up in a small farming town called Root. We grew an exported grains and meats in exchange for metals and fuel. The folks who I grew up around were a well enough sort too. Even the town’s overseer, as strict as he was, had good intentions at one point. It was...a comfortable life. Well, as comfortable life can be when you’ve got Dark Beasts roaming the wilds.”

“It was also boring. Most days I worked the fields with my Ma. We grew the wheat for baking bread. Ma and the kind folks over at the granary taught me how to read and write through ledgers during harvests and trades. When there wasn’t fieldwork to be done, I used to spend my free time watching the caravans come and go from town. My uncle Gull was one of the many caravan drivers, and I’d occasionally see him when he came into town every other week. One day he brought me a book titled “Heroes of the Dark War”. ‘Course back then I had never seen a book that wasn’t related to field work before, so I was very confused when I saw the cover. Uncle Gull smiled down at me and said, ‘That book was my favorite at your age Jacen. Give it a read eh?’”

“So I did. And I fell in love with it. The book was about the powerful warriors of the Old World that fought against Dark Beasts. These Heroes hunted the Dark Beasts that terrorized my nightmares as if they were mere rodents. It told of a time where people didn’t fear the Dark Beasts, but actively sought them out to fight them head on. To a 10 year old boy, these stories were...they were enchanting. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I fantasized being so powerful that one blow from my blade could kill a Dark Beast. To hear the adoring cheers of the people that I just saved. To feel like what I did mattered.”

“When I was 12, my mostly quiet life changed. Some strange stuff was happening throughout the lands from what I remember. Villages had been burned down by Dark Beasts and there was talk of a mass murder in the west...things I wouldn’t learn were connected until much later in life. Though back then the rumors did scare me. I was terrified at the thought that one day Root would be nothing but rubble, and I would be powerless to stop it.”

“Then, like it was right out of the story book, he came riding into town. A man I would later know as Jhuulnaar Doril. When I first saw him, I was amazed. He had the look of a warrior...battle scars, dangerous looking weapons, and a confident look on his face. I couldn’t help but stare at him as he walked past me. He didn’t say much to anyone when he first entered Root. He just went straight to the inn and ordered a room. I can’t explain it, but I was drawn to the man. Something about him made me feel...safe. I didn’t even know him and yet somehow I just knew I could trust him.”

“Some Dark Beasts launched an attack on the town the next morning. The local militia did their best to fend them off, but as the fight went on it looked like they were gearing up to abandon Root to save themselves. Suddenly, Jhuulnaar strode out into the marketplace and struck down a Dark Beast with one mighty blow from his sword. He was fast too...he killed three more of the beasts before anyone could register what he had done to the first one. Before we knew it, the Dark Beasts were retreating. The townsfolk slowly emerged from their hiding places and began cheering for this stranger like he was some sort of divine savior. I had never seen anything like it. Here this guy was practically reenacting the feats I fantasized about achieving one day.”

“Jhuulnaar stayed with us for a while, teaching the local militia how to fight like men instead of turning tail. He even advised our builders on how to fortify the town walls to withstand another Dark Beast attack. Again, all of this boggled my mind. A guy with his skills and no real allegiance to Root was spending days, weeks trying to help a bunch of lowly farmers for free. Nowadays, I understand why he did it, but back then it was hard to believe anyone really did anything without expecting something in return. The Overseer saw it that way too, and antagonized Jhuulnaar at every turn. Didn’t like the idea of a newcomer helping his people more than he could.”

“Either way, I knew that one day, I had to be like Jhuulnaar. I had to be strong enough to one day defend Root on my own. I wanted to be a hero. So, boldly, I walked up to him one day and said, ‘Jhuulnaar, I want you to teach me how to use a sword.’ ‘Course he said no the first ten times, but eventually he cracked and said yes. He told me that it must have been fate that brought us together and that one day I would make a powerful Chosen. Then I replied, ‘What’s a Chosen? I just want to be a badass like you!’ He gave me what I assumed was what an Antroth would call a grin and said, ‘Well let’s not aim too high.’”

“And that was that. I was his apprentice. ‘Course Ma was a bit furious when she found out I was sneaking off to train with Jhuul, but it was a nice change of pace from the dull farming life I once knew. Some part of me misses that life, but I wouldn’t trade the one I’ve got for anything.”