Ramalkin

In Zalax, the divine Beasts had ruled since time immemorial. When humans arrived, it took centuries of incidents and disasters before a harmony between the two dominant species of the continent could be established. Humans learned from the divine Beasters and then learned to live with them, drawing advantages from their natural impacts on the world and avoiding the disadvantages.

Yet, it didn't end there. No, humans and divine Beasts became more than just foreign species to each other—they became one. The Binders emerged, humans who learned to connect with the divine Beasts. A Binder cannot completely control a divine Beast, yet the creature responds to their call—thus, it became possible for humanity to harness the wondrous powers these noble creatures possessed. Not only through the Beasts themselves, but after a successful connection, the Binder also gained a share of their powers.

Nations were established, supported by the divine Beasts, heralding a new era in Zalax. The land opened up, the skies became reachable, and entire kingdoms were built in places that could never have been settled otherwise.

Nearly every powerful country possessed one or two divine Beasts. Though countless others existed—wild, unreachable, and slumbering—it was inexplicably difficult to establish a connection with them. Zephyria, a kingdom of such might, had only two divine Beasts.

The Binders of a nation, along with their divine Beast, became the pillars of their societies. They were known by various names everywhere—Flamekeepers, Tide Runners, or in Zephyria, Terrashapers.

However, the name Terrashapers was more familiar in the distant lands of the Farani. Here in Zephyria, mothers told children scary stories, and fathers recounted the heroic deeds of the great Binders of Talak—the Ramalkin.

Kael was dumbfounded, not merely because he was standing before a Ramalkin, but because he had even tried to fight him—well, he had tried, while Shukran had merely been present, whooping his ass in the process.

No, it wasn't just that, but...

"You?!" he suddenly exclaimed. Shukran was still standing across from him, a satisfied smile on his face.

"But... but Ramalkin are supposed to be... honorable! They're magnificent, their very presence demands respect and reverence! You—you're just an old, terrible, unpleasant, ridiculous old man!"

The more Kael spoke, the more Shukran's smile faded. But Kael wasn't trying to insult the old man; he truly couldn't believe that, after all he had heard about the Ramalkin, this man was one of them!

"Watch your words, brat. I might not be who I once was, but I could still send you flying with just my little toe," Shukran retorted, though he didn't seem particularly offended.

Kael's mouth however kept running. "And they all have bodies of steel! And..." Kael stuttered a bit and paused.

Shukran raised an eyebrow encouragingly. "What is it, boy? What else are the great Ramalkin supposed to be? What am I missing?"

Kael hesitated before speaking: "They're supposed to be 2 meters tall."

There was suddenly silence between the two, but it wasn't an offended silence. Rather, the two shared a clear understanding at least on this point.

Finally, Shukran sighed loudly and clearly. "Well, it seems not all stories are true. I'm neither honorable nor feared, and certainly not tall—be thankful for that at least."

"Why is that?" Kael asked.

"Because it means you don't have to be a tall man to be a great man."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shukran vanished suddenly, just as he had done before. Kael spun around, and the former Ramalkin was now standing beside him.

He placed a hand on Kael's shoulder, reaching up rather than down.

"But," he said to Kael with a serious face, reminiscent of their first meeting, "now that you know, you can leave me alone."

He was about to turn away, but driven by instinct, Kael grabbed the old man's hand and held him by the wrist.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, though they stood side by side. Shukran grimaced as Kael shouted in his ear.

Kael quickly closed his mouth and released the old man. Fortunately, Shukran stayed and waited for Kael's questions.

But he had so many, he didn't even know where to start. Suddenly, he wanted to know everything about the old man. What it meant to be a Ramalkin, how a Binder of Talak ended up in this village, why he knew his parents so well.

But those were all too personal questions. So, he chose one that was just as burning a question but seemed more appropriate at the moment.

"Can you summon the Sandworm?" Kael asked. That was always said. Binders were the partners of the divine Beasters.

"What?" Shukran was utterly astounded, "what do you think I am, you rascal?"

Kael scratched the back of his head. "Well," he said, "isn't that what the Ramalkin can do?"

Shukran's jaw dropped, and it looked like he was about to hurl an insult at Kael, but then he closed his mouth and just sighed.

"No, boy, just no. You can't help it that you don't know, you've never been to a proper academy. Listen," Shukran stepped closer to Kael so that they could look each other in the eyes at close range, "a Binder is not just a Binder."

Kael did not understand.

"A Binder is not a… What?"

"Yes, exactly that," corrected Shukran, "A Binder connects with a divine Beast, you got that right. But not all do it directly."

"There are three types of Binders, you might call it three levels. The first type of Binders, the 'lowest' level, are called Sentinels. They receive only a tiny portion of Talak's powers. The way I read you like a book, even a Sentinel can do that."

Then Shukran stepped back, and Kael held his breath as the sand around Shukran began to vibrate—no, it literally trembled. And a moment later, a massive hand of sand shot out of the desert, as big as Kael himself.

Kael's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull when the hand began to wave at him. This wasn't supposed to be possible. Sand was not supposed to be solid. This… was magic.

"This," Shukran explained, "along with a few other neat tricks, is thanks to my type of bond. I am what's called a Conduit. But neither a Sentinel nor a Conduit directly binds with the divine Beast; they always bind through a higher-level Binder. That's why I call it indirect. It has its pros and cons. But what all Binders have in common..."

Suddenly, Shukran vanished from Kael's sight, only to reappear right in front of him. This time, however, Kael did not flinch; he was too captivated.

"...is that they possess extraordinary physical abilities. So don't even think about picking a fight with one in the future. Fortunately for you, most Binders are part of the armies and royal families of their countries. They are extremely… let's say disciplined."

Kael pondered briefly. In front of him, the hand of sand began to fall apart and vanished in the desert again.

"But... you fought with me," he said with a slight grin, even with all the astonishment taking over, "does that make you a renegade?"

Shukran's regarded Kael with a look that made him sweat a little. Then, the old man burst out laughing, as he seemed to always do.

"Shut your mouth, you cheeky brat! The only reason I'm telling you this is that I owe your parents a lot, and I like them. Smacking you was also for their sake," the former Ramalkin said with a mischievous smile.

Then his smile faded. "But in a way, you are also right."

Kael was about to ask why, but he sensed that Shukran was not ready to discuss this topic further. Out of respect for the old man, he let it go.

He had respected Shukran in a certain way even before it turned out that the old rogue was indeed one of the most powerful people in Zephyria. No, power was not what mattered to Kael.

Shukran had earned his respect in other ways, the same ways he had also earned Kael's ire. At the moment, however, none of that anger was present in Kael. He was filled only with pure admiration and curiosity.

Kael steered the conversation back to the topic of Binders before the old man could leave.

"What's the highest level of a Binder then?" he asked.

Shukran paused, glancing sideways as if to make sure they were alone. Kael had never thought anything could make the old man exercise such caution—apart from Kael's mother.

"The highest level of Binder is called a Primordial. For each divine Beast, there can only be one such Binder. They are the direct link between humans and the sacred beings that reside in the realm of gods. Every other Binder is connected to a Primordial in some way. I am too."

Then Shukran narrowed his eyes and grabbed Kael's wrist. "But listen carefully, boy," he said quietly, "these are things you don't need to know. The knowledge isn't forbidden, but it will only bring you trouble, do you understand?"

Kael wanted to ask why, but under Shukran's stern gaze, he could only manage a confident nod. Shukran released his wrist and sighed again.

"There. Now you know what you need to leave me alone," Shukran turned his back to Kael. And in that moment, Kael did the only thing that made sense to him in this chain of unreasonable revelations.

Kael struck.

A dull, yet harmless noise echoed as his fist actually hit the upper back of the old man. However, Shukran was neither pushed forward nor showed any reaction at first.

But Kael could hardly believe it.

"I..." he thought and then shouted out loud, "I hit you! Ha! Kael Adar has sparred with a Ramalkin!"

Kael burst out laughing, but his laughter turned into a yelp as Shukran spun around and swept his feet from under him. Kael quickly landed back in the sand but still had to laugh.

It was a great feeling.

And to his surprise, Shukran wasn't angry but also chuckled a little.

"You damn rascal," he simply said.