Welcome To The Outskirts

At the same time, somewhere far, far away from Earth, truly an unassailable distance away, and perhaps in a different universe altogether, the spherical maw of the Space Door ripped open once again.

After streaking and connecting through infinite spatial nodes, it ended up baring its coruscating teeth above the adjoined Outskirts of a busy city.

These Outskirts encircled colossal stone walls like a holey barrier, stretching from the South, along the East and to the North-side, seperating the City Walls from the partly sandy, partly lush green expanse.

Not minding any geographical details, the Space Door started its manifestation, apathetic to what was beneath. It's location was above a busy marketplace of the outskirts, not very far away from the East-Sided City Gate.

A canvas of darkness, lit up in countless beautiful starry constellations, slowly glared up into existence.

Below the cataclysmic anomaly and oblivious to the danger it contained, masses of people were going about their day to day shopping in the local commodity market.

The starry painting grew blurrier and darker, the vanishing stars were replaced by what seemed to be a reflection of a lightless place. Suddenly, the reflection twitched and started rippling like the surface of a serene lake stirred by a small stone.

Shortly after, all hell broke loose...

Violent torrents of oceanic waters raged with incomprehensible force in their spill downwards.

Catching sight of the unusual occurence, young kids, dirty beggars, mothers, fathers, grandmas and grandpas paused curiously in the streets. Everybody looked up to discern just what that unidentified object depicted.

"Look, Mommy, what is that?"

–"Oh, indeed. What is this?" the mother strained her eyes to see clearly, "It looks like it's moving?"

...

"Hey, old Bramo look up! You ever seen sum' like this before?"

–"Hm, no ... but isn't it a Cultivator doing some parley tricks? He's quite high up ain't that right! Must be a Wind Element!" an elderly grey-haired man clad in tattered garments concluded confidently.

The younger man, brown-haired and a bit dirty, focussed on the strange happening above before shaking his head, "Strange, that thing is getting bigger and bigger and... doesn't it rather look like it's falling from the sky?"

When the Space Door suddenly vented an inexorable amount of water, the spill became a lot easier to discern and the young man and elderly man ripped their eyes open in shock.

They looked at each other with quivering faces and started to alarm their panic.

"RUN! RUUN! IT'S WATER CRASHING DOWN," they screamed on top of their lungs, their warnings completely in unison.

After warning the vicinity, both of them took off with as much speed as they could humanly muster, in an attempt to dodge the incoming tsunami.

* * *

In a magnificient alabaster dome, located in the heart of the encircled city, quite a distance away from the manifesting Space Door, three people were seated at a mottled bronze table.

Two of the three figures were laughing and bantering joyfully while devouring fruits and wine.

A corpulent man in golden garment let himself be fed by female company, and devoured gulps of booze by the bottles.

Nonchalant of the presence of the other two, he continued his gluttony unperturbed.

The other guest, clad in a long silvery robe and adorned in golden, gem-inlaid ornaments, sat opposite to the golden glutton. His hands touched the back of a young brown haired servant, who donned a revealing yellow dress with white quillings.

He gave her a fleeting compliment when asking her to fill up his emptied booze bowl. When she bowed down to replenish the drink, he wantonly stared at her voluptuous curves with slanted eyes and a smirk.

Eating the last piece of fruit on the silver plate in front of him, the thinner, silver clothed guest started to talk with shifty, sly eyes, "City Lord, I want to thank you once again for inviting me to your wonderful City Hall, and of course for the great hospitality you're kindly treating us to."

"Yes, Yes this humble merchant wants to thank the City Lord, too. These fruits and beauties are certainly up to standard," the golden glutton joined in the compliment, "It's something that could be even up to par to the delicacies in my Golden Bull merchant troupe."

The portly man licked his fingers clean of the leaked fruit juice with a chortle. The City Lord, in the seat of honor, looked at the fat merchant with stiff, squinted eyes, but still in accordance of a polite expression.

'Curse you and your slithery tongue, you think I'm enjoying watching this show? The condescending tone in the voice of the fat glutton betrays his real thoughts too easily! Brutish fool!'

'If it weren't for your investments in my industry, I'd definitely beat you to a pulp!'

'Besides ... their hedonistic reputation definitely wasn't just an unfounded rumor. Salacious bunch!'

The City Lord was irritated, but never failed to keep a polite smile in front of guests. He continued to cordially exchange simple pleasantries.

What is thought and what needs to be said are two completely different things, especially in politics.

...Is what he has gradually learned over the years, acting as the managing instance of Monsoon City.

"No, I'll have to thank you instead, for choosing my Monsoon City to conduct your businesses in. The reputation of your Golden Bull and Silver Hawk Merchant Troupe certainly precedes you," the curly, black-haired City Lord replied politely with his cup raised in the air, "These were very productive months, so I want to offer you a drink in the spirit of mutual cooperation."

Missing the hidden meaning in this statement, both merchants were obviously flattered by his words and exchanged self-assured laughs and chortles. But even in their joyeous mood they wouldn't fail to see the additional silver plates that sat in the hands of another incoming servant.

Apathetic to their greedy eyes, the City Lord suddenly turned towards the wall with a grim expression. A deep frown contorted his face when he walked to the window and looked East of the City Walls.

Something was happening there... Something very strange. He thought he saw a waterfall spilling from the sky.

The Golden Bull noticed his odd behaviour and asked without restraint, "City Lord, is something the matter?"

The City Lord Orald turned his back to the window and disclosed his findings with a somber mood, "Just now, I sensed a slight Mana Influx from the direction of the Outskirts... How odd... There should not be another Element Stimulation Realm in the city. And this waterfall..."

He grinded his teeth forebodingly and hurriedly stepped in direction of the exit.

"I need to go and investigate this in detail, so we'll have to postpone our gathering, I'm afraid."

Interested in what might be happening, Silver Hawk chimed in happily, "No problem at all, you know what? I'm growing a little bored anyways, let me accompany you!"

The Golden Bull nodded in agreement and smiled, "I will also join in the little excursion."

Stepping out of the alabaster steepled dome, the Golden Bull turned to the two figures next to him and made an offer, "Let's try out the carriage I have recently custom-ordered. It's powered by Spiritual Crystals and ...", he rubbed a pitch-black ring on his ring finger and submerged it in an azure energy, "I can take it out whenever I want."

With a swift motion of his hand, a spacious four-wheel carriage appeared. It had delicate golden ornaments decorating the outside with intricate designs. This flaunting display of splendor was an obvious cry for attention, but truth be told, it substantiated the presence of a lavish owner without any additional effort.

Orald looked a bit intrigued by this display of lavishness and eyed the pitch-black ring with great interest and questioned it rhetorically.

"That's a Space Ring, isn't it?"

Golden Bull proudly declared with a hoisted countenance,"Quite right, it is indeed a Space Ring."

Unbeknownst to both of them, Silver Hawk glimpsed at the the ring furtively while trying his best to supress a gaze of avarice. A stiff smile hung on his lips, but his eyes sparkled in a greedy, dangerous shimmer.

"After you, gentlemen." the Golden Bull motioned and jumpstarted the mechanism when everyone took a seat on the golden velvet fur. The flipping and gyrating sound of gears could be heard and soon after, the vehicle set out to the Eastern City Gate.

* * *

The body of oceanic water spilled onto the market with neck-breaking force, drowning the inhabitants, as well as nearby streets in relentless undulations. Luckily the air resistance could partially break it's unity apart, therefore dampening the incoming force quite substantially.

...Still, such amounts of water were far too vast for to turn innocuous.

Buildings and houses trembled under heavy strain. Shoddier, dilapidated ones folded into rubble immediately, leaving only a fundament in their stead.

Pieces of debris and rubble were carried away by the gushing floods and proved to be a deadly combination to people in nearby streets. Due to the fact that the flood started at the busy marketplace junction, many people didn't find shelter on second floors or inside buildings in time and were dragged away by horrible inertia.

Trapped by powerful streams, peoples screams and cries drowned out in a ghastly manner.

The marketplace and its vicinity turned into a sight straight out of a nightmare. An abhorrendly tragic view.

A a couple moments later, the Space Door arbitrarily closed and blurred out, vanishing to reappear and spawn tragedy elsewhere in the universe, yet leaving not a single trace of its existence behind, here in Monsoon City.

When it closed, no more floods rained on the slums and the torrents slowly calmed. Although objectively seen, and compared to the vastness of the oceans, it wasn't an unthinkable amount of water, it harbored enough force to squash the humans it targeted defenselessly.

After flowing in all directions and causing mayhem like an impregnable liquid titan, it started to thin out and slowly sicker down the ground. It was as if it's former outburst of rage was an indifferent act of forces, and not a hateful vengeance.

The water calmed and vanished. The ground of the marketstreet acted as an accomplice to its escape and sponged the water up slowly to turn into softened, turbid soil.

Lifeless bodies lay silent on every corner, all mangled by debris or asphyxiated by the lack of air.

Death embraced every being without bias.

When the floods calmed, a cacophony of cries, shock, pain and horror resounded in the area. Luckily, some people reacted in time and found shelter on higher grounds, carrying only lacerations and bearable wounds from the disaster.

The main goal is to keep one's life in such situations of course.

The ones not quick enough cannot share this essential luck.

A bit further from the heart of the marketplace, or where it once was, between the dead and wounded, there lay one of those misfortunate victims.

A young black haired man, about 15 years old.

A young man merely starting to enter adulthood.

A young and pitiful man, snatched of his shot at life.

His heart stopped beating, his body now eternally silent on the muddy ground.

But strangely enough, one of the cold-white bloodless fingers started twitching indiscernibly. The heart which had stopped its function some moments ago, started beating again, as if possessed by unexplainable magic or some indomitable will.

It started pumping blood again, coloring the pale skin into brighter, vivacious colors yet again.

A couple of shocked, bloodshot eyes ripped open. They looked deathly fatigued, but weirldy enough they exuded a fresh breath of life.

Their green glimmer dampened down and streaks of grey blotchy fibres mixed their usual green with a mysterious anthracite.

"Argh, keugh keugh."

The young man started coughing and vomited out salty water from his lungs and stomach. Disoriented he looked around and what he saw sent cold shivers down his spine.

"What the hell happened..."

Around him was nothing but destruction and death. A palpable and heavy air lingered around.

Wailing cries around him gave him immediate goosebumps.

"What? Where?!... I am sure I was drowning, and then ..."

Recounting his memories he uttered in shock, "Wait– I drowned ?"

He touched his wet clothes and the muddy, wet soil. His brain tried to understand the current situation, but surveying the vicinity and noticing a mangled, lifeless man just a couple meters to his right left him gasping for air.

The next second he rolled over and vomited for a second time.

Noticing the small lacerated and wounded arms supporting his body in this endeavour, he intently stared at them for a moment before touching his face and hair.

"It''s different."

"Why is it different?"

It slowly dawned upon him, that the situation he found himself in was very, very unnatural.

Standing up, he picked up a nearby broken piece of windowglass from the ground and in the dirty half opaque reflection he looked at his face in incredulity.

His hands began shaking, and he couldn't take his eyes off his own face. He saw a young man with muddy blackish hair, grey-green eyes, a gaunt, well proportioned nose coupled with slim, blue lips. The slowly diminishing round facial features indicated the start of adulthood.

It took a few moments for him to compose himself and focus back on the reality of the situation.

"This is not my body."

Letting the glass piece fall from his hand to the ground, he stopped thinking about stuff he couldn't explain, leaving that for a later date.

It was time to assess the situation.

Luckily it seemed, that besides some cuts and bruises he was fine for the most part. But the salt water made even such miniscule cuts obnoxiously painful.

He stood up and took a look around, scanning the proximity.

Once again he shuddered at the sight of people laying lifelessly on the ground. Also, there were many people littered im grievous wounds cringing from the burning pain. Howls and loud groans reverberated around him, wetting his dirty back with loads of sweat.

Suddenly, he felt nauseous again.

Holding back the desire to vomit, he continued to analyse the state of things.

The place looked a lot like wrecked market place, seeing how many broken goods and food were scattered on the ground alongside with bits and pieces of furniture like tables and chairs.

"It smells of salt."

"The only possibility for salt water to spill here in such amounts, in this situation..."

Théo's face grew distorted.

"... Impossible!"

"Where is my normal body then? Why am I in a kid's body?"

Suddenly, a muffled groan sounded rom underneath a pile of rubble.

Théo twitched. Chosing to trust his hearing, he shouted loudly.

"Is someone here? Where are you?"

Another incomprehensive, but louder groan came from underneath the debris.

It seems like the person had no strength to scream... but a groan was enough!

Théo drew in as much air as possible into his lungs and a hoarse shout resounded through the chaotic street.

"There is someone trapped under the debris here! I need help!"

Despite it being the outskirts, there were a lot of houses made out of cement and heavy materials. It was no easy task to heave it up alone.

Without waiting for anyone, he started unraveling the pile bit by bit with all the strength his new body could muster. Luckily, the rubble pieces were not heavy enough to be immovable.

After more than a minute of digging and heaving, he came close to the wounded person.

Overhearing his screams for help, two moderately wounded men came for the rescue, one limping himself, the other bloodied with a grave cut stretching alongside his face.

The three pushed away the rubble in tacit cooperation, freeing the trapped figure from the heavier rubble pieces that restricted him from the top.

Luckily, he wasn't squashed fatally underneath the heavy stones, but found himself with some leeway. The wounds he suffered were ghastly and bloody, with bones sticking out of his skin and most of his limbs either shattered or fractured.

His clothes were tattered and spotted with blood in the lacerated, wounded places.

The man needed medical aid immediately to survive.

"We need to call the ambulance quickly ... they are probably already on their way. In any case, we need to call the hospital to ensure they will be quick. Do you have your phone with you?" Spark uttered in fast pace, anxious to lose time.

The men who came to help, looked at him strangely, seemingly confused by the words. While one of them was bandaging the rescued with pieces of his shirt, the other replied with a calm voice, but Théo didn't miss the suppressed panic within.

"What do you mean by ambulance? The healers of the city should be alarmed soon. But first he needs to survive until they arrive. We'll have to get him out of the mud to a clean place."

Just as confused by the helpers words, as the helper was with his, Théo dismissed the matter quickly and agreed with the relocation, "I will see if I can find a suitable place."

Not long after running out, he found what he was looking for. A relatively unaffected restaurant, where the furniture miraculously stayed intact for the most part. The building looked stable on first sight, even some of the windows were intact.

The tables were quite big and not screwed to the ground, so they were perfect as temporary stretchers.

Upon closer examination, he caught a glimpse of people peeking down from the second floor of the apartment.

Window fragments were scattered around, floating on the water residue at ankle height.

Luckily, everbody seemed uninjured, but their expressions seemed absolutely terror-stricken.

Not caring about obtaining approval, Théo pulled in as much air as his lungs allowed and shouted in all directions.

"Bring the wounded here! Bring the wounded here! Everybody who knows how to apply First Aid gather around."

Noticing a bell, which normally announced new customers to the staff when the door opened, he started to furiously shake it at the connected thread and repeated his shout a couple more times.

His desperate shout seemed to have helped somewhat. The people who were disoriented and unable to process the situation in midst of their pain and suffering, finally woke up from their pained trance, finding new composure.

The two helpers attending to the mangled man, heard him exclaiming and lifted up the wounded patient as carefully as possible.

Théo ripped both doors open and wedged big pieces of debris, which wouldn't wash away, in front of them, fixing them as wide as possible.

Noticing the stares of the people inside, he felt as though he had to finally clarify the situation.

Outlining the situation succinctly and accurately, he hoped for swift action and tacit understanding.

"As you can guess, there are many terribly wounded people outside. I see everyone here is more or less fine. I'm sure you don't mind my brazenness, time is of the essence here. Clear out the tables and make place for the wounded. Is there-"

He wondered why the people here were still not hurrying to help but instead kept safe behind the counter here when a man interfered with a question on his own.

"Are Cultivators fighting outside?"

Théo's face formed into a frown.

'Cultivators fighting outside ? What does a fight have to do with this situation? And who would dare to fight when there are people dying right in front of them?'

Not being able to make sense of the question he replied a bit hesitantly, still pressing on the urgency of the matter.

"A fight?"

"... No, there is no fight... Something else must have happened, but nevermind that."

"Please make room for the wounded first."

Nervous gazes landed on him.

"So it wasn't the Water Bandit? Are you sure it's over?"

Théo was confused but nodded.

Deep sighs and expelled nervousness could be heard and felt as soon as he gave the nod.

"Thank the Grand Dao... But who else could it have been then..."

Théo was shocked at the mans formulation. He didn't miss this detail.

'He asked "who" and not "what" it could have been. I haven't misheard that, have I? Is there some kind of terrorism going around? Perhaps, it is the one he called the Water Bandit? And... the Grand Dao?...Daoism?'

Théo was confused. He couldn't make rhyme nor reason of the man's statement.

Countless questions raced around his mind but upon seeing the first wounded arrive, he shut them out in order to save as many people as efficiently as he could.

Despite not knowing who the Water Bandit is, he had a hunch about how this disaster happened and where it originated.

There was no more time to debate so in reply to the man he just said.

"This probably wasn't done by the Water Bandit, so there is no need to worry. It seemed more like a weird anomaly of nature."

Before even ending his sentence, he walked up to a table and with a swipe, emptied it of all things on its surface.

Pulling the table back, he directed the others to lay the wounded woman down. Floating glass shards bit into his exposed ankles, but he gave it no mind and started organizing.

"Everbody with First Aid Knowledge dress the wounded. We need clean bandages and [...]"

After delegating roles in an effort to create a somewhat functioning First Aid Center to prolong the life of the wounded until proper help arrives, he stepped out the restaurant and gave out the last role of making others aware of the First-Aid treatment center to a man who claimed to have the loudest voice in the room.

He was satisfied with the makeshift organisation.

Hopefully, the 'Healers' would arrive soon.

Thinking about it, it was strange that everyone listened to his instructions, considering he was a kid.

But then again, efficiency speaks for itself...

A few steps out of the door, he heaved a sigh.

"Let's find some more, wounded, helpers and medical care kits."

Even though the catastrophe wasn't his fault, he still had a guilty conscience.

In the end, he was connected to it in a way...

That was the least he - or anybody- in this situation could do.

As soon as Théo started gathering his thoughts, three people in unusual garments discussed in front of the First Aid Center.

'Weirs taste in clothing, but... quite important? ... and boisterous.'

He scanned the golden-clothed portly man with scrutiny, and then the middle-aged man next to him perhaps of the same age as Théo back on Earth.

A scruffy beard, and curly long hair. He looked gaunt and meager in front of the glutton who had waves of fat practically rolling from his chin.

Next to the man with the scruffy beard was a thinner man in silver garments.

Adorned with the most lavish ornaments, he made Théo remember the nouveau rich back in his circles on Earth.

Slanted eyes and thin lips veiled him in a somewhat cunning air.

Both the man with slanted eyes, and the fat man were clad in luxurious robes of the highest quality, whereas the man in front wasn't dressed quite as eye-catchingly.

Strangely, the look of wavy, shaggy hair in combination with a high quality white-robe, made him seem more exalted.

seemed to be in a particularly bad mood as he scowled at the sight of the street.

...

Clad in white, Orald, the City Lord lifted something from under the rubble.

Recognizing the besieged item, Théo's breath was stolen away with just a glance.

His lungs deflated, and his lips, which had managed to regain a red color went dry and white, losing the semblance of vitality they exuded a moment ago.

His soul trembled.

Yes... he assumed it.

He knew it deep, deep down, but still ...

Seeing it in front of him, Théo stood motionlessly, momentarily losing all context with reality.

Cold sweat formed on his back.

Orald held a severed human arm in his hand. Sorrow and sadness pained his expression.

There was a ring on a finger.

A thick golden ring, engraved with a masterfully designed sun, a big ruby stone, representing the hot core, emanating flailing light rays radiantly.

Théo gulped.

His stomach felt like it was turned upside down. A deep sense of nausea filled his gullet.

Oh... it was far too familiar. Far too much for his eyes...

Behind him, the man he delegated to shout started screaming the stipulated exclamations, to attract the attention of other survivors.

"Bring the wounded here! Bring the wounded here! First- Aid [...]"

But all the noise was slowly blended out.

Only Théo's rationalizing rattled through his mind.

"Bring the wounded here! Bring the wounded here! First- Aid [...]"

It hit him.

'T-That... That is ... That is my arm.'

With that revolting realization causing havoc in his heart, Théo vomited.

He vomited for the third time.