I was in a large room, with a long line of villagers waiting for their turn.
"So, picture this," I whispered like I was revealing a sacred ritual. "A guy and his friends sign a five-year contract, only to get milked dry by some corporate overlords. But here’s the twist... he cheats the system and climbs his way out to become something more."
I grinned like an idiot. "And the moral of the story? Screw corporate greed! Right?"
The boy just blinked and tilted his tiny head, trying to figure out what in the cosmic hell I was talking about.
I sighed, shaking my head. "Yeah… never mind. What was I expecting, anyway? A one-year-old breaking down labor rights with me?"
I finished examining the boy, patted his scaly head and gave the mother a reassuring nod. "Perfectly healthy, madam. You’ve got a future warrior here."
She picked him up with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Grand Shaman Keegan. When should I bring him back for another examination?"
I scratched my chin like I was contemplating the mysteries of the universe. "Hmm… let’s say… two, maybe three months? By then, I’m sure he’ll be twice as strong. Probably ready to wrestle a Barbaki bare-handed."
The woman gasped like I’d just blessed her entire bloodline. "Oh, thank you, Grand Shaman! We are forever in your debt!"
She bowed so deeply I thought she might break her spine.
I raised my hand with practiced grace, trying to look as wise and mysterious as possible. "Oh, no need for all that… It’s simply… my duty."
I watched her leave, still bowing as she disappeared through the door.
I leaned back in my chair, smirking to myself like an idiot.
Grand Shaman Keegan.
Did you hear that? I was officially a big deal.
Oh, and besides, I was already fluent in their language. Do you know anyone else who's worked as hard as I have? I don't think so.
At that moment, the Matriarch stepped into the room.
"Busy, are we?" she said, eyeing the long line of villagers waiting for their turn.
I leaned back in my chair and nodded sagely. "With great power… comes great responsibility," I replied, voice low and dramatic. "My uncle once told me that," I added, as if I carried the weight of a thousand lifetimes.
She gave me a look like she was trying to decide whether I was wise… or completely insane. To her credit, she kept her thoughts to herself.
"The Moon Festival is in two days. Are you ready?"
I let out the kind of long, heavy sigh only a true protagonist can produce. "Of course."
The Moon Festival.
A cosmic event that happened once every ten years, when all six moons... yes, those six oversized space rocks that somehow showed up almost every night, became one.
How did that even work? I had no clue.
At first, I figured they just aligned in the sky or overlapped from our point of view. Simple stuff, right?
But no. The Matriarch had explained it to me in detail.
Turns out, on the night of the Festival, the moons glow bright... and then, get this, they literally dance across the sky, merging one by one, until they form a single, massive, glowing violet moon.
If I’d had any lingering hope that this world obeyed the laws of physics, that sealed the deal. Poor Newton must be spinning in his grave.
I must’ve spaced out pretty hard, because the next thing I knew, the Matriarch was snapping her fingers right in front of my face.
"Keegan Carter. Focus," she said flatly, like she was used to dragging me back to reality.
I blinked a few times, shaking off the mental fog.
"Abrak-Ith is waiting for you in the central plaza," she added, already turning toward the door. "He'll explain your role in the Festival. Go on. Don’t keep him waiting."This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
She paused at the doorway and glanced back at the line of villagers. "I’ll tell the rest to come back later. You’ve got more important things to do."
More important things?
Oh, I did not like the sound of that.
"Good, good. I'll be right there," I told the Matriarch.
I'll be honest. At this point in my story, I'm pretty sure I could rival her in terms of energy and aura control.
But her presence alone... was capable of sending a shiver through my body.
The authority she emanated wasn't simply a matter of power.
But experience.
Sure, I was powerful. She probably knew that.
But she... she'd lived way longer than me. A hundred times longer, at least.
I wouldn't risk disobeying her, huh?
I left the place and headed toward the central plaza.
The day was pleasant. No matter the season, the village climate never changed. It stayed mild, dry, and just the right kind of warm.
The trick? Come on, you already know.
The Desert Flow.
The village had become one with the land, and in return, the land provided balance. A stable bubble of peace, no matter how harsh the wasteland beyond.
Oh, I also learned a few things about alien sludge.
Turns out the yellow elixir is secreted by some kind of weird subterranean organism that lives deep under the surface. It has incredible healing properties… but it's also extremely toxic when ingested raw.
Basically? It's excrement.
Yep. I spent my early days in the wasteland guzzling cosmic poop. Yikes.
Looking back, I was insanely lucky. I figure all the training, constant movement, and raw energy absorption somehow prevented the toxins from killing me on the spot. Thanks, plot.... uh, I mean, biology.
The black elixir? Even grosser.
It’s literally decomposed biological material from creatures that lived thousands of years ago. So when I said I found oil, I wasn’t too far off.
Its effects? An intense energy stimulant, like drinking five gallons of espresso injected directly into your bloodstream. But strangely, it had no noticeable impact on the villagers. Only I reacted to it. Somehow, it boosted my senses.
Lucky me, huh?
And then there's the green elixir. The weirdest and most mysterious of the three.
You remember the cave, right? The altar inside didn't just look cool, it slowly produced the green elixir over time. It was the only known place where it existed.
Its effect? A massive increase in sensory perception and natural energy sensitivity.
Basically... the alien equivalent of a supercharged hallucinogen crossed with divine enlightenment.
Marijuana meets LSD, sprinkled with nuclear fallout.
Why didn’t it kill me instantly, you ask?
Well, my theory is that all those years chugging yellow and black elixir built up my resistance. Like a cosmic vaccine... made of poison.
So yeah.
I survived. Somehow.
Shaman Keegan: official sludge sommelier of the alien wasteland.
I let the dry breeze wash over me, enjoying the rare moment of quiet… until a sharp pulse stabbed through my head like a rusty nail.
Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention that.
I hadn't slept well in years.
Remember the nightmare I told you about a few chapters ago? The one with those shadowy, humanoid figures tearing me apart in ways that would make horror directors jealous?
It never stopped. It only got worse.
More frequent. More creative.
At first, I thought it was just stress. Nerves over the upcoming Moon Festival. Over the possible answers I would get.
But deep down… something told me it wasn’t just that.
"Keegan!" Abrak-Ith’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
He waved me over, grinning as always. "I hope the Matriarch didn’t squeeze the life out of you again. You know she holds you in high regard, right? She’s just… well, she’s always been strict, heh."
I shrugged, trying to sound casual. "I know, I know. Don’t worry about it."
I leaned in, lowering my voice dramatically. "Well? She said you would explain my role for the Festival. So, what cosmic nonsense am I responsible for this time? Do I have to align the moons myself? Honestly, I wouldn’t even be surprised at this point."
Abrak-Ith let out a deep, hearty laugh that echoed through the empty plaza. "No, nothing quite so absurd," he said, still chuckling. "But… pretty close."
He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder and gave me a look that was way too serious for my liking. "The two of us will mobilize the energy in the ground… and mimic the movement of the moons."
I blinked. "...what?"
Abrak-Ith nodded slowly. "That’s what keeps the village in balance with the land, Keegan. It protects us. For years, I’ve done it alone… but now that you’ve become a master of the Desert Flow, I won’t have to anymore."
He gave me that six-thumbed thumbs-up again.
I flinched. Why did that still feel like a threat?
I let out a long whistle. "What a heavy responsibility we have there. So, if I'm not mistaken, the future of the village depends on us?"
Abrak-Ith nodded. "Indeed. One mistake and the village would be exposed to all the dangers of the Bangalblab Desert."
Oof.
Was there anything easy on that damned planet? No sir. Only high-risk, high-stakes tasks.
"Well... so do we have to practice or something?" I asked Abrak-Ith, scratching the back of my neck.
Abrak-Ith gave me a calm, reassuring smile. The kind of smile that made my stomach drop. "No. We can only do it during the Festival. And..." He paused for just a second too long. "There's only one attempt."
His words hit me like a punch to the gut.
No practice? Not even a warm-up?
These guys trusted me completely, huh?
Shit.
I had to mobilize cosmic energy, imitate astral bodies dancing in the sky, and to top it all off, I had one shot at it.
Get it right or ruin everything. No middle ground.
But hey, we're talking about Grand Shaman Keegan. Of course I would get it right the first time.
That night, the village began preparations. The excitement in the air was contagious, but beneath it all… something felt off.
The morning of the Festival arrived faster than I expected.
And the moment I stepped outside…
I felt it.
The ground vibrated ever so slightly. The energy in the air… jittery. Unstable.
Wrong.
Abrak-Ith was already waiting for me in the plaza. He looked like he’d barely slept. His jaw was tight. His hands trembled just enough for me to notice.
He felt it too.
We exchanged a glance. Neither of us said a word.
The Matriarch stood before the gathered villagers. Her voice rang out, firm and unwavering.
"We move forward with the Moon Festival."
She turned her gaze to us, eyes sharp, full of expectation. "I trust you."
Those three words hit me harder than any warrior ever had.
I closed my eyes and took a long, shaky breath.
I could only hope nothing would go wrong.