Amanu suddenly regained consciousness, finding himself lying on a damp floor surrounded by complete darkness. Fear gripped him as he tried to stand and looked around, his heart racing. "Is this the afterlife?" he questioned himself, panic creeping in. He took a few tentative steps forward, his feet splashing in the low waters that pooled on the floor. The darkness was oppressive; he couldn't see anything beyond it.
"Hello?" he called out, but the only response was the echo of his voice. Suddenly, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He turned to his right and saw a faint, glowing green light. Driven by curiosity and the need for something, anything, to guide him through the darkness, he walked toward it.
As he approached, the green light began to take shape, slowly revealing a figure—a man, glowing and ethereal. The man didn't seem physical; he was made entirely of green energy.
"What is this?" Amanu muttered to himself.
"Greetings, young man," the old, green glowing man replied, startling Amanu and making him step back.
"You can talk? What are you? Who are you? Where are we?" Amanu blurted out, trying to grasp the surreal situation.
"I am afraid your mortal brain could never comprehend the answers," the old man said, his voice echoing in the darkness. He was bald and wore a long robe, all green, and not physical—merely energy.
"Death looms over all of humanity. The world is in grave danger," he continued.
"Death has always loomed over everyone. That's why I am here in the afterlife," Amanu shot back, skepticism lacing his tone.
The man chuckled softly, "This is not the afterlife…"
"Then what is this? Where am I?" Amanu pressed, anxiety bubbling within him.
"You aren't ready for the answers. When the time comes, I'll explain everything to you," the man said cryptically.
"What? What do you mean?" Amanu questioned, frustration creeping into his voice.
The man stretched his glowing green hand toward Amanu, who watched in horror as the hand passed through his chest without resistance.
"What the!" Amanu exclaimed, bewildered.
The glowing figure grabbed his heart with the green hand, and suddenly, the old man began to fade, his energy dissipating from the feet upward. Amanu's body pulsated.
"Wait! What did you do? Where are you going?" Amanu cried in panic.
"I am sorry, but I will leave all the burden to you," the man said solemnly. "Please, save the world," he urged as he continued to vanish.
"Don't leave me in this darkness! Old man! Old man!" Amanu shouted, desperation lacing his voice, but the man was gone.
Inside Amanu's chest, his heart raced wildly, beating so fast he could barely breathe. Sweat poured down his brow as he fell to his knees, clutching his chest. The rapid beating intensified, and before he knew it, he collapsed face-first into the damp water. At that point he couldn't breathe at all, he was literally drowning. Even in this darkness he started blacking out, was he about to die a second time he wondered. He stopped moving, Black!
With a jolt, Amanu awoke in a hospital bed, gasping for air as if he had been holding his breath for too long. He touched his chest, feeling his heart pounding normally now. Confusion washed over him as he looked around the room, which was bright and sterile, filled with the rhythmic beeping of machines. He couldn't make sense of what had just happened. One minute he's in absolute darkness, struggling to breathe and the next he's gasping for air in this…wherever this is.
A woman in a white uniform entered, her face lighting up as she approached. "Good morning, Mr… Savada," she said, glancing at her notes. "It's great you've finally woken up. I'm nurse Ahler, and I'll be the one taking care of you."
"What am I doing here?" Amanu asked, still dazed.
"You were found floating on the River of Alamo," she explained. "The people who spotted you thought you were a corpse, but officials quickly retrieved your body. Fascinatingly, you were still alive."
Amanu cradled his head in his hands, the events of the past days crashing down on him. He had been chased by a bear, attacked by a man, almost drowned, and then spoke to an ethereal old man. Now he was in a hospital.
"Wait a minute, sir…" the nurse said suddenly, rushing to him and grabbing his right hand. "How can you lift this hand?" She examined his arm, applying pressure. "Do you feel any pain when I do this?"
"No," Amanu replied, bewildered.
"Impossible…" the nurse murmured, studying him intently.
"What do you mean?" asked Amanu.
Ahler quickly flipped through her files and stopped at a certain page, "Yes, I'm not making things up. When you arrived yesterday, your right arm was broken, like completely shattered. It's impossible for it to heal in just a night."
"Oh yeah... the bear did break my right arm," Amanu said, glancing at his perfectly healed arm.
The nurse looked back at the file, confusion etched across her face. "It says here you are not a Maver… then how can this be? Only people with a regeneration Mave can heal this fast."
Even Amanu had no clue about what was happening. "I'm sorry, nurse, but as you can see… I'm perfectly fine now. Can I go home? My wife is probably worried sick about me."
"I'm sorry, but we can't allow that," a rough voice interjected from behind the nurse.
A buff, muscular old man with grey hair and a full beard strode into the room, his aura commanding attention.
"What do you mean you can't allow that? I am healed, aren't I? I'm fit to leave now!" Amanu shouted.
"I don't think you understand your situation, Mr. Savada," the man said, his piercing gaze locking onto Amanu.
"You, a Non-Maver, set foot on our sacred land. Not only that, but your kind also knows the laws about the Sacred River of Alamo—the river where no person is allowed to enter or drink except during the Cleansing ceremony, where all Mavers cleanse their wounds and close their battle scars. It's a holy river for only God's chosen, and you, a reject, dirtied it with your presence."
It suddenly dawned on Amanu—Non-Mavers like him weren't allowed to enter the Kingdom of Danvis. His body had been found in the Sacred River of Alamo. The first offense would mean imprisonment, but the second could lead to execution.
"Then why did you save me if you're already going to execute me for this?" Amanu asked, his voice trembling.
"Even the forsaken have the right to state their case," the man replied coldly. "Though I doubt there's anything you could say that would alter your fate. You will be an example for everyone of the consequences of entering the River of Alamo, just in case they've forgotten."
Panic surged through Amanu once again, his heart racing. Death seemed to follow him relentlessly.
"Oh, I see," the nurse said, realization dawning. "So, it's the river's mystical healing effects that healed his broken right arm."
"What are you talking about?" Mr. Luzo questioned her, his brow furrowing.
"Oh, sorry, Mr. Luzo," the nurse stammered. "When the patient came here, he had a broken arm—his right arm was grievously hurt. But when I checked on him today, just like you see… it's completely healed."
"Impossible," Luzo said, his calm demeanor unshaken. "The river can only cleanse wounds to eliminate infections, close small cuts and scars. It can't heal broken bones."
"Then what could be the reason for this?" the nurse asked, puzzled.
Mr. Luzo stood there silently, deep in thought, before finally opening his eyes. "Are you certain this man is a Non-Maver?" he asked.
"That's what the documents said. He was born in the village of Ziwa… in the north of Danvis," the nurse explained.
"I see," Luzo said, stepping closer to Amanu. "Then why is it that I sense faint Mave energy inside of him?"
Both the nurse and Amanu were shocked by his revelation.
"What kind of joke are you making here?" Amanu shouted, his frustration boiling over.
"Interesting. Your case keeps getting more intriguing," Luzo remarked, his interest piqued as he scrutinized Amanu. "MR. AMANU SAVADA, you are under arrest for trespassing into the Kingdom of Danvis and illegally entering the River of Alamo."