ULAM. -- The Escaped Version

Welf:

Sometimes the weirdest thing happen to you, but it is so randomly bizarre that you don’t have time to think. Like when a golden spoon in your pocket warns you that the enemies are getting nearer, you do not get to reflect upon the fact that an inanimate object is talking to you. Instead, you instinctively grab the hand of your companions, who are deeply oblivious towards their surrounding drowning in their sorrow, and tug them to run after you.

And then out of nowhere a pain shot through your legs as something very, very sharp and very familiar is whipped towards you and catch your ankles and you stumble over. Before you know it, your face is dead-smacked on the earth and dirt gets into your mouth. Rough hands mishandle you, pinning you down, but in your struggle you catch a glimpse of the lady and her daughter, clutching each other as more than a dozen men, their palms strangely bloodied, surrounds them.

“Hello, Welf”

+++++

Egle:

Was I happy to see the traitor, finally caught, now lying helpless as six of my men held him to the ground? Was I pleased to see a familiar face, still lovely as ten years ago, who are once my tribe’s highest priestess, trying her best to look tough but from the way she is holding to that little girl, I could tell she is quite scared herself?

I might, if not for the sudden appearance of Bae, with fifty men behind him, whom I recognized are my tribe members, but they looked strangely in trance, their eyes glazed over, as if something alien has taken control of their mind.

You, what are you doing here? I asked him.

Sinister smile crept upon his face, I always thought he is the mischievous kind, but the tribe members respected him, and after all he is one of our tribal leaders, with added bonus of marrying the High Priestess, the Kuun woman who custom dictated had to serve the holy altar of the Omahs, perhaps the only ancient ritual that both tribes still had a respect for and willing to accept.

“Hello Egle. Looking for this?”

The bronze plate!

+++

Bae:

Ahh, good. They captured Welf already. Isn’t it easy letting someone else’s did the dirty work for you? Follow the hunter, swoop in and steal away the prey? Brilliant. And now that my men outnumbered his – fifty against twenty – he has no choice but to surrender the boy to me.

And with the boy come the golden spoon…. HAHAHAHA.

Man, I have such a good evil laugh.

“My oh my, isn’t this interesting?”

What the…? I knew that voice!

+++

Hubba:

My, oh my, isn’t this interesting?

I'm hunting for the the boy with the golden spoon, but now I got the whole clan. The nemesis of the Kuuns, Bae and Egle, looking as if they are ready to tear each other apart. Good, internal conflict will weaken them… I have my men with me, almost half they couldn’t see, for we are the Kuuns! The Omahs can’t see most of us. This will be a great ambush tactic.

And who is this…? My sister, my long lost sister, Keisha…?

+++

Keisha:

The moon… oh, great mother.

"Rise up, O-mother.. by thy lights glowing, thy sons meet where the shadows fade..."

The Kuuns and the Omahs finally together, but the men are too absorbed they don’t realize the moon is almost at its fullest. Oh, mother, this is really happening. It’s time, isn't it? Both the ‘Ula and La’am here. Your sons are here. The One is here. I have to help him reveal the prophecy. But how... think Keisha, think!

Wait... Kella. Kella is the answer!

Kella, I whispered, you must die.

+++

Kella:

When my mom said that I must die, I was like, I just did, like two days ago!

" Trust me, dear. I believe there's a reason why I'm here. I was a High Priestess, thus I know a lot about our ancient rites and rituals. I studied and memorized the sacred books by heart. It must be fate that I met you and Welf".

But, why should I die? Why not someone else?

"One soul of two brothers, released under the full silver. The earth stood still, the One on his free will... I read this from a scroll in the temple. One soul of two brothers, you are both an Omah on Bae's side and a Kuun, from me. The full silver must be the full moon. If you die now - releasing your soul - the earth will freeze for a minute. One minute only. All of us will freeze, even the bird and the wind. But the One, that would be Welf, will be the only person able to move. He can get the bronze plate from Bae then. Once he got the 'Ula and La'am together, the prophecy will be revealed!"

Why should I care? I was a nobody. The Kuuns hate me. the Omahs never knew I existed. My dad is evil and you abandoned me. And now I am suppose to sacrifice myself for the sake of people who never care for me? Why?

But Welf, he take pity on me. I knew he hated it, but still, he took me on his journey. He is the only person who likes me.

Maybe he is worth dying for...

+++

Welf:

The moment I saw Bae, I could feel the anger rising. Liar! Killer! How could he murdered my dad, and then pretended to be nice to me. I look up to him, but apparently I am only his tool to get to the sacred 'Ula and La'am.

And it's true, when we are at our weakest physical moment, what keep us going is our will. So, yeah, six pairs of hand are holding me down, but my utmost desire to avenge my dad's death gives me this unimaginable strength. I struggle, kick and bite, and charge towards Bae. And suddenly, the intense moment of everyone staring down at each other ended, and chaos erupted. Everyone is fighting with everyone else. Egle's men attacking the Kuuns, Hubba's men attacking the Omahs, Bae's Omahs attacking Egle's Omahs.

I run towards Bae, but from the corner of my eyes, I could see Kella looking sadly at me. A knife at her hand, inching upwards to her heart...

Wait, Kella.... Kella...!!!!!!

+++

Suddenly the earth stood still. The moment Kella's body crumpled to the ground, the insects stop singing, the birds freeze midair, their wings stretched but not flapping. Even the shadows of the tree stop moving. The epic battle comes to a grinding halt. Swords suspended, the men's faces stiffen in their fury.

Welf look around him, confused. What is happening?!!

"Boy, hurry... get the bronze plate. This is your chance!"

The voice inside his pocket again. He takes out the golden spoon, and stares at it in disbelief.

"Are you really talking to me?"

Does it matter? Come on, take U'la. Bae won't be static for so long.

Welf runs towards Bae. He takes the bronze plate - should I kill him now. No, I don't have time - and purposely kick Bae's groin, and run towards Keisha, wondering out loud, "Now what do I do?"

+++

Keisha:

That sixty seconds surely lasted forever. The last thing I remembered was seeing Kella stabbing her own heart with the knife I give to her, and now Welf is standing in front of me wondering what to do.

"Where's the altar of Oom, Keisha?", he asked.

Where...? Physically, it is at the heart of the temple of the Omahs, but didn't a sage once wrote that the altar is whenever it is a full moon, the Oom presides where ever the shadow fades. Everywhere on earth, for that one night, where the silver light doesn't cast a shadow, IS literally the altar.

And today is such a night.

Here, I pointed to the rocks behind us, put them up there, and I'll summon the Oom.

+++

Legend has it, that presenting the 'Ula and the La'am together at the altar of the Oom will reveal the prophecy. A prophecy so important that it determines the survival of the sons of the Moon. After a thousand years, the two revered tokens are finally together, and what a coincidence, it is the night of the full moon.