I have every intention of making this a very long story. If you like it, put it on your story alert,then if I do not upload a new chapter at least once a week, please yell at me in a review, email, or any other way you can find to harrass me. I want to stay motivated!

Chapter One: a time for change
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Life. What is life? What is existence? A man once said, “I think, therefore I am.” He’s dead now. He’s dead, but I still think his thoughts. He looked at the world around him and doubted it, doubted everything he had ever known or felt. He searched for something he could prove, anything that was true beyond the ability to doubt. When it was all said and done, the only thing he could prove was his own existence. “I think, therefore I am.”

But he’s dead. He’s not thinking anymore, thus he does not exist. Or is he? I cannot be certain he isn’t still thinking somewhere beyond my understanding. Can I even be completely certain he ever existed? No, the only thing I can know for sure is that I exist. It’s funny, I can’t even remember his name. But I can think his thoughts. I know the words he wrote, however many years it has been since he left them to mankind. So whether men cease to exist or not, I know their thoughts can linger. Ideas, stories, creations of any sort can outlive their creators in this world. I wonder if this world will ever end, bringing an end to everything in it. If that happens, the thoughts of man will only continue to exist in the minds of men. So there’s the question: do men cease to exist when their bodies are destroyed? What I would give to know such a thing. I know someday I will find out, just like every person who has ever died has found out. I plan on living for some time before I discover such a secret, and I know I can never return with the knowledge. What would happen if men knew their fate after death? Surely it would turn the world upside down. Or would men rather deny such knowledge? There lies the greatest question of all: if mankind were presented with the truth about death, would he believe it? Or would he choose to deny the irrefutable? I wonder…

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A lone figure, wrapped in a long robe bearing a strange symbol on its back, strode down a steep slope into a lush valley. His figure was stooped slightly; his face bore the marks of deep conversation. Any outsider watching him would say he lived somewhere nearby, as his pace was steady and sure even though he was staring at his feet. It was apparent he knew the way very well. A pair of children were playing nearby, chasing each other around the ancient trees growing abundantly in the valley. They stopped and stared at the figure, a young man whose appearance spoke of about seventeen years of life. One smiled and waved at him, looking only slightly deflated when he did not wave back, or even notice them standing there. The other retreated behind an large oak tree, a look of apprehension on her face. “Oh come on, he’s not dangerous!” the boy told her loudly, “He’s always passing by like that.” Hearing this, the man’s head jerked up suddenly and swung around until he noticed them. “Oh sorry, didn’t see you there.” He smiled warmly and the boy waved again. The girl wimpered and retreated farther around the tree away from him.

“Ahhhhh!” The young man stopped walking and stretched, then looked around at his surroundings. “Uhhh…oh ok, I know this place,” he frowned as he spoke, “I think I missed my turn… ah well, I’ll make it up later,” he declared as he flopped down in the shade of an enormous apple tree. Meanwhile the boy had marched over to his friend and was saying something to her in hushed tones. “But, but, he’s a…a chuuko! My mom said so.” she finally answered. “He is not!” the boy said, loud enough for the man in question to hear. Sighing, he got to his feet and strode over to them. The girl made to edge away around the tree again, but this time the boy grabbed her wrist firmly and held her there. “Tell her it’s not true!” he demander of the stranger, “Tell her you’re not a chuuko!” The man sighed, and for a moment he looked far older than usual. “Actually, I am a chuuko,” he said simply.

The boy’s eyes widened and he let go of the girl. She immediately scampered around the tree again, until she was opposite them both. “But…But…” the boy stammered, realization and denial battling in his expression. “But what?” the stranger said warmly. “That doesn’t change who I am, does it?” The boy nodded feebly. The man smiled warmly and continued. “You’ve seen me walk by here many times, haven’t you? And so have you,” he added to the girl. “You never knew my name, where I was from, but every time you saw me you smiled and waved at me. Yes, I am a chuuko, and you never knew. Does that make you not want to wave at me?” The boy shook his head, slowly at first, then faster as a smile once again formed on his face. “No, of course it doesn’t! Come on, Alice! Why are you afraid?” Heading around the old oak tree, he resumed his attempts to get her to come out. “Alice, eh?” said the young man, half to himself, “You know, after all the times we’ve seen each other, I still haven’t learned your names. I’m sorry.” “No problem!” called the boy quickly. “My name’s Chad.” Finally, Alice gave up and let him drag her back around the tree and in front of the man, her eyes set firmly on his feet. He dropped to one knee and looked her straight in the eyes, something no one had done before, and held out his hand. “My name is Tyle. It’s both a blessing and an honor to meet you.”

“Don’t you have to go somewhere?” Chad asked later, as the three of them lay on their backs, staring at the clouds.

Tyle grunted. “What do you mean?”

Turning his head, he saw the boy’s face contorted in thought. “Well, you’re always in such a hurry when we see you. You just walk right by our house, then off up the other side of the valley. Where do you go?”

“Nowhere.”

“You don’t want to tell me?”

“No, I just don’t go anywhere.”

“That’s what people say when they don’t want to tell you where they’re going.”

“I know, isn’t that annoying? But I’m telling you, I don’t go anywhere.”

“But you walk, so you must get somewhere!”

“I said I don’t GO anywhere. I pass through a lot of places. Most of them look a lot like here.”

“But if you’re walking, you have to end up somewhere other than where you started!”

“Not if I follow the ridge.”

Chad was obviously thinking very hard: a scowl indicated he wasn’t satisfied with the explanation. “How can following the ridge do that?” “Maybe someday I’ll take you with me, and you can see what I mean.” Tyle knew at once that he shouldn’t have said that. While Chad looked ecstatic at the thought, Alice looked horrified. “Well, maybe someday, but not anytime soon, I mean. Your parents won’t want you going for a while, and they know what’s best for you. Now Alice looked pleased and Chad was frowning. “Okay, fine, but I still want to know how following the ridge won’t get you anywhere.”

“Because the ridge is a great big circle.”

Both boys looked at Alice in surprise: it was she who had spoken. “Mother told me once,” she explained sheepishly, still squirming a little when she met Tyle’s eyes. “Oh,” he said softly. “Well, you’re right. You can’t see it from here because of all these massive trees, but the ridge makes a giant ring, and smack in the middle of it lies Empyrreon, the capital of the world. They call it the city of impact.” When he paused, Chad quickly spoke up. “Why do they call it the city of impact?” Tyle hesitated but continued. “because long ago, a great big rock fell down from the sky there. It was made of a strange metal nobody had seen before, and it turned out to be very useful. People didn’t know what to call it, so they used an old name they’d been saving up: mythril.” “My mother has a mythril necklace!” Alice interrupted, no longer afraid of their new friend. “It’s really pretty!” Tyle laughed. “And the whole city of Empyrreon is made of mythril.” Both children stared at him with looks of awe on their faces, but then Chad frowned. “Yeah, right. Why should we believe that?” “I’ve been there,” Tyle said indignantly. “They carved the whole city out of the pieces of the rock.” “I thought you said it was made of metal.” “Huh? Oh, ha ha, yes, it is, I just call it a rock because it’s easier to say than ‘ball of metal’.” Chad still looked skeptical. “Look, if you find a really tall tree and climb it, you can see Empyrreon from here! It’s always bright and sparkling, especially at night.” Both children were now staring longingly up at the branches of the trees. “Mother says I can’t climb trees that big,” said Alice quietly. Tyle kicked himself mentally. “Well, no, I guess not. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe someday you can come with me, and I’ll show you a place where you can see it without climbing a tree. It’s down the ridge a bit. If your parents say it’s ok,” he added as an afterthought. “I don’t think my parents would let me,” Alice said. “They get really mad when they see you. They always call you a Chuuko.”

Tyle sighed. “I know. Some people don’t like Chuukos. That’s just the way it is. And some chuukos are very bad people, you have to be careful around them. Your parents are right to tell you that chuukos are dangerous, but you have to remember that there are good ones too. Like me!” With that, he stood up and looked around. “Well, I think it’s time for me to go. “Already?” Chad asked, surprised. “Yep. I have to go somewhere.”

“But you said you don’t go anywhere!!!” the boy retorted quickly.

“Smart boy. I said I usually don’t go anywhere. Right now there’s somewhere I want to be, and that means I have to walk there. I like walking better when I’m just going in a circle, but it’s still good for getting me places.”

“But…” Chad’s face looked thoughtful again. “But you never go that way.”

“I know.”

“What are you two talking about?” Alice piped up.

“Think about it,” Chad explained, “Every time we see him he walks down that side of the valley and leaves up that side.” He pointed.

“He’s right, you know.” Tyle reached down and ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’ve been walking in a big circle the same way for a very long time, and I’ve never once walked the other way.”

“But you are now?”

“Well, I passed the place I was going to turn, so I have to go back. Besides, I think now is a very good time for things to change.”

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So, that was interesting. To think that I’d never talked to those children before…Even after all this time I still have a lot to learn.

Tyle soon found the going surprisingly difficult. He was used to following a memorized route, never having to think about where he was going. Now, however, the journey felt different.

I bet I know what it is. I’ve been walking on a slope for so long that my right leg is stronger than my left. Now my left foot is lower than my right, and it’s throwing me off balance. I’ve been so determined to experience new things, I’ve gotten myself into a rut. How ironic. How many years have I been gone? Well, I don’t regret any of it at all. I just need some change for now.

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I'm writing this story as part of a challenge to write at an incredible speed. I haven't set a goal yet but I'm not quitting until it's 50,000 words long. As such I might make some mistakes in grammar and spelling, and any input at all will be greatly appreciated.