Son of Sand and Ocean

"For preparing yourself for your bright future," were exactly the words his father had used as a reason for sending his son to one of the brilliant academies in Bellmori. Kai had grown up swimming in the crystal clear waters of Palu'au, among its soft white sand, among coconut trees and reefs, synchronizing his breathing with the coming and going of the ocean waves. His life in the islands was perfect, because Kai's adventurous and curious character along with that touch of cleverness had opened him the door to almost everything. His father had taught him tricks here and there, and Kai had perfected them, whether by listening to merchants or after many failed attempts. Kai knew how to read the sky perfectly as much as he knew which direction he was walking towards at night in any season, along with knowing if the tide would rise soon and even predicting the weather. He had a lot to thank his father for, since thanks to this knowledge,he always knew how to prepare his little hut in time if it was gonna rain or to take shelter from strong winds, as well as not to get lost in the darkness of the night.

The people of Palu'au were open, smiling, carefree. Like the sun and the sea foam. Kai had no trouble adapting to this environment, although as he grew older his father visited him less and for less time, but this also made him a very sharp kittom. He lived by doing small jobs here and there, looking for the best shells that he would later sell to the shops in the area dedicated to tourism. He fished and collected his own food, although he sold the best and rarest specimens at the best price in the local fish shops. However, he had his ups and downs (especially if the fishing areas were crowded with adults or if someone discovered his own best fishing spots), and although a little reluctantly, he always knew how to back out on time and ask for help from the people of the island, which was the most humble and familiar in the world.

One day, his father docked his boat into the makeshift dock in the non-tourist area where Kai lived, and went to look for him, announcing that he was taking him away. Kai's face lit up, thinking that perhaps he would finally take his son sailing, and that he could finally become an adult. But that was not his father's purpose. The neighbors tried to convince the father that Kai was happy on the island that he could earn a job when he grew up, but his father wanted to take him to an academy.  Kai had always respected his father, he owed him too much. So like a completely different kittom, he lowered his head, nodded and set to work preparing on packing his belongings, under the astonished gaze of everyone present after overcoming the initial shock. He knew his dad was doing this to ensure him a good future. That same night they left. Kai managed to take his favorite shell with him, to hear the sea wherever he went. He also managed to bring back a few treasures and pearls to sell and get some money of his own. His father had told him that the academy would provide him with food, but Kai doubted that he would like anything other than fish, fruit or seaweed. His destination was Bellmori, which his father had described as the city where it was an neverending autumn. Kai's favorite season was summer, so he was quite downcast that it would never be summer.

Kai wasn't sure what kind of life he would have at the academy. He had never touched a book in his life, and the only thing he could read were market prices and navigation charts. During the trip Kai asked him several times what would he learn there, what he needed it for, and what happened if he couldn't read. His father would laugh and repeated the same thing: "To make you a good man! I have neglected you for years and look at you! You have talent, but you live in a hut by the beach and eat from the crabs hidden in the cliffs! But I love you and I can't let you miss this chance. You will learn to read and write there, and you will also understand the world better." Kai didn't understand what was wrong with the life he was having. He was happy and didn't envy anyone's life on the island, or anyone else's houses even though he had visited some. He loved to go on an adventure every morning and hear the ocean sing before he fell asleep, sometimes under the stars. If he ever grew up, he would think about asking one of the well-known fishermen in the area to be his apprentice, or even to guide the tourists in the summer area.

But his father insisted that he should aspire "to something more". Kai couldn't imagine what that something else might be...

Kai's arrival to the impressive port of Bellmori, his arrival to the monumental city of Il'durahn and his life in the academy belongs to another story, but we can anticipate that the amount of different shades of reds, oranges and yellows (crimson, scarlet, garnet, caramel, amber, pumpkin, golden...) that painted the leaves of the trees made Kai feel warm and cozy as he walked under the trees through which the orange light of the sun slipped. In this region there were far more days of rain than in Palu'au, which together with the fallen leaves made the ground feel damp and caused mud and leaves to stick to your feet. Kai eventually learned to walk on pavement after it had just rained. And such pavement! The architecture of the city was simply magnificent. Majestic buildings of white and gold marble were filled with books and archives, and lovely white and wooden houses were decorated with vines on the balconies.

We can also say that although the little boy had trouble adapting and missed his home for months, he gradually discovered how much he liked to study about subjects of interest to him. During the time he was learning how to read, he would escape to the autumn tree parks, hiding under their comforting leaves or behind some trunk surrounded by mushrooms. He did this so that the other kittoms would not make fun of his reading skills or of the life he had been leading in the islands, which Kai had proudly told them about. His old life had not impressed the children of rich people who studied at his same academy (how was his father paying for his education?!). But in record time he learned to read much better than any of his classmates, convinced that as soon as he learned everything he had to learn he would be able to return home. Missing home encouraged him to visit the library to look for books about the sea, but this is also how he dived into the depths of thousands and thousands of books: books about the sea, the creatures that lived in it, the study of the sky, the climate, commerce, the stars... Kai was overwhelmed by all the things he did not know about so many subjects so familiar to him. Soon he was practically living in the great library of the academy, which was immense, completely made of wood and with windows so high that even the orange trees that could be seen through the glass barely touched the roof of the impressive structure. But the subject that interested Kai the most was to avoid the illegal fishing or hunting of some marine species. He was unaware of this practice, and the more he read about it, the angrier he became. And that's when he knew what he wanted to do once he graduated and returned to Palu'au.