Chapter 1, Traveling to Argentina

The winds remain restless as they breeze through what was once gentle waters. The cabin restless full of men and women travel through the sea hiding from the cruel surroundings they were born in to seek a new land. I, not a man of these surroundings, traveled amongst the sea bandits in order to remain inconspicuous of the many threats of Aeos. Many looked at me strange as I laid there still amongst the rocky ship in my dark red cloak covering my noticeable facial features and body. Although they feared that this ship may fall victim to the raging tides, they feared what they thought I was more. I could not help thinking of the torn soil given to the Aeos name over the past decade. I swore I'd restore the name as protectors rather than assassins to my baba.

My baba was my best friend. She was a short old woman with a slightly hunched back and golden-brown hair with bristles of white on the side. She used a cane to relieve the stress on her knees from the pain she experienced in her youth. She was once an Aeos over 60 years ago and helped the world and their efforts in the Vietnam War.

What’s Aeos? It’s the name bestowed upon the skilled warriors of my people. Each year we train new prospects to become Aeos and it has been this way for centuries. Sometimes the class sizes are small and other times they are large, but it only depends on how many prospects there are. The prospects are chosen by the grand council which is only a group of older Aeos with nothing but time on their hands. I wasn’t prospected unfortunately but vowed I’d follow the footsteps of my baba as an Aeos by enlisting myself. My baba was known for her long-distance archery skills and ability to take out an army camp by herself. They called her the Sparrow. The tale of the sparrow inspired the next generation of the kids of Aeonora Island. My skills aren’t as good as I know hers to be, but she believes I’m ready. Passing the test to become an Aeos was the easy part.

The island of my people is Aeonara. It’s a small isle off the coast of Kenya. Rumor has it that we are actually a country since we aren’t in any recorded history of being a part of Kenya, but I don’t believe it’s true. I am an African male and I know my people who share the same skin colors are of the same. We live in a different situation than most would think. Aeonara is secluded from most of the world, and we don’t use modern technology. We live off of water powered technology, grow our own food and herbs, and create our own medicine and weapons. I learned of what the outside can offer from my sister when she was training to be an Aeos 10 years ago.

My sister had beaten the record of the sparrow within our training grounds as a trainee and this surprised the entire island. The news of her skills raised smiles amongst our elders. She made our parents proud who instead became farmers instead of trainees. My father was an iron miner, and my mother was a herbs farmer. Both being incredibly smart within their own strengths, allowed me to see the different paths I could walk in life only because they didn’t want me to become an Aeos.

In the year 2012, dishonor shamed my family because of my sister. Only a few months out from her becoming an Aeos, she was known to the world as an infamous assassin responsible for killing multiple world leaders. Our own Aeos warriors could not find her to bring her in for questioning as she went into hiding. My parents put all their energy into making my sister an Aeos and they didn’t want me to fall into the same fate and pressure as one. Once my parents found out that I was secretly training with baba to become one instead of following their paths, they shunned me. I didn’t get love from them for most of my teen years and ended up staying with my baba for some time. She was an elderly unmarried woman, so she needed help around the house from time to time. I didn’t receive much love from my parents after I joined the new Aeos recruits. It was sickening but I stomached that anger and placed it into my training.

The training wasn’t easy to accomplish. I broke many bones and had to be rehabilitated many times but still made it with the strength to pass the test to become an Aeos. I had to learn about the outside world and also condition myself to the harsh realities we didn’t have to face as a nation. People are cruel and people are good. It all depends on your interaction and how they choose to interact that will allow you to move forward in any situation. My baba had taught me that in order for me to objectively make the right decisions in life I need to look at the situation quickly from all angles and make the best choice or I’ll wither away as a memory. The time had passed quickly from my training to the point where I had to take the trials to become an Aeos. I passed the test and immediately got my assignment to become a guardian of South America. My parents and my baba saw me off, but they did not smile. My baba only raised three fingers slightly across her chest and to her ear. In Aeos that means “I’ll always be with you”.

I arrived at the port of Comodoro in Argentina and quickly jumped off the boat onto the land. This area seemed deserted and filled with scruffy individuals drunk and sleeping on the ground. I took out my journal and started looking for the address for my next stop. Hakkado Inn.