The desert sun rose in golden streaks over the horizon, casting long shadows over the scorched land. Wind rustled through the tall wooden watchtowers, now bearing the scars of battle. Charred javelins still stuck from the dirt where Skarn raiders had fallen. The scent of blood and fire was fading, replaced by dust, sweat, and rebuilding.
James stood near the central fire circle, where the elders had once debated his worth in whispers. Now, they stood before him in silence.
The chieftain's war cloak had been draped over a carved stone. Its absence was not symbolic. It was deliberate. Ataka, the war leader, stepped forward with slow, deliberate steps, the sun warming the lines of age etched across his face.
"You brought us back from death, boy," Ataka said, voice hoarse but unwavering. "No, not boy. Flame Survivor. Slayer of Skarns. Builder of Walls."
He placed a hand on James' shoulder.
"No man here would raise a voice to deny what must be done."
James looked around.
Every elder bowed.
Every warrior pounded a fist to their chest.
Even Tharak, once his rival, stood silent at the edge of the crowd, face grim with respect.
The chieftain's voice rang out again. "James of the Flame, we ask you now to lead—not in war alone, but in all things. Speak your will."
James stepped forward. His feet felt heavy, as if the entire weight of the tribe's future pressed against his spine. He took a deep breath.
"I will lead," he said simply. "But not as a warlord. We will not be just survivors anymore. We will be builders."
There was no objection. No voice of dissent. Only the sound of wind curling between wooden beams and armor.
The next day marked the beginning of what James later called "The Reshaping."
The old walls were serviceable, but not sustainable. James walked the perimeter with Tharak and the younger builders. He pointed to weaknesses: support beams that bent under wind stress, gaps between the logs that raiders had exploited, brittle foundations near the eastern ridge.
"We'll dig trenches in front of every wall," he said. "Wide enough to swallow a beast. We'll fill the gaps with hardened clay, pack it with stone. Then we'll embed sharpened poles at angles—anyone climbing in will bleed before they fight."
He gestured to the tall cliffs to the west.
"And here, we build signal towers. Smoke by day. Flame by night. Any sight of movement gets reported within seconds."
The warriors nodded.
Then James turned to the tribe's women and older craftsmen.
"We'll begin producing slings in bulk. Leather cords, stone pouches. Every child above six learns to use one. We're not just building walls—we're arming minds."
Within a week, stone stockpiles had formed outside the training ring. Spears were sharpened and fitted with symmetrical points. James taught them about leverage, how throwing from a platform doubled impact force, how slings could match the distance of a bow with the right technique.
[Spear Combat: 21%" → "Spear Command: Lv. 1 – Formation Bonus (Passive)][Basic Engineering: 6%" → 12%][Tactics: 19%" → 24%" – Branch Skill Discovered: 'Predictive Line Defense']
At night, James sat under the sky and practiced with the Force. It had started with stones, lifting them until sweat broke across his brow. But now, he added movement. He shaped the lift into orbit, commanding three stones to rotate in harmony.
He pushed.
They scattered like arrows.
[Force Telekinesis: 44%" → 49%][New Skill Recognized: Force Scattershot – Precision: Lv. 1][Force Focus: Lv. 2 – Passive Bonus: +8% concentration during telekinetic actions]
By mid-season, the effects of James' reforms began to show.
Children once malnourished had been assigned food-grower roles. He taught a simple crop rotation method near the waterline, based on Earth knowledge. Small gardens bloomed behind fortified huts. Rain collectors fashioned from curved bone began storing clean water near the fire circle.
One of the elders, a woman named Shira, knelt beside James during the evening council.
"I never thought I'd see a child teach the old how to build," she whispered.
James only smiled.
"I'm not teaching," he replied. "I'm remembering."
She tilted her head. "Remembering from where?"
James glanced at his mother, seated silently by the fire's edge.
"From the stars," he said vaguely.
She nodded, not pressing further. There was a kind of reverence now—silent, unspoken respect.
As night fell on the third moon after his coronation, James climbed the northern ridge alone. The wind blew colder up there. He looked out across the valley, watching the signal tower torches flicker in their new rhythm. The trenches had been dug. The defenses held fast. His people—his tribe—no longer feared each shadow.
He sat, cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
The Force moved in him now like breath. Quieter. Steadier.
He reached out.
A lizard crawling on rock below paused. He focused—not to control it, but to sense it.
[Force Sensory Awareness: 3% → 9%][New Passive Skill: Environmental Empathy (Lv. 1)]
He smiled.
But the smile faded.
There was a flicker in the distance. A feeling like a shift in wind—but not wind. A subtle tremor in the current of the Force. He opened his eyes slowly.
A shiver passed through his spine.
He wasn't alone anymore.
Not in the galaxy.
Not in the Force.
And soon, they would come looking for the source of that tremor.
[STATUS PAGE]
[Age: 11]
[Current Identity: "Flame Survivor" / "Warlord of the Dunes" / "Victorious Defender of the Tribe"]
[Affiliation: Tribe of Stone Ridge]
[STATS]
[Strength (Physical): 13]
[Agility (Movement & Reaction Speed): 15]
[Force (Midichlorian Count): 8,000]
[Luck: 8]
[SKILLS]
[Staff Combat: 55%] [Advanced][Foundation skill; opened into subskills like Whirlstrike and Fluid Assault.]
[Combo Chain – Fluid Assault: Lv. 2] [Allows for smoother, uninterrupted chains of attacks during melee.]
[Momentum Skill – Whirlstrike: Lv. 2] [A forceful spinning strike, useful for clearing space or staggering foes.]
[Pain Resistance: 47%] [Allows to keep fighting while injured. Developed from repeated exposure in training and battle.]
[Tactical Insight: Lv. 2] [Grants limited predictive combat intuition; recognizes enemy stance shifts and weaknesses.]
[Force Body: Lv. 3] [Boosts physical resistance and stamina recovery; triggered through willpower during the first trial.]
[Force Telekinesis: Lv. 10] [Most used Force ability. Can lift, push, and crush enemies mid-combat. Precision is improving. Lift limit is expanded.]
[Strategic Planning Lv. 1] [New skill unlocked from tribe leadership and defensive planning. Provides insight into long-term survival and defense strategies.]
[Basic Engineering: 12%] [Construction and fortification design.]
[Tribal Leadership: Lv. 1] [Governing, morale management, organization.]