The jungle of Vitah is a mostly forgotten nameplace, a myth; but when drunkards come to babble, every so often, it will pop up amidst their alcoholic-induced yammering. Those drunkards get their tongues pulled out; the listeners do their best to avoid it in discussions. It is a verdant place of wicked danger and treacherous seduction, the flora: bold and boasting a flamboyant beauty found nowhere else. Many who have neared it's border claim it is haunted and enchanted, that it is a maze that drives people to insanity where whispering voices beckon them, Come. Many who traverse through its grounds fail to ever come out.

 Legends of hidden, magical treasures found somewhere inside the jungle serve as a siren's sultry voice. Her labial intrigue is the entry to a real hell, a mouth that swallows its trespassers whole. The cretins of desolation, beasts of savage impulses call the jungle home. Those untamed creatures are not alone; their population amounts to only a portion of the total host that take refuge in its land. Above all, a person lives there, a lad of virtue, yearning and love lives there. His name is Dongwoo, intimate neighbor of the wild.

The semblance of an ape deftly climbed up a tree- the creeping bugs calling the large tree home and foul stench that emanated off the verdant Poheiss tree didn't faze the creature. A new dawn came upon this being, upon the smiling youth named Dongwoo, and with it came the need to hunt for breakfast. Scaling the largest tree in the thick and savage jungle of Vitah gave him the bird's eye view he needed. Finally at the peak of the tree after what felt like brief seconds, the simian-like Dongwoo shielded his eyes from the glow of the sun and spotted a wild boar crashing against a tree some yards in the distance. The lad smiled and thanked Nesher for his meal.

He waited a moment to take in the view of the whole jungle that resembled an ocean of many rainbows, the wind gently swaying the jade, ruby-red, pink, lavender, and sky blue tree tops. The same breeze pleasantly blew across his sunburnt cheek and prompted his lips to curve into a wide grin. His teeth gleamed like shining pearls and he finally climbed down below and headed for his first meal of the day.

Young Dongwoo lost his mother at the age of 13. Now in his early twenties, he had grown attached to the jungle- which he had named Laroo. He had rarely ventured out because everything he needed was found therein. He had foods of all kinds, fruits, nuts, and even meat if he took the effort in hunting. Friends? He had friends, just ones that had the bad habit of crawling over his skin, or else, ones that covered him in their viscous slobber. Home? He had one in the form of a cave that sheltered him from the rains that would randomly shoot down at him without a moment's notice.

It was a cave said to have been there since before historical records existed, an ancient cave full of wonders and magic, at least that's how Dongwoo saw the cave as. For the cave also hosted magical artifacts that hummed and flickered with hypnotic allure. These ooparts were hidden there before Dongwoo ever called the place home. This cave he called the "Cave of Power".

Dongwoo stuck to the confines of the jungle also out of fear. Outside the safety of Laroo, danger stalked about like a roaring lion. When he was still a whelp, his mother had shared her own personal stories of the evil that abounded outside. The tales of rampant violence she related shook him. But the jungle, though cursed and forsaken by many, entreated him with kindness and love as it once did his mother when she lived. The majesty of nature never let him down. It always lifted his spirits with the births of newborns and the lullabies of birds as well as the sweet-tasting sap that came from the N'dehn tree.

Presently hiding behind some bushes, Dongwoo observed the boar still by the tree where he had spotted him some minutes before. He tightly clutched his weapon of choice, a small contraption he dubbed "light-ray shooter". He assumed it to be of magical origins for it magically shot out a fierce ray of light.

Quietly moving in, Dongwoo made sure his steps were no louder than a spider scurrying up a tree. He halted in his tracks and noticed the boar standing still, it had discovered his presence. With no real reason to remain hiding, he jumped and in the same momentum aimed his arm at the boar, pulling on his contraption and shooting out a beaming ray. The boar had been struck, breakfast had been claimed. 

Dongwoo approached the dead beast with a happy and carefree stride. But a problem arose. The boar was too heavy for him to carry. A frown and a sigh later, he decided to cut off the legs of the boar and take those portions back home.

A mess resembling the fiddling hair of gorgons was the jungle, vines and overhanging boughs a frequent occurrence all throughout. Dongwoo, having grown amidst such an environ, was mostly unfazed by it. Every now and then a rash would appear on his flesh from rubbing against distinct plants, but small caveats like that never caused him to curse the place. Dongwoo walked under a passing-by beast, one he called "Crawler" that stood over 15 feet in height with large tufts of bright orange fur covering its gargantuan body, and continued without a hitch to his cavern. He had been taught to not hunt certain creatures by his mother and the Crawler was one of them, a meek lifeform that would charge its foe if visibly threatened.

Whenever the overgrowth would present itself a cumbersome obstacle, Dongwoo would use another small contraption to clear a swath for him to pass through. It was a short cylindrical rod engraved with distinct lines and covered with thin panels; he assumed it was from a different world, or at least an age long forgotten. He had found it hidden under other artifacts in the Cave of Power. It, too, was something he blessed Nesher for. With a shake of it and a tight grip, a beam of energy would itself from its end, becoming a sort of blade. This he called "light-ray edge". With a sway of the light-ray edge, Dongwoo cleared himself a path and continued in direction of his cavern. 

A few minutes more of walking and he was in front of his home. The cave itself was nestled between two peaks that sprouted from one rocky origin. The mounts poked their heads high above the clouds and were a red hue. Dongwoo once tried climbing up the mountains but stopped when he heard the horrifying scream of a bird, a fowl that had a wingspan of over 30 feet. It's skin was an obsidian color and glistened from a wetness. Its two heads were that of a fierce reptile, akin to a serpent but with an overbite and continually slavering tusks. Had he actually seen the monster, Dongwoo would have most likely fallen to his death from fear, but thankfully, he only observed its giant shadow that loomed over him when he stared up.

 In a bizarre and overly trusting way, Dongwoo was grateful for the beast. He sensed it might have been a type of guardian appointed by Nesher, perching over the highest peaks as a protector much as an eagle broods over her young. He assumed it was that great beast that kept the jungle safe from the very devils his mother had fled from.

Stepping inside his cave, illuminated only by sunlight, Dongwoo placed his breakfast down on the ground and began to flay its skin; he could use it to make a garment or something later on. He kindled a small, controlled fire, and began to roast his meal. As his teeth sank into the tender and juicy meat, charred just enough to give it a delectable smoky taste, his eyes teared with joy and his cheeks rose high with much delight. The savory meat filled him with vigor and prepared him for another day.

 "Thank you, Nesher!" he said as he finished his meal. But he was thirsty now so he tossed aside the bone into a pile of other bones he collected, and stepped outside his cave. The sunlight enveloped him, and raising his eyes to look at a tree with a streaked trunk, he found his drink in the form of a rather peculiar fruit that grew into a shape reminiscent of the letter x. The fruit was a bright yellow and dangled from branches near the top. He quickly scaled the tree with much ease and plucked the fruit. Once down, he opened his mouth and gave the peculiar fruit a tight squeeze. Its nectar, blood in color, gushed out and touched his lips, soon after covering his whole face in the sweet-tasting juice. The taste was like honey, not intense, but a subtle and welcome sweetness. It refreshed the boy.

Wiping his face with his arm he bowed to the ground and began his usual morning prayer, thanking his god for a good start. Inside the cave, he took out a golden chest and opened its lid to pull out several scrolls, their parchment an aged yellow. He neatly and gingerly unfurled a select scroll, doing his best to avoid harming it and cutting himself. His eyes, a special focus took over them, and so he began to read his portion of the day. The scroll was of the Adamah, and in it laid their heritage; the scroll was in all essence, a connection to their god, Nesher, detailing their history as his people and how he relates to them as their creator and loving sustainer. The golden chest and the scrolls therein were treasures that belonged to the cave. His mother had not brought them.

Dongwoo's mother, her name kept fondly engraved in his heart, was a beautiful woman. She was born into slavery, being a third generation Adamah slave. She belonged to a kind and caring owner that sought to change the paradigm of what was known as liberty. While he taught her to read and write the Adamah language, she took notice of his unique philosophy. He saw her and all slaves as equals. It was this revelation that enraptured her heart. Wanting her feelings to be reciprocated, she endeavored to seize his heart by means of tenderly written missives.

Her master was amused by her efforts and began to see her in a different light. Not much time passed and he became enchanted by her special grace, her long, flowing hair, and her voice that sounded like the songs of angels, an unreal lilt that would engulf him in a perennial dream of ethereal serenity. The two, against the protests of all tradition, became the consummate goal of love and Dongwoo was born shortly after. Yet his end was one of harrowing misfortune.

Neighboring Sanritem discovered the forbidden affair and told the local officials. Not much time passed about and the family's house was invaded by an evil being, one whose face, a skull, embodied death and whose sword betrayed its golden splendor when it became steeped in the blood of Dongwoo's father.

His mother stole away with him, still a small child, in her arms while the evil monster raized their home to the ground. Dongwoo's mother looked back when she was running away and saw the skull-faced demon riding atop a giant wolf that perpetually driveled and howled. As if by miracle, the fiend, who was aptly named "Death on the Wolf" by Dongwoo's mother, lost track of her and Dongwoo. After a few days' travel, the two arrived in the jungle of Laroo, discovering the Cave of Power with all its fabulous secrets and called the cavern home shortly after. 

Growing up amidst such savage wilderness didn't present too much of a problem for Dongwoo and his mother. They became accustomed to jungle life quite rapidly. During her free time, she would teach her son how to read and write, and eventually the whole scope of their religion and of their kind, the Adamah. She was a loyal acolyte of Nesher, much like her forefathers, so it behooved her to share their beliefs that was as real to them as the open blue skies and winds that blow.

Dongwoo admired his mother and looked at her as though she were an invincible heroine. Yet, death always stalks like a thief, and its stealthy footsteps would not be heard when  she died of a sudden heart attack. His mother had foreseen this and shared the sage knowledge that she would one day die as all do, so he, although it shook him at first (being only 13 at the time) steeled his heart and buried her body near a pool of water that was situated in the heart of the jungle...

That's the place he was now heading to after having completed his reading of the day. It was a walk that was not too distant, yet not immediately close to the cavern, but Dongwoo decided to bury her there because of symbolism: water is a source of life, and she provided life for him. A curious animal, resembling a cat but without a tail, with violet fur and a blunt horn that jutted out its head, jumped at him from a bush to his left.

At first startled, Dongwoo picked up the small creature of about two feet and rubbed his cheek against it. It was a furry friend he had saved from the drooling fangs of a giant anaconda. He gently sat the jumpy beast (he called it "Yllis") and continued his way to the spring, the Yllis trailing after him. Past towering trees and other meandering creatures of queer appearances, he finally reached the grave, marked by several iridescent gems he had found during his various journeys around the jungle. 

He sat by the burial place and gazed at it with a solemn expression, his eyes steadily fixed on it. He felt at peace. Coming here always filled him with peace. The air gently swept over the trees and the sunlight pierced through the tops to shine a ray of light right where he was sitting. He cogitated there for a while, musing what was to become of his own life, if he should one day die.

Would his beastly friends bury him? Would they miss him? Long to be with him? Would they even be able to recognize his absence? Plaintive thoughts of metaphysical purpose crashed at him like tossing waves. He smiled and put away all his concerns; his mother wouldn't have liked to see him stressed. He took a final glance at his mother's grave, "Goodbye, mom."

Presently standing by the pool of water that was nestled in the heart of the jungle like a tightly fitted kyanite jewel, Dongwoo knelt and splashed some of the cool water on his face. He cupped his hands and let the water fill his palms. Drinking in the refreshing water, he stood up and met the sun that hung gloriously on the sky. It's intensity prompted him to quickly look down, back at the water. Now his reflection is what captivated him.

Wearing a fur-skinned garb, Dongwoo stands at a good height, though not colossal, he is tall enough to reach for fruits that grow on some trees without straining his back from stretching. With the sun constantly shining down on him, his complexion glows with a golden-bronze hue. His features are clean, with aquiline eyes of determination that change into the sight of waxing moons with each dazzling smile of his. His body is as though carved out of stone by a meticulous sculptor, and his hair, a jet black.

To get a better look, he knelt again and marveled at his likeness that the crystal clear water produced. It wasn't an action taken out of vain narcissism, but rather one taken out of curiosity and longing. Dongwoo longed to be with others of his kind, other beings that were able to communicate with actual syllables, full sentences, and cognitive understanding that proceeded out of an intelligent mind, not just with chirps, cooing, or hissing.

He sighed with a deep yearning in his core and asked himself when that would be, if ever. Although he loved his critter friends, they could never wholly fill the void his mother left. Only another of his kind could accomplish that. That was his dilemma: inside Laroo, he was the only one of his kind. As long as he stayed in the haven of Laroo, he would remain alone. His home, the lavish jungle of surpassing wonder, had turned into a prison.

After an hour or so of loitering around the spring, Dongwoo returned to his cave. He sprawled his limbs on the ground and scratched his head with frustration. How much longer would he live? Long enough to meet other Adamah? He bowed his head and silently prayed, "How much longer, Nesher?" Would his god answer?

In the scrolls, it was written of him that his voice shook the cosmic planes, yet it was also written that his voice was the gentle crooning of comfort that every soul so desperately needs, although they know not. Sigh after sigh, Dongwoo thought upon his loneliness. It was written that Nesher created the second Adamah to be joined to the first, to be a pair that completed one another. But Dongwoo had no other half, not here in Laroo. He had observed the animals living in packs, babies hiding in the safety of their mother's pouches, and males choosing their favored mates, and such observations propagated his loneliness. 

Then out of the blue, Dongwoo felt a breeze blow from the depths of the cave, an impossible thing because there was no other opening to it besides the one he entered in. After the wind blew, the hairs on his neck pricked. A deathly moment of silence followed and his skin grew cold. A voice, soft and somehow comforting, spoke to him from an unknown origin. It called him to go outside.

After a moment of trepidation, Dongwoo did as told, unsure of what phenomena was transpiring. His heart compelled him to follow the order. The drumming of his heart sounded louder and louder with every second, for he thought maybe his god had heard his prayer.

 "You must leave this place and meet with a desolate one. One whose soul is downcast and who makes his bed in the vales of death and hell. I have chosen you and him. He shall be my sword and you, the voice of comfort for my people, proclaiming my promised redemption."

 Dongwoo fell to his knees, shuddering in fear. He knew he had heard the voice of a god, his god, Nesher. The fear paved the way for happiness after repeating the words he had heard. His god had chosen him to accomplish a task only he could do. Not only that, but Nesher had promised him a companion. Dongwoo hugged himself and wept from joy. He now possessed a reason to leave Laroo.

                              ........

Strapping on a golden cuirass, Dongwoo realized something: he forgot to ask for a mate, a woman who would join him in mystifying harmony. He snapped his fingers at his mistake, but smiled, knowing Nesher would somehow answer his prayer. Fastening on his leather sandals, Dongwoo shifted his vision to look at the treasures of the cavern. He shrugged his shoulders and made do with the thought that he would one day return after fulfilling his mission.

Dongwoo knew the outside world was one of maddening chaos, but the god of his mother, his god, had beckoned him. He had to leave his home, despite not knowing the range of his task. He walked out the jungle in full assurance of faith that Nesher would look after the verdant sanctuary as well as his mother's grave and creeping friends.
                       ........

Walking along the dirt road that ran down the plains on the border of Laroo, Dongwoo was disappointed to spot no other Adamah. His journey continued like this for the span of a week until his feet led him to an arid desert. 

It was night, the stars adorning the black sky like scintillating diamonds, and not too far off in the distance, Dongwoo spotted a long-haired figure encircled by hideous monsters with wide wings sprouting from between their shoulders.