Van, The King — A CHANverse Story
We recently held a #VanCHAN Story Challenge in conjunction with our monthly VanDAO activities. Our winner Eiza chose the VanCHAN below to craft her story, which you can read below!
Van was a boy living in a world full of intrigue. He was an orphan and had been living with his adopted parents since he was a baby. His parents told him that when he was five years old he was found crying in a basket which was carefully placed in a trash bin in front of their house. Van didn’t understand it at first but as he grew up he felt a void deep within his heart — a once completely innocent child who became fully aware of life’s melodrama.
Early in his childhood, Van was bullied. He was verbally abused and physically hurt for being an adopted kid. The cycle continuously repeated, until he became used to it. He kept it from his parents as he didn’t want to be a burden. However anger and animosity toward his bullies piled up within his heart, causing him to change into someone completely different.
His many hardships caused him to become an introvert. He became aloof and preferred silence to people. He didn’t have any friends growing up so he learned how to be independent and never asked others for help. When he turned twelve his adopted parents died in an airplane crash on their way home from a trip. The burden Van carried grew and his heart hardened.
Then his father’s younger brother, Shakim took him in and took care of him. Shakim was considered the black sheep of their family due to his rebellious history. Uncle Shakim was a renowned martial arts artist and a respected underground fighter. He was the last one anyone could imagine being a caregiver, but Van had no other options. Van was never close with Shakim, he only met him once before. Van had no idea what awaited him; the only thing he was sure of was that his life was about to change — drastically.
One day, Shakim took Van to a filthy but secluded street. It was here that Shakim taught Van how to fight and be brave. His uncle trained him to use various weapons and Van became a skilled martial artist.
Ten years later, Shakim gave Van a letter from his adopted parents. Shakim felt Van was finally mature enough and ready for its message.
Dear Van,
If you are reading this, your mom and I have passed on. I told your Uncle Shakim that if we failed to return, to give this letter to you. You are the child that we prayed for. I still remember the day I first saw you. As I was about to enter the house, I heard a child crying in the trash. The situation pierced my heart and without any other thought I brought you home. You were our answered prayer. Before you came, we were so frustrated that we could not have a child of our own. When we found you it healed an emptiness within us. We tried to shower you with attention and love.
Valer, your father, was a good friend of mine. He said that he needed to save his child — — which is you. He said that the future of his motherland lies in you. He made me promise to take care and to mold you into a skilful person. I did not fulfill that promise, but I hope that your uncle Shakim did.
Your uncle will tell you what to do. You need to go back to where you belong, son. Your tribe needs you. Carry the amulet we gave you and it will protect and direct you. Embrace the journey of finding your true identity.
Love,
Mom and Dad
Van couldn’t help the tears that flowed from his eyes. He knew that they loved him as their own son; however since he knew he was an adopted child, the sense of belonging he first felt from his adopted parents slowly dissipated and became unfamiliar to him as years passed by. He longed to know his real parents.
Then he spoke to Shakim who told him every detail he needed to know. Van was shocked and it took him three days to process everything and to finally decide to embark on a journey to find his true parents.
Carrying the map given by his Uncle Shakim, Van found it hard to find the place. He felt like the map was leading him nowhere. It took him to an unfamiliar, rocky desert, an enchanted rainforest, and numerous mountainous areas. Van didn’t expect the journey to be so hard. In his twenty two years on this planet, Van never thought he would have to take such an arduous path.
Van stopped when he finally found the area he was looking for. Surveying the place, it was covered with huge rocks, with no visible entrance. Van looked at the map again, took a few steps and then painfully slid down a slippery rock. His fall triggered a rock to slide open revealing a hidden, abandoned looking place with an ominous, creepy vibe. As he walked in to investigate, Van was surprised by a circle-like, bouncy, and minuscule flying object hidden in a piece of wood. Van was bewildered by what it could possibly be. As he tried to reach it, it emitted a magical pixie dust that badly hurt Van’s eyes. A few seconds later, Vans’ eyes grew two times bigger and his nose too. What creeped Van out the most is that it laughed at Van’s misery. A few minutes later, as Van was still in the agony caused by the flying animal, he was forcibly grabbed and then fell unconscious because of the hard object that hit his head.
When Van woke up, wearing just a cloth around his waist, he was surrounded by people. He was tied to a tree with people raising their weapons high above and looking at him like their prey. Their leader (he assumed it to be) ordered his men to go in front of him. Van tried to loosen the ties as he spoke to the leader.
“I am not an enemy. I am here because I am trying to find my real parents — — .” Van stopped talking as they positioned their weapons to cut off his head. Van refused to die. He would not let his life come to an end until he saw his parents and helped them save their place. He was about to fight them when the leader stopped his men.
“Where did you get that tattoo?” the leader asked Van in a hostile manner.
“My parents said I had it since birth.” Van answered, completely puzzled by their sudden actions.
To Van’s shock, the leader kneeled, bowed his head and said,” Welcome back Chan. All hail to the Chan!” The warriors followed. Van didn’t know what to think.
Thus Van met the tribe of CHANverse. Temporarily, the tribe was headed by Tiyo, the trusted right hand of the late King. Tiyo told Van that aliens are invading their hometown and that it started almost a century ago but continues to this day.
“But why did they want your place? I am sure it is pretty impossible to happen if there is no significant reason behind it.” Van questioned.
“Honestly, alien’s reasons are not known to us. But we know that they were the ones who started the war.”
Tiyo led Van to a cave, the home they had when aliens attacked them. Van patiently followed and listened carefully as the leader continued his story.
“It was the 1900s when our ancestors arrived in this place, riding a water vessel. They thought that they finally found a peaceful place to live in. Well the first decade was full of abundance and prosperity. However, things changed when aliens tried to degenerate the place. Peaceful living was replaced with chaos and fear. However the invasion was stopped when the taker of the place, the Goddess of CHANverse, granted the captain of this place a power that could stop the aliens but it would only last as long as his family continued to live here. However, in every generation, there would be only one person who could possess that power. From that day on, his family had been treated as the most high and respectable people of our tribe, they became the ruler and the only monarch that saved the present and future generations. In 1950, the aliens came back and took over the town, the very day your grandfather died. The death of the late first King triggered the alien’s invasion because they knew no one who could defeat them, other than himself. The current ruler couldn’t do anything as he did not possess the power given to their family. But hope rose again, when you were born.”
“What? Are you saying that my father is a monarch and he is the current ruler you are talking about? Where is my mom? Can I see them?” Van asked with a mixture of happiness and anxiousness.
Tiyo’s eyes were filled with sadness as he looked at the man who wanted to know the parents that gave life to him. Giving Van a half smile, he said “I know how anxious you are to meet your parents. However, you can’t do that anymore, Van. Your mom died when she gave birth to you. Your dad was devastated by her death and the alien’s invasion. He felt he was useless as he knew he couldn’t save you and the tribe’s future. He decided to let his brother take care of you until the time you would be strong enough to fight for our home. He was right. Here you are, a full grown man.”
Later that night, Van had time to contemplate everything. He sat at the shore with the breeze touching his skin, waking up feelings of comfort and peace. The sound of the waves gave him comfort. He raised his eyes to the sky, the full moon providing light in the midst of darkness. Van’s heart felt heavy with confusion and sadness. Days ago, his life was completely normal, spending his time practicing his fighting skills with his favorite weapons. In the blink of an eye, his life now felt like a dream. Van was fully aware that he wanted to see and know his real parents. Van longed to fill the emptiness inside himself. He wanted a moment to dwell on that sadness and grief, however a great responsibility awaited him. He needed to soldier on, not for his sake, but for his tribe. Van didn’t know what step to take. He couldn’t believe that he was a successor. He thought of going home to his Uncle Shakim. Things would be so much different and less complicated. He was not afraid of the fight he was going to take on, his fear came from the possibility of disappointing his people and failing to protect them. Another thing that bothered Van was the idea of being the destined one to possess a rare power. This was completely absurd to him. Van grew up being a human being so the talk of supernatural abilities creeped him out the most. He loved to read fantasy books when he was young and vividly envisioned possession of a certain power but it was really hard to believe all this was happening in real life.
A quake movement stopped his reverie, followed by a great bomb, just a few kilometers away from him. Van thought of horrible scenes; however the people of the tribe vacated in silent ways, avoiding any noisy steps. The people already knew exactly what to do. It was the truth when Tiyo said that they had created ways to save themselves throughout more than two decades of alien’s invasion. He also told him that the place they were situated in was the only one where aliens couldn’t penetrate because his father ensured the place was safe. His father climbed ten mountains and conquered five adversaries just to come into the place of the Goddess of Wishes.
It is said that the Goddess can grant one wish to a person who can open the gate of pure heart. From the name itself, the only one who can enter it and see the Goddess is the person proven to have a selfless and steadfast love for others. The tribe believed he could do it because they knew how kind and brave his father was. They were not wrong, his father did it. Tiyo added that they were so happy upon knowing this about his father but it was also the day where the last fight happened. His father did ensure the safety of his people but he did not save himself. Tiyo said that everything happened so fast that when his father entered the protected abode, he was killed by an alien who stabbed right through back and into his heart.
Tiyo called Van to follow them. They entered through a door hidden under huge rocks and waited until the alien stopped its catastrophic actions. While sitting on a rock away from others, Tiyo sighed,” We are losing hope of fighting for our freedom. Half of my life, I never lived in peace, sleeping at night without having fear of what is prepared for tomorrow. I am afraid of the future generation, we wanted to end this, however aliens are not an easy enemy. This fight wouldn’t last for over a decade if they were. There are so many lives that were sacrificed to save our motherland. We are battling a fight we didn’t even understand.”
“But why are the aliens so hard to defeat?” Van asked.
“You can only kill them if you target and hit the back of their head, Van. Every one of them also possesses a power to blind their enemy by emitting a gas from their mouth. How can we fight that? We are just normal beings.” Tiyo answered, utterly devoid of hope.
“But you know Van, you are our redeemer. The hope we’ve all been waiting for.” Tiyo added.
“I am not as powerful as you think Tiyo. It seems like I am making our people fools to believe in something that does not exist.” Van sighed.
Tiyo stood and said, “Believe Van. Believe in yourself.” He plastered a smile on his face and walked away.
Van spent a month in the tribe performing ritual and training that could help try to summon his power. Tiyo helped but they were continuously disappointed. Van did everything he was instructed to do but it just brought frustration. As days passed by, guilt slowly invaded Van’s heart. Nothing powerful was happening. Despite the consolation Tiyo and the tribe were giving him, it didn’t trigger anything exciting. Van thought that he was really a hopeless case. So, he decided to do a step that he knew would hurt the tribe.
Van planned to go home to his Uncle and go back to his old life. He pretended that none of this happened as he planned to escape. He packed all his things and tried to erase all his traces. He planned to leave the next night.
Throughout the day, Van acted normally but there were times that he would stop and rethink his decision. He would then shrug and try to erase his thoughts. When night came, Van waited for the people to fall asleep. Once it was dark, he slowly stepped out of the cave, successfully avoiding the guards. He stopped for a second when he saw Tiyo talking to someone. Thankfully, they eventually walked away and Van was able to sneak away from the tribe.
Van was running when he felt the land quake again and this time it was two times stronger than the first one. He felt his heart racing faster, but he continued walking as he heard loud explosions and screams of the people. He was about to look behind him when he heard someone shout his name.
“VANCHAN!” Tiyo exclaimed.
“How could you!? You are absolutely different from the person we thought and what your father expected. You are a coward. Go! Leave your people. Save yourself. You are wrong Van. We are not fools for believing in you. Believing in something doesn’t make you a fool. Believing is about having a faith that something lies within us. You are a fool for judging us, that we can’t accept you for not having the power we were hoping for. You are a fool for giving up just because you failed numerous times. That is where you went wrong. What’s the use of believing in you when you’re busy judging yourself? For the last time, the tribe needs you, Van!”
Tiyo left him dumbfounded and angry with himself. Van now knew what he lacked. It is about believing in his own capability. The power can’t propel because he doesn’t know how to trust himself. The power is not about supernatural possession, the power comes from within him.
With that, Van ran as fast as he could. He was no longer running to escape but to face his fear. He suddenly stopped, his heart clenched upon seeing the people fighting for their lives. Most of his people were already in the sand filled with their own blood. The ocean was now drowning with blood. This was the consequence of leaving them.
When the people saw Van, their spirit came back and they fought with all their strength, courage, and bravery. Regardless of sex and age, all of them fought. Van led them and grabbed his sword. Van was trained for this, with his skills in managing weapons and his month training with Tiyo, Van knew he could do it.
As the aliens came to him, he smashed his sword, flexing his body and jumping at aliens stabbing at the back of his head. The aliens knew their target’s weakness. Van moved forward, grabbing the alien’s head as their bodies turned into ashes. His swords were now covered with blood and Van was starting to feel extremely tired. When there were only a few aliens left, Van waved his sword with all his strength, stabbing each alien that came at him as his people also fought valiantly.
The fight stopped when a huge circular spaceship landed. Despite the rushing wind, Van remained firmly in place. A huge alien emerged from the spaceship. It had an egg-like face, white bulging eyes and a big mouth situated symmetrically with its eyes. It had a bloated body and many limbs. A white liquid also dribbled from its mouth. It was a grotesque being!
It walked until Van could clearly see it. It blew into the wind and his people were now screaming, unable to see anything. The blinding fluid somehow didn’t affect Van and he wondered why. Nevertheless, Van bravely walked to face it, appearing tiny in front of it. The alien laughed, absolutely uncertain if he is the actual ruler of the tribe. The alien kicked Van and he collided with a rock, feeling his body go numb. The alien released a fire, and Van quickly stood up to avoid the flaming embers. As the huge alien began to accumulate all the ashes, its dead alien followers regenerated. Van didn’t know what to do, but he picked up his sword and was about to move forward when the miniature he found upon entering the place, flung itself to his feet displaying the amulet he had forgotten.
Van’s eyes dilated and he picked up the amulet. As he touched it, a bizarre feeling arose in his heart. In a snap, a bluish light emitted from it and illuminated Van, giving him a feeling of braveness and courage. Van faced the aliens and his sword emitted a light that killed all aliens that came his way. Van didn’t know how to use his power but it felt like the ways flowed naturally from him. The gigantic alien blew another fire, but Van escaped it. He circled his hand and threw a crystal like blue ice at the alien, which didn’t seem to hurt it. The alien wrapped its tails around Van until he couldn’t breathe. The alien was about to burn him when the minuscule being flew above the alien’s head, releasing a laser at it. The creature loosened its wrap on Van, allowing Van to fall but he was caught by a flying carpet. Then Van felt the presence of the magic within him and imagined his parents’ faces smiling at him. He flew above the ground, allowing the magic to flow. Van threw magic at the alien, burning it alive.
As the giant alien turned into ash, Van’s tribe turned back into their original form. Everyone hugged each other, beaming smiles of triumph and victory. The people rejoiced, at last they were now free!
Van couldn’t help but to face the sky, placing his amulet across his heart, and thanking all his parents. With his flying pet following him behind, he walked toward his people and was gladly embraced by them. Now Van wanted to be gregarious towards his people. Well, change is inevitable, right? Van guessed it truly is.
A few years later, the old hideous town is now filled with green and beautiful scenery. The CHANverse cultivates healing and prosperity. The Gods and Goddesses of their world liberally bestowed them with pride and honour. They live joyfully with Van who became VanCHAN — — the reigning King of CHANverse.
Written by Eiza
Edited by Martine
