Earthrealm Valley
Chapter 1; Into The Valley

The bus rattled around Kuai Liang as he lent his head against the cool glass of the window. He hadn't anticipated how long this journey was, it was already early evening and he’d set off around midday. The sun was still up, but it wouldn't be for too much longer. Despite how tired he felt, he was also at ease.

Strange, considering he was about to completely change his entire life in a single day.

His hand in his pocket brushed against the envelope given to him by his Grandfather so many years ago. He hadn't thought about it much after he’d been given it, especially since he was told he couldn’t open it right then. He was sat in his small office space at Joja, crushing emptiness building inside, from both the job and the circumstances of his personal life, when the words his Grandfather had said in his last moments rang through his mind. That he should open the envelope when he needed a change in his life.

He hadn't expected the envelope to include the deeds to a farm.

Lin Kuei farm was a very distant memory for Kuai. He remembered his brother and himself spending a few summers there with their Grandfather. He was always fascinated by the farm, having fun playing in the fields and helping his Grandfather with his crops. He remembered declaring he wanted to be a farmer too when he grew up, while Bi-Han, ever the overdramatic asshole, declared he's rather be anything else. That was probably why the farm was left to Kuai and not his big brother.

Not that it really mattered, given Bi-Han couldn't have an opinion on such things anymore.

His heart hurt just thinking about it.

It wasn't something he could just push aside either. It was partially the grief from the loss that made him decide to move onto the farm. Was it a little reckless to abandon everything you knew for something that may not work out? Yes, or at least, his best friend Tomas certainly seemed to think so. However he'd come to the realisation he was miserable, and if this reckless decision could lead to happiness and healing, it was worth the chance. He wished he hadn't left the city on such bad terms with Tomas, but maybe after Kuai had been on the farm awhile, and nothing terrible had happened, Tomas would come around.

"Hey, bud, just so you know, Earthrealm Valley is the next stop!"

Kuai lifted his head, and called out to the bus driver, "thank you!"

He grabbed this suitcase and backpack and began to make his way to the front of the bus. He could see the bus stop through the window, and seconds later the bus came to a stop and the doors swung open.

"Have a good evening," Kuai said to the driver with a short bow, the other man just offering a short nod, before Kuai turned away and stepped off the bus. The door closed behind him, and the engine started, and the bus was off.

"Hey there," a voice called and Kuai's gaze snapped over to a man lent up against a fence. "I'm going to assume you are Kuai Liang?"

"I am," Kuai said, trying to not sound confused as he approached, dragging his luggage behind him.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jackson, but everyone calls me Jax," he explained, holding out his hand to Kuai. "I'm the local carpenter, Mayor Raiden asked me to wait for you and help you take your luggage to the farm."

"Oh. That's very kind of you," Kuai exclaimed, reaching to accept Jax's handshake. "It's nice to meet you too."

Jax smiled and went to take Kuai's suitcase. Once he had it in hand, Jax turned to show Kuai the way.

"Raiden's waiting for us on the farm," Jax explained, as Kuai quickly glanced around. He vaguely remembered this area from his childhood, but it had changed a lot since then. More trees and a nicer fence, he remembered the old one being rotted. Kuai wondered if this was some of Jax’s work. "It's been abandoned for as long as I've been here, so it's nice to see someone take it on."

"I just hope I can make something with it," Kuai answered, he could see the gate at the end of the path. He remembered when he was young, he refused to open it, instead electing to clamber over the top. The thought made him smile, especially his Grandfather exasperated reaction every time Kuai did so. His Grandfather used to call him an accident waiting to happen. Kuai had to admit he was amazed he had never managed to seriously injure himself over the years.

"Well, if you find you need any repair work, or hell, want to build new buildings, come find me and I'll see what I can do for you," Jax offered, as they reached the gate. Kuai curbed every instinct to climb over it. He was weird, but figured he should wait a few days before really revealing the extent of his weirdness. People were often put off by his oddities and quirks.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." He opened the gate, holding it for Jax to walk in, before following himself.

As he stepped onto the grounds of the farm, he wasn't entirely sure what to expect. It certainly wasn't this however.

The farm was sadly in a state of disrepair, years of neglect after his Grandfather's death and Kuai couldn't help but feel bad that he'd left it this long to come. There were weeds everywhere, overgrown trees, rocks an other debris. It would take some work to clear everything, but Kuai was nothing if not willing to at least try.

"I left you some spare tools by your door," Jax offered, "just some basic stuff, but should be enough to get you started. I'm sure if you talk to the blacksmith, Kung Lao, he'll be able to upgrade them for you."

"That is very generous of you. Thank you."

Kuai turned his attention to the old farm house. It was definitely looking a little past it's best, but in his hazy memories it still looked almost exactly like he remembered. He smiled to himself, a strange feeling coming over him. Not just nostalgia, it was something more.

Like he'd finally come home.

He hadn't even noticed a man sat on the porch until he started waving Kuai and Jax over. As they got closer, Kuai realised he did recognise the man, if only barely. He looked a lot older than the last time they had met however.

"Kuai Liang?" The man greeted, pushing himself up and reaching to take Kuai's hand in his to shake. "I'm Raiden Narukami, Mayor of Dragon Town. You've certainly grown up since you were last here, I don't suppose you remember me."

"Just barely," Kuai confirmed, feeling slightly justified with the smile this elicited from Raiden. He hadn't really put two and two together when talking on the phone. Kuai could just about remember his Grandfather and Raiden sat on the porch drinking wine while Kuai convinced Bi-Han to help him pet a chicken. "You were a close friend of my Grandfather's if I remember right?"

"Yes, Qiang was a dear friend of mine." Raiden looked wistful for a moment, looking out across the land. "This farm was his pride and joy. It is a shame it has fallen into such a state of disrepair." He sighed and turned his attention back to Kuai. "I am glad that it has finally moved on to new hands. I'm sure you'll do your Grandfather proud."

"I hope so." He really did. And at the very least he'd try his best. He knew his best was always good enough for his Grandfather.

"Speaking of," Raiden began reaching to pull out a set of keys. He handed them to Kuai Liang, "those are the keys to the house, I made sure the bed was at least useable although the rest of the building may need further renovation."

"You made sure?" Jax teased, elbowing Raiden's side. "As I recall it was me who put it together."

"Well I suppose you helped," Raiden mumbled while rolling his eyes. Jax began to cackle. "As I was saying, hopefully you'll at least have a comfortable night. You do look rather exhausted, so maybe we should leave you to settle in and get some rest."

"Yeah, that may be for the best," Jax agreed, clapping Kuai on the back. "But be sure to stop by town tomorrow. The news of someone new has gotten everyone rather excited."

"I will do, thank you both for your kindess." Kuai gave a short bow in thanks, adding "I will see you both tomorrow."

The two other men waved before they began to walk away. Kuai watched them unhook the gate and leave. Once they were gone, he reached for his suitcase and headed towards the door. It took a couple of tries to get the key in the lock right, but once he'd done it, the door swung open with a loud creek. He peered inside.

The place had definitely seen better days, and he was already planning how to best utilise Jax's services. Still he stepped inside, putting his suitcase down before turning back out to grab the tools left for him. After he'd gathered them and brought them in, he closed the door behind him. It was almost pitch black if not for the few rays of light seeping through the cracks, and the building didn't seem to have any lights. Something I'll have to talk to Jax about.

In the dark he spotted a small package on the floor. It was giftwrapped and laying there innocently. He slowly walked over to it, picked it up. The gift card read "Here's a little something to get you started - Raiden". Kuai pulled back the wrapping, to find several packs of turnip seeds inside. He'd have to plant those tomorrow.

For now, he placed them on the table, and walked over to the bed. As he settled down, he realised the bed was probably the sturdiest thing in the place. He'd have to find a way to thank Jax for preparing this for him. Hopefully he likes turnips.

Exhaustion was settling into his bones however, sleep a siren calling to him from the deep. He closed his eyes, as he felt himself begin to succumb to his tiredness. Before he slipped into unconsciousness, he had one final thought.

I wonder what the future will bring for me.

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