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\u201cOphir: Child of Levant\u201d<\/u><\/p>\n
By: Shania Matris<\/p>\n
(Intro)<\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Uncle Samson! Where are you?\u201d a voice of a young boy can be heard in the distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollow my voice, Ophir! I\u2019m over here!\u201d said the man as he frantically waved his hands in the air.<\/p>\n
The young boy, Ophir, carried a bag of coal that he got back at home. He couldn\u2019t see well from the big crowd, so he followed his uncle\u2019s voice to not get lost again.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is a bright and sunny day in the Kingdom of Elias. Children played and ran on the stone road across the other timber-framed, wooden and brick houses, and the markets are full of people buying what is necessary for their daily lives, such as food, clothes, herbs and spices. Ophir and his Uncle Samson sell coal for a living. The boy suddenly tripped. Hitting the stone, cold ground, he heard the townsfolk laughing at him, and a familiar voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHa! Ophir, you\u2019re so clumsy, you can\u2019t even carry a bag of coal. It\u2019s not even that heavy!\u201d said the boy.<\/p>\n
It was the arrogant Jasper. Ophir knew he was trying to embarrass him once again. More voices are heard, but this time, they\u2019re from strangers.<\/p>\n
\u201cPoor boy. He has no mother and his father left him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know who the mother is, but who\u2019s his father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho cares? That boy is a \u2018nobody\u2019! His low confidence will never lead him to a bright future!\u201d<\/p>\n
(Dangers We Must Face)<\/u><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The sounds of horns are heard from the castle. Ophir felt someone lift him up. It was a man wearing armor, and carrying a sword.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOphir, are you alright? You need to be more careful next time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The young boy\u2019s eyes widened. Seth the Glorious, the kingdom\u2019s hero, is standing before him. He always admired his brave and adventurous personality.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cTh-thank you, Sir\u2026\u201d said the shaking Ophir.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Uncle Samson approached the two, worried.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cGood grief! I thought you got lost again, Ophir. Thank you, Sir Seth,\u201d he said happily.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime, Samson. There\u2019s an important announcement from the king. We must get going now,\u201d the noble warrior replied.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The big crowd waited in front of the castle to hear the news from the king. King Elias and his guards stepped out to the balcony.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cMy fellow townspeople, good day!\u201d yelled the King as the crowd cheered.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an important announcement for you all. I have received news that we are at risk. One, we have lost many warriors in three months as they ventured to Mount Erminhilda. This mountain is said to have the legendary Sunlight Sword of Levant. For those who don\u2019t know, Levant was the kingdom\u2019s hero before Seth the Glorious. I fear that there are creatures taking many innocent lives there. From this day forth, I forbid you all to take a step on that mountain\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jasper was next to Ophir, poking his shoulder.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI bet you can\u2019t even climb up that mountain. I\u2019ve been there dozens of times, and I don\u2019t see any monsters,\u201d he whispered to him proudly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ophir shushed him while the announcement continued.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I fear the most is Crimson the Ruthless\u2019 reign of terror. He has obliterated two neighboring kingdoms. Everyone must stay in their homes at sunset while our warriors patrol at night. That is all. Thank you!\u201d the king ended with a bow and stepped back inside.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(Ophir\u2019s Origins)<\/u><\/p>\n
At home, Samson was in the kitchen cooking roasted chicken and vegetables. Ophir sat still at the table with the need to talk to his uncle.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Samson, I don\u2019t understand. I\u2019m already used to people saying I\u2019m \u2018nothing\u2019, but now, this is different. They say that my parents abandoned me, or they died from an accident\u2026 Please tell me where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uncle Samson paused from preparing dinner and sat next to the boy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOphir, I never wanted to tell you for it is a tearful story. Are you sure you really want to know?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who say you were abandoned is not true. Your mother and father loved you dearly. They both served the king before you were born. Your mother was the king\u2019s chef. It\u2019s unfortunate she passed away from giving birth to you\u2026 your father, however\u2026 No one knew who he was, except me<\/em>. Your father was a spirited warrior, praised for his gentle heart. He shined bright like the Sun. Sadly, he died during battle. Your father\u2026 was the heroic Levant.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Ophir felt a chill go down his spine. His chest felt heavy. His tears flowed endlessly. He couldn\u2019t believe it. He is the offspring of a hero. <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI must tell you this again, my nephew. Don\u2019t let everyone\u2019s words break you. I know deep within that shyness of yours is a mighty hero waiting to come out of hiding. You\u2019ll shine bright among everyone, just like your father,\u201d and Samson hugged his nephew.<\/p>\n Ophir felt moved. If no one can put an end to Crimson the Ruthless, the kingdom will perish.<\/p>\n \u201cUncle, we need to get up Mount Erminhilda. We have to retrieve my father\u2019s sword right now! Crimson the Ruthless could strike at any moment!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s our only way to bring peace to the land, I\u2019ll go with you,\u201d answered Samson.<\/p>\n (Retrieving the Sword)<\/u><\/p>\n Samson and Ophir left while it\u2019s still dark. They would hide and go when no soldier\u2019s around. Minutes have passed, and they\u2019re now near the mountain.<\/p>\n It was tough finding the cave where the sword is. They passed by another cave, and this one already has light inside. There, they see the sword from afar. Skulls, bones, and fragments of armor surrounded the bright, golden sword. Samson inched closer to the sword, but was pulled up by an unknown creature. Up above was a large, ruby-colored serpent. Ophir was shaking, but he has no other choice but to immediately grab the sword and slay the serpent.<\/p>\n \u201cLet go of my uncle!\u201d he yelled.<\/p>\n A gold aura surrounded the boy as he leaped in the air to strike the serpent. He struck here and there, and the serpent fell onto the ground bleeding. Ophir quickly pulled Samson out of the cave. The only thing left to do is to show the sword to King Elias!<\/p>\n (A Fight for Peace)<\/u><\/p>\n The king was astonished to see the legendary sword before him, and hear Ophir\u2019s origins from Samson.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard only the \u2018worthy\u2019 can retrieve that sword. As Levant\u2019s own son, you truly are the one!\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n Part of the roof was wiped out by an unknown force. Crimson the Ruthless has arrived! Samson pulled the king\u2019s arm to bring him to safety, and secure everyone in Mount Erminhilda.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sword\u2026 so, you\u2019re the \u2018worthy\u2019 successor of the Spirited Levant? I\u2019ll wipe you out! \u201d said Crimson in a menacing voice. There is a gem on his chest, which could be the source of his power. Ophir leapt, swinging his sword, but a barrier was formed. Crimson raised his hand, creating a wiping gesture, wiping out part of the castle wall. Dark force hit Ophir against the wall. Two arms strangled Crimson from behind. Ophir looked up, rubbing his head, to see Jasper strangling the villain. Jasper lifted up his mask and tossed it on the ground. Ophir was dumbfounded to see his actual face.<\/p>\n \u201cS-sir\u2026 Seth\u2026 the Glorious?\u201d he uttered.<\/p>\n \u201cYes! I\u2019m Crimson the RUTHLESS! <\/strong>This gem was from my adventures. Ophir, did you know your father and I were \u2018good friends\u2019<\/em>? Seeing him achieve so much makes me so mad<\/strong>! 15 years ago, there was a war. I told everyone he died while fighting, but truth is\u2026 I cut<\/em> him off of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n This made Ophir furious. The gold aura surrounding him grew larger as he leapt to strike him. A ring of sunshine formed as he did a backflip.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is for the kingdom, and my family! Burn bright!\u201d <\/strong>exclaimed Ophir.<\/p>\n The gem shattered, and flames engulfed on Seth\u2019s robes.<\/p>\n \u201cMe? Defeated by your own son, Levant? Outrageous! Everyone\u2019s supposed to bow to ME<\/strong>!\u201d he shouted, while slowly turning into dust.<\/p>\n (Prosperity to the Land)<\/u><\/p>\n The townsfolk cheered as the king raised Ophir\u2019s hand. He\u2019s now the kingdom\u2019s hero. Samson now serves as the Royal Messenger, and Jasper was rewarded for helping Ophir by becoming a warrior. Jasper tapped on his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t told you this yet, Ophir. I saved you because I know you\u2019ll believe me. No one listened when I saw Crimson in the forests. When I saw you carrying that sword back to the castle, I knew you\u2019ll be our only hope. I\u2019m sorry for being very mean to you back then,\u201d said Jasper.<\/p>\n The sun shone bright on their faces. Ophir smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s leave that behind, because now, we must stay together to protect this land! I can\u2019t do that without you.\u201d<\/p>\n The crowd kept cheering as the two looked up at the blue sky, with Levant\u2019s spirit visible above the clouds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cOphir: Child of Levant\u201d By: Shania Matris (Intro) \u201cHey, Uncle Samson! Where are you?\u201d a voice of a young boy can be heard in the distance. \u201cFollow my voice, Ophir! I\u2019m over here!\u201d said the man as he frantically waved his hands in the air. The young boy, Ophir, carried a bag of coal that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[93],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6341,"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6340\/revisions\/6341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catherinekhoo.sg\/philippines\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}