The Gate of Kallak: Tale of the Arctic Warrior🔊

Once upon a time, in the snowy landscapes of the Arctic tundra, there existed a gate. A gate set into a massive wall of ice, older than the oldest eskimo tale, sturdy and solid against the unforgiving winds. The gate was known as Kallak, which in their language meant, 'Eternal.' The Eskimo tribe of the Ujurak revered the Kallak for it contained an untold secret that stretched back to the birth of their tribe.

A prophecy had been handed down generation after generation stating that one day, during the harshest winter, a young warrior would be bestowed with a divine power from the gate. This power promised to make the tribe invincible and would mark the beginning of an age of abundance.

In the bitter winter of that year, a boy named Inuk was born. He was no ordinary boy but had a spark of heroism in his deep blue eyes that hypnotized anyone who locked eyes with him. As he grew up, he vividly dreamt about the Kallak gate and the unknown power it withheld.

On his sixteenth winter, the dream manifested. Under the aurora-kissed sky, the gate hummed under the fluorescent glow of the northern lights. The wind directed him to the gate, guiding him through the whispering snowflakes. As he placed his resilient hands on the gate, an intense surge shot through him, the gate illuminating the dark periphery.

Inuk was bestowed upon the power of controlling ice and snow. He was named Nannuraluk, the master of ice. With his new powers, he transformed their harsh habitat into a prospering environment, creating warm igloos with hot springs, crafting hunting tools out of sturdy ice, and even changing the weather around their camp to ward off dangerous creatures.

Humanity, however, always carried the nagging spirit of greed within its essence. Ultimately, it caused a divide within this united tribe. Jealousy over the young boy's power led half the tribe to rebel and attempt to seize the power for their own. What resulted was a senseless war that turned brother against brother, sister against sister, and blood spilled on the once-pristine white snow.

Inuk, in an attempt to stop the senseless fighting, accidentally unleashed an uncontrollable force that coated the entire village in a thick layer of ice, preserving it as an icy grave. Horror dawned on Inuk, he had now become the cause of what he had tried to prevent. This was not the prophecy he had dreamed of.

His profound sadness and guilt awoken the gate. It resonated with Inuk's remorseful heart and made a proposition. He had to return the granted power to erase the outcome of the dreadful happening. Without hesitating, he agreed.

Upon returning the power, time seemed to stand still. Then it reversed, the thick ice retreated, breaths returned to the lifeless bodies, and the tribe came back to life, oblivious to the disaster that had fallen upon them. But, the gate had remained true to the deal. With the power returned, Inuk was reinstated as a normal boy, but with a memory of the horror he had caused.

Inuk spent the rest of his years teaching his tribe the very lesson he had learned - power is not the key to prosperity but unity, understanding, and respect for one another. That was the prophecy; the recognition of their humanity in themselves and in others. The story of Inuk did drift into the category of myths over the years, but its essence forever remained seeped into the lives of the very tribe and beyond, subtly influencing their decisions and unity within their community.