A short while later, Tenzin was stripping off his ritual outfit.
Ersak approached, causing the younger boy to look over, his mouth forming a round ‘O.’ “Oh?
Ersak.” Ersak looked at Tenzin with complete confusion, tilting his head.
“What exactly were you guys doing out there just now?” Tenzin chuckled, hanging his garments back up on a wooden peg as he explained, “Ah, our village was sent here by order of the king to maintain this territory.
That thing you just saw was the purification ritual.” The youth turned his head to look directly at Ersak.
“So you actually saw it?” Ersak paused for a beat before answering tentatively, “Yeah, well…
I did catch a glimpse of it.” Tenzin suddenly stepped in close, his face twisting into a mischievous, intimidating expression.
“Heh, heh…
You do realize that only people from our village are permitted to know about this, right…?” Ersak flinched, instantly breaking out in beads of cold sweat.
He countered, “Could you please not make that face?!” Tenzin backed off, his expression returning to normal.
“Haha, I’m just messing with you.
It’s really not that serious.” The pair stepped out of the shack together, making their way back toward the campfire that was still burning bright.
Tenzin seated himself on a log, and Ersak took a spot on the adjacent piece of timber.
Both stared into the blazing fire before them, their backs silhouetted against the flames that crackled and popped without pause.
Ersak turned to look at Tenzin, his face full of curiosity.
With wide, blinking eyes, he questioned, “Hey, what kind of ritual is it, anyway?
Could you tell me a bit more about how this world works?” His wide eyes blinked repeatedly.
Inside Ersak’s head: “Too much happened today…
to the point where I don’t even know what kind of world I’ve ended up in…” Tenzin looked back at Ersak, thoroughly puzzled.
“Huh…?
Ah,” he smiled, continuing, “Well, the ritual is actually meant to rejuvenate lands that have been corrupted and drained of energy.” Turning his torso back toward the fire, he added, “Our village was deployed here by the king specifically to restore this region.” Ersak watched Tenzin intently, hanging onto every single word.
Seeing Ersak listening so closely, the child turned his head back, shrugging indifferently as he went on: “Basically, you can think of it like this: if we don’t perform the ritual, this territory will turn into a dead zone.
And once that happens, monsters will start spawning.” Ersak remained silent, offering no response.
His gaze dropped down toward the campfire.
The atmosphere grew heavy, filled only by the constant crackling of the burning wood.
The firelight flickered across Ersak’s face as his mind went entirely still.
Tenzin stared at the motionless teenager, unable to comprehend what was going through his head.
A long silence stretched across the night forest—a single burning fire shared by two quiet human beings.
Suddenly, Ersak broke the silence, looking back at Tenzin.
“Then what was that glowing stuff on your hands earlier?” Tenzin flinched slightly at the sudden question.
His gaze darted away as he tried to recall the details, showing signs of mild stress while scratching his cheek with a finger.
“Uh, I’m not really sure myself.
According to my grandpa, it’s just meant to channel some kind of energy, but I don’t really know the specifics…” Ersak let out an understanding murmur.
Looking behind the youth, he spotted Uncle Vory standing right behind Tenzin’s back.
Noticing Ersak staring past him, Tenzin turned around.
Vory immediately reached down and began vigorously rubbing the child’s head, messing up his hair completely.
Thoroughly annoyed, Tenzin shouted as he grabbed his uncle’s hands to pull them away, “HEY!
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Vory withdrew his hands and crossed them over his chest.
“Do you have any idea what time it is?
Why are you still sitting out here instead of going to bed?” The two immediately launched into a chaotic argument.
Tenzin barked, “IT’S STILL EARLY!” while Uncle Vory snapped back, “EARLY?
IN WHAT UNIVERSE?!” “!)(@#%&^(!%)!%^)—!” Ersak stood on the sidelines watching the uncle and nephew squabble endlessly, his face completely deadpan from sheer helplessness.
Out of nowhere, the old village chief approached Ersak from behind.
Ersak stood up as the elder presented him with a thick blanket made of bear skin.
Ersak reached out to accept it.
The old man smiled and noted, “Those two are always acting like that.
Don’t pay them any mind.” The chief turned his body slightly, looking back at Ersak.
“You can just sleep in the same shack from this morning for tonight.” Ersak looked at the old man and replied, “Thank you, sir.” With those words, Ersak glanced back one last time to see the duo still bickering loudly.
Letting out a helpless sigh, he turned his back on them and headed toward the shack.
Stepping into the structure, he found the interior pitched in darkness, save for the silver moonlight reflecting into the room.
The straw rustled softly as Ersak seated himself on the bed.
His pale blue eyes stared out the window, focusing on the brilliant moon.
The bright lunar orb reflected perfectly within his light irises.
He lay down, letting his entire body relax.
The straw beneath him creaked with every minor movement on the mattress as he pulled the brown bear skin blanket over his entire frame.
It was incredibly warm.
A gentle breeze drifted through the window and into the shack, gradually warming his body beneath the thick cover.
His eyelids slowly grew heavy.
…His eyes closed completely.
Everything went black.
Suddenly, a strand of dark smoke drifted slowly past Ersak’s nose.
His facial features tensed up in discomfort as muffled voices and chaotic noises from the outside began to echo without pause.
The voices and sounds were entirely distorted and unclear.
Sss…
sss…
“Ah…
me…
spare…
don’t!!!” Ersak snapped his eyes open, bolting upright on the bed!
He coughed violently, “Cough!
Cough!—Gasp!” as his hand slammed over his nose.
Panic gripped his entire face.
His gaze scanned the interior.
Outside, a blazing, brilliant red glow illuminated the night, casting frantic, overlapping silhouettes against the straw walls.
The agonizing shrieks and screams of the villagers echoed without pause.
His eyes widened in sheer terror, his pupils contracting and trembling uncontrollably.
“What…
what is happening…?” Ersak rushed out of the shack.
Suddenly, a burning torch flew straight toward him.
Even with his unexpected reflexes, he couldn’t react in time as the fire tumbled through the air toward his body.
Everything seemed to slow down.
The fiery glare lit up Ersak’s face.
Right then, a silhouette lunged forward, grabbing Ersak and tackling him to the ground.
FWOOSH!
The torch crashed directly into the shack, bursting into a violent, raging inferno.
Mildly dazed, Ersak looked up at the person who had just shoved him out of harm’s way.
His eyes grew wide as he realized it was Tenzin lying on top of him!
Anxious, Ersak asked loudly, “HEY, KID!
ARE YOU OKAY?!” Tenzin strained to squeeze out the words, “Ugh…
I’m…
good…” Ersak surveyed their surroundings, unable to suppress the overwhelming emotions surging inside him.
Everything…
absolutely everything…
The shacks, the kitchen area, the trees—everything was burning.
Flames erupted furiously everywhere, roaring without cessation.
Screams and desperate cries for help rang out continuously as absolute chaos unfolded, with people running frantically in every direction.
Out of nowhere, a figure wielding a sword rushed forward, positioning himself directly behind Ersak, who was still pinned to the dirt.
Ersak glanced backward.
An attacker with a sinister grin stood there, raising his blade high.
The sharp, polished edge reflected the flickering glare of the fire.
The man swung the sword downward—CRACK!
A heavy wooden beam slammed directly into his skull with immense force, fracturing and caving his face inward.
Ersak looked up.
“Vory…?” Uncle Vory barked at the top of his lungs, “TAKE TENZIN AND RUN AWAY FROM HERE RIGHT NOW!!” Before Ersak could fully comprehend what was unfolding, another assailant dressed in the exact same attire rushed in from behind, slashing Vory across the back.
Gritting his teeth, Vory spun around and delivered a devastating blow straight to the attacker’s head, knocking him cold before collapsing to his knees.
Ersak hauled Tenzin onto his back and rushed over, asking Vory, “Are you alright?!” Suppressing the agony, Vory gasped out, “Our village was ambushed by bandits…
we weren’t prepared…
almost all the young men have been slaughtered…” Suddenly, Vory coughed violently, spitting up a spray of blood that dripped continuously from his mouth and wound.
Ersak reached out a hand, but Vory caught his breath, staring intently at the teenager as he shrieked, “JUST RUN!!
AS FAR AS YOU CAN, HURRY!!” Startled and terrified, Ersak looked into Vory’s determined eyes, then turned around and began to sprint away.
He dashed through the wreckage and the flames, surrounded by endless, agonizing screams.
Sweat poured down his face, his frantic gaze filled with utter confusion.
He kept his eyes locked straight ahead, focusing entirely on escaping the village.
Thoughts raced through his mind, “What on earth is going on?
What is happening?!
Everything…” “What does all this mean…!” An attacker suddenly leapt out from the shadows, swinging a sword downward.
Ersak instinctively threw his weight backward, his heart pounding faster from the shock.
He tumbled onto the dirt.
The bandits began to close in, forming a tight circle around Ersak and Tenzin, who was still clinging to his back.
Ersak scanned the area, dropping his head as thoughts raced frantically through his mind, “How do I counter this?!…” “Think of a way, think of something, hurry!” “If I don’t, I’m gonna die right here!…” His face contorted in desperate concentration as he tried to find an escape.
Suddenly, the two bandits split apart, and a man dressed in highly expensive attire stepped forward.
Ersak looked up, noting a middle-aged man wearing an eyepatch studded with incredibly valuable crystals.
Inside Ersak’s head: “Without a doubt…
this old bastard is the leader!…” Ersak yelled out at the top of his lungs, “You…
what do you want?!” The leader stared down at Ersak’s sweat-drenched, tense face.
His gaze then shifted directly to Tenzin, who was clinging to the teenager’s back.
He pointed a finger, barking an order to his men.
“Take the kid off his back.
I only need the people from Warnar Village.” The subordinates began to close in.
Ersak looked around, completely helpless, when suddenly one of the lackeys violently ripped Tenzin away from his back.
Ersak spun around, struggling desperately to reclaim the child.
“GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!” Two bandits pinned Ersak to the spot, while the one carrying Tenzin stepped in front of the leader and nodded.
The eyepatch-wearing man glanced back at Ersak, commanding coldly, “Clean up that other one.
Make sure it’s thorough.
I have no use for him.” With a sudden burst of energy, Ersak broke free from their grip and charged straight ahead— In a single fraction of a second…
one of the men stepped forward…
drawing his blade…
SLASH!
A cold, silver arc flashed through the air…
followed by a spray of dropping blood.
Ersak collapsed to his knees…
clutching his midsection…
coughing up blood.
His pupils contracted and trembled violently as his body shook with agonizing pain, his heart pounding erratically.
Out of nowhere, a horse-drawn carriage came rushing into the clearing, the driver shouting frantically, “BOSS!!
Something’s wrong!!” The leader turned his head, demanding, “What happened?” The messenger doubled over, gasping heavily for breath before looking up with a face full of sheer panic.
“It’s bad!
The cavalry has arrived, and they’re currently capturing all of our men down in the south!” The leader remained perfectly calm, muttering, “It’s just a cavalry unit—” Before he could finish, the subordinate’s voice exploded with absolute terror, “THERE ARE EVEN TWO FIELD AGENTS WITH THEM!!!.” The leader’s expression shifted instantly, turning completely pale as beads of cold sweat broke out on his skin.
He stammered, “What…
what did you say…?
HURRY!
RETREAT!
FORGET ABOUT THE REST OF THEM, JUST MOVE!” Finishing his sentence, he scrambled frantically into the carriage along with his remaining lackeys, hauling Tenzin inside before the vehicle sped away.
Gritting his teeth, Ersak summoned every ounce of his strength, the blue veins bulging across his skin as he forced himself to stand up.
His right hand remained clamped over his abdomen, where blood was pouring out without stop.
One bandit turned back, but the carriage rolled away and left him behind.
Ersak pushed his body to the absolute limit, lunging forward as he shrieked, “FREEZE right there!!” The remaining thug slammed a fist straight into Ersak’s face, sending the teenager crashing to the side.
Ersak curled on the dirt, clutching his stomach in agony.
The bandit stepped over his body, making a swift hand gesture.
A brief flash of light erupted, and their outfits instantly swapped places.
The man slowly drew the sword from his hip…
raising it high…
a smirk spreading across his face as he spoke, “Apologies for that last slash.
Let me help put an end to your pain…” The blade was about to plunge downward when suddenly, from his heels up to his torso, faint streaks of golden light flickered across his body for a brief instant.
Gritting his teeth, Ersak planted his feet, snapped his torso upright, and launched himself directly at the man!
He crashed heavily into the bandit, causing the man to lose his balance and tumble backward with Ersak on top of him.
Everything seemed to slow down.
Inside the attacker’s head: “What…
what the hell…
what is happening?!!!” Ersak reached back, snatching the man’s sword as it floated momentarily in mid-air.
His left hand gripped the bandit’s collar tightly.
His right hand wrapped around the hilt, pouring all of his remaining strength into the grip as his muscles flexed.
The golden light continued to spark from his knuckles and joints.
Squeezing the weapon tightly, he swung his arm with immense force—FWOOSH!
CRACK!
The sound of tearing wind echoed through the red-lit night as the blade drove straight through the man’s head.
…
Ersak collapsed forward…
his head dropping as blood dripped continuously from his lips onto the ground.
Tears streamed down his face from the intense, unbearable pain.
His weak, ragged gasps broke the silence of the clearing.
He tilted his head back, staring at the motionless bandit lying on the dirt.
The sword remained impaled through the skull, blood pooling and spreading across the ground.
Ersak’s eyes narrowed into slits as a thought surfaced, “Am I dying…
huff…
I’m…” As his exhausted vision began to fade, his pupils suddenly caught sight of a silhouette.
His consciousness snapped back, his focus locking entirely onto that single shape.
His pale blue eyes gradually widened…
his pupils contracting…
his mouth hanging open as his face and body froze completely in place.
“That’s…
that’s…”