Move 3: Going Back

Two weeks have passed since Oli opened the portal and went to the other world of the portal. And in those two weeks, Oli secluded himself away from anyone. He doesn't know what occurred to him, but he felt that he wanted to be alone for a certain amount of time. That's why he secluded himself.

The only time he came out of his form was when he was buying some groceries and the time when he threw away the decapitated arm of the warrior that chased him.

What happened to Oli instilled fear or trauma in him?

No.

It is the opposite.

"First aid… Flashlight… Bread… Ready to eat food… Bottled water… Cash… Cell Phone… I don't know if this one would help, but it is better than nothing… Knife…"

Oli checked all the items he had in his backpack.

Is he readying himself for some kind of natural disaster?

Nope.

The answer is quite simple. Oli plans to open the portal once again and go back to the world on the other side.

Curiosity is a part of humans. That's why there were some incidents where they discovered something new, or there was a time that it would cause their death.

And those two weeks, what Oli felt was curiosity. He wants to know what was the world on the other side of the portal. And if some notable things could only be seen in that world.

Oli was not an explorer or adventurer, but he felt a surge of excitement flowing on his entire body. Just thinking that he might discover something valuable in that world causes his body to tremble in thrill.

Yes, there was some scary-looking guy, clad in armor, wielding a sharp sword and riding a horse. If things go south, Oli could open the portal as he did previously and go back to his room.

That is why Oli doesn't ponder on it too deeply. If he feels and sees something that threatens his well-being, he could open the portal and save himself.

Oli took a deep breath before lifting his bag. Then he looked at the black old ring on his right hand. The ring was placed on his middle finger.Then Oli thought the word "open" at the same time the portal opened in front of him. The portal was the same as before, but this time Oli immediately saw the other side.

"Haaaa…"

Oli first entered his head to check the surroundings, and when he confirmed everything was okay, his entire body followed suit.

He looked at the portal, and this time, he thought the word closed. The portal was instantly closed.

The portal opened at the same place. And this was the time when Oli observed the entirety of his surroundings. He was in the clearing. Nothing changed in the forest as it remained green as before. He looked in the direction where he previously saw the burning village and the armored men slaughtering the people living in it.

Resolving himself, Oli walked in that direction. He touched the knife that was hanging on his waist, preparing if someone jumped on him. It was still bushy, and new branches and leaves of the trees sprouted, but the trail was still there. He continued to walk until he came out.

He looked at the village in the distance, and it was now burned down on the ground. Everything was burned down. He wasn't sure if anyone was still alive or survived the massacre of the armored men.

He was about to walk towards the village, but he stopped when he heard something.

Rustle Rustle Rustle

He heard a noise on his left. He looked in that direction only to see trees and bushes. But Oli looked particularly at one tree. There was a trail of blood.

Gulp.

'Someone was hiding at the back of that tree...'

Oli thought internally.

And before he knew it, he was walking towards that tree. He took out his knife from its sheath and ready it. When he walked past the tree, he immediately pointed the knife at whoever was positioned at the tree.

He saw a bearded man in his thirties leaning at the tree, but the most noticeable at the man was blood gushing out from his left arm. And using his right arm, he was applying pressure on it to avoid any blood loss, but it was not enough because of his situation. Oli saw immediately that this man had no strength left. What he was doing was useless.

The man noticed the presence of Oli, and he intensely looked at Oli. Gritting his teeth, he took his shattered sword and pointed it at Oli.

"Ghwighweighewgheklhgweh!!!"

The man shouted at Oli, but Oli didn't even understand the words of the man.

"Huh?"

"Kgkwhklgwhigwhiogwueieuwindmnsliwegi!!!!!"

Again… The man shouted at Oli.

"Huh? I don't even understand what you are saying…" Oli said in his mother tongue language. But the man remained still.

Even though Oli didn't understand all the words the man spoke, when Oli looked at the gesture and the way the man acted, Oli realized what the man wanted to convey.

He immediately put the knife back at the sheath and put his hands up before talking to the man.

"I mean no harm," Oli said, but this time it's in English.

The man froze after he heard what Oli said.

"Y-you… Y-you speak Eago?" The man replied.

"Eh? Y-you, understand me?" Oli.

"Y-you speak Eago, so, naturally, I could understand you."

"Eago? You mean English?" Oli.

"E-English? What's that? What do you mea–Argh!!!"

The man couldn't continue when he jolted in pain.

"Are you alright?!" Oli.

"Argh! Those fucking Creadians! As pillaging our village was not enough for them, they started massacring all the villagers they saw! Those fucking zealots!!" The man cursed.

Oli disregards what the man said and focuses on the wound of the man.

"Let me help you… Your wounds might be infected if neglected." Oli.

The man looked at Oli, 'I don't sense any killing intent nor evil intentions from this man… And he speaks Eago… Only individuals from the Nobility could speak Eago, so this man was a Noble birth…" The man thought internally.

And after thinking for a few seconds, he gave in. Oli was offering help. He didn't know if there was anyone left from the village, so waiting for someone from the village to help him was not an option. He loses so much blood from his wound, and it's only a matter of time before he dies from blood loss. And as a Knight, it was rude if he rejected help from a Noble.

"Please..." The man said, then he threw his shattered sword away from him to reduce Oli's wariness toward him.

Oli immediately approaches the man. He crouched and put his bag down. He took his first aid kit, and he started to disinfect the wound before covering it with bandages.

***

"May I know your name, esteem Noble?"

"Huh?" Oli.

'Noble? What is this man talking about? Does he mean the Noble like in the Medieval Period?' Oli thought internally.

"I'm Oli Alexander."

"Oli… Alexander… Ah! Please forgive me for my attitude towards you earlier, my Lord. I thought that you were from the Credia Empire. That's why I acted like that.

And I am Michael. The Guard Captain is stationed here on Leefside village. And as much as I want to give respect to you, due to my current situation, I couldn't do that at this moment. I'll accept any punishment you give me after I regain my strength." Michael said.

'So, his name was Michael, and that village was Leefside, huh?'

"Could you tell me what happened to you? As well in that village?" Oli said while pointing at the village in the distance.

Michael clenched his fist, and there was a glint of anger in his eyes.

"Two weeks ago, the soldiers from the Credia Empire attacked our village. Their goal was to pillage all the resources in the village that they could use or sell.

Aside from me, the village had no actual soldiers to defend, and the only group that could protect the village was a militia composed of villagers.

As I was the only one who had experience in actual battle, I alone couldn't confront the fully-equipped group of soldiers from the Credia Empire. And the militia has no match for the veteran soldiers. The village was breached. But the villagers started to fight back as they defended a small amount of food or money they possessed.

That is why those fuckers started to slay, and rape all the villagers they saw. And what you saw at this moment was the remains of the Leefside village, which is they burned down." Michael explained.

"As for me, I resisted and fought them, but due to the difference in equipment. I couldn't compete with them, that's why I got wounded by one of the soldiers." Michael said.