The Village's Taboo (1)

"Wait here for now. I have things I need to finish first." The village elder said as he vanished into presumably the kitchen of his house.

Currently, Tain, Elena, Alice and Andre are within the living room of the village elder's cottage. The wooden walls are in critical condition, and seems to have been worn down throughout the years.

The entire residents reeks of a mixture of gunpowder, earthy as well as musky scent that is irritating for the nose. Despite the walls having been in a severely deteriorating state—traces of unintelligible markings appear to have been carved deeply into the planks.

They all had questions regarding this place. But none of them had the courage to speak—causing the atmosphere to be awkward between all of them.

"Dad…how long has this house been built for?" Alice inquired—breaking the awkward silence all together.

"Well…as far as I remember, this house was already here before I was even born. I don't know when exactly it was erected, but this house has a long history of past village elders living here." Andre answered in an uneasy tone.

While this may not be the first time he has shown signs of nervousness—this is possibly the most restless he has ever been in. He did not understand the reason for his anxiety but he had a gut feeling that after today—the reality he was living in for many years would crumble.

Another long, heavy silence ensued after the short conversation. However, it was immediately shattered as the village elder reappeared into the living room.

The clothes he donned were now stained with what one could only assume to be oil as his entire being reeks of it—along with a few black spots that his otherwise clean outfit.

Andre attempted to bow in order to show his respect to the village elder—but was promptly stopped and ordered to sit down instead.

The village elder glared at both Elena and Tain—as if examining them to see whether they were a threat or not.

"So, may I know your names?" He asked while staring at Elena.

"A-Ah! It's-" Tain tried to answer but was interrupted as Elena covered his mouth.

"I am Elena Befallen Tiars. This child on the other hand is Tain Aried Polarias." She answered sternly.

"Allow me to propose the same question to you. What is your name?" She added after introducing herself and Tain to the village elder.

"I don't know." He said somberly as he looked at the declining shape of his residence.

"...This is not a suitable time for you to joke around. What I seek is for is a suitable an-"

"Elena Befallen Tiars, 4th daughter of the Sword King. I, the Village Elder, do not remember, nor know what my name was."

"You…!" Elena grabbed the village elder by the throat as she glowered at him.

Her usual, tranquil expression was nowhere to be found, and was instead replaced by a seething rage that looks as if it could never be put out no matter how many times endeavors have been made on it.

Tain was completely mystified by the sight in front of him. This was the first time he had seen Elena enraged. Even while making basic mistakes whenever she was training him—not even for a moment have she shown any signs of irritation.

Rather, she calmly—as well as brutally made his body memorize the necessary movements it was required to perform while in a real battle. Thus, to see her radiating excessive amounts of undiluted fury bewildered Tain even more than the wildest of dreams he ever had.

Luckily, her temper gradually subsided as her grip began to loosen—until she eventually withdrew her hand. Her peaceful expression returning back to her after taking a few short breaths as she composed herself.

She peered at the village elder for a second—before opening her mouth once more.

"Alright…you may keep your identity a secret if that's what you desire. But know this. Do not ever call me the daughter of the Sword King ever again. Should you do so, I will no longer afford to hold back.

"Now, will you tell us the reason you require our presence as of this current moment?"

A disheartened sigh escaped the villager elder's throat as he glanced at Andre.

"...I'm here to tell you about the origins of this town. It might be confusing why I'm telling you this but…you'll understand soon enough. Don't get distracted because everything I'm going to say from now on may decide what your fate is.

"Long ago…"

…

"Ha…ha…ha…!" Jacob pants.

Through an unorthodox method—he had somehow managed to escape the village perimeters and was currently running through the lush jungle while still carrying an unconscious Lily on his back.

He felt as if his legs were burning. Sweat trickled down his entire figure as he kept moving forward—not stopping even for a moment. A few bruises and cuts scattered across his body from crashing at the trees, as well as tumbling onto the ground.

Yet his will to survive never falters. Every time he fell down, he rose up again. The thought of stopping never crossed his mind for a single moment. He just kept on running and running—following the moonlight as if it was his guide.

At long last, he finally found a paradise. Stepping outside of the forest—he was greeted by a beautiful river housing a plethora of unique fishes.

'If it's here…We can survive.'

Gently, he laid Lily down beside a tree as he focused on gathering supplies, and building a tent for precautions. Despite the exhaustion finally hitting him as the adrenaline dissipated—he only took a minute of rest before continuing.

Soon, he had constructed a tent mostly consisting of logs, sticks, a moss for a roof, and leaves for a bed.

'Finally…'

That was the last train of thought Jacob had as he finally succumbed to his fatigue. His body collapsed beside Lily as his eyes shut tightly. In the end, he finally achieved his goal of surviving the ordeal…or so he thinks.

…