The Blind's Village

Like a cold blanket covering her body, Vixen shuddered as the silk-like membrane of the barrier brushed her jade-like white skin.

Hartei Qi, her father, has pulled her along into their village's barrier in order to keep out of the hound's famished eyes.

The barrier was transparent. Anyone inside the barrier was able to see the beast hounds outside, provided that his eyes could see. However, this purpose of the barrier was useless to the villagers since they were all blind.

Anyone from outside, on the other hand, could not see what was inside.

Sa halip ay madilim na kagubatan lamang ang kanilang makikita na replika lamang ng gubat sa barrier at hindi ang tagong nayon ng mga bulag na nasa loob nito.

Para bang nasa ibang dimensyon ang nayon at wala sa mundong ito.

Even so, countless ripples successively follows one another on the membrane as the hounds tried their best to break through the barrier.

May taglay na katalinuhan ang mga hounds na halimaw sapagkat nasaksihan nilang sa barrier nagtago ang kanilang prey kaya naman ay hindi nila tinigilan ang pagsubok sa barrier.

Sa katunayan, hindi gaya ng ibang barrier na matitigas, ang barrier ng nayon at ng plantasyon ay kasing lambot ng isang jelly at kasing banat naman ng goma.

Gayon pa man, kahit gaano ka lakas ang atake ng mga sino mang nasa labas ng barrier, gumamit man sila ng mga mistikong kakayahan o hindi, ay hinding-hindi ito magigiba.

Moreover, anyone who would attack the barrier by force would be automatically repelled by it.

However, if someone had no any intention to do so or was never aware about the barrier while crossing through it, they would not be repelled, instead they could pass through it; into the dark forest but they would never enter the village, nor the plantation without performing the required actions to do so.

Nang nasa loob na silang lahat, agad na pumalikod si Vixen sa kanyang ama.

Mula sa kinaroroonan niya, naririnig niya ang mga bulong-bulungan ng mga kasapi.

Maririnig sa mga tono ng mga ito ang panghahamak sa kanya.

Dahil sa sensetibo nilang pakiramdam at pandinig, wari niya ang sari-saring emosyong nakahalo sa mga salita nila.

Wala siyang nagawa kundi ang iyuko ang ulo sa likod ng kanyang ama.

"Ano'ng sa isip niya't bakit hindi niya sinunod ang reglamento ng nayon?"

"Rinig kong tinawag niya ang kanyang ama sa labas, 'di ba't bawal magsalita sa labas ng nayon ayon sa reglamento?"

"Dapat siyang parusahan! Papaano nalang kung may naka rinig sa kanya habang nasa labas? Mapatong sa peligro ang buhay nating mga bulag nang dahil lang sa kanya!"

Trembling, Vixen tightened her hands clutching her father's ragged clothes.

She couldn't deny what they were pointing out on her. She knew she, again, made a mistake this time.

Feeling her daughter's fair hands trembling on his back, Hartei sighed. He reached and rubbed them, comforting herc, then pulled her again through the crowd.

Hindi nawala ang mga disgustong nararamdaman ng dalaga mula sa mga ka-nayon habang naglalakad sila sa gitna ng mga ito.

Gayun pa man ay hindi niya itinaas ang kanyang ulo, para kahit papano, sa sarili, ay magpanggap siyang hindi niya naririnig ang mga ito.

After a while walking in the distance, the murmurs of the crowd gradually subsided, thus slightly relieving the invisible weight in Vixen's chest.

Sa katunayan, hindi lang ito ang pagkakamaling naggawa ni Vixen sa nayon.

Nakailang beses nang nalagay sa peligro ang kanilang pamumuhay nang dahil sa halaghag niyang mga kilos.

Kung dati ay palaging nariyan ang kanyang mamà at papà para ipagtanggol siya sa mga mapanghigpit na mga mata ng mga taga nayon, ngayon....

Hindi kumibo si Hartei sa kanya, dahil alam niyang hindi niya madedepensahan ang anak sa pagkakamali niya ngayon sapagkat ang reglamento mismo ang kaniyang sinuway sa pagkakataong ito.

Hindi nagtagal ang paglakad nila at huminto sila sa tapat ng isang barong-barong.

Although the moon wasn't full in shape up floating in the night sky surrounded by glittering diamond-like stars, it was still bright enough to reach it's veil-like rays onto the hut with some fireflies flying here and there, creating a picturesque scene like a painting fresh from a canvas.

With smoke slithering out of its horn-shaped chimney, a gentle wind blew by, and their hair swayed along wind.

Hartei's ragged clothes fluttered, while the hem of Vixen's ragged dress billowed slightly.

As though a piece of thread controlled by a puppeteer, the smoke wriggled in the air drifting along the wind towards them.

It then touched each of the father and daughter's nose, as burnt smell of pebbles tickled their nostrils.

Achuu!

Vixen couldn't help herself but to blew the ticklish feeling away.

Napakamot na lamang siya sa kanyang ilong dahil dito.

clack! Clack-clack!

The sounds of stones falling to one another could be heard from inside the hut. It continued for a while before finally, it stopped.

Vixen's heart sank and tightened her hand on his father's.

Just after the clacking sound stopped, from the hut's entrance, the hay curtain rustled as it split open in the middle.

Mula rito ay lumabas ang isang lalaking maskulado na may hawak-hawak na sibat. Bukod sa tabon nito sa mata, ang natatanging saplot lamang nito ay ang tabon nito sa parteng gitna ng kanyang dalawang hita.

Pumagilid ito na tila'y inaanyaya silang dalawa at pinahihintulutan silang pumasok sa barong-barong.

Parehong napabuntong hininga ang mag-ama saka pumasok dito nang may kaunting pag-alinlangan sa kanilang dibdib.

They both knew...

How domineering their village chief was, who was currently playing with the burning pebbles in a scorching hot wok.

Not long after the hay curtain rustled as it closed after the two, another figure arrived at the front of the hut, but she never entered.

Leng Qi bit her lips. She closed her fists into a ball as she faced the hut's entrance and bided for her husband and daughter's exit.

Worry was apparent on her face.

...

The crescent moon shone bright but the pillars of rays it produced, passing through the branches and leaves of each tree, were cold but not frigid.

Clip-clop! Clip-clop!

Galloping sounds of hooves echoed in the forest. Crackling and kicking dry leaves as they stomp on the ground.

Half a mile away from the village's barrier, a group of five horsemen riding their mounts was sent to the area to patrol because some mana fluctuation was detected from here.

Tatlo sa kanila ay mga regular na patrolya na nagmomonitor sa paligid ng District E. Habang ang dalawa naman ay bumuntot lamang sa kanila.

Bilang isang distrito na pinamumuhayan ng mga ordinaryong taong walang mga kakaibang kapangyarihan, natural lang na may dapat na magpatrolya para sa kaligtasan nila mula sa mga beasts na hayok sa laman ng mga tao.

Kahit na pinapalibutan ito ng matatayog na mga pader ay hindi parin ito maging basehan upang makampante ang mga taong saklaw ng pader.

Kaya naman bawat araw ay may nakatalagang tatlong kabalyero na magpapatrolya sa paligid ng distrito.

The other two were warriors on training from the Phoenix Warriors Camp. A training school for warriors with mythical abilities. They only tagged along to ease their boredom.

Clad in a red robe fluttering along the wind, a young man with a silk-like maroon hair was mounted on a black fergana horse.

A ball of fire was floating affixed on the air above him. Illuminating the shadows within his range.

His red eyes akin to a ruby, squinting at the distance, were turbid, as if he could see through the darkness of the dense forest.

Was it only an auditory hallucination? Or Did he really heard a voice just a while ago?

"Jace! Nariyan ka lang pala! Anong ginagawa mo rito? Labas na 'to ng District E!"

Another guy with a snow-like hair came on, his blue robe fluttering as he rode his brown horse and appeared beside the red-robed guy.

Ang boses niya ay di masyadong malalim at hindi rin masiyadong mataas.

"We should scram! Hindi na ito saklaw sa pinapatrol ng mga knights in patrol. Pinapatipon na rin tayo ni Captain Raze para bumalik sa patrol Tower." Dagdag niya pa habang humihingal na para bang siya ang napapagod sa pagtakbo ng kabayo niya.

Napakislot na lamang si Jace sa kanyang labi sa kakatwang kilos nito.

"I just thought I heard someone from that distance." Pointing in the distance, his voice was hoarse but pleasant to the ear.

Sinundan naman ni Jake ang tinuturo ng daliri niya.

All he could see were the pillars of moonlight appearing and disappearing on his sight, and countless pairs of glowing orbs constantly blinking in the shadows as the rustling sound of the trees swaying along the wind flowed into his auditory canals.

Waving his hand, Jake refuted Jace's hallucination and parted his mouth.

"Impossible! Guni-guni mo lang 'yun! Sino naman ang gagala rito sa ganitong oras? Wala! Maliban nalang sa mga halimaw na nakabantay sa atin ngayon."

After some thought, Jace nodded, considering what his friend said.

"Hmmm. tama ka nga."

It really was impossible to someone to lurk around this area at this moment because aside that this area wasn't scoped by district E, countless nether beasts also considered this area their precious nest.

Gaya na lamang ng mga matang nakatitig sa kanilang dalawa na may halong pagkagutom at pagkasalat.

At once, his body stiffened with the thought.

"Wait.. what..?"

"Run!"

Before he knew it, all he could hear from Jake was his frantic shout echoing in the distance, treading his way back from where he came from.

Nauna na palang tumakbo palayo ang kaibigan niya, habang siya ay naiwan sa puwesto at walang malay na pinapalaway ang mga beast hounds sa paligid niya.

He couldn't help but cursed under his breath as he kicked his horse's butt with his foot hill and plague the reigns.

"Haiyaah!"

Neighhhh!

"I'll f*cking k*ll you, you son of a b*tch!"

Jake's laughter only linggered in his ears as they trod their way back to the Patrol Tower of district E.

Under the smiling moon and glittering stars, a guy in red robe was chasing a guy in blue robe as both were tailed by a pack of growling beasts hounds.

The two were running for their lives while the beasts were running for their dinner tonight.