The Last Hospitality

Kaido woke up feeling very tired, so he left his room to get some fresh air. He stood for a while, then noticed a small boy standing in the distance. The boy's eyes were fixed on him, watching every move without saying a word. Kaido approached the boy and asked,

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

The boy didn't answer.

Kaido asked casually, "What's your name?"

The boy simply replied, "Raul." Then fell silent again. Kaido looked at him with interest and asked, "What brought you here? Where are your parents?"

Raul, looking away from Kaido, answered, "My dad is busy with his work. As for my mom... she disappeared two years ago. No one knows anything about her."

Raul's words made Kaido feel something strange. The villagers had never spoken about anyone disappearing. Everyone here lived in peace, as if nothing unusual was happening.

Kaido told Raul, "Go home. You shouldn't be out here this late at night." Then he headed back to his room to sleep again.

When morning came, Kaido was awakened by light knocking on the door. It was the farmer he had met earlier, entering with a smile on his face:

"How was your night? You don't seem to have slept well."

Kaido replied, pressing his eyelids together, trying to shake off the effects of the nightmares that had followed him:

"I didn't sleep well. The nightmares chased me all night."

Then he added nervously, "By the way, you never told me your name, sir?"

The man laughed and said,

"My name is Terry."

"Uncle Terry, I met a boy named Raul. He told me his mom disappeared. Do you know anything about that?"

Terry seemed a little uneasy before answering,

"His mother passed away two years ago, and that's what made Raul like this. As for his father, he's too busy with farming to focus on missing his wife."

But Kaido wasn't convinced by his answer, and said,

"But Raul told me she disappeared, not that she died. How's that?"

Terry visibly tensed but quickly tried to calm the situation:

"Don't worry about it, Kaido. Let's go see Elyan, he asked me to bring you. He wants to talk to you about your father's friend you're looking for."

Kaido nodded and prepared himself. Then he went with Terry to the temple where Priest Elyan was waiting.

As they walked through the village, it was lively. Everyone was working hard in the fields, and the trees were full of abundant fruit. The atmosphere was calm, as if life was going on normally. When they passed by the farmers, everyone greeted them, and they finally arrived at the temple where Elyan was waiting.

Elyan welcomed them warmly, smiling when he saw Kaido:

"Welcome to our temple, Kaido. Terry told me you're looking for someone. Tell me about it, maybe I can help if he passed through our village before."

Kaido, trying to stay calm despite his growing questions, said:

"Yes, I'm looking for a friend of my father's. His name is Damian, he has black hair and sharp eyes. Has he passed through here, or has anyone seen him?"

Elyan replied with a calm expression:

"I don't think he's passed through here. I haven't heard that name before. But I'll ask around the village, maybe someone knows something or has seen him. Why don't you go take a bath and rest until lunchtime?"

Kaido left the temple and headed to the nearby river, where he decided to bathe and ease his exhaustion. While he was washing, he felt something strange around him. He noticed a movement behind him, and when he turned around, he saw nothing, but soon he noticed a small hand coming from between the trees.

He quickly ran and covered himself with his towel, then approached to see who it was. He found Raul standing there, watching him intently.

Raul said in a quiet voice, "What's this? Why are your hands like that? I saw it."

Kaido quickly responded, trying to hide his hand:

"It's just an accident from earlier. Don't worry about it."

He quickly put on the rest of his clothes and moved away from the spot. He feared Raul would tell the villagers, and that would cause everyone to find out about his hand and bring him more trouble.

On his way back to his room, Kaido encountered Elyan, who said,

"Come on, we've prepared the food. We're waiting for you."

Kaido tried to avoid him, saying,

"No need, I have to leave now. Thank you for your hospitality, but I want to continue my search for Uncle Damian."

But Elyan was very determined, replying:

"You won't leave before eating with us. I insist. After that, you can leave. We won't let our guest leave before a proper meal."

In the end, Kaido agreed, not wanting to make the priest feel any doubt. Together, they went back to the temple where the feast was prepared. Kaido began eating, enjoying the moment. The creature inside him told him not to rush, saying he could eat at his own pace since there was a long journey ahead.

After he finished eating and felt full, he thanked them for their hospitality, but Elyan responded unexpectedly:

"No need for thanks. We're doing our duty. But you'll be doing yours soon."

Elyan's words made Kaido feel uneasy. He couldn't respond, as he suddenly felt something strange happening in his body. His head became heavy, and his limbs began to weaken gradually. Before he lost consciousness, he saw the villagers standing around him, some of them looking away from his eyes.

Then Terry stepped forward and whispered,

"Forgive us... we had no choice."

And then Kaido lost consciousness completely.

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