Chapter 1: Into the Woods
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"Life is such a mystery. One must not be complacent about anything that has not transpired yet. Everything has its purpose and meaning. Life is not set in stone. Life is unpredictable. Join me and let's unravel my quest to an unfamiliar world of possibilities. Are you all ready?" Said the huge man with the crown of light lavishly showing its elegance to the white-winged girl, patting on her head while she nervously intertwined its hand. "I, I will come wherever you will go, Father!" she said.
Every night I feel that I could be somebody else. I always thought that this might be because I don't feel myself. I am an unusual person. I'm always having a dream that I am somewhere, in the middle of the crowd. A place where bustling crackles of noises can be heard, dancing lights in the middle of the road can be seen, crowded and throbbing one another.
... There is yet another vision of people who are talking towards one another that I can't seem to recall.
In a calm night sky, where you really can almost see the twinkling specks of light overhead. I woke up and thought about the wonderful dream I was having. How else would I imagine what it would feel like to get to see the whole place illuminated with floating lanterns and torches out there that don't extinguish. In stark comparison to this region, surrounded by trees and fields just about anywhere. Any night is as dark as a lump of coal. Our home is situated in the southern part of the region, where you can see a vast area mostly covered with trees and undergrowth-the Forest of Krane. Mostly, this is where they hunt creatures and gather timber logs to build new dwellings and also for firewood.
I was born and raised in the hinterlands with a large family member from which we would only eat fruit and vegetables every day. When we are fortunate enough to have a successful season of hunting, we will enjoy the meat of the wild creatures in the forest. Although we are doing our decent means to survive. I am not wailing, though. It's just that not everything is fair. I say, yes, these are not the things we would be complaining about as long as we have a roof to sleep under and a lot of food to consume, but this wretched way of life is at its best. How are we categorizing a group of people like this? Why can't we exist separately from an organization or individuals above us?
I am the fifth son of a serf. Serfs were the lowest of the peasant status and were treated as slaves. Nobles are the lords of the serfs who lived within their own appointed territories. In exchange for a place to live, the serfs utilized the land for themselves and their lord. In fact, the serfs are allocated mainly to the farmland to work for the landlord and, of necessity, to cover the rent.
Indeed, obviously. In this little town mostly with serfs, we glorify the Lord. Also, we have no names except perhaps the Lords' Freemen and a growing number of Knights, but they love to call me Twig. I am given the responsibility to get branches or twigs to be used as firewood when my parents are working in the huge fields of white and golden grain, however I do funny things other than that. I would often wander secretively in the depths of the wood. I've built a small treehouse to store the vile creatures I've caught.Training my body to the point that I can hunt larger creatures.
After all, of course, driven to my determination. I just want to be a squire, however I don't honestly believe I'm qualified to purchase my liberty. My friend Morning Dew admired the same thing in terms, I suppose. But we're just utterly hopeless throw rugs. In this territory, we are anticipated to wither. I don't really get this damn place and I'm just disappointed by the things I can't bear. As you can see, I refuse to accept the fact that I hate this mediocre way of life. I can't really complain about that, so what can I do? We are the slaves of the Lord. What I ought to do is hope that our good Lord Heinzall Val Badrick is going to stand for us forever.
He is our most forgiving Lord. They say he was a bastard of the lowest noble in the kingdom of Darathos. Son of a concubine, his mother is a lover of a baron. Well, he's the second child, anyway. As far as the rank and rights and freedoms of the concubine are concerned, they were always inferior to the rights of the wife, and neither she nor her children were inherently entitled to succession. Therefore, this land has only been granted for him to prove himself. The Lord has been around since he was young, and he is very wise in the administrations and preparation of the supply of sustenance. Often this contributes significantly to food commerce in the surrounding lands.
Where did I get to know these pieces of knowledge? I have such a friend from the great stone house of the Lord. He's a squire, and he's a knight's servant. He travels everywhere across the town with the knight and does what is required of him. Nevertheless, he is also the son of the Knight, representing the knight, the magnanimous warrior class. This guy might be the exception, though. He told me that he was the son of a merchant whose friend was a knight.
Just then, I happened to know this guy when he was running an errand for the Knight he's serving. He's a very tall person. I met him in the grasslands when I randomly picked kindling. We've been friends since then, and he have been actively encouraging me to stand up and fight in the event that I rarely encounter a wild creature in the wilderness while using my sharp blade. He also told me not to bother calling him in any kind of honorifics. See, a friendly and approachable man, and a strange person, too.
Every time after meals, when he's not around, I play with my friend Dew, who's also in charge of bringing kindling. Needless to say, we sons and daughters of the serfs are not encouraged to come in and help farm the land. The reason is that the Lord believed that perhaps we should learn and understand the essential knowledge in the morning before we turn fifteenth Luners.
Every time after meals, when he's not around, I play with a friend of mine, Dew, who is also in charge of bringing kindling. Needless to say, we sons and daughters of the serfs are not encouraged to come and help farm the land. The explanation being that the Lord thought that perhaps we should learn and understand the essential knowledge in the wee hours before we turn fifteenth Luners and pick-up branches or twigs to be used as fuel wood in our dwellings. The firewoods used in the Lord's stone house are taken from lumberjacks deep within the forest where children are therefore forbidden. It is to ensure that everyone works successfully under his command.
Then one day I heard a rumor that the residents of this town were suspicious about lately. A week ago, a new cave was found in the eastern part of the Krane Forest. It's just a little closer to our town, but deeper than that. So I began preparing to better understand this new destination. I would be able to hunt more beasts. After all, there are no wild beasts I've ever seen that are just too troublesome in this area. Alright, then perhaps I should keep an eye and delve into new creatures. How incredible it is!
Early in the morning, I went to see my friend Morning Dew to get as much kindling and see for ourselves the new cave that people have been talking about. I believe my mother calls this the dungeon of monsters. I'd like to try sneaking in that cavern. Morning Dew really doesn't want to come, but I'm going to drag him. I successfully bribed him with a lot of buttered rye bread next season. Well, I can cook. Neat, perfectly edible bread. I always realized that. I don't know why. Just like the nostalgic sensation of the dream that I had last night. Whatever that explanation is, as long as we can eat good food rather than stale and rough food, we'll be very thankful.
We saw a lot of strange creatures on our way to this cave. Although I can see that these animals are docile, we still need to be wary of and regularly check the surroundings. That's what Sir Lyol told me when I came to plead with him if I could be a squire like him. He's the squire I've always referred to, and he's the son of a merchant who was killed on their way off into town. I forgot what that city called, though. In either case, the creatures are mainly wild ferrals and cannoyt.
They all are like wild beasts in the wild. The Ferrals are tiny creatures with fuzzy hair, narrow snouts and retractable claws. Although the Cannoyts have a long snout, they have an excellent sense of scent, non-retractable claws, and while they make a sound like howling and whining. They 're similar to the Canns that bark.
Mother always says not to go alone because of rabid Cannoyts. However, with my mental fortitude and strength, I am particularly confident. Sir Lyol helped me in improving my combat skills. He's like twenty-four Luners, and he's presumed to be a respectable squire in his age. Morning Dew and I have just shared our thirteenth Luners. No problem with that, bloke! We can take care of ourselves. We're big guys right now! Well, Hmm. Besides that, we're not alone in going through the wood, so that's good as an excuse. Ferrals or Cannoyts, if we really can defeat them, then we can offer additional food and fur to our kin.
When we draw closer to the cave in the wilderness, we've encountered more and more beasts we've never seen before. I can see a lot of creatures topped with a white fur on cannoyt-like animals, but the difference is that it has pointed muzzle and bushy tail, and it's very cunning. There's even a creature with wings, which looked like a borruca, but on fire. Would you think that a moving object is on fire without burning? That's that beast. They seem so old, though. I wonder if I might have seen them. In my dreams, huh? Well, I doubt that.
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Einvee
Einvee Thank you for reading my first published story. I hope you enjoyed it. Please support the book by adding it in your library and I will appreciate it if you will not forget to leave comments or reviews. Sending my virtual hug! Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
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