The setting sun cast its glow over the vast Forest Sea, the clouds dyed with a crimson glow, undulating like waves. The sky was pure like a tranquil lake, with a wisp of smoke rising slowly.
Below the smoke lay a simple settlement, dotted with huts constructed from branches and long grass. Dozens of tribespeople, clad only in leather skirts, gathered around the central fire pit. They cooked, laughed, and bantered. The air soon filled with the aroma of corn, wild vegetables, and the meat of some unknown animal.
At twelve years old, Xiulote stood deep in the woods, the boy gazed somewhat bewildered at the settlement in the distance.
He had a delicate face, black hair, black eyes, yellow skin, with a clean little face. On his head rested a conical hat, draped in a dark green cloak that could cover his entire body. A brown loincloth was tied around his small belly, its end hanging down just enough to cover his privates, and his feet were adorned with little deer hide shoes.
In his right hand, he held a foot-long obsidian dagger, while his left was strapped with a small shield. Although small, the shield was enough to cover his little body. The most striking was a specially-made obsidian necklace that dangled from his neck to his chest—an important symbol of status.
Xiulote looked ahead, faintly visible warriors lurked in the shadows of the trees.
The warriors wore green leather armor, outlining their strong features. The cuffs and pant cuffs were dyed red, wearing the same loincloth and pointy leather hat. They were mostly barefoot, with a rope tied around their waist. In their left hand was a half-meter leather-covered wooden shield engraved with fearsome patterns. Their right hand held an over-one-meter-long wooden staff of obsidian, with its sharp insert removed.
At that moment, the warriors crouched quietly, akin to beasts in the jungle, their eyes flickering with a dangerous excitement.
Perhaps sensing Xiulote's gaze, two warriors stood up and silently approached. The leading warrior was in his thirties or forties, extraordinarily strong. His face was painted with red and green stripes, a fierce tiger helmet on his head, vivid feathers hanging from the back of the helmet, cascading over a mottled yellow leather armor, like a beast standing upright.
This was the elite of the Empire, the leader of a squad of twenty, a Jaguar Warrior of the nobility.
The Jaguar Warrior stood before Xiulote, "Xiulote, we are about to attack. This is your first time participating in battle, so you don't need to charge with us. Stand on the periphery, and if you see any wild people escaping, tell Ters. If you see a suitable opponent, you can go ahead, make good use of your shield and dagger."
"Remember, you don't need to take prisoners, don't hold back!"
After speaking, he turned his head to instruct the young warrior beside him, "Ters, stay close to Xiulote, don't let him face the wrong opponent. If he can handle it, don't interfere. Let him get a taste of blood for the first time. I'll bring you two captives."
Finally, the Jaguar Warrior nodded at Xiulote. He grinned, baring gleaming teeth, and left silently once again.
The young warrior was about twenty, squatting dejectedly beside Xiulote, "Xiulote, I'll stay by your side. Later, you can find a lone or old wild person..."
"Ters, why are we attacking these tribespeople? They haven't harmed us," Xiulote looked confused, memories of the "past" constantly lingering in his mind. Even though they began to blur, centuries-old values stubbornly persisted in his heart, in this cruel jungle era.
"Why?" Ters scratched his head, "Because a new Tratuoani has just ascended the throne, and we need more sacrifices for the coronation ceremony."
"Then why waste so many lives on the sacrificial rite?"
"Because it's what the gods desire..."
At this moment, a piercing eagle's cry rang out, followed by dozens of figures bursting from the dense forest.
The warriors let out terrifying howls, surrounding the settlement from all directions. A "Jaguar" charged at the forefront, the stripes on its tiger skin vividly leaping, the heavy obsidian staff swinging like lightning.
With a light tap, it knocked out a young wild person to the ground. Then, with a backhand, it struck another's waist and abdomen, the person immediately fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Other warriors continued to achieve results. Even though the tribespeople outnumbered the warriors four to one, the battle was one-sided.
The hastily raised short spears of the tribespeople were adroitly dodged by the warriors, sliding shallow marks over the warriors' leather armor. The returning strikes of the wooden staff were strong and powerful, toppling opponents with one hit.
Some tribes' hunters began to resist too, shooting homemade short arrows with rudimentary hunting bows into the warriors' leather armor. This was the last effective resistance; the hunters were quickly prioritized and knocked down by the drawn warriors.
What followed was a one-sided chase and capture; the tribespeople fled in all directions, while the warriors either pursued or took out ropes, binding those captives they were satisfied with. A warrior began dragging the fire from the fire pit towards the huts, soon the flames and cries filled the evening glow.
"Let's go too," Ters urged from behind. Xiulote stared blankly at the tribe's flames, human shadows flickering before his eyes, the cries and laughter seemed both far and near. Just then, a small figure suddenly charged from the front, feet pounding the earth with heavy breaths, heading straight for Xiulote.
"Watch out!" an urgent shout came from behind. The figure ahead had clearly noticed Xiulote too, and the sharp wooden spear in hand thrust directly at the small enemy.
Xiulote's vision blurred, his left hand instinctively raised the shield, the wooden spear scraped past the thick leather slip aside. The enforced training of two years was already imprinted in his muscles, flowing smoothly. Xiulote then took a step forward, his right hand following closely with a thrust, the dagger sinking deep into a soft object, soon a moist liquid warmly enveloped his small palm.
The figure ahead paused instantly, the wooden spear weakly struck the shield again, then once more, the force rapidly dwindling.
Only then did Xiulote clearly see who stood before him, a disheveled teenage boy. He was incredibly thin, evidently malnourished for long. Around fifteen or sixteen years old, a pair of hateful eyes stared tightly at him.
Soon, the boy's pupils gradually unfocused, his body fell limp from the dagger, collapsing powerlessly before Xiulote. His lifeless eyes still stared at Xiulote.
Xiulote felt as if he had been struck by something. He staggered back a step, the dagger slipping from his right hand to the ground, his knees abruptly weakened. Then, a pair of large hands reached from behind, firmly supporting the boy's shoulders.
"Well done," Ters said with a smile, "The shield thrust was very proficient, seems like the commander and captain trained you well."
"I killed someone, an innocent person..." Xiulote trembled slightly, his eyes losing focus, murmuring softly, shattering the peace of the past, as if awakening from an intoxicated illusion. This was the first time, in past and present, he killed someone.
"What?"
"Why?..."
"What why? Battle is the greatest honor, the greatest joy. Of course, so is sacrifice. Once we capture more offerings, we can await this year's coronation ceremony, it's truly something to look forward to," Ters smiled innocently, his eyes radiating joy.
"Blood... death... is it destined to be like this?..."
"Xiulote, what are you saying? Speak up, I can't hear you clearly," Ters scratched his head.
"Never mind, it's normal to feel dizzy the first time. I was like that during my first time too, though you are a bit younger. Oh, it looks like the captain is done over there, let's hurry over," Ters picked up the dagger, tucking it into Xiulote's waist. Then, half-dragging the boy toward the "Jaguar."
Behind them, the corpse of a teenage boy lay slanted on the grass, eyes vacant, staring at the sky. The evening glow slowly faded, darkness soon engulfed him, in this savage wilderness of the American mountain forest.