Afternoon sunlight blazed down with intense heat.
"Xiyao, come help carry this straw,"
an old man called out to her. Xiyao walked over out of habit, thinking to herself,
"I made a deal to get food and shelter in exchange for helping out with farm work here."
"It's been nearly a week since I got here… but there's still a lot I need to learn — including one thing that's always been on my mind."
While I was resting, Saya's uncle was sitting quietly under the shade of a tree nearby.
"Hey, uncle, there's something I've been wondering about this village,"
"What is it?" he replied in a calm tone.
"Why can't anyone in this village use Animus or Vis?"
Saya's uncle fell silent for a moment, as if pondering something.
"If you can't tell me, that's okay. I didn't mean to pry," Xiyao added quickly.
The old man gave a faint smile before speaking.
"This story began with our ancestors… or rather, the founder of this village.
He was the Bloodforged King — once one of the most powerful beings of his era. His tale has been passed down for generations.
He founded this village, but before that, he led an army to expand his dominion, aiming to conquer all four continents and rule the world.
Back then, he feared no one.
The Bloodforged King stormed through the first two continents in a frenzy, unstoppable by any force.
…until the northern campaign began.
That was when the unthinkable happened—
His vast army, hundreds of thousands strong, was annihilated by a single mysterious man.
That man called himself the Godslayer.
'Who is the king of your army? Bring him to me.'
That was all he said. None of the soldiers dared answer.
'Very well. If you won't tell me… I'll find him myself.
And in the meantime — all of you shall be my feast!'
He then began slaughtering the entire army by himself.
When the news reached the Bloodforged King,
he rushed to the battlefield to slay the man with his own hands.
But upon arrival...
What he saw was an ocean of blood, corpses of his soldiers scattered as far as the eye could see.
"I never thought a single human could fight off an entire army… even I couldn't do that,"
the Bloodforged King muttered in disbelief.
"So you're their king," the Godslayer appeared before him.
The king asked,
"Who sent you to stop me?"
The man laughed maniacally.
"Ha ha ha… Sent me? That's rich!
No one sent me. I came because you were in my way!"
Then the battle began.
The Bloodforged King refused to back down. The two clashed in a fierce fight that lasted for days.
In the end, neither emerged victorious — both perished in the battle.
But before dying…
the Godslayer cursed the Bloodforged King.
The curse said:
"Any who bears the blood of the Bloodforged King shall never wield Animus or Vis… until the day they die."
This tale isn't something we usually tell outsiders…
But since you're just an ordinary person like us, I figured it was fine to share.
That's why all of us in this village live without power,
leading quiet lives in a remote place like this."
"Your ancestor must've been incredibly strong," Xiyao said with admiration.
"He was...
But it's a shame how things turned out.
Even so, we've never blamed him.
We still honor and respect him deeply."
Still... no real proof. Not even a hint of evidence.
It's unclear who started telling this story. And oral history tends to get distorted over time…
...Forget it. It's not something I should meddle with.
Next month… I'll have to leave this village. I need to be ready.
And keep training my Vis, bit by bit…
Xiyao stood up and said,
"Well, the work's done now. I'm going to take a walk around the village."
"Go ahead, just don't stay out too late."
Xiyao began walking slowly... heading toward the village.
—
A girl stood silently atop a high tree branch.
Her black hair swayed with the wind. Sharp eyes beneath a delicate crow-shaped mask glinted in the afternoon sun with a cool detachment.
One hand gently touched the edge of the mask, as if adjusting it slightly. Then she spoke in a whisper,
"So this is it… even more rural than I expected."
She lowered her gaze and leapt silently from branch to branch, her movements graceful and noiseless.
Her back was straight and proud, a dull-colored cloak clinging to her slender frame as she moved slowly along the treeline encircling the village.
Her lips curled into a slight, inexplicable smile.
"Let's hope there's something fun waiting…"