The people of Muan Village were living in the lively atmosphere of preparing for the annual Harvest Festival.
The excitement was very clear on everyone's faces, from the children running between the fields to the elders sitting near the public square.
They watched the preparations while talking with each other about the past.
The tree leaves had begun to fall, while the cold winds officially announced the arrival of autumn.
The village was under the protection of the Spirit of Autumn, that legendary being who sent its spirits to help the villagers whenever they needed it.
The small flying spirits, which looked like tiny humans but with paper wings like maple leaves, wandered around, flying near the children, laughing with them and making sounds like the ringing of little bells.
As for the Autumn Giant Spirits, which resembled massive bears with thick orange fur and gentle eyes, they were helping the farmers carry the heavy crops to the wooden carts.
...
On a wooden fence near the fields sat a twelve year old boy.
His hair had the color of orange maple leaves, and his eyes carried the same color.
He sat with his knees close to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, watching the other children as they played with the small spirits.
He tried to look uninterested, but his eyes betrayed him.
One of the girls called out to him while waving her hands.
"Oliver, come play with us."
Before Oliver could even respond, one of the boys shouted,
"No, do not let him get close. The spirits are scared of him. Every time he approaches them, they run away."
Another girl smacked the boy on the arm.
"You are loud, you know?"
Oliver shouted without turning around.
"I can hear you, you idiots. And do not worry, I have no desire to play with those ugly spirits."
He stood up, jumped off the fence, and began walking away from them. His hands were in his pockets, his head staring at the ground.
He headed toward the village tavern located in the center of the square.
As soon as he entered, he caught the attention of a man sitting alone in a far corner.
The man was wearing a black hat that hid most of his red hair mixed with many white strands.
Along with a long black coat and a patch covering one of his eyes, while half of his face was covered by a black cloth.
Oliver sat at one of the tavern tables. The bartender approached him.
He placed an empty cup on the table.
"What are you doing here, Oliver? This is not a place for children. Go play with the other kids."
Oliver sighed.
"The spirits do not like me. Every time I try to get close to them, they run away."
"The spirits still avoid you?"
"Yes, nothing has changed."
"Have you tried not causing trouble? Or doing something good? Maybe help Grandma Mia?"
"No... but I am sure that is not the reason. The spirits even play with annoying Johnny."
"I am sorry, I cannot help you."
"I hear the same thing from you every time. Can you not give me a solution just once?"
"Oliver, I have never seen this happen to anyone else in the village except you. What do you expect me to do?"
Oliver raised his hand and pointed toward the masked man sitting in the corner.
"Do you know who that is?"
The bartender quickly grabbed his hand and lowered it.
"Stop pointing at people like that."
"Do you know him? I have never seen him before."
"I do not know him. Maybe he is just a traveler."
"I do not think anyone would want to visit this boring village."
"Not everyone is like you, unable to deal with the spirits. There are people who enjoy playing with them."
"That hurts, you know?"
"Maybe you should talk to the village sage. He might have a way to make the spirits stop fearing you."
After the bartender finished talking, Oliver stood up. He decided to listen to his advice this time.
While leaving, he did not notice the man sitting in the corner watching him from afar.
....
Oliver followed the long stone path that stretched through the center of the village.
Although the village was celebrating, the road leading to the sage's tower was extremely quiet.
When he reached the large tower, he did not bother knocking. He pushed the wooden door open and walked inside.
In front of him was a huge library, arranged in a half circle around the walls of the tower.
The sage was standing on a high wooden ladder, trying to reach a book on the top shelf.
The sage did not resemble a sage in any way. He was not old, he did not have a long white beard, and he did not even look smart.
He was not older than thirty, his hair was messy, and his clothes were simple. He looked like just another ordinary villager.
As he stretched out his hand to grab one of the books, the ladder began shaking and almost toppled over. Seeing this, Oliver ran quickly and held the ladder in place with his hands.
The sage took the book and came down, then looked at Oliver with a face devoid of any gratitude.
"What are you doing here now? Are you not supposed to be playing with the rest of the little brats?"
"What a lovely way to say thank you."
The sage sat at the wooden table in the center of the tower, then said with annoyance,
"What do you want?"
Oliver sat in front of him.
"Do you have a way to make the spirits stop fearing me?"
"And why would you want that? If I had your ability to drive away those annoying creatures, I would be the happiest man in this miserable village."
"Can you just answer my question?"
"How would I know? Do you think I am an actual sage or something?"
"Aren't you the village sage?"
"Just a passed down title, nothing more."
"But you have an entire library, and you are reading that book now."
"This library? I have not read anything from it. I am just planning to sell this book and the rest of them little by little."
"Are you serious? Mr. Robert would not be happy about that."
"It does not matter... he is already dead."
"You ungrateful bastard."
The sage closed the book.
"Will you stop talking and go celebrate the Spirit of Autumn or something with the rest of the villagers? Stop bothering me."
...
Oliver left the tower feeling extremely frustrated. As he walked, he saw a group of small spirits near the road.
He approached them, and as soon as they saw his face, they scattered and fled into the air.
This time, he did not give up. He ran after them, trying to reach one and grab it.
The spirits kept flying deeper into the forest. The path grew darker, and the trees became denser.
He finally managed to catch one of the spirits, and just as he felt the thrill of victory, he realized he was lost in the middle of the forest.