Chapter 1 - Postwar period

500 is the number of inhabitants who once populated the Cursed Village. But since that bloody war, there are only about fifty of us left. The ferocity of the war resulted in heavy losses on both sides.

Our village is located in the south of a gigantic tropical forest covering several thousand hectares. This forest is divided into three zones: the northern Zone, the middle Zone, and the southern Zone. 

The law of the jungle reigns there. There are dominant and dominated individuals. I am in a dominant village, and the dominated are individuals who are not part of the village. They are called Recluses.

Each Zone has its own dominant village. Colored armbands worn on the wrists distinguish villagers from Recluses. The brown armband corresponds to our village.

My name is Ayden, I am 8 years old, and I am part of the Cursed Village. The year is 1318, and it is the height of spring.

Today, our tribe's daily life consists of rebuilding the village, developing agriculture, and finally collecting food supplies and medicines. The strength of our village is our solidarity. Despite the hardship, we remain united and keep hope alive.

Explorations for gathering are very rare due to the heavily reduced workforce. In addition, children under the age of 15 are completely forbidden from leaving the village because of the hermits who roam the forest. As a result, they simply help with farming. The rest of the day is free time.

But as the village is stripped bare, boredom quickly sets in. Fortunately, in this world, there are what are known as Sources, in other words, powers.

Not everyone is predisposed to these abilities; they are innate. These Sources are the ideal way to pass the time. Unfortunately, it is also forbidden to use them. The village chief is overprotecting us given the situation. From her point of view, the Sources should not be used lightly.

Chapter 1 - Postwar period

9:30 p.m. I stroll through the village, looking at some of the buildings in poor condition with regret. Before going to bed, I encourage the elders in charge of reconstruction for tomorrow.

Then, I hear the crowd in the distance making a lot of noise for some reason I don't know. So, I decide to go take a closer look. Two hooded individuals enter the village and most of the villagers notice them. As a result, they call the village chief.

_ All the villagers : “ What's going on? ” “ Why are there so many people here? ” " Who are these people? "

I try to push my way through all these big guys to observe the scene.

_ All the villagers : “ Look, they don't have armbands. ” “ They must be Recluses. ”

When I get there, I see two individuals wearing hoodies. They look quite young, about 5'7".

_ Village chief : “ Who are you? ” she asks.

The two individuals remove their hoods, both with dark brown hair. The villagers around them are agitated, all with their mouths open.

_ Village chief : “ Impossible, you are… ”

_ All villagers : “ Oh my God, they are the sons of the former emperor! ” “ What are they doing here? ” “ Were they on the battlefield? ”

Others speak up more aggressively.

_ All the villagers : " Why didn't you take part in the war? With your power, you could have prevented this massacre! “ ” I thought they were Dead… "

Without exception, everyone begins to speculate and accuse the emperor's sons of abandoning their land. With a wave of her hand, the leader stops everyone's speculation and continues in a serious tone.

_ Village chief : “ Why did you come back? ”

The young woman in question bows respectfully.

_ Individual : “ We apologize for not being present during this battle. We had our reasons, but that doesn't change the fact that the massacre took place. ”

The other individual, accompanied by his sister, watches her bow with a stern expression. Immediately afterwards, his sister forces her brother to bow as well. The chief's eyes widen.

_ Village Chief : “ And you think that simply apologizing is enough? Many people have died, the village is being rebuilt, we are rebuilding the entire agricultural sector, and you think you can just come back as if nothing happened? ”

_ Individual : “ No, I am well aware of the situation, we accept all responsibility and we will do everything we can to make amends. ”

Sighing, the chief rubs her forehead.

_ Village chief : “ Ahh... Tell me your names. ”

The young girl straightens up and introduces herself.

_ Individual : “ Gwen, and this is my little brother Keren. ”

_ Village Chief : " Very well, nice to meet you. My name is Moana. I'm 22 years old. I am the newly appointed chief of the Cursed Village since the former emperor left us. Follow me, we'll talk somewhere quieter. "

They follow Moana with a dilapidated view of some of the surrounding huts, and gradually distance themselves from the people.

_ Moana : " As I explained earlier, we are in the midst of material and agricultural reconstruction, but we are sorely lacking in manpower. Since the war, our workforce has been estimated at around fifty people. But if we count the elderly, there are only about twenty people left to work. "

_ Gwen : “...”

_ Moana : " What's more, as you might imagine, we have very few resources at the moment, whether it's food or clothing. The worst thing is medicine, we're at a standstill. If even one villager falls ill, we have no way of treating them. "

_ Gwen : “ I see. ”

_ Moana : " In conclusion, you have two missions. Collect food supplies and medicinal plants. "

_ Gwen : “ What about clothes? ”

_ Moana : " It's not a priority given the circumstances. I'll make do with the small stock in the village. "

_ Gwen : “ Okay. ”

_ Moana : " I'm well aware that the plants are rare and difficult to obtain, but this is the perfect opportunity to redeem yourself. "

Standing up straight, she lifts her head toward the sky and gazes at the full moon with intensity.

_ Moana : " The best thing would be a doctor, but ours died during the war, we have no one left now. "

_ Gwen : “ I'll bring back a doctor. ”

Moana opens her mouth slightly, turns around, eyebrows raised. Then she rests her chin on her fingers.

_ Moana : " Normally, Recluses are not accepted in the village. But I could make an exception if it's a doctor. "

With a mocking smile, she stares at Gwen.

_ Moana : “ But I highly doubt you'll find one still alive. ”

Gwen remains impassive at her words.

_ Keren : “ And the second mission? ”

_ Moana : " I was just getting to that. Because of the war, many have lost loved ones, including their parents. They are now orphans. These kids have all inherited a Source. So your second mission is to train them. "

Keren raises both eyebrows.

_ Keren : “ Is this a joke? ” he thinks to himself.

_ Gwen : “ Okay. ”

He dilates his pupils while clenching his fist.

_ Keren : “ And she accepts it without batting an eyelid?! ”

_ Moana : “ I wish you good luck. ”

Powerless, he looks away.

_ Keren : “ Tsss ” he thinks.

_ Gwen : “ I'm going to get ready to collect food and medicine. ”

Overwhelmed by the situation, he finally spoke up.

_ Keren : “ Really? So I have to take care of the kids by myself? ”

_ Moana : " He's right, and besides, it's getting late. I'd rather you see them at least once before you go exploring. "

_ Gwen : “ Okay. ”