As the figure approached, it's face became apparent, an old man was walking towards them slowly, as if not alerted by their appearance this late at night, his body was slim and haggard but his eyes were burning with youthfulness and energy .
The anomalous behaviour of this old man creeped both of them, their unhanged stat worsening even more.He looked at them without saying a word, his deep eyes staring at the both of them, the situation was awkward for a few moments as neither of the two sides talked .In the end Mikhail couldn't handle the strange silence as his nerves turned tauter and tauter by the second threatening to explode.
Then the old man finally said succinctly
"What brings you here "
Failing to contain his compulsion he opened his mouth without hesitation and answered with a pitful and sad expression trying to gain his empathy .
"Our carriage was destroyed by the terrifying beasts in the night and our people died, e-even the strong guard that we relied on were eviscerated "
He looked at them with doubt as he said
"And how are you still alive since everyone died? looking at you all i see is two weak youngsters "
"They u-used their life so that we could escape sacrificing themselves, their futur for us "Edward said while sobbing.
"It okey dont cry "Mikhail said as he patted his back with his trembling hands .
The old man looked at them with a deep look as he sighed, his heat ached seeing them like this, susceptible and weak.
He didn't know their background or the place they came from? were they a Noble or a peasant like them?
"Well you can stay the night there aren't many people in this town so dont be bothered by their strange looks if they've noticed you ,you can sleep in that hut for tonight"he pointed towards a small and old hut as he left .
Looking at the figure leaving, Mikhail had an omnious feeling, unfortunately it was irrevocably late to change his desicion, as he glanced at Edward he was surprised by his acting skills and witts ,he already knows that he didn't really care about those who died they were just guards for him, in the eyes of a noble this was common sense,they were just lowly creature .
"let's go"the Fatty said as he headed to the hut with staggering steps.
Mikhail stepped into the hut, feeling a little out of place. The small, rustic building, which was made of wood and stone, had an inviting warmth and a peaceful atmosphere. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he noticed the cozy furnishings, the thick sheepskin rugs, and the crackling fire in the fireplace. He breathed in the fresh, pine-scented air and felt a sense of calm come over him.
He was amazed at how comfortable and inviting the hut was.but then he found it strange that the place was already prepared as if they were waiting for someone to visit.
He couldn't finish his thought as he was distracted by a the Fatty's behavior who immediately jumped on the bed and slept like a pig.
Mikhail felt too tired as well as he also slept in a instant drifting to the dream world .
***
Mikhail opened slowly opened his eyes and blinked blearily as the morning light streamed through the tiny opening of the roof ,he stretched his his arms and legs, while yawning loudly and feeling the warmth of the sun's rays on his skin, he rubbed his eyes as he looked around him ,the fatty was still sleeping soundly as snorted .
Feeling curious he opened the door and left the wooden hut to see this small town and it people ,his wariness was dwindling slowly the more he stayed in this place.
The pedestrians filled the place as they moved each towards their jobs ,the scene was quiet lively with kids playing and laughing ,people buying fruits and vegetables as well as meat ,noticing the change in the atmosphere Mikhail was flabbergasted, he doubted if the scary and morbid feeling he got yesterday was real or just a hallucination due to being under too much pressure.
He smiled as he wandered in the streets ,despite this place looking old, everything was clean from the streets to the building,he walked past multiple restaurants and shops selling a variety of products, weapons, fur, herbs, and a lot of other useful things from the wild.
"Uncle, uncle are you new here "asked a little child .
Hearing a voice behind his back and someone tugging his cloth, he looked behind only to find a very cute kid ,his age was between seven to eight years old looking at him with excitement.
"Yes I just came yesterday, what's your name "He smirked as he said, fighting the compulsion to rub the kid's head.
"My name is Exa"the boy said
'that's.. a strange name' Mikhail thought.
"Can you tell me about the outside I always wanted to explore it, but everyone says I'm too young"Exa said as he pouted.
At that moment a women with a hurried steps approached them as she said fuming with anger.
"where have you been ,I told you countless time to not wonder alone "
"But.."
"No Buts,I don't want to hear anything from you"she continued with the scolding without care about the world clearly concerned.
Looking at The middle aged woman She wore a brown, coarsely woven tunic that reached down to her knees, a matching pair of trousers, and a thick, woolen shawl draped over her head. Her face was weathered from years of hard labor, yet her piercing blue eyes still sparkled with life. Her hands were calloused from years of toiling in the fields, and her bare feet were dirtied from treading the muddy paths. She had a certain strength to her presence, a strength that spoke of years of hard work and perseverance.
"Cough,cough"Mikhail coughed to get her attention.
She looked at him and noticing his new and handsome appearance she immediately bowed as she said.
"Sorry sir for offending please forgive this ignorant servant"
Mikhail was somewhat shocked by her change of attitude as he nodded showing that everything was fine.
Continuing on his way he noticed a farm that looked fresh and alive ,countless fruits and vegetables were sprouting from the earth filled with vitality.
Mikhail was specifically attracted to a blue berry like fruit his gaze fixed on it as he walked towards and picked it eating it with great pleasure.
Tasting the strange fruit, his eyes lit up as he found it very delicious and addicting,the fresh juice and Sweetness made his mind travel to the clouds,picking another five ones, and leaving hurriedly directly returning to his small hut .
Mikhail and the fatty passed a couple of days in this place without realizing it, they got to know all the people living here, they were a very kind and welcoming.
Edward found for himself a girlfriend rather quickly,with his sweet tongue he didn't hesitate to make a small maiden fall in love with him ,her name was Angelica, she was a quiet beautiful young girl, one year older than him.This naughty guy spent all time with her either flirting with her or telling her stories about the places he visited, which greatly grabbed her attention and made her excited.
Mikhail didn't stay idle like him, he got to know a lot of new people which he benefited from, he didn't forget that his main goal was to became stronger despite the various distractions around him.
As the days passed, the two became very attached to this town, as if a seed was planted in their subconscious, forgetting the raison why they came here, their responsibilities and goals.
For Mikhail, he often went hunting, it was his occupation now as a resident in the town, roaming in the wild with his team and killing animals, his strength and experience was slowly increasing as well as his sword arts .But the strange thing was that his body was only getting weaker and weaker, which was a serious matter to consider and pay attention to, unfortunately Mikhail was too preoccupied by his new job and the irresistible urge to come back to the town, feel and hear it's people and eat from it heavenly fruits.
Whenever he tried to think why is he doing this? or what is his origin?, his mind gets instantly distracted as if a hidden power was clouding his mind and slowly consuming his reason and clarity.
Meanwhile Mikhail and the fatty were living the dream, it was heaven for them.Eating the most delicious food and meeting the best people.
***
Mikhail woke up in the morning, his body looked horribly malnourished and overworked,
But his expression was that of pure happiness .he then went to the kitchen only to find the fatty and his girlfriend already eating.
"Good morning, how have you been these days "Mikhail said.
"Honestly, Mikhail it's the best days of my life" He said as he micheviously glanced at Angelica who smiled without saying anything.
the fatty looked much more skinny as if hadn't ate for days, his body now looked slim and almost athletic with the amount of sex he had .
They ate and ate till they filled their stomach and each one headed to their work .
But Mikhail was looking much more haggard and dazed as his body almost failed to get him through the day.
Until an abnormal sound rung from the deepest parts of his soul, awakening his slumbering consciousness.
Suddenly he felt a deep sense of exhaustion overwhelm him as his mind gained a bit of clarity.
Looking around him he was so horrified, corpses were moving like humans in the town roaming as if it's the most normal thing to do.
He recognized their cloth, way of walking and their destination as he walked, a scary realization overwhelmed his mind threatening to shake his sanity as he muttered.
" This can't be ... this can't be ... bella, Exa, Ron, all of them were dead. he felt like he was living a nightmare.
His heart was pounding as he watched the corpse move like a human being, with a steady, eerie gait. Mikhail looked pale like, he was unable to look away from the horrific sight.
He felt a chill run through his body as he realized that what he were seeing was not a figment of his imagination, but a real, living corpse.
Mikhail's mind raced with questions as he tried to make sense of what was happening. How could this be possible? What had happened to this place that made it like this? Was there a force behind these dead people, making them move like this?And was I living with dead and rotten bodies all this time.
He was so disgusted that he wanted to vomit, his face losing all color.
He was shocked by his body's stat that looked like a skeleton on the brink of death.As he hurriedly checked the new strange notifications.
Scared Mikhail immediately summoned his stat panel.