The two were startled when they heard a deep voice.
"Who'se there? Show yourself!" In a blink of an eye, Kalliste was already in front of Rowan. Her arms stretched sideways in a protective stance.
Rowan, on the other hand, was speechless. Everything happened too fast. He only stared at the back of Kalliste's head, as his brain struggled to comprehend how she got in front of him.
"What are you kids doing here at this hour? Are the two of you lost? This place is dangerous!"
Instead of answering, Kalliste narrowed her eyes. She was ready for any attack. From where they stood, she saw two older men come out of the thick bushes.
The one on the left wore a straw hat and held a small basket, while the other one only had a sword strapped around his waist. They appeared to be village farmers, but Kalliste knew otherwise. She kept her guard and remained silent.
She carefully observed the two. The weapon's owner had his hands on the hilt of his sword.
Kalliste narrowed her eyes at this. From his muscular and lean body to how he carried himself, down to his calloused hands, she immediately recognised a warrior, ready to kill his prey on the battlefield. However, his long, orange tail, which swayed freely behind him, caught her off guard. Not only that, but even his ears were like those of a cat. Albeit, a little bigger.
"Do not be afraid, please. We would not hurt you."
Kalliste's attention jumped to the other guy. Her eyes widened even more at the sight of his long, bunny-like ears. On his right hand was a small basket that was full of herbs.
'What in the world? Are they wearing costumes? But they seemed genuine to be fakes.'
"Stay right where you are!" Her eyes suddenly snapped towards the man with bunny ears when she saw him stepping forward.
Meanwhile, Varroc and Mazzak were shocked by the girl's harsh tone. Just looking at the murderous glint in her eyes, they knew that she was not a normal child.
"Pardon our rudeness, little lady. But we really meant no harm."
It took awhile before Kalliste answered. "How do I know that you are not one of them?" She quickly gathered her thoughts. Now was not the time to be dazed. They are in the presence of unknown species that could potentially pose a threat.
She watched how the two tilted their heads quizzically, and a look of puzzlement instantly crossed their faces.
"I apologise, my lady. It seemed that you misunderstood us. I understand your suspicions; however, please rest assured that we would not bring any harm upon the two of you."
Hearing this, Kalliste somehow relaxed for a bit, but her guard was still up. She remained silent, waiting for their next move.
The man with the sword slowly stepped forward. He had his fist over his chest, slightly nodding.
"I would like to introduce myself first if it would ease your doubts. I am called Mazzak. A warrior Leopard Beastman from Feral Sanctum Village."
"I am called Varroc. A Bunny Beastman and a doctor from the same village. Nice to meet you, kids."
"Beastmen? Feral Sanctum Village?" As soon as the words escaped their lips, Kalliste's jaws dropped comically to the ground. She almost lost her composure.
'Wait a minute. I knew that place!' her mind screamed, but somehow, no voice came out.
In one of the pages of her book, The Tyrant's Beloved, spoke of a village that was magical and untouched by civilizations. A place once belonged to a bygone era. During the first great war, rumours circulated that it abruptly vanished. The home of Beastmen. Feral Sanctum Village.
'How could I forget such an important piece of information?'
Her gaze snapped back and forth at the two beastmen. She still could not believe her eyes. 'Who would have thought that I would witness real Beastmen in this life!'
According to the book, despite their powerful race, Beastmen were known to be gentle and loving in nature.
Kalliste smiled subtly, like a lotus on the verge of blossoming. 'This is a great opportunity for me if they're from that race! They would surely protect Rowan in my stead. Once I ensured the boy's safety, I would also be free from this responsibility.'
From the corner of her eyes, she stole a glance at the boy.
'This would be the least I could do for stealing your spotlight, child. For the time being, I must adapt to the situation first.' With that in mind, she quickly bowed slightly towards the two.
"I apologise for my behaviour just now, sir Mazzak, sir Varroc. Please do understand that we are just trying to survive in this harsh reality. If one cannot see others while looking down, one simply needs to look up. Everyone should take a step back and notice the high sky and vast oceans," Kalliste paused for a moment. She then turned towards Rowan and grabbed his hands.
"Indeed. It had been exactly two days since my brother and I became lost in this mountain. As to how we got here, apologies, but I wish to keep it private at the moment."
Rowan's eyes widened as soon as he heard what she said, but before he could say anything, Kalliste suddenly tightened her grip over his hand.
He almost yelped at the sudden pain that entered his system. It felt like his wrist would snap at any moment, but he held himself.
"My sister and I were lost indeed." He was forced to go with the flow. Though he doubted the two men, he still wanted to see what Kalliste had in store for them.
"Is that so? Then why don't you come back home with us? That is, if you don't mind?" Mazzak's gaze landed on the girl. The way she spoke, as well as her words, had deep meanings that only the elders of their race could understand.
Meanwhile, Rowan sneaked a peek at Kalliste and saw the smile on her face. It's fortunate that Kalliste still had freckles on her face, as they would otherwise draw excessive attention.
"We would love to." Kalliste now had a big smile on her face. She could already envision all the things that she would do or experience once this situation was resolved. She would ultimately lead her life as she desired, free from concerns about anything or anyone.
"Then we should take the long way. It would take a few more minutes to walk, but it should be safer."
This got their attention. Rowan immediately inquired. "Safer? What do you mean?"
Varroc and Mazzak glanced at each other. They both pondered whether to reveal what they saw.
In the end, Mazzak sighed deeply as he eyed the children.
"As you are aware, this entire mountain is home to multitude of monsters and demons, rendering it a forbidden area. The monsters here were divided according to their strengths and numbers. The deeper the area, the more powerful and intelligent the monsters were. The rulers of the deepest part of this mountain were the gargoyles. Though they were only a few in number, one gargoyle was enough to kill a group of adult dragons. However, the most frightening thing about them was not their strength but their intelligence and cunning minds. For almost a thousand years, they ruled this mountain. Even the dragon race dared not to go against even one of them, however…"
Mazzak suddenly stopped. His body trembled slightly as the terrifying scene replayed in his mind once more. He was only back to his senses when Varroc nudged him slightly.
"I apologise, but I do not think that it was appropriate for me to divulge such horrible information as the two of you were still too young." Though he tried to stay calm, his voice betrayed him.
"What is it? Do tell us," Rowan pleaded. Like usual, his curiosity got the better of him.
Mazzak and Varroc glanced at each other once more.
"If you insist, but not here. There were too many ears in this place. Follow us for now." Mazzak's face became serious as he scanned the area. Darkness had already engulfed the whole forest. The black branches writhed like the tendrils of a monstrous, invisible beast.
Up above the horizon, Mazzak saw a group of crows that gathered above them. Their wings formed truncated crosses against the leaden sky in which dark and ominous clouds gathered, promising something terrifying and fierce.
"We have to move. It is not safe here anymore." As he signaled to the children, Mazzak immediately sharpened his senses. He wanted nothing more than to get out of the mountain.
****************
"What really happened back there? Could you tell us now?" They were already a distance away when Rowan asked again, shattering the pregnant silence that surrounded them as they walked out of the mountain.
At his question, Mazzak and Varroc suddenly stopped. Their bodies once again trembled at the horrible scene that somehow carved itself into their minds.
"What's wrong?" Seeing their reactions, Rowan suddenly felt that he asked something that he should not have.
"You don't have to…"
"Alright. However, don't blame me if the young girl beside you had nightmares due to what I was about to tell you." Mazzak eyed the boy, then the girl.
She was silent. Unlike any other children her age, she really seemed mature enough to understand. He sighed.
"What do you mean?" Rowan suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine. The way they reacted meant that this topic was something serious.
"About a kilometre away from where we saw you, we found corpses of monsters and demons piled up like a mountain. There was also so much blood in the area that it now looked like an endless ocean of blood. Even the huge waterfall crumbled, transforming the surrounding area into a desolate wasteland. However, it was not what gave us chills. It was none other than the butchered body of a huge, adult Gargoyle."
Rowan's eyes widened upon hearing this. Fear immediately clutched his heart. He felt the blood drain from his body. Though he didn't see with his own eyes, just imagining it left his legs weak.
"A Gargoyle. Impossible! Who would be strong enough to kill a gargoyle?" Rowan could only ask himself. His mind was unable to accept the reality.
Meanwhile, Kalliste stayed silent. She was unaware that the largest monster she had slain was considered a celebrity in this world. She could only hope that no marks was left on its body. If not, then she would be a target for their revenge.
A pregnant silence once again surrounded the group as they continued their journey towards the village. Different thoughts occupied their minds, preventing anyone from speaking.
----------------
It was already past midnight when they finally reached their destination.
Kalliste gasped, and her eyes widened as soon as she set her gaze upon the large, blue barrier. It stretched as far as her eyes could see. It was fascinating. It had a luminous glow under the abnormally large moon. She had never seen anything like this in her entire life.
"What is that?" She could not help but ask.
Seeing her reaction, Mazzak chuckled.
"As I have told you, this whole mountain was the demon's territory. Our ancestors set up that blue thing as a barrier when they founded this village to ensure our safety. However, it only revealed itself during full moon, or when there was a threat to the village," Mazzak said with a proud smile, revealing his pearly white teeth that were a bit longer than normal.
Kalliste and Rowan just stared at it, especially Kalliste. 'Barrier? But it wasn't mentioned in the book? Did something happen in the future that caused this barrier to disappear?' she thought.
"Come. We will now enter." With the two men in front, Rowan and Kalliste followed suit.
As soon as they set foot inside, a wintry wind swept across the place with its bold honesty. The gentle, cloud-filtered rays almost drew Kalliste's soul into their rawness.
Nothing prepared the two of them for what they saw.