Born into a family that resided within the secluded village of Malbury Point, nestled deep in the heart of the Massive Sudbour Woodlands. Tafu was sitting there overlooking the cliff that was at the back end of the village, her long bangs brushing against her stomach as she idly played with them. She gazed out at the vast expanse before her, bored and uninterested in her surroundings. To the front lay the intimidating forest, home to powerful and dangerous creatures that always stayed away from the village. It was rumored that this was due to the village's founders and their ancestors, who had somehow managed to ward off any threats from the woods.
Beside Tafu sat her childhood friend Rangi, whom she had grown up with since their families were close friends. When Rangi's entire family had passed away, Tafu's parents took him in and raised him alongside her.
"What are we doing here?" Tafu asked curiously.
"I'm just admiring the view beyond the cliff's horizon," Rangi replied.
"But no one knows what lies beyond it," Tafu pointed out.
"That's exactly why I'm curious," Rangi said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I've always wanted to know more about the world outside."
"It's strange that you want to venture beyond both the woodlands and the cliff," Tafu remarked.
Though they were just kids, but they both knew there must be a reason their village was settled so far from civilization. Perhaps their ancestors were trying to escape from something. Most villagers believed it was best not to tempt fate and never venture beyond the woods. But Rangi was different; he often wanted to wander off on his own, to explore the world beyond their isolated village. This made him stand out among their peers and some even saw him as an outsider because of his curiosity. However, it was not enough that he was ostracized by them.
Suddenly, Tafu's eyes flew open as she realized she must have dozed off while sitting on the roof of her home. She shook her head, frustrated with her boredom. It had been years since that day with Rangi, and they had both grown up. Things had happened, and Rangi, now a member of the village's hunting group, had through a series of events offered to journey to the nearest settlement outside Malbury Point. This was not an easy task, as it meant traveling through the treacherous forest and facing all manner of creatures along the way. But Rangi was not one to shy away from a challenge; although he wasn't the strongest in the village, he was far from the weakest. A skilled fighter who preferred to rely on his fists rather than weapons.
As Tafu sat on the roof lost in thought, her mother appeared beside her.
"There you are," her mother exclaimed with a smile. "I need your help preparing for Rangi's return."
Tafu nodded, happy to have something to do besides sit idly on the roof. She couldn't wait for Rangi to come back and tell them about his adventures beyond the woods. Perhaps one day she would gather the courage to join him on his journeys and explore the world outside their secluded village.
Tafu and her mother worked tirelessly inside their small village home, preparing for the return of Rangi. The air was filled with the comforting smells of warm spices and freshly baked bread. But Tafu couldn't shake off a feeling of unease as she looked out the window, wondering why Rangi and the others were taking so long to return.
"It's probably nothing," her mother reassured her. "They have a dangerous job to do, after all. They must take their time to ensure their safety."
"But has it ever taken them this long before?" Tafu asked, worry creeping into her voice. "Rangi should have been back by now if he left on time."
Her mother sighed. "This time, it's different. Rangi agreed to take on a task that was far more dangerous than our usual runs. If word gets out about what he's doing, he could be banished from the village."
Some of the other villagers didn't seem to care about Rangi's dangerous journey, but Tafu knew him well enough to believe that he was also using it as an excuse to explore beyond the forest that surrounded their village.
Suddenly, they heard screams and the clash of weapons outside. Smoke began drifting into their village, causing panic among its inhabitants.
"This can't just be a normal sparring match getting out of hand," Tafu's mother said, her voice laced with fear.
Looking out the window, they saw a stranger ducking for cover as chaos erupted in the distance.
"What are you..." Tafu began to ask her mother before being cut off as she was pulled down to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, a powerful gust of wind swept through the village followed by a deafening blast. Tafu blacked out from the force of it and when she woke up, everything around her was in ruins. Half of their house was gone, and so was half of the village too.
Tafu's head was pounding, and she struggled to make sense of what had happened. She looked around frantically, searching for her mother. But all she saw was her lower half, standing eerily still amidst the destruction.
She couldn't find the words to express the horror she felt as she realized that their village had been sliced in half by some unknown force. And then she noticed it - the source of the smoke was coming from the forest, which was now engulfed in flames.
The villagers tried to put out the fire, but it seemed to stay contained within the borders of the forest. Tafu could see that some of her fellow villagers were also missing their upper halves, blown away by whatever had caused such destruction.
The sharp clang of metal against metal rang out, followed by the sound of explosions as weapons clashed in a fierce battle. The strangers, seem to know the attack that sliced the village in half was coming, were somehow unscathed because they knew to duck. They moved through the chaos with grace and precision, searching for others who had survived through chance, and luck, or were somehow saved at the last second for being sliced in two.
The fire that was once raging out of control in a strange enough confined area of just the forest itself was instantly put out by what appeared to be a sudden downpour. What was once a dense forest was now barren land as the trees were burnt and seemingly the once dangerous creatures that lived in the forest were all gone. Every single one of them must have been burnt to nothing but ashes like the forest itself. Leave them a clean and unobstructed view of the world beyond the now nonexistent forest that served as a barrier between the village and the rest of the world since it was originally discovered ages ago.
Tafu's mind struggled to process all of this information, her eyes rolling up into her head in disbelief. The natural barrier that had separated the village from the outside world for ages, the dangerous forest, was now gone. In its place lay a clear view of the unknown beyond, leaving Tafu in shock and wondering at what lay ahead as she passed out.