Narra and the monkey decide to take a break near the falls.
The monkey gathers wood while Narra goes to collect water.
While getting water, Narra spots a clay jar submerged in the falls and decides to take it, thinking it could be useful for cooking.
Excited about her discovery, Narra opens the jar, only to be horrified when she finds several bones inside.
This revelation shocks her, causing her to tremble with fear.
Overwhelmed by the disturbing discovery, Narra reacts quickly by throwing the jar back into the water.
Following this, the atmosphere takes a sinister turn – the surroundings become foggier, the wind blows harshly, and nearby animals run frantically.
The waterfall's water turns red, creating an eerie scene , and a loud, haunting scream of a woman echoes around the falls.
Narra hears distressing voices of unknown women crying for help and expressing anger.
The emotional pleas intensify, with voices shouting threats and questioning their unfortunate fate.
The noise grows louder as more women's voices join the chaotic symphony of cries and anger.
The voice of an unidentified woman pleaded, "Help... help me"
Angrily, "Why did you do this to me?" cried out by a voice of a woman.
"I will kill you" a woman's crying voice shouted
"why did it have to be me?" an unknown woman's crying voice shouted angrily
Suddenly, the eerie atmosphere takes a terrifying turn.
Faceless bodies of women, with enormous floating faces, emerge from the waters.
These faces are distorted with sorrow, shedding tears of blood, and muttering incomprehensible words.
Narra, shocked by this haunting sight, quickly gets up and runs away, but the faces notice her and begin to chase her.
As the faces hover in the air, they grow larger and emit loud, anguished screams.
Their cries make the roots on the ground crawl, adding an otherworldly and menacing element to the scene.
The faces, fueled by anger, relentlessly pursue Narra.
Narra sprinted through the forest, her heart pounding with fear.
A stumble on a rock brought her to an unexpected discovery – an old shrine.
Seeking refuge, she hurried inside.
The floating faces that pursued her couldn't enter, so they circled the shrine, screaming louder in their attempt to destroy it.
Inside, Narra found villagers praying.
She waited for them to finish and then pleaded for help, explaining the haunting situation with the faces.
The villagers, however, expressed their limitations and the danger posed by the spirits.
They suggested seeking assistance from the Town Guardians in the nearby town.
"Mister, please help me, my friend is still in the forest and we were chased by floating woman faces" Narra asked
"Those spirits were lurking in the falls in the forest, we should ask the Town Guardians for help at the town, we can't help you as we could die fighting the spirits, let's go to the town immediately and report this" said the man.
Determined to help her friend and fearing the malevolent spirits, Narra and the man agreed to head to the town immediately to report the ominous encounter.
Narra, feeling confused, asked, "Why can't we ask this shrine for help?"
Villager no.1 explained, "The shrine hasn't had Blessed servants for many years, and its power has gradually diminished. It can't fight the spirits of the waterfalls because they are too powerful."
Villager no.2 chimed in, saying, "This shrine lost its Deity, but a remnant of its power still remains. The Puceau guardians, however, maintain and clean the shrine every month. Villagers pray here before and after going to the forest to seek protection from the remaining power of the shrine deity."
Another villager suggested, "We need to ask the Puceau Guardians for help to save your friend."
"Okay, I understand," replied Narra.
"But before that, let's pray first and ask for your protection and for your friend before we leave," proposed villager no.1.
In a quiet moment, Narra joined two villagers in prayer inside the shrine.
As they prayed, a comforting warmth surrounded Narra, and a mysterious light seemed to enter her body.
After finishing their prayers, they quickly headed towards the bridge connecting to the town below the forest mountain.
While crossing the bridge, a gentle whisper carried by the wind reached Narra's ears.
"Help them, my child," the wind softly uttered.
Intrigued, Narra turned around and gazed at the forest.
"Kid, let's hurry up before the spirits chase us," one of the villagers urged in a hurried tone, prompting them to continue their journey.
In the midst of the supernatural chaos, the monkey found itself pursued by the floating women's faces.
Desperate to escape, the agile creature hopped skillfully from vine to vine.
However, the relentless pursuit took a dangerous turn when one of the ghostly faces let out a piercing scream.
The vines, reacting to the scream, coiled tightly around the monkey's arms, disrupting its nimble movements.
With a forceful throw, the vines hurled the monkey to the ground.
Despite the fall, the resilient monkey landed on its feet.
Now surrounded by the circling faces, the monkey skillfully evaded the vines' attempts to ensnare it.
Remaining vigilant, the monkey faced a new threat as one of the ghostly faces materialized into a complete body.
This spectral woman, now solid, controlled the earth itself, attempting to bind the monkey's feet.
Yet, the agile creature outwitted the ghostly assailant by leaping onto her and angrily banging her head.
It escalated when the other floating faces followed suit, materializing their bodies and forming a mysterious ritual.
The monkey, ensnared by the vines, found itself at the center of this spectral circle.
The ghostly women summoned the jar from the waterfalls, and they began to encircle it.
Meanwhile, the vines placed the monkey inside the jar.
Inside the jar, the monkey continued its futile struggle, banging against the container in a desperate attempt to break free.
However, the jar, manipulated by unseen forces, soared back to the waterfall and sank to the bottom, taking the captive monkey with it.
As the jar disappeared beneath the water's surface, the ghostly women vanished, leaving behind an eerie silence.
Narra and the two villagers reached the village safely.
As they walked towards the House of Calendula where the Puceau Town Guardians lives,
Narra's curiosity got the better of her, and she asked about their names and the purpose of the guardians.
"Thank you for helping me. My name is Narra. What about you two?" Narra queried.
"I'm Kison, and he's my brother Dilon," replied Kison, the first villager.
"We usually gather plants in the mountains to sell and eat," added Dilon.
Narra nodded, understanding the challenges they faced. Then, she turned to Kison with another question.
"It must be hard. By the way, Sir Kison, what are the Puceau Guardians?" Narra inquired.
The two brothers exchanged a glance, slightly shocked by the question, before responding.
"The Puceau Guardians are male virgins blessed by the deity of our town to protect and serve the shrine," explained Kison.
"Only male virgins who take an oath and undergo training at the shrine can become fully-pledged blessed servants of the deity Nemesis and serve as town guardians," added Dilon.
Curious, Narra asked, "Why do they have to be virgins, and why aren't there any females?"
Kison answered, "There were female virgin blessed servants before, but they all disappeared after the night they took their oath and received their blessings."
"Some of the villagers found their bodies near the waterfalls, and this kept happening to all the female blessed servants. It saddened the deity, prompting an announcement of changes through the blessed scroll inside the shrine," elaborated Dilon.
"One day, the blessed scroll, accessible only to the blessed servants, delivered a message instructing everyone in the village to gather at the shrine," recalled Kison.
"That happened 40 years ago when I was 6 and Kison was 8," added Dilon.
"The scroll revealed that the souls of female blessed servants had been stolen by someone in the forest. To prevent further incidents, the deity decided to only choose young male virgins from then on."
"After that, the remaining female blessed servants trained the chosen male candidates. Meanwhile, the remaining female blessed servants were transferred to different towns in the east for protection, while the newly trained male blessed servants became our town guardians," concluded Kison.
As they walked, they soon arrived at the House of Calendula, where the Puceau Guardians resided.
Kison knocked on the door, and Dilon spoke up,
"Good evening, Puceau Guardians. We need help." Kison said worriedly
The door opened, and a young boy greeted them warmly.
"Good evening, Mr. Kison and Dilon. Please come inside," the boy said.
"Thank you, Hyacinth," Dilon replied gratefully.
Hyacinth led them to the guest room of the house.
"Please wait here for a while. I will inform the Chief," he said before heading to the Chief's room.
"Okay, thank you, Hyacinth," Kison responded, and they settled in to wait.
"Mr. Kison, is Hyacinth also a Puceau Guardian?" asked Narra.
"No, not yet. Hyacinth is still a trainee, and he's been here for 3 months," explained Kison.
"Hyacinth will take his oath and blessing when he turns 12," added Dilon.
"If you're wondering why they wait until they're 12 years old, it's because the Deity instructed that they can only receive their oath and blessings at that age. But before, female guardians would take their oath at 10 years old and start their duties right after," Kison clarified.
"It's also because the boys' bodies have a harder time accepting the blessings of the Deity since it was originally meant for girls. That's why the goddess prepares additional training for the trainees beforehand so they won't get hurt when receiving the blessings," Dilon elaborated.
Meanwhile, in the Chief's Room, Hyacinth knocked softly.
"Chief Puceau, Mr. Kison and Dilon are here, and they're asking for help," he reported.
The Chief opened the door and said, "Let's go."
Hyacinth and the Chief arrived at the Guest Room.
"Chief, good evening," started Kison, but he was interrupted.
"You broke the seal," the Chief pointed at Narra.
Everyone was shocked and turned to Narra.
"The Deity sent me a message months ago that a girl would break the seal, and that's you, right?" the Chief asked Narra.
"Yes, I'm sorry, Chief," Narra apologized.
"I'm not mad, child. It was bound to happen. The evil has been seeping in the jar for a long time, causing accidents and taking lives in the forest," the Chief explained calmly.
"Didn't the Deity tell you to prevent the seal from being broken, Chief?" asked Dilon.
"The Deity told me not to do anything and to let it happen. When a girl comes here, we should help her, as she will be the one to stop the curse," replied the Chief.
"Chief, my friend is still in the forest. He may have already been captured by the spirits. Please, help him," pleaded Narra.
"Unfortunately, your friend has already been captured and sealed in the jar by the spirits. The Deity showed me what happened in the forest before you came, in the Scroll," explained the Chief.
"But the Deity told us that we cannot interfere yet and just wait for you to come here," added Hyacinth.
"I understand that you're upset, but we will help you save your monkey friend. But before that, we need to go to the shrine and ask for protection, blessings, and guidance from the deity through the scroll," said the Chief.
"Okay, thank you, Chief," said Narra gratefully.
"Hyacinth, tell everyone to gather in the shrine and prepare for the ritual," instructed the Chief.
At the Shrine
The Puceau Guardians began to set up the worship area in the Shrine.
"Narra, close your eyes and feel the presence of the deity. She will guide you and give you her blessings," instructed the Chief.
Narra closed her eyes and felt a warmth enveloping her, accompanied by a gentle voice.
"Narra, my child," a woman's voice called out.
With her eyes still closed, Narra replied,
"Hello, are you the deity of this shrine?"
"Yes, my child. Open your eyes," said the deity.
Out of nowhere, a stream of water burst forth from the scroll, pulling Narra inside it.
Narra was startled as she was suddenly pulled into the scroll by a rush of water.
Carefully deposited in front of the Deity, Narra found herself in awe of the divine presence.
"Welcome, my child," greeted the Deity.
Still in shock, Narra managed to respond, "Hello, Deity."
"My child, help my sisters from their suffering. I will give you my blessings of protection and a Binding skill you can use in fighting my sisters," the Deity instructed.
"Thank you, Deity Nemesis," Narra expressed her gratitude.
"I understand that it's not easy to fight them and risk your lives to help my sisters and spirits. I also know that you want to build your business here. That is why I will be your first client and officially hire you to cleanse the spirits of waterfalls and bring back my sisters. As a reward, you and your friend will be given a skill and another gift when you succeed. If you are in grave danger, just call me using this," the Deity handed Narra a small bead.
"Good luck, my child," the deity said, planting a kiss on Narra's head before teleporting her and the Chief to the waterfalls.
Suddenly, a book materialized in front of Narra, its pages flipping open. On the first page, a peculiar icon of a letter caught her attention.
Narra, filled with a mix of shock and amazement, eagerly tapped the icon.
Instantly, a message began to materialize on the left side of the book's page.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Letter from the Nemesis Shrine
Client: Deity Nemesis
Location: Waterfalls
Tasks:
1. Cleanse the soul of the spirits in the waterfalls
2. Retrieve the soul of Nemesis' sisters
Reward:
Unknown skills
A Blessed Item
Task Level: Rank S
Deadline: none
Do you accept the Task? Yes or No
Signature:
Party A: Nemesis
Party B: Narra Bani Molave
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With unwavering confidence, Narra declared,
"I accept the task."
Without hesitation, she clicked "Yes," and to her surprise, a silver pen appeared out of nowhere.
The book prompted Narra to sign, finalizing her commitment to the task.
As Narra signed, the spirits of the waterfalls suddenly emerged, their anger palpable as they shouted furiously at Narra and the Chief, ready to launch their attack.
Notes:
1. Puceau (pi-soh)
in French, male virgins are called "Puceau".
2. The 3rd Shrine near the House of Calendula
was guided by Nemesis
Nemesis was the ancient GREEK GODDESS of divine retribution. As such, she meted out punishment for evil deeds, undeserved good fortune, and hubris (arrogance before the gods).
3.House of Calendula in inspired by the flower "CALENDULA"
Calendula is a vibrant orange or yellow flowering plant that symbolizes protection and healing. It has a long history of use in traditional medicine and is known for its range of physical and emotional benefits.
In many cultures, Calendula has been used to ward off negative energy and protect against harm. Its bright colors and delicate petals offer protection and safety, while its compounds have treated various health issues, from skin irritations to digestive problems.