Sitting in our hot village, we are a small tribe living in a small city located in a desert area. We are called the Mirage Tribe, known for our dark skin and black hair, which is our most distinctive feature due to the scorching climate. We also possess healing powers and have extensive knowledge of medicine and other matters, which is why others from different cities fear us, believing we work with evil or that we are sorcerers. However, there are indeed those who practice sorcery and use their knowledge for evil, which is why we live away from others to protect ourselves, as we are somewhat exiled.**

**And also, I am the heroine of this story, my name is sia, and I am 21 years old. I am a young woman from an ordinary family, and there is nothing special about me except for one thing, which is the reason for my pain...**

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**At the market in a city four hours away from our area,**

**I walk carrying my bag filled with herbs, watching the newcomers. They come to buy medicines despite their great fear of us.**

**I sit in my place, setting my goods in front of me, and say to myself: "Good, I have brought some medicinal herbs that are hard to find."**

**I stand up, raise my voice, and start calling out: "Come and buy plants that help relieve pain of any kind, only for 5 wark! You won't find anything like it; it's the best here!"**

**I hear laughter and see a man in his fifties from my tribe approaching me, laughing: "Haha, seeing you raise your voice like this is something I never see at all; this is interesting! The quiet, silent girl, I didn't know you had a loud voice!"**

**I replied shyly: "Uncle, if you say that, I'll lose my confidence and sit in silence."**

**He smiles and quickly apologizes, looking at the goods: "Sorry, sorry. So, it's your turn today to come to the market."**

**I smile at him and say: "Yes."**

**He responds, waving his hand with his goods: "I wish you good luck; I will go sell elsewhere to give you a chance here."**

**I feel shy and grateful, saying: "I'm sorry for causing you worry, and thank you!"**

**He answers, looking back while still waving his hand as he walks away: "Don't worry. Goodbye."**

**I think to myself (my uncle does all this because we are going through tough times. My father is very tired and cannot work, and my mother lost her crops due to drought and her plants became sick. This year has really been harsh on my family. That's why my siblings and I are trying to gather money in any possible way for food. I can't sit idle without work because the tribe's law is clear: those who do not work and cause disruption to the village and its people will be exiled along with their families.)**

**As I watch customers approaching, a nobleman and his wife head towards me, and he asks, gazing at the plants and herbs: "So, these plants help relieve pain?"**

**I reply with a calm smile: "Yes, they do. You can put them in tea or with food if you wish, or take them directly. They not only relieve pain but also help soothe your troubled feelings."**

**The woman says to her husband: "Dear, let's buy this plant."**

**The nobleman responds, pointing to the plants he wants: "Alright, give me five dozen."**

**I felt astonished, thinking to myself (Wow, five dozen).**

**Then I happily respond, smiling: "Alright, that will be 100 wark." I extend my hand to take the money, but he throws it on the ground.**

**I raise my eyes to see him with a disgusted and repulsive expression, saying: "Don't touch me."**

**I remain silent despite my discomfort at his rejection, thinking (Ah, I forgot that they hate us and fear us.)**

**Then I smile and say calmly, forgetting his treatment: "Sorry, and thank you."**

**He leaves with his wife after the servant takes the goods.**

**I hold the coins excitedly, saying: "Yay! I managed to gather a good amount."**

**After long hours under the sun, I continue working hard.**

**Before sunset, I gaze at my bulging money bag, feeling happy and saying as I gather my things to prepare to leave because the return caravan has come: "Wow! I've collected enough for almost two months. This is great!"**

**I smile (They won't worry anymore; my efforts have paid off, and my tired hands from climbing the mountains didn't go to waste.)**

**I look at my hands filled with scratches and wounds, clenching them and mumbling: "We will be fine."**

**I start walking through the market, watching the sellers who are beginning to close their businesses to finish their hard workday.**

**I fall silent, looking at the sky (The sun will set soon).**

**One of the passersby collides with me; he wanted to apologize but looked at me and, upon seeing my appearance, felt annoyed: "What bad luck?"**

**He saw me looking at him sharply; he wanted to get angry, but he was captivated by my violet eyes like crystals: "What is this? Why are her eyes strange?"**

**He wanted to touch me, but I quickly covered myself with my cloak and began to run away.**

**To myself, far from that area (Oh, what a rude man).**

**Remembering his words {Why are her eyes strange?}**

**I tightened the grip on my cloak as if thorns were squeezing my heart a little and continued walking again.**

**I see the city guards gathering near the area where the return caravan stopped, holding someone, and I look at the passersby whispering together: "Ah, they are evil - he deserves to be treated like this."**

**I approach them and ask with concern: "What is going on here?"**

**As I get closer and walk among the people, I see them holding someone from my tribe, and I realize it's my uncle on the ground, his goods and wares in a state of chaos and destruction, confused and scared, he speaks: "I was selling my goods; why are you treating me like this?"**

**One of the guards pushes him, saying: "Shut up! We saw you trying to sell this cursed plant."**

**I stare at him as he falls to the ground, in pain, opening my eyes wide as my heart races (Why?)**

**The other responds angrily: "Yes, you are trying to poison our residents!!"**

**I notice the strangers around me looking at him with eyes full of fear and hatred.**

**I return my gaze to him (To them, he is just evil that must be removed because of our different appearance and knowledge.)**

**My uncle is sitting on the ground, his eyes scared: "I didn't do anything, really. It's just a plant that helps disinfect wounds..."**

**I stare at him, his eyes terrified and scared, and they look at him as if he is nothing but evil that must be removed.**

**I open my eyes wide and clench the grip of my cloak when one of them kicked him with his armored boot.**

**My heart pounds with fear; my body freezes as I look at their grinning faces (Uncle! Why are they treating him like this? It hurts! It's just a plant, really for disinfection!)**

**I hear the voices around me yelling and cheering for him to be punished more, as if they see an entertaining show. I return my gaze to my uncle on the ground, with the foot on him.**

**I wanted to step forward, but at that moment, what I thought was (What can a woman like me do? I am weak).**

**I stand in my place, hiding under my cloak among the strangers who whisper and laugh, enjoying as he is kicked and beaten.**

**I close my ears, feeling nauseous from what is happening, my eyes shaking (Stop laughing and enjoying this!) I wanted to scream, but I remained silent.**

**I look down, my eyes trembling (Am I not like them now? Just a spectator, but I can't let them treat him like this! He is...) remembering his smile to me as he wished me good luck.**

**I raise my gaze, determined to step forward, only to notice one of the guards pulling out his sword, saying: "We'll teach you not to be smart with us!"**

**My heart pounds, and I start running, pushing through the onlookers (No!)**

**They watch as a young woman's long black hair shows as the cloak moves away from her and her tawny skin.**

**I jump, pushing the guard away who was about to swing his sword at him.**

**They look at a young woman from the same tribe shouting: "Stop! Don't hurt my uncle!!"**

**The uncle is shocked, his eyes widening as he sees sia coming in front of him, standing between the guards and him.**

**He hears her say seriously despite her fear: "He... didn't do anything wrong!"**

**Thinking (I admit I'm scared; I've never seen anything like this before, although I heard my father and sisters talking about it.)**

**The guard who was pushed back regained his stance, glaring at her, shouting: "You brat!"**

---

I swallowed hard; the atmosphere had suddenly become calm due to my presence (I was terrified because he was larger than me).

I regained my composure and looked at him sharply. "Why did you draw your sword? Are you trying to kill him?"

My uncle noticed that the guards were displeased with my intervention; he wanted to stand up but couldn't due to his bruises. "Sia, step back."

I watched him suffer as I bent down to grab him: Uncle.

But I was cut off By shouting in pain: "Aah!"

The guard was gripping Sia's hair tightly, causing her to scream in pain again: "Aaaah!" My body began to tremble with fear. "Let me go!"

He glared at me with anger, his breath brushing against my face as he said, "You, how dare you stand against us, the guards of the city? Huh?"

I looked at him sharply, feeling the pain. "Let me go! You tried to kill him! You wanted to stab him, and an injury like this won't heal in a single night! Do you call yourself a guard? You're just a cruel bully; let me go!"

He looked at Sia, who was staring at him with her distinct eyes, different from others in the tribe, annoyed and furious. "You dare to defy me, huh? Are you working with evil?"

I tried to push his hand away from my hair (this is painful and frightening) and looked into his hateful eyes (I don't like those looks).

I said, trying to keep my composure, "It's just a plant for disinfecting wounds! Its appearance may seem concerning due to its color, but it doesn't cause any harm!"

He scoffed and mocked me with his companions while still gripping Sia's hair tighter. "Of course, you would say that, knowing your secrets! You witches!"

I screamed in pain as he pulled my hair even more (he wouldn't believe anything; he doesn't want to!).

I saw the onlookers with their cold, merciless eyes upon us, making my body feel like it was freezing.

My uncle pleaded, "Please, let her go! Don't hurt her! You can hurt me instead."

Seeing this made my heart tremble, and my eyes wanted to cry, but I didn't (why does he have to beg? Why do we have to beg?).

He tried to grab the guard who was still holding Sia, but the guard kicked him, causing him to fall back to the ground.

I screamed as I watched my uncle in pain. "Stop! He's in pain!" But the guard pulled my hair tighter.

Suddenly, two men from our tribe's guards came and said, "Stop this!"

I looked at them, feeling a rush of happiness, and thought to myself: "Finally, they've come."

The guard, annoyed by their arrival, clicked his tongue and pushed me away from him, and I ran towards my uncle in concern. "Are you okay?"

He said to me, filled with bruises, "Ah, don't worry, I'm fine. What about you?"

I noticed his worried and regretful gaze as I smiled, holding him. "I'm fine; don't worry, Uncle."

His eyes seemed to glisten with tears. "My dear, you must have been scared."

A guard from the Akkarda tribe intervened, saying, "Who are you to do this to our tribe's members, huh?"

The foreign guards replied, "What? This man was trying to sell suspicious items!"

Upon hearing this, I turned and angrily pointed at the foreign guards. "They just want to hit someone! They didn't believe my uncle's words!"

One guard pulled out a plant with red roots. "Look, this plant indicates evil and sorcery! It looks like blood."

Seeing this, I said seriously to him, "Do you consider tomatoes to be a source of evil?"

Hearing this, he laughed. "What are you talking about? Of course not."

I said to him seriously, "Why not? Tomatoes look like blood; why don't you consider them evil?"

Hearing this, as if Sia was mocking him, he said angrily, "Do you treat me like a fool?"

I stared at the others. "Since tomatoes aren't evil, then neither is this plant! Its roots are red; so what?"

They watched her standing seriously, speaking. "As you can see, these roots that you claim to be evil are what soldiers use in war to treat the injured! So, guard, does that make everyone who uses them a witch? Even doctors?"

He fell silent, annoyed, and the others began whispering among themselves. "We didn't know—oh my, don't the guards look like fools now?"

The two guards from the Mirage tribe stepped forward. "Enough! Leave here, and we'll make sure to file a complaint about what you did. After all, there is an agreement between us and the mayor of this city."

After the situation calmed down, I smiled as I sat beside my uncle in the returning cart and said, "Thank goodness you weren't seriously hurt."

He smiled at me and said, "If you hadn't come to protect me, I would have been stabbed for sure. Thank you." Remembering Sia, who stood to protect him and spoke about the roots of the red plant, his eyes warmed. "You were amazing."

Embarrassed, I said, "Ah, I was actually terrified."

Hearing this, he laughed lightly. "Still, you surprised me. You're always calm and silent, but in moments of crisis, you showed that you're like the strong, burning sun; you didn't stand still."

I smiled and joked, "You make me sound like some kind of hero!"

He laughed and said, "Because you are! Ha ha ha… Ah!" Then he held his side, wincing in pain.

I asked him with concern, "Are you okay?"

He said to me, "Don't worry."

I sat silently, looking outside and thinking (truly, people never tried to help him). I remembered their looks, smiling as if they were saying we deserved this.

I looked at the sun disappearing as darkness began to envelop us in this vast, barren desert:…