Chereads / The Dragon's Berry / Chapter 32 - Tribe

Chapter 32 - Tribe

Berry's senses began to clear up, the darkness began to subside and he was able to see again, he had to blink a few times to clear his vision, he felt tingles all over his body from passing through the portal but he did not have any negative effects.

 

The first thing he noticed about the new place was the people, because they were all staring at him.

 

And unlike the facility, where the expressions ranged from wariness to skepticism, this place, the…humans, all looked at him with adoration. Like they had been waiting for this moment their whole lives.

 

He could hear faint whispers coming from them, their voices low and hushed.

 

He's here

 

I can't believe it, it's really him

 

It's just like HE said

 

He looks just like in the prophesy

 

It was absurd that humans would look at a Rune with such positivity, they were often scared, careful or aggressive, where most of them sided with the ARS (Anti-Rune Squad).

 

But here they were all holding a gaze of reverence and he couldn't help but feel self-conscious and nervous.

 

"Where is The Preacher?" Enid said stepping forward, "we must see him at once!".

 

"Patience child"

 

Their heads snapped to the figure walking towards them from the crowd.

 

He was an old man, his hair gray with age and his body frail and weak, he was wearing robes with strange symbols on it, he had white markings on his face, going down to his neck and he used a walking stick to support himself.

 

Berry was still taking in his appearance when he saw that everyone around him was bowing, including Ezra and Enid, he felt awkward, not knowing whether he should bow too.

 

'At ease"

 

The old man walked close to him, eyeing his appearance, Berry's self-consciousness spiked in that moment, he stepped back instinctively as the man assessed him.

 

The old man smiled at him and nodded, "he does indeed look like The Preacher foretold".

 

Ezra chimed in excitedly, "I know right, his hair, his eyes, even his nose".

 

Enid rolled her eyes at her brother's enthusiasm, she looked at the old man and Berry before speaking, "this is Seer, he is another very important figure in our community" She said, introducing the old man to Berry.

 

The pink-haired Rune gave a slight bow, "my name is Berry" he said softly.

 

"I am well aware child"

 

Enid cut in again, her voice hasty and impatient, "where is The Preacher, I have finally brought him and he needs to see him".

 

Seer chuckled, his hand instinctively tightening on his stick, "As impatient as ever dear Enid, well The Preacher is not here yet, he had some important business to attend to, it will have to wait, but in the meantime, why don't we show Berry around, give him some food to eat too, he must be very tired".

 

Ezra nodded, "yes, come Berry, let us show you our community" he said excitedly.

 

"Urgh" Enid groaned, not liking the delay but she knew there was nothing she could do about it so she went along with them.

 

Berry was taken around the community, he noticed that it was one large cave, he did not know where it was situated in because it was closed off from the outside but the inside was large and massive, with different types of houses built inside, it was like a small town inside a cave and it was a different change from the white and tech-filled environment of the facility and the lab.

 

"We are more in tune with nature than other things, we have tech here but we like to still keep together with our roots and not let it consume us" Enid explained as they walked further into the cave.

Honestly it was a breath of fresh air for Berry, he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and slowly but surely his mind started easing up.

 

The scents of different plants and the light chatter of humans made him calm down, he felt so at peace but still odd…he was the only Rune here, at least…so far and they did not seem to bother but it still made him stand out.

 

He wanted to hide under a hoodie but he was forced to choke it down and continue walking and they kept telling him things about them.

 

"This place has been up for centuries, after the war of the Runes and Dragons, The Preacher founded this place and made it a safe haven of humans who cared to follow him, teaching us the truth and nurturing us for the future".

 

The kingdom often put humans in a separate place, far away from the Runes and Dragons, but from his intuition, he could tell that this place was not in the human faction inside the kingdom. They must be somewhere else, maybe somewhere far away where they won't be bothered by the Dragons.

 

He looked up, seeing the small shelters inside the walls of the caves with people and children looking down at him adoringly. This place felt more like a tribe the more he looked at it and he could feel his curiosity grow, wanting to know more about them by the second, he was also getting anxious to meet The Preacher.

 

"Say Berry, do you care for special delicacies?" Seer asked, turning back to look at him with a bright smile. Berry nodded eagerly, he was feeling a bit hungry and he wanted to know what their food tasted like.

 

They look him to a large dining area, with food and drinks laid out on the table, much like they already prepared him.

 

They gestured for him to sit at the head of the table and he hesitantly did, luckily there was no one else there besides the four of them or that would have made him extremely anxious.

 

He looked down at the plate and the food looked pretty normal, just some rice with pork and then on another plate he saw a small treat, he froze for a moment…sugar…Caelum…

 

I miss him

 

He bit the inside of his lip, trying to remind himself that he made the decision, he swallowed and sighed, stop thinking about him, he betrayed you…and also saved you…but betrayed you.

 

He shut his eyes for a moment before opening them, he reached out for the treat on the table and took a fork and dug into it.

 

He brought it to his mouth rather aggressively and chewed on it, almost like it was rebellious act to somehow forget and move on from the dragon king.

 

There…

 

The treat was sweet and filled his taste buds with delight, he looked at the three who had been watching him the whole time.

 

"It's yummy" he said softly.

 

"Yes I-" Ezra was about to chime in once more but he stopped mid sentence when he saw Berry move on the chair uncomfortably.

 

"Are you okay? Berry?" Enid quickly went to his side and tried to touch him but she flinched when she realized how hot he was.

 

"Shit! He's burning up!"

 

"We need a doctor!"