The female elder gently placed her fingers on Elder Batu's wrist, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. The air around her seemed to freeze, and time stopped at this moment. The energy at her fingertips flowed slowly like a stream, spreading to Elder Batu's whole body. It was a warm and gentle power that flowed through Elder Batu's body, awakening his dormant vitality.
Elder Batu's breathing gradually stabilized, and his face turned from pale to a faint rosy. The female elder opened her eyes, revealing a hint of fatigue in her eyes, but more of relief.
"You all go down." The elder said to the crowd. The elders looked at each other, then stood up silently and left the meeting room one by one. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hall until the last one disappeared into the night outside the door.
Toby stood there, hesitating. His eyes wandered between Elder Batu and the Great Elder, and finally he spoke: "Great Elder, I..."
"You go too, Toby." The Great Elder interrupted him, with a hint of unquestionable determination in his voice, "Mark will live with you tonight."
Toby nodded, although his heart was full of questions, but he knew that now was not the time to ask questions. He turned and walked towards Mark, motioning him to leave together. Mark stood up, took a last look at Elder Batu, and then followed Toby out of the meeting hall.
The village under the night was particularly quiet, the embers of the bonfire were still emitting a faint light, and occasionally sparks drifted with the wind. Mark and Toby walked side by side on the path, their shadows stretched out in the moonlight. Neither of them spoke, only the sound of footsteps and the occasional sound of insects in the distance broke the silence of the night.
Toby's home was a simple wooden house with a thatched roof and some animal skins and tools hanging on the walls. He pushed open the door and motioned Mark to go in. The furnishings in the house were simple and warm. In the center was a stone stove, with some firewood piled next to it. There were some animal skins and hay hanging on the wall, and a simple bed in the corner.
"You sleep here." Toby pointed to the bed and said to Mark, then he spread a piece of animal skin next to the stove and lay down.
Mark nodded, took off his coat, and lay on the bed. Although the bed was simple, it was dry and warm. He closed his eyes and tried to sort out the series of events today. From the ceremony of Elder Batu to the sudden explosion, to Elder Batu's coma and resuscitation, all of this was too sudden and too incredible.
He recalled the wooden stick that Elder Batu handed him, the warm touch and the faint fragrance. The power contained in the wooden stick, the impact of the explosion, and Elder Batu's last look. Mark thought it should be related to the holy stone.
It was late at night, and the village fell into a deep sleep. The moonlight poured in through the cracks in the wooden house, forming mottled spots of light on the ground. Mark tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. In his mind, he kept replaying the scenes of today, and every detail was as clear as yesterday.
He remembered the last look of Elder Batu, which was a complex look mixed with worry, expectation and determination.
Just then, he heard a slight noise. He opened his eyes and saw Toby quietly getting up and walking out the door. Mark's heart moved, and he quietly followed Toby and walked out of the wooden house.
The village under the moonlight seemed even more peaceful, and Toby's figure moved quickly on the path, and he seemed to be heading towards the direction of the meeting hall. Mark quickened his pace and followed Toby silently.
The door of the meeting hall was open, and Toby walked in quietly. Mark hid outside the door and peeked in through the crack in the door. In the meeting room, the Great Elder and the Female Elder were sitting next to Elder Batu. The Female Elder was holding a small medicine bottle and feeding medicine to Elder Batu.
"Elder, how do you feel?" The Female Elder's voice was full of concern.
Elder Batu slowly opened his eyes. Although his voice was weak, he had recovered some strength: "I'm fine, just... a little tired."
The elder sighed, and his eyes revealed a trace of worry: "Batu, the wooden staff represents the holy stone. The wooden staff was destroyed. Does it mean that we have offended the holy stone?"
Elder Batu nodded, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes: "I know that the wood used to make the wooden staff comes from the base of the holy stone. The power of the wooden staff also comes from the holy stone. Naturally, it can't work on the energy of the same source."
The elder was silent for a while, and then slowly said: "So, what are you going to do?"
Elder Batu took a deep breath, and there was a hint of determination in his voice: "Arrange Mark to go to the Holy City tomorrow. Only when we get to the holy stone can we know everything." He took out a stone from his arms with great effort and handed it to Toby
The stone was irregular in shape, with strange runes engraved on the surface. It flickered faintly under the firelight, as if it contained some mysterious power. Mark looked carefully outside, and it was clearly the stone that Lily had given him before.
Toby took the stone with a solemn expression. He carefully looked at the runes on the stone, frowning. He held the stone in his hand, feeling the warm touch from it, and then solemnly put it into his pocket and patted it, as if to confirm whether it was properly placed. Then, he leaned over again and asked with concern: "Elder, do you have any other instructions?"
Elder Batu shook his head and closed his eyes tiredly, as if he had exhausted all his strength. Seeing this, the female elder hurried forward and handed a bowl of steaming medicine soup to Elder Batu's mouth, and whispered: "Elder, drink the medicine first." Elder Batu obediently opened his mouth, drank a few sips of the medicine soup, and his complexion improved slightly. He waved his hand, indicating that Toby could leave.
Toby bowed deeply to the three elders, then turned and left the meeting room. After he walked out of the meeting room, he did not immediately return to his cabin. Instead, he stood at the door, looked up at the night sky, and took a deep breath, as if thinking about something. Several fireflies were flying not far away, and the faint light flickered in the night, as if guiding the direction.
Mark quickly dodged and hid behind a haystack on the side. The haystack exuded the unique fragrance of hay, which mixed with the smell of medicine in the air to form a peculiar smell. He carefully opened the gap in the haystack and observed Toby's actions. After Toby walked away, he came out from behind the haystack and left the meeting room along the way he came.
Back in the cabin, Mark lay on the bed, recalling the scene he had just seen, especially the actions of Toby and Elder Batu, and his heart was full of doubts. What exactly is that stone engraved with strange runes? Why did Elder Batu give it to Toby? Why did Toby put it away so solemnly? These questions were like entangled vines, tightly binding his thoughts and making him feel irritated.
He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The moonlight shone through the cracks in the wooden house, falling on his face, reflecting his frown. The night wind blew, bringing a burst of coolness, and the dew on the haystack soaked his clothes, but he didn't notice it at all. All his attention was focused on the meeting room, with his ears erect, catching any movement.
In the end, Mark decided to go to Elder Batu to ask for clarification as soon as dawn. As soon as it was dawn, Mark couldn't wait to get up, and after a simple wash, he walked towards Elder Batu's wooden house.
Pushing open the wooden door, the coolness of the early morning mixed with a faint fragrance of flowers poured in. Elder Batu's wooden house is located in the center of the village, slightly larger than other wooden houses, and there are several wooden stakes carved with totems in front of the door. Mark walked to the door, took a deep breath, raised his hand and knocked on the door gently. "Come in." Elder Batu's voice came from inside the house, slightly hoarse.
Mark pushed the door open and saw Elder Batu sitting by the fire, poking the fire with a stick in his hand. The elder's face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes were still bright. The firelight reflected on his face, making him look even more vicissitudes. "Elder Batu, you got up so early?" Mark asked respectfully.
Elder Batu raised his head, glanced at Mark, and nodded slightly: "Yes, I'm old and I don't sleep much." He pointed to the wooden block opposite, "Sit down."
Mark sat down as he was told. He hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to get straight to the point and asked: "Elder, I saw Toby come to you yesterday, and he took a stone from you..."
Elder Batu paused while poking the fire, he raised his head and looked at Mark sharply: "Did you see it?"
Mark nodded, his eyes firm: "Yes, elder, what is that stone? Why did you give it to Toby?"
Elder Batu was silent for a moment, sighed, and put the stick in his hand aside. "That stone fell off from the holy stone of the holy city." He said slowly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, "It has a mysterious power that can protect our tribe."
"There are 12 tribes here, and each tribe is protected by a stone that fell off the holy stone. We call it the sacred stone."
Mark's heartbeat accelerated, and he felt that he had touched the deepest secret of the tribe. "Then why was this sacred stone with Lily before?" he asked.