Walking through the fields, a young man was harvesting tomatoes with a basket in hand.

"Why did it have to be my day to harvest... I wanted to watch the festival!"

The young man pouted in innocent envy of the others, they got to enjoy the annual yearly festival to praise their good harvests.

Sometimes, there would be an unlucky individual whose day of harvest coincided with the festival, and today, it was him.

"Romeo! You're missing out!"

An old hunched man with a long beard reaching enough to cover his neck shouted to Romeo, gesturing a wave of his hand to greet him. The old man was grinning as if mocking the poor boy.

"I brought some of the kids with me to help you out with the harvest."

Old man Hare rubbed his beard, patting the kids behind him. Multiple children came out on the back of the old man where they were hiding.

The ground was colored in red, which was normal for the people of Shakan.

Five kids in total, three boys and two girls. They helped picked up the tomatoes from the large garden.

The tomato garden was more of a field. It was large enough to fit forty wagons.

"Big bro Romeo!" One kid grabbed romeos hand and put it on his forehead with a tap.

Each kid waited for their turn to do the same thing. Taking his hand and tapping the back of it on their forehead.

"Big bro, why is it that you're the only tall adult that doesn't have a beard in Shakan?" One kid with starry eyes asked Romeo as they picked tomatoes.

"Ivan! Its bad manners to ask that!" A particularly smaller kid responded and shot a harmless glare to Ivan.

"Its fine Greta, Its time you kids know this."

The kids, innately was always curious of this, perked up their attention and stopped picking the tomatoes to listen.

"It's because I'm the hero." Romeo smiled and got back to harvesting tomatoes on another side of the field.

"Aargh! Thats not fair!"

"You said you'll tell us!"

"Big bro Romeo has his own secrets, like the oracle told us to. If he did actually tell you why, you kids will be punished."

Old man Hare said in a loud voice as he appeared outside the garden to remind the kids.

"Tch!"

The kids was pissed off. One child in particular spat on the tomatoes as a show of defiance.

They knew that asking about secrets was forbidden in Shakan.

That one child who spat on the tomatoes then suddenly teleported beside the old man.

The old man then made the child turn into a pool of blood.

Making the ground suck in the liquid blood.

It didn't change since the ground already was red in the first place.

The other kids continued plucking the tomatoes and putting them in a basket.

Romeo had no change in expression when he saw the child turn into blood.

Inside however, he was sad about the death of another person. As a hero, he knows what would happen to those who try to disrespect the old man and try to disobey them.

The children were only four now, their mind erased that a fifth person ever existed in the first place.

"Old man. That was petty." Romeo talked in a measured voice, hands clenching. Plucking the tomatoes, he subconciously increased his strength in tearing it.

"They were kids. That was a hundred now, and you didn't keep your promise." Romeo glared at the old man, standing up to meet his gaze.

Romeo was abruptly teleported beside the old man.

His eyes opened wide in shock as he understood his fate. Having already seen this event happen multiple times.

Now that it has happened to him, feeling hopeless. He closed his eyes.

Old man Hare flicked a finger, turning romeo into a pool of bleeding liquid.

"Shame. He was so close." Turning his back, Old man Hare walked away from the garden.

... ... ...

The shrine made out of tomato peels showed blinding light.

"We have another child from the heavens."

An oracle declared with open hands, facing the altar.

There were followers behind the Oracle, these were all the citizens of Shakan.

No seats was visible, all were standing except the small table for each individual.

Every single adult had a full mast of beard, even the women. Some of it were styled, others let it flow down freely.

The Shakan's washed hands from the metallic bowl. Every single bowl had exactly one tomato.

Drying the hands with a towel beside the bowl. They bowed heads with closed eyes.

Not one dared to tilt away from the prayer form. Putting their hands clasped together tightly.

Breaths all together slowed down, the citizens inhaling and exhaling deeply.

The walls were made of wood. No windows, only lanterns made up of tomato peels filled the corners. Enough to make everything visible in a light red hue.

Oracle was gazing reverently at the altar of tomato peels, it could be described as a small cave.

The peels sticked together, there was a basket with cloth on it.

The blinding light before gradually became lighter. Its light forming a shape inside the basket.

It was a child inside the basket.

"Oracle, How much energy do you have left to make another hero?"

Old man Hare teleported beside the Oracle, whispering while gazing unexpressionlessly at the altar.

"This child is the second last. I can make another one last hero if it fails. So be careful this time."

Oracle reminded the Old man, throwing a tomato on his face.

Old man Hare caught it. Then he threw it on the child inside the basket.

Splat!

The child turned into a pool of blood, coating the basket in its red color.

Oracle grimaced, her robes trembling.

Old man Hare pulled away Oracle's hood from the robe to look at the face.

Oracle looked like a wrinkly mess. Similar to when crumpling a paper, but this time it was worse as the folds were plenty. Her eyes was not visible from all the wrinkles.

"You..." Oracle's voice cracked and was about to lash out at Old man Hare.

"You are turning uglier every day." Old man Hare smiled, the wrinkles on the side of his eyes curved.

Oracle stopped herself from being impulsive, not risking to offend the old man. The white hair reaching just at her neck, fell down and made Oracle's head bald.

"You know the rules." Old man Hare remained holding the top of the hooded robe. He then snapped it back in place to cover Oracle's face.

Oracle's appearance became young and healthy when the hood was put back. Hairs growing back, although not visible with the hood of the robe on.

"I will make another hero, this time I beg you to not interrupt."

Oracle gave a forced sweet smile to the old man, even tilting her head slightly to look cuter.

With the robe on, the only visible parts were her lower features of her face. The nose and to her chin.

"As you should." Old man cracked a grin and...

Slap

...slapped Oracle. It was a kind of slap that was so brief, you would forget it ever happen, if not for the stinging pain.

Her face grimaced, the redness swelling upon her cheek.

Like before, she stopped herself from snapping and took in the slap silently.

Old man smirked and was about to slap again. He saw that Oracle was about to do the ritual and put his hand back.

It was the last chance to have a hero after all.

Oracle raised her hand to make another hero, the basket with cloth gave a blinding light.