The small wooden hall was dimly lit, its walls creaking faintly against the mountain winds outside. A few villagers sat inside, their faces half-hidden in the flickering light of oil lamps. When their eyes fell upon Michael, Nixon, and Chris, suspicion immediately rippled through the room.
"You people… you are not from this region," one of the men said sharply, his tone laced with distrust. His eyes then narrowed at the boy standing silently among them. "And this elf child… what is he doing here?"
Before Michael could respond, a figure emerged quietly from the back. A man leaned down, whispering something into the ear of an elderly villager who sat a little apart from the rest. The old man's weathered face tightened for a moment, then he slowly rose to his feet. His posture was calm, yet the weight of authority radiated from him.
"Follow me," the elder said, his voice steady and commanding. "And no… you misunderstand. They are not outsiders. They are from the neighboring village."
The murmurs in the hall softened. The elder's words carried weight—enough that no one questioned further. His eyes flicked briefly toward Nixon, whose elven features and blue hair glimmered under the lantern glow. "Ah… a blue-haired elf. From the human villages nearby. I see, I must have misunderstood."
Michael and Chris exchanged a silent glance. Both knew something was off here, yet neither spoke. Instead, they stepped forward, following the elder out of the room. Nixon trailed behind, quiet but alert. The elder had not yet introduced himself, but it was clear enough from the way the villagers obeyed him—he was someone of importance. The village chief, no doubt.
The group walked through a narrow passage, the air growing colder as the mountain winds seeped through the cracks in the wooden walls. Finally, the elder opened a sliding door, leading them into a small chamber. Inside, only a few simple mats were spread neatly on the floor.
"Sit," the elder said, lowering himself onto one of the mats. His movements were deliberate, calm, yet there was something in his eyes—an unusual sharpness, a strange curiosity—that unsettled Michael.
Once they were all seated, the elder's gaze swept across the three of them. The silence stretched, heavy, before he finally spoke.
"How did you manage to come so deep into the Mount Iki Range?" His voice carried both suspicion and intrigue. "Are you… of royal blood? Or do you perhaps hold a divine spirit's link?"
Michael's brows furrowed. His reply came quick, almost defensive.
"And why would you care? Can't ordinary people enter here?"
Chris immediately pinched his arm under the mat, whispering sharply, "Stop it." His eyes darted toward the elder, silently urging caution.
The elder paused, then his face softened as if amused by Michael's boldness. He leaned back slightly, exhaling. "I see… So you truly know nothing. Or perhaps you have not yet seen?"
Chris shook his head. "No. We haven't."
The elder nodded slowly, as if confirming something for himself. "I am Atul, chief of this village. My ties with the kingdom are… relatively good."
Michael tilted his head, frowning. "Kingdom? Which kingdom?"
Atul's lips curved into a small smile. "The Anesh Kingdom. This is the Elf Kingdom. The kingdom was built not beyond these mountains, but within the protective embrace of the Mount Iki Range. Its people… many of them are refugees from the outside world, who once sought shelter here. Now, the kingdom thrives."
Chris hesitated, then leaned forward. His voice was cautious, probing. "I heard that once you enter these mountains… it's impossible to leave. Is that true?"
Atul chuckled, a deep, raspy laugh that echoed strangely in the small chamber. "Leave? Ha… That is what most believe. And yet you stand here, do you not? You entered. Few ever can. This forest… is protected. Guarded by none other than the Forest God himself—Dragaine."
The name rolled off his tongue with reverence.
Michael froze. A strange sensation rippled through him. Dragaine? The name felt oddly awkward on his ears. Why not something closer to "Dragon" or "Drago"? Why such a strange variation? His thoughts stirred uneasily.
Chris, however, pressed on. "This god… does he reside in these mountains?"
Atul's expression shifted, contemplative. "I do not know for certain. But there is a story, passed down through generations. They say Dragaine was once a comrade of the Man of Imagination. When the Reality God turned vile, Dragaine went to war against him. Yet… he never returned. Still, even now, he is said to protect these ranges."
Michael's eyes sharpened at the mention of that name again—Man of Imagination. His jaw clenched, his voice edged with suspicion. "This… Man of Imagination. Even here… people know of him. Do you know anything more?"
Atul slowly shook his head. "No… I do not know much. They came long ago, those beings… gods, as the stories say. Whatever truth lies behind it, much has been lost. I only know fragments."
Chris, hesitant yet hopeful, asked, "Grandfather… is there a way for us to leave? To find a path out of here?"
Atul's eyes glinted knowingly. "I can help. But only if you reach a certain level. Without the proper strength, you cannot pierce the barrier that surrounds this place. The Unknown Barrier is no ordinary wall—it rejects the weak. To cross it, one must undergo sacred rituals… rituals that can only be performed at precise times, under specific conditions."
Michael leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. "And what about you? How powerful are you, really?"
Chris hissed under his breath. "Hey! Don't speak to him like that!" His frustration at Michael's recklessness flared visibly.
But Atul only chuckled softly. His old eyes, sharp as a hawk's, never left Michael. "Powerful? No… I have no rank."
Michael blinked, stunned. "No rank? What do you mean? How is that even possible?"
The room grew quiet. The oil lamps flickered, their shadows stretching across the walls. Chris's unease deepened, and even Nixon, silent until now, felt a shiver crawl down his spine. An elder with no rank, no classification of power… and yet he commanded both the village and respect of the kingdom?
Something about Atul did not add up.