Matthew dragged a heavy cart behind him. The cart was not too old, its wooden surface slightly aged with a few splintered and cracked edges. The four wooden wheels traveled along the bumpy dirt path, with the back left wheel occasionally getting stuck as he pulled the cart. Inside, there were more than ten large bags of grain and other long-lasting crops packed within the wagon.
It was an extremely heavy load that they had to move. Usually, only the fully grown men of the village would deliver these crops, taking turns to handle the cart as they walked the long path. Matthew, however, handled the cart alone. Even though it wasn't easy to hold he would also need to take occasional breaks he managed it.
He had been gifted since birth with unnatural ability, whether it was his overly sturdy body or his almost monstrous strength. He often outperformed most adults in his village when it came to physical ability, with there being only a few people who outdid him only in one aspect at most. He was by far the best when it came to overall ability, not that his mind was too far off either. Matthew had always been a sharp person, but ever since his rebirth, his mind seemed to work a lot faster, his thoughts clearer. He assumed that it was because of what Mary had done to him back in his old life; he just didn't know exactly how.
Xhuzi, Matthew's younger brother, followed alongside him. He was a few years younger than Matthew, two years to be exact. Xhuzi wasn't much shorter than Matthew, who was seventeen years old at this point. He had dark hair that reached down to just below his shoulders if he didn't tie it up like he usually did. His face was youthful, and his smile gave off a cheerful glow. You could see his naive hopefulness behind his dark hazel eyes, eyes that had yet to see the harshness of the world.
He had a muscular body with broad shoulders and a blocky torso. His arms were long and defined, and his legs were sturdy and firm. Unlike Matthew, who was naturally gifted, Xhuzi earned his physique through years of hard work. His skin was tanned and rough from all the years of the sun's harsh beat down. He was a rather handsome young man.
Xhuzi had always looked up to his brother. Ever since he could remember, he'd been someone who always worked hard regardless of the situation. He never asked for help and never took a day off unless he was unwell or told to. Even when Matthew was cold and distant towards him, he still couldn't help but be inspired by him. To Xhuzi, being like his brother was his goal, a goal that seemed to get harder and harder as time went by. He never really spoke to his brother much, only once every now and then.
Xhuzi thought to himself.
Xhuzi, it's the perfect time…
I should talk to brother. It is just going to be us for a while. I hope we can actually have a proper conversation, at least better than we usually do.
"I can't believe we get to deliver this year's offerings. The Great Lord of the land… I guess now the others have to respect me now."
Xhuzi puffed up his chest, shutting his eyes just imagining the bullies bowing in respect to him. "Especially Jian and his lackeys."
Hehe, I can't wait.
He had quickly looked at Matthew through the corner of his eyes, waiting for his reply.
"Hmph… Xhuzi, why do you care about what they think anyway? Doing this isn't anything special anyway. Honestly, in my opinion, you're much better than that bunch and your body is proof of that."
Xhuzi stood in his tracks while staring at Matthew from the back. His eyes were wide open as he blinked a few times before hurrying to catch up to Matthew.
"You already should be proud of yourself. You've worked harder than they have in their entire lives in a few months."
"Brother… Thanks. I didn't know you noticed me like that," Xhuzi said, trying to hold back any tears that could escape his eyes.
"Xhuzi, you should already know how hard you work. I mean your body speaks for itself. You don't just get a body like that out of nowhere."
"That's hard work."
The wind blew as the words hung in the air. The two brothers continued to walk forward as the sun didn't feel as harsh as it had been; everything seemed more lively even if it was for just a moment. Xhuzi felt his eyes become heavy, as if all the emotions he felt before tried to flow out. He sniffled before rubbing his eyes quickly. He soon composed himself before Xianfeng, who was looking away at that moment, began to speak.
"But Xhuzi, you shouldn't take this as something special or honorable. In all truth, what kind of Lord rules his people without ever knowing them? In fact, that's no Lord at all."
"You can't say that. How could you say that about the Great Lord, Xieng? You're lucky no one else was here to hear that, brother."
Matthew's eyebrows furrowed as he spoke. "Why shouldn't I? It's not like I said anything wrong. What has the Lord done except for take from us? What has he done for us? He didn't even bother to help us when the Beast Tide came past our village, making up an excuse that they didn't notice in time. If he were truly as mighty as the villagers say he is, what stopped him?"
Xhuzi didn't retaliate; he also began to think about what Matthew was saying.
"He didn't even bother helping us rebuild but still expected us to give him that year's harvest offering."
"But brother, how are we to know what's important to him? Maybe he saw the Beast Tide as something we could handle, and how can you expect the mighty Lord to help with something like fixing up our village? It's below a Lord."
"Xhuzi, think. It would be as easy as lifting a finger for him if he were truly gifted by the heavens with divine powers."
"Xianfeng, I can't… I just can't, okay? The village has been able to survive this long because of the Lord. Maybe he's protecting us from bigger dangers, but it doesn't matter anyway. The people of the village need him and love him, I mean I do too. So what's wrong with giving offerings out of thanks, okay? At… at least… we're happy, okay?"
Matthew heaved a heavy sigh as he continued to walk. The air between the two seemed to grow heavy. Xhuzi felt as if his throat had a lump in it blocking any more words from escaping. The cart moved forward on the old path, undeterred by the bumpy road. Matthew pulled the cart, unmoved by its weight, as the sun had began to cool down as it started heading to the western side of the sky.
Why does Xianfeng have to be like this? I know he's a loner but why does he have to think like this too? Mother and Father would be sad to hear him speak so ill of our village's protector.
Some more time passed as they walked the path. A few hours had passed since they started their journey to the Lord's estate. The cooled weather started to bring out the peaceful animals of the plains out from their cool places of rest. The wind mixed with the peaceful noises of animals grazing, birds tweeting, and trees rustling in the cool breeze. The duo only took one stop to collect themselves. The atmosphere was still dense from their earlier confrontation as they continued walking; they were not too far away from their destination. Xhuzi broke the peaceful silence once again.
"Xieng… uhm. We sure do have a lot to deliver. It looks like there's more than there was in last year's wagon. I wonder if the Lord has increased our yearly offering?"
"Yeah, there's more than what I saw them deliver last harvest. It's not like the village had a good harvest this year, the Lord should know that."
"The harvest hasn't been that good for the past couple of years. I heard Father say to the Chief recently that the offerings are starting to get difficult to meet because of the farms getting hit by the longer dry season these past few years."
"Yeah, it has been. I'm pretty sure they had to take from the winter reserves this year. The Lord sure is starting to take more from our hard work."
"Maybe he's planning an expedition, or building up their military?"
"It doesn't matter why. It's not like anything will change anyway, you all are too blinded by him anyway to see."
Xhuzi looked up into the sky. "Brother, you really know how to ruin someone's mood. You're always seeing the bad, why not be optimistic sometimes?"
"What's the point? It's better to see the world for what it is. Anyway, we're here now."
Matthew looked forward as he informed Xhuzi. Xhuzi looked at Matthew before focusing his eyes where Matthew was also looking. In the distance, two figures stood outside of a large wooden archway held up by two giant stone pillars. They knew that they were about to enter the home of the Lord soon so they quickened their pace, getting closer to the gate as the sun looked as if it were going to set very soon.
As they arrived at the gate, two large guards stood with spears that were taller than Matthew.
The two guards had large, majestic wings. The two giant-like creatures were more than seven feet tall, covered in beautiful crimson feathers. They had the feet of birds decorated with sharp talons. Their three-fingered hands gripped their spears with talons tipped in a shiny metal. You couldn't see their faces as they were covered in metal masks that only revealed their striking yellow beaks.
The imposing figures looked towards the brothers before one spoke in a low voice that the two brothers felt in the depths of their bodies.
"Are you two the ones to deliver this year's offering?"
Bowing his head in respect so as not to get killed on the spot, he replied, "Yes, it is us that the village has sent."
"Hmph. You two made it here faster than usual. Impressive for such tiny humans. The palace is up this path here, quickly, before the sun sets. The Lord's attendants will meet you at the courtyard gate."
The two nodded as they walked up the path before them. Matthew couldn't help but feel uneasy as he passed the guards. It was as if his body was telling him to run away. He put these feelings aside and just continued as he couldn't go anywhere now; it was too late for that. Only the future knew what would happen to the two.