The villagers organized a large bonfire for the bounty that evening. I learned that the village's name was Imlil, which meant the happy place in their native tongue. Later that evening, three hunters arrived to the village, carrying an enormous boar. I would have mistaken it for an elephant if it weren't for its snot. Even its long tusks looked like an elephant's. 

The villagers cheered as the hunters made their way through the wooden gates. They'd placed crude wooden walls around the valley they inhabited. Around their caves, they had also placed large boulders which could easily be slid to cover the entrances by the use of wooden planks.

Everything in Imlil suggested poverty. People wore ragged clothes. Their teeth had blackened, and their disheveled hair had lost its color. They were happy, however. They worked all day and celebrated in the evening. Life was precious. So they celebrated it every time they could. 

"After the catastrophe that destroyed most of Arkadia, people valued life even more. A newborn is a miracle the village celebrates for two weeks," Heda told me.

"How long have you been living here?" I asked. 

Heda shrugged. "About three weeks. I've been told the first trial of the Holi Wars would start near this village." 

She mistook me for a champion of the Holi Wars. I didn't confirm, nor did I deny it. I could feel strong energy flowing through her. She didn't bother hiding it, or maybe she didn't know how to do it. 

Either way, she had seven cores to her name. The last one hadn't completely solidified though. She was a Fragment Bearer. She carried the most dangerous Fragment of all. Omega had warned me about her. 

"My brother's coming. I'll introduce you," she said after a young handsome man made his way toward us.

The man she claimed to be her brother was as strong as she was. When he came to the village, my heart skipped a beat. I could easily recognize his energy readings. He was Minsec's champion, or my master's to be precise. The Time Primordial had long forsaken the Holi Wars, but Omega hadn't. 

"Will your brother show me Rimbaldi's lab?" I asked. 

"You still haven't told me which Primordial you represent," she replied. She had been avoiding my questions by asking her own. 

"The Holi Wars aren't for another three weeks. Let's leave the discussion regarding our powers until then, what do you say?" I said. 

Her 'brother' reached us then. He had smooth black hair that fell over his shoulders. He looked like a n.o.ble's son who just came back from war expecting a reward for doing his duty. He smiled at Heda, who answered it with pursed lips. 

"Sylens, I'd like to introduce Myles," she said pointing at me. 

I stood and shook the handsome young man's hand. "We don't get many visitors," he said in a husky voice. The G.o.ds had truly blessed this man. 

"He's the outsider I told you about," Heda whispered.

Sylens's eyes widened. "Friede should hear of this. The team is finally coming together," he said with a wide smile. 

"You're Minsec's pet, aren't you?" I asked. 

Sylens's wide smile immediately disappeared. His eyes narrowed to slits. I could see him looking around nervously. Heda observed her 'brother' with an amused smirk. "Don't worry brother, no one's looking. You brought them a big distraction tonight." 

She turned to me then, her green eyes shone brightly despite the darkness that loomed above us. "Try not to speak of the wars here. With all the beasts that roam about, people are a bit jumpy," she whispered. 

I nodded. "I wouldn't have to if you'd pointed me the right way earlier," I retorted. 

"What's he talking about?" Sylens asked. 

Before Heda could answer, however, we heard people whispering and pointing at something in the sky. We looked up to see a bird flying over our heads. It was large, so large you could fit two villages atop its back. It shone like a mini star. Its light draped the entire valley in multicolored themes. 

It felt like we were in a fairy tale world, witnessing the stories old folk told the children at night to help them sleep. When the bird's light fell over my head, I felt serene, at peace with this world even though it reeked of blood and fear. I forgot about my worries and about the pressure I had from my master. 

"Whoa!" Sylens gasped. 

"That's the three legged crow. It serves Lady Chieran, the Light Primordial," Heda said. 

Sylens's brows furrowed. "We have to beat that thing to win the wars?" he asked. His husky voice had grown guttural. 

"You just need to pluck one of its many-colored feathers," I said. 

"I may have inherited great power, but I most certainly cannot fly," Sylens retorted. 

"All in good time, we still have three weeks before it all starts. We can think of something. Besides, we're still waiting for the other champions to arrive," Heda said in a soothing voice. She turned to look at the villagers who were cheering for the crow. Children were jumping and screaming 'magic'. "How about we celebrate with the others?" 

We joined the festivities then. Heda and Sylens weren't going to show me the way to the lab just yet. Besides, I had waited ten years for this day to come. I could wait another night. 

We helped skin the boar and put it atop the gigantic bonfire. The sight of the three legged crow had lifted the villagers' spirit. They danced and sang. Mead was served, and plates full of fruit and vegetables were spread along a stone table erected at the middle of the village. 

I sat beside a young man whose mood was darker than the sky had become after the bird left. He stared at the crackling fire. His mind had wandered while his body stood still, unaffected by the laughter and cheers around him. 

"You don't like boar?" I asked with an amiable smile. 

"What?" he asked. His eyes had difficulty seeing me, actually seeing me. They were fixating me, but the man didn't seem to have noticed my presence just yet. He started looking around, as though realizing where he was for the first time. "Sorry, I must have drifted off." 

I chuckled. "You don't share the people's enthusiasm at seeing that bird," I pointed out. 

The man shook his head. "It's as Rimbaldi says. First people mysteriously disappeared near Mt Condurr. Then we have reports of a unicorn, roaming above the clouds in the north. Now we see this magical creature, ones heart leaps of happiness just by setting their sights on it..." He sighed. "It's happening, isn't it? The Holi Wars..." 

I nodded. "Look at the bright side. All this suffering will soon end." 

"At what cost?" he asked. His eyes quivered and his lips trembled. "Will we all die, just to satisfy our empress and her l.u.s.t for revenge? We've never seen the woman, only heard of her sad reign..."

"Such is the way of human life, full of agony till the very end," I replied. 

The man stared at the bonfire once more. He hadn't touched his plate. "Well, that's just bulls.h.i.+t..." 

"Eat, you'll only regret it later," I said. I'd suddenly lost my appet.i.te as well. 

The man gave me a wry smile. "I feel like cattle being readied for slaughter..." 

"This Rimbaldi, is he a scientist?" I asked, putting my plate away. The sight of it caused my stomach to turn. 

The man nodded. 

"Can you lead me to him?" I asked. 

"Can you save our lives from impending doom?" he asked back. He had this insolent smile plastered on his face. I could understand his anger, his frustration.

"I will try," I said, returning his smile. "I need to see Rimbaldi first. He's our only hope." 

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