Walking through the village, Salim couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the buildings, mud brick walls with what looked like thatched roofs. Men and women passed in and out of the buildings, several with eye-catching features worked tirelessly carrying wood, baskets, and all sorts of tools. Animal ears, scales, and green hair color seemed like common traits as Salim had to force his eyes upwards so that they wouldn’t catch him staring.

He was simply curious on how they had done… everything really. Being stuck in the woods for several weeks made him incredibly aware of how difficult everything was without technology. His mouth watered as he watched smoke curl out of a chimney, imagining laying next to a fire with actual food.

Stumbling over an errant stone on the ground, Salim was brought back to reality, picking up pace so that the fang toothed man wouldn’t leave him behind. The man's broad back made it easy for him to follow, people making way with small smiles before noticing Salim following closely behind. Their stares made him feel awkward but not uncomfortable, there was no malice behind the looks, only curiosity.

It only took a few minutes of walking before they ended up in what could only be the middle of the village, where a large pit had been dug. Flattening into what seemed like a strange amphitheater, a small raised area in the center and the man atop it caught Salim's eye. The man's stark gray hair caught his eye, pressed evenly against the ground in a bow as the wolf-toothed man motioned silently for Salim to stop.

“Oh Great God, we beg for your enlightenment on this poor church of worshipers, we pray for you to continue to bless us day after day. We stand under your great light, as radiance from your heavens shines down upon us. We are unworthy, and you give to us all the same.”

His words came out as wails, loud proclamations as his head stayed rooted to the ground. Salim felt an uncomfortable familiarity with those words, his childhood spent sitting behind pews and listening to the dronings of a pulpit. This was… too familiar, right?

Zoning out as the praying man continued his hymns, Salim thought through his interactions with Brook and Oak, how he had woken up and just accepted everything that was going on. These people were speaking English! Sure their phrasing sounded a little off but he could understand him.

And only now was he questioning it?

His palms sweat as a mixture of emotions flew through him, the realization of what Fallon succeeding truly meant. Looking up at the prostrating man, who was now silent and still, Salim couldn’t help but feel like he was looking into a warped mirror. Fallon hadn’t just used his body to create these people, his mind had been at their disposal as well.

A hand roughly shook his shoulder as he was pulled from his existential musings, the wolf toothed man stood beside him as the ceremony seemed to have ended. The praying man was closer than Salim had realized as he extended his arms to hug Wolf Toothed. An aged face stared at Salim, eyes a stark purple that stood out like stars, almost glowing with their intensity.

“And who is this?” He motioned to Salim, with a questioning look towards Wolf Toothed.

“A wanderer, said he got lost in the woods, Stream’s kids found him.” He started with a gravely voice.

“Ah, I see…” The old man seemed to want for the man to elaborate but was met with awkward silence. Pivoting after a few seconds, the gray haired man waved Wolf Toothed away with a dismissive hand before fully addressing Salim.

“Good to meet you, I am Starlight [Cheif-Priest] of Little Brook.” He addressed, his title seeming to have a certain meaning and weight to it. Clearly named after his most defining feature, his eyes pierced into Salim, face calm but firm. His arm outstretched in what looked like an attempt at a handshake.

Reaching out, Salim jumped slightly as the man's hand slipped past his and gripped his arm, firmly holding him in locked embrace. The old man’s arm was solid, like attempting to grip concrete, his muscles rock solid as he was pierced by starlight eyes. For several moments, they stood grasping each other, as Salim tried not to show his discomfort at being overpowered by a man that looked twice his age.

“Good to meet you too. I am… Salim, [Monk] of nowhere.” He tried to appear unflustered but Starlight’s eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement at his effort. Finally, the old man let him go and Salim breathed a small sigh of relief; the old man was strong, much stronger than he was.

“Glad to meet you Salim. Although I will admit, I have never heard of a [Monk] before. Not even God has spoken of such a thing, what sort of calling is it?” Starlight asked, motioning Salim to sit down on one of the carved blocks of the amphitheater as they talked.

“It’s…” Salim struggled to come up with an answer. “To [bring peace to all those who are restless].” The answer came unbidden from his mind, the very same description of the class.

The old man looked contemplative at the answer, and took a while to respond. “An intriguing calling, what sort of life does one live to receive such a noble goal?”

“I don't understand.” Salim felt like he was missing some sort of key component to the conversation, some information he wasn’t privy to.

A cocked eyebrow was what he received, “Where are you from? Why did you decide to walk through that forest to get anywhere?”

Salim felt torn on what to tell the man, to attempt to make up something and hope he didn’t get caught? Or to tell the truth and be labeled as crazy or a liar? He quickly made his choice.

“I am from far away, and have traveled a long time to get here. My home is… among those of similar calling. We live in the mountains and discuss philosophy with each other. I was forced to flee through the forest after a… pack of wolves chased me. I ran for three days straight before making it to the borders of your fields.” He was hesitant to explain any more about his ‘home,’ complicating his lie further would only make it harder to remember.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

More waiting as silence overtook them, Starlight judging his answer with an uncomfortably slow weight. Salim waited, trying to predict what he would be asked about next: his ‘compatriots’, the mountains they called home, maybe the name of his group?

Why didn’t I just tell the truth? He wasn’t sure why he lied, just a pocket of suspicion that guided him instead of divulging the similarly unbelievable truth. Too many unanswered questions along with being unsure if he could convince them that he wasn’t crazy. But he also had to admit that it wasn’t entirely logical, he just… lied sometimes when it was convenient.

Finally, Starlight spoke again, “That is certainly quite the tail, did you pass through any villages on your way from the mountains?”

That's an obvious trap. To come clean or deepen the lie?

“I did not, it was an exercise in self sufficiency and restraint. Although, now that period is over and I wish to join your village while I prepare for my next journey.” An obvious bold faced lie, although Starlight didn’t give any hints on if he believed the excuse or not.

“While I have never heard of a [Monk], your calling seems noble and I will allow you to stay in the village. However, you must stay with an elder during your stay here.” The old man's voice was final in his decision and Salim didn’t feel like arguing anyway.

Nodding his head in agreement, Salim stood up with the old man as he was motioned to stay seated as Starlight stood up. The sun had finally vanished behind the horizon, however the moon was yet to appear, hiding just behind the walls of the village. Squinting to see more than the old man in front of him, Salim realized that they were now surrounded by several figures clothed in large fur skinned robes.

They marched towards the stage of the amphitheater in silence, in perfect unison, practiced footsteps one after another. Starlight left his spot by Salim as he joined the robed figures, taking position in the middle of the troupe as they stopped on the stage, seven individuals clustered in a triangle pattern.

Voices. The sound of voices disturbed the reverent silence as Salim jumped and looked around for the source of the noise. Turning his head to look behind he noticed what looked like most of the village filtering into the area, walking down the steps of the amphitheater to sit down.

From small children that screamed and shrieked, to their exhausted parents or grandparents, the whole town seemed to be gathering for whatever was going on. In the darkness, Salim peered around, trying to see the faces of those who had sat near him yet feeling too awkward to speak. No one addressed him either, and everyone seemed to have their own spots that they claimed, filing off into small groups that laughed and chattered.

But he stewed in his loneliness for only a few minutes before everyone seemed to quiet down, breaking him from his self pitying contemplations. Even the children seemed to have stopped their whining and complaining as the figures on the stage seemed to stand higher, moonlight filtering directly onto their hair and foreheads. It was an ethereal glow, haunting in Salim’s opinion although it took on a more reverent air for the people of the village.

A song began from the man standing in the middle, Starlight, his eyes glowing under the luminescence of the moon. It was symphonic, lacking any real words that Salim could recognize as the six others on the stage followed the song with harmony. The music was beautiful, and Salim couldn’t help but be entranced, as he closed his eyes to focus solely on the beautiful sound.

The rest of the village followed, deep base voices combining with flickering soprano in a song that everyone knew implicitly. On the stage the seven seemed to break off, singing a refrain that used the rest of the village to keep pace, as moonlight flowed further down their bodies. Their skin glowed as the moonlight flowed across it, slowly shining brighter as the moon began its ascent.

Salim listened to the song become frantic, building in energy as the moon blanketed the stage in light, and all at once- the song ceased. Silence fell over the village once more, although this was a more contemplative mood than before, he could see even the children tipping their heads towards the stage in what looked like prayer. Again, he was struck with a feeling of deja vu, even though the circumstances were very far apart from each other.

One thing he couldn’t help but notice though, was the lack of pain that Starlight and the six other people seemed to be in. Did they lack mana like he did? Or was it something else? Millions of possibilities and millions of questions.

As the moonlight slowly covered the rest of the village, nothing seemed to happen during the quiet prayer of the village. Salim’s palms sweat as the light finally crept over his body, only relaxing after he confirmed that nothing strange was happening. Did any of the villagers have access to magic? Maybe-

“GOD HAS BLESSED US.” The words sprang from Starlight were loud, penetrating sounds that seemed to impact his very core.

“GOD HAS BLESSED US.” Resounded a chorus of voices, the townsfolk responding in kind.

“THE CRADLE THAT GIVES THE GIFT OF LIFE.”

“WE OWE THE FIRST A DEBT FOR LIFE.”

“KNOWLEDGE FROM THE HEAVENS BESEECHED.”

“TO BRING US TO THE HOLY PLACE.”

“THE TREE THAT HOLDS THIS WORLD UP HIGH.”

“AND GIVES US BOUNTY DESPITE ITS MIGHT.”

The verses continued on and on, a chanting that began to grow into a dull buzzing in his head as he tried to listen. Starlight was doing something, his voice was impressing upon a feeling of reverence, of piety. Salim could feel it, the fire, the spark in the air that was urging him to join in despite not knowing any of the words.

His headache continued to build as the preaching continued, the echoing of voices bouncing around his head like a gunshot. Shaking his head to clear the noises he looked back at the stage to see, light for lack of better words gathering around Starlight. Genuine light whose glow reflected off the faces of the many villagers, the children watching with rapt fascination.

Light enshrouded his body, wrapping around him like the trunk of a tree, slowly growing over him as everyone held their breath at the sight. The tree grew upwards towards the moon which had settled directly above, looming over everything in its enormity.

Was it that close before? He couldn’t remember.

The tree, like the moon, was only partially full, branches had fully extended out, covering the amphitheater in a crescent pattern that mirrored the moon. Luminescent leaves grew across the branches, sending rays of light across the faces of all the villagers. It was a truly beautiful sight.

And it made Salim sick to his stomach.