Heavy gales fiercely descended from the sky over a boundary region. There, the lifeless darkness of the Barren Hills of Deepshadow met the remaining greenery of the Lands of Etheria.
Powerful winds swept through the region's sparse vegetation. They whipped past hills and fields, their force echoing for kilometers.
Amid the storm, eighteen modest houses stood scattered across 30,000 square meters of land, enclosed by a deteriorating fence. The structures creaked under the assault of fierce winds and rain that had already begun flooding portions of the ground.
Throughout the settlement, villagers could be seen securing their windows, while those caught outdoors sprinted through the downpour, splashing through muddy puddles that ranged from black to brown, and their clothes quickly became saturated.
“Alis! Alis, hurry! It’s Bessy! She’s in terrible condition!”
A middle-aged woman’s voice cut through the storm, reaching every house in the settlement.
From one of the furthest houses, a young woman emerged, no more than twenty years old. Standing at 1.6 meters, she possessed a slender yet curved figure stressed by her long dress. Her messily tied wavy hair made her appear even younger, and her pink lips stood out strikingly against her fair complexion.
Alis’s beauty was barely noticeable as she squinted through the rain, trying to locate the source of her fellow villagers’ urgent cries.
Upon realizing someone needed her help, she ducked back inside, emerging moments later with a bag of medical supplies.
Ignoring the rain, she let her long golden hair become drenched as she sprinted toward Bessy’s house, where Mathe continued to call desperately.
She covered the 300 meters between their houses as swiftly as possible, already anticipating Bessy’s condition before her arrival.
“The elder was drinking water when she suddenly started coughing violently. She coughed up blood and then fainted!”
“Let me examine her condition,” Alis said as she entered, disregarding the water she tracked into the home where Bessy lived with her grandchildren.
Bessy’s adult grandchildren stood beside their neighbor, Mathe. Anxiety was etched on their faces as they watched over the village's oldest resident.
As the village healer, 18-year-old Alis had inherited her parents' knowledge of herbs and healing. She examined Bessy’s unconscious form. The 70-year-old woman had a fever and a respiratory infection.
The situation was grave. Alis knew, from her studies and her late parents, that respiratory infections were very dangerous for the elderly.
Working hastily, she ground herbs from her bag with a pestle, combining them with water and an energizing root to create a medicinal mixture.
Gently cradling the head of the white-haired woman, whose face was mapped with wrinkles, Alis helped the eldest villager drink the medicine. Gradually, the pained expression on Bessy’s face eased.
Mathe and Bessy’s grandchildren observed in tense silence, unrelieved by the plain improvement. They had seen similar episodes before, each worse than the last as time passed.
“Sigh!”
Alis exhaled heavily as she rose, wiping her feverish brow, her heart pounding. “I’m sorry, Hew and Davie. I’ve reached the limit of my abilities. While I can ease Elder Bessy’s discomfort, this infection has progressed beyond my abilities. You should prepare yourselves for what is coming.”
Her somber words cast a gray pall over the three villagers, the sound of rain fading as they contemplated the old woman’s impending fate.
“Is it really that severe?” Mathe asked, her tone suggesting desperate hope that she had misunderstood.
Alis nodded solemnly, closing her eyes in grief. “I’m sorry. There comes a point when our bodies simply stop responding to treatment.” She gazed sadly at Bessy. “My parents passed the same way. Despite being skilled healers, they understood that once the body ‘surrenders,’ there’s little anyone can do.”
“This can’t be happening…” one of the young men whispered, his eyes red with unshed tears.
Alis regarded her friends and sighed again. ‘Perhaps with better nutrition…’ she thought secretly, unwilling to voice how different circumstances might have given Bessy a fighting chance. In their current desperate situation, pointing out such possibilities would only deepen their pain.
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Though their village lay within the still-livable border region of the Barren Hills of Deepshadow, the situation had deteriorated steadily over recent years, with an increasingly bleak outlook. Their community of 80 now subsisted on just 40 livestock and a modest agricultural plot that barely met their basic needs. The animals grew weaker daily, approaching the end of their productive lives, too frail even to breed.
Without change, they faced an impossible choice within a few years: take desperate measures or accept their demise.
These thoughts doubled Alis’s pessimism as she struggled to envision any solution for her village.
She moved to Bessy’s doorway, watching the torrential rain assault their settlement. Nearly every house had battened down, its inhabitants seeking whatever shelter they could find.
Even the village animals, typically visible and roaming freely, had vanished from sight.
Through the rain-blurred landscape, Alis saw movement in the distance. A horse-drawn vehicle with three men at its front was advancing through the downpour.
She squinted at the approaching group, initial curiosity transforming into terror as her heart began to race.
“Raiders!” she shouted, sprinting from Bessy’s house toward the community building to sound the warning bell.
Meanwhile, the approaching group remained oblivious to the pealing bells, their sound drowned by the afternoon storm’s thunderous roar.
“This village looks promising, Chief Wy. I wonder what we might find here.”
The mustached, black-haired leader narrowed his eyes and replied simply, “We’ll see.”
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The sound of approaching horses from the south caught Elia’s attention during her afternoon training session. Mounted on one of the village’s steeds and accompanied by Phantom, she paused her exercises to investigate.
The white wolf, linked to Elia through the [Wildheart Talisman], perked up his ears and gazed toward the noise and vibrations. He darted forward, instinctively moving to assess any potential threats.
While Phantom adopted a defensive stance, Elia remained calm, guiding her mount toward the hilltop a few kilometers from the village where she had been honing her magical abilities.
'Perhaps another group of recruiters is returning?' she thought. It was the most likely reason for the commotion.
As she crested the hill, Elia spotted a procession of six carriages escorted by village horsemen, their mounts unmistakable to her trained eye.
Being an equestrian enthusiast, there was no chance she would confuse the village’s horses with any strange animals!
A smile spread across Elia’s face as she recognized yet another group of recruits. Beside her, Phantom relaxed his guard and sat at his master’s side.
Asher led the convoy, immediately revealing its origin to Elia—one of the villages that had previously sent representatives to experience life in the Eternal Village and evaluate the potential for migration.
The sight of carriages brimming with people and their possessions signaled another success for the community.
Excellent! This group will bring us to 150 inhabitants! she thought. Her wide smile, revealing white teeth, showed another positive development this month.
In addition to the upcoming harvest next week, they had recently welcomed three more groups, pushing their population beyond 120. With this new influx, estimated at 30 members, they were close to becoming a small town.
Initially, Elia had opposed expanding the village population, fearing loss of land and betrayal by outsiders. But, after months of successful integration and her own growth as a mage, coupled with a deeper understanding of the threats they faced, she reconsidered. Now, she viewed population growth as crucial, providing more workers, potential guards, and even future mages to bolster their community’s strength and security.
While they lacked a method to awaken mana control in ordinary individuals, Jonn believed that as more people consumed the village’s food, the likelihood of producing new mages would increase.
And with more mages, they stood a better chance in this decaying world!
Satisfied with their success, Elia signaled her horse to gallop back to the village. Phantom loped alongside her during the 15-minute journey to their territory's heart.
As she neared the village, Elia saw a familiar sight. It was like months ago when the first wave of newcomers had camped outside the walls.
The village’s walled section now encompassed 6,000 square meters, yet it struggled to accommodate its current population.
The village lacked expertise in high-density housing. Thus, some recent arrivals had established camps along the southern edge of the walled area, near the bamboo gate.
The 5,000-square-meter expansion was under development again. They were building the last houses possible before needing to extend the wall for more housing.
Due to the village's potential for rapid growth, Elia and the Council were planning a major restructuring. Their next expansion would add a residential zone. Then, they would renovate the village core into residential or commercial areas.
As the population grew, communal life would need to evolve. Elia was considering introducing an internal currency and wage system to streamline resource exchanges within the village.
Once unnecessary, these changes became vital as handicraft trades grew more frequent. To ease future growth, Elia had already imagined many adaptations!
She did not want to overhaul the village's economy. Her goal was to ease exchanges between villagers and to integrate newcomers.
With another large group joining, these plans seemed urgent. So, Elia hurried home to inform her companions about the new arrivals and the village's future.
A cheer erupted at Elia's announcement. Villagers on the outskirts celebrated another recruitment success.
The village elders viewed this as a positive development for their plans, while newer residents saw it as proof of their decision. The influx of newcomers reassured those still uncertain about their choice to move to the Eternal Village.
Meanwhile, Jonn observed the fresh additions from the animal area, noting the arrival of both new animals and people in his community.
Beside Ice—who was still connected to him after he gave up the [Wildheart Talisman]—Jonn saw potential in the new animals. They could become magical beasts. He also hoped the newcomers could help his people grow and might have hidden magical powers.
Eliot and Elia will soon reach level 2, Jonn mused. I hope these additions might yield more Apprentices. Regardless, it's time to expand the Village Guard. I’ll discuss increasing guard training with Petyr later.