Life in the Osma Reaches was not the easiest, but the people of the Ohm Village made do with what they had.
A lush and rich foliage, abundant water and a forest teeming with wildlife guaranteed you would never starve. It would have been a serene life on the frontier. If only they were left alone.
The villagers of Ohm started their monotonous day once more. The hunters readied their bows and arrows and searched the forest to check their traps. The women also followed along with baskets on their hips to gather mushrooms, herbs, and wild vegetables. The elderly took the role of the village's spiritual leaders and presented their daily offerings to the altar of their gods. And the children...
There were no children that could be seen around the vicinity. Several babies and young offspring can be seen saddled on their mother's chest as they gathered the wild vegetables of the forest. And yet, no children older than five winters are present. That was, but one.
"Numa! Have you awoken, my child? The hunters have left. Catch up to them, anon!" A gruff, elderly voice called out.
It was a room built underground, below the huts that were the dwelling of the villagers. The passage to the room was obscured and tricked into being part of the floor as if the owner did not want anyone to know there was such a room. It was a rudimentary room with only a bed and a basket weaved from wood and leaves that served as storage.
"Y-yes, Elder Van! I apologize! I did not sleep well last night." A young boy replied. He looked twelve winters in age and wore clothing made of leather and fur like the other villagers. His skin was light brown with long hair that was tied into a ponytail. He was skinny, yet one can see it was not through malnourishment but rather hard labour that was not suitable for such a frail young body.
"That's Elder Vanir, to you! I am not your friend, do not shorten my name." The older gentleman wore similar clothing, yet one can see a crown made out of vines resting on top of his head, the symbol of an Elder. He was upstairs and talking to the boy that was hidden in the room.
"It's not like I have any friends left here..." The boy murmured in response.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! Alright, I will take my leave!" The boy rushed upstairs and opened the hidden door on the wooden floor.
"Don't linger around the village! The Hydarians will arrive soon to steal things from us." Elder Vanir said to the boy as he saw the boy walk out.
"You mean taxes? At least, that's what they call it..." Numa, the young boy, replied.
Elder Vanir furrowed his brow and grimaced. "No, steal. Listen, boy. You don't want them to take you away as well. We do not receive anything for these tributes we give to them. Nothing. No protection, no benefits, nothing in return. They only take our lands, our children, and our tribes. This...' taxation' as they call it, they do not deserve it." He explained grimly.
The boy stood in silence for a while, downcast. "I'm leaving," he said as he walked out of the door.
"Boy!" Elder Vanir called out angrily.
Numa stopped in his tracks.
"We are the Ohm, part of the great alliance of the Osma led by the Druids. We are the original people, where the legends state all life on all lands originated. This...hardship we are experiencing is nothing compared to our rich history. We may currently be subjugated, but we will never lose our pride. Do not give in to the lies of the Hydarians. Do you hear me?" Elder Vanir bellowed.
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"Yes.." The boy replied softly and left. Elder Vanir could only sigh as he saw the boy leaving.
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Numa left for the forest, yet he did not go to where the hunters or the gatherers were. He went in a different direction closer to the mountain that was located near the forest. Mount Hoop as the local people called it. No one knew of the meaning of the name, some say it originated from the old tongue of the ancients.
Numa was a skilled explorer of the forest, he flew through the forest and knew exactly where to put his foot every time he took a step to travel faster. The chirp of various avian creatures can be heard. The grass and leaves were wet with dew. Numa also looked for animal tracks and knew when to turn in a different direction so he would not disturb any dangerous beast.
"The original people...it's a load of nonsense. The Osma alliance and the Druids lost to the Hydarians, why should we be proud of who we are? All the other children my age have been taken away...they must be enjoying life in Hydaria. I hear it's much more comfortable than this forest, at least." Numa grumbled to himself as he navigated the forest.
The reason he was travelling into the mountain was a cave that he found yesterday on the foot of Mount Hoop. He did not like to hang out with the hunters, he was already proficient in hunting at his young tender age. He was an explorer at heart, and a cave was to be his new sanctuary.
"I didn't have time to enter yesterday. But now! there should be nothing dangerous around..." The boy muttered to himself.
After another hour of trekking through the forest, the cave was in sight. It was obscured by the foliage and vines that grew from the trees nearby. Numa took out a bone dagger and started cutting through the vines.
"I'm ready." He said as he managed to cut the final piece of the vine that hindered his entry. "Let's enter."
One of the things that he brought was some sort of container. Inside of it was the glow moss that grew near the river. The moss had the mysterious ability to glow brightly in the darkness, and the villagers utilize them to illuminate their huts come sundown.
To Numa's surprise, the cave did not extend into the vast network that he was imagining. Instead, there was something that was hindering him from that adventure—a broken door made out of metal.
"Huh?" The boy said in surprise. He walked closer to the broken door and began examining it. "It looks similar to the material that the Hydarians use for their weapons and protective clothing. But..." Numa began touching it and looking closer. "Maybe not the same. This looks stronger somehow."
The door was torn diagonally enough to let a smaller body like Numa enter. The inside was pitch black in the darkness.
"Maybe I should inform the Elders..." Numa was scared of such an unknown, but he cannot help but be slightly excited. He was a connoisseur of the legends, and his adventurous spirit was screaming to him that this was the beginning of a tale.
Numa shook his head. "I must go in. I must."
He braved himself and squeeze his body inside the door, slightly hesitating.
The interior was made of the same material the boy had examined, only it enveloped the ceiling, walls, and floors. Numa had never seen such a thing.
"Did the gods make this?" He said.
The corridor was lit by his glow moss. He began venturing deeper inside the hallway until he found an opening.
"By the Seven..." Numa exclaimed as he saw the space around him.
The room was massive, with constructions beyond the minds of anyone alive. Indeed, it truly looked like it was made by the gods themselves. Numa began exploring, he saw various contraptions that escaped his careful analysis. He knew not what they do nor why they were there. His mind was spinning, he felt sick just being in such a place.
"I changed my mind. I must inform the Elders. This is madness." Numa's brown face was almost white as his blood was drained with fear.
Numa almost turned to leave until he saw one contraption that stood out. A rectangular box of sorts, various vines and tubes were connected to it. The boy touched the box but quickly retracted his hand.
"It's freezing! What is this?" He shouted.
Numa began to circle the box until he noticed what appeared to be a lever of sorts. His human intelligence and intuition — despite not knowing any function of this contraption — were telling him to pull this lever to achieve some kind of effect. And so he did.
"Forgive me, Elder Van! I am too curious!" He shouted as he pulled the lever.
As the lever was pulled, various machinery around him roared to life. Blinking lights and the roars of machines were suddenly audible. The box's hatch was opened quickly to reveal a young man inside.
The boy's head frantically turned in every direction in confusion.
"What did I do!?" He shouted in fear.
Finally, the boy turned his attention back to the box, he finally saw the young man inside. A tall figure wearing mysterious clothing. He had tanned bronze skin and hair to his shoulder. In a heartbeat, his eyes shot open.
" A demon!" The boy screamed in fear and fell on his buttocks. His screams continued for a few more seconds until his eyes turned white and he lost consciousness.
The figure inside the box took his time to adjust to the situation before finally noticing the boy. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets and he leapt from the box.
"A human!" Manusya, the man frozen in time, bellowed in happiness.