‘It was always so good,’

Is what Chin used think.

It wasn’t that the situation was termed to be bad right now, but it was just slightly different from before.

“Are you ready?” Chin asked his brother Shin as they walked out of his house, which faced a green lush forest with all kinds of tress in it. The house was a part of the Vivet’s external region. Not included in any village nor any special province.

Why?

Well, they were considered to be some special types of people who specialized in medicines, commonly known as ‘Herbis’. They lived afar from normal communities and were reached out only when in need. Forests were their preferred location of stay. They were called upon only when a disease or there wasn’t any cure for an unknown disease. Their prescription was thought to be unrivalled and would never fail.

“So, what are we looking for today? Dad?” Shin asked out of curiosity as he saw his father walking outside of the same house with a haversack on him.

“White Lotus.” His father answered with a thin smile on his face.

Hearing the find of the day, they both jumped out of joy. Delight was in their posture and their words. They were undoubtedly very excited.

“Now, don’t be hasty.” Father walked up to them and crouched to pat them both, “These flowers are very rare and so very hard to find.”

“Doesn’t matter how hard. We’ll find it.”

“Yeah, we always do it.”

They both cheered up and looked at each other with pure determination. It seemed that they both had placed bets on who will find it first.

“Always this excited, are we?”

A voice came with succeeding footsteps towards them. It was a short man with bulky body and a large head with short hair.

He was a normal village man who had been friends with the Herbis for a long time.

“Morning, Brock!” said the Father with a waving hand and a smile which reflected like the mild sunlight.

“Good Morning, Mhin!” The man replied with the same gesture as his friend.

“Oh you are here as well?” Mr. Mhin looked at me and patted my head. “Wanna join us?”

He asked me.

I always was one of the them in their quests of finding suitable herbs. Mr. Mhin used to call them ‘Expeditions in the unknown’. My father was a common villager with a normal routine which included working in his fields. I always used to come with my father and then one day had a fall which injured my knee. That time I was seen my Mr. Mhin and he diagnosed and treated me with medicines. Also that was the time when I met Chin and Shin, his two twin sons.

“Uhm- not today.” My father responded as he held my hand in order to stop me from going anywhere.

“Something the matter, Brock?” Mr. Mhin asked him with a demented look.

My father looked around and ensured that no one was near.

“They have declared ‘The Purge’. I mean you guys don’t have to worry about it, but if my son is seen doing something uncommon then….”

My father answered with a concerned yet frightening tone.

“I understand.” Mr. Mhin answered and then started walking away. It felt like he didn’t feel right or maybe the answer didn’t satisfy him, but either way he was unhappy.

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“Mhin, you should probably leave your sons here as well. Just a precaution.”

“Thank you for your concern, Brock.” Mr. Mhin replied with a smile, “But I need to teach my sons and also its just 25 years. For some reason, I don’t know why but they just feel too short.”

The Purge at the time was initialized by the five kingdoms to eradicate the Darkels.

Darkels- are thought to be of an evil race which worshiped by the infamous God of Death. It is said that the God of Death was tyrant and also misused his power to torture the people around. The myths even say that he placed a curse of the whole of humanity. He was finally defeated by the Elemental Gods and the Supreme God, but they couldn’t lift the curse. Up until this date though no one knows what the curse is about, but half of them aren’t even aware of this myth.

After defeating the God of Death, his followers were send to hell, many were burned and half them skewered to death. But, during The Purge many innocent people were investigated and beaten in search of any Darkels. Anyone who was thought or seen doing suspicious activities was captured and then questioned.

He looked towards the forest and then the sky, “Don’t you feel that way too. Sometimes I feel like we are suppose to live much more yet sometimes I feel like we aren’t supposed to. Sometimes I even doubt myself by helping someone….I feel like I am trying to evade their destiny, but then sometimes I feel like this what I should do.”

He stood like a stone for few seconds and then started walking towards the forest but his footsteps were blocked by an incoming arrow. The arrow wedged itself in the ground, Mr. Mhin looked at the arrow with a confused reaction. Suddenly there were rattling sounds and neighing of horses.

Three horses with three men riding on their back were spotted. We all tried to take a closer look, but then couldn’t see a thing. The horses took a halt few steps away from the house and the three men walked towards us.

They were armed, two with long spears and one with a sword. All of them were dressed in red cloth. It kind of looked like an uniform.

“Sir, I need to ask you a few questions-” one of them tried to speak, but as he was speaking the one with the sword lashed in front of them. He drew his sword out and then with just one stroke, one slash…..he beheaded Mr. Mhin.

I stood there with my eyes wide open and trying to understand what was happening, but everything happened so quickly that I didn’t have any time to grasp it. I stood and watched Mr. Mhin’s head falling on the ground and tumbling. It rolled towards my feet…..I was scared and ran behind my father.

“Sire, why did you….” asked one of the men as he saw the headless body in front of him.

“Go get rid of the woman in the house.” He responded without replying to the question.

“But…”

“You are going to follow your orders.” The man with the sword said as he wiped his sword and walked away without even flinching. He mounted on his horse and rushed back again.

I stood there watching them leave, but suddenly my eyes caught Chin walking upto his father’s dead corpse. Shin wasn’t moving an inch.

“Dad?” said Chin with his face all baffled and tears in his eyes.

“Dad?”

“Dad!!!!”

He screamed and embraced the corpse, meanwhile Shin ran back towards the house, but he was late. Until then his mother was killed as well.

No one knows what happened that day, but everyone knew who was the reason.

Next day,

I was met with four corpses skewered with an allegation of them being a Darkel….

*****

“After that day they both were never the same, mainly Chin.” Buzz said as he patted his knee to wipe off some dust, “And I don’t really blame them.”

The atmosphere was quiet and stagnant, twinkling stars were the only thing which guaranteed that the time was moving.

The night sky made the perfect ambience to get some sleep and rest, but being this good the sky couldn’t help to ease the pain.

“The Purge, huh?” Mikhail huffed, “This is one of the reasons why I hate Pentacross.” he said as he walked some distance and took a halt as he watched into the trees.

I looked over to Maria and she was in tears, she couldn’t hold them.

Avon and Krial sat still with no movement.

‘Seems like this didn’t affect them.’

“Anyways, you can guys should sleep. Don’t worry, I’ll be on the watch.”

Buzz said as he laid down his weapons and picked up some wood to light a fire.

I had no reason to deny it, but I tried raising my voice to help him keep watch..

“No. Sleep.”

Buzz replied and to which Maria pulled me by my neck to make me go to sleep. She was practically choking me, but everyone had a slight chuckle which made the pain worth of it.

*****

[Mikhail’s POV]

Everyone was asleep, but I felt like something was off. I got up and started inspecting. On my right slept Mortis and on left was Avon.

I stood up and checked my surroundings, looked at the ground and something was amiss. I raised my head, but I couldn’t find Buzz.

In that moment I lifted up Mortis’ spear which was lying down beside him. I raised it and wagged it towards my right above Mortis.

‘Clank!’

Made the sound of two weapons clashing as I blocked an incoming swing.

“Seems like a Pee-break is actually useful.” I remarked as I made my grip on the spear firm.

“Great. Great senses, you’ve got there.”

Replied the attacker.

“Yes, Nikola….”