“Mercy! MERCY!!!” Jacob screamed.

“Help! Save us!” James screamed.

Everyone looked on from the side as the mother began viciously beating the two boys. Elijah saw the woman throw multiple punches and kicks at the two boys. The brothers had curled into a ball on the ground and tried their best to withstand their mother’s fury.

Nobody showed any intention of interfering in the beating the mother gave the brothers. Although it didn’t look like the boys were being seriously injured, Elijah still worried for the health of the brothers. He decided to give them a chance at survival by drawing everyone’s attention toward himself.

“Ahem.” Elijah coughed. “Hello everyone. My name is Eli.”

“Greetings,” the boys’ father said. “My name is Johnathan. Thank you for bringing our children back safely.”

Johnathan looked like an older version of his sons. His face had more lines, and his eyes held more experience. He was shorter than Elijah, but his physique was more muscular. He gave Elijah a deep bow as he thanked him for his help.

“I didn’t do much. Other than helping them scare off a bear, they were able to easily find their way back.”

“So, you ran into the woods to start fights, huh,” The mother scolded.

Elijah saw the mother was about to resume beating the two boys, so he quickly spoke up in their defense. “James and Jacob said they entered the forest to search for wild herbs. Meeting the bear was bad luck.”

“Is that true?” The mother questioned her sons.

The brothers quickly answered their mother and confirmed what Elijah said was true. They added more details about their trip in the forest to show their mother that they weren’t recklessly looking for fights. Somewhat satisfied, the mother began to calm down and began leading the two boys back to the village. As the brothers walked away, they gave Elijah a brief look of gratitude.

“It’s getting dark. You should stay at my home to rest until morning. My wife is an excellent cook.”

“Jonathan,” A man next to Johnathan spoke. “Do you think now is the best time to be inviting strangers into the village?”

“Aren’t you the one who said that it’s dangerous to travel in the forest at night? Are we going to send him to his death after he took the time to bring my children back?”

The man had no answers to Johnathan’s question. Ignoring the man, Johnathan continued to direct Elijah toward the village. Elijah didn’t want to be the cause of any conflict between the two men, but he didn’t have any choice. He knew his chance of survival in the forest at night was slim and he had no intention of volunteering to leave.

Johnathan, Elijah and three other men began walking back toward the village. Elijah didn’t see any obvious paths or landmark that would help him find his way to the village. However, the four men were confidently walking through the foliage as they led him to the village.

While they walked, Elijah took note of the equipment they wore and the weapons they carried. The men were wearing strong leather armor covered by grey fur. They each carried bows and had a sharp knife by their side. Elijah began to wonder if the men before him were the warriors of the village.

Suddenly, Elijah was out of the forest, and he lost his train of thought before he could ask any questions. Before him was a grassy area free of trees and other foliage. In the center, Elijah saw wooden walls, most likely created for protection of the village.

“I didn’t expect your village to have defenses like this,” Elijah said.

“Yes, our defenses are-” Jonathan started.

“Strong and indestructible,” one of the men interrupted. “It’s capable of weathering all forms of attacks.”

Elijah nodded and said nothing else. He knew that the men didn’t trust him and were worried that he might be an enemy. Instead of being upset by their lack of trust, Elijah was pleased. He was hoping to take control of the first village he found. Therefore, he was happy to see strong defenses, and cautious people. Of course, these aspects would make it harder for Elijah to take over the village.

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The group of five arrived at the village walls and walked through two tall wooden doors. Once they went inside, the first thing Elijah noticed were the fields for crops. They were several meters away from the walls and had one or two houses nearby. Further away were several more buildings that were built closer together.

“My home isn’t too far from here,” Johnathan said. “I’ll bring Eli to visit the elders in the morning.”

Jonathan spoke to the other men as he led Eli away. The other men gave Jonathan a nod and looked a little bit more relaxed. Elijah simply smiled at Jonathan’s words and followed him home.

Surprisingly, Jonathan was one of the farmers for the village and he lived in one of the houses by the fields. The house was a two-story home made of wood, but it looked sturdy and well built. Walking through the door, Elijah entered a room well-lit by candles and a fireplace. There were a few chairs surrounding a table to his right and an area for cooking toward the back of the house. To his left was a staircase leading to the next floor.

“Take a seat and relax,” Johnathan said. “This is my daughter Ava, and you already met my wife, Anna.”

Anna was walking toward the table with a large bowl of food. Ava was sitting at the table with her brother Jacob to her left and James across from her. Jonathon took a seat at the end of the table. Jacob was sitting to his right and an empty seat was available for Elijah at his left.

“Hi Eli. Is it true that you helped my brothers fight a bear?” Ava asked.

Ava was a young girl with light brown skin, brown eyes and long curly dark hair. She looked like a younger version of her mother. She wore a simple white dress and had on fur boots. Elijah took his seat and replied to the young girl.

“We didn’t fight the bear,” he said. “We stared at it until it left us alone.”

“That worked?”

“Yup.”

Ava didn’t believe and began to question her father. Jonathan explained to her why what Elijah and the brothers did was possible. While Jonathan took his time explaining things to his daughter, Anna finished setting the table. She went around the table and filled everyone’s wooden bowl with some stew made of meat and vegetables.

“Alright it’s time to eat,” Anna said.

“Thank you for the meal,” Elijah said.

Elijah picked up his spoon and eagerly dug in. Elijah was told by his future self about how ordinary food tasted better than the food in real life. He was eager to see if his future self was right.

“This is amazing!” Elijah exclaimed after he swallowed his first spoonful of stew.

“Thank you.” Anna responded. “It isn’t my best work, but I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

Elijah nodded along as he shoved food into his mouth, The meal wasn’t complex, but each spoonful tasted amazing. Elijah happily indulged himself in the meal Anna prepared until he suddenly dropped his spoon.

“What’s wrong?” Jonathan asked.

“I, I bit my tongue,” Elijah replied.

Jonathan was surprised at first, but soon he began to chuckle. His daughter started giggling and his sons laughed out loud. Anna laughed as well, and her eyes began to shine with pride. What chef wouldn’t be happy to know that someone enjoyed their food so much they bit their own tongue.

Eventually, dinner was over, and it was time for bed. Anna led the children upstairs after she cleared the table. Johnathan stayed behind to have a private talk with Elijah.

“I’m thankful for the help you gave my sons, but my duty to the village requires me to ask you a few questions. The men that were with me earlier allowed me to bring you to my home because they expected I would properly question you. Also, we can tell that you haven’t cultivated yet.”

“I understand.”

“Good. First, I would like to ask where you are from.”

“I can answer that question, but I think you should mentally prepare yourself for the answer.”

Elijah sat back and watched as Jonathan’s mind began to race. He was thinking about multiple possibilities that were most likely wrong. Eventually, Jonathan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, Jonathan met Elijah’s eyes and gave him a nod.

“I’m from another world,” Elijah smiled as he watched Jonathan’s stunned face. It took a few seconds before Jonathan was able to ask another question.

“What do you mean by another world?”

“A world other than this one.”

“You mean another village?”

“No, another world. A world amongst the stars.”

“You mean another region.”

“Nope.”

Elijah told Jonathan he was from another world because of advice from his future self. This was information that all leader throughout Fallen Heaven were made aware of. Lying about his origin wouldn’t be the worst decision, but it would make people more wary of him and he would lose out on some opportunities.

“The elders said we should be looking for unusual people but…”

“I know it's strange but it’s the truth. If you want, we can wait until tomorrow morning to finish discussing everything with the elders of your village.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’m sure you mean us no harm and I’m not sure what other questions I should be asking you.”

Elijah followed Jonathan up the stairs and was led to a room for guests. Jonathan told him that he was against having the room made, but his wife insisted on it. Elijah silently thanked Anna while he looked over the room.

The room was small, and the only piece of furniture was a bed on the ground. Elijah didn’t mind the lack of furniture because he didn’t really need it. Elijah took off his shoes laid down on the bed and logged out.