The wind was rustling the dark forest's leaves as they danced to the flute's music, the campfire roaring with sparks as Togat threw yet another stick into it.

It has been two days since the tragic event which further scarred these young minds. The group was left with only 9 children from the initial 13. Togat still remembered how everyone cheerfully left the village at the promise of greatness, of getting their Origin awakened in them, becoming stronger, faster, smarter, and many other things.

Yet now, Togat could only see damaged kids listening to the flute‘s soothing music while sitting around the campfire near the Great Road of Hades. They were silent, looking at the fire and not fearing its heat, something that was innate to the demon’s blood.

Togat, after what he's been through, couldn't comprehend the Magi of Old's thinking, letting children venture out alone into the dangerous wilderness. He didn't understand how seeing his childhood friends, all like brothers and sisters to him, dying, would help him become a stronger, more capable demon. As they already finished half of the journey, the number of questions he held inside himself kept growing. Nonetheless, he promised his dear villagers he would protect his group, their children, 'even if that isn't working out right now.’ Looking up from the fire, he saw the faces of everyone left.

There was Aizora, the second oldest of the group at 11 years, looking at the old worn journal gifted to her by her mother. Her family, the Jaceli's, have been the greatest cooks of the village for several generations now, having the highest chances of awakening the Origin of Cook. It was a tradition of theirs to pass on the great-grandmother's cookbook, which contained all the more noteworthy recipes, to the oldest child going for their awakening, and that means Aizora. In the beginning of the journey, she would excitedly come up to Togat and say something alongside "I really hope we will find some Mandrok roots, I read that when it's added to a dish it will give us boundless energy!"

And Togat would joke," I hope not, I think any more energy to you would send you off flying for the moons and getting caught by the Gods for trying to steal their moonlight!" And that got him a punch or a kick for being, as Aizora put it, " you old man, who only knows how to shatters young maiden's dreams!".

Slightly smiling Togat looked over to Aizora's little brother, Janovio. He was one of the most mischievous of the group. Being 9 years old, he had dark black hair, puffy cheeks, and arms that were a bit too short for him. At the start of the journey, after he had executed his master plan of putting a spider in his sister's hair and her noticing it and screaming for her life, he would laugh with all his might, usually making wild animals in their vicinity flee.

After that Hertona, one of the 8-year-old girls, said "You are mean Janovio, I hope your mother makes you cook and eat Perfosiami fruit for a whole week when we come back!" It indeed would be the right punishment, as these fruits smelled like death.

"I don‘t need to cook, I can do whatever I want! My mother and father said only Aizora needed to inherit their cooking skills so I can be the King of Mischief!" He said and Togat interrupted him "Just hope you won't awaken the Origin of Mischief, I heard their only way to make money is by being a clown." And everyone laughed at the imagined Janovio in his clown costume, his face full of paint, while his arms were still too short for his body dancing to a noble lady at her request for entertainment.

‘‘You would still need to be a cook as there‘s a chief in mischief!‘‘ Said Aizora and the little Janovio paled at that.

Hertona was the one playing the flute right now, looking a little better than everyone, probably because she had her hobby on the journey. Looking up from her flute, she asked Togat ‘‘Will we be fine big brother? I miss them...‘‘ and Togat just looked at her, knowing he couldn‘t guarantee his words, fear and pain evident in his eyes ‘‘ We have already reached the main road, so there won‘t be any more accidents Hertona, I promise.‘‘ From the other side of the campfire the blond-haired Raclosio jumped up, shouting with tears in his eyes ‘‘You promised us that before we left the village! Can we just go back? I want to go back to my mom!‘‘ And the other kids started tearing up too, wanting the same thing as Raclosio. Togat looked at him, wanting to reply but the words were stuck in his throat. He really wished for the same thing, but the elders have told him about the hunters sent by the Magi slaying a whole village because they collectively agreed to not send their children into this dangerous journey. He missed his mom and dad too, those safe walls of his room, his desk, drawers full of interestingly shaped rocks, but he would gladly take this journey if that meant not getting his parents killed.

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Finally he spoke as sparks from the campfire rose up into the boundless starry sky ‘‘I will try as best as I can to keep you safe, it has been my duty from the beginning and I failed at that.‘‘

‘‘You know what would be fun right now?‘‘ Said Ainazo, a sad little smile on his ‘‘Some Purfosa berries, we could all swear at the monsters and they would run away.‘‘ And that got him several hushed laughs and a little grin on Togat‘s face.

‘‘Don‘t you remember getting beat up by Aizora‘s mother with a broom because you called her an old hag after you ate some of them? Because I still remember you whining about your butt hurting for several days.‘‘ Said Togat and everyone laughed, while Ainazo blushed, remembering how Aizora‘s mother became a scary monster and chased him 6 times around the village while lecturing him on respecting his elders.

Feeling the better mood around her, Hertona put her flute to the mouth and started playing a happier tune, putting everyone at ease, soothing their tired minds of all that happened. She was certain to awaken an Origin of Bard, as from birth her little head would bop up and down to the villagers playing their instruments and her fast learning speed at playing those instruments herself.

Jafry, the only 7-year-old left, voiced out his worries‘‘How will I get awaked? My mom said it will be a bright light and then I will be stronger, but she didn‘t tell me if it hurts...‘‘

‘‘As the elders said to me, we would go up to this big purple stone and touch it, somehow the bright light will see our Origin and awaken it, then write it on one of its sides so you can know what you get, I heard it can be quite painful in older children, so I think you shouldn‘t worry Jafry‘‘ said Togat, while thinking what kind of pain he would experience for being this old.

‘‘But I cannot read! How will I know what I get?‘‘

‘‘There is an official scribe in place for that, as I heard he writes down your name, your home village, and your Origin while reading it out loud for you. I don‘t know much myself, as another rule of those Magi was that awakened ones couldn‘t tell unawakened ones much of what it feels to be an awakened.‘‘ Said Tagot while thinking about what it would feel to be one of the awakened.

‘‘That‘s a stupid rule...‘‘ said Jafry and went to the nearest bag and got some fruit to munch on while saying ‘‘I think I overheard some of the uncles talking about something called levels while playing outside with Joanna, what could that be?‘‘

‘‘I think they said levers, you know for those pulley things at windmill they were repairing.‘‘ answered Joanna, an 8-year-old girl, and Jafry‘s cousin.

‘‘No, I heard them say levels! They said uncle Koan went up a level‘‘

Togat was interested as he has heard several mentions from the grown-ups about these levels too, but couldn‘t find anyone who talked about them to him. He had a theory that they were the things that made the awakened stronger but he wasn‘t sure.

The cold wind slowly drifted around the campfire, everyone coming a little closer to the fire to enjoy its heat. Ferona, the last of the group and a 9-year-old, looked up to see a massive cloud of little blue lights floating to them from the dark forest wiggling their way through the trees, going where the wind went. ‘‘Is that the Eurora bugs?! My father saw them once in his travels, they are a good omen he said!‘‘ Said Ferona and everybody looked at the soft blue blobs of light floating all around them now, going up from the campfire. It was like the sparks of fire and the little blue lights were dancing together, creating a dazzling sight for the observers. Everybody could feel that the world wasn‘t all that bad at that moment and went to their tents after the light show ended as the wind carried it away.

That night the group‘s members had wonderful dreams and serene smiles on their faces as they slept.