He was eaten.

From what he could remember, Ainkard had left the premises of the hunting grounds early in the morning, heading towards the edge of the central jungle to hunt a red-rimmed Ostapi.

Usually, the male greenhorns of the village would be gathered and undergo a coming-of-age trial to prove themselves capable. Those who were successful would be given an abundance of resources, and the right to mate, while those who failed were ignored, given only the left-over resources.

However, it was different for Ainkard. Being the village Head's son, he had to go through the trial at an earlier age than the other boys. It was also harder, in that every trial any future-head had faced was uniquely tailored to each of them, so that they wouldn't be able to train for it, allowing only their general training and innate talent to be used.

And so, when Ainkard had reached the age of 14, he was sent out towards his first trial, which was to hunt the red-rimmed Ostapi by himself.

The 'world' Ainkard had lived in was that of night and day - as in the day was as safe as you can make it, but the night, on the other hand, was synonymous to death itself. Thus, no one ever ventured far away from the outer jungle, not even .

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As to how they stayed safe during the night, was because of the 'Holy Orbs' situated in the premises of the village. The elders had said that these orbs were gifts from the 'Sky Lords'. He'd never seen them before, but according to his father, who once saw them when he was a child, that they were 'Gigantic' in presence, even from afar.

During the day, an adult hunter still needed to use caution, as some creatures like the Ostapi are dangerous enough to cause a fatal injury. With this in mind, the Head sent Ainkard out with body guards, just enough to not let him get killed.

At first, Ainkards expedition went smoothly. They trekked across the large maze-like tree roots, safely avoided beasts and large meat eating plants, and finally getting to the edge of the central jungle.

This was the furthest Ainkard had gone, and just being here he could feel the atmosphere shift, the air was heavier, making it harder for him to breathe and move.

He spent some time trying to adjust and adapt, but when the adult hunters signalled him he honed in.

The dark red shell of the Ostapi was vibrant, something you couldn't miss. Ainkards excitement grew, as his lust to prove himself and desire to shine overcame any rational control he had over his head, making him rush to wards the the Ostapi, ignoring the calls from the adult hunters.

And just as he was about to alert it, the sky above him suddenly went black. A mountain-like object was suddenly spiralling down towards him from the sky.

And then, a second later, he was crushed.