“M…my sister? My sister is… here?” – Samuel looked at the small card the stranger just gave him in disbelieve- “Jess’s EU ID card.” –he murmured, then quickly opened the letter.

“Dear Sammie,

If you reading this letter, then that mean you’d already meet my friend Elesil. I hope you’re well and safe, and rest assure that I’m safe and in good health as well. Right now, I’m staying with Elesil’s family at the Eternal Forest, northern of Varlaurea continent. My friend Elesil will accompany you and guide you on your way to the Eternal Forest, I wish you safe travel and looking forward to meet you again.

Your sister.

Jessie.”

“My sister… really is here? In… this world?” -Samuel bewildered by the revelation.

“Like the letter said, I will be your guide and help you reunited with you sister,” The stranger said.

“What happens here?” The inns owner came to the table.

“Mr. Kranwolf, my sister, my sister is here, she looking for me,” Samuel turned to the inn owner with joy in his voice.

“Your sister?” –Kranwolf took a look at the letter- “Hum… what kind of writing is this?”

“Well, it’s from my… homeland. Basically, it says my sister is well and she waiting for me at the, er… Eternal Forest,” Samuel said.

“The Eternal Forest?” –Kranwolf’s eyes wide open for a second, then turned his gaze toward the stranger- “Then… you might be…”

“Be careful Samuel, I don’t think you should trust him.” Kranwolf whispered to Samuel.

“What? Why?” Samuel surprised.

“I am assured you that all the items I just shown you were authentic and had been gave to me by you own sister” -the stranger interrupt the two men.

“No, no, I believed you,” Samuel said

“Ya sure about this, young man?” Kranwolf concerned.

“I wished I could explain, but all these things he just gave me are legit evidence,” Samuel said with great certainty.

“Alright, if you so sure about this” -Kranwolf took a puff from his pipe.

Casha curiously approached the men, after the a few word explained what happening, she happily congratulated Samuel. But then the sounds of bell rang through the air cut short their conversation.

“The temple’s bell? Something happens” -Kranwolf concerned.

Outside of the inn the villagers were at haste, men, women, young and old were heading toward village’s temple. A men-at-arm form the local lord in full gear, mounted a velelis and galloped passed the inn in a hurry, something was happening, Samuel and everyone in the inn quickly made their way to the temple and saw the men-at-arm had lined up waiting for order and the village’s militia was being arm. This only mean one thing, the village about to be attack. Soon, the captain of the men-at-arm quickly briefed everyone about the situation, from his word, a group of armed men with unknown origin was heading toward the village, and he ordered the women, children and the elderly must take shelter at the village’s temple, the most fortified building of the village, and barricade inside, why every able man have to join the militia and fight to protect their home.

“Challenger” –the stranger Elesil pulled Samuel away from the crowd- “this is not good; we should leave while we still can, I have had velelis ready for the two of us.” –sensed hesitation in Samuel, Elesil urged- “Come, Samuel, you do not belong to this world you need not to involve yourself.”

Indeed, took over his Samuel’s mind, hesitation did. As the crowd roused up from the fact that their home was about to be attack. Watched the women gasped, saw the men dreaded, and witnessed the children bewilderedly look to their parent with their innocent eyes filled with fright. Samuel wondered if he should just take off and leave like this, leave these people to fight on their own, especially the family that had sheltered and cared for him in the past three months. Should he leave? Should he? What would a man… an able man like him should do in this situation? Obviously he should help, anyone who is not a coward would stay and help, would stay and fight. Is he a coward? Such absurd idea, of course he’s not a coward. But still, if so then why he felt so hesitated? Is it because of what he had experienced? These old memories flashing inside his head right that moment.

“No, please don’t do this” –a familiar voice of a young girl reached Samuel ears and interrupt his thought.

Samuel’s eyes darted around and found the owner of the voice he just heard, near the weapon wagon where the volunteered crowd were being arm. There was a teenage girl familiar to his eyes, face filled with dread and worry, she kept pleading to the middle-aged man, her father. Although she spoke in Bricatish, but thanked to his time spent here, he was able to understand most of the words spoken.

“Please, don’t go, father, it’s too dangerous let the others fight, you not a young man anymore nor you’re a warrior,” Casha pleaded to her father, tear about to overflow from her eyes.

“Oh, you silly, I’ll be fine, like the good captain said, those thug’s number were only a few dozens to about one hundred max, while we’re in the hundreds.” Kranwolf reassured his daughter.

“but” – Casha persisted but Kranwolf cut her off.

“Ey… listen kiddo, listen to me, me and your mum had built that inn from empty hand, I won’t let those filths do whatever they want” –Kranwolf held his daughter face, wiped away a tear- “And why am I doing this is because of you, you’re my most precious thing in this world, that why I must do this, now get inside the temple, go on child.”

Samuel’s tread hastily without thinking much, his body acted by instinct or by his training he didn’t know nor cared. As Elesil look on and shook his head in discontentment, Samuel quickly wiggled through the crowd, he came near the crying teenage girl, slightly squeezed her shoulders to give assurance.

“Get inside the temple Casha, I’ll watch out for him,” Samuel spoke to the girl and gave her a comforting smile.

“T… thanks you,” Casha spoke in tear, bowed in thankful and finally reluctantly heading toward the temple.

Received a short sword and a helmet from a man-at-arm, Samuel heading to the crowd and look for Kranwolf, but someone suddenly grabbed his arm and pull him away from the volunteer crowd.

“Come over here with me for a moment, please” -Elesil pulled at Samuel’s arm.

When they cleared off of the crowd and curious eyes, Elesil put his palm on the middle of Samuel chest and mumbled something in a language that Samuel couldn’t understand. Before Samuel could utter a word about what the man was doing, his skin felt a weird sensation. The best Samuel could describe that sensation was to recall the time when his was little, in science class and was having fun with the static electricity ball. A very faint tingling sensation tickling the neuron under his skin as he felt some kind of invisible field enveloped him.

“W… what the bloody hell did you just do?” Samuel said, awkwardness filled his voice.

“Something to guarantee your survival,” Elesil said, and headed back to the inn.

Such an odd fellow, Samuel thought to himself as he followed the crowd to where they would deploy. After a while, Samuel found Kranwolf in the crowd and told him to stuck closely to him, to the man’s surprise. But when they reached their deployment spot, a person armed with sword and dagger came near and joined the two of them, to their surprise.

“Both of you stay close to me and we will get through this unharmed,” Elesil spoke.

After the prep talk from the captain, they quickly get to their position. Followed the captain’s plan, a portion of the militia and about a dozen men-at-arm would stay and protected the temple while the rest would lie and wait inside houses on the road lead to the west, the direction that the bandits were approaching from according to the scout’s report.

Silent and a dreadful air weighted down on everyone head inside the house where Samuel’s group was hiding in. Obviously aside from the men-at-arm, fear could be sense clearly from all the men in the room. Samuel could saw the dread and the hesitation in them eyes, feel heard the way their breath shake, noticed their hand tremble and the way some of them shifted their weight and slight step backward, backward to the rear of the group so they wouldn’t be the first one to charge out, it was understandable that they were afraid, kind of reminded Samuel what he’d felt when he engaged in his first battle. Felt sorry for them, was what on Samuel’s mind, these people were just normal mundane folks, farmers, craftsmen and traders, who just want to mind their own business and take care of their family. Samuel patted the shoulder of a young man stood in front of him, the poor guy was barely old enough to be call a man, and was trembling like scare puppy, with a friendly and assurance smile to calm his nerve, Samuel signal the young man to get behind him.

Then, a little surprise, Samuel realized there was one person that didn’t gave off the aura of frightened like the others but the exactly opposite, an aura of calmness came from the person stood next to Samuel, in fact, Samuel couldn’t tell if that person’s breathing rhythm under that hood had ever changed.

“Oh right, we haven’t properly introduced each other” –reached out his hand to Elesil- “Samuel Challenger, please to meet you.”

“Elesil, Elesil Ithilon” –stated his name, Elesil grabbed and shook Samuel’s hand with a smile- “Likewise.”

Muffled noises came from outside the house took everyone’s attention, muffled sounds of footstep. Slowly but steadily, from afar those sounds of footstep marching toward them, the captain peeked through the window and communicated with hand sign with an archer on the second floor of the opposite house from him.

“About eighty, approaching fast” -the archer communicated with hand sign.

“eighty? Less than earlier report, where’s the rest of them, were they broke off? And to where” –the captain thought- “They’re coming everybody ready, be brave.” –the captain put a whistle into his mouth and drawn his sword. The few men-at-arm in the group tuck behind their shield, ready to charge out on the captain’s signal, Samuel and Elesil get into position right behind the men-at-arm. The footsteps outside grew closer and closer, sweat rolled down Samuel face, as his heartbeat increased and adrenaline flooded his bloodstream, to prepare him for the combat about to come.