As a young man moved away, leaving behind a mysterious tension and the apple tree, Luna stood beside him, watching Toki for a moment.
Toki understood her message despite the distance between them.
A young man with brown hair streaked with white strands, wearing a loose farming outfit made of rough cotton, dark blue in color, raised his hands and said:
"Yah! My secret's been exposed..."
Orfin shouted, glancing at him sideways with his hands behind his back:
"Stop fooling around, and come on over! And don't forget to welcome our guests."
Orfin turned toward Toki and Sophie, signaling them not to worry about him, then pointed to Shon, saying:
"This is Shon, he always protects the village and supports its people. He's an inspiration to everyone here."
Shon chuckled lightly, leaping down from the hill, then said:
"Impressive, kid! I liked your reaction…"
Toki's expression remained calm, though he was slightly puzzled.
"…"
Shon landed on his feet as the wind whipped around them. Touki glanced at him. Then Shon added, with a mix of humor and seriousness:
"Did you know that those stones could destroy half the mountain?"
Someone shouted angrily—Raizel, wearing a red leather cap with sharp features:
"What were you thinking? Trying to kill us? Huh!"
Raizel jumped down from the hill, and Luna returned to Orfin and Touki's side.
As Shon reached out to shake Touki's hand, Touki's hair suddenly spiked up like a porcupine, muttering to himself:
"This guy… is he messing with me, or trying to start a fight?"
Luna sighed at the situation, while Sophie tried to stifle her laughter.
Shon said playfully:
"Welcome to Front Village–" pressing his hands slightly.
They continued walking until they entered the meeting hall, built from marble with a simple design.
The room consisted of two areas:
The first: the living room, with a rectangular table in the center and ten chairs around it.
The second: the kitchen, for general and special preparations.
Between the two rooms was a staircase leading to the second floor, where tea sessions were held.
Orfin sat in the front chair, while Touki, Luna, and Sophie sat on another side, with Shon and Raizel opposite them.
A silence lingered for a while before Orfin spoke:
"We welcome you once again. As I mentioned earlier, people rarely come here. Front Village serves as a link between the borders of the Dawn Kingdom and the Unknown Lost Forest…"
Toki crossed his arms, focusing on Orfin's words, who continued:
"There are seven other villages along these borders, each known for its strengths. For example, our village is famous for its apples and rich, ripe crops."
Orfin placed his hands on the table and looked at them, then informed them about the option to stay overnight in the village.
Toki exhaled slightly and said:
"I wish to reach that kingdom as soon as possible."
Shon, curious, asked quietly:
"I wouldn't advise leaving in your current state. The costs are high too."
Toki turned to him, while Luna asked:
"Why can't we leave now?"
Shon clasped his fingers silently:
"Because you're weak, and you won't survive there."
Sophie glanced around while swinging her legs but suddenly felt her heart race as the atmosphere changed.
Toki stared sharply into Shon's eyes:
"And so? Will you stop me?"
Shon responded calmly:
"No, I won't stop you. You're free."
Toki replied coldly:
"Really? And you don't even know anything about us."
Shon leaned back, hands behind his head, and spoke in a mysterious tone:
"Then I'll just kill you, no matter if you're a boy or a child. Believe me, it's for your own good—and yours too."
Orfin stroked his chin, staring at Shon—he had never seen this side of him before—and then glanced at Sophie, pondering the rarity of vampires outside their homeland.
Toki anticipated Shon's response, raised his eyebrows, and then sighed.
Shon offered a deal to work with him in exchange for information about the kingdom, as he had visited it before. Luna saw in his words what seemed like a message for them.
Toki thought for a moment, then turned to Luna, who agreed to the offer, and he did too.
Shon added that the work would start in two days in the morning and that they would stay at his house.
Everyone stood to leave, and Orfin said before they went:
"A welcome party will be held here. Make yourselves comfortable, and you can also explore the village."
---
In one of the alleys, two small children were watching Sophie, the girl with crimson hair.
One of them said:
"Come with me, don't worry."
They ran toward her, inviting her to join and have fun with them.
Sophie asked: "What about your relatives?"
She looked at Toki and Luna, and Luna waved her hand with a slight smile:
"Take your time, Sophie. Didn't Master Orfin mention that?"
Sophie smiled, and the boy took her hand, saying:
"Come on! Let's play tag. What's your name?"
Sophie answered cheerfully:
"My name is Sophie. And yours?"
The girl replied: "I'm Anna, and this is my brother Ray, but we're friends."
Meanwhile, Raizel went to prepare invitations for the party by Orfin's order, while Shon headed home to prepare a room for Touki and cancel the day's tasks.
The weather was clear, warm, and mild, with sunlight streaming through the house windows. Some villagers peeked out, some hung wet clothes, and others watered their plants.
---
Beneath this lively scene, Toki and Luna walked, discussing what they had seen.
Toki said flatly:
"I'll take half of the things we brought from the maze…"
Luna replied calmly:
"Alright, we need to think about how to make use of them."
Toki looked down a nearly empty straight street:
"You're right… what do you think about storing them until the right time?"
Luna closed her eyes briefly and smiled:
"That sounds good. Leaving half behind will lighten the load a bit."
As they spoke, three young girls appeared from an alley. Luna's beauty captivated them—her white hair, lashes, and sapphire-like eyes, as people described.
One called out: "Hey, you there!"
Another, with green hair and a simple dress, said: "We heard there are new people in the village. Can we meet you?"
The third girl nodded with a bright smile.
Luna waved to Toki to join later at the party and focused on answering their curious questions.
---
Toki continued on, observing his surroundings until he reached a juice shop. He pushed open the swinging door and walked steadily, causing the customers to pause for a moment. He sat on a round stool and ordered apple juice.
The vendor was muscular with old scars on his face, breaking apples by hand and placing them into a manual blender equipped with gears to increase the blade speed. The men cheered and welcomed Touki upon hearing of his arrival.
The vendor said: "Hey kid, I heard from the gatekeeper that you came from a forbidden forest. Is that true?"
Toki replied coldly: "Some things happened, that's all. Is it any of your business?"
The vendor said: "Not really, but I used to be a hunter before working here. By the way, my name is Ryder."
Toki stood up after receiving his juice and walked toward the door. A man asked: "Are you leaving us just like that?"
Toki waved: "I'm Touki. Nice to meet you. I may come here again someday."
Ryder leaned on the counter: "Have you ever seen the pastures?"
Toki replied without turning: "No, I haven't. But someone hinted at this place to me a while ago."
"That's where my journey as a hunter ended, and there lie the graves of my companions who died in that massacre."
Some onlookers paid little attention.
Toki froze for a few seconds in a daze: "H-horrible…"
A wide smile spread across Ryder's face as Toki left the shop, surrounded by the lively atmosphere of the village, filled with the scent of wood and honey.
---
Toki headed to a narrow alley, holding his cup comfortably, and leapt lightly onto slanted rooftops.
He moved across the copper-colored roofs and looked toward the hill where Shon and Raizel were.
He paused briefly, then swiftly moved to another wooden rooftop, sitting cross-legged.
with a beautiful view of the houses and streets below, and in the distance, another part of the village.
At that moment, he reflected, staring at the horizon:
"Watching from above is the best!! And with this juice, it's been years since I tasted anything else, aside from the taste of monsters…"
"It was terrible. From another perspective, I see a maze that wasn't created in vain. I don't know why Servaris didn't mention everything about it. Could he be hiding…"
His reflection was interrupted by seeing a debate between Raizel and Shon. He took a sip of juice and whispered to himself:
"I don't care about people's expectations… each of us has our own journey."
---
Meanwhile, Luna and the three girls went to Marcy's house. They asked her mother, who worked at the bakery, for permission and went up to her room.
While accompanying Luna, they noticed she made no sound when walking, and she had no shadow, which piqued their interest.
The sweet smell of bread filled the room, mixed with the sound of stirring wood beneath the stone oven and light clanging of metal.
Luna asked their opinion on changing her hair color to sakura pink. The girl wearing glasses decided to style Luna's hair for the party, while the other had an accessory gifted by her father. Marcy brought a chair next to them.
To everyone's surprise, Luna had no reflection in the mirror, which was strange. When the girl started brushing her hair, she noticed her reflection still didn't appear. When she let go, the reflection returned, and laughter followed, restoring calm.
---
As sunset approached, the streets were filled with greetings and cheerful sounds, some carrying lanterns. Despite the setting sun, its light still illuminated the village.
The party began at Orfin's breakfast shop, the round wooden tables filled with various foods.
Meanwhile, Ray, Anna, and Sophie snuck under the tables like spies, reaching a table in the middle of the hall to steal nuts.
Sophie bumped her head on the table; Anna asked if she was okay, while Ray laughed and covered his mouth.
Toki heard a clatter and went toward them, bending his knees to see Sophie and Ray under the table. He asked: "What are you doing here?"
Ray avoided Toki's gaze: "Nothing—"
Anna pointed at her brother: "It's his fault! He thought of it!"
Ray's face turned red, while Sophie said: "We were just exploring under the tables."
Toki questioned silently: why? Then said: "Alright, that's fine. I support you."
The lights then turned toward Toki and Luna, while Shon delivered the opening speech:
"Friends! Today we celebrate the arrival of our new guests. Let's make this night a memorable one!"
Cheers and applause rose from the crowd.
Toki muttered under his breath: "Spare me this, you fool."
Shon placed his right arm behind Toki's neck and said: "Why are you so closed off? This is your honor party. Why not have some fun?"
Toki gave him a sarcastic glance, while the crowd's voices filled the shop.
"You really… no, you have nothing to do." He raised an eyebrow, a look of mockery on his face.
Shon, curious, asked: "What do you mean?"
Toki sighed and replied calmly: "Never mind."
He then pushed through the crowd toward Luna's table in the corner, while Shon watched with a puzzled expression.
---
After the party, with the night enveloping the streets in silence, the village was empty.
On one of the roads, a night guard walked through branching alleys, illuminating the path with a lantern.
When he reached an open square, he heard an owl hoot, lifting his head just in time as the owl passed overhead in a swift flight.
At Shon's house, located on a hill, the fox sneaked onto the roof, accompanying Toki, Luna, and Sophie on their journey. It gazed at the crescent moon.
Below the roof was Toki's room. He swayed and turned left and right as if suffering from an illness, with blue moonlight filtering through the window, almost as a warning of a dark fate.
Inside his dream, Toki saw a terrifying vision:
Crows flying around him, shedding feathers that gradually transformed into pure white doves.
The scene shifted abruptly, showing Yuki fighting with all her regret.
The vision changed again—Toki, exhausted, uttered his last breaths… The last thing he saw was Yuki whispering misleading words he couldn't hear, her expression one of humiliating disappointment… before she took her own life.---
To be continued…
Don't wait to be ready to reach your goals—plunge into them headfirst…