There is not child in the village that is not fascinated by the story of The Hero and the Demon King. Even some of the grown-ups are still fantasizing about the tale – men still think about defeating a Demon King and being a hero while women think about marrying a Hero who has defeated the Demon King. Among the villagers, there was one who was the most fascinated about the tale not because she wants to be the Hero or meet one, she just loves the twists and turns in the story itself. This person is none other than the village chief’s only child: Amanda.
Ever since she could remember, she had repeatedly heard about the story from the Village Elders and different adults. Even her mother would read the children’s version of the tale before bedtime. She was amazed at how the Hero returned and gained friends to defeat the Demon King. How the gods supported the Hero, and the fact that her ancestors directly came from the Mage who created their village. Having a close historical tie to the Hero is enough for her.
When she turned seven, Amanda was a boyish girl. She would prefer to play with the boys and run around playing Hero. Of course, she would take the role of the Mage. That is not to say that Amanda was not good, though. She was great in all her lessons – arithmetic, history, the sciences, languages, history, and even good conduct. She loves to read and learn, especially about magic. She was kind of sad that after the defeat of the Demon King, the gods took away all unnecessary magic from the world. And so she ran wild with her fantasy along with the other children in the village.
As Amanda grew up and finally turned 13, the boys started to stay away from her. It was not because Amanda grew strong or ruthless, it was because Amanda grew so beautiful and charming that the boys would not know what to do whenever she is close. She invokes a certain type of emotion in them that they still don’t know how to deal with. In their minds, she has become a mage and has learned to cast a spell on them. Because of this, Amanda had more and more female friends. They talk about sweets, fashion, boys, and cute things. Amanda has learned to live in the best of both worlds.
“So, it seems like someone sent you flowers again, Amanda,” Jessica said as Amanda joined their group by the riverbank.
“Seriously, how many times do you receive flowers every day?” commented Irene, “I am starting to lose in my own confidence as a woman.”
“It’s not like I have been asking those guys for these, you know!” Amanda replied in exasperation. She might not like getting flowers but she still likes flowers anyway.
“See? It’s that attitude that makes me more jealous!” Irene replied, “she does not like all the attention but she gets the, anyway.”
“Well, as what you would expect with the mage who casted a spell on the boys,” Jessica replied, picking one flower from the bunch and taking a sniff on it. “Although, Lilies are still the best of all the flowers.”
“Purity, isn’t it?” Amanda said, looking at the flowers with discernment, “do you also know that they mean the restoration of one’s innocence upon death? That is why this flower also means rebirth.”
“There you go with your lectures again!” Irene retorted, “Gah! If the boys only knew that you are more like the village Grandma than a pretty girl.”
“If you only read more books, you could have learned that too, Ai,” Jessica jokingly reprimanded.”
“Shut up! All I need to know is how to cook and serve my future husband. I just need a rich merchant or a noble and I’ll be set for life!”
“And that is why you never get any flowers,” answered another girl from behind.
“Grace! You are late again!” Irene exclaimed as she turned around, “and you don’t get to say that just because you are the second most popular girl here!”
“Not my fault that people keep asking me out!” Grace said, “I am giving my all just to fend them off every day. I ran late today because another one of those confessions! I just wish they settle with giving flowers like they do for Amada.”
“What is up with these boys anyway?” Amanda said, “Ever since Jane left last year they have been more aggressive with their approach.”
“Well, a girl keeps going out of the village every year, right? They are either married off to rich merchants or hired by nobles as maids. So the guys are afraid that all the girls may disappear from this village and they don’t get to marry anyone.” Jessica explained.
“Guys are so stupid. I don’t have any plans of leaving the village any time soon. Unless a noble comes looking for me,” Irene responded, kicking the soil with the tip of her shoe.
“It’s kind of mysterious though, isn’t it?” Amanda said, contemplating.
“What do you mean?” Jessica asked, trying to figure out what her friend is talking about. The other two went silent.
“I mean, there is always one girl who leaves the village every year, right? And it is always after the harvest festival. It’s kind of becoming a pattern.” Amanda replied, looking at her friends.
“Well, maybe because nobles and merchants come to our village during the festival and they meet the girls from there.” Jessica said, offering her thoughts.
“Well, you have a point. But still. . .” Amanda replied, her voice trailing off.
“Ah! God! I was thinking what the matter was and it was still another one of your sleuth thing!” Irene said, frustrated by where the topic has actually led to.
“Fufufu . . . Irene really can’t stand conversations like this,” Grace replied, “let’s talk about something else. Have you heard about the new crepe shop that opened in town?”
“Right! I heard of it! There a lot of delicious food in there! They have meat too!” Irene exclaimed, gaining traction on the conversation of her choice.
“See? It’s all food about you. Why would any guy want a girl like that?” Jessica replied.
“Shut up! You don’t get to say something because you already have a lover! You traitor!” Irene said. They all laughed.
“I bet you lover is looking for you right now. Won’t you go see him?” Grace said, still smelling the Lily stalk that she took from the bunch. She is the most feminine of them.
“Well, I already saw him this morning. I want to spend this afternoon with you girls,” Jessica replied.
“Awwwwe! Bitch, I love you,” Irene said and hugging Jessica tightly, “You are still a traitor though,”
“What?” Jessica said and they laughed again.
This has become a daily event in the lives of these four women. They have always been together since they turned 13 and they are almost 19 now. Life has been great and they each have their own things that they love doing but they still get together like this from time to time. It seems like they will be living like this for a long time. What they did not know is that they will lose one of them this year, and by the time they reach 21, only 2 of them will remain.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“Are you fine with this, Village Chief?” asked one of the council members.
“With what?” the Village Chief asked. The smoke from the incense filling up the chamber where they have gathered.
“Your daughter will be the next sacrifice. She is the Lily of this Village, you know!” said another council member. He is the youngest of the group.
“Too bad. She is a year away from being safe though.” Said the elder who drew the lots.
“Gentlemen. You seem to have your priorities reversed,” The Village Chief, Felipe, bellowed, “It is true that my daughter is precious not just to me but to the rest of the villagers as well. I have watched her growth and I know that she is intelligent and beautiful. She also loves the village with all her heart. This sacrifice will be her way of serving that village that she loves the most. It is regrettable, I admit. But this is for the sake of the rest of the village and out bountiful harvest! For the sake of our village, this is but a small price to pay.” Felipe addressed the whole council, “Beside, you have your daughter’ names there as well. I believe that this year’s sacrifice is your daughter isn’t it?” He continued, addressing the council member who questioned the decision first.
“Amanda will surely keep on asking me about your daughter to no end and this might also free us from her inquisitiveness.” Felipe continued, “Please understand that we are not doing this for our enjoyment. All of this is for the sake of the village!”
“For the sake of the village!” the council repeated in chorus. It has been a long time since the village has been offering sacrifices. At this point, they have become almost like a cult that worships the Demon King. The only person who has an access to the road towards the sacrificial alter is Felipe, the chief. The village may be safe from the grasp of the Demon King, but its flower is on her way to a very bleak future.
The Village of the Mage has been prosperous ever since it was established by the Mage herself. All the leaders the followed her had been kind, generous, and wise. They made sure to keep the village running well and even made improvements; the village could practically be called a town. The village has experienced its Golden Age for 500 years and it would have continued on if not for the previous chief and his son, Felipe. Felipe’s father was a wise leader but her wisdom was not directed towards the improvement of the village, he used it for his own gain. Having seen for himself how healthy the village is, Felipe’s father started to want it for himself and his family. He started to device ways to subtly increase taxation from the villagers. He would make up building projects and other activities that would require quite a bit if funding but in reality would only need very little. He started to fill his personal coffers using the money from the citizens. And when the cit
“Every year, we have been blessed by bountiful harvest that would fill out coffers with gold and our bellies with food and wine!” the Village Chief began his speech as he addressed the villagers for the Harvest Festival.“More than 30 years ago, I have prayed and prayed, alone on the forest, begging the goddess of the earth to aid us,” Felipe continued, “and soon enough she has heard our calls and gave us a bountiful harvest. And so we celebrate this Festival every year to honor the goddess of the earth and her blessing!”The village chief paused and looked around, there seems to be less and less females, they need to invite more from other villages and towns. He looked at his daughter and then continued, “We have spared no expense for this joyous event. We also welcome our valued guests – the nobles and merchants – who supported us through thick and thin. And so, without further ado. Let us all have a great festiva
It took some time for Amanda’s eyes to adjust to the dim lighting inside the palace. She looked around as soon as she was able to see clearly and realized that the whole place is lit up by candle chandeliers from the ceiling and flaming torches on the walls. The interior was vast. It was only the first floor but it seemed like it was the whole building already. The walls are made of stone and Amanda could see that some areas are darker. They seemed to be scorched. The floor that they were stopping on was covered by a thick carpet all over and only a small portion near the walls are exposed.Despite the interior’s rustic and dinky look, there was no sign of disorder nor of form of dirt or slime. The places looks well cleaned and well maintained. It is quite obvious that someone is living in this place and that the maids are doing their jobs well. Amanda could not help but commend them for that, no matter what kind of god-forsaken creatures they may be. When she loo
“Jessica?!” Amanda exclaimed as she recognized her friend’s face. At least this person looks like Jessica, the shape of her face, the color of her eyes, even the voice. But this person is more beautiful, utterly so. Her beauty is just like the lamias’. She was Jessica made eerily beautiful. Even her pimple marks were gone.“You know my name? Do I know you?” the girl who looked like Jessica answered.“It’s me, Amanda!” Amanda replied. She felt lonely that her friend did not recognize her, but a year is not really a long time. Something must have happened to her friend.“Oh! Amanda! The village chief’s daughter!” Jessica exclaimed in recognition, “you have grown so much. How did you do that! We just saw each other yesterday, playing by the riverbank and now you are like a lady!” Jessica sounded happy, but her eyes were blank and glassy. Amanda knew that something was up, she knew h
Dimitri was in awe. The woman in front of him is the most beautiful yet. Her skin was so fair that it looked like the petals of a flower that Dimitri only say in the forest when he was young. Her outfit matched her perfectly that she seemed to radiate as the lights fall on her face. Even though she was dressed and made up the same way the previous sacrifices were, and even if she just stood there at the entrance and stared at him, he can’t help but feel his beast blood boil.Something about this woman is calling out to him at the primal level. It bellows within him. It is something that he has never felt before and something that he could never feel again. He tried to shake it off but he gets entranced every time he looks at the woman now standing before him. Dimitri knew then that something was going to happen, he is not sure yet, but it is bound to be something.There was something off about the woman, though. All through the years, the women who were pre
The sound of the slammed door echoed within the room and through the hallway. There was a long silence that follows and it lasted for what seemed like hours. Dimitri stood there in disbelief – he has never been this insulted before. He was never challenge in all his life and the first time he did, it was by a human girl no less. She was nothing but a sacrifice, abandoned and betrayed by her people, and yet she still had the guts to actually show that sort of attitude to Dimitri. He was fuming, he was frozen with rage.“Are you sure about that?” was a question that followed after the steward, Alex, cleared his throat to break the eternal silence.“Sure about what?” Dimitri asked, his mind still seems to be off somewhere; he is clearly yet to recover from that.“Are you sure about not doing the ritual tonight?” Alex continued, “I mean, I get that you are furious after what that woman did, but shouldn’t we conti
The new clan chief looked at his family longingly as his wife and newborn son are slumbering. It is still quite early but they went on a trip earlier and both of them were exhausted from the hiking and the running around. His smile was suddenly replaced by a frown after he realized that his family could be living in a better place. The human’s attack on their settlements when he was young still seems fresh in his memories.After knowing about the secret in the forest, the werebeasts were attacked and displaced by humans so that they can claim the source of power. The women and children were evacuated and the new clan leader, who was still a child back then, had no choice but to leave his father and the village that he grew up in. it was true for the other children as well. That night, every child in the village lost a parent to the humans.It was unfortunate, but at least their race lives on with them, the new generation. And so a new but smaller village was erec
Alex still could find comfort in Dmitri’s decision. After all, he has known the Demon King since they were children. He was practically Dimitri’s caretaker growing up. Especially after his mother succumbed to a curse that took almost half of their people – the exact same curse that they are trying to prevent by performing the blessing ritual every year. And Dimitri has decided to call the ritual off for a mere sacrifice. But if Alex is being honest, he does understand why Dimitri would feel that way; Dimitri is, after all, still a male and the new sacrifice is definitely attractive.Fearing for the future of their people, Alex went to the only place where he could find comfort and solace; the one chamber in the castle that is hardly visited by anyone, even the current Demon King – the Chamber of Dedication. It is a chamber far detached from the main keep, towards the back of the castle. At one look it could be mistaken for a shabby shed, but no one wou