An 18-year-old boy was standing in a forest atop a mountain. He was tall and lean, with dark brown hair and black eyes. He wore a loose robe. He was none other than Leo Brody.
Right now, he was getting trained by his big sister; she was hiding in the forest, firing wooden arrows and throwing wooden spears at him. Three days had already passed since his arrival in the trial, and he had replaced a young lord of the Dinko tribe.
He was unarmed and was deflecting arrows with his bare hands, though most of the time he was dodging. He had the memories of the young lord whom he replaced, whose name was Melo Gavi. His father was the head of the Dinko tribe. His mother had passed away when he was twelve in an attack from another tribe. His father's name was Basu Gavi.
Leo heard the sound of piercing and leaves rustling from behind. He dodged, and at the same time, an arrow pierced the tree in front of him.
A voice echoed in the forest, "Leo, what are you doing? You've been dodging this whole time! You only deflected two arrows and one spear, and that was only because they came from the front!" Another arrow came, this time from the right side, but Leo couldn't dodge fully. It sliced his back and pierced a tree to his left.
Another astonishing thing for Leo was that his family in this trial had named him Leo, not Melo. It was as if someone had replaced their memories of the name Melo with Leo. But the surname was the same; he was Leo Gavi.
He screamed when the arrow sliced his back, and pain assaulted him. His sister heard this and immediately appeared at his side, shouting, "Are you okay? Look what happened! Didn't I tell you to focus? What were you thinking about?"
Leo turned towards this sweet voice, revealing a girl of 21 years old with deep red-blonde hair and scarlet eyes. She wore a loose robe that was tight around her body, especially the legs, for easy movement. She was holding a bow in her hand and a quiver full of arrows on her back. She was Leo's big sister, Somia Gavi. She put the bow and quiver down, then placed her hands on the wound. Soon, a bright radiance engulfed his back, and the wound was healed after a few seconds.
Leo stood up and turned to his sister, who looked beautiful, and said, "Sis, why can't I use my powers? If only you didn't restrain me by not allowing me to use them, I would have easily deflected these arrows and spears. It's like I have a third eye and two more hands, and you are not letting me use them."
Somia smiled and said, "You know, there are many items and things which can prevent you from using your 'third eye' and 'two extra hands.' Then, you will have to use these remaining two hands, two eyes, and two ears."
She then picked up the quiver and bow and said again, "Let's do this again, and this time, focus on sound more than sight, and coordinate it properly with your hands and legs." With that, both began practicing again, and soon darkness engulfed the sun and both returned to the tribe.
Soon, they reached the place where the Dinko tribe lived. There were many wooden houses and a large, thick, and tall stone wall surrounding all the houses, protecting them from wild animals and attacks from other tribes.
They approached the guards protecting the main gate of the wall. The guards knew both Leo and Somia, so they opened the gate without any questions and instead greeted them with honor and respect. The gate was made of thick wood and had an outer layer of iron, protecting it from fire and the elements. Both entered, and the guards closed the gate after they passed through.
On the way to their home, many people greeted them. Many boys of the same age as Leo and Somia came when they heard about their arrival, mostly because they wanted to see Somia. Not only was she beautiful within the Dinko tribe, but many people in neighboring tribes knew of her beauty and had sent marriage proposals to her. All were rejected by her. Even the leader of the Wokla Tribe had sent his proposal just a few days ago. The Wokla Tribe was the biggest tribe in the Vimalo Mountains; the Dinko tribe was one of the smaller tribes in the Vimalo Mountains—compared to the Wokla Tribe, it was like an ant to an elephant. The Vimalo Mountain range was vast and filled with dangers.
Not only boys but girls were also there to receive them, not because he was handsome, but because he was the son of the tribe's leader. In this world, beauty could only be protected by the strong and powerful; otherwise, it would be devoured by hungry wolves.
Both found their way to their home. It was made of stone and wood, and had two floors. It was worthy of the tribe's leader. Guards welcomed them, took the bow and quiver from Somia, and guided them to the dinner table.
Both reached the dinner table where male and female servants were arranging food. An old lady in her seventies was instructing these servants; she had long white hair and wrinkles all over her face, and she wore a loose brown robe.
As soon as she saw both brother and sister approaching the table, she went to them and greeted, "Welcome, Young Lord and Young Lady. Food will be ready in a short time. Please wash yourselves in the meantime. Your father will be here soon."
Both went to wash themselves and came back. When they returned, they saw their father sitting in the main seat, and both went to the side seats at the table. Their father had black hair and a beard. He was 46 years old. Despite his age, he looked to be in his thirties. He wore a purple robe with a fur shawl around his neck.
An 18-year-old boy was standing in a forest atop a mountain. He was tall and lean, with dark brown hair and black eyes. He wore a loose robe. He was none other than Leo Brody.
Right now, he was getting trained by his big sister; she was hiding in the forest, firing arrows and throwing spears at him. Three days had already passed since his arrival in the trial, and he had replaced a young lord of the Dinko tribe.
He was unarmed and was deflecting arrows with his bare hands, though most of the time he was dodging. He had the memories of the young lord whom he replaced, whose name was Melo Gavi. His father was the head of the Dinko tribe. His mother had passed away when he was twelve in an attack from another tribe. His father's name was Basu Gavi.
Leo heard the sound of piercing and leaves rustling from behind. He dodged, and at the same time, an arrow pierced the tree in front of him.
A voice echoed in the forest, "Leo, what are you doing? You've been dodging this whole time! You only deflected two arrows and one spear, and that was only because they came from the front!" Another arrow came, this time from the right side, but Leo couldn't dodge fully. It sliced his back and pierced a tree to his left.
Another astonishing thing for Leo was that his family in this trial had named him Leo, not Melo. It was as if someone had replaced their memories of the name Melo with Leo. But the surname was the same; he was Leo Gavi.
He screamed when the arrow sliced his back, and pain assaulted him. His sister heard this and immediately appeared at his side, shouting, "Are you okay? Look what happened! Didn't I tell you to focus? What were you thinking about?"
Leo turned towards this sweet voice, revealing a girl of 21 years old with deep red-blonde hair and scarlet eyes. She wore a loose robe that was tight around her body, especially the legs, for easy movement. She was holding a bow in her hand and a quiver full of arrows on her back. She was Leo's big sister, Somia Gavi. She put the bow and quiver down, then placed her hands on the wound. Soon, a bright radiance engulfed his back, and the wound was healed after a few seconds.
Leo stood up and turned to his sister, who looked beautiful, and said, "Sis, why can't I use my powers? If only you didn't restrain me by not allowing me to use them, I would have easily deflected these arrows and spears. It's like I have a third eye and two more hands, and you are not letting me use them."
Somia smiled and said, "You know, there are many items and things which can prevent you from using your 'third eye' and 'two extra hands.' Then, you will have to use these remaining two hands, two eyes, and two ears."
She then picked up the quiver and bow and said again, "Let's do this again, and this time, focus on sound more than sight, and coordinate it properly with your hands and legs." With that, both began practicing again, and soon darkness engulfed the sun and both returned to the tribe.
Soon, they reached the place where the Dinko tribe lived. There were many wooden houses and a large, thick, and tall stone wall surrounding all the houses, protecting them from wild animals and attacks from other tribes.
They approached the guards protecting the main gate of the wall. The guards knew both Leo and Somia, so they opened the gate without any questions and instead greeted them with honor and respect. The gate was made of thick wood and had an outer layer of iron, protecting it from fire and the elements. Both entered, and the guards closed the gate after they passed through.
On the way to their home, many people greeted them. Many boys of the same age as Leo and Somia came when they heard about their arrival, mostly because they wanted to see Somia. Not only was she beautiful within the Dinko tribe, but many people in neighboring tribes knew of her beauty and had sent marriage proposals to her. All were rejected by her. Even the leader of the Wokla Tribe had sent his proposal just a few days ago. The Wokla Tribe was the biggest tribe in the Vimalo Mountains; the Dinko tribe was one of the smaller tribes in the Vimalo Mountains—compared to the Wokla Tribe, it was like an ant to an elephant. The Vimalo Mountain range was vast and filled with dangers.
Not only boys but girls were also there to receive them, not because he was handsome, but because he was the son of the tribe's leader. In this world, beauty could only be protected by the strong and powerful; otherwise, it would be devoured by hungry wolves.
Both found their way to their home. It was made of stone and wood, and had two floors. It was worthy of the tribe's leader. Guards welcomed them, took the bow and quiver from Somia, and guided them to the dinner table.
Both reached the dinner table where male and female servants were arranging food. An old lady in her seventies was instructing these servants; she had long white hair and wrinkles all over her face, and she wore a loose brown robe.
As soon as she saw both brother and sister approaching the table, she went to them and greeted, "Welcome, Young Lord and Young Lady. Food will be ready in a short time. Please wash yourselves in the meantime. Your father will be here soon."
Both went to wash themselves and came back. When they returned, they saw their father sitting in the main seat, and both went to the side seats at the table. Their father had black hair and a beard. He was 46 years old. Despite his age, he looked to be in his thirties. He wore a purple robe with a fur shawl around his neck.
Basu Gavi saw his children and smiled; both Somia and Leo were sitting, facing each other. Basu turned to the guard and ordered, "Call Elder Siana."
The guard nodded and went to fetch her. Soon, an old lady in her seventies came—she was the same one who had greeted both the Young Lord and Young Lady earlier.
Siana came and greeted the Tribe Leader, Basu Gavi. Basu nodded and gestured for her to sit across from him at the table. He smiled and said, "Old Granny, you are like my mother. You raised me and nurtured me since I was a kid, and yet I have to call you daily to sit and eat."
Siana bowed a little and said, "May I say something, since you think of me like your mother?"
Basu nodded and smiled. "Yes, please. I am sure they will be invaluable words." Siana shook her head and said, "You flatter me, Lord. But as for what I was saying, it is a servant's duty to take care of his master, just like a master's duty is to protect his subjects."
"You are right. I apologize." He paused, then continued with a smile, "So, please sit and check if there is poison in this food or not." With that, he started eating his food, still smiling. Granny Siana, too, smiled and shook her head. "You are impossible to win against. I accept defeat again." Basu shook his head. "No, it's just that you let me win."
Siana joined them at dinner, and soon they finished it. Siana then glanced at Somia and asked, "Young Lady, have you decided about the marriage proposal from Kloda Tuba?" Somia turned her gaze toward Elder Siana and asked, "Is this a new proposal for my marriage? And I have already told you I don't want to marry this soon. I want to go on a journey and travel around the world with my brother."
Siana shook her head and said, "You don't remember, he is the head of the Wokla Tribe. This time, we are in a tough spot; we can't deny them directly. If we did, we would be offending them."
Leo was confused by this conversation and glanced at his father. When their eyes met, his father said, "Oh, sorry, I didn't tell you. I must have forgotten." Leo gazed at his sister and squinted his eyes. Somia coughed and said, "What...? Okay... I'm sorry."
Leo again showed a confused look and shook his head. "What are you sorry for? I mean, I'm happy for you! If I got this type of proposal, I would agree right on the spot!"
This time, Somia squinted and said, "Do you know Kloda Tuba's age? He's our father's age! Besides, he is already married to three women."
Leo thought for a moment and turned his gaze towards his father and said, "Then just reject their proposal saying Somia is already in love with someone and will marry him soon."
His father stared at him and then replied, "It's already too late. Everyone knows that your sister is not marrying anyone, and if we make this excuse now, it will not be good for us."
Leo sighed and said in a calm voice, "Why are you worrying about this? If you can do something about it, then why worry? And if you can't, then why are you worrying?"
Basu Gavi, Somia Gavi, and Granny Siana were shocked; they never thought such a thing would come from Leo's mouth. Basu laughed and cried tears of joy, saying, "You truly have become a man, my son."
Somia teased him, "Guards! An enemy has entered our house! This is not my brother!"
Leo's eyes widened, and fear engulfed his heart. He froze. Somia saw this reaction and said, "What happened to you? Why are you acting like this, idiot?"Leo awkwardly smiled and laughed.
Dinko tribe leader Basu Gavi went silent, dazed, and after some time he said, "Thank you, my son. Now I will see this matter in a new light."