We had been travelling for the past six hours. The cart owner warned us to brace ourselves. It seemed like we were told in advance that there might be many hurdles ahead.

  “Boys, take the stack of straws and grass from the rear cabinet”, we understood that the cows were to be fed.

  Suddenly, a snap was heard. It was one of the wheels of the cart that broke by the tension of water and puddle.

  “Yesterday’s rain sure gave us farmers the fortune.”,

  Only we knew that not everyone was as pleased as the farmers but the fate is inevitable...

  “Sir, it seems like the wheel needs a replacement.” I informed, He told us all to get off and push the cart as it was blocking the road.

  “You young lady, handle the cows till I come back and you boys better make a campfire, we will stay here this night.”

  I grasped his words whereas, Chol had already begun to collect the twigs. It was vivid that the guilt consumed Chol as a whole therefore, he tried to overcome his melancholy with other activities .

  In the mean time Sira prepared us some lentils and rice as the afternoon meal.

  “Let’s see who collects the most amount of woods for the bonfire, Loser gets to kill the mosquitoes while others sleep as the punishment” Chol expressed enthusiastically and we both ran off to collect them.

  The cart owner had arrived after an hour while me and Chol were gathering the wood in a very dense forest. Sira was serving the cart owner his meal and also provided him with water. It was pretty good to see everyone stay themselves. Finally, as the sun set, we lit the bonfire and sat down to acquire its warmth and light.

  “Sir, we have laid the tent in the nearby open ground. Anth will guide you there.”

  As expected, Chol was trying to slack off while I was forced to work.

  “Chol and Sira scout the area and look for mosquitoes.”, the mister seemed to enjoy our company as well. It was a good manner to have Chol and Sira some lone time.

  Afterall, Chad needs another company as well; they went on their scouting while I had to eradicate these filthy mosquitoes!

  “Mister, if you don’t mind, could I know some information of this forest?”, the cart owner sat beside me and introduced himself.

  “Myself Hert, I am a 22-year-old farmer.”

  So I was wrong to assume him as a middle-aged person and not some suffocating adult.

  “You don’t have to worry about safety. I have a brother who is just as old as your fellow group members,” he told after passing in front of me to sleep.

  Come to think of it, the forest looked like it was covered with an opaque blanket.

  “Anth, open your hands. I have a gift for you !”, After opening them, Chol placed some creature... it was a snail.

  “Come here, you prankster.”, I shouted after trying the attempt to get up.

  It looked as if our playful days were back.

  “Alright boys, time to sleep.”

  It was the first time we heard Sira being the dominant member.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Chol slept in the middle of me and Sira. The silence was pulling us apart. Then suddenly, Hert ordered us to run:

  “Kids, it's a wild wolf, run as far as you can !”, he yelled as much he could.

  There was no time left to panic and of all things, then Chol decided to drag Sira with him and they hid in the cart.

  “So, I am all alone now?”

  I hated to admit it but... did anyone care for me ?only I thought this when I should not probably.

  I ran off to the tree which was dry. Yes, I am absolutely hopeless.

  Mr. Hert came back with a thick axe.

  I decided to distract the wolf—result of an easy prey—and gave Hert the signal to charge.

  Hert aimed the axe towards the wolf and threw with all his force, but it missed.

  Chol came running and took part of the broken wheel, then stabbed in the wolf’s eye.

  “Ugh! My head hurts...”

  I was in a bad condition and Mr. Hert was bandaging my feet. The wolf was laying dead.

  “Anth, you delivered the fatal blow to the wolf and it collapsed. I never knew you had the balls,” Chol then sat near my head and gave me a canine tooth of the wolf as a souverin .

  “Oh boy, let him rest, play the jokes other time.”, Hert was done with the basic medications.

  “Here, drink this,” I was offered a herbal tea from Sira.

  “You were sleeping for the past 3 days,” as expected I was in loss of words while Sira kept this information from me untill now.

  After mutually helping each other, we completed half of our journey, and now we had entered ‘the deserted valley city’. It was just a skeleton of the whole town. Chol yelled at me all of a sudden, I witnessed that it was an arrow that pierced him.

  “Hert, buddy, run to the nearest train station, I think they are the cannibals,” Chol expressed in utmost pain.

  “Wait! we have a train station near us? really?” Sira yelled in disbelief, I too was shocked.

  Within a minute or two Hert found a path to the station and we escaped from them safely except Chol.

  Chol had lost too much blood due to the wound henceforth, Sira ripped off Chol’s clothes and closed his wounds. He was still unconscious from the impact. But Sira remained composed while handling Chol.

  We took our refuge in the station's shelter home. Hert bid us farewell as he needed to carry on his journey of delivering the cultivated crops. It was hot summer afternoon and Chol regained his consciousness when Sira was fanning him with air and using the newspaper which she found on the ground nearby.

  We all agreed to board the next train to Ether, therefore we went to the ticket counter.

  “Good afternoon, how may I help you?”

  “When is the next train to Ether?” I asked while Chol was sleeping in Sira’s lap.

  “Sir, it will arrive in 30 minutes on platform 2.”

  “Thank you dear sir, and do you mind telling us the fare?”

  “No worries, it will be 10 bronze coins kiddo.”

  At that moment I felt pleased that it was rather cheap to travel by train with its speed and comfort, so I asked him to give us 3 tickets.

  “Here are your tickets kid.”

  But during the payment period, I realised that the wallet with the bronze coins which I carried was left in the carrier of Hert, since he left us, the wallet had been long gone.

  “Hey mister, I–I currently don’t have that much money, could we pay you back later?” I was devastated after saying those words,as a teenager I didn’t possessed critical thinking as developed as an adult.

  “No kid, it is no place to scam us, now get lost and come back when you have money again!”, unfortunately I had to take my leave. Both Chol and Sira had been sleeping on the bench aisle. Twelve minutes passed by and we were out of our hopes to reach the academy. All of a sudden a pretty woman, in her late 20’s had appeared in front of us and she sat in front of my face,while I was drenched in hopelessness and sweat.

  “Hey, young boy, who are you?”, she asked in a curious way, after paying for all our tickets to Ether.

  “Anth, I am Anth Dark kind ma’am”, that was all I could reply to her without making her feel sour ,I was stuttering due to the unpleasant situation.

  “You look troubled, please elaborated kindly.”

  “Madam, me and my friends are hoping to reach Ether for joining the academy,” I was in tears while explaining to her.

  “Is your friend here is hurt?”

  “Yes” – the lady then raised her hands and pulled her sleeves and chanted a spell which seemed to be divine.

  Then she uttered ,“I am Professor Cyra Heart, healer of flesh and soul !”

  "I am the department head of the medical classes in the academy you all plan to visit, I came here to meet my childhood friend Rin.", we three were left in the pitch were the balls of queries came anonymously and then we confronted her. Soon after, her hands were covered by white bright light and it looked as if the wounds were leaving on their own…