When Kenzii finally reached the central square of the village, framed by massive, ancient trees, his shoulders sank as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. The area was teeming with people. The villagers were frantically moving back and forth, setting up heavy wooden tables and arranging gear for the upcoming celebration dedicated to their starotsa.
"Are you guys sure about this?" Kenzii asked, his voice low as he glanced at his two cousins. They stood beside him, watching the dense crowd where the chaotic din of voices made it nearly impossible to hear. "There are too many people here. We don't need to do this."
When neither of them offered a response, Kenzii turned his head to look at them. His eyebrows instantly arched when he caught the bright, uncharacteristic grins flashing in their eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" he asked, genuinely bewildered.
"I've never been to an actual birthday party like this, it looks like a fiesta." Sota said, a wide smile breaking across his face as he walked right past Kenzii to help an elderly couple arrange a row of banquet tables. "I want to experience it."
"I attended a fiesta and festival once back in our country, and it was actually fun," Alas chimed in, sounding more like he was talking to himself as he hurried to catch up with Sota. "Besides, it's probably a good idea to experience something normal like this before the disaster hits."
Kenzii raised a hand to rub his temples, entirely exasperated by his cousins' sudden enthusiasm. He could only shake his head in disbelief. Much like Sota, Kenzii had never attended a genuine community festival for leisure.
Well, except for that one time. He had been deployed by the system to a festival once for a tribute contract, and the ending had been anything but festive. Before the night could even conclude, a mangled corpse had been discovered inside the public restrooms. In the end, he had left the local populace thoroughly traumatized on the very day of their celebration. Not that he harbored any lingering guilt over it; the only thing that ever mattered to him was the absolute completion of whatever mission the system gave upon him.
His grim train of thought was abruptly severed when an elderly village man approached him, wearing a warm, infectious smile. Left with no choice, Kenzii forced a polite, practiced smirk onto his lips.
"Young man, could you give an old man a hand hanging these?" the elder asked, gesturing toward a bundle of traditional Czech Pentle—vibrant, intricately embroidered ribbons—and wreaths woven from fresh rosemary and wildflowers.
Finding it incredibly difficult to deny a direct request from a stranger—especially one whose hair had long turned white—Kenzii silently accepted the task.
Once the last of the ribbons were securely tied to the low-hanging branches of the square's great oaks, the old man warmly invited Kenzii to walk with him, eager to introduce the newcomer to the rest of the village. Kenzii scratched the back of his neck and cast a desperate glance back toward his two cousins, silently praying for a rescue. But neither Sota nor Alas granted him so much as a second of eye contact, deliberately acting completely absorbed in their own tasks.
Defeated, Kenzii had no choice but to follow the elder.
"What is your name, by the way, young man?" the old man asked cheerfully as they navigated the bustling crowd gathered around the adjacent trees.
"Kenzii," he replied simply, offering another brief, polite smile.
"A fine name. Strong and sharp, just like the man bearing it," the elder remarked with a hearty chuckle, causing Kenzii to let out a small, self-deprecating laugh. "Come, I shall introduce you to my granddaughter. I believe you two are around the same age."
Before Kenzii could even formulate an excuse, the old man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward a massive oak tree, moving with a sudden, surprising agility that seemed to defy his advanced age.
As they neared the tree, a young woman hurried toward them, her face tight with distinct worry as she approached the old man.
"Grandpa! Where on earth did you wander off to?" she chided anxiously. "I explicitly told you to stay right here while I went to fetch the extra supplies."
She spoke in a frantic rush, but the old man merely furrowed his brow, staring back at her in complete confusion.
"And who exactly are you, young lady?" he asked, blinking blankly. He scanned his surroundings for a brief moment before turning his gaze back to the girl, studying her face with sudden intensity until a warm grin slowly returned to his lips. "Ah! It's you, Cara, my dear child! You truly grow more beautiful by the day. You look the spitting image of your mother, Carmela." He reached out, gently patting her hair while the girl could only let out a defeated sigh.
"Grandpa... my name is Cariz," she corrected softly, though her words went entirely unheeded.
Instead, the old man turned back to Kenzii, gently pulling him closer to his granddaughter. "My dear, I want you to meet this young man I found earlier. A splendid, helpful lad who assisted me with the decorations."
He gestured toward Kenzii, who stood there awkwardly, offering nothing but a stiff, silent nod.
"Look at how handsome he is," the old man continued bluntly. "You two would make a perfect match."
Kenzii's mouth parted slightly in sheer disbelief. He certainly hadn't anticipated the conversation taking such a sharp, sudden turn. He had expected a mundane introduction, not to be practically offered up to the man's granddaughter on a silver platter.
He shifted his gaze to Cariz, who was already looking at him with a profoundly apologetic expression, silently mouthing the word 'sorry'. Kenzii merely gave her a subtle, understanding nod in return.
"Dad! What are you doing now? You're giving your granddaughter a headache again," a mature woman's voice suddenly interrupted. Kenzii turned to see a middle-aged woman approaching, and the biological resemblance was immediate—she and Cariz looked almost identical, validating the old man's foggy recognition.
"And who might you be?" the old man asked, turning his blank confusion onto the newcomer.
Cara merely smiled patiently, gently taking the elderly man by the arm and guiding him away while telling him that she was her daughter. Even as he was led off, the old man kept turning his head, pointing a finger back toward Kenzii.
"Please forgive my grandfather," Cariz said, turning to Kenzii the moment they were left alone. "His dementia's has been getting worse lately, so he gets confused."
"It's fine," Kenzii replied smoothly.
"Um, I'm Cariz, by the way. And you are...?" she asked, waiting for his response.
"Kenzii."
"A nice name," she smiled. "I haven't seen you around before, so I take it you're not a local?"
Before he could answer, she gestured toward the long banquet tables and invited him to help her arrange the platters of food. Realizing his cousins had absolutely no intention of coming to rescue him from his social obligations, Kenzii quietly resigned himself to his fate, playing along with the hospitality of the locals.
As the morning progressed, he found himself listening to the villagers' various stories and local folklore. By around ten o'clock, the extensive preparations were finally complete. It was then that the starotsa arrived, returning from what Kenzii gathered had been an important cross-district meeting in a neighboring town. The chief was a man well into his fifties, possessing a vibrant, remarkably lively energy.
With his arrival, the true celebration began. The square erupted into a lively spectacle of traditional games and dances. Fast-paced Bohemian Polka music echoed from a small accordion ensemble, and the intoxicating scent of freshly baked Czech Koláče pastries filled the crisp morning air.
Amidst the swirling colors and genuine laughter, Kenzii didn't even notice that the stiff, artificial smiles he usually wore to blend into society were slowly beginning to fade. In their place, a genuine, natural warmth took over. It was a bizarre, jarring realization; these people were absolute strangers to him, yet they were effortlessly offering him the profound sense of belonging that resembled a real family. They knew absolutely nothing of his dark past or his monstrous secrets, yet they welcomed him with completely open arms.
For the first time in his memory, Kenzii found himself fully participating—singing and even joining in the traditional dances with the locals.
From the edge of the square, Sota and Alas stood side-by-side, identical grins plastered across their faces as they watched their cousin genuinely enjoy himself.
"This is the first time he's ever truly opened himself up to strangers," Alas murmured, his smile softening as he watched Kenzii take hold of an acoustic guitar, strumming a fluent melody along with the local musicians. Neither of them had any idea he even knew how to play. "And it didn't even take him a few days."
"Let's just be happy for him," Sota agreed quietly, his own expression melting into a rare look of peace. Crossing his arms, he gestured for Alas to follow as he began walking over to join their younger cousin.
By the time the grand celebration drew to a close, the sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving the village enveloped in the deep dark of night. The formal event shifted into a casual, late-night gathering, with the local men huddled around the tables, heavily drinking local spirits. It was the dead of night when things finally began to wind down completely.
"Ah... there's really nothing quite like these celebrations... *hik*... makes you completely forget your goddamn problems, even if it's… *hik*... just for a fleeting moment," a slurred voice lamented.
It was Adam, Cariz's father. He was profoundly intoxicated, practically deadweight as Kenzii and Cariz walked on either side of him, supporting his heavy frame as they escorted him back to his residence.
"Which is exactly why you shouldn't have drunk so much in the first place since you'll still remember those problems anyway, so better just think for a solution rather than drinking to forget." Cariz chided sharply.
Her father blinked heavily, squinting his eyes in the dim light to properly focus on her face. Realizing it was his daughter, he let out a sloppy, hollow chuckle before dragging his gaze back to the dark path ahead.
"My dearest daughter... do you know... *hik*... do you know what my single greatest regret in this miserable life is?" he muttered slurringly.
Cariz didn't answer. Instead, she offered a profoundly embarrassed, apologetic look toward Kenzii, who merely maintained his deadpan composure, keeping a firm grip on the man's shoulder.
"It's that I never took you and your mother away from this godforsaken place," Adam confessed, his voice suddenly dropping into an eerie, heavy tone. "This entire village is cursed… *hik*... Mark my words, the moment you linger here past your twenty-fifth year, you will never be able to leave." He gestured wildly with a free hand, the sudden shift in weight nearly causing him to stumble over his own feet.
"Dad, stop it, that's just an old superstition," Cariz sighed, adjusting her grip on his waist. "It's nothing but a series of coincidences among the locals."
"Coincidence? Like hell it is... *hik*..." Adam snapped defensively. "It's happened a dozen times over in this village! Why do you think John and Ann packed up and sent their children to the city the exact moment they turned twenty-four?"
Cariz let out a heavy, defeated sigh, completely giving up on arguing. She decided it was best to just let him ramble, considering their house was finally coming into view through the dark.
"If I had just saved more… *hik*... money before I married your mother, the three of us would be living peacefully in the city right now," Adam continued, his tone turning bitter. "If it weren't for your brilliant grandfather squandering every single coin I had saved… *hik*... and then claiming he had no idea where it went because his goddamn mind went blank?"
"Dad!" Cariz commanded loudly, her voice cutting through the quiet night.
With Kenzii's assistance, she hurriedly guided her father onto a long stone bench situated right outside their front door.
"Why? Because it's the truth!" Adam yelled back, nodding his head sluggishly as the sheer volume of alcohol pulled him down. He pointed a shaking finger toward the front door. "Do you know what your grandmother told your mother right before she passed away? I wasn't supposed to hear it, but I did... *hik*... "
He blinked slowly, his eyes wide yet completely unfocused. "She said your grandfather... that he has a demon inside him. And the very next morning, your grandmother died in her sleep."
A cold shudder seemed to pass through Kenzii as he looked at the drunken man. "The old man carries the ultimate curse of this family and village, which is exactly why you, my child..." He reached out with sudden, desperate strength, grabbing both of Cariz's arms and forcing her to face him directly. "You're turning twenty-four soon. Just a year left. I beg of you... get yourself as far away from this place as possible."
The words were spoken with a terrifying, dead-serious gravity—a literal plea for survival—before the exhaustion finally won. His head rolled forward, and he fell fast asleep against his daughter's shoulder.
"Good grief, what happened this time?"
The front door clicked open, and Cara stepped out onto the porch. She let out a long, weary sigh at the sight of her completely unconscious husband slumped over their daughter.
"This man, honestly... Lord have mercy," Cara muttered, slapping her forehead as she stepped down to try and shake him awake. "How on earth are we going to drag him inside now?"
"I've got him," Kenzii intervened smoothly, stepping forward and gently placing a hand on Cara's shoulder to stop her.
"Oh, no, dear, don't trouble yourself," Cara said quickly, waving her hands. "This one is incredibly heavy, and his gut is completely filled to the brim with liquor."
"It's fine. I can carry him," Kenzii insisted, offering a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure?" Cara asked, eyeing him skeptically.
"You don't exactly look like you have much muscle on you," Cariz chimed in, her eyes scanning Kenzii's frame, trying to gauge his strength beneath the loose, dark hoodie he wore. "You're just tall."
"I can handle it. Trust me," Kenzii replied dryly.
Though visibly hesitant, the two women reluctantly stepped back. Their mouths instantly dropped open in a perfect "O" of utter astonishment as Kenzii hoisted the heavy man into his arms with terrifying ease, walking toward the threshold as if he were carrying nothing but a bundle of feathers.
After all, Adam's weight didn't even amount to half of the sheer, dense weight Kenzii routinely lifted in his training before.
"Handsome and strong," Cara whispered under her breath, glancing sideways at her daughter. Cariz was still staring intently at Kenzii's back, a look of profound fascination written all over her face.
Watching her daughter's reaction, a secretive, knowing smile crept onto the mother's lips.