Encrypted Void

Unexpected Encounter

In the depths of the forest an arrow flew and pierced a deer's head killing it instantly, one of the group of men then picked up the deer and carried it on his shoulders. The group was Naku, Carlon, and the other hunters who were at Carlon's lead.

'Oh good shot kid.' Carlon said while patting Naku on the shoulder.

'Yes.. I'm used to hunting.. I just want to know how Uncle and the others hunt.' Naku answered while keeping his bow on his back.

'Hmm.. well.. actually the way we hunt is the same as you, the only difference is that we move in groups.' Carlon said while sitting leaning against one of the trees.

'Oh..' Naku could only be silent and did not expect that his hunting skills were on par with professional hunters.

Carlon's group then started packing their equipment to get ready to return to the village, Naku and Carlon were talking about their hunt and seemed to be having fun but suddenly heard a sound from the bushes behind them.

'?! Everyone back off..' Carlon quickly stood up and drew his sword.

'Is it a beast?' Naku took the dagger at his waist and went on standby.

'No... wild animals shouldn't be at the edge of the forest..' Carlon frowned and was on alert for any creatures that were in the bush.

The figure of a person then emerged from the bushes and walked slowly like a limp but made a loud sound, the person looked like a human or so they thought, but it was an iron body with a human-like shape and a machine that looked like it broke and fell from its body.

'What's that..? his left arm was crushed... and a machine is falling from his stomach.. but his head and his face.. just like human..' Carlon's face paled a little looking at the creature that looks like a human but its whole body is made of iron and the machine is like an organ.

The creature then walked slowly and limped like a robot with the machine broken and lost control, the creature raised its right hand which was still intact and pointed it at Naku, its palm opened a hole which then fire came out of the hole and shot it at Naku.

'KID WATCH OUT!' Carlon then jumped on Naku and dodged the flames fired by the creature.

The flames hit a tree behind them and exploded, the explosion scattering the flames and burning other trees in the area.

'Ugh... damn what is that creature..' Carlon stood up and held his left shoulder which was burnt from the creature's attack.

'...U-uncle! your shoulder!' Naku ran towards Carlon with a restless and worried face.

'It's okay.. it's just a light burn.. stay alert.' Carlon patted Naku's head gently and gripped his sword tightly.

Carlon then ran quickly towards the creature and slashed the creature's right hand, but his sword hit and was blown away because the creature's body was made of thick and sturdy iron.

'Ugh..! too hard..' Carlon jumped back and picked up his sword which was blown in the air.

'...h..h-h....he...e-l..p...m-e..e....' Naku and Carlon heard an intermittent and sad sound coming out of the creature's mouth .

'...k-ki...i..il...m-m-m...m-e...e...' The voice that came from him was despair and deep sorrow.

'...he is suffering.' Carlon said as he looked at him empathetically.

'...h..h-h....he...e-l..p...m-e..e....'

'...k-ki...i..il...m-m-m...m-e...e...'

The creature kept repeating the same sentence like the program that had an error without being able to stop it. Carlon then raised his sword straight up in front of him and flowed it with the energy that was around him, that energy was a spiritual force power called Mana that was in the air, objects, even living things like animals, plants, and humans around the world. The mana flowing into Carlon's sword coated it and strengthened it, he also strengthened his body with mana inside of him just like he did with his sword.

'I will free your suffering.' Carlon opened his eyes which seemed even brighter than normal eyes before due to the mana flowing within his body.

Carlon was instantly in front of the creature as if teleporting due to its speed being increased by the mana in his body and slashing the neck of the creature instantly killed it painlessly, the creature fell and died like a human but simultaneously like a machine. Carlon closed his eyes and released the mana aura that was on his sword and put back his sword like a knight, Naku who saw this was amazed because it was the first time he saw Mana but simultaneously looked sad because of the creature's death.

'...Is uncle okay?' Naku walked towards Carlon who looked like he felt guilty.

'Yeah... for now... we have to take it to the village head to tell him.' Carlon picked up the dead creature and walked out of the forest.

Arriving at the house where the village head lived, they gave the dead creature to the village head to look at, as soon as the village head saw it, the look on his face turned pale and shocked.

'Carlon...! where did you find it..?!' The village chief placed it on the table and held Carlon's shoulder.

'I-in the forest sir.. behind the village..' Carlon was surprised by the village head holding his shoulder tightly.

'T-this... this is the same creature that attacked and destroyed the village 26 years ago..' The village head said with a trembling voice.

'?!' Carlon and his group of hunters were shocked by the words the village chief said.

'Is that.. true sir?' One of the hunters in the group asked the village head.

'Yes... I'm not sure you see them at that time... because you were still young and were evacuated by "That Person"...' The village head answered while looking at Naku who was confused and didn't know anything.

'...For now tighten the village's defenses just in case...I will take a closer look at that object or creature.' The village chief patted Carlon and Naku on the shoulder gently and went back inside carrying the creature.

Naku and Carlon were silent in the place in front of the village head's house and didn't know what to say.

'Are you okay Uncle?' Naku looked at him who seemed to be quite pale from what the village head had said.

'..? Uh.. yes..' Carlon answered with a slightly trembling voice and a smile on his face, the reaction he get was obviously seen by Naku and know about the creature.

'Naku.. I'm going to rest for a while...' Carlon said as he walked away from Naku.

'...' Naku looked at Carlon who was walking away from him and turned his gaze to the other villagers who were doing their own thing.

'...I'll be wandering around for a while.' Naku stretched and walked deeper into the village.