CHAPTER 78: TAKE OUR LIVES INSTEAD

"Why...Why are you doing this?"

Heads turned.

It was the little girl, the one holding the pillow. Her small hands were clenched tightly around the edges, her blue skin seeming to glow in the sunlight. She looked from face to face, disbelief painted on her features.

"Why are you all doing this?" She said again, louder this time.

Mika blinked. The girl, Mina, then lifted her head and glared straight at him, her voice small but fierce.

"Why are you all bowing down to this man who came out of nowhere? And why are you treating him like he’s some kind of god?"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Even the air seemed to tighten. The villagers looked at her as though she had spat poison into the sacred spring.

"Mina, quiet!" Meldor barked, his voice sharp but shaken. His hand shot out, palm open in warning. "Do not speak such blasphemy!"

But Mina didn’t lower her head.

"No!" She snapped. "I won’t be quiet! I won’t sit here and watch this madness."

"Mina—"

"This is ridiculous!" She yelled, voice cracking but unyielding. "Completely insane! Look at our village!"

The crowd shifted uneasily.

"Every single day..." She went on, her small hands trembling. "...the men who leave to hunt or trade are hunted down by those cursed beings. And when the women go to the river, they’re hunted too."

"Do you understand? We have no resources! Nothing to live on! Every day, someone else dies."

Her words were cutting, blunt and merciless and Mika found himself strangely...curious.

She wasn’t finished.

"And what’s worse? The village is already falling apart! Most of us left are either too old to fight or too young to survive out there. Our crops are failing. The fields are empty. We can barely feed ourselves. And instead of trying to change that—"

She threw her hands up, glaring at every bowed back.

"—you’re bowing to some god who has never once helped us! Not once! Not in my lifetime. Not in yours! And you follow her orders blindly, just because she says so."

Meldor’s voice was softer now, almost pleading.

"Mina...we must follow the will of the Lady Elna. If we don’t, we will suffer—"

"Suffer?" She cut him off, eyes burning. "Grandpa, what do you mean suffer?"

Mika’s brow rose slightly...Granddaughter, huh.

"We’re already suffering!" Mina cried. "We’ve been suffering for years! I don’t even know if this village will exist next year! We’re dying, one by one, and you’re telling me we should be afraid of it getting worse? How much worse could it get?"

Her words landed heavily. Even Meldor’s lips pressed into a thin line, teeth biting into them as if to keep from admitting she had a point.

The girl pressed on. "And through all that, through all this misery, we still have our sacred treasure. We’ve protected it for generations! Through wars, through famine, through monsters, everything. And it’s the only thing we have left that means something."

She gestured to the jewelry on the pillow.

"The only thing of value we own. And instead of keeping it safe, instead of guarding it for the future, you’re just...giving it away. To some stranger who walked in today, just because a voice told you to."

Her glare snapped back to Mika, sharp and unafraid.

"And you, why are you even standing there letting this happen? You’re just taking it, without giving anything in return?"

The corner of Mika’s mouth twitched upward. Amused. Rare was the person, let alone a child, who would look him dead in the eye like that in such a situation.

Mina’s voice cracked, but she kept going. "How can any of you live with yourselves, giving away our last treasure? Without asking for help, or food, or protection? Just...handing it over like we’re servants, not people."

Silence fell over the crowd.

Her words were daggers, and they hit their mark.

Some villagers looked down, biting their lips. A few shifted their weight, guilt flickering in their eyes.

But the faith drilled into them held firm, stronger than shame, stronger than survival.

They had no choice.

And Mina seemed to realize it. Her expression hardened, her voice quieting to a hiss meant only for herself.

Then she shot Mika one last look, one filled with pure accusation, as if all of this was his fault.

Before anyone could stop her, she spun on her heel, pillow and all, and bolted.

"Mina!" Meldor shouted, his voice breaking. "Stop!"

But the little girl didn’t so much as glance back.

Her small figure darted past the last line of villagers, the glint of the necklace swinging wildly in her hand before she vanished into the tree line.

The crowd was frozen, the only sounds the whispering wind and the faint echo of her retreating footsteps.

Meldor’s heart pounded. Every instinct screamed at him to run after her, to catch her, to calm her down before she did something reckless.

But his legs wouldn’t move, not because he didn’t care, but because something far more terrifying was happening right in front of him.

They had just offended the Chosen One.

Before Mika could even process the silence, Meldor dropped to his knees, forehead pressed against the packed earth.

Thud!

The sound of his head striking the ground was sharp enough to make a few people flinch.

"Chosen One!" His voice quivered, thick with fear and desperation. "Please forgive me! Forgive what has just happened! My granddaughter...she is young, utterly foolish! She let her frustrations take control and said things she should never have said."

"She...She even dared to blame you for the misfortunes of this village. None of this was meant to happen!"

He slammed his forehead against the ground again.

"I beg you, do not punish her for her thoughtless words. She is a child, she does not understand the weight of her actions!"

"If punishment must be dealt, let it fall upon me instead! It is my failure as her grandfather that she has not been properly disciplined. If a life must be taken for this offense, then let it be mine!"

Mika blinked, opening his mouth to tell the man to stop, but before he could, another voice spoke up.

A couple, thin, pale, and trembling, stepped forward. The woman’s eyes were red with unshed tears; the man’s hands shook as he lowered himself to the ground.

"Please, Chosen One!" The man said, forehead pressing into the dirt alongside Meldor’s. "If my father-in-law’s life is not enough to appease your wrath, then take ours as well. We are Mina’s parents, and it is our duty to answer for her mistake."

His wife’s voice broke as she added.

"Forgive her...she is normally such a clever, well-behaved girl. Today...she acted out of foolishness. Do not harm her. Take our lives instead."

Before Mika could even react, the atmosphere shifted again. A cluster of old villagers, bent-backed and frail, their skin like parchment, hobbled forward. Even in their condition, they lowered themselves to the dirt.

"Chosen One..." An elderly woman rasped. "...take our lives as well if it will spare the child. We are old, our usefulness is gone. But Mina...she is loved by us all. She is bright, beautiful, and has her whole future ahead of her. Let her live."

Another elder spoke, his voice thin but firm. "Better to take all of us than a single child. Our time is nearly over. She...she still has years ahead."

One by one, more old villagers joined, until Mika was standing before a scene he never could have imagined.

The rest of the village, even those who had stayed silent until now, pressed their hands together, gazing at him with pleading eyes.

The message was clear:

For the sake of one little girl, they were all ready to throw their lives away.

Witnessing this, Mika let out a slow sigh, half-admiration, half-disbelief.

This village was...truly united.

And Mina...she was clearly adored far more than she herself might realize.

Still...the way they were acting, one would think he was some great tyrant who had come to extract blood payment from them, when all he had done was stand there.

He shook his head, deciding this had gone far enough.

"Alright." Mika said at last, his voice calm but firm. "Before I say anything else, get up. All of you. I don’t want a single person groveling on the ground anymore."

Meldor shook his head violently without looking up.

"No, no, we cannot! Not until you have forgiven us, not until you have taken our lives if you must! Please, Chosen One, punish me, but spare her!"

"I said..." Mika’s tone sharpened. "...get up. Now."

The irritation in his voice cut through the air like a whip.

There was something behind it, something venomous enough that the villagers instinctively obeyed.

In an instant, every single one of them was standing straight as if on parade, backs rigid, eyes fixed on him.

"Much better." Mika gave a faint, almost amused smile. "It’s easier to talk to you face-to-face than to a bunch of bent backs."

He then let his gaze sweep across them. "And I’ll let you know that you can all relax. I’m not going to harm Mina and I’m not going to harm anyone. No one’s life is going to be taken because of what happened today."

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd.

They had been so certain he would demand punishment, yet here he was, dismissing the idea outright.

"In fact..." Mika continued. "I’ll go find her myself. I have a few things I’d like to say to her."

Seeing the alarm that sparked in Meldor’s eyes, he quickly added,

"Don’t worry. I won’t lay a finger on her. She’s...a very brave little girl. Unique. I just want to talk."

Meldor hesitated, then said quickly. "There’s no need for you to trouble yourself, Chosen One. I can go and bring her to you—"

"No." Mika cut him off with a small shake of his head and a faint smile. "I’ll go myself."

Then, his eyes swept the crowd again, and he noticed it, how gaunt they all looked.

Thin limbs, hollow cheeks. Hunger clung to them like a shadow.

So, without a word, he snapped his fingers.

And then all of a sudden, the center of the village square, tables appeared out of thin air, long, sturdy, and overflowing with food unlike anything they had ever seen.

Golden roasted meats, glistening fruits, steaming loaves of bread, dishes rich with spices that filled the air with intoxicating scents.

The villagers stared, slack-jawed.

"Until I get back...." Mika said. "...eat. You all look far too skinny, you need meat on your bones. This is for all of you. Children, elders, everyone. Indulge yourselves in this feast."

The village chief’s mouth opened, perhaps to refuse out of politeness, but Mika’s eyes narrowed, and the words died in his throat.

"That wasn’t a request." Mika said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Eat. All of you. I’ll be back soon."

And with that, he turned and walked toward the treeline in the direction Mina had fled, leaving behind a square full of stunned faces.

For a long moment, no one moved, until slowly, the first villager, a little boy, stepped toward the tables.

Then another...And another.

The scent was too much to resist.

Within minutes, the elders, the children, and even the most hesitant adults were gathered around, eyes wide, hands trembling as they reached for food they had never dared dream of tasting...

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Illustration of Mina is in the comment section...Check it out!