They drew closer to the estate, and the the true scale of the place finally revealed itself.
From a distance, it had seemed massive ~ an imposing silhouette against the sky ~ but now the details emerged clearly. The house stood broad and grounded, large enough to command respect without overwhelming its surroundings. In front of the main entrance, a large gathering had formed. The people were arranged in two neat rows, facing a towering statue position at the heart of the courtyard.
The statue was tall and commanding, though not monstrously so. It carried a presence ~ one that demanded attention rather than fear.
The crowd wore traditional attire. The clothing was vibrant and richly detailed, layers of colorful fabric adorned with floral pattern. Beads and necklaces crafted from polished stones hung around their necks, while decorative pieces were tied around their waists. Each person held an item in their hands, and one by one, they stepped forward, casting their offering toward the base of the statue.
At that moment, Elifero could not fully make sense of what he was seeing. The scene felt distant, unfocused ~ his vision slightly blurred, his thoughts slow to catch up. From where he stood, all he could distinguish were shifting colors, People of all ages moving in an orderly line, and the looming shadow of the statue watching over them.
Just as Elifero prepared to head straight toward the crowd, Olian suddenly changed direction.
She veered off toward a narrow passageway that branched away from the estate grounds. The alley was tucked discreetly along the side of the building, leading toward the back. It was the kind of route one would never notice unless they already knew it existed ~ an entrance reserved for Olian and a select few others.
"Hey ~ why are we changing routes?" Elifero asked, confusion evident in his voice. "The estate is right there, isn't it?"
"Just keep quiet," Olian replied without slowing down. "And follow."
Elifero hesitated for only a moment before nodding. He said nothing and did what he was told.
A short while later, they reached the back entrance. Two guards stood firmly before the door, spears in hand, their posture rigid and alert. The moment they noticed movement, their expressions sharpened.
"No unauthorized personnel are permitted through this entrance," one of the guards declared.
"It's just me," Olian said calmly.
The guards stiffened, realization dawning a heartbeat too late. Startled by her sudden appearance, they quickly lowered themselves to one knee.
"Our deepest apologies, Young Miss Olian," one of them said, head bowed. "We were informed of your arrival, but we did not expect you to use the back entrance instead of the front."
"You know these people?" Elifero asked quietly, curiosity flickering across his face.
"You could say that" Olian replied, her tone unreadable.
She then addressed the guards again. "Given the situation at the front entrance, I chose not to use it. I find it... uncomfortable, for personal reasons."
The guards nodded in understanding and moved to open the doors ~ but stopped when they noticed Elifero.
"State your business here or leave," one guard ordered sharply. "You have three seconds before we take action by force."
Elifero froze.
His heart began to pound violently against his chest. His breathing turned uneven, shallow, his thoughts scattering as fear crept in. For a brief moment, he couldn't even bring himself to speak.
"He's my guest," Olian said calmly. "Treat him as you would treat me."
The guards immediately relaxed their stance. Without another word, they stepped aside and allowed Elifero through, resuming their positions as if nothing had happened.
Elifero exhaled slowly. His heartbeat settled. His breathing steadied.
Inside, the estate felt different than it had appeared from the outside. It wasn't as vast as he had expected, yet it carried a quiet grandeur. The architecture was refined, the wall adorned with paintings of woman and relics that looked centuries old. Every corridor seemed to whisper history.
Despite himself, Elifero was awed.
As they approached a large wooden door ~ the entrance to the Chief's chamber ~ Olian stopped.
"Wait here," she said. "I need to speak to the Chief alone. It won't take long."
She entered, leaving Elifero standing in silence.
***
An hour passed.
Elifero leaned against the wall, arms folded, boredom creeping in.
"It won't be long," he muttered to himself, repeating her words with a tired sigh.
***
"You may let him in," the Chief's voice said from inside. "I wish to meet this boy personally."
Olian nodded.
She stood and headed to the door.
The door opened slowly.
Elifero was found slumped against the wall, fast asleep, his head resting against his knee. Olian nudged him gently.
"Is it time to go?" he asked groggily, yawning as he stretched.
Instead, he was ushered forward.
Elifero stepped into the chamber and came face to face with the Chief.
***
The Chief was an old woman.
So old that Elifero could not immediately tell whether she was nearing a hundred years ~ or had already surpassed it. She was a short and frail, her body thin and fragile, her skin dry and wrinkled as though it could crumble at the slightest touch. There was something about her that made Elifero feel as if she might collapse at any moment, as if death hovered constantly at her side, waiting for the smallest excuse.
And yet ~
Despite how weak she appeared, something else filled the room.
An unseen pressure.
An aura so heavy it pressed down on Elifero's chest, making it hard to breathe.
These thoughts ran wild inside his mind, colliding with one another as he stood frozen in place. For reasons he could not understand, Elifero felt as though his body had sunk into his subconscious. His feet refused to move. His muscles felt stiff, unresponsive.
Am I going crazy? he wondered.
He couldn't understand why he felt this way. Why his instincts were screaming at him to be cautious. Why his skin prickled as if danger lingered in the air. And more than anything ~ he couldn't understand how Olian stood there so calmly.
How was she not even flinching?
A bead of sweat rolled slowly down Elifero's temple. His lips curled into a faint, Uncertain smile ~ not because he was amused, but because he genuinely did not know how else to react to the overwhelming sensation flooding his senses.
For him, the atmosphere in the room felt unbearably heavy.
Olian noticed his strange behavior, but she paid it little mind. To her, it was natural. Anyone would feel nervous standing before someone of such importance. She didn't question it.
She didn't realize anything was wrong.
"Come closer, my child," the Chief said gently. "There is nothing to fear."
Her voice was calm. Warm. Almost soothing.
The words snapped Elifero out of his spiraling thoughts.
He swallowed and nodded.
Cautiously, he stepped forward, stopping about a meter from her. Even then, his instincts urged him not to move any closer.
The Chief chuckled softly at his hesitation.
"Just as Olian said," she laughed. "You are cautious around all people."
Her laughter filled the room, light and unthreatening.
"Let me see your left hand."
For the first time since entering, the pressure in the room eased slightly. Elifero hesitated, then slowly raised his left arm.
A scar ran across his palm. The blood had begun to dry, though traces of red still lingered along the wound. Elifero blinked in surprise ~ he had completely forgotten about it.
While passing through the passage earlier, he had scraped his hand against a crate while trying to steady himself in the cramped space.
"I will take care of this for you," the Chief said.
She gently took his palm in her hand.
The moment she touched him, Elifero felt warmth spread through his skin. At first, he thought it was body heat ~ but then it intensified.
He frowned.
Before he could question it, a faint glow emerged from his palm. The light grew brighter, slowly expanding outward. Tiny golden-yellow particles began to form in the air, swirling gently like drifting dust illuminated by sunlight.
The room brightened, flooded by the glow.
Elifero watched in disbelief as the blood on his palm began to move ~ reversing. The torn skin closed seamlessly, knitting itself back together as if the injury had never existed.
No pain.
No scar.
Nothing.
Elifero stared at his hand, frozen.
What he had just witnessed shattered everything he understood about the world. It felt unreal ~ something that belonged in cartoons, myths, or fantasies. It defied logic entirely.
He turned his turned his palm over, then back again, inspecting it from every angle.
The Chief laughed once more.
"What did you just do to my hand?" Elifero asked, his voice trembling. "The scar ~ it vanished. And those yellow.... golden things ~ what were they?"
He looked up, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Olian," he said urgently, turning to her. "How are you not shocked by this? Tell me this is not real"
The room fell silent.
Olian remained quiet, ensure how to explain something so deeply rooted in her world to someone who had never seen it before.
Finally, she spoke.
"Everything you just witnessed," she said slowly, " is real."
She hesitated, then continued.
"This power has been passed down through generations ~ only to the women of our village. It is called the Regeneration Legacy."