A hero's journey

I lived as a hero. The people named me so. They call me in many ways. Hero, champion, protector, saviour, the strongest... and others.

But it wasn't always like that. I was born in a small village in the middle of a forest miles away from any other form of civilization. There I grow up as any other boy at the village. That place was my world. It was wonderful and beautiful. But as I grew up into a healthy boy my desire for something more also did. On my twelve year I went outside the village into the forest. It was forbidden to enter the forest alone, especially without an elder or and adult. Yet I did.

I walked for miles inside the forest without finding anything the first three days. At the fifth day I found something I had never seen. Later I would learn it was a monster. That beast was unlike any other I had ever seen. It had a strength that went beyond nature and its appearance was also outside of it. I suffered for hours to bring it down. Soon I understood that the monster was but one of hundreds. Those monsters were all around the forest. Such a place would be impossible to get through with my strength at the time.

I returned to the village twelve days after I left. There the elders were waiting for me.

I learn that another 15 guys had left the village at around the same time. There were only 20 between boys and girls of my age in this village. The elders then bring me to the only shrine at the village.

In that small shrine, which at the time was the largest building I had ever seen, the truth was revealed to me.

The elders were tasked to raise us to become warriors. We didn't know it but the morning and evening trainings at the shrine we received from the age of five weren't something every child would do in the whole world. Furthermore the actual content of the training was also something almost no one on this world knew of. We were raised to become one of the next protectors.

After growing up many of us started to dream of the outside world. The elders knew this well. But they would not crush such dreams for that was our mission.

The forest surrounding the village is a dangerous place where no human lives or even cross. Every day the adults would go out and hunt the beast that come near the village. The village itself was actually protected by a strong barrier left by the great witch who made our village.

This was to become our first trial to become one of the next protectors. The ones who will go through this trial will be able to go to the grand temple. There we would be taught by the greatest of us how to become a protector. Finally only one of us would be chosen but the rest of us would become important to this cycle. We could become temple's instructors or temple's guards or village guards. If none of this was appealing to us them we could just return to the village and life here peacefully.

I was surprised about all this new knowledge. A new world was out there after all. I would love to go out there and see it all. But I was the first to return. I doubted hardly on my possibilities.

Afterwards I met the guys who stayed at the village. They were all around my age. The youngest one was nine years old. I was the older one as a 12 years old boy.

They told me that around five days ago the elders told them all about it. By that time all of us were gone.

After explaining all to them the elders gave them a choice. They could either just live here peacefully or pass a test. If they did pass then they could follow the path to become a protector. Only two of them chose to take the test. They went somewhere four days ago and haven't come back yet.

After telling me what happen to them they asked me how it was outside. I answered honestly. I told them what I saw inside the forest and what I met. I also told why I returned. They were amazed by my tale and regretted a little not going outside. Even so I told them it was difficult and as a matter of fact I had returned right after defeating just one beast.

After a week almost all the guys had returned. Only one was missing. He was the older of our group. He was 14 year-old. Of those who came back three were injured quite badly and another four had minor injuries. The injured ones were treated by the elders at the shrine and afterwards all those guys were told the truth. All the boys and girls at the village reunited that night and talk about their stories. It was a long night.

The next day we were all called to the shrine and meet with the elders there. The first thing they told us was that Braun the elder of us had died at the forest. He apparently pushed himself too much and ended up getting killed by the monsters. We suspected it but even so all of us were saddened by the news. For us he was like our brig brother everyone looked up to.

The elders them told us the test was over. The ones who passed would go to the temple the rest would remain. The elders reminded us that those who remained could still live here just like before and become guards or find another occupation if they desired.

Then they told us who would go.

I was surprised to be one of those called out. Yet the elders told me there was no mistake for I did well inside that forest and even if I didn't understand now I would eventually understand why. I thought they just wanted to sent the oldest of us there since I had become the oldest of the village children after the death of Braun.

In the end of the four remaining of us seven were chosen to go to the temple. We stayed at the village another week, which we spent with our friends and families. My parents were happy I was chosen. They told me it was a great honour. When they were younger both of them had tried to go but both failed. They told me I would now live at the temple and we would met me occasionally.

The journey to the temple was an arduous one. A group of five adults took us there. Along the way we find many monsters. The adults would deal with most of them but sometimes they would tell us to kill some. As a group we were stronger and fighting those monsters was easier.

The temple was on top of a hill surrounded by trees all around. In was hard to spot from the forest surrounding it. The place was all filled with small hills with tall tress that limited the visibility. The only clue we got about being near the temple was the lack of monsters on that place.

The first thing we saw on top of the hill was a small wall. It was actually just not that tall. We soon discovered that it extends far beyond our thoughts. We could only see the front of it. The wall spread to the right and left so much we could not see the borders. Later I learn it was all that great but to me at the time it was the greatest wall I had ever seen. I had never seen a structure like that in the village. In the village all the houses were made of timber and only the shrine did have a stone altar which was the only stone structure in the village. Here at the temple the wall was entirely made of stone.

The door was a simple medium sized one. After entering we saw many structures on that place. They all were made in stone with only some parts made out of timber. Of all the structures one was larger than any other. The adults told us that it was the temple. It was truly astonishing for us. It was way greater than any structure at the village. At its side stood the tallest tower I had ever seen furthermore it was all made out of stone. The facade of the temple was wonderful. At the bottom were many representations of things I didn't know till a few weeks ago, but there was also other things I didn't know. The windows were huge for my standards and they were made in a way I had never seen. It was like they were carved in the stone with a beautiful design.

The inside was rather simple but huge. It was well lighted. A huge statue of a woman was the only decoration inside the temple. Behind the woman statue three oversized doors were placed. They were also decorations as I notice after a closer analysis.

We met our instructors there. We rest for a day before starting our training. The next days more boys and girls arrived. Apparently they did come from other villages in the forest. We were in total a group of 49 with ages from 9 to 16. Not of us knew about the existence of each other. But we become good friends with each other soon enough and practiced together to become the very best.