The Cursed Village

Ace looked around, you couldn't seen anything for miles except this small village. It was surrounded by mountains and rivers. Ace walked around the village, he couldn't see anyone, then he just realized that everyone looked different. They weren't Ghosts, Demons, Vampires or Zombies, They were humans. Ace had never seen a human before, he felt strange around them.

While walking in the corner of his eye, Ace saw someone sitting on a rocking chair. He walked up to the person and asked, "Where is everyone."

The person looked up at Ace, "You're new here, right?" Ace wasn't able to see his face since he was wearing a hat.

"Yes, I've never been here before."

"Well that was very obvious the way you scared everyone away from you."

"Sorry about that."

"What are you anyway? If you don't mind me asking. I mean you look different, your face is pale and you have bright blue eyes, with white hair."

Ace knew that if he told this person what he really is, he would be very scared. "Oh, I'm just a foreigner. Wait how do you understand me, it seemed like everyone else didn't."

"I am a traveler that came across this small village a couple hundred year ago, since then I've been stuck here."

"What do you mean stuck?"

"I was out doing quests and I came across one that payed a lot, a very suspicious amount. That quest was about helping a cursed village. That village is this one, the quest was about taking down a viscous beast that put a curse on this village. The curse made sure no one could ever escape. And when I stumbled in here, I wasn't able to get out, as the curse had also been put on me."

Ace kept a straight and calm face, "does anything else happen, apart from not being able to leave this village?"

"Yes actually, every full moon a women disappears and comes back the next morning not being able to speak or do anything properly."

"What is this beast you speak of?"

"Come closer." The man put his hand around in Ace's ear and whispered, "The Golden Phoenix."

Ace quickly stood up, he clutched his fists, "That's the thing that stole Xenon." Ace paused for a bit and then continued, "Oh and Flora."

"You're friends were taken by the Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Well that's not good, you better go save them before it's too late."

"I would do that but I don't know where it is."

"Well this calls for an adventure." Said the man while standing up.

"What do you mean?"

The man was standing infront of Ace. He then proceeded to take off his hat. Ace stared in disbelief.

"What are you doing in here, Shu?"

"I'm not Shu."

Ace thought to himself, 'This man does look a lot like Shu, but this person has a mustache, while Shu only has a small beard and a totally different hairstyle.'

"What is you name, then? Asked Ace.

The man sort of hesitated and then blurted out, "Fu, that's right! My names Fu."

Ace was suspicious of this 'Fu' person.

"So what adventure were you talking about?"

"I will come with you to show you where. Fu then started whispering, "the phoenix's nest it."

"I thought you said you were stuck here?"

"Yes I am, but you seem pretty strong so you could probably break the barrier that keeps me here."

"Where is that barrier, look I don't have all day, I have someone people who are probably struggling right now and need my saving."

"Wow you think very lowly of your friends."

"Yes, they are very clueless, and don't try to change the subject, where is this thing I need to destroy?"

"It's on my back." Fu lifted his shirt and there was a weird symbol on his back that had a dark aura surrounding it. "destroy it and I'm free."

Ace lifted his arm and placed it on his back, he was extorting magic into his back, soon enough the symbol was gone.

"It was that easy, can't we do that to the rest of the villagers?"

"Strangely, I'm the only person here that has this, It's probably because I came in here after the cursed had already been placed."

They both stared at each other awkwardly.

"Why don't we set off now, I have 2 horses that we could ride there, so we won't get tired so easily."

"Sure, why not."

Fu walked to the stable and got 2 horses, he gave one to Ace then jumped on. Fu walked into the house that he was sitting infront of and walked about with a bag on his back. He then got on the horse and started heading to the exit of the village. When the villagers saw that Ace was leaving, they started to come out of their homes with relief. They probably thought he was another monster.