The forest god festival (2/?)

The boy brought a book on winemaking, embroidery, close combat and more advanced crafting techniques. while shopping , the boy found some new plants that will great boost his power

------------

Aloe - Due to the fire-resistant property and minor healing and skincare property

Roseberry - a rose that blooms every year. once the rose blooms, it becomes edible and extremely good at neutralizing countless diseases. although the conditions of making the rose bloom are extremely persistent, although he got it as a seed

-----

But those both paled compared to what he got from a merchant from the heart kingdom

Bamboo and Sugar cane, both praised for being stronger than brick and heavily used for peasants in the heart kingdom, due to their hardness and durability. some people include it in their culture and food, and it's massively part of the culture of the heart kingdom.

sugar cane wasnt as durable as bamboo, but it was edible, and sugar cane can produce parchment which is highly sought after. although the boy didn't know how to fully use it, it was still there.

"Elias....stop....I can't carry any more." Paraona cried, holding the countless plants that he brought.

the boy ignored her, passing his bag to her before walking into the temple, where he was meant to be.

the competition was starting in a second, and the people bowed under the temples, the children doing the same

after Paraona, Juugo and Elias did the same, they were lead to the "Colleseum" which was just a part of the temple which was flat and wide. there were stands scaling upwards where people could watch the kids as hundreds of children swarmed into the midlde of the coliseum.

a man came out, his aura being old and wise even though he looked young. the elders bowed before him, which could be weird since he looked like he was in his thirties and the elders in their late 70's

he was the patriarch of the island, "Korag of the second sun."

the man gave a kind smile , before looking down at the selection of kids below him

"The rules of the tournament are simple. no killing, and to win you must knock your peer unconscious or make them admit defeat. top class healers are on deck, so don't hold back." His words gave an ounce of authority one couldn't refuse as the kids below him nodded

the boy's eyes scanned the crowd of kids near him

9 kids could be a threat to the 100 kids here.

8 clans existed on the island, each having their separate lands.

but there was an overwhelming presence among the crowd. it was a girl, 10 years old. countless boys stared at her beauty, but Elias didn't care about how beautiful she was, only her strength.

the chance is winning against her are slim, as her body temperature made the kids around her sweat.

there was a high chance she was a fire mage, and there was only one other fire mage on the island.

Korag.

they both had red hair and bright blue eyes, so the boy gave a frown.

the boy had read in an ancient book he borrowed from a granny about this "Festival."

hundreds of years ago, this wasn't the festival it was today.

kids were forced to kill eachover to treat them to the cruel reality of war when the island was against the spade and diamond kingdom. people called this the "Rite of passage" and the winner of the tournament could get their wish granted by the patriarch of the island

noticing a gaze staring at her, the girl turned her head to see the person, her eyes scanning in the direction.

she could see the boy, who didn't look at her with fear, envy, infatuation or love in his eyes. he stared at her, his eyes cold and with no emotion in them

the girl's back was beaded with sweat looking at the eyes that stared at her like an empty void

the girl quickly regained her stature and looked away from the boy, breaking eye contact.

she was queen, and he was nothing more than a peasent. what gives him the right to look at her?

the boy looked away, before looking at the countless kids that were being friendly with eachover

this island had no hope of making great soldiers. most of these kids would never hurt a fly based on their beliefs and thoughts.

but the nine he scouted out, didn't seem that way. they were calm and cold, staring down at the people who attempted to talk to them.

they were probably trained in that right. to not have hesitation when fighting somebody.

the boy noticed one of the 9 he knew.

he was salam , the son of their tribe chief that ruled one of the eight portions of the island

of there island, there lived eight tribes

The Tanja Tribe

Baek Tribe

Qshi Tribe

Lleana Tribe

Arnar Tribe

Sofi Tribe

Xin Tribe -

Umara Tribe -

There was a complex power system before the tribes, some tribes allied while some clans opposing eachover.

the tribe the boy was in was the Sofi clan, which was hostile to the Arnar clan, who was the clan of the man he saved from that rock bear

people don't have second names on the island unless there foreigners, which is a sign of respect to the forest god, who is everyone's father and mother in the village.

Who is the boy's father? the voice in his head , constantly urging him to do the things that he wants?

life is supposed to be sacred, so doesn't he have the right to know?

*Ba-dump*

the world got inverted as the boy spat up blood, greatly surprising the surrounding kids

"She did it." The voice in his head rang out "She's broken the second seal." the voice sighed

"You must get stronger." The voice got higher

"At all costs."