Aurora Village

The wind was extremely loud and harsh to his ears, filling his hearing with erratic noise. However, he couldn't feel the slightest annoyance.

Falling from the sky, Elias looked below as he felt his adrenaline pump out and burst throughout his entire body.

He had read in the internet once that extreme sports was something one must experience atleast once in their lifetime.

Now, he understood why.

"Hahahahahahaha!"

He couldn't help but laugh loudly. It was a delirious laugh, one that he normally wouldn't show to others over his dead body.

But right now, he couldn't help it.

At this moment, all of his senses seemed to have been awakened by the intense excitement coursing through him.

An indescribable sensation filled him.

It was an addicting feeling — all of his worries and problems disappeared at this moment.

Replaced with adrenaline and crude delirium, all of his present troubles seemed to have vanished from his mind entirely.

Only two things remained; himself and the world.

Right now, he couldn't give a damn about anything else at this moment other than to thoroughly enjoy the experience and sight before him.

Observing the entirety of the sky and land, a realization hit him.

'I never realized…'

Throughout his whole life, Elias never imagined the world could be so large and breathtaking. In his previous life, he was always occupied by his own problems.

'...The world could be this large.'

In comparison to the world before him, he was truly insignificant and small. Tiny like an ant. And yet, there was no sense of depression towards that.

"This is truly the best feeling in the world.. freedom."

Instead, Elias muttered to himself as he immersed himself in the fall. For the first time in his life, he was not bound by anything and was truly free.

After measuring the distance, he reached out to his back and activated the parachute. He looked at his subordinates and nodded, flying to a certain direction.

***

In a small village, the people living were strolling across the street, engaging in mundane activities, and buying simple necessities.

In the periphery of the village, the village chief, a short old man with a long white beard and glasses stood.

'The night is almost approaching…'

The old man thought while looking at the sky.

Thud!

At that moment, a loud thud suddenly echoed near him. The bushes and trees at his left were wildly disturbed.

"Who is there?!"

The village chief couldn't help but be alerted. He subconsciously stepped back and sternly scrutinized the place where the sound came from.

A moment later, several figures walked out of the bushes and trees, wearing black tattered security uniforms.

Aside from their tattered uniform, the newcomers varied in appearance and disposition, each of them leaving a distinct impression on the old village chief's mind.

One of them was a large intimidating man, one looked stoic, one looked detached. It was a variety of impressionable people.

Leading them was a young man with a striking and strong appearance. He had black hair and a calm and cool disposition, making his presence a tad intimidating.

"...Who are you people?"

Seeing that they were human, the old village chief asked slowly with an eased expression. He had originally thought they were wild beasts.

Hearing his words, the group was silent and smiled helplessly.

"Ah..."

The young man leading them scratched his hair awkwardly. He looked at the people behind him.

After a while, he nodded and seemingly decided to answer.

"...Sorry, my name is Elias. These are my seniors in the workplace. We were exploring the forests and mountains due to a mission but we got lost in the forest instead.."

Saying that Elias suddenly clasped his hand and looked at the village chief with a genuine expression.

"We were hoping you could lend us a hand?"

Hearing that, the old village chief squinted his eyes before nodding slowly. He looked at them and at the sky before he spoke and turned around.

"Well, it's already getting late. It would be inappropriate to leave you by. Follow me, stay in our village for the day."

***

Dawn came to the village, the sun slowly being replaced by the nightly moon.

Strolling across the street towards the old village chief's house, Elias and the group were listening as the old village chief talked along the way.

"Welcome to Aurora Village. We're just a small village with a rather short history. But rest assured, the people here are welcoming, even if you're from the city, they won't discriminate against you. It's rather a culture of ours to be easygoing and friendly,"

The old village chief continued amicably.

"Although this small village of ours might not be as lively as the city, we pride ourselves on our simple and easy lifestyle. It can't be helped, although some of us go to the cities to pursue greater dreams, most of us return in our later years because we were attached to this kind of lifestyle in the village."

True to his words, the people in this village had a simple but happy lifestyle. In the corner, a mother was calling for her kids, in another corner, kids were playing…

'Although their living conditions cannot compare to those of the people in the city, they look happy and not stressed.'

Elias looked at the villages and thought to himself. In truth, he preferred to live in a village like this than be in a city.

While they were walking across the street, a middle-aged woman noticed them and called out with a wave.

"Oh my, Mr. Harris… are they visitors?"

"Ah, Lydia. Yes, yes, they are. They were lost in the forests and mountains."

The village chief, Harris nodded and answered with a smile.

"Oh goodness, are they alright?"

Hearing that, Lydia gasped audibly, her hand covering her mouth in surprise. She looked at them in concern.

Seeing her concerned appearance, Elias waved his hand and smiled helplessly.

"Hehe, don't worry. It's alright. We're Rankers so it's not a problem. We explored the forests and mountains, we just didn't expect to get lost this time."

"Oh, Rankers?! Little Timothy would always gush on about being one, sigh… no matter how many times I put it in his head that it's dangerous…"

Lydia sighed and shook her head. She raised her head and smiled.

"I won't hold you people then, carry on. If you have time, visit my place, I'll treat you people to a meal as welcome!"

"Alright, Lydia."

Harris nodded and continued walking.

Elias and the group trailed behind him. As they walked across the street, they felt some curious gazes coming from the other villages.

That was unavoidable. They were rather eye-catching with their tattered black uniform and appearance.

At this moment, Harris spoke to them.

"You guys are Rankers, right? We also have some Rankers in this village."

"Oh, may we ask who they are?"

Elias raised his brows. He was not that shocked. This village was situated somewhere on the outskirts of society, in the middle of a forest, so having a couple of Rankers was not unreasonable.

"Well, I'll introduce you to them. Coincidentally, they are also guests in my house. Come, come…"

Harris smiled mysteriously as he led them to his house. After a while of walking, they finally reached the village chief's house.

Elias looked at the village chief's house and couldn't help but notice its simplicity. It was not grandeur nor large, it was just a simple place covered with an amiable ambiance.

As soon as they reached the house, a gentle and feminine voice suddenly resounded from the house.

"Grandfather!"