The Village in the Frontier

[The Voice of the World or the World System can only be heard by the [Primal Descendants] or those who sought after the strength beyond their lineage, these people were the Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Sirens, Dakaval, and many others — they are also called [System Receivers].]

'Wait, does that mean I'm a Primal Descendant?'

Flip*

[Those who chose to walk the path seeking their strength without relying on the system are called [Ancestral Lineage] or those who sought power through evolution and mutation. In today's words, they are referred to as Monsters, Calamity, Diablo, or Magical Beasts depending on the culture.]

I stopped and looked over at the cat who was busily grooming itself.

"So, they took pride in their own strength that they rejected the system. Are you also like that, Ista?"

"Meow." she meowed as she nodded.

Ista is the two-tailed cat that I won against in a fist fight. Her name means black or Night Star. I'd call her a pet, but she's too smart for her to be one.

She's more like a partner.

"I guess you're not like your ancestors; you did choose to form a Blood Pact with me… that was very stupid of you."

"NYA!"

"To get revenge? Yeah, right. You won't ever beat me, not in a million years. Not with that gut, anyway."

The slim black cat was now as big as me! I mean, I understand that cats mature faster. And she is different from the ones on earth.

But… she's practically bigger and heavier than me!

"SHAAAA~"

Pah!

"That hurt!"

So, another fight began.

I know this is childish of me considering my age, but I never really have anyone to play with, so this intelligent cat is my playmate – though the game it liked to play was roughhousing.

"Fay! Ista! What did I tell you about fighting inside the house?"

We both stopped and then looked over at Mother. Though I can't exactly see her face, her voice alone was enough to make me feel her rage.

"But, Ista started it."

"Nya!?" Ista was flabbergasted. I can sense it flashing those pair of puppy eyes —despite it being a cat— at mother, "Mew~"

"What do you mean by insulting you? It's for your own good, you fatass."

"MENYA!!!"

"Want to go!? Come on–ACK!"

"Anya~"

Mother

I dared not challenge my mother's "loving reprimands" and just lowered my head, "No fighting on the inside."

"Okay…."

"Nya, meow."

"Now, what do you two say to each other?"

I pouted, but I turned to Ista and apologized, "Sorry for calling you a fatass…."

"Meow, meew…nyaaaa~" Ista apologized as well. Her words were so tender that it almost made me tear up.

"Ista~"

"Nyaaa~"

We hugged and buried the hatchet.

Ista already knew better than to go against my mother. When Ista first arrived, she was a troublemaker and would often create a mess. One day after it snatched up food on the table meant for everyone, mother "loving reprimand" Ista and everything else was history.

The two of us knew better than to make mother bring out the slippers.

We were warriors. Not suicidal fools.

"Good, now Fay put the book away; it is already midnight; it is time to sleep."

"But…"

"Okay, then don't sleep, but I won't allow you to go with Granny Tel in collecting herbs tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, then I'm going to take a bath now. Ista, let's go."

The cat tried getting away, but I would never allow it to sleep with us if it didn't. So with a grumble, Ista followed along as well.

"And you should really lay off reading books. You will strain your eyes."

"Yes, mother."

After putting the book away, Ista and I went to take a bath together and then decided to sleep with mother and Ista.

The next day arrived.

The welcoming embrace of the bed hugged gently. Its loving and caressing touch provided me with an intoxicating desire to never leave its side. I accepted its tempting invitation with guilt. I claimed I would wake up early, but its embrace was simply too loving... I wish to stay like this for days, but…

Pah!

"Nya."

The cat slapped me across the face.

"Not… now… we… stayed up la—"

Pah!

"Fine… fine, I'm up. I'm.. u…p—snore*"

PAH!

"NYA!"

Over the past two years, Ista had been waking me up

Starting when I reached six years of age, this happened every morning at precisely the sixth hour of the day. Ista would wake me up and drag me around.

In the beginning, I would fight back at the disturbing cat. Even mother told her off. But, the more Ista insisted. The more we understood and someone in the village pointed out one thing, "Isn't it telling little Fay that she needs to become stronger? A Two-Tailed Shade Cat may look like an ordinary house cat, but it's a fierce predator in the wild, you know?"

"Nya!"

At first, Mother was worried because she thought I was too young. But, soon, with a bit of convincing, she agreed.

"Do it in moderation." She said.

That brings us to the present. Where Ista would wake me up when it does. And every time I refused, she would slap me.

I'm lucky she hadn't decided to sit on my face… though she might just kill me with that.

Getting out of bed, we woke ourselves with a quick splash of water on the face, and said good morning to Mother preparing breakfast, "Good morning Mom."

"mew."

"Good morning, you two."

Then we climb the hill behind the house where we stretch our bodies while watching sunrise.

The sunrise gives a beast a boost in their energy. Was what Ista told me. I do not know if this was actually true, but I do not feel alive when we watch it peek from behind the mountains.

"NYA!"

"Yes, yes, I know."

After the stretching, I also did some simple exercises that I had been gradually increasing in intensity.

From push-ups to sit-ups, I did it all to develop my muscles and increase endurance.

I'm eight now, so we started two years ago.

I have experienced a great improvement. My body was toned and full of energy. As for Ista… well she's as big as me when she stands on two legs… I don't know what happened to this great predator.

'But the Grannies do love feeding her… that must be it.'

After 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats, I went back inside the house.

Where I retrieved a metal basin and a ladle.

Waddling outside, raising it over my head I took a deep breath before banging it continuously as I ran around the village, "WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING!"

I shouted.

This is a part of my morning routine. I would run laps around the village, banging on my basin to wake up everyone.

It was the Village Chief who asked me of this.

Our Village was small, so everyone had to pull their weights to ensure our survival.

"Good morning Fay, Good morning Ista."

"Good morning Granny Tel." "Meow!" Ista energetically raised its paws to send her regards.

We then stopped for a moment.

"Are we going to leave the village at the same time as always, Granny?" I asked.

"No dear, I'm going to make preparations first and then check on Daval to get my tools first. I had it repaired and maintained the other day. Oh, can you inform him about it, Fay dear, so we can just pick it up later and go."

"Okay, Granny."

"Thank you, dear."

Granny Tel was our Local Doctor. According to Mother, was the greatest in the Village – Granny Tel was also the only doctor in the Village until two years ago – and I had to agree.

Well, she did have two students studying under her, but they don't count.

"Good morning Fay, Good morning Ista, how many laps are you on now?"

"Good morning Uncle Braum. I'm on my third lap now." "Meow!"

"Keep it up; you're on the verge of undergoing Worldly Radiance, so strengthening the body before that will make it more effective."

"I understand, Uncle! Good luck on the hunt! Oh, before I forget, please tell aunty Leah, I'll bring the baby clothes later."

"Thanks, lass."

Uncle Braum and Aunty Leah moved to our Village five years ago carrying nothing but the clothes on their backs. They asked the Village Chief for permission, and no one was against it, so here they are now, about to have a child.

Uncle Braum was the Village's hunter. He would share his hunt to the villagers, and was extremely skilled using the bow.

I went around the village some more and met up with others; there's not much in our Village made up of wooden walls and thatched roof. There were only eight households and twelve, no, soon-to-be thirteen people living in it.

As for who the youngest was, that's obviously me, at least before Aunt Leah's child is born.

On my ninth lap, Grandpa Daval finally exited his workshop. Of all the houses in our Village, his was the biggest and was even made of stone.

Standing by the door was a big and burly shadow of a man. I do not know how he looked because of my eye's condition. But I estimated that he was no less than two and a half meters tall.

His muscles were big and well-defined. His muscles were so well-built, that no bodybuilder would be able to look him directly in the eye.

That was because his job was physical straining, and the fact that he was not human.

Grandpa Daval was a [Darkonian] and when I asked him what that meant, Gramps explained that he was related to Dwarves.

He was also the Village's blacksmith.

"Grandpa Daval, good morning." "Nya"

"Good morning, both of you."

"Grandpa Daval, Granny Tel asked me to tell you to get her tools ready so we can pick them quickly later."

"Bah, that old hag forced me to maintain her tools, and now she's asking me to deliver it to her like she's paying for it? That hag is abusing my generosity. My craft is used in making weapons of mass destruction. I don't have time for this."

"Will you do it?" I asked.

"Huh? Hmph, that old hag won't be able to do her damn work without me. Tell her I'll hang the bag on my front door."

Grandpa Daval may complain, but he's a good person deep inside. He also likes to boast about his exploits of the past, like how he used to join on an adventure with the Solar Knights of some prolific Kingdom and how he was kicked out of the Kingdom because he created a very powerful weapon.

I believed his every word, but then, Granny Tel smacked him across the back of the head and told him to stop telling me lies. The drunk Grandpa Daval at the time protested that it was all true, and the two old people fought the whole night until they passed out.

"Thank's Granda Daval."

"Wait, Fay, I forgot to tell you! I collected the materials for my next work. Do you want to watch me create a specially ordered spear later!?"

"Yes, please!"

He's a funny old man to be with, so I don't really complain when he rambles and complains. And I love watching him work. So much so that I would always be cooped with him inside his forge whenever I was given the chance.

The finishing dash was simply too easy, with Grandpa Daval informing me of another blacksmithing endeavor.

"Well, it's always good to have my Granddaughter as a company. Go on now, finish your little run. Also, be careful when you head out!"

"Okay, Grandpa!"

Even before I got reborn, I already liked watching people create a weapon out of iron and steel. In this life, I became even more interested in them. The thought of using a weapon imbued with magic that I made gives me a rush.

But other than that, I am really looking at the weapons Grandpa Daval creates.

The way the weapon forms as the hammer strikes the steel on the anvil and how he imbues them with "his own colors", it is like the inanimate object is coming to life.

I asked my mother about this, and she explained that our lineage comes from a family of blacksmiths from long ago.

"We were once a family who created weapons. Our eyes are especially susceptible to seeing the changes in the materials."

"WooH! That amazing! Does that mean I can become a Blacksmith as well!?"

I have always wanted to be one. Long before I arrived here. So hearing Mother say such a thing made me uncontrollably happy.

But she shook her head, "We… are no longer allowed to be Blacksmiths, dear."

"But why!? Isn't our Family Blacksmiths?" Of course, I was quick to ask for a reason.

However, Mother stayed quiet for a good minute, before giving me the answer, "It is… something we just cannot do. We do not have the ability to make magical weapons."

"...that's it? Then, what about ordinary weapons? Or even a spoon? If I just make those, then can I become a Blacksmith!?"

"...if that is the case, then you can."

"Yay!" That day, I celebrated by running to Grandpa Daval and asking him if I can become his apprentice.

He rejected, but said that I could just watch him.

"Ooohhh, I can steal your techniques? It's like a fantasy story."

"Yeah, why not."

When Mother explained this to me when I was five. I was upset that I couldn't make those so-called magical weapons. But I've lived a long life of not being able to do something because of talent.

I already know what is and what is not possible.

More importantly, I'd be able to watch Grandpa create weapons.

Many things have already changed in these past years.

In the past, I was anti-social and incapable of looking around and befriending anyone.

I'd argue I am the same. But, the whole Village is my family, and we live together. Support one another in order to live in this vast frontier.

"Mooooom~ Grandpa Daval said he'd teach me how to make a weapon!"