Beyond the Edge of the Border is the Land of the Blessed, where a group of native warrior tribes who call themselves Forest People have lived harmoniously and peacefully with the Sacred Beasts long since before the foundation of the current empire and kingdoms.
At dawn, Tua Jia - an elderly woman with eyes of unfathomable deep wisdom, suddenly drags Chief Warrior Tun Kla and three of his strongest warriors out of their village.
The warriors grow increasingly alert and cautious the farther they are from the village, especially since they're blindly following the elder through a path they have never gone on before. The group moves along the overgrown grasses that reach their waists for who knows how long since the sun is blocked by the dense trees, until the ground suddenly changes to a smooth stone path.
Before they go any further, Tua Jia stops. Then, she looks over her shoulder and slowly says, "From here onwards, do not act without my words."
Tun Kla and the three warriors nod obediently without asking why.
The second they step on the stone path, the forest becomes quieter and the atmosphere more solemn. Deep in the Land of the Blessed, this kind of quietness makes the four seasoned warriors even more alert than they already are. Still, no one dared to speak, much less breathe loudly.
Tua Jia is the only one behaving as if nothing is wrong. She's already a couple of steps ahead of them, her footsteps light and casual as if she's going on a stroll.
Tun Kla wants to say something but since the elder already told them not to act freely, he and his warriors silently follow after her shadow.
Eventually, the stone path leads them to a clearing where a stone building covered in vines stands in the middle. At a glance, the building looks to be an ancient temple that has long since been forgotten.
A mixture of surprise and curiosity appears on the warriors' faces but that only lasts a few seconds before they revert to being alert of their surroundings.
Tua Jia slows down her pace and finally stops at the base of the stone steps of the ancient temple. Tun Kla naturally positions himself two steps behind the elder while the three warriors cover the rear with their hands on the hilt of their swords, ready to act the second the elder gives the command.
In their silence, a figure emerges from the entrance of the ancient temple.
A young woman whose appearance - fair skin and strawberry blonde hair, is a clear contrast to the Forest People's dark hair and tanned skin. Upon seeing Tua Jia's group, she smiles brightly as if she's been expecting them to come.
Setting aside the three warriors' stunned faces, Tun Kla looks composed on the surface but is actually wary of the young woman's sudden appearance. As for Tua Jia, her expression has not changed since they arrived at the clearing.
"Pleasure to meet you, my name's Aria. I'm the new caretaker."
When the young woman introduces herself, she waves her hand with an unfaltering bright, friendly smile, intentionally or unintentionally telling them that she's harmless.
Tua Jia bows her head and solemnly says, "On behalf of our tribe, this humble woman welcomes you, Caretaker."
Before the warriors fully digest what they just heard, whether it is out of habit or out of instinct, the four warriors lower their heads and hurriedly get on one knee and loudly say, "We welcome the Caretaker!"
Aria, the new caretaker, is taken aback by their reaction. She takes a big leap down the steps then rushes to Tua Jia and gently helps her up and says, "Please raise your head, you're an elder."
Then, she speaks to the four warriors behind the elder, "There's no need to be formal with me, or I'll be annoyed."
Tun Kla, whose initial wariness has been dispelled the second he heard the word 'caretaker', stands back up as if her words are a command. The warriors behind him do the same but they keep their eyes to the ground for fear of being disrespectful and angering the caretaker.
Seeing the warriors with imposing physiques behaving like timid ducklings made Aria chuckle that she couldn't help tease them a bit, "If you don't breathe normally, you'll faint~"
Meanwhile, Tua Jia inwardly assesses, "This young caretaker has manners with an easy-going personality, she shouldn't have any trouble mingling with the villagers, unlike the other caretaker who's a constant worry."
However, the elder will later retract part of this assessment.
*****
Years later…
Warrior Tribe Hidden Village Settlement
"Where did you stray this time?"
Tua Jia interrogates Aria when she returns to the village later than her usual returning time.
"I just took a rest by the lake."
Aria's response may sound like an excuse but she's actually telling the truth.
"You went beyond the settlement," the elder correctly guesses after only hearing one sentence from Aria.
"I didn't go alone," Aria quickly says to avoid getting the 'you must have someone with you every time you leave' speech again.
She's not lying, she really wasn't alone. Just that 'someone' is not a person.
"I'm all sweaty, I'm going to take a bath!"
Aria escapes after giving her excuse.
Tua Jia watches her fleeting figure with a shake of her head then mutters, "Worry is never ending with her."
Shortly after, Tun Kla comes to see the elder but before he could state the purpose of his visit, Tua Jia speaks first, "The outsiders are making trouble again?"
Tun Kla nods then relays the report he receives from a messenger scout, "They found tracks near the waterfall."
"Which outsider is it this time? The fancy pretentious ones or the greedy-eyed ones?"
"We haven't been able to extract any information yet," Tun Kla respond straightforwardly without fearing he would be reprimanded for the slow progress of their investigation.
Tua Jia already expected it so she doesn't show much of a reaction.
Tun Kla continues to report, "The herds are getting restless, their chief warrior personally requests that person for assistance."
Hearing this, Tua Jia frowns and says, "The chief warrior of the Waterfall Village is very capable but also very cautious. For that person to send a request means the situation is about to escalate beyond their control."
Tun Kla shares the same thoughts and remains silent.
The elder gaze up at the darkening sky.
The silence between the two high-ranking people of the village lasts no longer than ten seconds when Tua Jia turns to Tun Kla and says, "You must not have eaten yet, come with me and keep this old lady company."
The sudden change of topic dissipates the lingering serious air from their talk.
Chief Warrior Tun Kla, knowing he can't refuse by simply saying he's still on duty, follows the elder into her house for a meal.