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 foundations 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 without telling them anything.
The warriors grow increasingly alert and cautious the farther they are from the village, especially since they're blindly following the elder through a route 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 now onwards, do not act without my words."
Tun Kla and the three warriors nod obediently.
The second they step on the stone paths, 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 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.
The stone path leads them to a clearing where a stone building covered in vines stands in the middle. At a glance, the building structure looks to be an ancient temple that has long since been forgotten. Tua Jia slows down her pace and finally stops at the base of the wide stone steps of the ancient temple.
Tun Kla positions himself a step behind the elder while the three warriors sweep their gaze around the clearing for any sign of danger with their hands on the hilt of their swords. None of them has the leisure to admire or be curious about the ancient temple.
Then, 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.
Her sudden appearance caused a mixed reaction in Tua Jia's group. Setting aside the three warriors' stunned faces, Tun Kla looks composed on the surface but is actually wary on the inside. 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."
The young woman waves her hand with the same bright, friendly smile as she introduces herself.
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 greetings. She takes a big leap down the stairs then rushes to Tua Jia and gently helps her up and says, "Please raise your head, you're an elder."
She also says something similar to the four warriors, "There's no need to be formal with me, or I'll be annoyed."
Tun Kla, whose initial wariness has been dispelled when the young woman's identity was revealed, stands back up as if her words are a command. The other three warriors 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 acting like timid ducklings made Aria chuckle that she couldn't help tease them, "If you don't breathe normally, you'll faint~"
Meanwhile, Tua Jia inwardly assesses, 'This new caretaker is not only polite and considerate but also looks to be easy-going, unlike the other caretaker who's a constant worry.'
However, the elder will later retract part of this assessment.
*****
Years later…
"Where did you stray this time?" Tua Jia interrogates Aria the second she returns to the village.
"I just took a rest by the lake."
"You went beyond the settlement."
Tua Jia instantly knows after only hearing one sentence from Aria.
"I didn't go alone," Aria quickly adds 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!"
Then, Aria quickly escapes.
Tua Jia watches her fleeting figure with a shake of her head then mutters, "Worry is never ending with her."
After Aria is gone (again), Tun Kla comes to see Tua Jia.
"The outsiders are making trouble again?"
The elder who has seen and experienced the good and evil nature of people over the decades already knows why Tun Kla comes to see her without him having to say it first.
Tun Kla nods then relays the report he receives from the 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 responds 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 sends a request for that person's assistance."
Hearing this, Tua Jia frowns and says, "The chief warrior of the Waterfall Village is very capable but also very cautious. That person asking for help means that the situation is about to escalate beyond their control."
The elder gazes up at the darkening sky.
Standing beside her, Tun Kla shares the same thoughts and remains silent.
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.
Tun Kla, knowing he can't refuse by simply saying he's still on duty, follows the elder into her house for a meal.