Chapter 9：Hidden Leaf Village

"We have arrived."

Yiren and Lisa checked their surroundings at the Youngster call, but they saw nothing but a single tall mountain in front of them. There was no sight of a Village anywhere, only lush forest covering the whole space.

"Here? Are you sure?" Lisa questioned suspiciously, but the Hunters assured her. "Don't worry, Miss. Our village is hidden from the public view."

Yiren squeezed Lisa's hand, showing she shouldn't worry, and they followed, landing on the ground within the trees. The Hunters seemed cautious, looking around to check if anyone was spying on them before knocking at one of the boulders.

Surprisingly, what they thought was a boulder turned out to be a hidden passage, leading into the ground with sharp stairs. A guard stood at the top of the stairs, instantly glaring at the new faces, Lisa and her. His head was covered with a similar mask and hood like the other Hunters, only showing his eyes.

"Who are they?" He asked sternly. "You know we can't invite strangers into the village."

"Don't worry, uncle," the Youngster assured as he took off his mask and introduced them with a smile. "They are friends we made while hunting. They are a Master Beast Tamer, Miss Yiren, and her manager, Miss Lisa. My father would love to meet them, so I invited them."

The guard's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

It was naturally hard to believe they met a random Master Beast Tamer during their hunting session.

"Yeah," the Youngster nodded with a bitter smile. "Miss Yiren tamed all five our beasts with just a few words."

Seeing the other Hunters confirm it, the guard finally believed, bowing his head to the girls, "I'm sorry for my rudeness. Please, come inside."

"Misses, please follow me," the Youngster lead the way, going down the stairs, and Yiren pulled Lisa inside without hesitation. She believed they were good people just as their Beasts thought of them.

The stairs were short, leading to a long passage lit up with shining crystals. It took them about a minute until they finally saw the other exit.

Yiren's mouth didn't want to close after what she saw.

"Whoa…"

She saw a giant open space within the mountain itself. Countless wooden houses spread from one end to the other. Homes on the walls and the ceiling had hundreds of bridges connecting them. Not only that, but there was also plenty of greenery everywhere, large trees in the middle of the streets with houses built inside them as well.

It was just like her hometown!

Her Forest Elf race had their small Realm with floating islands, similar wooden houses, and everything connected with bridges. Yiren felt as if she came back home.

Ah!

She couldn't help but exclaim, seeing small birds fly freely in the sky, followed by much bigger Spirit Beasts who carried people and goods.

It was even better than her hometown!

The only thing she always disliked was the lack of Beasts in her Realm, yet so many beasts lived here. She didn't fully believe it at first, but what the Youngster said was true.

"How do you like our Village Miss Yiren?" the Youngster asked from the side.

They were inside a hole in the wall, viewing the whole enormous cavern from the sky.

"I love it!" Yiren exclaimed and flew forward without them, pulling on the innocent victim with her, "Come, Lisa!"

The Hunters quickly followed, but it was hard to keep up with her.

Yiren let out a loud whistle to which all birds reacted, suddenly flocking in her direction.

Chirp, chirp!

Hundreds of birds voiced their happiness from Yiren's arrival, dancing around them in joy. Yiren couldn't help but giggle and sing in a melodic voice.

"Living the dream, watching the leaves, changing the seasons,

Sunsets and sunrises, birds fly for all those reasons,

Enjoying their lives, flying to the moon's eye,

Birds fly in every direction, so fly high, fly high…"

Yiren took Lisa's hands and danced happily with more and more beasts joining. Their song echoed throughout the village, making all residents stop what they were doing, gazing at the sky.

"Seasons will change, but we will always fly, fly, fly,

My dear friends, I love you and love will never die, die, die,

Let's enjoy our lives, flying to the moon's eye,

Let's fly with the birds, fly high, fly high…"

In front of the largest tree within the village was a plaza which quickly filled with people, all staring at the two dancing girls. The melody was so catchy people began to join, humming along. Kids danced happily, jumping around, husbands grabbed their wives into their arms, dancing to the song.

"A Goddess…" A mature lady muttered as she watched the performance from the balcony of the tallest tree. "Our Goddess returned!"

"What is going on?" Her husband, a handsome man with sharp eyes, asked as he joined her at the balcony, embracing her from behind. The scenery immediately dumbfounded him.

"Your son brought a Goddess to our village," the lady explained, pointing at the five Hunters who followed Yiren and Lisa. "All beasts from the village follow her."

As she said so, she pulled out her Beast Token and let her beast free as well. A flaming bird burst from the token and launched to the sky, joining the rest.

"Amazing…" the man muttered, amazed when he squinted his eyes, noticing something unique. "Her eyes… They are shining with gold… Is she a Master Beast Tamer…?"

"Hug me closer, dance with me and let's fly,

Cherish our love, hug me tightly and take me to the sky,

I want us always together, flying to the moon's eye,

Just like the birds, fly high, fly high…"

The man embraced his wife, influenced by the music, and danced along to the song.

When Yiren and Lisa landed, the two were out of breath but two big smiles displayed on their faces. Yiren tickled the flaming bird who sat on her shoulder in the middle of her dance and looked around. Multiple people surrounded them, and wherever she looked, they bowed their heads, calling out in respect.

"Goddess!"

"Goddess!"

"Goddess!"

The crowd suddenly split, and two middle-aged people walked through. They seemed like a couple, holding their hands.

"Dad, mom!"

They heard a cry, and the Youngster from before landed next to them, giving them a solid hug. "She is a Master Beast Tamer like you!"

"We know, son. Everyone could see the display of her power," the sharp-eyed man replied, patting the Youngster on the head and turned to the girls.

"Welcome to our Hidden Leaf Village. We have been waiting for you."

"Huh? Waiting for me?" Yiren repeated, confused, but the man didn't explain, announcing to the gathered people.

"Everyone! Our Goddess returned! Let the celebration start!"

***************

Author thoughts:

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