Designating someone as the next village chief was not a small matter—at least, it shouldn't have been one when a single person usually held the position for hundreds of years. It required countless meetings and tests. However, from the elders' current point of view, it was all meaningless.
To them, Vidra was a special child who had already proved himself, whether it was intentional or not, it didn't matter. Everyone loved him, so there was no opposition when the elders announced their intention.
Lung and Serina, on the other hand, were not happy about this. Turning someone into a village chief was not a small matter. It required the candidate to dedicate his time to studying and training. It was a written rule that the village chief of Inaka had to be as well-versed in worldly matters as possible.
They wanted Vidra to enjoy his life to the fullest before becoming the village chief. Living for a hundred years at least before the official announcement was made. Now those plans flew out the window as if they never existed in the first place.
Meanwhile, the young Vidra played with his friends and his pet, Vidra, not knowing that his life was about to become much harder. They chased each other across the giant trees of Inaka, played in the river, and bathed in the sun towering over the Inakan skies.
Time flew by, and the end of the day quickly arrived. Currently, the three of them, not including the other Vidra, sat on a giant branch of a giant tree. Looking over the setting sun as they discussed various interesting facts that they learned from their parents.
"Hey, Vidra, did you know? My mother said that our magic affinity is much higher than other creatures beyond the forest. She told me some of them can't even make a fireball without learning about it for months."
Said Eileen as she looked at Vidra with her bright, round, and evergreen eyes. Vidra looked at her with a smile on his face. Eileen always told him interesting facts that couldn't be found in the books of Inaka.
Her mother was a Wanderer. She is someone who knows what lies beyond the Great Forest. A myriad of different races. Each one with their unique traits that made them interesting in their own way.
Vidra was about to reply when a boy, around the same age as him, started shouting about something entirely different.
"YOU SAID THAT YESTERDAY! THIS TIME YOU DID IT!"
The boy, Runo, shouted at Eileen in a way that made her flinch for a second before shouting back at Runo in the same way.
"YESTERDAY I TALKED ABOUT HUMANS BEING WEAK! Why are you even shouting... stupid Runo."
Thus, the two of them started their usual banter. Runo would interrupt Eileen's storytime with anything possible, and Eileen would lose track of where she ended her story as a result. This would end up irritating her even further.
Vidra sat between the two of them in silence, waiting for the usual commotion to die down, while wondering about the stories that Eileen told him. There was so much more he didn't know about the world, and every time they talked, the meaning of life grew in front of his eyes.
'Humans, huh? Eileen's mother said that they rule much of the land beyond the Great Forest, yet she also told us that humans are inferior to us in many ways. Is this a lesson about arrogance? Humans have a short lifespan, their magic is weak, yet they flourish in a way that we, elves, never achieved.'
Soon, the commotion ended, and what remained was the sounds of birds and insects. The sun was about to release its last rays of light before disappearing on the horizon. The young Vidra extended his arm towards the setting sun. An object so far away. It was beyond logic itself.
"Runo, Eileen, aren't you curious?"
"About what?"
Asked the two of them in sync as they turned towards the usually quiet Vidra. They looked at him for a second as he made a grasping motion while looking at the sun.
"About what lies beyond the Great Forest. So many stories in the writing, so many in the end, and so many at the beginning. So many stories are lost, and so many to be made. One day, I will have my own, and it will be one for the legends."
The wind blew past the three young elves as Vidra finished his monologue. Runo and Eileen clapped in unison and started laughing once they realised how weird Vidra sounded sometimes.
"You're a daydreamer."
Said Eileen, laughing as she patted Vidra's back.
However little did they know that Vidra meant what he said. He wanted to explore the world. Witness its horror and beauty. Runo and Eileen never took him seriously. They always said that leaving the village was unnecessary. Everyone in the village said the same thing, even Eileen's mother, who once wandered the world.
She told Vidra that, compared to the rest of the world, Inaka was a paradise. Leaving was a mistake, as she ended up getting more scars than anything else. However, Vidra was not convinced.
'Is it okay to live a life so devoid of new experiences?'
"Eileen, give me a coin, I'll show you something interesting. Are you interested in a bet?"
"Yes, let's bet!"
Suddenly, Vidra asked for a coin, and Eileen gave it to him without thinking. She just wanted to see something interesting, as Vidra told her. Runo was about to fall asleep, but his ears perked up when he heard Vidra mention a bet. It was common knowledge amongst the children of Inaka. Vidra was a gambler.
He never lost a bet against anyone of his age, at least not when it involved anything other than luck. Ever since the age of 6, he has found hundreds of ways to fool others.
"I will flip this coin in front of your eyes. You're an elf, so you will be able to tell which side the coin will show before it lands. I'll give you one guess and if you're wrong..."
"What happens if I'm wrong?"
Eileen asked with suspicion apparent in her round, green eyes. Vidra remained silent as he flipped the coin so far away it almost disappeared into the distance.
"The loser becomes the next village chief."