Chapter: The five chosen ones

Now both teenagers were standing in front of the gate. Ivy wound its way up the two wooden posts like a snake, and at the end it was intertwined in a thick thicket of green leaves. It looked quite old, but it still held up well on the floor.
From the gate Keichi's gaze fell on a small village street that led through the residential area directly in front of him. On every side of the street he saw tiny houses and huts made of wood with roofs made of plant fiber or straw, which were lined up close together on the ground. Each hut had a small worn door with one or two windows that let in enough light. The ground was light brown earth mixed with gray gravel.
'It's really like in the Middle Ages,' thought Keichi. The Sarutei girl, however, stopped in front of the entrance and said: "You, Keichi, please don't be surprised if everyone is staring at you or whispering, okay? You ...", her eyes pointed in the direction of the villagers, "know , that you come."“You know I'm coming?” He looked at Shiori, puzzled.
"Yes."
“But where from?” The boy didn't quite understand. "Well, when the senior elder gives an order, word gets around quickly. And now that the fate of all of us is at stake ..." she rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go. Let's venture into the lion's den. But let's go quickly, I hate everyone staring at me."
"Is good."
Reluctantly, Keichi followed the redhead through the portal. As soon as he had taken the first few steps, a strange feeling crept into him. The uncanny suspicion of being fixed and watched by everyone. From the side he looked at the looks of the people they were walking past and he felt very miserable, considering the many unexpected reactions. The younger ones, including girls and boys his age, began to whisper to one another, pointed angrily at him or gave him envious and disapproving looks.The boys in particular did not seem to allow him this prelude and looked at him appraisingly. Older women and men immediately stopped their work and turned curiously to the two adolescents who were just walking past.
Keichi didn't like this fuss. He became increasingly insecure and walked closer and closer to Shiori. He had always hated it when all the attention was on him, it only made him nervous and embarrassed as well. The young Sarutei showed no sign of her reluctance to be eyed by everyone. With eyes fixed straight ahead, she walked on quickly and pretended not to notice anything of her surroundings. But she was very wrong when she thought that everyone would just watch but nothing else would happen. Because then it happened:
“Shio, honey!” A tall boy with golden blond hair came running up with a big grin on his face. "Hey, my little one!", He playfully hugged the completely amazed girl and kissed her forehead.“Haven't seen you in a long time, huh?” He grinned. "KITE! What are you thinking of ???", Shiori shouted angrily and hastily pushed the boy away from him. The shock still sat in her limbs. "Tell me, what was that supposed to mean?" She uttered angrily. The blonde just smiled, winked at her mischievously and replied, amused:
"Isn't it allowed to say hello to your mate anymore?"
Keichi followed the event with confused eyes. The tall blond boy, apparently named Kite, must have been at least three years older than the two younger ones. He had a gaunt face with two turquoise-green shimmering eyes and narrow lips. His golden blonde hair stuck out strangely on all sides, and yet it looked somehow neat. Kite had broad shoulders and wore a sleeveless black leather vest with the black collar of a cloak. Keichi noticed muscles in some places on his arms, but also scabs of old wounds, which he must have sustained in some fights.He wore blue pants made of simple material, which he had tied like a balloon at the ankles and which were probably good for moving and fighting. His shoes were also made of black leather.
As with Shiori, the blonde made a strange impression on Keichi at first, the clothes, his temperament ... but he should get to know him yet, that was for sure.

The Sarutei still glared at the boy and had crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. Immediately Kite replied apologetically: "Sorry, Shio, will definitely not happen again." But the girl wasn't so sure about that….
The blonde didn't seem to notice the other boy who was standing next to the redhead, but went on talking cheerfully as if he didn't even exist. But then, when the brunette cleared his throat, he looked up. "Is that him?", He asked Shiori interestedly, who then proudly began to nod. But Kite didn't seem too excited."This is really supposed to be our 'last resort'?" He gave him an appraising look. "I honestly don't look like it. I thought the boss was sending us a real hero ... but a normal boy?" He shook his head in disbelief.
Keichi shrank inside. What could he do that they wanted him of all people? After all, he hadn't chosen it or volunteered, and he certainly didn't want to be a hero. No matter how dissatisfied they all were with him.
Shiori stood protectively in front of the boy and said: "Leave him alone, Kite, okay? I'll teach him everything he needs to be able to do and know. I'll make a real hero out of him!"
With these words she grabbed Keichi by the arm and dragged him on, past the blond boy and away from the curiously gawking people on the street.

After a while you couldn't hear people's voices anymore.Perhaps that was because there were fewer and fewer huts and people coming towards them and the road was also getting narrower and narrower and receding into a single path. Daryvell was far behind them now. "Our village elder lives a bit out of the way," replied the girl, as if in response to his inner question. "He doesn't like being disturbed."
"Mmh. You, Shiori?" She looked at him in amusement and grinned. "Call me 'Shio', okay? Otherwise I'll feel so old."
"O-ok. Shio ... that boy, Kite, was that your boyfriend or something?" Her eyes widened. "My FRIEND?" She uttered, laughing. "If Kite were my friend, I would probably run away! No, he's just one of the five chosen people who just likes to mess with girls." She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "A stupid Casanova. I don't know why he was chosen. He comes from the Heritei tribe, the dragon clan."
"The Dragon Clan? Does that mean he ...?" "Yes," Shiori sighed."He can transform himself into a dragon. That is his ability, and it is not to be underestimated. The Heritei are very good warriors, so better not irritate them. And their blood has healing powers. Any wound can be healed by the blood of a dragon "She sighed again:" Actually, he shouldn't be here yet ... "
Keichi gave the girl a questioning look. "Oh, I keep forgetting that you don't even know anything about it!", She laughed embarrassedly. "I'm sorry. But maybe it is better if someone else explains this to you." Shiori nodded knowingly forward and only now did the brunette notice the large hut that seemed to rise from the ground in front of them. She was bigger than the others, much bigger. The only thing that remained the same was the construction. Keichi suddenly felt tiny. Suddenly he got a queasy feeling, suddenly wanted to run away quickly and go back home. But he knew that there was no going back now, now that he should finally find out what was going on.Shiori eyed the brunette in amazement. Then she smiled.
"Hey," she said and put a hand on his shoulder to encourage him. “Don't worry, no one will bite you. And I'm still there too.” She winked at him comfortingly. "Come on, come on!" She gestured for him to follow her and lightly entered the big hut. Keichi hesitated. Then he decided to follow her. What did he have big to lose? Now he couldn't go back anyway, so he might as well get involved in this game. A game that might soon become the greatest adventure of all time.

The boy stepped over the rocky threshold, still feeling unsteady, and cautiously entered the room. His knees went weak and he eyed the cabin interior in awe. The walls had been made of ancient, gray wood, and in some places deep scars had been scratched into the boards.They had been screwed roughly together, as if the builder was in a hurry, and one wondered why the house was still holding up so well above the ground. Hides and animal skins of huge beasts hung on the gray walls, but also shelves, also made of wood, plants and colorful carpets adorned the dark room. Almost like an old hunting lodge. In the middle of the living area, on a rather magnificent one of the colorful carpets, stood a huge chair carved from fine wood with four wooden feet in the shape of gigantic paws of a lion or something similar. It also had two broad armrests with carved characters and figures. The large backrest and the rest of the chair were also decorated with the strange writings.
Perched on top of him was probably the most handsome man Keichi had ever seen. In contrast to the old people in the village, this man was probably years younger. He had a young, friendly face with dark blue eyes and an angular chin.His black hair was disheveled in all directions, only held together by a leather-colored ribbon tied around his forehead. His face looked serious, but also nervous and friendly. Keichi estimated that this man must be around 30 years old.
'And there they speak of the' Chief Elder '….'
Like Kite, he was very well built, with strong muscles and strong hands. He was slim and his red cloak emphasized this unsurpassably. A gold chain with the mark of an eye on it glittered around his neck.
But the man wasn't alone in the room. Around him stood two other young men and a pretty woman with long blond hair. Shiori stood a little apart from them and stayed in the background in awe.
When Keichi finally saw the girl, he wanted to run to her quickly, but she rejected him with a warning look in her eyes and pointed to the black-haired man. Confused, he looked from her to this and back again