Explore the mysterious village of Syam, where wildlife researcher Pride uncovers ancient secrets, strange creatures, and a binding ritual that changes his life forever. Dive into a tale of magic, curses, and the struggle between life and death in this gripping story of discovery and survival.
The Stubborn Ones
In the start we can in day time see a person getting out of a bus in a rural area looks like a village near a forest, a person with a big bag and a special bag for camera and other set up in the bag, He after getting here see the surroundings,
It’s a small bus stop nearly unnoticeable near the village with a small tea shop, there are no one currently other than a bullock cart, a very backward area it feels, that person go near the person on cart
” hello brother, where is the Syam village” He ask him but he was met with fixed eyes with cautious feeling
” huh” After a sigh he said ” You are not from here I think so you also want to go there”
That person understand something ask again “so where is that village”
” Don’t worry sit, I will drop you there but I first tell you, there is no network here so no you can’t contact anyone and no app working here, you know this place and every person that came here has its own story”
“I know, I understand this and came on my own risk”
” Fine, let’s go”
” please fast” After this they start going
” so what’s your name”
” Pride and don’t talk to me” After this Pride lie down and get in thoughts
‘Why I came here?’
His name is Pride and he is a wild life researcher and he a few months ago get some pictures that he first discarded as fake but when another photo similar to that he find, He became curious and do some research and find in this place near a village their are always some animals can be seen which are normal but with anomalies in them like some said it’s a big black wolf with scales, some said they seen white deer with six legs, Big red crows and other like this, Normally he don’t believe it but he need some rest so he came here for some fresh air
‘ I am sure it can be prank or strategy to attract tourist but I need to check, is it real or good fake?’
He was thinking about things when he feel a sudden halt, which disrupt his thoughts
” we came here, your destination”
Pride then get down and see the things, its a starting point of village and one can see a board telling the name of village ” Syam “, He also can see villagers inside and few foreigners that are present.
” it’s your destination, I will wait if you want to go “
” I will live here for few days, I want to spend time here”
After listening this that person turn his bullock cart and said ” Goodbye, I hope we meet on this path”
This statement confused him but he don’t want to waste time because he have work so he need rest to do that work at night, He go in the village and talk to a Foreigner
” Hey Bro, I want to stay here for few days, can you tell me where I can rest, a small hut or something”
” Ah, I do..”
“what we see here, a guest in our village, I welcome you dear guest, I am the village Chief, please come with me” a person introduce himself as village Chief and take him to a place in village where he show him a house
“it’s your place, you can live here as you want, it’s place for guest separate from villagers area, if you want to know anything, you can ask”
Pride want to rest but after some thinking he ask what he want to know
“yes, I want to ask about strange animals, I listen stories about them in the jungle”
There is a silence for not long he can feel it but then a smile appear on the village chief’s face
” There are some animals you can see in the forest but I don’t know what you talking about”
” big Black wolf with scales, Six leg White deer and like this”
” Ah, so you talk about them, I never see them, I only heard stories about them, their are some old stories present but only villagers know about them and no outsiders allowed to know them”
“Really, can you tell me, I can gave you anything” He put his hand on his pocket
The village Chief silently stare his face “it’s an isolated area, These actions can be dangerous go and rest for now”
Pride understand and went in house for rest if we can call it that, it’s a small hut with a mat, a wooden bucket and small wooden Bench, it’s clean and decent place for rest in this area, so he lay down and instantly fell asleep,
After sleeping at night Pride wake up and pack his things, He want to get information and solid evidence about things therefore he pack his things and ready to go in forest for his research
” Good Evening, here some fruits” when he get out he meet village Chief who have some fruits with him
” thanks, I want to ask something”
” what is it?”
” I see some foreigners, where they live”
“oh them, they born outside but they now living as part of our village” this thing shock him, how can a person living outside become part of this backward village
Maybe the village Chief understand the expression on his face
” I understand, they want to know what you want so they become a part of this village by following our rituals”
“is there some special requirement for this”
“you should go, come if you really want to know it” He simply avoid the topic so Pride also understand
He get back, eat the fruits and get ready for research and after some time he is ready
He find after some talk there are few places where most animals can find, he was ready and seeing around for things when he listen a bush behind me make noise and he see red eyes, his eye met with two Red dots before it disappear
‘what was that’
He was thinking when “whoosh” something pass near him or fly near him.
“what was that, it like a bird but birds don’t fly or attack like this”
Suddenly he saw a big red bird it is look like a crow which start transforming and become a red shadow
Pride seeing this instinctively hold his camera tight and ran with all his might until his feet stuck in something, He fell on soft grass and don’t get hurt much only few scratches, He turn to see in what thing his foot stuck, then he see
The red shadow is gone and his feet stuck in a trap made by grass,
‘this type of trap normally use for hunting and trapping, Maybe someone from village have done it’ these are his thoughts, He was thinking about continue his investigation or go back to village however his attention taken away by moving grass, his eyes get wide and shock appear on his face,his eyes move and fix on a place where a white deer is present there he can see it moving his head and grass moving with his head’s movement, it move forward and so the grass move trying to Bind him, seeing this Pride drop his camera and remove himself from grass
After this, Pride don’t know what happened, He wake up next day in the hut, his head and Body both are heavy and he also feel thirsty, He get up only to find the village Chief near him who upon waking offer him water
“water, I think you need it”
“Ah, my head, oh what happened, why am I here?”
“You don’t know, Maybe You forget about what happened yesterday?”
“huh, I remember, I meet that red dots, that flying shadow and that can’t be real, what you gave me, Why you gave me poisonous fruit”
“Do you think?” The village Chief ask his eyes filled with determination
‘I remember after getting away from that deer I see a multi head snake with colorful eyes and then my memory, I can’t remember’
“The evil snake wants to eat you but you were lucky, we find you”
“Ah, so you know about it all along” confused holding his head, Pride take water to drink
“there are things we can’t tell you, outsiders are not allowed to know these, only if you do the ritual and become the part of our village” The village Chief offer him a deal
“Is there any restrictions” Pride don’t believe the Chief and suspects the deal
“not any particular, however you have to live in the village, you need to tell us before going outside and you need to put village sign on your body” The village Chief tell him
” I need time” Pride pretend to think and said
” you can take your time and talk about it with other villagers” village chief understand him said it
After this he talk with many people in the village, even with little children but find nothing other than that it’s an old village made by a single person and have a village deity, there are no other god worship here and other important things still nothing suspicious, however he often see Shadows and moving trees but nothing more outside the village
After 6 days of finding nothing particular he have two options either go back with incomplete information or become part of this village and know the stories about these beings, he suspect them to be ghost but can’t confirm it he have doubt these are something else
‘I can just go out after becoming doing the ritual it’s not like they can Bind me here, I will go out anytime and never came back, others don’t feel like forced to live here’ He thinks like this and accept the ritual
It was an easy thing like all villagers at night come in village center where a small statue of a person as many say village Deity, worshipping by the villagers by dancing, all sides there is fire, the villagers made circle around the place and then I with village Chief go in the ritual, it was simple ritual
‘I have to wear clothes made from animal skin, tree bark and leaves, I have to wear special necklace made from I think animal bones, I just have to swear the oath, and drink a juice made by myself offer it first to deity and then drink myself’
The ritual start and everyone see it, He want to complete it fast and as expected village Chief with a priest that he first time see complete the ritual, he quickly complete the ritual, his eagerness can be seen by everyone and so they with amusement complete it
“Now offer the drink to the God and fulfill your oath”
“I Pride swear to the god, from today I am part of this village, I accept all laws of this village and swear to maintain the balance and respect all beliefs of the village” He swear the oath and drink the divine drink
“I, Jara the village Chief of Syam village in presence of our god accept you as part of our village” with this the ritual is complete and he feels something
Next day, Pride find himself in his hut he wake up instantly even if his head spinning, he don’t know what happened but he have suspicions
“I knew it, the village Chief have done something, I feel completely fine but why my head hurts, I will never believe him” he said what he want to do until he listen a voice came from outside
“I know but it’s normal for first time, now I will tell you the stories like you want”
This stir up his mind and his thoughts become clear, he get up and sit silently for listening to the stories
Flashback,
“it starts with 300 ago when this village was not present, there are some small village around here and in one of them that village lives a person name Ayam,
Ayam have abnormal body from birth, born with three functional arms and a total 18 fingers in hand fully functional, always reject by whole village but still love by his father, his father Syam”
” Stop so Syam is Father of Ayam and this village is based on his name” Pride interrupted the story
“Don’t do this again otherwise I will tell this story next day” a angry expression appear on village chief’s face
“OK, so Ayam loved by his father Syam, even his mother died while giving birth to him, Syam still love him even all people hate Ayam and reject him, Syam protect him, Syam is also the village Chief, a highly respected person and this is only reason Ayam live in the village,
Ayam is very kind but also Stubborn, he don’t care about what anyone think about him, He if want then he want, children make fun of him but Ayam never care about it, time passing, Ayam who only love by his father and priest learn many Magic and Sorcery become a good warrior and a village Priest’s direct student, he make his position in the village but one day,
A disease spread in the jungle everyone including trees, Animal and human start Dying, everyone discusses the thing and isolated the village, the village priest with village chief start a ritual to protect the village, Ayam get the responsibility to protect the village with other villagers, the ritual go 7 days and 7 nights, one by one everyone affect by the disease died and at last no one protecting the village other than Ayam after the ritual ends Syam ran for his child and find him dead, He was still standing at village entrance after his death, this broke the heart of Syam”
A tear came out of village chief’s eye and pride can feel the reason
” when Village priest tried to move Ayam he find a shadow under his feet, it was death, Ayam with his Magic and Sorcery held death, He capture death and protect the villagers, He died but never let go death, anyone who see it go on their knees and start worshipping him, after it Ayam become our village deity and we start worshipping him instead of our old god”
He take a big breath
“So It was that god who I swear the oath but what about those animals, you haven’t told me about them” Pride get a little restless and the village chief understand continue the story
“After we start worship Ayam, we all swear our loyalty to him and then we live a happy life, for some years things are normal until we feel the changes, Shadows and strange animals can be seen people who are very old still living without any problem, it going until one day some old people go outside the village and turn to dust by a an animal, some people see and ran back, it was a shadow that kill anyone going outside the village however can’t enter the village,
When the villagers find it they ask village priest and what they know shock them”
” what?, what they said”
“Tomorrow ” The village chief get angry and stand up to go
“please, I won’t do it again , please continue ” Pride request he want to know it now or it will hurt his head
” Fine, that animal are death and other village deity, Ayam stop death and other village Deities to enter the village, when the villagers start worship him, He get huge power from the faith and push other Deities and even death away from village so they Curse and kill any villagers that get out from the village, anyone above age of 25 if get out of village, He or she will die instantly, when going outside you can’t tell you are from this village, any indications gave you many curses by other Deities we are protect by Ayam and Bind by him, other village wipe out by them, now you are part of our village Bind by these laws, you can’t go out like me” He get up and going out
This put fear in Pride ” you are kidding right, tell me all this a lie”
” you can check, you are not 25 year old so you don’t die but it will hurt a lot, hehe” After this the village Chief get out of hut leaving a shaking Pride
After this Pride want to go out of the village but the Shadows stop him, that red dots and sound of wind, moving grass and other voices stop him
“I am writing this book for someone who will come here, I want him to not get same experiences like me, it hurt a lot, if you get caught by other Deities it feel like my Body ripped apart from inside, they torture me instead of killing me and I can’t go out, I hope no one have same situation as me, no one know where I exist, I hope they will find me”
Pride is waiting for someone to find him not know what will happened, He don’t know why he start liking it here and don’t want to go, He think something affecting his mind and manipulating his thoughts but he can’t tell who it is.
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