'How big is our world?' the child asked in his sweet cold voice. His eyes were filled with curiosity and wanted to know or at least to imagine.

'It's not vast. You shouldn't imagine it like it can't be described,' the old bald man replied, sitting in front of him. His skin looked unusually white in his white clothing.

'But father says it's endless. No one can wander the whole world in his entire life,' the child answered softly, he must have had a belief that his father couldn't be wrong.

The bald man let a swift smile grow over his face. He moved his eyes above the child's shoulder and tried to rest his thoughts; the child was patient and waited for him to answer. The man gazing the calm evening was called Berathelmus, and the child was named Bathe. They sat on the grassy earth near the porch of the hut.

'You look interested in Geography, and maybe the history of places,' Berathelmus said but Bathe didn't reply. 'What would you do with all the knowledge you would gain from me?' he said again with a smile on his face, expecting that Bathe would give him a witty but innocent reply.

'I want to go in the forests; I want to go beyond them and I want to see what's beyond them.'

'You fear that you will lose your path?' Berathelmus chuckled and asked, clearly he liked Bathe and wanted him to speak his mind.

'Father says there is nothing beyond the forests, our world is only our village and then the forests surrounding us. He says forests are endless.' 

'Did you ever go to the west of the village?'

'I went there a few times, with father and I saw mountains rising at the distances, but father says even after mountains there are only forests.'

Bathe's face remained expressionless. He was ten years old and had dark eyes like his father. His dark hair rose up and down with the breeze. Berathelmus frowned at him like he wanted Bathe to speak more. 'Father never lets me step near the forest. He says I would get lost. He says there are beasts hiding inside them; and will eat my legs and arms if they saw me.'

Berathelmus smiled more. 'And what do you think?'

Bathe didn't immediately reply, taking his time to gather his thoughts while his mouth remained open.

'There can't be beasts inside them; why would the trees give them shelter? Beasts hide in dark and bad places, forests couldn't be like that. I sometimes dream about the other end of the forest that when I would get there, I would find a silver girl, in white glittering silver clothes, lighting places.'

His eyes were fixed upon Berathelmus, expecting to hear that he might be true. Berathelmus smile didn't broaden.

'I can extend your knowledge. But it will not help you pass the wild.'

He took a deep breath before starting.

'This village is a tiny part of this vast world. There are other places full of lives too—kingdoms, ancient tribes and cities and many more.'

'But why doesn't anyone talk about them?'

'You can answer that. Why would people try to hide something from you?' 

'I don't know,' Bathe replied. Berathelmus looked into his eyes. 'How would I know?' Bathe raised his shoulder in agreement.

'You can think of many reasons. One of the first reasoning can be—if you are hiding something from someone then probably it's not yours, or maybe even if you own it you fear that the other person will take it forcefully,' Berathelmus replied. 'Can you add more?'

Bathe was more patient this time. He remained thoughtful for the moment before speaking.

'Maybe the secret of the unseen is necessary to be hidden for the one from whom the secret is hidden,' he said extremely thoughtfully.

Berathelmus was caught off guard—it seemed either Bathe gave the most correct answer or a very wrong answer.

'We will talk about it more in coming days.' 

'But you didn't tell me about the world.' Bathe was an intelligent child and still had his true aim of the conversation in his mind. 

Berathelmus chuckled lightly and started speaking.

'There is a vast kingdom called Lunar, ruled by kings in the west, but the path to this land is extremely difficult, full of obstacles. The ancient family of Ezton has ruled the kingdom since long. In the Far East, a greater city lies—city of memories and tales—Mederenthia or Meren; the city of great warriors Augth. Reaching there is more difficult than Lunar. Life doesn't dwell only in great cities of past and there is a ruin to the south. An endless ruin called Breathon where queer kinds, different from men exist.' Berathelmus stopped speaking. Bathe kept looking over his face expecting more.

'A small city, treasure of magic, called Immortele, and the birthplace of the world's greatest wizard ever, also breathes life but in a far distant and a safer corner of the world.'

'I would like to see this place.'

'I told you it's distant and safe, away from the reach of mankind. Nature protects this place; there are mazes of mountains and many other forces protecting this place.' Berathelmus hesitated but continued then. 'And then, in the far west, beyond Lunar, there are cities and fallen kingdoms of the ancient past, but I shall not name them here.'

'Why not?'

'Because they are cursed, and their tales shouldn't be spoken under the sun or moon.'

'Who cursed them?' 

Berathelmus sighed and strains of a deep remorse grew over his face, but then spoke again in a low voice.

'This world, it's built on the graves of the fallen, most of them who didn't deserve death. We share a past which is bloodstained with sins of our own. There are wounds so deep that endless years of redemption must pass to heal them again.'

Bathe's mouth remained open, and somehow it was all appealing to him; While Berathelmus immediately resented of speaking of secrets of past against someone who was still only a child.

'Hey, Bathe.'

Their concentration broke with a familiar voice, and Bathe's head immediately turned to the right. The man called Thorin was coming to them with a bundle of wood around his shoulder.

He was tall, strong and had dark hair and eyes like the child. His face was tough but appeared older than he actually was. The dust of busy streets and blackness which came after working long under a harsh sun was visible along with his tired legs. But he was more than cheerful when Bathe rushed to him. He let the bundle of woods rest on the ground and lifted Bathe.

'Father, I know the entire world,' Bathe spoke with joy.

Thorin frowned first and then smiled back.

'Who told you that?'

Berathelmus stood at some distance from them and stared upon the cheerful duo.

'I know what's behind the mountains,' Bathe replied to show his father he really knew. 

That smile on Thorin's face faded in no time.

'What is it?' he asked, ensuring himself and praying for a wrong answer.

'Immort...' Bathe opened his mouth but couldn't complete his answer.

'STOP.'

Thorin almost scolded, all of his joy was suddenly gone leaving Bathe stunned. He immediately turned towards Berathelmus with his angry face but the old man remained calm with his usual smile. Thorin rushed to him, leaving Bathe behind. Bathe didn't know what had happened, he only knew he had never seen father that angry.

'What have you been teaching him?' his face was emitting a lot of heat. But Berathelmus face showed no sign of strain.

'You are more afraid than angry, my friend,' Berathelmus said piercing straight into the eyes of Thorin. And suddenly Thorin didn't know what to say. It had been strange for him, every time he met with the light of the old man's face; he would lose his control and his senses would bow down. This time again, he had lost his will to argue and tried to think of what to reply.

'What did I tell you about the child?' Berathelmus asked.

'His blood is not ordinary, and his presence will not be contained in this small village for long,' Thorin replied in his low voice and his eyes remained rooted to the ground. 'And you gave me enough evidence.' 

With the completion of his last word; he felt a bit ashamed of himself and turned his head towards Bathe. His eyes were still motionless; with some terror hovering over his little face. 

Even denying milk for breakfast wouldn't anger father that much.

'Come here Bathe,' Berathelmus said and waved his hand. Bathe walked towards him, looking around Thorin's knees. But as soon as he came close enough, Thorin pounced upon him unexpectedly. Next moment, he was sitting upon Thorin's shoulder. Berathelmus smiled back.

'Will you teach him more today?' Thorin asked. He hadn't read many books when he was young but had no less awareness of the world than a man of knowledge. He had a sense of taking the right decision under tight situations, but not against Berathelmus. He had no control over the coming answer.

'No, I will come again tomorrow,' he looked upon Bathe who was sitting over Thorin's shoulder, feeling much safer but still bearing an expressionless face. And then he walked away to the Hedge of the cottage in the pressing darkness.

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Pronounce Bathe as B-A-T-H-E not Beth.

The POV here and for the rest of chapters is third person, omnipresent. It's a simple POV where the narrator knows everything. The past, the present and the future. It sees all the events and also the thought process of every character involved. Apart from dialogues, it's the narrator telling everything. I hope that's helpful, in case you had any confusion related to POV.

Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it. Any feedback even in the harshest word is most welcome. Also please consider voting, if you liked the chapter.

We are in Evigray right now, and I have highlighted in the map. If you haven't checked it, then please have a gentle look for a general sense of direction. I will make sure details ease in upcoming chapters.

Happy reading.