The Village Chief greeted the caretakers with a smile and a quiet nod as he led his wife forward, walking across the red carpet that adorned the centre of the room. They made their way to the wooden platform, reserved for the Village Chief at the far end of the carpet. Taking his seat, he settled comfortably, exuding an air of authority.
Once the Village Chief assumed his position, the thick curtain was once again drawn aside, revealing Molya carrying another wooden platform. This one was slightly higher than Orion's and the caretakers', but still smaller than the Village Chief's seat.
Descending as her body became intangible, Molya disappeared into the wooden floor, leaving the Village Chieftess to take her position on the elevated platform. The room hushed, awaiting the discussion to begin.
"Ahem," The Village Chief cleared his throat, capturing the attention of everyone in the room. "Now that we have all assembled, Orion," he addressed the gathering before locking his gaze onto Orion, "..... would you like to commence the meeting by telling us the plan that you have managed to come up with for the newborns?"
While Orion couldn't help but wonder if the Village Chief had truly been unconscious during his discussion with the Village Chieftess yesterday, he pushed aside those thoughts, took a deep breath, and began to speak. His plan was about to be unveiled, and he knew he had to make it clear and convincing.
"After considering various ways to deal with the newborns, the only feasible plan I have come up with is to reunite the children with their parents," Orion expressed, observing some of the Caretakers frown, except for Mrs Shani, who was now fixated on him as though she wanted to absorb every word that left his lips.
Meanwhile, the Village Chief and Chieftess, already aware of Orion's plan, remained silent as he continued to speak.
"However, to implement this plan, we need three crucial elements," Orion explained, raising his hand with his index finger pointing upwards while the rest of his fingers remained clenched. "First, we'll have to spread a rumour throughout the village. The rumour will claim that a group of warriors, four men, and three women, decided to kneel and give praise to Naka after they were victorious in a deadly encounter with waves of three-star Vylkr vines. It doesn't matter who these people are, as long as they are purely imaginary and don't actually exist.."
The room was filled with surprise and confusion as Orion's words echoed in the air, but everyone made an effort to understand him. They recognized that the young man standing before them wouldn't speak with such confident composure if it were mere nonsense. Taking the lead, Caretaker Nala asked, "Would that only be the contents of the rumours?"
"No," Orion shook his head and responded, "the rest of the rumours would say that when the warriors knelt to pray to Naka amidst the dead remains of the three-star Vylkr vines, something extraordinary happened. As they fervently prayed, the sky above them split open, and Naka was so moved by their devotion that the injuries of the warriors, both internal and external, were miraculously healed. But that was not all. A powerful yet calming voice, like thunder, resonated in their ears, speaking to them directly."
"And just as they began to comprehend the divine encounter, two of the warriors, who had tragically lost their children due to childbirth complications, found their babies lying beside them, healthy and alive. The rest of the warriors were astonished to discover freshly sewn tulgas and hundreds of kalna fruits neatly arranged nearby. Let the rumours say that these were the deepest desires of their hearts, and Naka granted them as miracles."
Orion paused to take a deep breath, intending to continue, but he was immediately interrupted.
"I don't understand," Caretaker Zola admitted, shaking her head in confusion at Orion's words, "..... how did you come up with this plan? Doesn't it sound ridiculous? Seven imaginary warriors praying to Naka right after surviving a battle against three-star warriors, instead of tending to their injuries? And then, hundreds of kalna fruits and freshly sewn tulgas appearing out of thin air, along with two newborns miraculously alive and well? It all seems absurd in so many ways."
She narrowed her eyes at Orion and continued, "I'm sorry to say, but forget about implementing this plan. Even if you miraculously succeed, what will you do once the rest of the villagers realize it's all based on fake rumours? And what if they discover that Naka has been used to spread such misinformation? I understand you were given a short amount of time, but instead of spouting things that don't make sense, why not come clean and admit that you haven't been able to come up with anything so we can work together to devise a realistic plan now that we're all here?"
Although some, like Caretakers Naida, Nala, and the Village Chieftess, agreed with Caretaker Zola's statement, there were others, such as Caretaker Ivor and the Village Chief, who were trying to make sense of Orion's proposal.
Meanwhile, Caretaker Shani stood at the side, cradling the baby in her arms, seemingly unfazed by Orion's words. For her, the ultimate goal was to reunite the newborns with their families, and if Orion's strange plan could achieve that, she was willing to overlook any perceived flaws.
Caretaker Naida opened her mouth, intending to speak, however, her words were immediately interrupted.
"Enough," the Village Chief's firm voice resounded through the room as he saw another Caretaker about to speak. Though he couldn't claim to fully grasp what Orion was trying to convey, he believed that he would understand better once the young man laid out his plans in full. With a gesture, he signalled for Orion to continue, his intense gaze fixed on him. "Go on."
Orion noticed the confused expressions on their faces, but he wasn't disheartened, as he had expected this reaction from the moment he started revealing his plan. He knew they wouldn't grasp anything until he laid out all the details. So, he took a deep breath and resumed speaking.
