An Unforgivable Secret
an excerpt

Prologue:
Dozens of years ago, a conflict burned through a small unknown village situated besides a large mountain. A lot of fifty men and women tried to overthrow the council that directed their small community, only craving the power themselves. Fight raged on and many men, who once were friends and now were forced to become mortal enemies, fought well, but were killed.

Days passed, and soon the rebellious men and women’s number dwindled to a mere twenty. Choosing an option that hadn’t even been considered before, they decided to do the unthinkable – leave the village forever.

This community had always been raised with the knowledge of society, yet as they ran away towards during one foggy evening, they made a pact that their new clan would never, ever mention this community to their children. Nor would the following generation know about their forced exile. Nor would they ever find out about their ancestor’s horrid failure against the higher part of the village.

They walked for days, bordering the city where technology reigned and people were slowly getting swallowed by wealth and greed. Finally they came across a thick, dark forest that bordered the city. After walking hours towards the middle of the thick forestry, they came across a small swamp with enough space to start building houses. Many men were sent out to examine their surroundings, to get familiar with the grounds in case of an attack. They would be at their advantage since the forest was now officially theirs.

A few weeks later, with no signs of any upcoming attacks, a few of the older, stronger men all came together and officially formed the Council. They would manage the entire community, that they officially named Swamp because of the scenery around their village.

Simply to test the strength of their villagers, the men chose to make every 16-year-old undergo a trial that would test their loyalty, their strength, and their intelligence. And this is where this story starts.