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We kept walking for almost an hour when the sun set and twilight arrived. I wondered where we were heading—if we kept moving east, we would eventually reach Myanmar.
But I didn't think they were from our neighboring country. As far as I knew, no tribe there had such large women—unless I was wrong, which was unlikely.
My body was still numb and powerless, but my mind was clear. And that made it even more frustrating—being fully aware of everything yet unable to do anything about what was happening to me.
This feeling reminded me of that incident all over again—when a ghost chased me in that damn all-boys' boarding school, or hostel, as we called it.
I was sick at the time, bedridden because I had twisted my ankle falling from a high place. On the third day, during remedial class from 3 to 4 PM, something passed by my room in the first corridor.
…Thump…thump…thump…
A sudden chill ran down my spine as the sound stopped near the fourth room, then slowly made its way back toward mine—the first room.
I sat up in bed and peeked outside the door, and there—
A huge man. No, more like a giant. He wore nothing and wielded a massive machete, standing just a few feet away from me.
As he raised his weapon, I forgot all about my ankle pain and ran down the stairs as fast as I could. The school was below the lane, so I had no choice but to run uphill toward the cooks' and gatekeeper's residence.
The ghost kept chasing me. He was persistent. But luck was on my side that day—just as I neared the residence, one of the cooks stepped outside. The ghost froze near a tree before vanishing. And I think that encounter gave me more courage and the ability to think clearly in dangerous situations.
To be honest, I wished I was in that situation again instead of this. At least I could run for help back then. But now? Now, I could only watch as we moved further away from the place I knew, toward the unknown.
We kept walking until nightfall. We encountered no animals—except one tiger. But even that was quickly subdued by their leader. With her bare hands.
Since I couldn't watch the actual fight, I could only guess what happened from the sounds. But there was barely any—just some thrashing, then the whimpering of the tiger.
I made a mental note: Never disobey her again. She could crush me like a bug if she wanted to.
After nearly four hours, we reached a clearing at the base of a cliff. A large circle had been drawn in the soil. As we got closer, I noticed that the inside of the circle was burned black, with patches of scorched earth nearby.
As we stepped into the clearing, the woman leading us made a strange sound.
"Hooooool! Hooool!"
A few seconds later, three groups emerged from the opposite side of the forest. They were massive, just like the ones who had captured me. But unlike us, they had no prisoners.
A woman wielding a large white staff topped with an animal skull stepped forward from behind me. She walked toward us with an air of authority. The others' reactions made it clear—she was respected.
The woman carrying me gently laid me down at the center of the circle. The staff woman bent over, running her hands along my body—from my head to my feet.
Then she stopped at my crotch.
She shouted something to the group behind me, and they erupted into loud cheers.
…Shit…
I cursed in my head. I tried to move, to escape her touch, but I couldn't muster any strength—except in one place.
Something twitched between my legs.
"Ngh…nghhh…"
Embarrassment, dread, and cold sweat hit me like a tidal wave. I wanted to disappear. But the others didn't seem to react—until the staff woman lifted her head, watching the sky.
—Swoooosh—
Suddenly, huge black clouds materialized overhead, and thunder rumbled.
—Rumble… Rumble…—
The women hurried inside the large circle just as lightning struck, forming a perfect ring around us. The blinding flash made me momentarily weightless.
Then—
—BAM!—
I hit the ground hard.
"Nggg…ngggh!"
I groaned as I landed on my tailbone. But thankfully, the fall wasn't too high.
As the thunder faded, I opened my eyes—only to squint as daylight flooded my vision.
The staff woman stiffened. Then, raising her stick, she shouted something.
A barrier erupted around us just in time—
THAK! THAK! TAK! TAK!
Arrows and spears slammed against the shield, bouncing off harmlessly.
Twenty-one warriors stood inside the circle, grimacing as more than fifty armed figures emerged—clad in leather armor, wielding steel blades.
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