𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 2: "𝕹𝖎𝖐"
"Yes!" I squealed in… happiness? We didn't lose this time. Our villagers will have a portion of the provisions to sustain themselves and break their fast this month, only because of her. Without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around Lee from behind, pulling us both down into a tumble on the ground. I didn't know she possessed such combat skills.
"Ow—" she winced, and a wave of panic rushed over me as I realized I had unknowingly grazed her burnt arm.
"Sorry—"
"Forget it. Let's just get out of here," she cut me off, speaking frantically.
"Ah, yes—" I muttered, my gaze lingering on her face as her expression shifted to one of growing sternness. I knew what she was asking for. It's really time to face it. The atmosphere turned heavy between us both.
I sprang to my feet, swiftly pulling her up with me. "Zawi, Kade! We're leaving!" Both of them turned toward us as we sprinted toward the exit, breaking free from the deafening crowd. They were all lamenting about the silvers they squandered on the Reapers, just to witness their triumph.
Walking down the street, Lee distanced herself slightly from the others, clutching her burnt arm and wincing in pain. The whispers of the villagers drifted towards us, petty comments floating in the air, no doubt blabbering about our every move. The draw—it hardly mattered. If we lost, it would be fuel for their gossip; if we won, they'd have even more to talk about.
"Morons," I muttered under my breath, frustrated by their never-ending chatter.
An unattractive woman approached us, her tone casual yet sharp. "Hey, I heard this month's trial ended in a draw. I don't mean to be rude, but it seems like we won't be getting much in terms of resources. Still, I guess we're better off than we were before, right?"
My anger flared to its peak at her dramatic attempts to provoke us. "Get the bloody hell out of here, you—"
"Leave us alone." Kade stepped in, his frown twisted with irritation. He gripped my shoulders and dismissed the snooper, gently but firmly leading me away.
I could hear Zawi's dramatic cough, clearly trying to grab my attention. I'm not angry... just frustrated with them and with this attention-seeker too. I glared at him sideways; he can never keep anything in his stomach. Even if it's something we deal with regularly, I would've told her earlier, so she could've been prepared for it.
"Lee?" I said, trying to break the heavy silence, even if just for a moment.
She exhaled sharply through her nose and replied, "Yes?"
"You feelin' alright?" I asked, my voice laced with a hint of concern.
"No," she replied wearily, her voice drained. "I'm gonna make my own way from here," she added, determination creeping into her words.
I nodded, giving her space to heal. She was clearly exhausted after the brutal brawl we had, and I figured we could talk later.
After walking for a while, we reached the turnoff path leading to the barn house. "Are you coming with us?" I called out, noticing she was about to head off in a different direction. "We can help with the aid."
She glanced at me sideways, and without a second thought, she joined us, walking slowly but still clearly upset, her eyes fixed ahead as if lost in thought. As we crossed the path, we made our way to the opposite side of the barn house, where the forest began to stretch out before us.
My eyes widened in shock as I gazed at the empty cauldron, its contents spilled everywhere, the fire now nothing more than a faint ember. I looked down and saw an icy-white husky, its mouth stained with the very soup I had been making. Frustration began to cloud my mind, but there was something oddly familiar about that husky, as if I had seen it before. Just as I tried to step closer, it darted off into the forest, disappearing in an instant.
"Did that creature just eat our meal?" Kade grumbled, irritation evident in his voice, while Zawi let out a frustrated huff—clearly, we were all starving.
"Sit down, guys. First, we'll handle the first aid, then we'll figure out dinner," I said quickly, trying to keep things in order. I dashed inside the barn and grabbed the first aid kit, returning to her side and sitting down beside her. I offered to help, but she waved me off, insisting she could do it herself. She pulled off her capelet and tore the sleeve of her shirt to reveal the burnt bare skin, wincing as she carefully applied aloe vera to the wound, a sharp hiss escaping her lips from the pain. After treating the burn, she gently wrapped it with the silk cloth I handed her, the fabric soft against her skin. The burn was covered, but I could tell it still stung. She gave a small sigh of relief, though the frustration from earlier lingered in the air.
"Hungry?" I asked, standing up and grabbing the first aid kit box.
She gave me a sharp look, her voice blunt. "Will you bother yourself to tell me, what exactly were those people? And this… fight?"
"Ye… yeah… they…" I exhaled deeply. "Okay, you've probably never heard of them, but they're called The Prodigies, the young—"
"…ones with such exceptional abilities," she cut in, finishing my sentence.
I blinked in surprise—she knew. She then asked, "The fight? Is it some kind of grudge against... Zawi?" She pointed at him, her gaze sharp.
I turned sheepish, glancing at both of the boys for help, but the only response I got was a resigned, "Deal with it."
I sighed, trying to find the right words. "That's… not a grudge, but… proof, an unsolved mystery—one that's causing these trials in the first place."
"Trials?" she repeated, looking confused. "So… it's not some kind of gambling or something? But isn't that ridiculous?"
"I know," I muttered. "And I thought a new recruit might bring a fresh perspective. Even though I thought you were… useless, that's why I didn't tell you and dragged you into it—to fight. And if we don't, we'll starve to death." I paused, looking away, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be selfish."
She deadpanned at me for the insult, still looking upset but saying nothing. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke up. "I had fun… by the way, and it's fine." She gave a small, weary smile.
I looked at her, feeling a rush of excitement at her words. Yes, we did have fun. I smiled back widely. "But inform me next time before going on such a crazy trek," she added.
"Okay, okay, I will. I'm sorry," I said, and she genuinely smiled at my apology.
"I've been investigating a mystery personally—the one Nik blurted out about," Kade spoke, propping his leg off the other's knee and sitting up straight. "We're not supposed to tell you this, but it's a murder mystery involving someone… close. The victim, that's what's causing all this anarchy. Just take this piece of information for now," Kade said, his tone serious.
She nodded, a frown forming on her face.
"If you're done with your interrogation, can we finally get started on dinner? Or are you planning to let us starve as some sort of revenge?" Zawi called out sarcastically.
"And you—asshole! Don't you ever dare piss Kitt off just because you two can't get along. We're already opponents now," I scolded Zawi, my voice sharp with frustration.
"Now?" Lee asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"I meant… new recruits and stuff," I shrugged her off, still holding back the full truth—that we weren't really opponents... not before.
"Oh, c'mon, pals, save the bickering for another time. Food first," Kade said, standing up and heading toward the barnhouse. He gathered the necessary supplies while we prepared to head out to hunt in the forest.
"Lee, can you hunt?" I asked.
"Duh!" she replied.
I nodded. "Good." If she could hunt, that explained why she was also so good at fighting. I sighed and stepped outside, hoping to find some prey. As I approached the gate, I noticed Lee, her brow furrowed, staring at the lantern on the table. Its flame flickered weakly, as if it were about to burn out.
I frowned—why was it still burning in broad daylight? I closed the gate and stepped closer, just as the flame suddenly extinguished. I blinked, shrugged it off, and turned back toward the door. Lee looked utterly bewildered, and I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at her expression. Cute, was it?
She followed me, brushing off what had just happened, only to walk right into thin air and fall flat on her butt. I nearly barked out in laughter. I knew exactly what was going on. Even though I should've scolded him more, I couldn't help but...
"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. She looked up and froze. There was no one there. The air grew oddly tense, almost eerie. It was his effect. I could feel my own heartbeat quickening as well.
"Damn it," she cursed under her breath, then shouted, "Show yourself if you're lurking!"
I leaned casually against the door, crossing my arms with a smirk. She definitely didn't know I hadn't left yet, and it was honestly too amusing to watch.
After a moment, she repeated, "I won't say it again. Face me."
She sat on the ground, crossing her legs, but then she sighed, maybe thinking she might be hallucinating. Just as she propped herself up on her knee, a whisper echoed in the room,
"Hello, thief."
She freaked out, letting out a high-pitched squeal and spun around in a panic. The moment she locked eyes with me, her deadpan expression was absolutely priceless. I couldn't help myself anymore and burst out laughing.
"That wasn't me, but the scene was lit, so I stuck around," I said with a grin.
"Girl! What?!" she blurted out, clearly taken aback.
Just then, a figure appeared inches from her, whispering into her ear, "Stealing others' property."
"What…the—?" she squeaked, stumbling backward into me. Instinctively, I caught her, holding her steady as she nearly dragged me down with her.
"I never told you, did I?" Zawi said.
"Zawi?!" Lee yelled at him, her voice sharp. "It's not necessary for the pranks, especially if you're the teleporting one, and I'm not," she added with a pointed look.
He blinked, unfazed. "I'm not alive," he said casually.
She blinked at him in disbelief. "Haha, funny," she mocked, rolling her eyes.
He shrugged. "Huh, I can show under my bandages. It's all flesh."
"D-d-dead?" Lee stammered, her eye twitching in confusion.
"Yeah, I'm a ghost. Why?" Zawi replied casually, glancing at her with an amused look, while I stood off to the side, watching their banter unfold.
"Don't be scared. I'm a good one," he added, noticing the sudden paleness that swept over her face. "Everyone loves me."
"Do you kill?" Lee asked with a blank smirk.
Zawi grinned. "I don't bite."
"Clearly— That doesn't answer my question!" she squawked.
He sighed, amusingly. "Alright, alright, calm down. I promise, I won't hurt you. And yes, I'm a ghost." His grin widened mischievously. "Like I said, my name's Zawi— just a ghost hanging around this village…"
At that moment, Kade strolled in, finishing Zawi's sentence with a casual tone. "…And don't worry. He's about as threatening as a gentle breeze— way too weak to actually scare anyone, let alone hurt them," he added with a soft smirk.
"Ayeee! You wound me!" Zawi gasped, clutching his chest as if struck by a fatal blow, his eyes wide with mock hurt. "I'm wounded to the very core, Kade! How could you?" Zawi added with an exaggerated pout.
"He rattled the bones right outta me, and you're saying he's harmless?" Her voice was trembling, her eyes flicking between them. "Wait… you and Nik—" She paused.
"Kade and Nikolai? Yeah, we're all besties," Zawi shrugged.
Before she could say more, I cut in. "Will you please stop with these pranks? Sorry about him. He's harmless. I didn't want to freak you out with the ghost stuff."
"No worries," she said. "But tell him—no funny business with me. I'm terrified of ghosts."
I chuckled. "Yeah, sure, and yep, we're all friends." They both lifted me up onto their shoulders. "And the kickoff I missed earlier—I'm the leader of my team, The Ashens. Welcome to the cult!" I said, raising my arms in the air, casually sitting on their shoulders.
As they set me down, both wrapped their arms around me. "And whenever we welcome a new recruit, we hug 'em, so c'mon!" I added with a grin.
She hesitated for a moment before reluctantly wrapping her arms around us, pulling us into a tight, awkward embrace.
Zawi shouted with excitement, "Yippee! One more bestie!"
She looked at us, a wide smile spreading across her face. At that moment, I knew—this was the start of something special. I just hoped it would end on a high note.
"And as for one of our opponent teams, there's Ethan, the leader, with the ability to write something into existence, bending reality to his will… yeah, something like that. He's kinda secretive."
"Depresso potato," she chuckled.
Then there's Maple, who's mastered the art of manipulating wind, dust, and now… even the most elusive mists. And Kitt, who burns through everything in her path…" I gestured toward her arm. "A fierce fire blazer. They're more closely tied to the royalty of this kingdom, wielding more power than we do... which puts us at a distance."
"Anyway, let's head out," I sighed, strolling toward the door and dragging Lee along with me. "We'll split up here. No time for mammals or bison. A deer—or a smaller game—will do for all four of us and we'll be back before sunset, got it?"
Kade gave a charismatic bow. "Yes, Ma'am."
I was excited for the first time, because hunts? They're always boring, or maybe it's just that I can't seem to get my aim right. But for food, I would do anything. I grinned to myself and led Lee a little deeper into the forest. After a brief moment of wandering, she spotted it: the same snowy white husky that had devoured our soup.
"Hey, do you think it'll be alright if I go after it?" she asked, intrigued.
"Why's that?" I replied.
"I like huskies, and I've never seen one before," she said eagerly.
She likes huskies and has never seen one? I thought for a moment. "Sure, but don't forget our task at hand," I shrugged off.
"Thanks!" She dashed after it, sitting a little farther from the creature as it roamed around the bushes, while I moved further on, searching for prey. I squinted my eyes and spotted Zawi standing at a distance, finding his own target. I glanced around for Lee, but of course, she'd gone far. I knew she wasn't a toddler—she'd handle herself better than I ever could.
While I made my way toward Zawi, my thoughts lingered on Lee. I hoped she'd return before it got dark—though I knew she could take care of herself, the thought of her being out here alone, especially with that husky, nagged at me. It wasn't like she was inexperienced, but the forest had a way of changing quickly once night fell. Especially when that husky seemed strangely familiar.
Think—think about it, Nikolai. What's that thing I'm trying to remember... it's on the tip of my tongue!
It's right there, but I can't put my finger on what feels off. Why does that husky feel so oddly familiar? My eyes widened in sudden alert, and my heart skipped a beat—Ava
The realization hit me like a jolt of electricity. I spun around, panic surging through me.
No, no, no—
I need to get the others. "Now!"