Night grew deeper, and the forest became far darker than it had been during the day. Moonlight could only pierce through small gaps in the canopy, leaving long shadows stretching between the trees.
Sancaka walked alone, his gunblade gripped in his right hand. Occasionally, he slashed through large leaves or branches blocking his path.
Shrrk. Shrrk.
His goal was simple, hunt for dinner. Not long afterward, his ears caught a sound.
"Mbek…"
"Mbeek…"
"Mbeeek…"
Sancaka stopped. He turned toward the source of the noise. "That sound… that's a goat. There are goats nearby."
Sancaka immediately moved toward it. The closer he got, the clearer the sound became. Beyond a patch of bushes and tall grass, he finally found the source. A herd of wild goats. There were many of them, perhaps more than a dozen. Some were grazing peacefully while others sat lazily, watching their surroundings.
Sancaka slowly crouched behind a bush, observing and waiting. Not long afterward, one goat wandered away from the herd. It had already eaten all the grass around it and was looking for a new patch to graze. Sancaka eyes immediately locked onto it. The goat was large and fat.
"There must be plenty of meat on that one. Enough for dinner for the three of us." His thoughts briefly drifted to Alfa and Daiva. Although, Sancaka had already realized that he could no longer enjoy the taste of food like a normal human.
Ever since he had been brought back from death, almost all flavor had disappeared from his tongue. Food tasted bland. Only blood still carried flavor for him. Sancaka shook his head. Better to focus on catching the goat than return empty handed. The fat goat continued approaching.
Soon it became interested in the leaves growing on the bush where Sancaka was hiding. The gunblade in his hand slowly rose, One slash that was all it would take.
Suddenly….
'Whoosh!'
A massive shadow streaked over his head. It moved incredibly fast. Sancaka immediately looked up. Even in the darkness, his eyes managed to catch something flying above. The fat goat instantly jumped backward.
"Maaah!!"
The animal ran back toward the herd. The other goats panicked as well. They stopped grazing and became restless. Then the entire herd scattered in every direction.
"Tch… annoying."
His prey had escaped. Sancaka looked back toward the sky. There, amidst the darkness, he saw the cause of the chaos. Three enormous shadows drifted overhead. They circled slowly, staring at the ground below in search of prey. Their wings stretched wide.
Their bodies resembled giant bats, but their faces looked more like apes. Long claws dangled beneath them. Red eyes glowed in the darkness. One of the creatures released a shrill cry.
"AHOOOOL!!"
The scream echoed throughout the forest. Sancaka immediately recognized it. An Ahool Kurawa. When he was a child, his father often told him stories about them. Nocturnal Kurawa. Predators that hunted livestock. Creatures believed to inhabit Uranion forests.
This was the first time Sancaka had ever seen one in person. They were much larger than he had imagined. If an Ahool stood upright, it would probably be nearly three meters tall. Its wingspan was wider than several small trees.
One of the Ahools suddenly folded its wings and dove downward toward a goat that had been too slow to escape. Its massive claws opened to seize its prey. At that exact moment, Sancaka moved. He burst from his hiding place.
The gunblade rose as the Ahool descended low enough to grab the goat. That was the moment he struck.
'CLAAASH!!'
A dark slash flashed through the air. Blood sprayed upward.
"AHOOOOOL!!!"
The Kurawa screamed in pain. Its left wing was ripped open. The goat fell free and escaped. The Ahool desperately flapped its damaged wing and managed to climb back into the air. Now its glowing eyes searched below for the human who had injured it.
Sancaka stood proudly beneath it, holding a bloodstained gunblade.
"Sorry about that." He shrugged. "I'm hunting goats too. They're for my dinner and my friends."
Above him, the other two Ahools stopped hunting. They had heard their companion's scream. Now all six red eyes focused on the same target. A cold wind swept through the forest. Leaves rustled softly. One Ahool opened its mouth wide.
"AHOOOOOL!!"
Then all three predators dove toward Sancaka at once. The three predators shrieked together.
"AHOOOOOL!!"
Their massive wings sliced through the night air. Their claws reached for the lone human standing below. Sancaka moved first. His body shifted to the side.
'SWOOSH!'
The three Ahools missed by mere inches. Their attack failed. The Kurawa climbed back into the air, circling beneath the night sky while searching for another opportunity.
Sancaka calmly observed them. His gaze focused on one Ahool. Its left wing was uneven. The wound from his earlier slash remained open. The creature could still fly, but much worse than its companions.
"I'll kill that one first…"
The Ahools dove again. The first two attacks were easily avoided. Sancaka merely leaned aside and stepped away. Their claws struck empty ground. Then came the wounded Ahool. It forced its damaged wing to carry it forward.
The creature charged directly at him. Its injured wing trembled violently. As its claws aimed for his head, Sancaka ducked. The claws swept over his hair. The instant the Ahool passed him, he straightened. His gunblade thrust directly into its stomach.
CRAAAK!
The Kurawa screamed. Sancaka didn't stop. He continued driving the blade forward. The gunblade split the creature open from its belly, through its chest, neck, and finally its head.
SPLASH!
The giant body split in half. Both pieces crashed to the ground. One Ahool was dead. Sancaka immediately pressed his black left hand against the corpse. The dark hand moved as though it were eating. A shadowy aura flowed outward.
It devoured flesh, blood, bone, everything. All of it became energy. The corpse vanished without a trace. The energy flowed into his left arm before being transferred into the gunblade. Now the gunblade was charged.
Above the sky, the remaining two Ahools screamed in rage.
"AHOOOOOL!!"
They descended again. Faster than before. This time Sancaka did not wait. He raised the gunblade toward the sky. Then pulled the trigger.
DOOR!!
The gunshot echoed across the forest. The bullet tore through the darkness. One Ahool wing was struck.
CRAAK!
Its wing ripped apart. The Kurawa lost balance and dropped lower. That was all Sancaka needed. He leaped upward.
SLASH!!
The Ahool's head separated from its body. Black blood exploded outward. The creature fell dead. Only one remained. The final Ahool screamed furiously.
"AHOOOOL!?"
Then it flew low, charging directly toward Sancaka. The gunblade rose once more. Its barrel aimed directly at the creature head.
"This one is an easy target."
But before he could fire, a rain of wooden spikes suddenly burst from the forest.
WHOOOSH!!
There were countless of them. Like natural arrows made from branches and roots.
THUK! THUK! THUK! THUK!
The spikes pierced the Ahool entire body. The creature died instantly and crashed into the ground. Sancaka stared in silence. His gunblade remained raised. Then he quickly turned.
"Who's there?"
No human appeared. No wild Kurawa emerged.Only trees and bushes. Then the trees began to move, leaves rustled, roots crawled, vines rose from the earth. Everything gathered together into a single figure. Sancaka immediately assumed a combat stance. The figure became clearer. It was very tall, well over two meters, skin was dark brown like tree bark, eyes were green, hair consisted of vines and hanging roots.
A wooden staff rested in its hand. A small bird perched on top of its head. The figure stepped forward. There was no hostility in its movements. It stopped several meters away and smiled faintly.
"Hello, My name is Greenman."
Sancaka did not lower his gunblade. "What are you? A Kurawa? Or are you a Dharma?"
"Neither."
"Then what are you?"
Greenman planted his staff into the ground. "I am a Watcher."
Sancaka frowned. "A Watcher? What's that?"
"I was chosen by the Seraphis Matelo." Sancaka recognized the name. Greenman continued.
"A Watcher's duty is to observe the Chosen Individuals, ensure they follow the orders written on their cards, and make sure they do not commit violations."
Sancaka blinked.
"Wait."
"Did you say violations?"
"You didn't know?" Greenman asked.
"No."
Sancaka shook his head.
"Matelo never explained anything."
Greenman didn't seem surprised.
"That sounds like him."
"That Seraphis is rather strange."
Sancaka sighed.
"So there are rules, and I'm only hearing about them now."
Greenman nodded. The bird on his head chirped softly.
"Actually, I didn't come here to help you."
"Oh? Then why kill that last Ahool?" Sancaka asked.
"I wanted to see someone."
"Someone?"
Greenman nodded.
"Daiva."
Sancaka immediately fell silent.
"You know Daiva?"
"I can sense her existence. But something is strange. I can see your presence and Alfa presence from a great distance. But I cannot see Daiva from afar. That's why I wanted to meet her in person."
That explanation only confused Sancaka further. "Why is that?"
"I don't know yet. That's what I intend to investigate."
Sancaka stared at Greenman for a moment. Then lowered his gunblade slightly. "In that case, come with me. I'll introduce you to her."
Greenman visibly brightened.
"I'd appreciate that."
"But first…" Sancaka looked toward the goat herd. Most of them had escaped. Only a single skinny goat remained, trembling in fear. Sancaka sighed and raised his gunblade.
BANG!
The goat collapsed instantly. Greenman looked at the goat, then at Sancaka, then back at the goat again. "That goat is very skinny."
Sancaka grumbled. "Because those Ahools ruined my hunt."