After the sundown, Lyana, Theo, and Vivi went to the city theater. Unlike the theater inside the city, the theater they went to was a place where everyone could see the performance for free. With a small fee, however, you could reserve a special place. It was an outdoor theater next to a grass field. The stage and the spectator benches were carved from a stone formation that was already there. The place was older than the capital city itself and was used for pagan ritual in the past. The first play wasn't interesting for Theo. The same couldn't be said for Lyana and Vivi though. They watched the show with full attention, even ignoring the food they had in their hand. The play itself was good with very skilled actors, but the story about a hero saving the damsel in distress from a dragon didn't catch his attention. The same for the second and third play. But the fourth play, that was the reason he brought Lyana and Vivi there. It was a popular story that his father often told him. ----- In the past, there was a young man, a rich merchant who was betrothed to a beautiful woman from a great noble family. He was but a commoner, the son of a farmer. From very early age he was very fond of studying and he loved seeing people trade in the market. He learned there and learned from the passing merchant. When he came of age, he left home to pursue the career of a merchant. And soon enough he amassed enough wealth and status to be seen by the noble as more than just a simple merchant. A man, a high noble saw him as a great candidate for his daughter. He was very happy with his soon to be wife, and she was very happy with him, they loved each other. But when everything is going to be alright, a disaster happened. Due to some unfortunate accident, the young man lost almost all his wealth, his power, and his influence. He was also framed for a crime he didn't commit, destroying his reputation and honor. The father of his fiancee didn't want him, since he was not rich anymore. The father canceled the engagement and banished him. He and his fiancee, however, were still in love with each other. Desperate after losing everything and accused of a false crime, the man searched for a way out, the only way out. There was but a rumor he heard on a tavern, tales of children's story, gossip he heard from maids. A fleeting rumor about The Man of The Singing Stone, the man of the full moon. It was nothing but a story, but most stories have its roots in reality. And this story might as well be his only salvation. It is said that there was a crossroad in the middle of nowhere. There, lies a huge stone. Nothing special about the stone, but every time it was full moon, the stone sang. And people around there saw a man sitting on it. It is said that you mustn't approach the man lest a terrible fate befalls upon you. Yet it also said that the man could grant a wish for those who dare approach him, and those desperate enough to seek him. The young man, desperate with no way out, seek these tales. The only clue he had an inn called the Black Cat inn that resided next to the stone. For three days and three night, he searched for every bit of clue. No matter how small, no matter how insignificant, but he was unable to. He was caught by the guard for the false crime and sentenced to life imprisonment, or beheading. In his cell, he cried. He cried and he cried endlessly. He missed the love of his life, he missed his family, he was afraid of the fate about to befall on him. He cried and looked up into the sky, where he saw...the full moon. He saw it through the roof of his cell. On a day where there wasn't supposed to be a full moon, where the sky filled with clouds. Then the floor, the wall, the cell, the ground, and the rock around him began to sing. A man appeared next to him inside his cell. The man appeared nice and jovial, with a big smile on his face. He asked the young man. "Do you want something?" The young man, realizing he was the person he sought, answered "Yes!" The mysterious man smile broaden. "What are you willing to sacrifice for it?" "My body. My soul. Everything!" He shouted. His mind wasn't right anymore, he was desperate. "Then what do you want?" The man asked with a smile so large it touched both of his ears, but before the young man could answer, he gave him a warning. "But beware. I will grant you what you wish, but not what you want. Think about what you wish for it might not be what you want. Be careful of what you wish, for a wish is full of twist And think highly of your soul, you only have one and only one." "I don't care! I want my life back. I want to meet with my wife again, I want her, I want to be with her!" He paused to wipe the tears of his eyes. "Forever." The mysterious man clapped his hand once and a thunder struck the building where he resided. When the flash and the sound of the thunder was gone, The Man of Singing Stone also gone. His cell door was open. The guards, maids, and everyone there was gone but him. The door to the treasury was open, filled with a mountain of gold. On the guard's table was a pardon, with his name on it. He took everything and place all the treasure inside a wagon that mysteriously appeared outside. The next day everything returned to normal as if nothing ever happened at all. He was pardoned, he regained his wealth and status, and he regained his fiancee, his wife, the love of his life and he happily lives ever after... or so he thought. Alas, he didn't heed the warning. He was so desperate at the time he forgot to think first and did not specify how they were meant to be together. Just half a year after he regained everything, his wife got sick, and two months after that, she died in the most horrible way. Her death wasn't a painless one. For the two-month that she was sick, he had to watch as she screamed in pain and agony. After the death of his wife the world turned. He still had his wealth, his status, his power, but none of that matter to him. Food taste like ashes in his mouth, the wine didn't help him, he didn't get sleepy. He began to despair and lost his mind. He vented his anger at those around him, thinking that they were responsible for his wife death. None were allowed to get into his home where he placed his dead wife on their bed instead of burying her. He believed that she could still be saved, and because of that, he would do anything to bring her back. He expended all his wealth to search for someone who could bring her back. Calling necromancer and spiritual specialist from all across the world, but none succeeded. Those who failed got their head beheaded by him. The local lord heard about this and ordered his capture. After sending his whole troop they were finally able to catch him. Seeing his madness, the local lord decided that there will be no trial for him. Instead, he chose to execute him the day they caught him. When his head was on the block, sanity returned to him. It was relief he felt when he saw the blade pointed at his neck. He will not hurt another soul anymore and he will reunite with his wife in the afterlife. Yet the full moon beckoned. A laughter came from the crowd. No one but him heard the laughter. The laughter then turned into a song. Foolish men foolish prince Blinded by ambition By greed and glutton By Desire and Passion The child have sung, the wench have spoken Never wish during the full moon Lest You fell and be broken For the devil's tongue is sweet And his deal even more Yet a deal is deal And the price must be paid The man face became pale as snow. The Man of Singing Stone appeared before him and spoke to him. "I've told you to be wary. Yet you didn't heed me. A deal is set.....it haven't been forever yet." He wanted to scream, but the blade fell on his neck before a voice could come out. The next day, his decapitated body disappeared, along with the corpse of his wife. It was said that even to this day, he still roamed the land, searching for a way to resurrect his wife. ------ "Well, that's a downer," Lyana said. "Didn't expect they would play such a dark story. I mean there's children here." "I like a dark story like this." Said Vivi. Theo wrapped his hand around Vivi and pulled her closer to his body and laughed. "Of course. I know our taste is similar." He turned his head to Lyana. "Well, there's a lot of message in this story. I don't think those message will be sent if you change the story into a more kid friendly one." "Maybe, but I just... something about this story disturbs me. It felt... real." "Because it is real," Theo answered. "And how do you know it's real?" "I just know. Well, I don't know the whether the whole story is true, but I know The Man of the Singing Stone is real."Lyana looked at him as if asking the same question as before. "During the travel with my father, I went as far as Girantine in the north and Mosk in the south. In every country we're in, there's a version of The Man of Singing Stone. I even saw a mural of ancient civilization depicting The Man of Singing Stone. So it must be true right?" Theo looked at her. --------- It was midnight when Theo had just finished cleaning up after his usual activities with Vivi. Like he promised, he gave his best that night and Vivi was out cold on the bed. A knock came from his room door. Theo sighed. He knew they would come sooner or later. The problem now was whether they were the corrupt kind or the genuine kind. But the possibility of meeting the genuine kind was very low. He opened the door. Two people were standing in front of his room. Both of them were neatly attired and wore a rather stylish clothing. There was a badge on the men on he right's chest which reflected the light from the magic lamp. Standing behind them were the city guards, in the case of something bad happened. Or in case something bad needed to happen. "Sir Theo Gladium?" The man on the right asked. "Yes, that's me." "I'm Armin Ruedi, an investigator and this is Royle Tucker, the commander of the city guard. Yesterday we heard a report-" Theo interrupted. "Can we move to a more..... private location that is not my room. Your office, maybe?" Investigators were, like the name suggest, investigator of crime. The previous king came up with the idea to assign a person to collect evidence of a crime so that a person can't be judged without proof. This was to limit the noble control over the justice system. The plan backfired. Most investigators were corrupt. Noble used them behind the scene to turn crime toward their favor. They created fake evidence to put people into jail or to free someone their client wanted. Armin and Royle glanced at each other. There was a strange look in their eyes, as if asking each other what should they do. Of course, they were confused. Their targets were usually intimidated when they appeared in front of the door. But by law, if the suspect wanted to talk in the investigator's office, they have no choices but to follow the request. Their gaze returned to Theo and they smiled. It was a horrible fake smile that does not resemble the real thing at all. "Sure." ---------- Theo sat on a small chair inside the investigator's office. In front of him were Armin and Royle, they were separated by a small table. "I trust that you, Sir Theo, know that hitting a noble without any reason is against the law. The report that I received shows that your traveling companion has violated the law. I wish to....investigate on this matter." Armin said. There was a wicked smile on his face, showing his true nature, a leech. He expected Theo to argue that Lyana wasn't the one who attacked first. "Sure. I will substitute for her." Theo said without an ounce of fear. There was a surprised look on Armin's and Royle's face. Their intimidation technique didn't work at all. Theo knew how this would play out. Arguing would count as hindering the work of a Kingdom's officer. It would only complicate the problem. "Still, What proof does the noble have?" Theo asked. "We have an eye witness, three actually. They all reported that your companion punched the man's face and mocked him in the middle of the street." Armin answered. "And the noble who reported the crime is a trusted person. He never lied, he's nice, and he has never created any problem before. A true model citizen!" "True. True." Royle nodded excessively. They were baiting him to argue again. "Well, that's just like the Lyana I know." There was another look of surprise on their face. Who the hell, would admit being guilty when they clearly know they aren't? "S-So, you admit that your companion attacked a noble without any provocation?" He stuttered, his confidence cracked. Theo has no time for this, he needed to speed thing up. "Yes, but you know, I am the hero who saved the princess....as a public servant, you two must also know the situation right? I need to maintain my image. A case like this must not get out to the public." There was a strange look on Armin's eye. A little bit of surprise and a little bit confused. "I'm sorry, but I........need to go to the toilet first." He stood up and left the room, leaving Theo and Royle. Royle stood up too, but he stood on the place. He made himself look big in front of Theo and looked down on him. If abuse of authority and baiting did not intimidate Theo, then physical superiority would do it, right? Too bad Royle forgot that Theo saved the princess, even though he said it a few seconds earlier. Theo closed his eyes and focused his hearing. What Royle did, did not interest him, but what Armin did, that was important. He could hear a conversation between Armin and another person from the other room. But since they were quite far, Theo couldn't hear the full conversation. "Count Cobra......." The word that Armin said was the most important thing. It seemed this Count Cobra was their client. Suddenly, the door to the office flung open and Armin returned inside. "Sorry for taking your time." He sat on his chair, followed by Royle. "Well, Sir Theo, luckily for you, the noble who sued you is a very very nice person. He understands your circumstance and is willing to go easy on you. With a compensation for the damage, of course. Keeping our mouth shut would also incur an extra cost." Theo looked at Armin, asking how much. "Let's see. 100 gold for compensation and 50 gold to keep our mouth shut." "Wait a minute Armin." Royle interrupted. "Since we also have made some document and paper regarding the case....We might forget it somehow. If you, somehow, also forget another 50 gold on the table." "Ah, Yes. that is true Royle." It was ludicrous. 200 gold was not the usual bribing cost. But since they were brave enough extort money from someone close to the princess, their client must have planned it all. This....Count Cobra, must have prepared everything through and through to not let his subordinate get caught. Theo took a pouch from inside his pouch and filled it with exactly 200 gold. He put it on the table. "Please do not remind me about this...pouch that I lost somewhere." Armin took it. "Of course. Pleasure talking with you Sir Theo." Royle put all the document of the case on the table. After making sure that no document was left behind, Theo left the office. Once outside, Theo couldn't contain his laughter any longer. Corruption, bribing, and extorting money was not an uncommon practice in the kingdom. In fact, with each passing years, the corruption in the kingdom became worse and worse. Yet, this was the first time a corrupt noble was on the opposing side of him. It was quite the thrilling new experience for him. Not that it reduce his frustration or anger. As much as he wanted to bash Royle's and Armin's head, it wouldn't do anything. The true problem was this Count Cobra.