“‘Because it is useless. If it was useful, it would’ve been cut down long ago. Turned into chairs. Tables. Houses. Toys. Because it is useless, it stands here. Its crown so wide. You can sit in the shade. Hide from the harsh summer sun. You can nap. You can play. You can dance. You can only do that, because it is useless.”

==========================================================================

‘Just keep stalling. Stay calm. They’ll be here anyone minute now. Back away slowly. Keep the same tempo as it is.’ Edward breathed tensely in and out and smiled. His heart rate had skyrocketed because of the adrenaline.

Slowly baiting it to an open area with no fauna or bushes.

It crouched slightly, Edward’s cue to dodge.

It exploded at Edward. Its body was like a tightly wound spring. Bursting forward when the tension was released.

The Ba-Rasts overshot its target massively. Edward grinned and sprinted at it to attack.

The moment it landed, it frantically turned around to face Edward, but he was already upon it.

He kicked it with the sole of his shoe. Practically stomping on it with his height advantage, knocking it down onto the ground. He jumped backwards off his stomp, barely avoiding its swipe.

He agilely landed several meters away. He saw it stand up, easily recovering from his attack, and charge at him once again.

Edward frowned. ‘Something is wrong. This is barely the same one I faced. It didn’t react to my attack at all.’

He sideswiped it with a kick again to confirm. Despite it being ploughed into the ground from his attack, it stood up with a simply shake of its head. It charged again.

The battle turned weird. He couldn’t escape it, but he couldn’t hurt it either. It shrugged off every kick and punch he threw at it. It charged again. He felt a sharp prick of pain when he kicked it away this time.

Glanced down at his foot to see it bleeding and turned his attention back to the Ba-Rasts, its mouth dripping with his blood.

He stepped on his injured leg, deciding to dodge rather than attack. The foot tingled a bit when he jumped with it, but otherwise felt okay.

Being at an advantage in his current environment, he tried to counterattack at every opportunity.

Rolling to the side, he flinched when a claw found its way onto his back. At once, it was upon him. It wouldn’t let him go now. It bit his forearm in his attempt to get it off him. Piercing deeply into his muscles. He felt its claws tearing into his sides and thighs. Easily ripping into him.

He frantically punched its head with his other hand, trying futilely to make it release its hold on his arm. Continuously trying to get it away by kicking it in the stomach, but it had locked itself in place by his arm.

Planting his feet solidly onto the ground, he sprung up, jumping into the air with the Ba-Rasts in tow. He flipped them while in the air, so that Edward lie on top of it instead.

They landed with a thud. It still refused to let go. It started tearing into his back with its hind limbs. Edward did the only thing he could think of and stabbed his fingers deep into its eyes, blinding it.

That finally got it to let go of arm. It roared in pain. Edward quickly leaping to the side, spraying blood from his wounds everywhere.

Despite the bloody wounds, he grinned savagely. Covered in blood and heavily injured, he glanced at his surroundings to find any weapon he could use. Nothing. He froze when he saw it stand back up.

It warily listened; he saw its ears twitch and turn like a cat. It sniffed the air, trying to locate him.

“Quite the fine mess you got yourself into.” A calm voice sounded beside him. He recoiled in surprise. A brown-robed man supported by a cane stood beside him.

The voice had alerted the Ba-Rasts of his presence. It faced him and exploded in his direction. It was a wounded beast; it charged towards the source of the noise, viciously roaring in anger as it leapt at him.

Edward prepared to tackle it away from the shaman, and -.

‘What?!’

He’d seen nothing. The shaman suddenly disappeared from beside him.

He stood curiously over it, calmly inspecting its corpse. His cane smoothly pierced its skull, all the way through into the ground. It looked instantaneous. The rest of the body was slightly squished from head to tail. As if the rest of the body hadn’t caught up with the head that was suddenly locked into place.

“Don’t relax yet. I won’t carry you to the bed. I told you to walk around the village, not get mauled by a rogue Ba-Rasts. This wasn’t a part of our agreement.”

He chuckled weakly. “You’re late, I did all the work…” His voice trailed off, the tension seeping off his body. Like air leaking from a balloon, he slumped to the ground. As his mind faded to black, he heard the shaman complain:

“Kids these days, no respect for their elders.”

He felt as if he submerged in water. He floated in and out of consciousness. When he rose to the surface, he could hear voices talk beside him.

“Why has he lost his me-.”

“-uould be because h-. “

“-ean he’ll never reme-.“

Then he sank back to the bottom, and he was out again.

“-en is he gonna wak-.“

“I don’t know. His insti-.“

“-Oma?! They can do that?!”

Whenever he floated to the top, he heard bits and pieces of conversation, never quite getting above the water.

He didn’t know how long he’d been submerged in water, but he slowly felt something push him to the surface, gently coaxing him to swim the last few metres himself.

Slowly twitching himself out of inaction, he pulled towards the surface and opened his eyes.

Silence.

His eyes searched around the room. They landed on the table standing opposite him, the window to his right, softly letting sunlight shine through. Finally, his eyes landed on the chair, and the person sitting on the chair.

It was situated right beside him. A small, hunched figure leaning on the bed, snoring softly while their arms supported their black-haired head.

His eyes wandered down to his arms. Not bandaged. He could see scabs covering large parts of his arms. Large puncture wounds on his right arm where the Ba-Rasts had gotten its teeth around his arm. They weren’t bleeding, but he could see the muscles underneath the skin. The bite had entirely removed parts of his skin.

Supported by several pillows, he sat up slightly, like on a hospital bed.

He twitched one finger at a time, replaying the battle in his head while he regained control of himself. He’d felt serene during it, single handedly focused on winning in the fight for his life. Despite his original intentions, he’d enjoyed every moment.

At some point when he moved his thigh, he awoke the sleeping figure. It awoke with a start, slowly gathering its bearings. The kid’s eyes slowly met Edward’s.

Edward chuckled a little when the kid’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’. He adjusted himself to sit a bit higher on the bed, surprised when his stomach didn’t hurt at all. He was just sore all over.

The kid collected himself and said softly: “You’re awake.”

“I’m awake.” He stretched his neck slightly, feeling his joints pop with every movement.

“And thirsty.” Smacking his lips, wetting them slightly from their previous drought.

The kid didn’t move, simply staring at him in wonder. “How are you alive?”

“I’m the protagonist. I can’t die. It’ll need to be much more tragic story for that to happen.” He extended his arms and clenched his fists. ‘Good, no problems there.’

“No human could survive injuries that bad. They’d have bled out long ago. And fighting a Ba-Rasts? Only a shaman can do that. But you’re not the shaman, or even his apprentice…” He looked at Edward in confusion.

“That’s easy then, I’m no human.”

The kid’s eyes widened like they’d seen a ghost.

“You’re a Rasts!” He triumphantly said.

“What? No. I’m superhuman. Wait, what do you mean by ‘you’re a Rasts!’ Rasts can turn into humans?”

“Yeah, supposed-“

“No, they can’t,” a voice blandly cut in. A brown-robed man stood in the doorway, supported by his cane.

The shaman nodded to Edward and turned to face the kid. “I’m sure there might be a few Ka-Rasts that can transform into a human, but their presence would be far, far too strong. You wouldn’t even have to be a shaman to know something was off.” He turned to Edward, “Amind would probably warn you from kilometres away if a Ka-Rasts was nearby, they’re quite hard to hide. If it could hide from him, it would, for the same reason, be unable to transform, so you have nothing to worry about. They only have one ability, and one ability couldn’t cover both aspects.” He tapped his cane on the ground as he walked inside.

Tap Tap Tap Tap

“So, what ability did the Ba-Rasts I had a little bout with have?” Edward asked curiously.

“It had the ability to hide. But since it was only a Ba-Rasts its chief strength was still its physical body. That’s why it escaped my detection and could pass through the wall without being discovered. When it becomes a Ka-Rasts its ability often outshines’ its physical strength, so beware of that.” That… Made a lot of sense. Edward had been wondering why he couldn’t sense where it was, only barely reacting when it attacked. He’d always been able to easily sense other ambushes by normal Rasts.

“Nathan, would you go fetch him some water? He looks quite thirsty.”

The kid, Nathan, jumped up and ran out of the room, allowing the shaman to take his chair. ‘Did he do that, just so he could sit on the chair? Or… Did he stand in the hallway the entire time…’

He gave a deadpan look to the shaman, who only chuckled in response. “Now Edward, I’m going to make good on what I said.” He leaned forward in his chair.

“I’ll tell you what you’re up against.” Edward sat a little straighter in his bed, listening intently to what the shaman said next.

“You mentioned seeing a green light and feeling a heavy pressure, despite being a dozen kilometres away, correct?” Edward nodded solemnly.

“If you felt it from that far away, it was definitely the warlord you saw. However, he has several under his command who can also conduct similar rituals, so don’t think it’s him every time.” Edward nodded again. That wasn’t outside his expectations.

“The green light you saw is from an artifact that he’s crafted. And we’ve kept this very secret, but, it can be used to tear people’s soul from their bodies.” He paused to let the significance of what he’d just said sink in.

Edward’s eyebrows were knitted tightly together. “What does that mean, exactly? I can guess what it would do, but what exactly happens when you lose your soul?” Did that mean his brother was already dead, or missing his soul but alive?

He sighed. “It erases your mind. Losing your soul causes you to fall into a coma. The soul cannot survive without a container. So, it will slowly dissipate with time. If the soul dies, so does the body. The pit you mentioned? That’s where he’s sealing the souls. The pile of rocks? They’re the containers.”

Edward intensely stared at the shaman. “Why do you know that? And why haven’t you stopped him, or released the seal?” That didn’t fit into the narrative at all. If the shamans already knew that much, why hadn’t they stopped him? The part where they said he’s hiding in some fortress up north was a complete sham.

“Because,” the shaman chewed on his words for a moment. “He’s extremely strong.”

“That’s it? He’s extremely strong, so we’re gonna do nothing and the war is already lost? Some treaty you have going on. Let’s just crown him emperor right now, that’ll fix it! Is that everything you know about him?” Edward leaned closer to the shaman. “If that’s all then I’ll be on my way. You obviously have very little to tell me, besides ‘Oh, we can’t stop him.’”

He moved to get out of bed.

“Sit.” Edward felt a cane on his shoulder, blocking him from moving further. “I’m not finished.”

Edward narrowed his eyes, but stopped, allowing the shaman to continue.

“What you saw was the charging part of the process. He gathers Rasts to power his ritual, stealing their power.”

“I already know that. Why else would it release so much energy? It’s obvious that such a complex ritual would require a lot of energy.” He dismissed the shaman. Edward didn’t know very much about magic and assumed he wouldn’t know much until someone shoved it in his face. But even a simpleton could see that souls were obviously high-level magic.

“Sit.” The cane pushed harder on his shoulders, pushing him back down into the bed. “I’m still not finished.”

“No, I won’t sit.” He knocked the cane from his shoulder and got up. “That’s the shittiest reason I’ve ever heard. If that’s all you have to say, then I’m leaving. I’ll be finding Thomas, Alive… Or dead.”

“Sit. Down.” The cane pierced his shoulder, drawing blood. “Listen to me very carefully. You might think I’m on your side just because you’re looking for someone who happens to be my apprentice. You’re wrong. My responsibility is first and foremost to this village. If you try to leave one more time, I will kill you. You endanger everyone here if you go search for him without properly understanding what’s going on. So, you will sit down, and let me finish what I’m about to tell you.” The amount of bloodlust leaking from the shaman made his blood freeze. Amind screamed at him to not move, or he’d take over himself. Giving Edward no say in what was going to happen next. He’d never felt bloodlust before, but he instinctively knew that it was what he was feeling, even without Amind telling him.

Edward’s fists were clenched white. He knew the shaman was stronger than him, but he wouldn’t give up on finding John, but he couldn’t search for him if he was dead.

Edward sat back down.

The bloodlust slowly faded, but he could see it, feel it, simmer beneath the shaman’s eyes.

Edward glared at him, and politely spat out: “Oh please, continue with what you were saying. I’m sorry for interrupting you.”

The shaman slowly pulled out the cane from his shoulder, wiped the blood on his sleeve, and carried on speaking:

“When in the container, he has, through a second artifact, full control over the body of the person. And as such, knows where they are at all times. Thomas has very likely lost his soul, so even if you take him from them, they’ll know where he is, and he’ll probably resist you.” That gave Edward a pause. Would he need to destroy the container, then?

The shaman read Edward’s mind and continued: “He has several dozen containers for all the people he’s abducted, you’d have to either destroy all of them thereby giving the people their souls back, as they’ll instinctively find their way back to their body. Or find the one he’s in and destroy that one.”

Edward sighed; he knew too little about magic. “How would I find the one Thomas is in? I assume you have a way?”

“I did.”

“You did?” Edward felt his anger flare.

“Yeah, I did. Unfortunately, it’s escaped.” The shaman said with a sigh.

Edward thought for a moment. “His bonded. The kid said it was gone. That’s why he was sure Thomas was dead.” That meant he’d have to destroy each and every pit. Then he might as well launch a full-scale attack against the warlord. He might be the protagonist, but he didn’t see himself winning that. Especially because he wasn’t trained in warfare.

“His bonded evolved. It destroyed the cage it was in.” He sighed regrettably. “I’d kept it there because it would’ve run off on its own and get killed on the way there.”

The shaman shook his head. “It evolved to escape. The cage I kept it in was just a normal cage, so it easily tore it to pieces as a Rasts.” At some point during the conversation, he’d stopped tapping his cane on the ground.

“Thomas’ talent as a shaman was truly head and shoulders above any I’ve ever seen. He may have become something unmatched. He could’ve easily become the strongest shaman without even trying.” He digressed and looked sorrowfully out the window.

“Who knows if it made it there. Maybe it did. But someone definitely killed it when it reached him. It would’ve rushed over to him to futilely attempt to protect him or attack the guards and get shot while doing that. I can only hope it died on the way.” If what the shaman said was true, then Edward could only hope it did, too.

Edward darkly returned to the reality. “That means… I’ll have to destroy all of the pits, doesn’t it?”

The shaman looked away from the window and faced Edward. “It’s not that simple. He doesn’t just leave giant holes in the ground for everyone to find. He covers them. Seals the entire area so you can’t know where it is. You’ll have to dig up the entire clearing they’re in to find them. And you can’t rescue your brother before you’ve destroyed all of them. They’ll have his soul; you’ll just be rescuing a walking corpse.

Edward looked down at his hands. He didn’t like the situation at all. It was like throwing a match into an ocean of gasoline. He’d be the one to start the conflict. The shamans had maintained a stalemate so far. He’d be destroying all of their efforts. He’d do it. He’d feel wretched about it. But he’d do it.

“What is your point? Why are you saying all of this? Are you trying to stop me from waging war on the warlord by myself? Because you can’t dissuade me like that.” Edward said bluntly. He couldn’t lie and say he wouldn’t pursue him; the shaman would see through it in an instant. It would be an insult to underestimate him that much.

He shook his head at Edward’s comment. “No, I’m not. I’m just trying to get you to wait. Our preparations to attack are almost complete. You can search for your brother. If you’re confident in your ability to protect him, you can even take him. But I’m telling you to not attack the pits. We’ll take care of that.”

“I- I got you something to drink, uh, sir.” A meek voice cut in.

“Ah, yes, thank you Nathan. Could you please hand it to Edward? He must be thirsty after being in a coma for 5 days.” The shaman changed his tone to lighten the mood while Nathan was there.

“Woah. Woah. Woah. I’ve been what? In a coma for 5 days?” Edward asked incredulously.

“Well, yeah.” The shaman said, grinning. “You would’ve been in too much pain otherwise, so Amind kept you in a coma while you were recovering. He did wake up occasionally to eat, drink and go to the bathroom. He’s been the best patient I ever had. Didn’t even complain once.” His grin widened with each sentence.

Damn traitor. I could handle a bit of pain.

He didn’t even know how to feel, because on one hand, the animal mind inside him had saved his life dozens of times. On the other, he could take control of his body if he didn’t focus. Unless he focused 100% of his attention on gaining and remaining in control of his body, Amind could take over. Which basically meant all the time. Someone inside him could manipulate his movements whenever it wanted. Not a nice thought.

Edward sighed in acceptance. Whatever, there were pros and cons to everything.

“So, when can I get out of here?” He asked, expecting to not like the answer.

“Whenever you like. Preferably now. I don’t want you in my house anymore.” Nathan chuckled at the shaman’s flat humour. Although Edward was only half-certain, he wasn’t joking.

With that pleasant surprise, Edward prepared to leave.

He hadn’t much to do, and they gave him everything he asked for to him free of charge. Perhaps, somewhere, the shaman did indeed hope that Edward would bring back his apprentice. Edward thought so, at least.

His departure was quiet. The shaman said there was no reason for a large farewell, it would only increase their troubles.

Only Nathan and the shaman came to say goodbye as he stepped through the gate with a small backpack of supplies and the map given to him by the shaman. Nathan sniffled the entire way. The shaman had mentioned something about Thomas and Nathan being best friends. Nathan, more than anyone else in the village, wished for Thomas to have a safe return.

He’d taken one step before he swung back around to the shaman and asked:

“I forgot to ask, what’s this village even called? And which direction am I facing?”

Nathan laughed at the sheer ridiculousness. The shaman simply shook his head and answered:

“Our village is called Kaina Village. You’re facing north.”

“Alright, thanks.”