The horseman stood up from the ground and looked at Ethan who still stood there looking dazed. A curious light played in his eyes as he sheathed his sword with a Clang! 'Well, what do we have here? A Forger!' he said in a spiteful voice.

With a deliberate step, the horseman walked towards Ethan, but Juran moved faster and stood in front of Ethan like a shield. "You should be thankful to him for saving your life!" he spit out the words.

The horseman looked amazed. "I am thankful to him," he said and bowed to Ethan. Then he turned to Juran. "But my friend, how did you manage to get a forger here?" he asked sarcastically.

Ethan couldn't make out what this man was talking about. Confused, he glanced at Juran who looked alarmingly pale. A blue vein had popped up in the middle of his forehead and his eyes were bloodshot. But when he spoke, his voice was calm and steady. "Leave him alone, Gailar," he said.

'So this man is called Gailar,' Ethan thought. 'And it seems these two aren't friends, at least. What can be the meaning of this?' He wondered.

Gailar had already stepped back. "We'll meet again, young man!" he said in a threatening voice. Then he sprang into the saddle and kicked the horse fiercely. As the horse whinnied, it reared on its hind legs and then galloped away with its rider. Juran stared at the trailing cloud of sand in its wake and shook his head in disgust. Then he turned towards Ethan. "Let's move out, too," he said and the two walked back towards the dune where Juran's men had hidden themselves.

Daylight had died out already. Juran decided to camp for the night behind the dune. Some of the men had been injured in the commotion, but no one was killed and there was no fatal injury. Some goods and a few carts were destroyed, but that didn't seem to bother Juran at all.He gathered his men, created a large circle with the hooded carts and arranged for a huge fire in the space created at the centre of the circle.

The men took out large cans of salted meat and other food and started to cook them on the fire.

The pit of fire exuded warmth and light. The sound of voices hung over the desert like humming of thousands of bees. The chaotic battle scene from a few hours ago seemed to have existed in some nightmare only.

Ethan had a strong feeling of homecoming. The crackling fire, the delicious smell of food, the warm faces of people and their voices- all seemed to make him somewhat euphoric. When was the last time that he had felt so blissful and secure? He couldn't remember.

As dinner was served everyone gathered around the fire. They ate and talked, sending a cheerful humming sound over the freezing dark desert. But Juran did not join them. He brought two plates of food, gave one to Ethan and settled inside a cart along with him.

"You still don't remember anything?" Juran asked.

Ethan shook his head helplessly. Juran knew that he was telling the truth. "Isn't there anything you want to ask me?" he said.

Ethan looked into his eyes. "There's so many things I want to ask you", he said. "But my thoughts are all jumbled up. Can you tell me what's going on here? And what did that Gailar fellow mean to say?"

Juran kept silent for a few minutes. Then he said, "This land, Anakra, is vast and mysterious. I'm a merchant and I have to travel far and wide. Still, I don't know all its people or all its mysteries. The monster you saw today is not a rare thing in the wilderness of Anakra. We have to face them often. But I must say I haven't seen one so strong before. You saved us today. Thank you, friend!"

Ethan was visibly embarrassed. "I didn't do anything there!" He protested. "I don't even know what happened back then!"

Juran looked straight into his eyes. "Didn't you know that you are a forger?" he asked.

"I don't even know what a forger means!" Ethan said.

"A forger is someone who can turn an ordinary thing into a Cereb weapon." Juran said.

"What is a Cereb weapon?" Ethan asked again.

"A Cereb weapon is a powerful magical weapon which is useful in fighting with the creatures of darkness, like the one you defeated today."Juran said. "Look, there are two types of people in Anakra. The Cerebs are the elites who rule over Anakra. They make machines, weapons and laws. Then there are the Citizens, the common folk who do all kinds of manual works. I belong to this second class," smiled Juran.

"I don't understand anything!" Ethan sounded exasperated. "How could an ordinary man like me turn an ordinary pistol into a magical weapon?"

"Ethan, a forger is not an ordinary man. Only a person with true demon blood in them can become a forger; which is something very rare and very dangerous." Juran said coldly. Ethan was surprised by the sudden change in his tone. He looked up at Juran whose face had become stern and mirthless.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Ethan blurted out.

In the same cold voice Juran said, "It means that you are in grave danger. By the law of Anakra forgers are captured and thrown into dungeons whenever they are reported to the Cerebs. Even if you don't remember who you are or where you came from, you can't escape your fate."

Ethan couldn't believe his own ears. He stared at Juran's face with shocked eyes. As Juran stared back at him, slowly his eyes softened. He put his hands on Ethan's shoulders. "Don't worry! I'm not going to hand you over to the Cerebs! I have my own accounts to settle with them. If you help me, I'll help you, too," he said.

"I'll do whatever you ask me to do, anyway", Ethan said in a low voice. "You saved my life; gave me food and shelter without knowing anything about me. I'll be glad if I can do even a little bit in return".

"You don't need to be so grateful!" Juran said, laughing. "It's a deal then."

"Deal!" Ethan said. "But that Gailar fellow knows about my ability. What, if he turns me over?"

"Don't worry about him! He is a rotten fellow, a bounty hunter; kills monsters because there is bounty on them. But no one trusts his words. So you are safe there."

The two men sat there silently for some time. In front of them the white sandy ground was bathed in silvery moonlight. Most of the men had retired into the hooded carts. Only a few people were still around the fire. The temperature had been falling rapidly and Ethan could feel the bite of cold. Juran saw him shivering. He dug out a fluffy blanket and a pillow from the pile of clothes and other things stacked at a side inside the cart and tossed them at Ethan. "Sleep here," he said. "We have to take a long journey tomorrow. Good night!" He gathered their plates and got off the cart.

Ethan looked around inside the cart. A huge mattress served as the seat of the cart. At the other end of it a heavy curtain was hung, blocking the passage of wind from that side. A similar curtain was rolled up and held with fasteners on his side of entrance also. Ethan rolled it down and lay down on the mattress. He drew the blanket over his head and tried to relax in its cosy warmth. But sleep still eluded him. So much had happened within just a few hours that his mind was still processing them feverishly.

'Why can't I remember anything?' He thought. 'Why am I trusting Juran? Why am I even believing his wild story?'

But he had no other way out of it. He had to trust Juran. He had to believe that the only reason that he could destroy a fire breathing giant of a snake was that he could turn a junk piece of metal into a magical missile!

'A Cereb weapon', Ethan recalled what Juran had said. 'What else had he said beside that? About the forger?'

Ethan sat up abruptly. Juran had said that only someone with true demon blood could become a forger! His mind could not process it before. But now those words came back to haunt him.

What did it mean? Who or what was a demon? Ethan vaguely recalled childhood stories about demons and monsters. Were not they just stories? How could he have arrived in a world where those bedtime stories became alive? And, how could he become a demon blood?

Ethan could feel his temples throbbing as blood surged to his head and made him dizzy. He felt so weak that he lay down again. Slowly, he regained his composure. As his excitement thawed he realized that a new feeling was growing within him. A feeling of excitement at a new beginning! "I'll see what awaits me in this new world!" He said to himself and this new resolve set his heart at ease. Slowly, he sank into a dreamless slumber.