My chest burned for every breath my lungs drew. My blurred vision couldn’t make anything out of the white light distorting my sight. After drunkenly looked around, I found myself trapped under a fallen tree’s crushing weight. My natural response was to pull myself free, but my muscles felt like they were tearing themselves for every little movement I tried making. Looking down, the skin of my forearms heavily singed.

I looked out again, discovering the white flames creeping towards me. It was hot. My skin was melting as the fire made it to the trunk and slowly engulfed the fallen tree. My absent voice rang hollow when I cried for help because of my dry throat.

Eventually, someone heard my plea. I couldn’t make out his face, but the person tossed the burning trunk aside with ease and crouched in front of me.

The man then pricked the tip of his weapon in my arm. It emitted an intense red neon glow as it drank my blood. It looked as if it’d curse anyone who set their eyes on it. Two sickle-like blades spiralled out of a circle: one edge acting as the blade and the other serving as the guard.

While blood streamed down from where I was jabbed, the man opened a book and recited lines from it.

“For the reckoning that is to come, all are tested. Thou shall be the shadow of which valiant souls shine and guide thee through harsh trials. Till oblivion comes, do not turn astray but to continue down the path thou chosen to walk. Lastly, thou must not see eye to eye with, but against the world.”

He closed the book and from the dim light off the flames, I saw him smirk.

“Remember this day for when you find yourself unable to act. It is then I will return what I borrowed.”

Flames, flames, dancing and hiding who was to blame, for the witching child has finally been named. Commence the hunt, flush out that runt. Trial by fire or hang from wire. Smitten by holy light or bitten by Demon’s blight. We won’t be satisfied until we the cursed child’s head rolled, and demons culled!

I shuddered having to listen to it. My body couldn’t help but wince as a chill crawled down my spine. Why do children sing about killing these days?

I knew they’re playing pretend, but this nursery rhythm wasn’t pleasant to listen. That passage was passed down for generations to teach children to not show sympathy against monsters, but I couldn’t shake the feeling the verse was altered through generations into something this dark.

In a sense, I envied the free time they had. While they were playing, I was stuck here doing chores. My motivation was at its all time low.

After I raked and bagged the leaves. I stacked them close to the path downward and basked in the scene in front of me. I sheltered my eyes from the sun peeking behind the mountains far in the horizon, expelling the night sky. Everything above me was dark blue, slowly transitioning to cyan blue hue as my eyes scrolled towards sun hidden behind the horizon and saw the lake reflect dim sparkles. As its wave rippled, tiny speck of light glittered.

It’s too quiet here. I wanted to leave the village but there’s a stupid barrier preventing me. If someone found out I went near the edge, the Elder would kill me.

My eyes drifted to the side, setting sights on a stone superstructure piercing through the clouds. It was the tower. Not much was known about its mysterious existence since there was no entrance leading into it. The thing was taller than putting my thumb next to the tower from where I stood.

I mean, you couldn’t see the top of it.

“Kihet? What are you doing here?” While I was daydreaming, someone called me. “Can you hear me? I said hey! If you don’t respond, I’ll kick you in the groan.”

“Oh… it’s just Sorah-. Sorah?!”

When I realized her face was inches from mine, I threw myself back and landed on my rump. I hit the back of my head against the tree beside the gravestone.

“Ouch! That hurt! When did you get here? Are you a ghost?”

“You know I hate ghosts.” She brushed her short scarlet hair and crossed her arms, glaring at me with annoyed amethyst-coloured eyes.

“So, why are you here?”

“I asked you first.” She sharply replied.

“I’m cleaning the grave. Are you blind?”

There was a moment of silence between us until I heard her clear her throat. She gave me the stink eye.

“Today is Sagittarius, thirty second of autumn.”

“It’s not the thirty first? No wonder there were so many leaves when I got here.”

“Are you serious?”

“I really thought it was the thirty first. I guess I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Just as I walked away from the precinct, her hand seized my shoulder. She was trembling. “Where are you going?”

“Home.” I flashed her a smile.

“Y-you… Why are you always like this?!”

A puff of wind went by.

A fist without warning headed straight for my forehead. It stopped at last second and gave me a powerful flick. If I were to explain how painful it was, it wasn’t force behind the finger, it was from her fingernail that jabbed my skin. I think its bleeding- nope. I‘m fine. I responded rather civil to her one-sided violence and that’s by remaining quiet waiting for her answer.

“If the Elder found out you skipped out on your duty yesterday, you’re not getting off with just a slap on your palm!”

“It’s not like I can travel back in time. I guess you can say I made up by cleaning in your stead. That reminds me, didn’t you want some time off today?” I gave another loud yawn before turning to pick up the rake. Then I felt something yanking my tail.

We weren’t of the old races like this human laying under this tombstone. We were called Enuis, not any of old humanity’s race. In fact, all of old humanity disappeared. It was said humans along with other races once thrived when an unrecorded catastrophic event annihilated them, leaving traces of their kind with ruins. One such memento was the tower standing in the middle of the surrounding forest.

A small, “Ah.” escaped Sorah’s lips as her feathered ears twitched. “So, you remembered. T-thanks… I guess.”

“I don’t want Elius’ grandfather scolding me. I’ll grab the bags and be on my way.”

“Don’t worry about those. I got them.” She aimed her palm at the rake and the bag of leaves. Two ethereal tendrils of light sprout from her shoulder blades, slithered through the air and carried them.

We call them [Ribbons] and they’re exclusive magic only us Enuis could use. Well, others except me. The translucent strand of strings act as extensions for our bodies. Their primary use were to let us carry multiple items no heavier than the user per strand and they’re useful for reaching into tight gaps. They’re not often implemented in combat as they could easily be dispelled by hitting the object it held and aren’t strong enough to swing weapons around or swung on, but they could throw small objects.

I used to be able to cast them. Ever since the incident, I couldn’t call them no matter what. I couldn’t summon even one now. I suspect the engraving that man left on my arms are the culprit for my inability to use any magic.

“C’mon. Let’s go back.” She smiled. “I’ll be right behind you.”

With her carrying cleaning equipment, I led her downhill, having her hold my tail. The way she grasped it was uncomfortable, but I decided to let it slide in exchange for her to display such meekness. It was a sight for sore eyes, in my case, tired eyes.

We were silent for most of the walk as we dived under branches and vines woven over our heads like a ceiling. The longer we walked, the more uncomfortable it was for her to hold onto my tail.

“Hey. You’re pulling my tail too hard.”

“You’re walking too fast.”

“Ah? Listen here. You’re the slowpoke-.”

“That reminds me. I baked some treats yesterday and they should’ve cooled down by now. I think Hannah would enjoy them more than you.”

When I heard Sorah baked sweets, I immediately put my hands together and bowed in a gesture of apology. “I’ll slow down! Please share some with me!”

Deep inside, I thought this was the only way to repent and earn those sugar delights. You couldn’t blame it all on me since it was hard to get my fill of sweets out here.

“You really like sweets, don’t you?” Sorah giggled. “You did help me. I suppose you’re obligated to have some.”

“Really?!”

“I’ll think about it really hard and pray Hannah didn’t eat them all.”

“Geh!” I thought she had forgiven me, but I was too naïve!

Not much later, we were out of the forest and found ourselves standing in front of the Village’s gate.

Two watchmen rose to attention when they saw Sorah following me down the main road. Their faces frowned and handled their spears at the ready.

“Why is she always hanging around that sinner? Wasn’t he the one who killed her parents?”

“Shush it. She’ll hear you.”

Ignoring them, I rummaged through my bag and brought out shackles to cuff my wrists together. After the guards gave the chains a rattle to determine it was shut tight, they opened the gate and let us through.

I felt a firm tug on my tail and turned around.

“Sorry…”

“For what? If you’re talking about the taboo I broke, it’s my fault.”

“Aren’t those heavy?”

“I think of them as weights.” I said, waving my arms. “You should get going, I need to buy some things. I’m a scrap collector, a junk rat after all.”

“Kihet, I mean it. Thanks.” A small bittersweet smile formed on Sorah’s face as she dashed off. “I’ll put things back.”

“Yeah, say hi to your sister and don’t forget about those tarts you promised me.”

“I never promised you anything!”

Watching her run off with that smile eased my mind for a bit. When I looked around, the other villagers quickly turned and walked in the other direction. They gossiped as they avoided me, going as far to take shelter in buildings when I walked past them like I was the plague.

In this village, the law was absolute. If someone sinned, they must be punished. No matter how light a sin was, the guilty must atone for their actions. That was what we Enuis strictly follow to be granted the honor being the Creator’s favored ones. For what the gatekeepers said about me, it was true.

As there were no other villages, it was deemed too cruel to exile a child at that time. Instead, I was prohibited to visit the village unless I wore these shackles for my visits. My home used to be around the corner, but because of the taboo I broke that took many lives I was evicted. I built a base hidden in the forest where only a couple of trusted people knew of my residence. I often made rounds to the village’s scrap collector and purchase materials on projects inspired from books I read when I was a child.

I should be ordering from blacksmiths, but it was always a hassle to haggle with them. They never took me seriously because of my sin. The scrap collector on the other hand didn’t care as long as he made profits. Sometimes he had materials I needed, but I had to check frequently.

“Achoo!”

The cold morning breeze ran down my spine, forcing a sneeze in response with snot dribbling down my nose. Today’s a cold day. I wonder if I have enough firewood to last the rest of fall and through winter? I’ll gather some lumber after.

While strolling through the plaza, memories of when I was being tried flashed before me. I remembered stepping into the silver lined coffin standing at the stage. That coffin was said to punish evil doers by the will of the Creator and at the time, I was not going to discover what would happen if I lied. Ultimately, that gave me the standing I had with the village.

And like every other time I walk past it, there’s a feeling of it trying to lure me in. I always rush past it since it felt creepy.

Today, I rummaged through the scrap collector’s goods. The results were decent. One of the few parts I waited for two years finally showed itself in these piles of trashes. A perfectly kept guard from a broken sword. I could replace the one on my falling apart blade.

“Kihet, I knew I’d find you here.”

Behind me, another one of my friends walked into the area holding his majestic aura. No one could act as self important as he could because he was the Elder’s grandson, the successor to be the village’s leader, the chief.

His golden hair shined as if polished and wore a scholar’s robe made of enchanted fabric of a magic sheep’s wool. His most important trait would be his ‘glasses’, an artifact that partially cured his blindness so long he wore them would have people whisper his name, Elius. An invisible force plucked the part away from my hands and forced my attention onto him.

“Seriously, you don’t have to force yourself to this place. I could’ve ordered the materials you needed.” He sighed.

“You know I can’t do that. If people knew you’re always helping me, that might damage your reputation.”

“Like I care.” He snorted, dropping the part I was examining into his hand. “I don’t get why the Creator decided to pass judgement on you even though we knew you were innocent.”

“Perhaps, I’m not?” I muttered. “Anyway, you were looking for me?”

“Yeah, we have a job from gramps. He wanted the eight of us to slay some Oriks because lately a pack of them moved too close to the village.”

“I could use some of their pelts.” I opened my purse after purchasing the goods. “And maybe some extra coin, but Sorah can’t make it today. She’s going to visit her parent’s grave with her sister.”

“Neither could Vol, Draigh and Lemi. It’ll be you, Megith, Malth and me thinning their numbers. We’ll scout ahead and do what we can.” Knowing Elius, he already made preparations. “I’ve passed word to the twins. You should get going and gear up.”

My house was constantly renovated each time an accident happened because of experiments that went horribly wrong. Out of the four walls, there was one side boarded with spare planks and nails. On the field next to my wooden shack, I call home, laid unexplainable fragments of trash sorted in their own junkpiles.

I stepped out with a scaffold under my armpit while tightening a battered buckler around on my arm.

“AH! He’s out!”

When I saw her, the first thing I noticed was her brightly lime colored hair.

There were two of her. Rather, the girl was the one who stood in front of the door. Her name was Megith, an eccentric hyperactive girl who used to, and continues to play nasty pranks on me. She would do it to get my face red from embarrassment. Her brother, Malth, who looked as feminine as her, crouched beside boxes in the apiary area.

Each of those boxes were tiny, about three by five feet made of wood. Every one of them had a wooden panel sticking in the middle and a lever attached to the side. He placed a bucket underneath, pulled the lever and a bamboo funnel slid out from the bottom. It was more efficient than manually breaking apart the frames to harvest the honey, but it took a while until honey began flowing into the bucket.

“K-Kihet, the honey in these beehives you made were full so I’m emptying it for you. Where should I store it?” His voice was much shallower than his sister. Malth was the absolute opposite of his sister except for his face.

“Oh right, I was supposed to give those to Sorah. Dump it in one of the barrels beside the shack. Make sure the lid is properly closed.” I replied as I gave my sword two quick swings on a standing stump as I tested its weight. The sharpness wasn’t terrible, but not the best.

“Isn’t your blade a bit dull?” Elius holstered his book.

“I used it so much the whetstone I have almost lost all its grit. It’s hard to sharpen anything with it.”

“Knowing how stubborn you are, I’ll get a replacement for you.”

“That’d be helpful.”

“Poor Kihet! It must be hard living alone like this. If you want me to I’d move in with you. I’d do so in a heartbeat!”

“S-sis, your wording! Kihet’s going to get the wrong idea!”

Malth was right. For a second, I had the wrong idea. In terms of appearance, Megith was among the popular girls rated highly by many guys of the same age in the village. Anyone wedded to her would live a fortunate life. She could cook, clean, fight and her mega size- well developed chest… do contain many man’s hopes and dreams.

If only, right? No matter how much I dream of it, it’s still a dream.

“Hmm? Maybe you’re the one getting the wrong idea of my idea.” She said with a smug grin on her face. She probably was too much of an airhead to know what Malth meant.

“Enough chitter chatter. In short, we’re all worried about you, Kihet. You ought to open up if you have any problems. Got it?”

“You’re the boss, Eli.”

“It’s Elius!” He roared. “I thought told you stop calling me that!”

There was a sound. Where noises are made, there’s always someone or something causing it.

The most accustomed to unpaved road in their group was me. Over the years, I foraged the forest for supplies and the routine helped improved my familiarity with the land. I studied the habitats and behavior of all monsters that lived in this forest. I naturally learned of all paths to avoid confrontation with dangerous ones.

“That berry’s not edible. You’ll get a terrible stomachache.” I slapped Megith’s hand before she plopped one in her mouth.

I sighed and watched at the playful twins like a guardian keeping a pair of trouble making toddlers in line. Megith playfully twirled her spear and poked on random things while Malth held his battleaxe close to avoid damaging his surroundings, clumsily bumping his back into things.

The only competent person I trusted to stay in character was Elius. He took the task of navigating us towards possibly sightings of Oriks while having me narrow down their den. My impression of him changed when I spotted Elius flipped the map upside down.

“Elius… don’t tell me you don’t know how to read maps?”

“How long have you known me? You should know I could read maps better than you do.”

“But I know these lands better than you do.”

“I know you do. Now go west. That’s where we’re going.”

After traversing through the forest and climbing over some hills, we came across several gashes on trees which marked the Oriks’ territory. The further we travelled, more gashes we spotted on trees. Eventually, the trail led them to a few dozens Oriks inhabiting the rocky cliffs a little beyond the tower.

“We won’t be able to take them all in a direct confrontation.” Elius said. “There’s a group that’s separated on the left. We could take them out, but if they call the others, we’ll need to withdraw immediately. Kihet, you’re up.”

“Why are you volunteering me as decoy?”

“You think any of us could do better?”

I really didn’t want to go alone, but I don’t trust the others to do as well as I could. “Watch my stuff.”

Oriks have sensitive smelling capability as well as hearing thanks to their large bat like ears. To counter their heightened sense of smell, I masked my scent by rubbing soil over my body, face included. As for their hearing, my leather attire won’t make as much noise as the others wearing armor. After I climbed the cliff, I crawled over to the edge and looked down.

There were a few anomalies among a few individuals. They moved about, not minding the black seaweed wriggling on patches on their fur. Was it a parasite or a spreading disease? There was enough of them to believe it was a subspecies.

Still, a job’s a job. I needed money and with time, I’ll study what those things on them are.

I pulled a flask out of my pocket.

“Here goes.”

Tilting it at the edge of the cliff, a revolting red liquid smelling like iron and mold poured downstream. It immediately caught the creature’s attention as the pack leader brushed aside some chewed bones and grunted to its nearby kin.

I braced myself, wiping sweat off my palm then drew my sword. When I heard the cliffs were being scaled, I gritted my teeth, rolled on my belly then flipped myself off the ledge.

There were two Oriks obstructing my descent. Before they saw me, I had already kicked both down, using them to cushion my landing. I could feel something snap underneath my foot and shuddered at the feeling of stepping over broken ribs.

Black seaweed things growing from their bodies disappeared. They turned ethereal, slowly increasing in transparency until it vanished. Am I hallucinating? For a second, they looked like the [Ribbons] Enuis use.

“Buhigiiiiiii!”

An Orik leapt off the cliff and dove down at me with its forearms spread out. I didn’t have time to think.

I stepped in and bashed his shield into the flying Orik’s chest. A resounding smack echoed across the field as the creature’s eye rolled back and collapsed on its back. Before I could finish it, two more prowled towards me from behind.

It was then an axe cleaved down, cleanly splitting the creatures in half.

“Thanks, Malth.”

“T-there’s more!”

Malth performed a wide sweep, decapitating nine of the Oriks. He released the current one he used, trading it for another battle axe floating behind him. Their entrails slathered across the field. The remaining Oriks squealed in a bloodied pig tone and chased after him in an unfit rage.

“You guys gone and alerted the whole pack!” Elius shouted and stunned three oncoming Oriks with his sling. “Kihet, I thought you were scouting!”

“Sorry, Elius, but I agree with them!” Megith cartwheeled and backflipped, vaulting herself into the air and impaled an Orik from its skull. “Being sneaky sneaky isn’t my forte!”

“I guess I have no choice. Hold them off for a second.” Elius sighed. “Sep, Sei, Maks, Val, Nalus!”

In this world, casting spells was a bit of a nuisance. Spells must be first crafted by turning materials into ink and drawn with the symbol of an Elemental to create a talisman. To activate the spell, the caster must touch the ink and recite magic words known as Alchemia to program it. Another method was to use a magic tool as a catalyst, though magic tools are difficult to produce or find.

Elius borrowed the Water Elemental’s power, one of the four primary attributes, using expendable talismans. The more talismans used, the more powerful the spell can become but there is also another method to empower one’s magic.

Five charms were held up by [Ribbons] behind him. The characters written on them brightly lit up and magical flames burned the paper talismans. Floating above us, Elius created a dozen of floating water lances in the air above the field.

The water glimmered like polished crystals as they calibrate their sharp ends towards the Oriks. There was a hint of twitching before the aquatic spears decided to rain down on their enemy. The sound of flesh being penetrated was crystal clear behind the monsters’ squeal.

“Chain magic! Doram, Pik, Jeltz!”

Doram was of the Thunder Elemental, but a compound attribute. Unlike the water elemental, the Thunder Elemental was invoked of a fusion with Wind and Fire elementals.

Elius also chained in a simple electric shock to immobilize his foes by using the leftover magic left by his water spell. For I know, chaining magic needs precise timing and knowledge of how much magic one used or there would be consequences.

“Finish them!”

On Elius’ signal, Malth, Megith and I put our weapons to work, fulfilling the quota for the day.

“We’re done!” I fell backwards and stared into the sky while soaked in bloodstains.

My breathing went ragged. My nose was somewhat clogged with mucus, not enough to be dribbling. I hope I didn’t catch a cold.

“Are you alright?” Malth asked.

“I haven’t moved this much in a while. I’m going to need to lie down and catch my breath.”

Just when I felt relieved, there were continuous thumps drumming the air. Pebbles quivered as the sound of tremors rose behind the cliff.

Oriks poured in, about another set of twenty or fifty.

“There’s no way for us to take them all on… is there?” Megith asked with a dry voice.

“Kihet, get up! We’re running!” Malth shrieked.

“Run, and this is because it’s all your fault, Kihet!” Elius barked. “You should really think of the consequences sometimes!”

“Less blaming, more running for our lives!” I shouted back.

We decided on a tactical retreat into the forest without a second through. The Oriks quickly caught up but Malth chopped down a few trees, slowing the creatures’ pursuit. Some logs managed to topple over unsuspecting Oriks.

Now that I realize where we were, we’ll exit the forest soon. If I’m not mistaken, it’s where my backup plan always was.

I glanced back to judge the distance off the Oriks. I dug a slingshot out of my bag and slung berries to the back while running.

“What the heck are you doing!?” Elius yelled. “That’s only going to make them angrier!”

“Says you! Help me shoot these at them! We’ll be fine once we hit the grasslands!”

Why berries? These weren’t ordinary berries. They are luxurious bait for a certain creature.

Once we fled into the open, some local wildlife looked towards us. The effectiveness of the berries was instantaneous as a stampede of deer like creatures rammed themselves into the Oriks. Normally herbivores like the Felks would’ve fled from predators, but the overwhelming sweet scent of berries sent them in a feeding frenzy, licking and biting the Oriks. It was like watching a wing of cavalrymen dismantling a squad of infantry.

“Hey… Kihet?” Megith asked.

“What… is it?”

“Why is there a herd running toward us?”

Oh no…

A small group chasing Oriks broke apart from the main herd and rushed towards us with no intention of stopping. The Fugel berry juice on Elius and my hands must’ve attracted them.

“This way! Start running!” I shouted.

“Again!?” Megith whined.

“Hey… Sis? I think the Felks are only chasing Kihet and Elius.” Malth pointed out.

“That’s true. Well then, good luck you two!”

“H-hey!” Elius and I shouted. “Damn it you two, I thought we were friends!”

“We are, but we’re feeling tired so… see ya!”

Malth and Megith climbed on top of the branches, watching us chased by a small herd of hungry Felks.

“Guess we have no choice.” I muttered, hurling my bag somewhere safe. “We gotta jump!”

“Jump?!” Elius grew pale. “My coat’s going to take a long time to dry!”

“I know you can’t swim! Do you want to get trampled instead? If we don’t wash off the stains, they’ll chase us to the ends of the world!”

“Tch. Fine! You better not let me drown!”

We held our breath, climbing a rocky slope and dove into the lake.

“That’s why you’re soaked.” Sorah asked as her hands free, ribbons from her back placed my clothes over drying racks.

It was afternoon by the time we returned from our quest. Elius and I sat around a separate bonfire, drying ourselves while a rowdy group occupied another.

The others, Vol, Driagh, and Lemi showed up at my place with food in their hands and basically took over my home when Elius, Malth, Megith and I returned. Why were they busy to begin with that was important enough to start cooking at someone’s home? Hey, food is food. They brought good stuff, so I’ll forgive them.

“What’s the occasion?” I asked. “There’s so much food.”

“You don’t know? It’s the Spirits Festival.” Sorah answered. “And… he’s not listening.”

Sorah’s voice faded out as I drooled over the scent of searing meat and sizzling fat slathered with the honey produced from my apiary.

“Hey, Megith! That’s my meat!” Vol protested. “Malth, control your sister!”

“Don’t be greedy. You can just cook another one.”

“S-sis…”

“Now now, no need to fight.” Draigh slapped four large steaks on the slate. “There’s more to come!”

“Anyone thirsty? I brought some refreshments.” Lemi brought out a bottle of chilled juice.

As soon as a plate reached me, I devoured it and pushed my plate for seconds. It’s been while since I had a good meal.

While we were eating, the village’s elder, Elius’ grandfather made a sudden appearance.

He had braided long hair down to his waist and braided beard to his chest. The old man wore a thick robe draped over his short stature. The wooden cane accompanied him for centuries creaked each time the tip dug into the ground. Behind him, eight cyan blue but transparent tentacles each held magic staves.

“G-gramps! Why are you here?” Elius asked.

“Hmm? Are you saying you’re not welcome to see me here? Do you hate seeing your grandpa that much?”

I almost forgot. The Elder dots on Elius a lot. Elius, is there a day where I haven’t seen you make someone cry?

“I’m just surprise to see you here.”

“Wassup Elder! Are you here to join us?” Vol waved.

“W-we got lots of meat!” Malth spoke with a mouthful of food. “I-it’s good!”

“I wish that’s the case. However, a quest has been passed onto your party.” I knew it was trouble when the Elder stopped smiling. “There are creatures wandering the forest and I, the village chief, am passing on an emergency quest to you hunters to find and exterminate urgently. I would’ve contacted Irvan’s group to join, but they’ve already embarked on another quest.”

“Well good. I rather not see him.” Megith pouted.

“After all the things he accused of Kihet, it would be best if the two never met.” Draigh agreed.

“Now children, it’s true I am aware of this, but I cannot lift Kihet’s ban from the village so easily. However, these monsters may be stronger than we expect, so I will have to call a reliable reinforcement for your team. The other party that rivals yours is without a doubt, only Irvan’s.”

“We understand Elder.” I voluntarily raised myself. “Can’t be helped right? I’ll try to not cause trouble when I see him.”

“Kihet, are you sure?” Sorah looked at me with concerned eyes.

“Getting rid of that monster is top priority. If it threatens the village, we might need his help.”

It might have something to do with those shadows growing on Oriks.

“If Kihet says so.” Elius sighed. “Guess this barbecue’s going to have to continue later. Geez, it’s hard to get everyone together, you know?”

“Wait, you planned this?!”