As the morning sun covered the village with warmth, on the open council courtyard, where the coming-of-age ceremony was held, Village Head Thaine sat on an elevated chair.
"Where were you when the fire broke last night?" Thaine asked.
"My Lord, where would a deputy warden on duty be?" The deputy warden asked back.
"Insolence!" The prison warden stood up from his chair. "You dare ask back to the village head."
The elders and the rest of the people present murmured.
"Galot, it's fine. Actually, I do like this one's guts." Thaine looked at the kneeling deputy warden.
"What's your name?" Thaine asked.
"Joseph Shoshone." The deputy warden answered.
"Hmmm, I've heard that name before, let me remember." Thaine's index finger tapped his bearded chin. "Hmmm, Isabella, right?"
"That's my daughter," the deputy warden answered.
"She's a friend of my daughter," Thaine chuckled.
"Nice to know," Joseph Shoshone, Isabella's father, said.
"So why did you kill your mates?" Thaine slid to the edge of the chair, his eyes on the deputy warden. His face turned serious, his voice deep.
"Protecting the village, of course," the deputy warden answered.
"Fool!" Galot stood, sweating. The elders gave him a red-eyed look.
"I didn't know the village was under a threat," Thaine said.
"Are you claiming to be Venerable Mola?" The deputy warden answered with a question.
"....." Thaine's mouth opened, no word came out of it.
"Your accomplice has already confessed," Thaine said. "Explain yourself. Who are you working for?"
The deputy warden stared at Thaine, then after a few breaths he opened his mouth.
"What did you find after your so-called investigation? Bear in mind, when it comes to protection of Amala, the Venerable is always watching. Lie not."
"Murdering a citizen of Amala is an unforgivable crime. You must be executed," Thaine said. "Any last words?"
The deputy warden lifted his chained hands and waved them so that all the people could see. "This is patriotism."
"Alright," Thaine stood up; the rest of the people followed. He stretched his right arm.
"I, Thaine Amala, hereby sentence this man to freedom. He has to report for duty in two weeks' time. Everyone should be like this man: Amala first." He pulled his arm back. "Reward this man and that guy Velenando with five hundred Molaic Silver each." He turned and took his leave; the elders followed behind.
After the investigation, the people responsible found the two slain prison keepers guilty of murdering the three bandits held in the underground flooded maximum section. One of the prison keeper's wife was from Olivill; the other prison keeper had a secret lover from Akash behind his wife's back.
Last night, when the prison warden and his men arrived underground after setting off the fire, they were welcomed with a messy scene. Deputy Shoshone had his palm on Velenando, healing his wounds.
Joseph Shoshone, the deputy warden, and his minion Velenando, the prison keeper, had escaped murder charges with a bag of money. They had also made a name for themselves; they had become heroes.
---
In a wide stream of water originating from the northern end of the Dolwa Mountain Range flowing toward the Lake of Horror Songs, a tall, dark‑haired boy, not slim, not muscular, and a tiger with feathered ears were fishing.
Edwin was barefoot, with a spear in his arm and a dagger on his belt. He moved in the clear water stream, looking down. Kelo was stalking a certain fish at a distance from Edwin.
He lifted the spear; a fish was pierced through by the sharp tip of the iron spearhead. Edwin carefully removed the fish. He threw it on the riverbed. This was his fourth catch since morning. It was only recently that he remembered the law of reflection.
As for Kelo, in her tiger form, catching fish was child's play. Her tiger eyes, ears, and limbs were well coordinated, and her senses were sharp.
"Kelo, we should be going. This is enough for today." Edwin moved out of the water. Kelo followed. She shook herself like a wet dog; the water rained on Edwin.
Edwin gathered the fish. Together they had caught more than a dozen.
"I left my boots beside that rock," Edwin pointed. They moved toward the rock. The rock stood a few steps along the stream at a distance from where Edwin and Kelo were.
"We should come here again tomorrow," Edwin said as he put his boots on.
"Human, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Kelo gazed back to where they had come from.
A group of various wild animals: antelopes, boars, zebras—were there for fresh water.
"I will hide the fish here." Edwin placed the fish where his boots had been. "A bountiful hunt presenting itself in front of us."
"You take the boars, I will prey on the antelope." Edwin knew he couldn't match the speed of a warthog, so he pushed that to Kelo.
The two meandered for a distance and crept when they neared the animal herd. The wild animals scrambled in confusion, running for their lives.
Edwin didn't blink his eyes as before; with just a gaze, an antelope slipped. Edwin paced; he sent the spear flying without stopping. The spear dove straight into the antelope's belly. Before it could stand, Edwin had already hammered the spear further down. The spear pierced through to the other side, smashing into the ground.
Edwin, with his arm gripping the spear, spotted a zebra. With just a gaze, its front legs stumbled. Its whole weight smashed into a boar.
"Hahaha," Edwin laughed. He had no interest in a zebra; he was just testing the improvement that came with complete assimilation. He didn't have to blink his eyes anymore nor have his whole mind willing the sigil to contain the cinder; it was done without thinking.
His eyes landed on Kelo. She was about to jump on a boar. Right there, she missed her footing; her jump was a miss. She had missed her target by a small margin. She didn't notice anything wrong.
Kelo was not letting the boar go; they disappeared into the nearby forest.
Edwin looked down. The antelope had died. He removed the spear, preparing to carry it. An instinct struck him. He turned his head, looking at where he had hidden the fish.
"...." He stood still, petrified.
A grotesque bear with two other arms protruding from its abdomen, and another big, unclosed mouth with huge, yellow, razor‑sharp teeth in between, was chewing his fish. It's eyes landed on Edwin, sending a chill to his spine.
It was an aberrant—disgusting and scary.