“I hear from Juma that your studies are progressing well.” Ryn walked beside a man with long black hair, half of it tied up high on the top of his head, the rest draping down his blue clad back. The man was tall, a little taller perhaps then Ryn himself and appeared to be in his mid thirties if Ryn had to guess based on looks alone. His name was Paomeh, that was what Ryn knew for sure. He was the royal advisor to His Majesty the Divine King, Khal Man.
“Have you now?” Ryn scratched the back of his neck nervously. “He’s been working hard to train me in my progression, I’m honored to have a mentor such as him!” Ryn praised, and Paomeh gave his typical friendly smile at the praise. Paomeh had always been a kind man, he stood tall and proud and approached every situation with the utmost grace. While he was regarded as neither powerful nor a strategist, he was highly respected within the divine realm. .
“Juma is a brilliant teacher,” he expressed. “He’s been a war god for quite some time, it only makes sense that he be the one to train the up and coming.” They walked down a long corridor, the floor crafted from pristine marble, windows crafted along the walls at fifteen inch intervals, lookin out upon the clouds and landscapes of the Divine Realm, the air fresh with morning dew. Up and coming. Those words lodged themselves within Ryn’s mind as they strolled. He was still young, and yet he’d reached the point of nearing his own holy trials. He knew that many who lived among the divines trained for centuries for such an honor, and yet here he was, hardly passing his hundredth year and already looking forward to the trial that would define his status amongst the mortals.
“If I may ask, my lord,” Ryn started as he looked up ahead, his hands folded behind his back as they strolled. “Who was it that trained Juma?”
“That would be His Majesty the King.” Paomeh responded, seemingly proud of that particular fact. Kahl Man had long since ceased training anyone, at least in the time that Ryn had been alive. Kahl Man was a skilled War God, one of the only among the divine that had been born into that title instead of having to work for it. “He was a brilliant student who learned quickly, he and his brother both.”
“You mean Mong Beshal.” Ryn filled in the blanks, Paomeh seeming to bristle at the mention of the name. Mong Beshal had been banished more than one hundred years ago, shortly before Ryn’s birth, despite the long period of time, many people still didn’t dare utter his name.
“Yes,” Paomeh confirmed. “Mong Beshal was skilled indeed. He had all the makings of a War God, though his particular skills were suited… elsewhere.” Meaning his power lay within the realm of being a death god, a role that was rare among the divine comparatively speaking to the prestigious titles of War God or God of Knowledge.
“Many here don’t speak of him, and all the books I’ve found gloss over his banishment. If I may ask another question my lord, what did Mong Beshal do to earn his banishment?” Paomeh seemed deeply uncomfortable with the topic, however he did not forbid it, instead just signing deeply as he gazed ahead..
“If you must know,” Paomeh began, crossing his arms behind his back as he walked, the long tail of his blue divine robes dragging across the marble ground behind him. “He wished to overthrow the king, replace the head of the gods.”
“He wished to dethrone his own mentor?” Paomeh nodded grimly.
“Mong Beshal was always a difficult child, while skilled he had quite the temper and he never responded well to authority figures with the exception of his older brother. He questioned the King’s ability to lead, and in doing so, declared him unfit. He became violent, managing to kill nearly sixteen minor gods before he was finally subdued by Juma himself. Being a God of Death, Mong Beshal could not be executed for his crimes, so the king opted to exile him. He has been barred from ever entering the Divine Capital again.”
Ryn shook his head. “I couldn’t imagine having such hatred for your own mentor.”
Paomeh gave a sad smile. “Mong Beshal was a troubled young man. It’s best we don’t dwell on him.”
~
“Paomeh…” Ryn mumbled in his sleep as he slowly woke, the sun rising over the horizon before him. His neck was stiff after having slept against the log at his back all night and he sat up with a hand to the back of his head, a grimace on his face. Once he looked over he noticed Sen staring at him with a complicated expression. “Sen?” He asked.
Sen seemed to blink, his normal expression back on his handsome face. “Hm? Oh it’s nothing, who’s Paomeh?” He asked. Ryn blanched.
“What?” He asked.
“You mentioned the name in your sleep, just curious if it was someone you knew.”
“Oh… Well I don’t know, it was just an odd dream.” Ryn waved his hand dismissively as he rose to his feet, the other two rising as well. Lani nursed his shoulder, which had been quickly bandaged by Maolun the night before with what little supplies they had. He winced as he tried to stretch.
“Everybody up and awake, it’s time to head out!” One of Lomih’s officers shouted. By the time the four were ready to go, the officers had already helped Lomih onto her horse and also perched themselves on their own.
“What I would give to have a horse to ride.” Lani pouted as he and the other three trotted behind Lady Lomih, who was as silent as ever.
“You’re lucky to have an arm.” Maolun snapped back, and Lani quickly bit his tongue against anything he had thought of saying in retaliation.
The rest of the trek through the beginnings of the forests surrounding the Singye mountains was uneventful, no strange creatures popped out from behind trees, no ambushes by ghosts or ghouls, Ryn thought it oddly quiet, though he did still enjoy the sights around him. He was bordered on all sides by tall, tall trees. Trees that had been there for centuries, just like him. The grass was green and healthy, no hint that the forests housed the wicked creatures they were said to. The sky was clear all through the day, sun hanging high in the sky by the time they’d finally exited the forest and reached a clear area with a spring. Though Ryn ached for a bath in it, he doubted the officers would allow them the time for such a luxury, so they trekked on. Sen stayed close to Ryn the entire time, filling in the silence with more legends surrounding the land around the mountains.
“How the hell do you know all this creepy shit?” Maolun demanded firmly, though his face and stiff shoulders showed he was truly shaken by the stories Sen was telling. The stories of missing children who later turned into ghastly ghosts to lure other children into the woods, a story about an old soldier who fought in a battle not far from the base of the mountains and lost his head, it being said that he wanders the land in search of his missing head.
Sen shrugged, a noncommittal expression on his face. “I read a lot. All of these stories came from local books in the area, like the story of the sibling eaters.” Sen lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers as if to accentuate the point that the story was supposed to be scary, though Ryn could hardly contain a chuckle.
“The WHAT?” Lani and Maolun exclaimed at once.
“KEEP IT DOWN BACK THERE, YOU’RE DISTURBING HER LADYSHIP!” The leading officer shouted and the brothers immediately quieted down.
“You’ve never heard of the sibling eater?” Sen asked, a look of what Ryn imagined was feigned shock on his face. There was no way there was a creature called the sibling eaters in this forest. This was surely Sen teasing the brothers again.
“No! What the fuck is that?” It was Lani who asked.
Sen cleared his throat, as if preparing for a grand tale, and Ryn couldn’t help but pay keen attention to his words. “Many years ago, there was a set of twins born to a poor woman in a village not far from here. Her husband had died in a war weeks prior, so she had no one to help her, as she had no other children. The twins were born attached at the hip and it’s said that one twin was born with glaring red eyes, the other with massive black ones. The townspeople were so frightened of the children they accused the woman of conspiring with demons.”
“Well was she?” Maolun asked, eyes the size of saucers as he listened intently to the story Sen was telling. Sen shook his head.
“She wasn’t, but due to the misfortune of her children, she was ostracized from the village and forced out into the forest with her conjoined twins wrapped in a single sheer blanket. She walked and walked, asking neighboring villages for aid, but as soon as they would see her children, they would call her a witch and banish her.”
“Poor woman.” Ryn commented, feeling sorry for the mother in the story, whether the story was true or not.
“Very,” Sen agreed, a solemn look in his golden eyes. “Eventually, after many days and nights of wandering, the mother, who’d grown to resent her children, drowned them in a river not far from her home village.”
Lani gasped. “She murdered her own children?” Maolun simply looked horrified with the story.
“Realizing what she’d done, the woman committed suicide afterward in that very same lake, the earth swallowing up their corpses, resulting in the trio never having a proper burial. After their deaths, legends started about the sound of a weeping woman somewhere deep in the forest.” At that time a bird sang, the song sounding alarmingly like a woman’s voice. Lani jumped, arms clinging to Maolun’s shoulder as he looked around wildly at the many large boulders that surrounded them as if he were waiting for something horrible to jump out. “People would go out looking for the woman, intending to offer aid, however, all they would find would be a single silk blanket, hanging from a branch by the water. As soon as they would touch the fabric, they’d hear the woman’s voice again, ‘have you seen my children?’ it would ask.”
“Wait wait wait.” Ryn stopped him and Sen turned to him with an inquisitive expression. “Why is she called the sibling eater then?” Sen’s eyes widened slightly at the question, clearly having gotten lost in the story and forgot what the whole point of it was. He corrected himself quickly though, with a wicked glint appearing in his eyes.
“She’s not.” He said, a smile finding its way onto his lips as if he were about to reveal a terrible secret. “She is but one ghost who haunts the forest. The true terror is when young children, particularly siblings and especially… twins,” Sen cast a glance at the brothers, who both blanched. “enter the forest. Supposedly they will hear what sounds like babies crying, and when they approach they will be accosted by a humongous creature. It walks on three legs, partially dragging the middle one as it lumbers around, his arms excessively long and two heads, each resembling the heads of infants. The creature will chase the children until they grow too tired to continue, before the beast scoops them up and devours them whole.” At that time another bird sang and Lani shrieked at the sound. Ryn could see the effort Sen was putting into not laughing as he turned slightly away to stare into the water of the stream, collecting himself.
“I don’t wanna hear anymore,” Lani exclaimed, grabbing his brother’s arm and walking faster away from Ryn and Sen. “Keep your stories to yourself!” The two sped away, keeping the distance at least a few meters as they continued their trek.
Ryn allowed for a few minutes of silence to pass before asking. “Was any of that story true?” He inquired, shooting a glance toward the man walking beside him. Sen cast his eyes in his direction.
“Sure,” He said. “There are plenty of weeping woman stories.”
“And the sibling eater?”
“That was genuine… fabrication.” Sen confessed and Ryn finally allowed himself to let out a laugh. Of course it was.
Ryn looked up at the sky as they walked, the beautiful blue was beginning to find shades of pinks and oranges as the sun began it’s descent over the horizon. They’ed walked for hours, passing through clear fields as they neared the edge of the mountains. At one point they’d reached a section that required some climbing, and though treacherously, the officers had managed to coax their’s and Lady Lomih’s horses over the steep rocks and ledges, making it over to the otherside like they’d done it a thousand times. Ryn hadn’t been quite as lucky, and had nearly fallen once he was about half way up. While the fall certainly wouldn't have done any significant damage, it still would have hurt. At the last second Sen’s hand grasped onto his wrist, catching him before he could truly fall, his long fingers wrapping around his thin hand nearly completely before he pulled him back up, though as soon as Ryn had caught his footing, Sen pulled his hand away as he’d been burned. ‘He must not like physical touch’ Ryn had thought to himself as they continued on their path.
Through the whole journey, with the exception of the first night, the four men who’d volunteered to help aid in protecting Lady Lomih on her journey had hardly found anything to protect her against. Due to the legends surrounding the mountains, few caravans passed through this way, usually opting to go around or just avoid the other side of the mountains all together, and very few thief and bandit gangs operated around the forests.
The extensive plains of large rocky outcroppings, boulders and fields of green grass began to give way to more clusters of trees as the group neared the other half of the forest that extended in and around the Singye Mountains, and by the time they’d breached the trees the sun had all but set, only the slightest slivers of light penetrating through the trees. Tomorrow would be their last day of travel before reaching Wuyu village.
“We’re stopping for the night!” One of the officers shouted as his horse came to a stop alongside the other three. Ryn found it odd that despite traveling with them for two days, the officers seemed to have such little interest in conversing, though he supposed this was just a job to them.
“Here?” Lani asked. “We’re stopping here? In the middle of a forest… right next to a river?” Ryn listened and he could indeed hear the gentle waters of a calm river in the distance, maybe a few meters to their left behind a thicket of trees.
“Yes, is there a problem with that?” The officer who had asked pinned Lani with a look, and the younger brother shook his head, Maolun appearing like he was trying to keep his face stern, but his body language also said he was unsettled with their chosen spot. “We’ll set up our tents ahead, keep yourselves sharp.” and with that, the officer continued forward before dismounting his horse, assisting his fellow officers in setting up the tents before one of them returned to Lady Lomih’s horse to assist her in dismounting. Ryn approached.
“Would her ladyship need assistance getting down from her horse?” He asked, a kind smile on his lips as he attempted to make himself as non threatening as possible. The officer just looked at him for a moment, a complicated expression on his face before he returned his face to a more stern look.
“Only her noble officers are allowed to assist in such matters, your help is not needed.” He said dryly as he proceeded to help the young lady from her horse, taking one of her hands in his own and a hand on her waist as she dismounted. Ryn watched closely for only a moment before returning to his group.
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“Such a gentleman,” Maolun joked as Ryn returned. “Curious about what her ladyship feels like?”
“Whatever intentions you may have with her, I can assure you mine do not match them.” Ryn replied in an equally jesting tone. Maolun’s expression returned to its natural scowl before he turned once again to continue what he was doing. Leaning over his shoulder slightly, Ryn inquired, “What are you drawing in the dirt?” Maolun jolted at the voice so close to his ear.
“Nothing! Mind your own damn business!” He demanded. Ryn hadn’t even noticed Sen had approached until he heard him speak from behind him as he also looked at the odd symbols the twin was drawing.
“They’re warding sigils, protections against ghosts and specters.” he confirmed, and Maolun bristled.
“Didn’t I tell you to mind your own?!” He shouted as he finished the sigil. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, in a forest infested with ghouls, goblins, ghosts and monsters, we need to be careful.”
‘I’m pretty sure goblins are just a fairytale’, Ryn thought to himself as he watched Maolun continue to draw more symbols into the dirt. At the time a thought hit him, but before he could voice it, Sen beat him to it.
“Afraid of the sibling eater are we?” He asked, a smug smile laced in his voice. Maolun froze before he collected himself once more.
“No!” He shouted. “You think I believe that shit? I’m not Lani!”
“Hey!” Lani shouted from not far off where he was gathering sticks and logs for a fire.
“Really?” Sen asked as he bent down a little further to really scrutinize the sigil, and Ryn noted Maolun’s failing attempts to block the view with his body. “Then why do I see the Naingye symbols for child spirit right there?” At that Maolun jumped up, spinning around and throwing a punch in Sen’s direction, which he effortlessly avoided without even seeming to be caught off guard by the swing.
“What the fuck man why can you read Naingye?” Maolun seethed.
“I read many things, like your face right now. It says you're terrified of the story I told you earlier, just like a child.” Sen mocked.
“I’m gonna shove my fist down your throat! That’ll make you shut the fuck up!” Maolun shouted as his face took on the deep red hue of anger. Sen seemed eager for the opportunity for a fight and he smiled wickedly, however, before either man could make a move, Ryn stepped in between them, placing a hand on either of their chests to keep them apart. Sen looked down at where Ryn’s palm touched him, a complicated expression on his face before he backed away a few inches, putting some distance between the two of them and Ryn remembered his aversion to touch.
“No brawling!” He exclaimed as Maolun appeared to take a deep breath and Ryn pinned both of them with a look. For just a moment, Ryn thought Sen looked a little bit like a kicked puppy before he schooled his face once again. “It’s been a long two days and we’re all tired,” Ryn started. Although he hardly felt any fatigue at all, he figured normal people like these men would all be a little on edge. “Why don’t we all take a trip down to the river bank, bathe before trying to get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is the last day after all.” Maolun humphed, but Sen simply stepped away, heading in the direction of the river.
The river did actually end up being very close, just behind a row of trees, close enough that should they need to make their way back to camp they could do so quickly. Ryn took a deep breath of the fresh air as they approached, the scent of the river flowing into his lungs. He really did want to bathe, who knows what he was effectively covered in after that encounter with the mimics. He cringed at the thought and quickly shucked off his surcoat before dipping it into the water, doing his best to wash any of the grime off of the white fabric.
“If you’re doing laundry, wanna do mine too?” Lani joked as he too approached the river bank, pulling off the heaviest layers of his armor first until he reached his undershirt, being careful not to jostle his hurt shoulder too badly, though he still gave a wince.
Ryn laughed nervously. “Probably wouldn't be a good idea unless you look good in white.” He confessed as he pulled his surcoat out of the river and hung it on a nearby branch to dry. All three men, Lani, Maolun and Sen pinned him with a look of confusion on all of their faces. Ryn sighed before explaining the whole thing to them.
“That is the weirdest shit I’ve ever heard.” Maolun gaped. “Any piece of clothing at all,” Ryn nodded. “And it doesn’t matter what type of water you’re using?” Once again, Ryn nodded.
“No way,” Lani deadpanned, disbelief evident on his young face. “Not a chance in hell is that true, here prove it.” Lani thrust a red handkerchief toward Ryn, and looking closer at it, Ryn was happy to see it looked clean. Heaving a sigh, Ryn took the fabric before dipping it under the surface of the water, scrubbing it thoroughly with his hands, rubbing the fabric against itself to make sure it was fully washed before pulling it out of the water. The handkerchief had been a deep red color when it went into the water, but when it emerged, it was the purest white any of the group had ever seen and the twins stared at the fabric in disbelief. Lani snatched it back to look at it properly, as if the way Ryn had been holding it had been deceptive in revealing its actual color. Looking over at Sen, he once again had that same strange expression, but once he realized Ryn’s gaze on him, he schooled it, offering him a kind smile instead. He seemed to be the only one there who wasn’t dumbfounded, not that Ryn imagined much could catch Sen off guard to begin with.
“Holy shit it’s true.” Maolun snatched the fabric away from his brother to look at it himself.
After a few more minutes of watching the brothers steal the fabric back and forth to look at it again, Ryn decided he really couldn’t stand being without a bath a moment longer, though he wasn’t completely comfortable stripping down completely in front of people he’d effectively known for a little over two days, so he kept his trousers on as he waded into the water, his skin prickling at the cold chill it sent up his spine. Immediately he set to work, scrubbing hard at the skin on his arms and shoulders, satisfied when all of the dirt seemed to melt away. He dragged his nails over the back of his neck and into his hair, shaking out the ponytail he’d pulled it all into that morning, letting his long brown hair fall around his shoulders.
Ryn heard the sound of water moving behind him and turned, coming face to face with Sen a few meters away. He’d done the same as Ryn, opting to keep his trousers in place as he waded through the cold water, his pale skin reflected in the river by the moonlight. His black hair was pulled out of his typical braid, and cascaded over his shoulders like water itself. Ryn felt the same strange feeling in his chest that he had when he and Sen had first met as his eyes scaled over Sen’s broad chest and down his toned abdomen until his pale white skin disappeared beneath the waistband of black pants. Ryn looked away quickly, feeling the heat in his cheeks and in an attempt to cool it, he dunked his head under the water, letting the coolness wash over him, staying under for a moment before he popped back up with gasp, hands come up to push his hair back and away from his face.
Maolun was a ways away, taking the time to wash his and Lani’s clothes in the river while Lani seemed to be having some trouble loosening the bandages around his shoulder, wincing every couple of minutes as he struggled. Ryn made the decision to wade his way onto the shore, his hair wet and clinging to his shoulders and bare back as he walked over to the youth.
“Need some help?” He asked as he knelt down to replace Lani’s hands with his own. Lani didn’t say anything, but allowed Ryn to take over. He was gentle when he pulled at the dirtied bandages, making sure not to tug too tightly at the sensitive skin underneath. It took some time but eventually he managed to pull them all away, setting the bandages down in a pile by their side. He scrutinized the wound, deep tooth marks marring the once pristine copper toned skin, but at least they didn’t seem infected. Lani had his head hung low as Ryn used handfuls of water to cleanse as much of the wound as he could.
It was some time later, as Ryn was busy rinsing the bandages in the river that Lani spoke. “I really am useless in a fight, aren’t I?” He asked as he stared at his own reflection in the water, the moon now high in the sky. When Ryn looked at him and he saw less of the eighteen nineteen year old young man that Lani was, and was confronted with an image he could only compare to that of a frustrated child.
“I don’t think so,” Ryn supplied as he returned his focus to the task at hand. “It takes a lot of courage to run into a fight you know will be dangerous. There are many who wouldn’t dare.”
“I still got hurt.” Lani pouted.
“I get hurt all the time,” Ryn shot the boy a smile. While it was true that Lani’s involvement with the mimics was unnecessary and he and Sen would have been fine either way, he wasn’t going to tell that to the young man, the last thing he needed to hear was that he got himself injured for no reason. “Nearly got my head done in by a wicked ox demon a week ago and I walked out of there with my fair share of bruises and scrapes.”
“An ox demon?” Lani had a surprised look on his face. Ryn nodded before he recounted the story of the Corpse Eater and all of the oxen he’d stolen to create his beast demons. Lani seemed to look at him like he was some sort of magical being, and once again, Ryn was confronted with the startling image of a child, eyes full of wonder. Not a moment later, Lani’s face turned grim again.
“Do you think I would have died in the war?” He asked quietly, as if it were a question he was ashamed of.
Ryn thought for a moment, slightly caught off guard by the question before he finally answered. “People die in war all the time, whether they were proficient warriors or not. I don’t think I could definitively say what your outcome would be.” He finally said.
Lani seemed to think about how he should respond before, “That’s why we left Naing.” He confessed. “The troops were drafting all of the men from our village to fight in the king’s war. Maolun would have been fine, he’s a born warrior. He didn’t want me in the fight, so in the middle of the night we fled our home, snuck past the troops stationed just outside the village and crossed the border into Singye.” Ryn gazed upon the young man before him. When they’d first met, Ryn had pegged the two for being cowardly based on how Maolun had addressed the idea of the war, but now with this new information, it wasn’t that they were cowardly, it was that Maolun cared more about the safety of his brother than he cared for fighting a war. Ryn smiled sadly to himself, there really is nothing that can equal a sibling’s love, is there? Ryn didn’t even know if he’d had any siblings. Did he? Were they worried about him? Were they even still alive, or was Ryn the only one who’d been cursed with the affliction of everliving?
Ryn sat by the fire, staring into the flames as the moon passed overhead, one leg pulled up to his chest, his elbow propped onto his knee as he found himself lost in thought. He was having more dreams, and they were getting more intense, more real, like memories. His brain wracked against the side of his skull as he tried to make sense of the information he had, but none of it lined up, he didn’t recognize any of the people he saw, but at the same time, on some level, he did. He sighed in frustration as he looked to where Lani and Maolun were curled up on the other side of the fire, each using their arms as pillows as they slumbered. Ryn hoped this job didn’t become dangerous, the two youths in front of him deserved better, but the world was cruel, Ryn knew that first hand.
“Can’t sleep?” Sen’s voice approached from behind. Ryn heard him stop just behind his back, heard him settle into the grass. Sen was another question Ryn had. He had seemed so much like a stranger when they’d first met, but as they traveled he seemed more and more familiar, in a way that made frustration curl at the back of Ryn’s mind. It wasn’t until he sat down and really put some thought into it that realized it was a similar feeling to when Ryn had met Lupo, but more intense. Could he have met Sen and Lupo before, in the time before Ryn’s memories were lost? That was impossible though, that was over three hundred years ago, and Ryn would know if Lupo was as ageless as he was.
“A lot on my mind.” Ryn supplied lazily, unwilling to voice what was going on in his head, instead choosing to keep his eyes trained on the flames before him. Sen was silent for a moment before Ryn felt the gentle pull of fingers in his hair.
“Your hair is tangled to hell,” Sen observed, a slight amusement in his voice as Ryn heard him readjust his position behind him, moving to sit more directly behind Ryn as opposed to off to his side. “Mind if I brush it?” Ryn shook his head, giving his silent permission. Without another word, he felt Sen pull all of his hair back and away from his shoulders, using his fingers to work out all of the tangles that had secured themselves in Ryn’s dark hair over the course of the past several days. His touch was gentle but firm and confident as he worked, and despite the close proximity to Ryn’s bare skin, never once did Sen’s fingers or knuckles graze him, as if he were careful to avoid it.
Ryn’s hair was long and it was thick, it took Sen a considerable amount of time to work through all of it, smoothing out each section against Ryn’s back. Ryn felt his eyes begin to grow heavy as Sen neared the end. He hadn’t been tired at all when he’d first sat down, but now he felt the pull of sleep trying to draw him down, and he let his eyes drift closed as he paid attention to the way Sen’s fingers worked through his hair slowly and methodically.
Ryn awoke to the sound of horse hooves and the booming voice of one of the officers. “Everybody up, it’s time to get moving!” He sat up slowly, mind groggy from sleep as he looked around. It was just barely dawn, the sun making its first appearance over the far horizon, the fire having burned itself out overnight. Maolun and Lani were busy redonning their armor and Sen was to the side, already fully dressed in his black attire, his black surcoat flowing around his knees. When Ryn sat up fully he noticed his own clothes were placed in a neat pile beside him, already dry from the night before, looking to Sen, who still had yet to cast him a glance as he observed the officers assisting the Lady Lomih back onto her horse, he figured he must have collected Ryn’s clothes this morning as he himself dressed and brought them over.
It took Ryn no time at all to get himself dressed, but he noticed something as he reached to secure his sword on his belt. It was missing. He then remembered how he’d used it to sever the mimic head the other night. He’d completely forgotten about it after it had wedged itself into the ground, it was probably still there.
“Missing something?” Sen’s voice appeared behind him, and as Ryn turned to address him, he noticed something in his hand. Sen extended his arm, and wrapped securely in his fingers was the hilt of Ryn’s blade. He just stared at it for a few moments before accepting it, sliding it back into its sheath smoothly before looking up toward Sen.
“Thank you,” He said. “I hadn’t realized I’d left it.”
“Well we can’t have you unarmed now can we?” Sen joked as he and the rest of the group prepared to set off.
Their remaining trek through the forest only lasted a few hours, the sun nearing its highest peak as they approached the edge of the trees. The journey was uneventful, nothing emerging from the trees or from beneath the soil, and the sounds of the singing birds and crickets kept them company as they traveled. Lady Lomih sat as graceful as ever on her steed as they walked, her posture never wavering, though as Ryn watched her, he couldn’t help but notice the skin that he could see of her shoulder seemed to be paler, near translucent, though she made no movement to indicate that she was in any discomfort or had grown ill.
As they exited the forest, what was once plain grass and dirt turned into what was, at one point at least, very clearly a well maintained road, though now there were some weeds and grasses encroaching over its once pristine edges. They must be approaching the village.
After a few meters of walking, posts began to appear, hanging from them were lanterns, once beautiful and vibrant, now seemed as if they had not been lit in some time, many of them damaged and some posts it appeared that their lanterns had already fallen off years prior, the object nowhere in sight.
“I thought this was supposed to be a wealthy village,” Maolun observed as he and his brother looked around at the decaying light posts. “Why does it seem so unmaintained?”
“Maybe it’s a back entrance,” Lani supplied. “People don’t walk through very often so it’s not as much of a priority.” Sen however said nothing to comment on the state of the road, he just looked straight ahead.
They had walked a ways more before Sen actually spoke, only speaking loud enough for Ryn to hear. “Do you remember that story I told you? About the woman who was killed by her jealous lover?” He asked, leaning over slightly. Ryn nodded. “Would you like to know the name of that village?”
“The village had a name in that story?” Ryn turned his attention to his companion.
“Mhm, I left it out at the time.”
“What was the name?”
Sen was silent for a moment before he spoke, as he did the sounds of waves licking against the shore broke the silence as they approached the town. “Wuyu.” Ryn’s eyes widened. He looked forward once again, the sound of waves getting only louder as they walked further, a heavy fog having covered the area, making it near impossible to see more than a few meters in front of his face.
Finally he caught a glimpse of the village, or at least, what was at one point considered the village. The buildings that occupied the land were clearly long since abandoned, many of them falling apart, other wooden structures bowing under their own weight. There was a pier, once secure and sturdy where fishermen would haul in their catches or secure their boats, it was now half collapsed, part of the wood dipping deep into the black water, rotting away under the weight of the waves. The land around them was overgrown, only the packed dirt roads remaining to say that it was once so well maintained.
“Where the fuck are we?” Maolun’s voice cut in, fear evident in his eyes as he looked at the decrepit state of the village around them, staying close to his brother.
“Wuyu Village.” Ryn answered darkly, his mind putting the pieces together as he started to get an idea of what was going on. He looked toward Lady Lomih, her posture unchanged, alongside that of her officers, all of them looking unfazed by their surroundings. Just then a gust of wind burst through the fog, the wind strong enough to push Lady Lomih from her horse, and her body crashed to the ground with a loud bone shattering crack. Without a second thought, Ryn rushed over, turning her onto her back as his hand made to remove her veil.
“Do not touch her ladyship!” One of the officers leapt off of his horse as he rushed toward them, though he was too slow and Ryn had already snatched back the fabric, and his gaze darkened at what he saw. Just as he had expected… a corpse.
“She’s dead!” Lani shouted from over Ryn’s shoulder. “What- What killed her? When did she die? She was fine this morning.”
“She’s been dead for days.” Ryn answered without taking his eyes off of the pale white face of the woman on the ground. Her eyes were semi open, the pale clouded irises underneath staring lifelessly at nothing in particular. He recognized the tell-tale signs of magic, more than likely a spell intended to keep her body fresh looking, even if only for a few days. With this type of spell, it would have given her the appearance of basic life, the corpse would have had no ability to speak, but basic movements, pre-determined by the caster of the spell, could be accomplished, like dismounting a horse or walking. “She’s been a corpse the entire time.” It was only then that Ryn looked up at the officers, who all had dismounted and stood in a group, staring down at the dead woman. “Hasn’t she?”
One of the officers scowled. “You know not of what–”
“And let me guess,” Sen interrupted from his position beside Ryn. “This woman’s name wasn’t Lady Lomih. She was probably some peasant girl you found wasn’t she, you killed her, dressed her up as a noble woman and paraded her around looking for volunteers to help guard her.”
“I did find that strange.” Ryn spoke up as he stood after he’d closed the dead woman’s eyes completely. “Why would a noble woman, a woman of a wealthy background, need to recruit random strangers as her protectors. Surely there were many issues with such a plan. What if the men she hired had unseemly intentions, or were unsavory characters? It would be much easier just to receive guards appointed by her family, and the three of you would have been plenty enough for such a short trip.”
“If you had such thoughts from the beginning why didn’t you say anything?!” Maolun scolded, holding tightly onto the arm of his brother.
“I was curious.” Ryn said simply. “So what was the point of such work?” He directed his question toward the three officers, who all stared at him with a look of anger in their expressions, but underneath, Ryn could also see the underlining of fear. Before he could ask further questions though, another gust of wind interrupted him, kicking up dirt and debris as it passed, forcing Ryn to cover his eyes and face with his arm before it settled once again. However, when he looked out again, he was shocked to find himself alone. The officers, the corpse, their horses, Maolun and Lani… and Sen were all missing as Ryn spun around, the fog growing thicker and a sickening feeling making itself known in his gut.