Inval was a small village situated to the West of Bayanlin where Panu’s farm sat, within the kingdom of Singye. It was a place where Ryn and Lupo often convened after working a few jobs to collect their thoughts and plot out their next move. Once they’d arrived they checked into the small inn on the edge of town.

“Well if it isn’t two of our regulars, back again are we?” The innkeeper commented when Ryn and Lupo walked through her doors. The innkeeper's name was Omi, she was a kind older woman who the two had met when they first ventured to enter the town. She was short in stature, her long black hair tied into a bun at the base of her head, she wore a green dress, the collar reaching half way up her neck and the skirt nearly dusting the floor as she swept up the place. The inn was quiet that night.

“Not many visitors tonight, huh Omi?” Lupo commented on the still atmosphere.

“Well Inval is such a bustling town you know.” Omi retorted sarcastically. “Your typical room is open, I’ll add it to your tab, water in the bath house is fresh too, you both could use it.” She said, side-eying the both of the men who’d come into her establishment rather filthy. Both Lupo and Ryn looked down at themselves, their clothes both covered in layers of dirt, grime and blood. Whether that blood was human or not, neither of them were completely sure.

“Leave your clothes outside the door! I’ll wash them!” Omi shouted at the two men’s backs as they headed in the direction of the small bathhouse. The small building was just outside the back door of the inn, it was big enough to house four large water basins, each in their own small rooms supplied alongside fresh clean washcloths. The air in the building was humid and warm from the hot water. Each individual bathing room was vacant and the two men took their pick.

Ryn sighed when his eyes met the large tub, steam rising up from the water and the desire to climb in made his bones ache. He made quick work of his white surcoat, untying the belt around his waist and pulling the sleeveless garment over and off of his arms, dropping it to the floor, the thick fabric piling behind him. Next was his innershirt, reaching behind him to loosen the knot that kept the garment tied tight around his torso, letting the garment fall as well, before kicking off his trousers. He piled his clothes outside the door, turning and taking a deep breath before climbing the small steps, lowering himself into the hot water with a groan, his skin and bones grateful for the warmth, his arms resting on the edge of the bathtub, hair pulled into a bun on the top of his head. Ryn closed his eyes as he let himself sink a little lower into the hot water, the event’s of the last several days replaying in his head, memories of the man he’d seen, Juma, coming to the forefront. He furrowed his brow in frustration as he looked at the man's face in his mind, unable to place where he knew him from, but he knew he’d seen him before, and his name, it sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t figure it out. Finally he let out a sigh, sinking down low so half his face was submerged in the water as he opened his eyes and stared ahead out the small window, the sun high in the sky as noon passed over Inval. “Maybe it was just a dream” he thought to himself before picking up a clean white cloth, submerging it under the water and grabbing a bar of soap, working to scrub away the dirt and dust from his skin. He winced when the cloth passed over his ribs, a dark bruise already beginning to form on the skin from their fight with the Corpse Eater. The remnants of the fight on his body would be gone by morning, they always were.

Ryn wasn’t sure why he healed so quickly, or why he was capable of taking such a beating and get right back up like nothing had happened… not to mention the fact that he hadn’t aged in the three hundred years he’d been wandering from place to place. Part of him knew he should ask questions, be curious why he was so different, but he couldn’t find it within himself to want to, or maybe he was too afraid to find out. He woke up in that field three hundred years ago with no memories of who he was or where he came from, dressed in strange robes. He’d named himself Ryn, because when the farmer who owned the land found him, he’d mentioned that the night before there had been a grand meteor shower, and ryn in the farmer’s native tongue, meant star. Since then, Ryn has traveled around the continent, going from village to village, kingdom to kingdom, working where he could, sleeping where he could find shelter and eating what he could either scavenge or hunt. He’d spent all that time alone, ridding villages and towns of their supernatural grievances, until six months ago when Lupo showed up and offered his aid in exchange for having someone around to watch his back.

Ryn was sure Lupo would call him crazy or accuse him of being a demon when he told his story, but to his surprise, Lupo didn’t seem taken aback even slightly, or really interested for that matter, like it was just something normal, however, Ryn figured Lupo was pretty strange too, with his use of magic and skill in battle. Ryn had guessed Lupo wasn’t really telling him the full story, and Ryn never asked, not interested in uncovering secrets Lupo wasn’t ready to reveal to him.

“So where did you two find yourselves this time?” Omi asked as she watched unfazed as Lupo shoveled various pieces of stewed port into his mouth, both he and Ryn having changed into clean clothes after bathing, Lupo’s black hair was still wet and hung loose around his shoulders, nearly reaching his hips. He tried to give an answer around the food in his mouth.

“Bayanlin.” He stated. “Corpse Eater situation.”

Omi looked unsurprised by the answer, though her face scrunched up into a disgusted expression. “Corpse Eaters, pitiful creatures, worth less than a shoe with no sole.” Omi was well versed in the legends surrounding many types of demons and other creatures, Ryn spent quite a bit of time inside her library of text and scrolls regarding the supernatural when he’d first stumbled into Inval about thirty years prior, at that time Omi was a much younger woman, and Ryn hadn’t aged a day, though the innkeeper never asked questions. “It must have been an easy job.”

“You would think so,” Ryn admitted exasperatedly, his ribs aching at the memory. “This one had gotten ahold of some kind of artifact that strengthened it well past what a Corpse Eater would normally be capable of.” Ryn recounted what he and Lupo had dealt with while investigating the missing oxen of Panu’s farm as he picked at his own food, not feeling very hungry at that particular moment.

“A Beast Demon of that caliber… I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a thing.” Omi commented, a hand on her chin as she processed the information Ryn had given her. “Though I suppose it would be quite possible given the flow of energy was strong enough.”

“Oh it was strong.” Lupo commented around the spoon in his mouth. “Nearly cracked my skull open a few times.” Omi was about to add a thought, however, there was a knock at the inn’s door and a courier entered the building, carrying a large parcel.

“Delivery to the Inval Inn and Bath.” He stated plainly as he handed the large box to Omi, who thanked him before he went on his way.

“What’s that?” Lupo inquired.

“Books,” Omi answered plainly. “I’ve been trying to get my hands on these for a long time.'' Without a word Omi drew a small, but sharp dagger, stabbing into the box and ripping it open with such force that Ryn was reminded why he was glad he was never on the other end of her blade. From within the box, she pulled out several hardcover copies of thick books, all different colors and sizes, but one of them caught Ryn’s attention.

“What’s that green one?” He asked, pushing his hardly touched food out of the way. On the spine, read the words, ‘The Betrayal of Malong’. “Isn’t Malong a God of Virtue?” Omi hummed in the affirmative, and while Ryn didn’t notice it, Lupo had ceased eating, seeming more stiff, but didn’t say a word.

“He was.” Omi confirmed.

“Was?”

“Mhm. A shining light of virtue and purity in the heavens, he was beloved by the gods and humans alike. Malong eventually moved on from just being a God of Virtue, to also being a War God, skilled with the blade. He was fierce in battle, marching at the front lines of the battle of gods and demons over six hundred years ago.”

“A God of Virtue turned War God?” Ryn asked disbelievingly.

“It’s not uncommon for minor gods to transcend to major gods over time,” Lupo clarified, pushing his empty bowl to the side. “Minor gods watch over things like beauty, fertility, agriculture and magic, major gods handle the arts of war, battle, knowledge and death, many minor gods will walk paths that eventually lead them into those more major territories.”

“Such as Aizara,” Lupo stiffened at Omi’s words. “Once just a minor god presiding over the arts of sorcery and magic, he rose to the rank of War God over three hundred years ago, many soldiers praying to him for help in battle magic.”

Ryn looked over to Lupo, who had a cup of tea raised to his lips, slumped back into his chair. “Did you pray to Aizara when you were learning, Lupo?”

Lupo looked strained for a moment as he took a long sip of his tea. “Sort of.” He mumbled.

Omi sighed, weighing the book in her hands, swapping it from left to right. “Ah yes, the great betrayal of Malong, a god betrayed and murdered by his own sister.”

“It was never confirmed whether or not he was actually killed.” Lupo cut in, setting his cup back on the table as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his chair.

“While that is true, I don’t think even a god could take the mighty blade of Wherna to the heart and survive.” Omi deadpanned.

“Malong was tenacious and had a plan for everything… so I’ve heard.” Lupo tacked on at the end. Ryn continued to stare at the book, enraptured by it, an unknown feeling heavy in his chest. Omi glanced at him, then back at the book and without a second thought, tossed the book to land directly in front of him with a loud slam onto the table.

“Take it with you, for reading on the road, I’m sure nights in the wild get boring sometimes.”

Ryn gaped like a fish, the sudden shock clear on his face. “Are you sure? shouldn’t it go into your library?”

“Trust me boy, I know plenty about the betrayal of Malong, I hardly need it.”

~

Ryn yawned and stretched his arms high above his head in bed, groaning at the pop of his spine, all pain he’d had from the day before long gone, the first time sleeping in a real bed in weeks doing wonders for his weary bones. He rolled over onto his side and looked out the large window of the Inval Inn room, the sun just starting to rise over the horizon, the small village rising along with it as women, men and children all got up and left their houses to complete the day’s work. Suddenly something small, round and black caught his attention in the bottom corner of the window, and after the sun had rose a little further up and illuminated the window sill properly, he could see it was a black cat, settled into the bottom corner of the window, tail tucked around its body as it slumbered, head perched on its crossed paws.

Ryn rose from his bed, slowly pulling the blankets off of his legs and moving slowly as he walked toward the window, the cat unbothered at his approach as it continued to sleep soundly, a soft purring rumbling from its tiny body. Ryn’s hand moved to touch the creature, but suddenly the cat roused.

Big golden eyes rose to stare into Ryn’s brown ones, not a inch of fear in the small animals pose or gaze, and the cat let Ryn place a hand on it’s head in a gentle pat, pushing its head further into his palm as it stood and stretched out its back similarly to how Ryn had when he’d woken up just minutes before.

“How long have you been napping here?” Ryn asked. He hadn’t been awoken by any sounds during the night, despite him being such a light sleeper, this cat had been perfectly silent in its approach.

“Meow.” The cat responded, allowing Ryn to pet down its back a single time before it leapt from the window sill onto the small overhang right next to his window, taking one last glance back at the man before disappearing.

Suddenly there was a loud banging at Ryn’s bedroom door, Lupo’s loud voice piercing through the wood. “Ryn it’s time to go, get a move on!” He shouted, Ryn felt a small smile grace his lips as he shook his head, ever thankful for Lupo.

“You boys are sure you have everything?” Omi’s voice echoed through the large entry room of the inn as Ryn descended the stairs, fully dressed, hair freshly pulled back into its typical place at the crown of his head. Lupo sighed as he counted the things they were taking with them one more time, assuring Omi for the last time that they did indeed have everything that they needed to head out again. They were planning on heading up North, with the war going on, it was ripe with negative emotions right now, and that was the perfect breeding ground for demonic activity.

“I just worry about you, I never know when you leave if it’ll be the last time I see one of your faces.” Omi confessed, Ryn was about to comfort her with how much they appreciated her when she continued before he could speak. “Then how am I going to get this tab of yours paid off, dead people don’t pay bills!” And the sweet moment is gone.

“Good morning!” Ryn announced as he finished descending the stairs, ready to head out on their next journey.

“Sleep in?” Lupo asked without looking up from the bag he was repacking for the umteenth time since counting their things again. “That’s not like you.”

“No, sorry I got a little distracted.” Lupo shot him a look, one that said things that were wholly inappropriate to allude to in front of a woman, especially an elder.

“There was a cat.” Ryn clarified curtly. “Cute little black cat, let me pet it and everything.”

“Ugh that pest is back?” Omi sighed before pointing a boney finger at Ryn. “That fickle feline is a loitering pest, don’t encourage it.”

“ABLE BODIES, CALLING ALL ABLE BODIES!” A voice shouted from outside, the sound of horse hooves accompanying it. The voice called again. “ABLE BODIES, CALLING ALL ABLE BODIES! YOU WILL BE COMPENSATED FOR YOUR TIME!”

“Who’s that?” Ryn asked as he moved to get a better look out the window to see who was shouting. What he saw was a group of people. The one shouting was a tall man clad in dark gray armor riding atop a horse, his hands cupped around his mouth as he shouted. Behind him were three other individuals. Two of the others with him were also men clad in similar armor, but were clearly his subordinates, they trotted along behind him silently atop the backs of their own gray horses, each looking in different directions and surveying the crowd that was beginning to form around them. Behind the two officers was a woman, where the other three men were wearing armor, clearly part of some armed group, the woman was clad in a brilliant dress with colors of golds, whites and reds, the fabric draping around her legs on either side of her own white horse, her hands gripping the reins in front of her. The shoulders of her dress sloped down, giving way to the image of pristine pale skin, her black hair pulled up and arranged neatly and ornately on the top of her head, a vale attached to her hair that hid her face in a thick golden wall. It was clear from just a glance that she was nobility.

“They’ve been coming around for a few days, trying to collect men to join them or something. Something about recruiting guards for a noble woman.” Omi supplied, seemingly uninterested. Ryn and Lupo shared a look, the same thought on both of their minds.

“ABLE BODIES WILL BE COMPENSATED WELL TO ACCOMPANY OUR LADY!” The lead officer on the horse shouted, though very few people seemed to be overly interested in what he was saying and many of them dispersed to resume their daily work. “ALL THAT ARE INTERESTED PLEASE APPROACH!”

“And where might we be accompanying the lady to?” Ryn spoke up as he and Lupo approached the group of officers. Looking behind the woman, he hadn’t noticed it before but there were three other men, each wearing armor that didn’t match closely to the armor of these three officers, Ryn presumed they were men who’d volunteered from a previous town they’d scouted.

“The lady Lomih is expected to arrive for her wedding in three days, we set off today, can I count you among the willing?” The head officer asked, his eyes were sharp and dark as they stared at Ryn.

“We would be happy to accompany her ladyship.” Ryn answered, taking another glance at the lady in question on the back of her horse. Her back was perfectly straight, posture unwavering even as the horse walked, she seemed incredibly stiff.

“We only require one more volunteer.” The officer clarified, he looked back at Lady Lomih, seemingly listening to something she was saying, he nodded swiftly before turning his attention back to the two men, raising his hand and pointing a finger. “You.” The finger pointed toward Ryn. “Lady Lomih has requested you to join.”

“I apologize sir, but we-” Lupo grabbed Ryn’s arm before he could finish his sentence and interrupted him.

“My companion would be happy to join the Lady Lomih on such an auspicious journey.” Lupo supplied, looking directly up at the guard before he leaned closer to Ryn, whispering to him so only he could hear. “A job like this probably pays well, I’ll be fine.” And with that Lupo stepped back, giving Ryn’s back a light shove forward.

The officer took one look at him before tilting his head in the direction of the other three volunteers. “To the back with the others, we set off from here.” Ryn complied, making his way to the back of the group, taking the opportunity to take a good look at Lady Lomih, who seemed to not even acknowledge his presence, keeping her head facing perfectly straight. Once he reached the other three, he was finally able to get a good look at them. Two of them appeared to be from the same place, as their armor was similar and they seemed incredibly familiar with each other, standing close. It wasn’t until Ryn grew closer that he realized the two were twins. They greeted Ryn with friendly smiles.

“How goes there friend?” One greeted, his hair a similar brown to Ryn’s own, pulled into a bun, he and his brother appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen. They were identical with the exception of the way they wore their hair, the other one opting to pull his shoulder length hair into a tight ponytail at the crown of his head, similar to Ryn’s.

“Good morning.” Ryn responded. The two seemed friendly enough. “May I ask where you two hail from?”

“Nachong.” The one with the bun replied. .

“Nachong is quite a way’s north, did you two not get drafted into the war?” Ryn inquired. Nachong was a large town within the kingdom of Naing. Two able bodied men, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, there is no doubt that they would have been shoved into the army. The other twin scoffed. .

“And get dragged into some monarch’s personal grudge war? No thanks, I’d rather not die that kind of death.”

‘Ah, so they’re cowardly.’ Ryn thought to himself. A chuckle from the side interrupted Ryn’s train of thought before he could respond.

Another man stood leaned back against the thick trunk of a tree, a hand pulled up to his face as he laughed quietly, clearly very amused, he appeared to be around nineteen as well. The man was tall, at least several inches taller than Ryn, his hair was raven black and cascaded over his left shoulder in a loose braid, his face pale and slender, he was quite handsome with his bright golden eyes which while his expression held the look of amusement, his eyes only looked at the other two men with something akin to disgust. He was dressed in black from head to toe, leaning back in a relaxed posture, one leg crossed over the other, a long silver blade sheathed on his hip. .

“What’s so funny?” One of the other two men asked, a look of annoyance passing over his face.

“It’s nothing,” The black clad man answered in a sultry deep voice, it was a voice that Ryn could swear he’d heard before, but he had no memories of the man standing before him. “Just ironic is all.”

“What’s ironic?” The gruffer of the two twins asked.

“That you’re too cowardly to die for your king, but you’re more than willing to throw yourself into the jaws of death for some noble woman you’ve never met.” The black clad man’s tone was irrefutably cold, but he said his words with a smile. The two men’s eyes widened at the accusation, jaws clenching, and Ryn feared he may have to break up a fight, though the man in black seemed to have no intention of readying himself to defend.

“How dare you throw around such words!” One twin shouted, and the more worked up he got, the more amused the man in black appeared.

“But am I wrong?” With that both of the young men were silent, unable to come up with a rebuttal. At their silence the man in black turned his attention to Ryn, golden eyes meeting chocolate brown ones. “You,” He said, tilting his head toward the young man. “What’s your name?”

Ryn was taken aback by the sudden question for only a moment before answering. “It’s Ryn, and yourself?” The man’s eyes narrowed at Ryn’s words, a complicated expression on his face only for a moment before it smoothed again into his previous smile.

“Ryn? How unique, did you know that it means ‘star’ in the old Bagamani tongue?” Ryn really was surprised this time, the Bagamani people died out over a hundred years ago, yet he was familiar with their language. Perhaps he was a scholar. “I’m Sen, good to meet you.”

“I’m Lani.” One of the twins said, the one who’s hair was pulled into a bun.

“And I’m Maolun.” The other supplied.

“I’ve never been this far south before,” Lani said in awe as he gazed at the landscape around them as they walked. “It’s so green and pretty.” He wasn’t wrong, Singye was a beautiful country with rolling hills and tall mountains that reached up higher than the eye could see. The land was spotted with hundreds of small villages and large cities, the capital of Singye, Shalye, in the center. Singye, before it was controlled by its current monarchs, the Tanye family, was originally the great kingdom of Bagaman, home to the Bagamani people and if people thought Singye was extravagant, they should have seen Bagaman, with their golden towers and ruby palaces.

“Is the North not green?” Sen inquired with a calm look on his face, hands crossed behind his head peacefully as he strolled alongside Ryn. Maolun shot Sen a look before answering.

“Not like this, my brother has never seen the Singye mountains before.” Maolun answered. “Did you grow up out here, Ryn?” He asked.

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Ryn stumbled, Sen’s hand effortlessly coming out to steady him, the taller man’s grip on his arm firm, but gentle as Ryn caught his balance again. The second he was steady, Sen retreated his touch, returning to his unbothered posture once again. “Um,” Ryn scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Sort of?” The two brothers looked at him inquisitively.

“Sort of?” Lani repeated. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“W-well,” Ryn tried to come up with an explanation. “Well, I wasn’t born here, I don’t think, but I have no memories of that place, so I guess you could say I did grow up here.” Ryn could feel Sen’s eyes on him from his side, but he didn’t look to meet his gaze.

“Like you moved here when you were young.” Maolun pieced together. “I see.”

“Wh-What about you, Sen?” Ryn asked, finally looking over at the man walking beside him, his face still seemingly just as unbothered as it had been previously.

“I just wandered here after I left home, it was pretty so I decided to stay.”

“How long have you lived here?” Lani asked.

“A while.” And with that answer, Sen seemed like he was done answering questions. Their journey was quiet for the time being afterward, the four volunteers at the back and the three guards at the front, the ever silent Lady Lomih riding gracefully between them.

“Quite the silent type isn’t she?” Lani asked quietly where only his three fellow volunteers could hear him.

“She’s nobility, you dolt.” Maolun chastised, knocking a hand against the side of Lani’s head, but not too hard as to hurt. “She has no reason to talk to us, we’re only here to keep her alive until we reach the destination.”

“Indeed, however,Sen spoke up finally. He eyed the two brothers who walked ahead of himself and Ryn, a questioning look on his face. “Do either of you gentlemen know exactly where that is?” It was then that Ryn realized that the officers at the front had never disclosed where they were actually headed, only that they were to accompany the Lady Lomih as bodyguards on her way to her wedding. It seemed that the brothers Lani and Maolun had also just come to this realization as well and they looked at each other for the answer. Seeing that no one knew, Ryn spoke up, loud enough for the officers in front to hear.

“Excuse me, where are we headed exactly?” He asked, the leading officer and the officer to his left showed no intention of answering, however the officer riding on the right side turned his head to look back at Ryn. This officer had a friendly face, even if much of it was partially covered by his helmet.

“Wuyu Village.” He answered. “That is where the lady Lomih’s husband to be waits for her to arrive.” Wuyu Village… Something about that name sounded familiar to Ryn, like he’d heard it before but he had no recollection of such a place. He couldn’t ask the brothers if they’d ever heard of it because of course they wouldn’t have, being as they were of Naing.

“Have you ever heard of Wuyu Village, Sen?” Ryn asked. Sen directed his gaze at him, a kind smile gracing his lips as he prepared to answer his question.

“It’s a wealthy fishing Village in the far West of Singye, small, quiet.” He answered.

“What’s a lady of noble background doing marrying into a village of that size?” Ryn inquired as he and Sen walked next to each other, Lani and Maolun having taken the lead.

“While it’s small, Wuyu Village has noble roots, it’s very wealthy, founded by the Taruya family centuries ago, they’ve held power over the land since, though I suspect it will take some time for us to get there.”

“Why do you say?”

“Wuyu village is on the other side of the Singye mountains, if the officers are determined to reach their destination in three days, it means that going around isn’t an option, we’ll have to go through them.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“There are many legends surrounding the lands that lay between the mountains,” Sen started, seemingly having no ill will toward talking so much with Ryn, this conversation being the most he’d said the entire trip so far. “Legends of treacherous beasts and traps, talk of ghosts and ghouls and worst of all… Demons.”

“There are Demons along the path?”

“Mhm.” Sen supplied. “It’s quite frightening.” Ryn’s hand fell to the hilt of his blade, sat securely on his hip, Sen’s eyes dropping to it, and seemed to linger for a moment before he pulled them away.

“You seem to know a lot of local legends and stories.” Ryn commented as they walked.

“I’ve been here a long time, I’ve become well versed.” Sen moved to hold his hands behind his back, turning so he was facing Ryn properly, walking backwards with the group. Ryn was concerned that he may bump into someone that way, but his pace stayed even. “Would you like to hear some of the legends surrounding the lands around the Singye mountains?” Ryn took a long look at Sen, and what he saw was a man with boyish charm and a playful demeanor, a bright glint in his golden eyes as he looked toward the man in front of him. Something in Ryn’s chest ached, but he couldn’t determine what it was.

“Very well, you seem excited to share.” Ryn permitted, his own smile on his lips.

Sen’s smile only grew and his voice lowered so only Ryn could hear the tale. “Hundreds of years ago, there was a small village, the people there were kind and most of them owned little shops that sold fish and produce.”

“Like Wuyu.” Ryn commented.

“Very similar, there are many fishing villages along the mountains. In this one, there lived a young man from a wealthy local family and he was desperately in love with a girl from another town, so their families arranged for the two to be married.”

“How romantic.” Ryn supposed it was as romantic as an arranged marriage could be.

“You could say that. Well, on the week of the wedding the young woman who the man was betrothed to arrived in the village with her three most trusted guards. She was treated like royalty, fed the best wine and fish the village could provide leading up to the day she would marry the local nobleman.”

“Did she love him as well?” Ryn asked.

“It’s unclear,” Sen answered. “It was such a long time ago and during those times, the feelings of the bride were not commonly taken into consideration, perhaps she did, but perhaps she didn’t.”

“So what happened next?”

“Well,” Sen started. “The day before the wedding, a handsome stranger came into the village during his travels. He was tall and sturdy with a kind face and bright smile, and with just one look, our young bride to be was swept off her feet, madly in love with this stranger.”

“With just one look?” Ryn said disbelievingly.

“It was love at first sight… well for her it was anyway. As you can imagine, the almost groom was very displeased with this turn of events.”

“Of course, the woman he loved, loved another man.”

“What would you do in this situation? If the person you loved, loved someone else?” Sen asked curiously. Ryn thought about it for a moment. In all the time he’d spent alive, he had never really given women very many thoughts, seemingly uninterested in anything such as love or attraction, he’d been preoccupied with far different things, so really, he couldn’t find an answer.

“I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Would you like to know what our groom to be did?” Ryn gave an inquisitive hum. “He killed her.”

“What?” Ryn exclaimed, shock evident on his face at the sudden announcement. “He killed the woman he loved, before their wedding?”

“Mhm.” Sen confirmed. “He beat her to death, broke most of the bones in her body by the end, she died a miserable death.”

“And what of her killer?”

“Afterward, he challenged the stranger to a duel, and lost miserably. He died by the stranger’s blade..”

“And what did the stranger do afterward?” Ryn asked, still in disbelief at the turn of the story.

“He disappeared. No one knows what happened to him.” Sen continued. “Not many years after the two deaths, the village fell into ruin, the livestock and crops died, the fishermen pulled up empty nets every morning, eventually everyone either died of starvation and illness or left to start again in a new town. That’s when the ghost stories started.”

“Ghost stories?”

“Yes, people claim that the bride’s spirit never did find rest, and her angry mangled corpse stalks the streets, killing all young men who step foot past the gate, it’s quite terrifying.” Sen said that last bit with an unsettling smile.

“We’re stopping for the night!” One of the officers in the front shouted, it was the one on the right. All at once all four horses came to a halt, each officer jumping down and retrieving packs that had been attached to the saddles of their steeds. They’d stopped in the middle of a clearing, though Ryn hadn’t even noticed they’d entered a forest, far too enraptured in Sen’s tale of the murdered bride. The officers took the packs they’d gathered and began setting up three tents, one for the Lady Lomih, one for the head officer, and one for his subordinates, the four volunteers it seemed, would be left to their own devices. Not that Ryn minded anyway, he quite liked sleeping under the stars, despite how much Lupo complained about it and demanded they always find an inn or abandoned shack of some kind. Once they’d even camped inside a creepy abandoned house, there were noises all through the night and Lupo didn’t sleep a wink but he still refused to sleep outside that night. He was utterly useless the next day.

“I’ll go collect wood for a fire.” Lani stated, stepping away from the rest of the group toward the edge of the trees.

“Hey! Don’t go by yourself, I’ll come with you.” Maolun shouted after his brother, hurrying to catch up with him. Ryn watched them rush after each other for a moment, a small chuckle leaving his throat before he looked around.

“There are some fallen trees over there,” He pointed toward the opposite edge of the clearing. “They might make good places to sit and relax a little bit.”

“I’ll help you bring them over.” Sen said behind him as they began a relaxed stroll toward the trees in question. They reached the first tree after only a few minutes, Ryn reaching his hands around it and heaving as he tried to roll it over onto its other side so he could push it back to where they had set up camp. However, once the log was moved from its original place, Ryn froze. Beneath the log, the ground appeared to be squirming and slithering, like it was alive, thousands upon thousands of Black Curse Worms swarming the area, all attempting to slither away after being disturbed. Ryn thought back to the incident on Panu’s farm and the giant oxen, there had been Black Curse Worms there too. Something here was feeding them, and by the sheer volume of them, whatever it was, was powerful.

“You okay?” Sen questioned after he’d fully reached where Ryn’s side to help him move the falled tree. Quickly Ryn snapped out of it, directing his gaze away from the ground and toward the man by his side, plastering a smile onto his face and quickly making to move the log again as Sen reached down to grab the other side.

“Yep!” Ryn shouted with false excitement. “It’s just… really pretty out here, don’t you think?” Ryn tried to direct the conversation as he and Sen pushed the fallen tree over toward the center of the clearing.

“I suppose there are some beautiful things here.” But Ryn wasn’t completely paying attention, far too preoccupied with staring into the blackness of the trees, focusing his eyes to try and see any kind of movement. There was nothing.

Ryn and Sen had successfully migrated two giant logs toward the center of the clearing before Lani and Maolun returned, and both of those logs had an infestation of Black Curse Worms underneath, far more than he’d seen under any log while they were investigating the oxen case. It was at that moment that Ryn really wished Lupo was there.

“Your friend,” Sen started once they’d stopped and were now sitting on the ground, backs reclined against the wood of the trees. Ryn blinked out of his own thoughts at his voice. “The one who’d been with you when you volunteered.”

“You mean Lupo?” For just a split second Sen appeared to get a sour expression, but it was quickly schooled and replaced with his normal unbothered one.

“Is that his name?”

“Yes, he and I have traveled together for quite a while now. He’s my best friend.” Ryn explained as he saw Maolun and Lani finally approached, both carrying arms full of sticks and small logs.

“Are you sure you can trust him?” Sen’s voice was blunt and coarse, like he knew something that Ryn wasn’t yet privy to. The question took him aback for a moment.

“Of course,” Ryn answered, confused by the question. “He’s been by my side for so long… Why?”

“Just asking.” Sen finished, seemingly done with the whole thing as Lani and Maolun finally approached. They dropped their haul in between the two logs that Ryn and Sen had brought over.

“You guys picked up a lot.” Ryn commented as the two brothers pilled some of the logs and sticks, then set some other ones to the side to use as fuel later.

“Yeah, but now how are we supposed to light it?” Lani asked.

“You’re the one who wanted to go get sticks and you don’t even know how to light a fire?” Maolun scolded, clearly annoyed with his brother.

“I thought you would know!” Lani shouted back. Maolun didn’t seem to have an answer for this accusation and simply crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away in a pout.

“Allow me.” Sen interrupted before he approached the pile of wood, picking up two sticks from it and covering them with his other hand so the others couldn’t see, and soon there after there was smoke, a small flame growing larger and larger as it began to eat more of the wood.

“What did you do?” Ryn asked as Sen leaned back again, watching the flames. The only other person Ryn had seen light a fire like that was Lupo, and Lupo always used magic.

“Just an old trick I learned when I was young, nothing to it.” Sen answered before adding. “Maybe I’ll teach it to you sometime.”

All four of the men were grateful for the flames, as the night air had begun to cool. Looking to the side, Ryn saw all three of the horses tied up, grazing on some grass as they rested, and there were no lantern lights in the tents, presumably their occupants already asleep.

“There’s something weird about that Lady Lomih don’t you think?” Maolun asked as he shrugged off the outer layer of his armor, leaving him in only his undershirt.

“Unfamiliar with women are you?” Sen mocked and Maolun’s face turned beet red at the accusation, an angry expression twisting his features.

“I KNOW PLENTY ABOUT WOMEN YOU HOUND!” Maolun shouted and Lani reached up to cover his brother's mouth with a hush.

“Well you don’t want to wake her do you?” Lani chided and Maolun slouched back against the tree. Sen appeared to be thoroughly amused with himself.

“Whatever,” Maolun pouted. “I’m hungry, I’m gonna go look for some rabbits or something.” He then got up and pulled his bow from behind his back, heading back in the direction of the forest. Sen said nothing as he left, only let his eyes drift to the flames as he sat in quiet contemplation. Ryn was curious what he was thinking about.

“Be careful Maolun! Or Mong Beshal take you!” Lani shouted at his back. Maolun waved his hand dismissively as he continued walking. Mong Beshal? Ryn didn’t recognize the name, but he presumed it was the name of another local god.

“Mong Beshal,” Ryn commented, both Sen and Lani’s gazes falling to him. “He’s a god?” Lani hummed in the affirmative.

“He was.” He started. “Before he was cast out and stripped of his godly title about six hundred years ago.”

“How can a god be stripped of his title?” Ryn asked curiously.

“When he is punished for breaking the rules.” Sen finished for Lani.

“You know about him?” Ryn asked, his eyes finding Sen’s own golden ones in the firelight. He nodded.

“It’s hard to be ignorant about the banished brother of Juma.” He started and Ryn felt his heart stop, the dream he’d had days before resurfacing, about sparring with a man named Juma. “Once a great death god, Mong Beshal was revered and respected by gods and mortals alike.”

“It’s never specified exactly what he did to get himself kicked out,” Lani picked up. “But as quickly as night became day, his godly title was gone and he was cast down to the mortal plane, to walk the earth as a demon lord.”

Sen hummed. “His Majesty the Holy God King had wanted to execute him, but due to Mong Beshal being a death god, that wasn’t possible, he’d simply get back up. So he banished him, never to be seen amongst the gods, or his beloved brother again.” The way Sen had said ‘His Majesty the Holy God King’ had sounded more sarcastic and mocking than anything else, his tone bitter despite his face’s nonchalant expression.

“I don’t remember that part of the story.” Lani looked amazed at the words Sen had said.

“It’s a rare piece of information, not every book will have it. I just got lucky.”

Lani gave a curious hum before continuing. “Eventually when Mong Beshal became too much of a pest in the human world, the gods attempted to reel him in, sending all sorts of different war gods to deal with him, but he beat every single one of them to a pulp in their first fight.”

“All except one.” Sen added, he’d leaned back further, his arm propped up against the log behind him, his hand holding up his head. “Mong Beshal and Malong had quite a few little tiffs.”

“Tiffs?” Lani exclaimed jokingly, seemingly highly amused by the word. “If that’s the word you wanna use, but I wouldn’t call the Mong Beshal Crater the result of a little tiff.” Sen waved his other hand dismissively in the air.

“Mong Beshal Crater?” Ryn inquired, a little embarrassed that someone from the north knew more about the land he’d lived in for three hundred years than he did. He supposed he really had been out of touch.

Lani laughed. “Yeah, it’s a massive crater near the border of Singye and Naing. Legend says that during one of their ‘tiffs’.” Lani put the word ‘tiff’ in air quotes. “Malong threw Mong Beshal into the ground hard enough to create it. It’s fifteen meters deep and nearly a kilometer across.”

“Ouch.” Ryn thought about how painful it would be to be slammed into the ground that hard.

“I doubt it threw Mong Beshal off very far,” Sen added. “For a former god, that kind of impact is nothing, I bet he just got right back up and went on his way.”

“Have you ever seen the crater?” Ryn asked Sen, casting a look at him. Sen looked completely relaxed, partially on his side, elbow perched on the wooden log and a hand under his chin to support his head as he looked at Ryn.

“Oh yeah,” He confirmed. “When this is over maybe I’ll show it to you.” Ryn got a warm feeling in his chest at the words, despite the fact that there was nothing in them to warrant that kind of reaction. Lani looked at the two of them strangely before his brother emerged from the edge of the woods, four dead rabbits held victoriously in his raised hand.

Ryn had never been a fan of rabbit, however, after hardly having eaten anything the past couple of days he was grateful for it as he tore pieces of the cooked flesh from where he’d had it skewered on a stick over the fire.

“I guess our lady doesn’t eat much.” Lani commented, Lady Lomih and her officers having presumably gone to bed without eating anything.

“Maybe she’s watching her figure.” Maolun commented back.

“I don’t know, there’s just something weird about that group right? I’m not the only one?” Lani asked, the four men all exchanging a look. No, he was not the only one, but Ryn couldn’t place what it was about Lady Lomih and her officers that was so strange.

“Noble people are weird,” Maolun explained, seemingly uninterested in continuing the conversation as he took a bite out of his cooked rabbit. Lani sighed as he leaned back, doing the same. Maolun looked like was about to say something else, when a loud noise echoed through the trees that were surrounding them. It was a loud blood curdling shriek.

All at once all four men jumped up, ready to move into action at a moment’s notice, each of their hands falling to their weapons. Ryn was getting ready to run into the forest before Sen’s arm reached out to block him, a serious look on his face.

“Don’t” He stated. “Remember how I told you there are many creatures who inhabit the forests of the Singye mountains?” He did remember, and it suddenly caught up to him that this could be one of those creatures, attempting to lure them further into the woods.

There was a commotion to the side and suddenly all three officers were charging out of their tents, though they were still in their full military uniforms, not appearing as if they’d been sleeping at all.

“What the hell is going on out here?” One of them demanded as they reached the group.

“Are you all trying to wake up her Lady Lomih, who the fuck is screaming bloody murder like that out here?” All three officers had looks of fury on their faces.

“It’s not us, sirs.” Lani started, his voice wavering ever so slightly. At just that moment another shriek emerged from the woods, but this time Ryn could make out what it was saying.

“HELP!” It wailed. “HELP ME PLEASE! SOMEONE!” Ryn gritted his teeth. It was entirely possible that it was something trying to lure him out into the woods… but what if it really was a person and they really were in need of help. Not considering any second thoughts he bolted past Sen’s arm and toward the treeline, paying no mind to Sen’s shouts of stop before he reached the trees, all moonlight cut off due to the thick canopy. “HELP ME PLEASE!” The voice was getting louder.

Ryn sprinted through the trees, drawing his sword as he weaved through the forest. The ground was soft, as if it had rained recently, his steps sinking a few centimeters with each bound his legs took, the trees seeming to curl in as he approached the thickest part of the forest. His sword was at the ready, ready to face off with whatever was in the darkness.

Once he reached where he deduced the wailing was coming from, he stopped and listened. Ryn’s senses were sharp, his hearing impeccable as he focused, listening for any rustling of leaves, any breaking of sticks under boots, but all he heard was the sound of the wind flowing through the canopy above.

“Please,” A pitiful voice echoed from somewhere to his left. Ryn spun toward the sound. “Please someone help me.” Ryn squinted his eyes, staring deep into the darkness as he attempted to make out who was there, and sure enough, a ways away sat the shape of a human facing away from him, their long black stringy hair draping down their hunched back, they seemed to be sitting on their knees. Ryn took a cautious step forward, his ears searching for any other sound of movement around him.

“Excuse me,” Ryn began as he approached the individual, who still had yet to acknowledge his presence. “Are you the one calling for help?”

“Have you come to help me?” The voice asked, it was the voice of a man, frail and elderly, dry like it hadn’t been used in quite some time. “Have you come to help me?” He repeated.

“How did you get out here?” Ryn asked as he got closer, his weapon still at the ready.

“I was part of a group of traveling merchants, we were passing through the Singye mountains when we were attacked.” The man explained, still having yet to get up from his sitting position.

“Attacked by what?”

“Ghouls, monsters!” The man shouted. “They rose up from the ground with gnashing jaws and talons. I can’t find the rest of my group, I fear they’ve been devoured.” With that the man seemed to begin to weep. “My son, he was part of that group, he was only seventeen.”

Ryn grew closer, now finally near enough to kneel behind the man, a hand reaching out to touch his shoulder, when suddenly a firm grip clasped onto his collar, yanking him back harshly just as the old man’s head flipped backwards, his spine bending at an unnatural angle as his talon tipped fingers reached behind to grab at Ryn, whoever was behind him yanking him back at the knick of time. Ryn hastily looked behind him, and was surprised to see Sen, a firm expression on his face as he stared down the man on the ground. How had Ryn not heard his footsteps? How had he not heard Sen approach?

“I told you not to go wandering into the forest,” Sen chided, his gaze flicking to Ryn for just a moment. “There are disgusting creatures out here, unworthy of even existing.” Sen’s tone was dark and cold as he stared at the man, Ryn turned to get a better look and what he saw horrified him.

The man wasn’t a man at all, if anything he seemed to be a shambling corpse, the top of his head flush with the ground as he was bent backwards at an angle that would break a normal human’s spine. The man had sunken eye sockets where his eye’s had once been, the skin around the sockets shrivled and stretched thin, a shade of deathly blue. The thing looked more like a skeleton with a thin layer of skin as opposed to an actual human.

“Mimics.” Ryn breathed as he watched the creature shamble up into a standing position, his bones cracking and dislocating with every move.

“Disgusting creatures,” Sen started. “That isn’t a man part of a group of traveling merchants, that’s the thing that ate him and is now using his cries in an attempt to lure in more to eat.” Ryn had only met Mimic’s on a handful of occasions, but where there was one, there was usually a group as they lived in packs, buried beneath the earth under loose soil during the day, only coming out to feed in the darkest hours of the night. Sen drew his sword, pointing its tip at the mimic, whose head fell to the side as it stared at the man before it. “You pitiful creature, fear not, I will spare you the experience of having to live the rest of your days so pathetically.” and with those words, Sen struck down his sword toward the creature, with such speed that Ryn almost missed it, and in only a moment, the mimic’s upper body detached from its legs, falling to the ground, disintegrating into dust as it was reabsorbed by the earth. However, where that one had fallen, a skeletal hand burst from the ground at Ryn’s feet, wrapping its thin fingers around his ankle as it dragged itself from the depths. Sen, quicker that Ryn could react, plunged his sword into the earth at Ryn’s feet, a loud wail emerging from the soil before the hand released its grip. Sen turned to face Ryn, his eyes no longer holding the same coldness they’d held previously, an easy smile on his lips. “We should leave this area.” Ryn nodded, but before they could make haste to leave, another sound pierced the silence.

“AHHHHHHH!” It was Lani’s voice. “GET IT OFF ME GET IT OFF ME GET IT OFF ME! AHHHHHH!” Ryn sprinted through the trees toward the screams, Sen close on his tail.

“I told those idiots to stay put.” Sen sighed. “Seems they’re as good at following orders as you are.” And although the words were clearly supposed to be harsh, Sen’s tone was almost amused.

“Yeah I’ve been told that before.” Ryn panted out as he ran, soon coming up on the scene they’d heard. Laying on the ground, furiously attempting to kick and punch the thing on top of him, was Lani. On top of his chest lay a mimic, it’s rotten teeth digging deep into Lani’s shoulder as he screamed for help. Without a second thought, Ryn drew his sword before throwing it toward the two, the blade cleanly slicing through the throat of the creature, severing its head from its body as it fell limp, its remains dissolved into ash. Lani was gasping for air by the time Ryn made it to his side. The injury to his shoulder wasn’t as bad as it could have been if the two had been later, and from what Ryn could see, Lani would live. Careful not to jostle him too much, Ryn helped Lani into a sitting position before draping his uninjured arm over his shoulders, hoisting the boy forward and helping him walk out of the trees, paying no mind that his sword was still stuck in the ground where it had landed. He’d worry about that later.

“Lani you idiot!” Maolun’s voice rocketed through the air as he stormed over to where Ryn was carrying his brother out from the woods. “What the fuck were you thinking running in there like that?!” Lani hung his head, whether it was in pain or shame, Ryn couldn’t tell.

“I’m sorry.” Lani whispered. “I was worried.'' At this confession, Maolun’s expression seemed to soften as he stared at his brother before he glanced up at Ryn, then Sen who arrived behind him. Maolun cleared his throat before addressing the other two.

“Thank you, for saving my brother.” His face seemed to turn a few shades darker as he spoke, as if not used to uttering such words.

“What were any of you thinking? Going into that forest! You could have all been killed, then who would have been here to help protect her ladyship?” One of the officers scolded, his face red and angry as he addressed the group.

“And how is Lady Lomih?” Ryn inquired.

The officer sighed, seemingly exhausted. “Luckily she’s still asleep. We have two more day’s travel until we reach Wuyu, please, no more late night excursions.” The officer pleaded.

“The mimics won’t dare venture into the clearing, the moon is full and it’s too bright. They’ll stay inside the black forest. Though it’s best none of us venture inside again, no matter what we may hear.” Sen directed this particular message toward Ryn, and he felt himself shrink back a little bit at such an intense gaze.