Flint obeyed without protesting, but he was quite curious to see what perked Morchel up so much. Morchel spread out his arms to make sure Flint stayed behind him.

He uttered while making sure his arms remained raised.

“They are coming! Stay behind.”

Flint raised his voice to inquire with a concerned look.

“Who? Why can’t I hear them? Is everything alright? Your pants and shirt are all brown...”

Morchel slightly turned his head to look at Flint. He swayed his head and remarked.

“I’ll tell you what happened later, but a bunch of footsteps keep ringing in my ears.”

Flint voiced his concerns, clenching his shirt.

“But I don’t hear anything. You sure people are coming?”

“But what if it’s the Pandits?”

Morchel nodded and acknowledged his opinions. A rare thing for him to do, but he wasn’t sure what or who approached them. Cold sweat broke out and right as it fell on his dry lips, he wiped it away with his tongue. He didn’t want any distractions.

‘It might just be the Pandits... But what if it’s that golden-eyed guy and his scary pet?’

“Maybe. But I don’t want to take risks,” He looked back to inform him.

“Let’s just be a bit safe by being cautious.”

Flint conceded. He soon became quiet and held on to Morchel’s trousers.

Right then, three figures walked into the room with hushed footsteps. To a normal person like Flint, it was a bizarre experience.

“So weird! I can see you guys walking, but it’s all quiet here.”

Morchel shot a menacing glare at Flint, and Flint promptly slapped his two hands across his mouth, showing that he would not utter a word.

Morchel turned his head back to study the visitors.

They all wore a short, fur-lined, black cloak over their inner clothing. Among the three individuals, one appeared to be a woman, but the hoods and masks they all wore shrouded their appearances.

Morel sized them up while pondering on what to do next.

‘They look like the Pandit that visited a long time ago! Just to be sure, I have to ask for their emblems. That was what Pa did the last time they stopped by.’

With a slight nod, he curtsied to the visitor and took the initiative to ask.

“Are you the Pandits sent here? If you are, can you show us your emblems?”

They complied without further clarification.

They all had small khaki leather pouches hanging on a leather cord they wrapped around their waist. They pulled out each, a copper plate, about the same size as a coin. A cotton thread was looped around a small hole in it. The other end of the thread seemed to be fastened to the inner surface of the pouch.

Careful not to touch the plate with their bare hands, they held it up in the air by the very same thread. Swaying in the air, it depicted the Great Sun God.

The plates shone with a radiance unnatural for something made of copper, but this glow symbolized its authenticity.

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Having already seen the plate once, the last time a Pandit visited the village, Morchel verified its authenticity. He finally got to relax. His raised arms plummeted and his stiff shoulders dipped a bit and Flint, who was behind him, saw him slouch a bit.

He welcomed the Pandits and collapsed to the floor as he invited them to have a seat.

Maintaining a sense of distance, they sat across from the pair of brothers, while undoing the clasps of their cloak. The cloak slid right off, and they held it beside them. They wore almond-colored tunics and grey trousers.

Before Morchel could even open his mouth, a hoarse voice rang out.

“I’m Max Zauber.” He said. He lifted his hood and took off his mask to reveal his face as he spoke further.

Morchel took note of his features as he spoke. He too, had the characteristic tan and brown hair of the natives of the Southern Empire. His face was well-rounded, and his jaw was a bit soft. His nose was straight and narrow and his light brown eyes were round and big. He didn’t have a mustache, which was odd for Southerners.

He introduced his companions with his hoarse voice, taking an unnatural pep.

“These two are my subordinates, trusty Asius and elegant Sahera, and we have been assigned to investigate the causes of the tragedy that took place here in the Valley of the Sun.

They both nodded when their names were called out. After a slight pause, he continued with a grim undertone.

“We are sure that you guys and the now diseased village inhabitants have faced a lot in the past few weeks. We want to start by apologizing on behalf of the Pandits. Even if it is troubling to share the details, we insist you do, so that we can figure out what had caused this disaster.”

Just as Morchel was about to speak out to reply, Flint grew distressed, recalling all that took place over the last few weeks.

The brothers had not just lost their parents, but also their close relatives and friends. The trauma ran deep for a child who was merely older than a decade.

Noticing Flint stressing over the incident, Max instructed his female companion to lead him out while they continued the conversion.

She quietly complied. She held his arms and quietly led out toward Flint. Morchel could hear a muffled but dulcet voice ring out as she soothed the depressed child.

“Shall we?” Max politely signaled Morchel to start.

His eyes rarely blinked, and he leaned forward by a bit to immerse himself in the conversation. For Morchel, this stare was rather intimidating, but he began nonetheless. He made sure to introduce himself before recounting the past three weeks.

“I am Morchel, about 17 years of age. The boy who was escorted out is my younger brother, Flint. He is 11 years old.”

“At first, the adults didn’t notice anything. Life was normal, but thinking back on it now, the telltale signs were always there. We would occasionally find small dead birds in and around the village.”

He paused, and his lips quivered while he continued.

“Soon, it was our cattle. The smaller ones first... The chickens, the quails, and so on. After a few days, the cows and our pets. Our dog too died within a few days. The hunters, too, found more corpses than living animals and beasts in the forest.”

He took a long breath and resumed.

“The very next week, it was us, the people. At first, it was a young child who lived with his mother at the edge of the village. His name was Allen. Next, it was his mother. Her name was Rosa. After that, it was...”

He listed out every single villager he knew, making sure to call out their names as well.

“The infection itself was bizarre. At the start, it would just be a few red spots, blisters, and whatnot. But the infected progressed very quickly. For some, it was a few days, but for the frail ones, it was within a day or even hours.”

The thought of recalling these events bothered Morchel very much, yet he continued.

“They all dropped like those birds. Just like them. Soon enough, it was Ma and Pa. We were the last living family. Since all those animals and cattle died, it was hard for all of us to procure food. Even clean water was hard to come by. The water sources were all contaminated by the dead fish floating above.”

As he recounted all these horrific events, tears ran down his cheek. He was unable to hold it in any longer. He sniffled and moved on.

“Just the other day, they both passed away together. Good for them. I cremated them myself and I haven’t even collected their ashes yet. They must have all flown away by now.”

“Just when I thought it was all over, I too showed the very same symptoms. I didn’t want Flint to catch it from me, so I took off last night. I went into the forest, in hopes of staying away from Flint and also meeting the Paladins, you guys.”

“And that night, I thought, was my last.” He narrated the ordeal that took place in the forest. The clawed beasts, the golden-eyed man, and the mushroom he ate. How it healed him up, how he could now leap and run fast, and so on. He even said that he could hear them from far away. He made sure to mention the messenger hound as well.

“Pa had sent a hound, right as the disease struck, but later on, none of the hounds survived. We couldn’t send out any more requests. I understand the delay.” He assured them.

The Pandits, who remained mute the whole time, broke the silence. It was the leader of the party, Max Zauber, the one to speak again. He stood up, got to Morchel, firmly patted his shoulders, and made sure to praise him.

“You did very well, kid, very well.”