“Oi, what the hell am I doing back here?”

He sat there for a few moments processing his surroundings. Once his mind finally had a grip Touji rouse to his feet using the cold and dusty stone wall as support and cautiously stepped forward. He walked until the sense of touch from his hand revealed a gap in the bulwark.

As he slowly descended the dark stairwell Touji felt the familiar feelings of fear and uncertainty from when he had first arrived in this unearthly world, just this time much more concerning.

How did he end up here? Why? Questions like these nagged at him unwillingly to disappear without an answer.

After reaching the end of the flight of stairs, Touji lifted the latch and opened the trap door on the roof. Sure enough, he stood in the middle of a small clearing where a small glassy stream ran close by surrounded by a vast bushy forest in every direction. However, this time it was barely mid-morning.

The sun was out and yet it shone a greyish light casting an uncanny pigment onto the once vibrant atmosphere.

Touji breathed in deeply. A cold chill gently caressed his skin sending shivers down his back. He stood speechless, almost dumbfounded.

"Why am I back here, dammit?!"

Whatever the case was he needed to return to Claria. He gathered up his resolve and started running, praying that his memory was somehow faulty. That everything would return as it had the day before. But a voice deep inside him coldly remarked that it would never be the same. Something terrible had begun.

Before long he arrived back at the cottage sweating and gasping for breath. As he broke through the edge of the forest, he stumbled into the yard landing face first onto the ground. His head ached at the sudden misfortune and his clothes were now covered in dirt. As he turned his face the lids of his eyes gradually fmid-morningyard which had once previously been a vegetable garden was now a seething pool of red. Where once a young girl had sat, laughing and smiling now lay pieces of hair and clothing strewn across the grass.

Touji’s face grew hot and his chest tightened as he struggled to breathe throw the sobs. His hands trembled as he clutched his dried throat.

"…Claria…why…? Who did this?"

His thoughts were lost as the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Suddenly he noticed some figures standing over the place where the tragedy had occurred. Odja and the doctor, along with a few other men from the village whose faces looked unfamiliar to Touji stood around the soiled ground, their faces painted with shock and disbelief.

They all turned from the loud crash of Touji’s fall with a look of surprise. Suddenly they all began to move in unison until they arrived in a circle around him, their eyes filled with malice as they approached.

Odja suddenly spoke up. "Who the hell are you?! And what are you doing here!?"

"Heh?!" Touji's head snapped upwards so in shock at this question that it did not fully process in his brain. "What do you mean? Touji. It's Touji?!"

"And who exactly would that be? How does that name serve any relevance to me?" Odja said as he stepped forward, his fists clenched.

-Heh? What's going on? Someone explain what's going on?

"Let me ask you one thing. What do you know about murder?"

Touji sat speechless on the ground unable to answer. He could hear the others whispering behind Odja.

"What is a foreigner doing here? And he obviously knows what happened? The thing is, why would the killer practically present himself to us on a silver platter?"

"We don't know if he's the killer, yet!" Odja yelled back at them. "This guy seems to have at least witnessed something. But we can't pin it on him yet. He might have just witnessed it. Now,” He shifted the conversation back to Touji. “Answer my question. How are you involved?"

Touji couldn't understand what was going on. How was he supposed to answer such a question?

"He's refusing to answer.” One of the villagers snorted.

“Wait, I was just in the garden with her and-”

“See he admits it!” They yelled.

Odja ignored the shouts and instead grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and threw a punch straight at his chin. Touji's head jerked backward.

"Hey! W-wait. I didn't-" Touji cried out.

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"Answer me!" Odja shouted. "Did you kill my daughter?"

"I would never-"

"Hold on." The doctor interjected. I saw him sneaking behind my house this morning. I was wondering where I recognized him."

-Heh?! What is he talking about? I never did that.

"Is that true?" Odja asked sternly while tightening his grip.

"It isn't. I swear-" As he said this his eyes began to widen. A smile flickered over the doctor's face.

Another man spoke up. "I also saw him. He looked to be leaving for the city but it turns out he came back for something. Specifically here of all places."

-What is this? I never did any such thing.

"Hold on. Let me defend myself!"

"I think it's long past that point.” Odja quickly cut him off. “As much as I'd love to punish you right here and now, I must bring you to the council and let them decide what to do."

"Oi! Odja. What is this? What's going on? Why do you think it's me?"

Odja slammed his fist against the ground. "Shut your damn mouth. You're going to pay for this!"

As he shouted, Odja kicked Touji in the stomach. Touji crumpled on the ground in pain.

"You disgust me. I will avenge my daughter."

Touji was immediately surrounded by the village men. He tried to stand up but was immediately beaten down and bound by the men.

“Why is this happening? Whyyyyyyy!!"

***

"And what brings this boy here?"

"This boy murdered Odja's daughter sir."

Touji had been brought to the village chief's house where a meeting was now commencing. It was more or less an empty room, lacking almost all furniture with the exception of the pear-green carpet and a singular table where sat four individuals.

Touji was in a slight daze. A pole had been placed behind his back and his arms were wrapped tightly around it to the point where he thought his bones might break. He was held in a kneeling position, a guard forcing his head to face the floor.

Touji clenched his teeth in anger, trying to suppress the pain.

His head was mercilessly wrenched up to face the chief. The man wore a green and gold coat with long sleeves and a white shirt underneath. A balding head was visible beneath the green hat and his thin mustache and large eyebrows gave him an imposing demeanor.

"And what is your evidence?" The chief spoke as he stroked his facial hair lightly.

"He was found sneaking into the sight of the murder and upon inquiry, refused to answer any questions regarding the incident. Two witness reports are placing his whereabouts quite close to the place of the murder and while he is a complete stranger, he also claims to be acquainted with the girl and her father, none of which is true. "

"I'm . . . not lying," Touji whispered.

The man stared intently down at Touji.

"Were there any witnesses of the victim’s death?" The old man asked.

"Yes, sir. Milo, please step forward."

Touji heard footsteps as someone entered the room. His eyes widened as the familiar figure entered.

"Milo? Wha . . ."

The cousin stared confused for a second as Touji uttered his name.

"Why did you say my name?"

"What do you mean? We lived together for over a month. How can you say such-"

"I don't know you. I never have. Don’t talk to me you filth." Milo responded sternly.

"Oi!! Why do people keep saying that? You are all messing with me aren't you?!” Touji yelled out angrily while attempting to release himself from his bonds. “Well, this joke isn't funny. It's-"

A wooden club struck his head efficiently forcing him to silence.

Blood began to fall from his mouth, dripping apple-red on the floor below him.

"Don't speak unless spoken to. Do you understand!?"

"Ye… s." He responded weakly.

"Good. Then we'll proceed with questioning. Milo, please continue."

"I was carrying firewood I had just collected from the forest, and as usual Claria was weeding the garden. As I was leaving I heard a sound and turned around to see that she had disappeared. At the same time, I saw a sort of wind arclight shoot out from the nearby bushes. I'm assuming that’s what killed her. Unfortunately, I did not see any sign of the killer."

“Is it possible that he is from the fifth generation?” The chief inquired.

“It’s highly possible.” One of the Elders replied, “It would seem to me that he was sent to eradicate the ‘marked’. If so it would explain the motive. We interrogated him but nothing came of it. It’s tough for even us to break out that kind of info.”

"And a wind arclight user too, huh?" The man in robes and the tall hat muttered out loud. “That’s even more reminiscent of the fifth generation. But the fact that they were able to get information on a marked too quickly is unbelievable. Emar, what do you have to say?”

"Yes. Well,” The doctors stood up in a professional fashion. “The way the death occurred, definitely showed signs of wind arclight spell. A very powerful one at that. A complete dismemberment in all directions, of every part of her body, as if put through an invisible set of knives slicing out in every direction. Completely shredded. Not many could pull off such a feat."

Touji noticed that Emar was seated beside the chief, sipping tea with an oddly calm composer after he had successfully finished his discourse on the science of magic, a contradiction in terms.

Suddenly Touji realized something. Something he thought could finally prove his innocence. “See! It couldn't have been me." He shouted but as the words left his lips the club came down upon his temple.

They turned back to Touji all carrying a look of disgust.

"And why would that be?" Asked the Chief.

"Because I can't use arclight."

There was a stroke of silence as no one dared to speak a word. Finally, the chief spoke.

"This is absolute nonsense. I don't care where you are from, no man with solid ground beneath his feet cannot use arclight. You live with arclight, you die without it. You have arclight and therefore you can use it. It is obvious you are trying to make excuses for your crime."

"I don't need to make any excuses! I didn't do anything! Please, I beg you. You got to believe me!" Touji's pleas were met with another strike, this time to his side, causing Touji to cry out in pain.

"Please, sir. Make your judgement." Odja exclaimed.

"Boy. Since our village's founding, you are the first in our village to have committed the sin of taking another’s life. You have tarnished our name and for this, you will be made as an example so that no one may follow in the same path of the world. We were one of the last peaceful villages left and I intend to keep it that way. The empire must learn its place as we have our own. Remove him at once, and use the muler."

“Oi, what does muler mean?!” Touji shouted.

“You don’t know?” One of the villagers responded. “It’s a phrase for a certain way to meet your maker. Congratulations. You have been sentenced to death.”