For most people, living in a hut of an ancient civilisation in the depths of a forest with only an oil lamp was life's greatest exception. Wisesa was not like most people. His hut almost fulfilled all his needs for a serene life without having to dirty himself, like meditating in humid caves or mossy ruins. As for Alicia, she was like most people.

Living in what she considered a "serpent’s den" with only one light made her restless. Now she had to share it with a former slayer of an entire town with feelings of guilt.

Alicia clutched the fur blanket she had flinched from Wisesa's wardrobe. She was driven to such actions by her bewilderment at the lad. As a host, it was only proper to extend comfort to guests. Yet, this frugal shaman—despite Alicia’s left hand being swathed in a bandage, her abductions to a ramshackle hut, and her confinement within the invisible spells of protection—refused to offer even a pillow for her head or any other small amenities to make her stay more bearable.

Actually, Wisesa was not that cruel. He still provided some beef jerky and a glass of water. A simple dinner with a lamp in their midst. As he munched on the tough strips of meat, Wisesa noticed Alicia huddled under her blanket, her bright red eyes fixed on nothing but him. Their eyes met. She had not touched a single morsel of her food ration.

"Don't give me that look, missy," Wisesa broke the silence. "You've broken my two-year streak of not making eye contact with Westerners like that."

Being mysterious with the silent treatment was starting to become the girl's habit.

"No matter how much time you waste, the feast from Camelot won't magically descend from Lojitengara skies," Wisesa added. "If you want to survive, eat some of that jerky, even if it's just a small piece. Or Westerners' teeth can only chomp pudding?"

"Why did you save me?" Alicia finally found her voice, no longer trembling, though still weak.

Wisesa shrugged. "The gods are on your side. If you were as ugly as the other Westerners I’ve met, they would have tossed you down the Barong's gullet"

"The gods." Alicia scoffed.

"At least the gods of Lojitengara aren't just the figment of drunken imaginations and they actually have a voice." Wisesa retorted.

"You saved me because guilt was haunting you, aye?"

"And yet you're still asking. Nerdy idiot."

The grips on Alicia's blanket tightened even more. "What's with that brash behaviour of yours, Wisesa? As far as I know, the Yawanese are famed for their gentleness!"

Wisesa's words were swift and cutting. "Whoa, ‘gentleness’ you say? Look, who's racist now? Who's stereotyping a tribe now? Look with your four eyes, o Alicia Crimsonmane! A civil war waged by the meekest of states! Don't act like the Yawanese are just the Pulomas Duchy and its supporters, while Alas Purwo consists of demons in disguise from Layaloka!"

"Wisesa, I never meant that—"

"Then shut up and eat!"

A frown once again marred Alicia's features. At long last, she reached for a piece of the dry, leathery beef jerky, popping it into her mouth. It was far from the finest meat she had ever tasted, as tough as an overused tire, yet it was not altogether unpalatable. Regardless, she could not bring herself to partake in it further. Chewing the meat only sapped her energy, leaving her feeling even more depleted.

"Can't you just let me go home?" Alicia asked again, softly. "I thought you'd prefer it without me about."

The young lad sighed. "Of course, it's what I wanted the most. Too bad for us both, I just put a sealing spell on my house. It'll take six hours for the protection to wear off on its own, and I ain't risking canceling it early just for your convenience!"

"Ki Semar and the others will be looking for me!"

"Yes. That's the point."

Alicia gazed upon the still-open exit door, where the pristine white circle remained untouched. Not a hint of energy rippled through the air, no hum of magic to separate her abode from the outside world. All she could spy were the rows of sturdy trees, the whisper of leaves, and the haunting calls of crickets and owls. The forest at night was eerie, but such was its nature.

Wisesa shattered the stillness with a firm reminder, "Do not even think about crossing or shattering the circle."

"If you would be so kind as to enlighten me on the nature of the spell," Alicia spoke. Despite her agitation, she still sought to seize the chance to delve into the realm of thaumaturgy.

"I strongly object, and I'm not open to negotiations. Just sit tight."

"Dull." Alicia pouted. "At least tell me what we're hiding from!"

The young lad's voice pitched. "’What we’re hiding from?’ You curious just now? There are still Leyaks roaming around out there, even stalking us! That's why the barrier is there to prevent them from entering, and that fat old man can come here and get rid of those Girahite bastards. So, yeah, still think I'm lying again? Still think I'm taking advantage of all of you before I kill you? And by the way, you're welcome!"

"You did take the advantage to snatch Orb from me and finish me off!"

“Lady, fuck you!”

Alicia was annoyed again. She threw off her blanket and pointed at the man. "You may have saved my life. But that dinnae take away the fact that you also wanted to kill me. Don't expect to bribe me into keeping quiet about this from Ki Semar! Because I hope you get what's coming to ye!"

"What? What're you gonna do, little missy? Rat me out to that old fart? I can't wait!" Wisesa challenged her. "So? Why are you asking me for permission?"

"I'm not asking you for permission!"

"Then what, Alicia? You're declaring a freakin' threat?" Wisesa laughed. "A bookworm from the Western lands thinks complaining to an old man is a threat? You're better off hiding in a corner and crying like before, Western No-Gooder! Play it up like you got beat up and convince Ki Semar. Oh, you want to seem more believable? I can help you out with my fists! Or I can chug the poison back to your throat!"

"Lads like you are pathetic!"

"’Oh, what a pathetic man. Wisesa is such a jerk…’," Wisesa mocked in a shrill voice. “See? For a nerd, your insults aren't even creative. Your brain is as dumb as you look."

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're still pathetic!"

“Do you think you're any better?" Wisesa barked louder. "You, a magicless wimp, toy around with Kalimasada's power and get lost in Yawadwipa, then pretend to be the world’s saviour with the book of Nostradame? How old are you, fourteen? Why are you skipping school, Miss? Why are you trying to get attention all the way to Lojitengara? Are you an orphan? Did your mother enter the grave so early that no one ever notices you, Miss Crimsonmane?"

Wisesa welcomed the glass throw from Alicia! The Crimsonmane girl rose, cradling her aching left arm, her fury only growing.

"Och, bringing up my mama, you bastard? Hurlin' insults must be second nature tae ye! Was it taught by the same parents who transformed you into a walking abomination? Have ye never known the warmth of proper human interaction? Or were ye brought up as a lonely-only-bairn, without siblings to call yer own?"

And that saying altered Wisesa nearly as gruesome as Barong. "You take that back, you fucking Crimsonmane!"

No, Alicia did not take back her words. Perhaps It was Khaos' influence on the two people that made them addicted to swearing at each other. "I guessed right!" Alicia said again. "Who's short on love noo, Wisesa? I should've heeded the lassies' and sons of Semar tae steer clear of ye, and sought out a different Children of Prophecy, ye accursed mortal!"

"Fuck you, Crimsonmane! I should have just let you die blue on the road!"

"That's the real you, nae surprise there! Screw you, Wisesa!"

"Fuck you!"

"Screw you!"

"Fuck you!"

"No, screw you!"

"Fuck you!"

"Screw you!"

"Fuck you!"

"Screw YOU!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"SCREW YOU!"

"What's wrong, Alicia? Your sweet lips cannot handle a dirty word? Here, I help you out, FUCK YOU!"

The girl's intuition prompted her to once again draw Orb forth with gritted teeth. Wisesa spread his arms wide. The taunts from the man were by no means over. "You want to kill me with Arcane after I saved you, Alicia? What a display of 'Roman virtue', as the people here say!"

Again and again, Orb jolted Alicia's hand, its tense croon echoing its frustration. Unfortunately, only she understood its temper. Two fools! Stop your childish bickering right now!

The shocks made Alicia’s already injured hand ache. Not to mention hearing Wisesa's comparison with the Romans made her feel like someone had slapped her hard. At least, she realised sooner. In the end, she was the one who was required to be more civilised and give in amidst all the hardships caused by Wisesa. Being virtuous was never a cakewalk.

Alicia snorted. She cancelled the volley of Divine Grace and turned to leave, staggering. "I give up, Wisesa," she said. "You're wearing out my patience. I will leave the village after the harvest celebration and find the nearest port in Alas Purwo. I'd rather find the other children before I return to deal with you! Damned Lojitengara! My telecomm cannae even link up with Camelot's network!”

"Hey! Are you deaf? I told you to stay out of the circle!" Wisesa chastised her.

Alicia continued walking. "I don't believe you! You deliberately tricked me into staying here. All those leyaks are dead!"

"Alicia, don't!"

"Enough!" she snapped, her feet carrying her out the door. "There's nothing in this forest! If anything, it's us that's causing a stir—”

By the time she was outside, she was met with a stunning sight that made her stop in her tracks.

The two stars seemed to have come out of their orbits and were moving dangerously close in the Lojitengara sky. Wisesa saw them as two celestial fireballs.

"I told you, we're being watched." Wisesa grabbed the girl's right arm. "Get back inside, now!"

"Watched by those glowing balls?" Alicia dismissed his grip, disbelief etched on her face. "What are they, their familiars?"

"No, they’re the Leyaks themselves. That's how they stalk their prey—transforming into balls of fire."

Despite his calm exterior, Alicia could sense a hint of fear in Wisesa. Fear because Barong had actually woken up earlier and sniffed out the presence of the black mages. Even with the increased protections he had placed around his mind, Barong's rampage could not be contained forever. Alicia could not help but trust him. He was the most knowledgeable about the mysterious ways of Lojitengara's shamanism, after all.

Alicia's gaze drifted towards a part of the forest where the trees were scarce. She patted the young shaman repeatedly while pointing a finger.

"A-are they also watching us in the form of a monument?"

A stout tower surrounded by torch poles was the subject of Alicia's anxiety. It was festooned with grotesque statues, their eyes bulging and grins full of sharp teeth, as if waiting, watching, for the lass' next move.

"You've guessed it, haven't you?" Wisesa agreed. "It's a bade."

"Bade?"

"A tower containing a coffin to carry a corpse, according to Girahite culture. It's not a real bade. It's the Leyak in disguise too," explained the male shaman.

"What's the tower doing, standing here in the heart of the woods at this hour?" The lass shuddered. “I’m sure there's more to being a bade than giving folks a fright!"

"Oh, you want to know?" Wisesa walked slowly towards Alicia, guiding her to the entrance while whispering, "When that coffin opens, your body and soul will be sucked in and sealed tight. No one can break a magically sealed chest, miss. You'll be lying on a cramped and dark board. Panic sets in, hard as your sweat. Shortness of breath. Your heart is pounding. And as you scream and cry, imagining the lid crushing your chest, the trapped air turns into black smoke! You'll feel the heat at the bottom of the chest, and your strength will be forcibly drained as you're burned alive!"

Alicia gasped at Wisesa's last words. Her back hit the wooden wall.

"That's... what will happen if you step over this white circle. You may have Kalimasada, but the last time you fought a bunch of Leyaks in prime, you almost died. I won't help you a second time."

A new magic trivia for Alicia's book, and one that took the wind out of her sails. She discouraged herself from doing anything foolish, hoping the three entities would not be drawn to her solely because of her presence—although Wisesa's invisible protector was protecting them for Divine knew how long.

"Awright, awright! As you wish. I'll take my leave against those three Leyaks," Alicia relented.

"Four Leyaks."

"Four?"

"Can’t you see it, Four Eyes?" Wisesa directed Alicia's gaze to the other side of the forest.

"They're only trees!"

"There! The teak tree right in your face. That's the Leyak closest to us!"

"You... How do ye ken it's not just a tree?"

"I know every damn tree in this forest and take a piss on every one of them," Wisesa whispered. "I ain't buyin' that there's a teak tree in that spot!" The man then shouted at the tree in question. "Come on now, I know you're a Leyak, quit tryna play dumb by pretending to be a tree. You're makin' a fool of yourself!"

The teak tree remained in place. Perhaps there was an implied reply from its swaying branches.

"Disgusting," Alicia responded to the young man's statement about "marking" every tree like a dog.

"When was the last time you went camping, huh, princess?" Wisesa shot back. "Oh, right. Westerners camp in their own rooms. Greatest invention of the century. How come we never thought of something so dumb?"

One last allusion that made Alicia lapse into silence once more. They went back inside the hut, and not a word was spoken between them since then. Both were already irritated with each other and curled up in opposite directions, eventually succumbing to slumber.

The girl's slumber was so deep that she was roused only by the frantic shouts of her name, carried on the wind by several familiar male voices. Ki Semar and his sons were indeed looking for them!

Alicia sprang from her bed and went outside. The mere sight of Ki Semar and his sons sent the Leyaks scurrying into the forest. Her excitement could not be contained, as she unconsciously intended to step outside the circle.

Wisesa suddenly grabbed Alicia's collar from behind and pulled her down. []