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The Bird That Drinks Tears – Chapter 3: Silver Tears (3)
Posted on March 5, 2016 by kobatochandaisuki — 2 Comments ↓
Tinahan clarified his position. Tinahan talked about the contract between him and the Great Temple, and stated that Kaygan’s oddity will not hinder their mission.
“I only consider one thing when I work with someone. Is he helpful or not. But Kaygan is the greatest expert about Nagas and Keeboren. He freakin’ feeds on them. So I will accompany him.”
“Do you think that att.i.tude is right? That att.i.tude that doesn’t care if anything happens next to you as long as it’s not happening to you?”
“It might not be right. But being nosy about things that are not your business is also a bad habit. And the way I see it, Nagas and I have nothing to do with each other. I mean honestly, there is no reason for me to be considerate for those who take over half the world and declare that they will leave by themselves. So I won’t care if Kaygan boils them or fries them.”
“Nagas are people too. You know this, don’t you?”
“Do you think Doouks.h.i.+nis are people too?”
Bihyung closed his mouth. He could not think that. Tinahan fiddled the tip of his beak.
“Are people born as people? People are people because they act like people. Nagas don’t act like people. So I won’t care for those freaks. And Kaygan’s att.i.tude is fair, too. Kaygan didn’t speak like a stupid coward. Stupid cowards talk like ‘I can curse you, torment you, hurt you, and kill you, but you can’t do those things to me. That’s absolutely absurd.’ But Kaygan did not. Instead, he said that all Nagas have the right to attempt to kill him. It’s fair, but it’s hardly spoken out loud.”
“That may sound admirable in hindsight, but it actually mean that we should all target each other in our glorious ma.s.sacres, doesn’t it?”
“Ma.s.sacres are only used when it’s done against other people.”
In the end, that was the problem. Bihyung determined this. Can you see Nagas as people. Then, Bihyung found a personal reason to partake in this journey. To evaluate the strange behavior of Kaygan Draaka, he needed to know more about Nagas.
When Bihyung and Tinahan said that they accept his accompanying, Kaygan did not show any reaction other than lightly nodding his head. Instead, Kaygan started to check over the practical matters, and Tinahan and Bihyung had to feel again like they were idiots, which they did not welcome very much. It wasn’t that Kaygan treated them like novices. On the contrary, Kaygan’s att.i.tude was closer to kindness. But the two felt that Kaygan’s kindness was used after being measured precisely based on necessity.
For example, Kaygan gave them instructions that completely contradicted common sense. Wear thicker clothes the warmer you are. Be noisy as possible when you think there is a Naga nearby. Run away as slowly as possible when you’re being stalked. If you think you’re going to be found, go on top of a rock that is completely exposed. Tinahan and Bihyung showed their bafflement with their faces and Kaygan explained those instructions. The warmer it gets, the more likely you are you encounter a Naga, so you must wear thick clothes that hide your body temperature. Nagas can’t follow you with sound, so if you think there is a Naga nearby, you need to be noisy to scare away the wildlife of Keeboren to deceive the Naga’s eyes. There is no reason to scurry and increase the body temperature and become good targets for Nagas, therefore when you’re stalked, you need to move slower. A rock exposed to the heat of day in the rainforest is very hot, so when you get on top of it, there is a chance that a Naga will not distinguish between a hot person and a hot rock. Bihyung and Tinahan exclaimed and prepared to laugh. If Kaygan said something like ‘that’s strange, right?’ after his speech and smiled a little, the two would have smiled in agreement and joyfully had a conversation about those things. But Kaygan started talking about the next instructions without jokes nor smile, baffling the two.
Kaygan’s kindness was like that. When he thought it was necessary, Kaygan persistently explained one thing until the one listening felt sorry. But in no part of that explanation, he laughed or smiled. After a few hours, when Kaygan asked “Are you familiar with all that I taught you?,” even though the precious knowledge was no where near familiar, but confused all over the place, the two hurriedly nodded. “Of course we are.”
Next day around twilight, they left for the southern part of the Punten desert leaving behind the inn-owner that had both hatred and relief on his face. Bihyung and Kaygan got on the beetle, and Tinahan ran behind them.
When Bihyung found out Kaygan was familiar with the beetle, he felt disappointed. Bihyung planned to show Kaygan how an explanation is properly done. But Kaygan calmly got on the beetle, and distinguished where on the body segment plate to touch and not touch like he was a master at it. And he stared at Bihyung, who desperately looked for flaws, like he was weird. Not finding anything wrong in Kaygan’s sitting posture, Bihyung hurried to sit in the front of Kaygan.
The three crossed the night of the desert.
If any wanderer saw them from afar, he would have been astonished by their magnificence and noise. The sound of the beetle’s wings was furious, and behind Tinahan who ran the desert like gust followed a small sand storm. So they looked like a nameless, ancient monster roaring and running through the desert. An incomprehensible monster that had a head resembling a beetle and a body consisting of sand. But the three that crossed the desert with so much noise was also the most reticent travelers. Kaygan and Bihyung was unable to have a conversation because of the flapping wings that thundered next to them, and Tinahan who ran under them obviously could not have a conversation with them. So, since the creation of Punteh desert, they were the noisiest travelers, and at the same time, the quietest.
As such, they kept silent in the ruckus, running towards Keeboren.
Haatengraju, the city of heartlessness, was loud within its silence.
Even today in which the most important event of Nagas happen, Haatengraju, as it was since its construction, was silent. No kind of speech nor singing could be heard. But a being that could hear the language of the spirit, would be completely overwhelmed by the neerms that filled to the brim the roards and buildings, streets and agoras. The young, overly exicted Nagas were almost violently opening their minds and their escorts, instead of stopping them, were encouraging them. There was a reason for this that even those who use their voices would understand. In places such as the battlefield, at a place where the agitated crowd uncontrollably chatter and scream, the human that keeps silence feels uncomfortable and anxious. Because he cannot synchronize to the violent emotions and minds around him. Nagas, who use neerm, react much more sensitively to such phenomenon, and therefore, to forcefully lock one’s mind in this place, where everyone’s minds are open and everyone is chattering, is very harmful to one’s mind.
So Ryoon Fei kneeled in the middle of the road like he was collapsing.
So far, he’s been stubbornly locking his mind.
The men that were escorting Ryoon looked around, baffled. They were surrounded with other Nagas that headed to the heart tower for the extraction ceremony, and they were being peeped on. Fortunately, an old and experienced Naga among the escorts quickly gave directions. The escorts picked Ryoon up and sat him leaning to the stairs of a nearby building. The old Naga, named Thorba, ordered the other escorts to block his surroundings and carefully observed Ryoon.
[Ryoon? Wake up, are you okay? It’s Thorba.]
Ryoon’s two eyes were towards Thorba but he acted like he saw nothing. Looking at Ryoon carefully, Thorba soon realized that Ryoon was mumbling something. Realizing that Ryoon was voicing something, Thorba was confused, and focused on his hearing. Because it has been so long since he last used his hearing, only after a while Thorba could hear Ryoon’s words clearly.
“No&h.e.l.lip; I can’t go&h.e.l.lip; No&h.e.l.lip;”
Thorba thought he knew why Ryoon was showing such behavior. In his past experience, there were young Nagas who acted like this before the extraction ceremony. Of course, none of them were as serious as Ryoon.
[Ryoon, wake up! It’s okay. Nothing’s happening.]
“I don’t want to die&h.e.l.lip; I don’t want to die!”
[You won’t die. You just take out your heart. You avoid death. Now, calm down, Ryoon.]
“No, it’s death. I will die. Just like him. Me too, me too!”
Me too? Was there a Fei that met an accident during the extraction ceremony? Thorba looked around the escorts with a puzzled look, but no one answered him. The men couldn’t possibly know the past events of the clan. Looking back on Ryoon again, Thorba found that Ryoon was firmly grasping the Syker on his waist. Afraid that Ryoon would start swinging his sword, Thorba pressed down on Ryoon’s shoulder.
[You won’t die. That will never happen. Ryoon. Now, get up. You’ll die if you don’t go through the extraction ceremony! You’ll be hunted because of your warm blood!]
“No, no! I will not! No one can take my heart away! Let me back home! Let me back home!”
Thorba didn’t know what to do because of frustration. He looked around as if he was searching for someone that would solve this situation. Then, someone caught his eyes. Thorba emitted a sharp neerm.
[Hwareet! Acolyte Hwareet!]
Hwareet, who was walking through the road, was surprised at the sudden neerm directed towards him. Karoo and Svachi who were escorting him even grasped their swords. The three Nagas soon found a mob of Nagas grouped in a weird shape. Hwareet found his friend Ryoon sittling behind their backs.
[Ryoon?]
Hwareet tried to walk quickly. But then, Svachi grabbed Hwareet’s arm. Svachi, focusing his mind on Hwareet, neered.
[No. It may be a trap.]
Hwareet was confused but he could focus mind. [Trap?]
[Our plan may have been exposed.]
[Ryoon has nothing to do with that! I’ll be more suspicious if I don’t go.]
Svachi wanted to shake his head. There were too many Nagas surrounding Ryoon Fei. But Hwareet was already moving. Svachi and Karoo, frowning his face, quickly followed him.
Their curiosity was dissolved when Thorba sent them a greeting neerm.
[You’re Ryoon’s friend, right? Can you calm him down? I think its extraction anxiety. We know nothing about this fella here.]
Hwareet nodded and sat next to Ryoon. Ryoon, as if he didn’t notice Hwareet, kept on mumbling towards the sky.
[He’s voicing something.]
When Thorba explained this, Hwareet too realized it. Hwareet focused on his hearing. Soon he could hear Ryoon’s whimpering voice.
“Go back home! No, not home! I can’t go home! I have nowhere to go. I’ll die. I&h.e.l.lip;”
Hwareet could see right away that Ryoon’s state was very serious. Grabbing Ryoon’s shoulders, Hwareet condensed his mind as much as he could into a needle-like shape.
[Didyusryoono Largand Fei!]
The highly focused neerm of Hwareet was not heard by the nearby Nagas. But the people could see that there was a change in Ryoon’s state. Ryoon blinked a couple times and turned to Hwareet. On his eyes that wandered without focus slowly reflected the form of Hwareet.
[Aashwareetal Sephabil Makerow?]
Ryoon’s unfocused neerm was heard by people nearby. The others were curious about this weird name but Karoo and Svachi flinched at the neerm. They quickly looked at each other and confirmed that they did not mishear. Hwareet kept pressing down on Ryoon’s shoulders and neered to Ryoon only.
[Good, Ryoon. Wake your mind. Can you stand up? Ah, forget that neerm. It’ll be better if you sat for a little.]
Hardly realizing that Hwareet was using a focused neerm, Ryoon focused his mind.
[What happened to me? Where is this place?]
Hwareet quickly looked around.
[You’re in front of the door of the Sen clan. I want to ask you what happened to you.] Hwareet did not bring up extraction anxiety. [What did you think about?]
[Think?]
Ryoon neered that, but his face expressed that he did not want to think about anything. Thinking that he needed to change the subject, Hwareet caught with his eyes a Syker that Ryoon was firmly grasping. Hwareet pointed at the Syker with his chin.
[Is that your gift from the clan? Looks fabulous. All I received was a dagger that couldn’t be more useful than for cutting rope.]
Ryoon, with a face that said he didn’t know what Hwareet was talking about, looked down at his waist. Ryoons eyes were soon fixated on the Syker. Hwareet saw Ryoon’s face twist. Moments later, when Ryoon opened his mind again, his neerms were almost awkwardly calm.
[It seems that I’ve caused quite a scene. Thanks for the help, Hwareet.]
[Huh? Ah, yes. Can you stand?]
[If that hand pressing down on my shoulders are gone. They kinda hurt.]
Hwareet could barely smile bitterly. Hwareet moved his hands, and Ryoon got up like nothing was wrong, like he got up after tripping on a rock. But Ryoon flinched and stopped again. Hwareet followed where Ryoon was looking at, and saw the heart tower.
Hwareet lightly tapped on Ryoon’s shoulder. Ryoon looked back at Hwareet with dim eyes, as if he was waking up from sleep. Hwareet did not know how to neer in situations like this.
[Ryoon, let’s go?]
[Huh? Ah, yes. Let’s go.]
But Ryoon still did not think to step off. Hwareet wanted to be with his friend a little longer but he could no longer ignore the impatient stare of Karoo and Svachi from afar.
[Then I’ll see you at the heart tower. You’ll make it there, right?]
[Of course.] It did not feel that way at all, but Ryoon neered repeatedly. [Of course I’ll make it there.]
Ryoon’s escorts did not deem weird that Hwareet was not accompanying Ryoon. When there is a difference in number of escorts between two clans, the two clans would not accompany each other. It was likely seen that the clan with a fewer number of escorts was entrusting protection from the clan with more escorts. A clan of high stature would never do such a thing. Of course, if their imaginations were a bit more rich, they would have realized that Hwareet would not care much for the pride of the clan that he will become unrelated to in no time. But they did not have such imagination, and so, Ryoon’s escorts thanked Hwareet, and walked pa.s.sed him with Ryoon.
Hwareet, left behind, looked back at Ryoon with a sad face. Hwareet’s emotions told him to walk with his friend and cover his pain, but his reason advised that he stay with his company. Approaching closer, Karoo neered while shaking his head.
[Your visit ten days ago must have not helped much, Hwareet. I’ve heard of extraction anxiety before but never a case this serious. I worry that he might cause a scene at the heart tower.]
[The guardians will take good care of him.]
[I hope so. He carried a pretty big sword. It’ll be troublesome if he starts a commotion.]
Hwareet did not want to talk about Ryoon anymore. He changed the subject, stepping off.
[So let’s come back to our previous topic. How do I recognize the Murun river?]
[Don’t worry about that. There is no other river like that one. If you head north and see a river so big that you can’t see the other side, that’s the Murun river. It’s hard to just pa.s.s by.]
[I might see a sea or a lake.]
[If you taste the water, you’ll know that it’s not a sea, and if you see it flow, you’ll know that it’s not a lake. Once you find the river, you just have to go upstream. Very simple.]
Then Svachi and Karoo started to enumerate advice on living outdoors. To arrange the wisdom told compet.i.tively, it is the following: ‘It is almost impossible for a Naga in Keeboren to starve to death, but until one is familiar with hunting, there lies a small possibility for such unlikely and even embarra.s.sing death. Remember that a Naga without his heart cannot die from an accident, and always act daringly.’ Karoo, who got excited, dazed Hwareet by telling a quite an unbelievable tale about his first hunt, in which he was dragged around impaled by the tusk of a boar, but ended up strangling the beast. If Hwareet saw a boar before, or in other words, saw its thick neck that was impossible for strangulation, he would have laughed.
Entering the heart tower parting his escorts, Ryoon Fei solidified his determination. ‘I will run.’ But he had to be careful of one thing, and that was the fact that now was not the first time he determined this. Ryoon Fei determined this when he was 11 years old. So, as he set foot in the heart tower, 11 years out of Ryoon’s life dissolved like dirt under rain. As a result, Ryoon, at that moment, became a 11 year old boy again. Of course, Ryoon himself did not realize this, and he believed that he was acting from the reason and judgment of a 22 year old adult. It was dubious, however, whether standing in the middle of the first floor hall like he didn’t want to face anyone and suddenly bolting for the hallway is a mature behavior. There were more than seven Nagas that looked at Ryoon with surprised eyes when he ran.
Vacating the place when he didn’t know when the guardians will come to take him was not a practical choice of action. But even before the startled Nagas called his name, Ryoon disappeared into the hallways. The Nagas were perplexed for a moment, but because they did not want to leave where they were like Ryoon did, they decided to quietly wait.
Ryoon was thinking of only one thing as he ran through the hallway. ‘I need to find another exit.’ He couldn’t just walk out the front entrance. He didn’t know what would happen if he went out the front entrance still having his heart. He no longer had any escorts either. Ryoon’s escorts, who weren’t interested in the maidens that will soon exit the heart tower would have all returned to the Fei mansion, and even if some of them stayed, wouldn’t protect Ryoon having his heart.
As his trail of thought reached his heart, Ryoon flinched and stopped.
He felt his heart, and was apprehended by fear, realizing how violently it was beating. Of course, the guardians of the heart tower won’t be surprised to see Ryoon with his heart, and think of him as having lost his way. But, if found by the guardians, Ryoon would without a doubt be dragged into having his heart extracted, and that was a conclusion that Ryoon wanted to dismiss at all cost.
Fortunately, Ryoon knew the inside structure of the heart tower. His knowledge was not perfect, but he had enough to estimate where he was.
Looking around and fumbling for old memories, Ryoon realized that he was near the eastern staircase. Reminding himself that the eastern staircase led to the exhibit, the storage, and the special library, Ryoon realized that all those facilities were not related to the extraction, and internally screamed in joy.
All the guardians of the heart tower must be distracted with the extraction ceremony. Making his decision, Ryoon quickly moved towards the eastern staircase.
But, reaching the exhibition room and the storage room on the 2nd floor, Ryoon had to feel some disappointment. The guardians who were busy with the extraction ceremony locked all the doors to those facilities. It was natural, but Ryoon even felt an irrational fear that the guardians predicted that he would come hide and locked the doors in advance. Climbing up to the 3rd floor, Ryoon could not rid his nervousness. The special library on the 3rd floor is always open, but there would be a librarian.
Reaching the 3rd floor, however, Ryoon discovered that the librarian’s seat was empty. Ryoon, without a moment of hesitation, quickly opened the door to the library. Only after he opened the door, it occurred to Ryoon that the librarian might be inside the library, and he immediately froze up. But the library was completely empty.
Ryoon quickly jumped in the library and closed the door. At that momeny, Ryoon was a Naga that did not care about sound. The door closed with tremendous noise as if it was going to break.
Entering the hall of the heart tower, Hwareet felt something similar to anxiety, looking at the Nagas everywhere talking to each other. To a Naga that for went back and forth from his home, the heart tower, and his friends house for 22 years, the ma.s.sive group of Nagas naturally came as a shock. Of course, he could see this many Nagas on the streets, but he would always have escorts. But now he was alone.
With difficulty, Hwareet remembered that the others would feel the same way. This led to Hwareet even feeling a little superiority. To Hwareet, being an acolyte, the heart tower was a familiar building. The others were definitely more scared than Hwareet.
But looking around the hall, Hwareet knew that his thought was wrong. The Naga maidens were very occupied with the men promising that they will visit after the extraction, so they looked like they had no interest in the internal structure of the heart tower. Also, the men were busy talking amongst themselves about who in which clan is in her fertile window and which clan is good for staying over in a leisurely manner.
The contents of these conversations were irrelevant to an acolyte, so Hwareet, without being a part of any conversation, quietly crossed the hall. While he was crossing the hall, Hwareet could hear that the name of the Fei clan being brought up many times. Hwareet bitterly smiled. There can’t be many who are brave enough to visit the Fei clan right after their extraction. If a freshly extracted man went to the Fei clan in which many visitors stay over all the time, he will be treated to be a neophyte without a doubt. Most likely, the majority of the men will realize that the vanity following the extraction is not false, and leave Haatengraju to start wandering. So, the impatience for men of the maidens, will probably end in failure. Instead of paying attention to them anymore, Hwareet decided that he will look for Ryoon.
[Hwareet Makerow.]
Someone called him. Turning his head without a thought, Hwareet was surprised. The one that neered to him was a guardian standing inside the shadow of the hallway next to the hall. But, a guardian would not call Hwareet that way. Hwareet thought it weird, but still kept his politeness.
[Follow.]
The neerm from the guardian who was covering his face with his hood was overly simple. It was a neerm that left out character and only conveyed meaning. Naga’s neerm, unlike speech of the unbelievers, can be emitted without any character, like such. This is rarely done, however, since it could be confusing who neered and who did not.
Hwareet, even though feeling uncomfortable, responded politely.
[I apologize, but I am waiting for the extraction.]
[Neer simply. So you don’t attract the attention of others. Before you arrived, Ryoon Fei ran away.]
Hwareet, though surprised, simplified his neerm.
[Ran away?]
[Yes. He locked himself inside the special library. It appears to be extraction anxiety. You need to come and calm him down.]
Because they simplified their neerms, no one paid attention to him and the guardian. Hwareet cautiously stepped off, realizing why the guardian was neerming such weird neerms. Unlike Ryoon who recklessly ran a moment ago, Hwareet moved slowly without drawing much attention and left the hall. As Hwareet entered the hallway, the guardian quickly walked to the eastern staircase. Hwareet asked following closely.
[By any chance, did he hurt anyone?]
[Not yet. We can’t guarantee anything if we’re late, however.]
Ryoon Fei, looking down at the corpse lying in front of him, felt like he was going to lose his mind.
Generally, an extracted Naga does not die from accidents. They do not get sick and even when they lose a part of their body, they quickly regenerate. But Nagas are not complete immortals, as when their body is divided into many dozen pieces like the body in front of Ryoon, there is no way to avoid death even for a Naga.
But that body still retained the characteristics of a Naga. Ryoon, with great effort, bent his trembling knee in the middle of the body pieces.
[What did you say?]
From the body pieces came a neerm.
[Give&h.e.l.lip; it back.]
Ryoon poked the head on the floor with his wildly shaking hand. The head swayed, but it did not flip upright. Ryoon clenched down on his teeth and picked the head up, turning it upright.
One eye was completely destroyed and the other was severely inflamed as well, but the decapitated head could look directly at Ryoon anyhow. Right before the uncontrollable fear made Ryoon faint, that head sent a weak neerm.
[Largand&h.e.l.lip;?]
Ryoon flinched and looked directly at the head again. It was an atrocious scene, but Ryoon could remember a name that he once knew from the face with great difficulty.
[Yoovex? Yoovex the Librarian?]
Yoovex, the librarian of the special library, tried to nod his head. Of course, futile. If you are decapitated, you can’t nod your head. Yoovex seemed perplexed at this fact, and barely neered.
[Anyhow&h.e.l.lip; how did you come in here?]
[I, I came here because of the extraction&h.e.l.lip;]
[How did you come in the special library? I, the librarian, didn’t approve&h.e.l.lip;]
Because of the decapitation, Yoovex seemed to be stupefied. Even during the conversation, his neerms faded away. It would be too much to expect to hope for the neerm to continue in his state of neither life nor death. Getting frustrated, Ryoon almost grabbed the head and shook it, but pulled back his hands just before they touched the head in fright.
[Who did this to you?]
Yoovex stared blankly at Ryoon, until he suddenly realized something.
[I was&h.e.l.lip; attacked? Largand, am I d&h.e.l.lip; ead?]
[Who did this? Who did this to you?]
Yoovex’s head did not answer, neither with neerms nor facial expressions. Ryoon thought that the librarian had finally died. But when Ryoon tried to get up, a thin neerm came from Yoovex’s head.
[Makerow&h.e.l.lip;]
Ryoon felt like he got smacked on the back of his head. Makerow? Ryoon tried his best, but he could not possibly think of a reason why Hwareet would butcher the librarian of the special library and hide him behind the book shelves. Ryoon kneeled down again and shot all of his mind straight into Yoovex’s head.
A flow of mind was felt. Ryoon welcomed the flow of mind thinking it was Yoovex’s, but soon realized that the direction was different.
Someone was running to the special library.
The fear reawakened.
Ryoon’s eyes faced the body of the librarian but Ryoon’s eyes saw was the terrible end of Yosby. Almost unconsciously, Ryoon hid himself behind the book shelf that Yoovex’s body was concealed. The place was covert enough. As soon as he hid behind the book shelf, the library door opened.
And Ryoon heard such a familiar neerm.
[Ryoon! Ryoon Fei!]
It was Hwareet’s neerm. Ryoon almost stood up as he heard the desperate neerm of his friend. But right before he neered the name of his friend. Ryoon could remember the fact that he was an exile and the last neerm of Yoovex. Ryoon crouched again, and pushed out a book from the book shelf. A crack happened between the books and he could peek at the door.
When he saw Hwareet standing by the door, Ryoon again felt the urge to rise. But as he saw a guardian behind Hwareet, Ryoon’s body froze again. It was hard to know who the guardian was because his face was covered with his hood, but his guardian costume was enough to stimulate his fear. Apprehended by fear, Ryoon locked down his mind to the extent of autism.
Then, Ryoon saw something strange.
The guardian that followed Hwareet approached the book shelf near the door. His hand fumbled on top of the shelf and soon enough a b.l.o.o.d.y Syker was on his hand. When Ryoon was frozen in fear and confusion, the guardian slowly approached behind Hwareet.
And the guardian slashed his Syker at the vulnerable back of Hwareet.
Ryoon screamed. But his scream only echoed inside him. Ryoon did not realize, but his mind was still locked down. Because of the astounding sharpness of the Syker, Hwareet, for a moment, did not grasp what had happened to him. But moments later, Hwareet collapsed to the ground, moaning powerlessly. At the same time, blood violently poured out of his back. Because Hwareet still had his heart, blood left his body like a torrent. The guardian slightly moved sideways to avoid the blood.
[Why&h.e.l.lip;?]
Hwareet emitted a neerm while lying facing down. The guardian smiled and kicked Hwareet so he was facing up. To his face, the guardian slowly lifted his hood.
Hwareet and Ryoon, who was hiding, both screamed the name.
[Viias Makerow!]
Viias smiled cruelly.
[Yes, foolish brother.]
[I thought you’d use poison&h.e.l.lip; Instead this simple method&h.e.l.lip;]
[Simple is always best. Make that your life philosophy. Of course, you won’t be able to keep that for long.] Delighting over the torrential outpour of blood from Hwareet’s body, Viias added on as if she was reminded of something. [I don’t think I need to slash you multiple times like I did to the other one.]
Hwareet twitched.
[Ryoon? Don’t tell me, Ryoon too?]
[No, I’m neerming about that upright librarian, Yoovex. I told him I needed to look for some medicinology books and he was so happy to guide me.]
[Then Ryoon?]
[It is true that Ryoon Fei ran away. I was waiting for you in the hall and saw him run away. He’s probably wandering somewhere in the tower by now. ]
Viias almost kindly responded to Hwareet and fumbled for something on the top of the shelf again. Taking out a big bunch of parchment from atop the shelf, Viias laid it on the table flat and rolled the Syker on the parchment. Then Viias took off the guardian’s robe and turned it inside out. Then, the guardian’s robe turned into something that any Naga scholar would wear in an outing.
After putting back on her clothes and picking up the bunch of parchment on the table, Viias now looked like a renowned medicinologist. Ryoon, who was still hiding, felt like he was witnessing magic, and Hwareet, still laying on the floor, felt the same way too. Viias smiled satisfied to her brother fallen on the floor.
[Your blood is so beautiful, Hwareet. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.]
[You&h.e.l.lip; are not normal, Viias.]
[I don’t know, you’re the one spewing blood on the floor. Who’s the not-normal one?]
Answering heartlessly, Viias suddenly bent down. From Ryoon’s mouth came a moan, but Viias kissed Hwareet’s lips without hearing it. Hwareet screamed in refusal.
[Get away from me!]
But Viias left Hwareet’s lips after a while. Getting upright, Viias licked her lips then smiled almost gracefully, neerming.
[Farewell, brother.]
Then Viias opened the door and left.
Posted on March 5, 2016 by kobatochandaisuki — 2 Comments ↓
Tinahan clarified his position. Tinahan talked about the contract between him and the Great Temple, and stated that Kaygan’s oddity will not hinder their mission.
“I only consider one thing when I work with someone. Is he helpful or not. But Kaygan is the greatest expert about Nagas and Keeboren. He freakin’ feeds on them. So I will accompany him.”
“Do you think that att.i.tude is right? That att.i.tude that doesn’t care if anything happens next to you as long as it’s not happening to you?”
“It might not be right. But being nosy about things that are not your business is also a bad habit. And the way I see it, Nagas and I have nothing to do with each other. I mean honestly, there is no reason for me to be considerate for those who take over half the world and declare that they will leave by themselves. So I won’t care if Kaygan boils them or fries them.”
“Nagas are people too. You know this, don’t you?”
“Do you think Doouks.h.i.+nis are people too?”
Bihyung closed his mouth. He could not think that. Tinahan fiddled the tip of his beak.
“Are people born as people? People are people because they act like people. Nagas don’t act like people. So I won’t care for those freaks. And Kaygan’s att.i.tude is fair, too. Kaygan didn’t speak like a stupid coward. Stupid cowards talk like ‘I can curse you, torment you, hurt you, and kill you, but you can’t do those things to me. That’s absolutely absurd.’ But Kaygan did not. Instead, he said that all Nagas have the right to attempt to kill him. It’s fair, but it’s hardly spoken out loud.”
“That may sound admirable in hindsight, but it actually mean that we should all target each other in our glorious ma.s.sacres, doesn’t it?”
“Ma.s.sacres are only used when it’s done against other people.”
In the end, that was the problem. Bihyung determined this. Can you see Nagas as people. Then, Bihyung found a personal reason to partake in this journey. To evaluate the strange behavior of Kaygan Draaka, he needed to know more about Nagas.
When Bihyung and Tinahan said that they accept his accompanying, Kaygan did not show any reaction other than lightly nodding his head. Instead, Kaygan started to check over the practical matters, and Tinahan and Bihyung had to feel again like they were idiots, which they did not welcome very much. It wasn’t that Kaygan treated them like novices. On the contrary, Kaygan’s att.i.tude was closer to kindness. But the two felt that Kaygan’s kindness was used after being measured precisely based on necessity.
For example, Kaygan gave them instructions that completely contradicted common sense. Wear thicker clothes the warmer you are. Be noisy as possible when you think there is a Naga nearby. Run away as slowly as possible when you’re being stalked. If you think you’re going to be found, go on top of a rock that is completely exposed. Tinahan and Bihyung showed their bafflement with their faces and Kaygan explained those instructions. The warmer it gets, the more likely you are you encounter a Naga, so you must wear thick clothes that hide your body temperature. Nagas can’t follow you with sound, so if you think there is a Naga nearby, you need to be noisy to scare away the wildlife of Keeboren to deceive the Naga’s eyes. There is no reason to scurry and increase the body temperature and become good targets for Nagas, therefore when you’re stalked, you need to move slower. A rock exposed to the heat of day in the rainforest is very hot, so when you get on top of it, there is a chance that a Naga will not distinguish between a hot person and a hot rock. Bihyung and Tinahan exclaimed and prepared to laugh. If Kaygan said something like ‘that’s strange, right?’ after his speech and smiled a little, the two would have smiled in agreement and joyfully had a conversation about those things. But Kaygan started talking about the next instructions without jokes nor smile, baffling the two.
Kaygan’s kindness was like that. When he thought it was necessary, Kaygan persistently explained one thing until the one listening felt sorry. But in no part of that explanation, he laughed or smiled. After a few hours, when Kaygan asked “Are you familiar with all that I taught you?,” even though the precious knowledge was no where near familiar, but confused all over the place, the two hurriedly nodded. “Of course we are.”
Next day around twilight, they left for the southern part of the Punten desert leaving behind the inn-owner that had both hatred and relief on his face. Bihyung and Kaygan got on the beetle, and Tinahan ran behind them.
When Bihyung found out Kaygan was familiar with the beetle, he felt disappointed. Bihyung planned to show Kaygan how an explanation is properly done. But Kaygan calmly got on the beetle, and distinguished where on the body segment plate to touch and not touch like he was a master at it. And he stared at Bihyung, who desperately looked for flaws, like he was weird. Not finding anything wrong in Kaygan’s sitting posture, Bihyung hurried to sit in the front of Kaygan.
The three crossed the night of the desert.
If any wanderer saw them from afar, he would have been astonished by their magnificence and noise. The sound of the beetle’s wings was furious, and behind Tinahan who ran the desert like gust followed a small sand storm. So they looked like a nameless, ancient monster roaring and running through the desert. An incomprehensible monster that had a head resembling a beetle and a body consisting of sand. But the three that crossed the desert with so much noise was also the most reticent travelers. Kaygan and Bihyung was unable to have a conversation because of the flapping wings that thundered next to them, and Tinahan who ran under them obviously could not have a conversation with them. So, since the creation of Punteh desert, they were the noisiest travelers, and at the same time, the quietest.
As such, they kept silent in the ruckus, running towards Keeboren.
Haatengraju, the city of heartlessness, was loud within its silence.
Even today in which the most important event of Nagas happen, Haatengraju, as it was since its construction, was silent. No kind of speech nor singing could be heard. But a being that could hear the language of the spirit, would be completely overwhelmed by the neerms that filled to the brim the roards and buildings, streets and agoras. The young, overly exicted Nagas were almost violently opening their minds and their escorts, instead of stopping them, were encouraging them. There was a reason for this that even those who use their voices would understand. In places such as the battlefield, at a place where the agitated crowd uncontrollably chatter and scream, the human that keeps silence feels uncomfortable and anxious. Because he cannot synchronize to the violent emotions and minds around him. Nagas, who use neerm, react much more sensitively to such phenomenon, and therefore, to forcefully lock one’s mind in this place, where everyone’s minds are open and everyone is chattering, is very harmful to one’s mind.
So Ryoon Fei kneeled in the middle of the road like he was collapsing.
So far, he’s been stubbornly locking his mind.
The men that were escorting Ryoon looked around, baffled. They were surrounded with other Nagas that headed to the heart tower for the extraction ceremony, and they were being peeped on. Fortunately, an old and experienced Naga among the escorts quickly gave directions. The escorts picked Ryoon up and sat him leaning to the stairs of a nearby building. The old Naga, named Thorba, ordered the other escorts to block his surroundings and carefully observed Ryoon.
[Ryoon? Wake up, are you okay? It’s Thorba.]
Ryoon’s two eyes were towards Thorba but he acted like he saw nothing. Looking at Ryoon carefully, Thorba soon realized that Ryoon was mumbling something. Realizing that Ryoon was voicing something, Thorba was confused, and focused on his hearing. Because it has been so long since he last used his hearing, only after a while Thorba could hear Ryoon’s words clearly.
“No&h.e.l.lip; I can’t go&h.e.l.lip; No&h.e.l.lip;”
Thorba thought he knew why Ryoon was showing such behavior. In his past experience, there were young Nagas who acted like this before the extraction ceremony. Of course, none of them were as serious as Ryoon.
[Ryoon, wake up! It’s okay. Nothing’s happening.]
“I don’t want to die&h.e.l.lip; I don’t want to die!”
[You won’t die. You just take out your heart. You avoid death. Now, calm down, Ryoon.]
“No, it’s death. I will die. Just like him. Me too, me too!”
Me too? Was there a Fei that met an accident during the extraction ceremony? Thorba looked around the escorts with a puzzled look, but no one answered him. The men couldn’t possibly know the past events of the clan. Looking back on Ryoon again, Thorba found that Ryoon was firmly grasping the Syker on his waist. Afraid that Ryoon would start swinging his sword, Thorba pressed down on Ryoon’s shoulder.
[You won’t die. That will never happen. Ryoon. Now, get up. You’ll die if you don’t go through the extraction ceremony! You’ll be hunted because of your warm blood!]
“No, no! I will not! No one can take my heart away! Let me back home! Let me back home!”
Thorba didn’t know what to do because of frustration. He looked around as if he was searching for someone that would solve this situation. Then, someone caught his eyes. Thorba emitted a sharp neerm.
[Hwareet! Acolyte Hwareet!]
Hwareet, who was walking through the road, was surprised at the sudden neerm directed towards him. Karoo and Svachi who were escorting him even grasped their swords. The three Nagas soon found a mob of Nagas grouped in a weird shape. Hwareet found his friend Ryoon sittling behind their backs.
[Ryoon?]
Hwareet tried to walk quickly. But then, Svachi grabbed Hwareet’s arm. Svachi, focusing his mind on Hwareet, neered.
[No. It may be a trap.]
Hwareet was confused but he could focus mind. [Trap?]
[Our plan may have been exposed.]
[Ryoon has nothing to do with that! I’ll be more suspicious if I don’t go.]
Svachi wanted to shake his head. There were too many Nagas surrounding Ryoon Fei. But Hwareet was already moving. Svachi and Karoo, frowning his face, quickly followed him.
Their curiosity was dissolved when Thorba sent them a greeting neerm.
[You’re Ryoon’s friend, right? Can you calm him down? I think its extraction anxiety. We know nothing about this fella here.]
Hwareet nodded and sat next to Ryoon. Ryoon, as if he didn’t notice Hwareet, kept on mumbling towards the sky.
[He’s voicing something.]
When Thorba explained this, Hwareet too realized it. Hwareet focused on his hearing. Soon he could hear Ryoon’s whimpering voice.
“Go back home! No, not home! I can’t go home! I have nowhere to go. I’ll die. I&h.e.l.lip;”
Hwareet could see right away that Ryoon’s state was very serious. Grabbing Ryoon’s shoulders, Hwareet condensed his mind as much as he could into a needle-like shape.
[Didyusryoono Largand Fei!]
The highly focused neerm of Hwareet was not heard by the nearby Nagas. But the people could see that there was a change in Ryoon’s state. Ryoon blinked a couple times and turned to Hwareet. On his eyes that wandered without focus slowly reflected the form of Hwareet.
[Aashwareetal Sephabil Makerow?]
Ryoon’s unfocused neerm was heard by people nearby. The others were curious about this weird name but Karoo and Svachi flinched at the neerm. They quickly looked at each other and confirmed that they did not mishear. Hwareet kept pressing down on Ryoon’s shoulders and neered to Ryoon only.
[Good, Ryoon. Wake your mind. Can you stand up? Ah, forget that neerm. It’ll be better if you sat for a little.]
Hardly realizing that Hwareet was using a focused neerm, Ryoon focused his mind.
[What happened to me? Where is this place?]
Hwareet quickly looked around.
[You’re in front of the door of the Sen clan. I want to ask you what happened to you.] Hwareet did not bring up extraction anxiety. [What did you think about?]
[Think?]
Ryoon neered that, but his face expressed that he did not want to think about anything. Thinking that he needed to change the subject, Hwareet caught with his eyes a Syker that Ryoon was firmly grasping. Hwareet pointed at the Syker with his chin.
[Is that your gift from the clan? Looks fabulous. All I received was a dagger that couldn’t be more useful than for cutting rope.]
Ryoon, with a face that said he didn’t know what Hwareet was talking about, looked down at his waist. Ryoons eyes were soon fixated on the Syker. Hwareet saw Ryoon’s face twist. Moments later, when Ryoon opened his mind again, his neerms were almost awkwardly calm.
[It seems that I’ve caused quite a scene. Thanks for the help, Hwareet.]
[Huh? Ah, yes. Can you stand?]
[If that hand pressing down on my shoulders are gone. They kinda hurt.]
Hwareet could barely smile bitterly. Hwareet moved his hands, and Ryoon got up like nothing was wrong, like he got up after tripping on a rock. But Ryoon flinched and stopped again. Hwareet followed where Ryoon was looking at, and saw the heart tower.
Hwareet lightly tapped on Ryoon’s shoulder. Ryoon looked back at Hwareet with dim eyes, as if he was waking up from sleep. Hwareet did not know how to neer in situations like this.
[Ryoon, let’s go?]
[Huh? Ah, yes. Let’s go.]
But Ryoon still did not think to step off. Hwareet wanted to be with his friend a little longer but he could no longer ignore the impatient stare of Karoo and Svachi from afar.
[Then I’ll see you at the heart tower. You’ll make it there, right?]
[Of course.] It did not feel that way at all, but Ryoon neered repeatedly. [Of course I’ll make it there.]
Ryoon’s escorts did not deem weird that Hwareet was not accompanying Ryoon. When there is a difference in number of escorts between two clans, the two clans would not accompany each other. It was likely seen that the clan with a fewer number of escorts was entrusting protection from the clan with more escorts. A clan of high stature would never do such a thing. Of course, if their imaginations were a bit more rich, they would have realized that Hwareet would not care much for the pride of the clan that he will become unrelated to in no time. But they did not have such imagination, and so, Ryoon’s escorts thanked Hwareet, and walked pa.s.sed him with Ryoon.
Hwareet, left behind, looked back at Ryoon with a sad face. Hwareet’s emotions told him to walk with his friend and cover his pain, but his reason advised that he stay with his company. Approaching closer, Karoo neered while shaking his head.
[Your visit ten days ago must have not helped much, Hwareet. I’ve heard of extraction anxiety before but never a case this serious. I worry that he might cause a scene at the heart tower.]
[The guardians will take good care of him.]
[I hope so. He carried a pretty big sword. It’ll be troublesome if he starts a commotion.]
Hwareet did not want to talk about Ryoon anymore. He changed the subject, stepping off.
[So let’s come back to our previous topic. How do I recognize the Murun river?]
[Don’t worry about that. There is no other river like that one. If you head north and see a river so big that you can’t see the other side, that’s the Murun river. It’s hard to just pa.s.s by.]
[I might see a sea or a lake.]
[If you taste the water, you’ll know that it’s not a sea, and if you see it flow, you’ll know that it’s not a lake. Once you find the river, you just have to go upstream. Very simple.]
Then Svachi and Karoo started to enumerate advice on living outdoors. To arrange the wisdom told compet.i.tively, it is the following: ‘It is almost impossible for a Naga in Keeboren to starve to death, but until one is familiar with hunting, there lies a small possibility for such unlikely and even embarra.s.sing death. Remember that a Naga without his heart cannot die from an accident, and always act daringly.’ Karoo, who got excited, dazed Hwareet by telling a quite an unbelievable tale about his first hunt, in which he was dragged around impaled by the tusk of a boar, but ended up strangling the beast. If Hwareet saw a boar before, or in other words, saw its thick neck that was impossible for strangulation, he would have laughed.
Entering the heart tower parting his escorts, Ryoon Fei solidified his determination. ‘I will run.’ But he had to be careful of one thing, and that was the fact that now was not the first time he determined this. Ryoon Fei determined this when he was 11 years old. So, as he set foot in the heart tower, 11 years out of Ryoon’s life dissolved like dirt under rain. As a result, Ryoon, at that moment, became a 11 year old boy again. Of course, Ryoon himself did not realize this, and he believed that he was acting from the reason and judgment of a 22 year old adult. It was dubious, however, whether standing in the middle of the first floor hall like he didn’t want to face anyone and suddenly bolting for the hallway is a mature behavior. There were more than seven Nagas that looked at Ryoon with surprised eyes when he ran.
Vacating the place when he didn’t know when the guardians will come to take him was not a practical choice of action. But even before the startled Nagas called his name, Ryoon disappeared into the hallways. The Nagas were perplexed for a moment, but because they did not want to leave where they were like Ryoon did, they decided to quietly wait.
Ryoon was thinking of only one thing as he ran through the hallway. ‘I need to find another exit.’ He couldn’t just walk out the front entrance. He didn’t know what would happen if he went out the front entrance still having his heart. He no longer had any escorts either. Ryoon’s escorts, who weren’t interested in the maidens that will soon exit the heart tower would have all returned to the Fei mansion, and even if some of them stayed, wouldn’t protect Ryoon having his heart.
As his trail of thought reached his heart, Ryoon flinched and stopped.
He felt his heart, and was apprehended by fear, realizing how violently it was beating. Of course, the guardians of the heart tower won’t be surprised to see Ryoon with his heart, and think of him as having lost his way. But, if found by the guardians, Ryoon would without a doubt be dragged into having his heart extracted, and that was a conclusion that Ryoon wanted to dismiss at all cost.
Fortunately, Ryoon knew the inside structure of the heart tower. His knowledge was not perfect, but he had enough to estimate where he was.
Looking around and fumbling for old memories, Ryoon realized that he was near the eastern staircase. Reminding himself that the eastern staircase led to the exhibit, the storage, and the special library, Ryoon realized that all those facilities were not related to the extraction, and internally screamed in joy.
All the guardians of the heart tower must be distracted with the extraction ceremony. Making his decision, Ryoon quickly moved towards the eastern staircase.
But, reaching the exhibition room and the storage room on the 2nd floor, Ryoon had to feel some disappointment. The guardians who were busy with the extraction ceremony locked all the doors to those facilities. It was natural, but Ryoon even felt an irrational fear that the guardians predicted that he would come hide and locked the doors in advance. Climbing up to the 3rd floor, Ryoon could not rid his nervousness. The special library on the 3rd floor is always open, but there would be a librarian.
Reaching the 3rd floor, however, Ryoon discovered that the librarian’s seat was empty. Ryoon, without a moment of hesitation, quickly opened the door to the library. Only after he opened the door, it occurred to Ryoon that the librarian might be inside the library, and he immediately froze up. But the library was completely empty.
Ryoon quickly jumped in the library and closed the door. At that momeny, Ryoon was a Naga that did not care about sound. The door closed with tremendous noise as if it was going to break.
Entering the hall of the heart tower, Hwareet felt something similar to anxiety, looking at the Nagas everywhere talking to each other. To a Naga that for went back and forth from his home, the heart tower, and his friends house for 22 years, the ma.s.sive group of Nagas naturally came as a shock. Of course, he could see this many Nagas on the streets, but he would always have escorts. But now he was alone.
With difficulty, Hwareet remembered that the others would feel the same way. This led to Hwareet even feeling a little superiority. To Hwareet, being an acolyte, the heart tower was a familiar building. The others were definitely more scared than Hwareet.
But looking around the hall, Hwareet knew that his thought was wrong. The Naga maidens were very occupied with the men promising that they will visit after the extraction, so they looked like they had no interest in the internal structure of the heart tower. Also, the men were busy talking amongst themselves about who in which clan is in her fertile window and which clan is good for staying over in a leisurely manner.
The contents of these conversations were irrelevant to an acolyte, so Hwareet, without being a part of any conversation, quietly crossed the hall. While he was crossing the hall, Hwareet could hear that the name of the Fei clan being brought up many times. Hwareet bitterly smiled. There can’t be many who are brave enough to visit the Fei clan right after their extraction. If a freshly extracted man went to the Fei clan in which many visitors stay over all the time, he will be treated to be a neophyte without a doubt. Most likely, the majority of the men will realize that the vanity following the extraction is not false, and leave Haatengraju to start wandering. So, the impatience for men of the maidens, will probably end in failure. Instead of paying attention to them anymore, Hwareet decided that he will look for Ryoon.
[Hwareet Makerow.]
Someone called him. Turning his head without a thought, Hwareet was surprised. The one that neered to him was a guardian standing inside the shadow of the hallway next to the hall. But, a guardian would not call Hwareet that way. Hwareet thought it weird, but still kept his politeness.
[Follow.]
The neerm from the guardian who was covering his face with his hood was overly simple. It was a neerm that left out character and only conveyed meaning. Naga’s neerm, unlike speech of the unbelievers, can be emitted without any character, like such. This is rarely done, however, since it could be confusing who neered and who did not.
Hwareet, even though feeling uncomfortable, responded politely.
[I apologize, but I am waiting for the extraction.]
[Neer simply. So you don’t attract the attention of others. Before you arrived, Ryoon Fei ran away.]
Hwareet, though surprised, simplified his neerm.
[Ran away?]
[Yes. He locked himself inside the special library. It appears to be extraction anxiety. You need to come and calm him down.]
Because they simplified their neerms, no one paid attention to him and the guardian. Hwareet cautiously stepped off, realizing why the guardian was neerming such weird neerms. Unlike Ryoon who recklessly ran a moment ago, Hwareet moved slowly without drawing much attention and left the hall. As Hwareet entered the hallway, the guardian quickly walked to the eastern staircase. Hwareet asked following closely.
[By any chance, did he hurt anyone?]
[Not yet. We can’t guarantee anything if we’re late, however.]
Ryoon Fei, looking down at the corpse lying in front of him, felt like he was going to lose his mind.
Generally, an extracted Naga does not die from accidents. They do not get sick and even when they lose a part of their body, they quickly regenerate. But Nagas are not complete immortals, as when their body is divided into many dozen pieces like the body in front of Ryoon, there is no way to avoid death even for a Naga.
But that body still retained the characteristics of a Naga. Ryoon, with great effort, bent his trembling knee in the middle of the body pieces.
[What did you say?]
From the body pieces came a neerm.
[Give&h.e.l.lip; it back.]
Ryoon poked the head on the floor with his wildly shaking hand. The head swayed, but it did not flip upright. Ryoon clenched down on his teeth and picked the head up, turning it upright.
One eye was completely destroyed and the other was severely inflamed as well, but the decapitated head could look directly at Ryoon anyhow. Right before the uncontrollable fear made Ryoon faint, that head sent a weak neerm.
[Largand&h.e.l.lip;?]
Ryoon flinched and looked directly at the head again. It was an atrocious scene, but Ryoon could remember a name that he once knew from the face with great difficulty.
[Yoovex? Yoovex the Librarian?]
Yoovex, the librarian of the special library, tried to nod his head. Of course, futile. If you are decapitated, you can’t nod your head. Yoovex seemed perplexed at this fact, and barely neered.
[Anyhow&h.e.l.lip; how did you come in here?]
[I, I came here because of the extraction&h.e.l.lip;]
[How did you come in the special library? I, the librarian, didn’t approve&h.e.l.lip;]
Because of the decapitation, Yoovex seemed to be stupefied. Even during the conversation, his neerms faded away. It would be too much to expect to hope for the neerm to continue in his state of neither life nor death. Getting frustrated, Ryoon almost grabbed the head and shook it, but pulled back his hands just before they touched the head in fright.
[Who did this to you?]
Yoovex stared blankly at Ryoon, until he suddenly realized something.
[I was&h.e.l.lip; attacked? Largand, am I d&h.e.l.lip; ead?]
[Who did this? Who did this to you?]
Yoovex’s head did not answer, neither with neerms nor facial expressions. Ryoon thought that the librarian had finally died. But when Ryoon tried to get up, a thin neerm came from Yoovex’s head.
[Makerow&h.e.l.lip;]
Ryoon felt like he got smacked on the back of his head. Makerow? Ryoon tried his best, but he could not possibly think of a reason why Hwareet would butcher the librarian of the special library and hide him behind the book shelves. Ryoon kneeled down again and shot all of his mind straight into Yoovex’s head.
A flow of mind was felt. Ryoon welcomed the flow of mind thinking it was Yoovex’s, but soon realized that the direction was different.
Someone was running to the special library.
The fear reawakened.
Ryoon’s eyes faced the body of the librarian but Ryoon’s eyes saw was the terrible end of Yosby. Almost unconsciously, Ryoon hid himself behind the book shelf that Yoovex’s body was concealed. The place was covert enough. As soon as he hid behind the book shelf, the library door opened.
And Ryoon heard such a familiar neerm.
[Ryoon! Ryoon Fei!]
It was Hwareet’s neerm. Ryoon almost stood up as he heard the desperate neerm of his friend. But right before he neered the name of his friend. Ryoon could remember the fact that he was an exile and the last neerm of Yoovex. Ryoon crouched again, and pushed out a book from the book shelf. A crack happened between the books and he could peek at the door.
When he saw Hwareet standing by the door, Ryoon again felt the urge to rise. But as he saw a guardian behind Hwareet, Ryoon’s body froze again. It was hard to know who the guardian was because his face was covered with his hood, but his guardian costume was enough to stimulate his fear. Apprehended by fear, Ryoon locked down his mind to the extent of autism.
Then, Ryoon saw something strange.
The guardian that followed Hwareet approached the book shelf near the door. His hand fumbled on top of the shelf and soon enough a b.l.o.o.d.y Syker was on his hand. When Ryoon was frozen in fear and confusion, the guardian slowly approached behind Hwareet.
And the guardian slashed his Syker at the vulnerable back of Hwareet.
Ryoon screamed. But his scream only echoed inside him. Ryoon did not realize, but his mind was still locked down. Because of the astounding sharpness of the Syker, Hwareet, for a moment, did not grasp what had happened to him. But moments later, Hwareet collapsed to the ground, moaning powerlessly. At the same time, blood violently poured out of his back. Because Hwareet still had his heart, blood left his body like a torrent. The guardian slightly moved sideways to avoid the blood.
[Why&h.e.l.lip;?]
Hwareet emitted a neerm while lying facing down. The guardian smiled and kicked Hwareet so he was facing up. To his face, the guardian slowly lifted his hood.
Hwareet and Ryoon, who was hiding, both screamed the name.
[Viias Makerow!]
Viias smiled cruelly.
[Yes, foolish brother.]
[I thought you’d use poison&h.e.l.lip; Instead this simple method&h.e.l.lip;]
[Simple is always best. Make that your life philosophy. Of course, you won’t be able to keep that for long.] Delighting over the torrential outpour of blood from Hwareet’s body, Viias added on as if she was reminded of something. [I don’t think I need to slash you multiple times like I did to the other one.]
Hwareet twitched.
[Ryoon? Don’t tell me, Ryoon too?]
[No, I’m neerming about that upright librarian, Yoovex. I told him I needed to look for some medicinology books and he was so happy to guide me.]
[Then Ryoon?]
[It is true that Ryoon Fei ran away. I was waiting for you in the hall and saw him run away. He’s probably wandering somewhere in the tower by now. ]
Viias almost kindly responded to Hwareet and fumbled for something on the top of the shelf again. Taking out a big bunch of parchment from atop the shelf, Viias laid it on the table flat and rolled the Syker on the parchment. Then Viias took off the guardian’s robe and turned it inside out. Then, the guardian’s robe turned into something that any Naga scholar would wear in an outing.
After putting back on her clothes and picking up the bunch of parchment on the table, Viias now looked like a renowned medicinologist. Ryoon, who was still hiding, felt like he was witnessing magic, and Hwareet, still laying on the floor, felt the same way too. Viias smiled satisfied to her brother fallen on the floor.
[Your blood is so beautiful, Hwareet. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.]
[You&h.e.l.lip; are not normal, Viias.]
[I don’t know, you’re the one spewing blood on the floor. Who’s the not-normal one?]
Answering heartlessly, Viias suddenly bent down. From Ryoon’s mouth came a moan, but Viias kissed Hwareet’s lips without hearing it. Hwareet screamed in refusal.
[Get away from me!]
But Viias left Hwareet’s lips after a while. Getting upright, Viias licked her lips then smiled almost gracefully, neerming.
[Farewell, brother.]
Then Viias opened the door and left.
