Chapter Text
???: [—This is bad..! Really bad..!]
The voice came from a scary-eyed boy. His body was littered with small wounds from head to toe. Screams and shouts followed the boy and his companion—a mob was after them. The mob chased them with weapons, spewing curses—‘Witch!’ ‘Monster!’ ‘Disease!’ ‘Slay them!’ ‘Die!’—their hatred was unending.
Someone from the mob threw a spear at the boy’s companion, grazing her cheek. The young girl fell due to the sudden pain.
Young Girl: [—! Ouchouchouch!]
Scary-eyed Boy: [I’m so, so sorry! I’d love to comfort you but we don’t have any time! We need to run!]
The boy picked the child up and carried her in his arms. The girl wept in pain, crying out for her mother. The boy spoke comforting words to her, trying to silence her loud cries. His attempts would be fruitful as the girl became quieter. Once she became completely silent, he whispered his plan in her ear.
Scary-eyed Boy: [Are you alright now? I’m assuming you are. Ha.. Okay, we can do this! When I give the signal, I’m going to boost you forward and you’re going to run for your life.]
Young Girl: [B-but what about you?]
The boy gave the girl a big grin.
Scary-eyed Boy: [Don’t worry about me, I’ll deal with these mob characters!]
The girl was confused. Why would anyone risk their life for someone like her? A monster that only brought pain to others—she would be saved? That monster would be saved by a kind person like him? Why? How? What could have she done to deserve being saved?
Thoughts like that flooded the so-called monster’s mind, but before she could ask her savior ‘Why?’ she felt herself being thrown forward.
Scary-eyed Boy: [Now go! Run!]
Before she realised it, her body obeyed the command. She ran as fast as her short legs could, using the boost to go faster and further. She ran until her legs gave out.
The girl turned her head to look behind her and saw that the mob had followed her companion instead of her. The sound of their footsteps became quieter and quieter, becoming completely silent after a minute.
In the distance, she heard the boy’s voice one last time.
Scary-eyed Boy: [—Bring it on, oh inevitable fate!]
Young Girl: [...Please, whatever god may be out there, keep him safe. Bring him to safety or safety to him.]
She said her prayer, then continued running. He had told her to run for her life, so she will fulfill his request.
△▼△▼△▼△
Scary-eyed Boy: [—Shitshitshitshitshit..!]
The boy was cornered, he had made a wrong turn somewhere during his grand escape. He faced his back to the wall of the cliff, looking at the mob. There was a tense silence before the people charged at him. He took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Scary-eyed Boy: [I’ll beat you all! Bring it on, oh inevitable fate!]
He ducked under someone’s pitchfork then knocked them off of their feet. He took the pitchfork and used the blunt end to knock that person out. He wildly swung the pitchfork around, temporarily deterring any attacks. A man thrust his sword toward the boy, stabbing into the boy’s leg.
Scary-eyed Boy: [Hk..! That hurt you bastard!]
He thrust his pitchfork toward the man, piercing his arm. Unluckily for the boy, the pitchfork got stuck in the man’s arm. The man disarmed the boy, leaving him defenseless. The mob noticed this and closed in on the boy.
???: [Kill him!]
???: [Gouge his eyes!]
???: [Break his bones!]
???: [Die!]
They hit him from all sides, breaking his bones. One broke his jaw, another stabbed his leg, another punched his chest, another broke his nose. Every hit came with a painful heat, contrasting the cold of the night.
Scary-eyed Boy, thoughts: [It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts. What did I do to deserve this?]
He collapsed in pain, but the beating didn’t stop. He felt a torch burn his skin, he felt a knife slice his cheek. He felt the cold snow enter his wounds, a small comfort as the heat from the pain burned.
Scary-eyed Boy, thoughts: [Ah. I’m going to die.]
His vision started to blur and darken, not being able to differentiate between his assailants. Tears welled in his eyes, freezing almost instantly. A stray thought entered the boy’s mind—a plea for help, and help appeared.
A purple ball of light appeared in front of his face, and his assailants recoiled, moving back from the broken boy.
Scary-eyed Boy: [Huh..?]
???: [A s-spirit? W-what is it doing near a thing like him?]
???: [S-spirit-sama, stay away from that monster!]
A wave of emotions— no, not feelings, concepts— flooded the boy’s mind. It was shocking, like a bucket of ice being splashed onto his head. His emotions mixed with the foreign concepts, stabilising and becoming comprehensible to his human brain.
—Confusion. Searching. Found. Wondering. Concern. Connection. Pain. Comfort.
Scary-eyed Boy, thoughts: [W-what? Are these…feelings you?]
—Confirmation. Questioning. Danger.
Scary-eyed Boy, thoughts: [I saved a girl from being killed by them. They think I’m a monster.]
—Confusion. Indignation. Hostility.
???: [Venerable spirit-sama, that man is dangerous! Please come to our side and let us purge the world of his evil.]
Contradictory to the woman’s request, the spirit moved closer to the bloodied boy, guarding him. It vibrated in the air in rejection of the mob. The boy understood the spirit’s emotions—it wanted to attack the mob for hurting him.
Scary-eyed Boy, thoughts: [—No! Just ward them off. Don’t hurt them.]
—Confusion. Reluctance. Acceptance. Defend. El Shamak.
Mob: [—!]
A black cloud erupted from the spirit outward toward the mob. The second that members of the mob were enveloped, they lost all sense. Their consciousnesses floated alone in a dark void, disconnected from their bodies. Some called for help, but their mouths did not speak. Others tried to escape, but their legs did not walk. They slowly forgot basic senses, their minds becoming the only thing they knew. And when they had finally adapted to that existence, their senses returned.
Some remembered what they were here for and searched for the boy, but he could not be found. The spirit had also gone missing, not leaving a trace except for the traumatized mob. They would look for hours, yet they would find nothing.
In the Holy Land of Gusteko, two so-called monsters had escaped their fates, one with the help of a spirit, too.