THE RISE OF EXILE

SOUNDLESS (PART 2)

Sumire stopped and stared at the child. Finn step forward, pity was visible in his moss-green eyes. He was about to touch her but the little girl backed away as if scared, her eyes clouded with tears.

"It's okay, we are not bad people. We are here to lend help, we will help you." Finn slowly approaching her.

"Not yet." The young girl whispered but Sumire heard it. The young lassie even looked at Sumire when she felt that the maiden was observing at her intently without breaking her piercing stare.

"Take us to their place."  Finn added. The girl nodded and turned her back while secretly smiled wryly.

"How about Rowan? I closed the wound but he is still not completely healed..". The stammered  Zake still healing Rowan who's still unconscious.

Sumire walked towards them and placed her hand on Rowan's wound that was already closed, her hand beaming into chartreuse, giving warmth to his wound leaving no scars. One of the top Selten vermins' abilities is healing, and their healing speed is more effective than Healer Sorcerers. Rowan moaned, his complexion gradually back to normal.

"So you can heal too, huh". The girl said. Sumire's colleagues did not seem to hear it. Sumire is sensitive to sound, she could hear noises from afar, only she could hear the little missy's small voice.

Sumire straightened up after she finally healed Rowan and stared brazenly into her eyes. She looked sourly towards the young girl. "Filthy."

"Take us to the place of your companions so that we can help you". Finn said, there's a hint of concern in his voice. The young lassie cried and nodded to him, snots were all over her clothes. Finn immediately picked her up from the ground and calm her down a little bit. On the other side, Preston made an Air coffin to put Rowan who is now resting after being healed. They left the place and the child guided them.

"Do you know what happened in your village?" Finn asked the little filly.

"I cannot recall what just happened back there, but I just woke up almost lifeless in our home and we fled, we hid in the abandoned house far away from our village.", the child answers while crying, her devious captivating eyes trying to lure him, her cheeks and nose flushing red to look cuter. Finn hugged tightly and stroked her back gently.

"It does not feel good." Grant groaned as he felt something strange in the forest they were traversing. The wind behaving bizarrely, piercing through the leaves and twigs, fall to the ground.

As they approached the abandoned house the aura of the surroundings darkened. It got even creepier and depressing when they heard people crying inside. When they got the young girl back to her home suddenly she spoke.

"I'm famished."

And before Sumire could react, the young lassie used to be so cute turned into a giant white serpent and swallowed Finn alive and it immediately entered the house.

"If you want revenge, catch me."

The group startled for a moment, trying to absorbed everything that just happened a few seconds ago. Speechless.  Their eyes widened when Finn was swallowed alive by the giant serpent, what happened to him could not sink into their brains. 

"Follow her."

Sumire said in a serious tone, her lips pursed slightly, brows knitted in a frown. The group looks at each other's eyes. Before they could speak, Sumire broke into the house.

When they entered, a pungent odor greeted them. The steps are old, unvarnished, and slippery with the recent rain. The abandoned house stood in a composed way as if it had chosen solitude for itself, the history that echoed within the walls, pain, and misery, throughout the wistful abode. The group step in, footsteps echoed on the wooden floor. The surroundings were very dark, warm, and cold draped over the walls.

Grant summoned his magical beast, a fiery lion appeared in front of them, gnarled loudly. It has five tails and has three horns standing proudly on its forehead. The beast light up the dark place. Glistening. It walks ahead of them.

"What kind of place is this..". Preston said while looking around.

When they saw the whole area they realized they were in a room. Dozens of lifeless man-eating demons scattered on the floor. Their eyes and other internal organs sticking out from their bodies, the rotten carcass was infested with flies and maggots. There were also some of them was hanging on the old rustic chandelier, hands were chopped off.

"This is madness."

Grant hissed, feel disgusted at what they saw. Sumire immediately opened the door of the room ahead of them to get out, but it did not open, she had no other way to think but to destroy it, she kicked it with full force.

When Sumire finally broke down the door, they were taken to another room. This time the painting of naked bodies of the mortals hanging on the wall of the room like a huge exhibition of the realistic yet odd canvas.  Every naked painting they saw, there is a part of the body that is being rounded, and sometimes even a missing part of the human body is not presented in the masterpiece. Sumire can still smell the metallic blood used to paint them.

They went to the exit door of that room. Again, they were lead to another space. This time, they didn't see anything around the place, as if they are staring sightlessly into the darkness.

"We meet again, Sumire."

Sumire was stunned to hear that familiar voice. That was the stranger who trapped them in its territory. Sumire wonders why is he here, she knows this place is definitely not this person's domain. Is he with someone? Who?

"Relax, I am not going to murder you", he whispered.

"I am just here to pay for their sins but first of all there is something I wanted you to see," he continued. The man immediately presses his right hand to her forehead.

Sumire felt the man's blood flow travels on his veins, his hand warming against her forehead. She could not move, no matter how hard she tried, a small glimpse of images and speed of light flashed before her eyes. The man brought her back to the past, an unfamiliar place she had never been to:

She looked around squeezing her midnight eyes and there she realized that it was Morye Village that had not been massacred. The midday light brings a brighter palette to the view,  dappled sun shone through the trees, creating mysterious shadows. The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. Sumire standing unmoved.  She just could not determine what period it was.

Everyone in the village was very busy, the smile on their lips painted on their faces. It was a peaceful day, children were playing around, holding their kites that were flown by the serene wind. Sumire was in the middle of the road while watching the unforgettable scenery and observing them at the same time. No one speaks but their actions speak a thousand words. She could hear the laughter of the crowd cheering around. The laughter she will never know if anyone could hear.

Everyone stopped when a group of bandits suddenly attacked the village's tranquility. They are harassing and stealing the wealth of the people, they can do nothing but follow their wishes. After the bandits get what they want, they leave no one killed in the village.

The euphoria that was lost minutes ago comes back alive as if nothing had happened to them. Sumire went for a walk, ended up in a small flower shop, and there she saw a boy, he was about ten years old she'd guess, looking gloomily.

"When I turned into a fine man I'm going to the Central Exile where the top hunters and sorcerers lived. To be the greatest hunter to protect this village, I need to be strong.". The young boy murmured, as he gripped his black bow tightly. Stunned, Sumire remembered the man who had trapped them in his territory. "So, this is his past..", she whispered.

Sumire unconsciously followed the boy, he went far away from the village, and there in the middle of the woods, he trained all by himself. The young lad was good at archery, he can shoot 3 bows in the same direction. Sumire was surprised at what she saw. The boy suddenly stopped rehearsing when it heard cries from afar. He immediately followed the origin of the cries and that was how Sumire's eyes widened when she saw the abandoned house that her companions are currently in. The kid runs faster toward the house. Sumire would have stopped the child but she could not touch him.

Even before the child could go inside, two sorcerers with beheaded heads and the bandits who had been harassing them before appeared to be lying on the entrance and being eaten by a pack of black wolves.

The child was about to shout but ended up in silence, he was even more shocked by what he saw, the boy hiding in the green shrub, trembling in fear.

"Mother...Father...", he whispered as he covered his mouth. He saw his parents were inside the house picking up the heads of the sorcerers from Central Exile.

"Do we still need to use the heads?", The woman asked her husband, while holding a dagger, fresh blood drips into the ground.

"Yes, we need that in our experiment", The man replied, he handed the sack to his wife.

Sumire trying to figure out what is going on when suddenly the ambient setting changed. It was dark with a small glimpse of light coming from the lamp hanging near the door, Sumire is certain that she is inside the house, in a room full of inexplicable experiments. Mortals and immortal beings are present, reek something awful. Some were headless and deformed, there are countless hunters from Central Exile, bandits as well as man-eating demons from Sodome. Truly a disturbing sight.

"I do not understand, if he doesn't want anyone to know his secret, he should have prevented the hunters of Central Exile from coming here. We are always the ones who do the killings. What if someone sees them from our village? it will be too late before we found out. Everyone knows this place is a forgotten village and no one from the Central Exile ever visited here tss..". The wife kept nagging her husband.

Sumire who's standing in the corner, penetrating gaze probed towards them while listening carefully to their conversation, she could not believe what she just witnessed. What experiment and who is the person they are referring to?

Sumire's eyes immediately searched for the young boy.

"I'm right here.". Before Sumire could leave, someone spoke behind her. That was the stranger earlier whose name was not yet known.

"I was that kid 8 years ago." Sumire immediately turned around and saw the man, a tinge of dark-red-haired man smirked, wearing a navy green jacket. A left-hand thrust in his pocket while licking his right forefinger, his dark ocean blue eyes bore her, gaze cruised her figure. Sumire eyed him demurely.

"Are the people in our village..seemed happy?" The man smiled lopsidedly. Sumire did not know if she would nod or not.

"Yes, they are.", Sumire said. The man stared at her for a second, blinking with feigned innocence, then scratched his neck.

"Not everything you see is true, Sumire.". He said seriously and flicked his fingers, the scene returned to the village where the people were having fun.

"They look happy, everyone has a smile on their faces. But look closely at their eyes.." The light fades from his eyes until they are dark and empty. Sumire frowned. Eyes narrowed as she looked at the people. Only now did she realize that those laughter were unusual.

"There is darkness clouded on it". The man smiled. "Aye, and they cannot look into each other's eyes". He continued.

"Why?" Sumire asked hesitantly.

"Their stare fixed more on the movement of someone's lips, the main reason why their eyes never meet...". The man keeps tracking the other man's gaze. "..and there, they can read what truly the emotions of their interlocutor are. There is something wrong with your friend's story about this place but he is right for one thing, there is something strange happening here..". His dark solemn eyes darted towards her. "And I need you to end that. You still have a lot to learn but for now, you need to go back..". He added and tapped her shoulder.

Sumire sighed when she got back to the present. Her vision returned to normal. She also sees her colleagues staying behind her.

The stranger who did not even introduce himself was also gone. And there is only one thing she knows to do now.

"Let's end this once and for all.". Sumire summoned her magical beast, emitting a dark red-purple aura standing beside her. Ready to attack.

"This time I won't hold back, they must pay."

TO BE Continued.