Chapter 3-2: Third salvo

In the village of Hallguna, the number of drum blasts carried a special meaning.

A salvo indicated that this was a regular message from a council elder, it was a fairly common occurrence in the village.

Different from the previous one, the one with two salvos required the presence of the entire village on the main square to be announced. These messages were essentially laws and regulations adopted or amended which were brought to the attention of the people by one or more members of the council of elders.

The third salvo was a very special event, because it was rarely used.

For Habel and Prisha for example, it was only the second time they had heard it since they were born.

When we heard it, it meant that heavy punishments were going to be given to one or more members of the village for having transgressed absolute rules. A few rare times in the history of the village of Hallguna, these sanctions went as far as the highest of all, the death sentence.

The entire village headed towards the common courtyard. It was a large square marking the border between the two courts. This is where all the important events in the village took place.

Prisha mingled with the crowd seeking to be in the front row. As for Habel, he placed himself on a giant rock to have a full view of the scene.

On the stage, many eminent people of the village were already present. Notably, the members of the council of elders, as well as the second most powerful person in the village, the priestess.

Such a large lineup of officials made it clear that the event that was about to take place was something completely out of the ordinary.

A long time passed before everyone was there to start the event. The deafening din of the crowd stopped abruptly with the arrival of a single man.

The highest ranking person in the village of Hallguna has always been called 'Kachi'*, but this man, through his exploits against the 'guardian of the forest', managed to become the first to bear the title of 'Idy-Kachi' which meant 'the ruler appointed by the gods'.

Behind him, he was escorted by the two most powerful warriors in the village, Halzir and Milkha.

He placed himself on the highest step of the platform and faced the crowd. He was the only person authorized to carry the message of the third salvo. He had an unimposing build and his enchanting face made him seem a gentle and kind person.

His kind appearance contrasted sharply with the fear others felt towards him.

He spread his arms and addressed the crowd: <<Members of the great hall* family, thank you for responding to my humble appeal. I have gathered all here inform an unfortunate event. A hall, one our blood members, brothers, has committed a grave sin before gods and mortals. Our rites customs, which allow us live in harmony with each other, been violated by his intolerable acts actions.< p>

He turned his gaze towards the bottom of the stage and said:<< I will present him to you, bring the sinner forward !

A warrior dragged a young man covered in blood who he threw on the ground in front of everyone. The crowd was astonished at the sight of him; he was the son of a very popular artisan in the village, Hajin.

An old man began to scream and cry when he saw the state of the accused, it was Hajim, the father of the young man, he was held by warriors to prevent him from rushing towards his son.

The man spoke again: <<For those who don't know it is, his name is Hajin. He the son of highly renowned artisan, Hajim Holy Hands. This young man committed a serious sin, he impregnated woman was promised to me, Idy-Kachi !< p>

Loud noises began to spread among the crowd when the crime was revealed. It was well known that the women selected by the Kachi to join his harem could no longer have relationships with other men.

''SILENCE''.

Calm returned after Halzir's shout to the crowd.

"After much discussion with the council members and the priestess, we have decided what his punishment will be.

He paused before stating: << We chose "decapitation."

A thunderous noise erupted at the announcement of this decision, killing one's fellow man was an act prohibited on the island except in rare cases.

It was indeed a serious crime that the accused had committed, but not one warranting a punishment as heavy as the death sentence.

We were talking about a woman who was only promised and not already belonging to the Kachi harem, hence the level of protest of the people against this judgment.

Habel observed the 'show' in silence without showing any particular emotions.

The judgment rendered did not interest him, the only thing that captivated his attention was the discontent of the crowd against the Idy-Kachi.

The man, ignoring the protests of the village, asked Halzir to execute the condemned man. The latter obeyed and came down from the platform, he lifted the body of the young man full of snot on his face and put him on his knees.

Women helped Halzir dress in a red dress made of wool tied at the hips with a white linen belt. He wore a mask with the face of a man, white and red, all accompanied by moccasins tinted with white, it was the traditional outfit of the executioner.

She gave off an air of divinity and at the same time, a very frightening feeling.

As for Hajin, a black beast mask had been demonic to him. Hajin's lips hidden behind the mask moved, but no one could see them or hear his whispers.

-Y-you're lying. It was... My bride. You stole it from me. The gods will punish you. Woe to you. Be cursed… Be cursed.

The scene fell into silence in anticipation of the horror that was about to take place, only the rhythmic sound of a small drum accompanied this tense moment.

Halzir placed himself on Hajin's side, he raised the executioner's ax towards the sky, it reflected the setting sun in all its splendor, before falling mercilessly on the sinner's neck.

**FFFSSSHHHH**

The sound of the air being cut off, a strong spurt of blood, a head flying into the distance, a mask being untied, and the dull sound of the body collapsing to the ground.

The killing had just taken place, and the sound of the drum had stopped and with it, Hajin's short life.

There was a long moment of silence in the square before many people began vomiting at the horrifying sight.

Released by the warriors, Hajim rushed to his son's lifeless body before screaming in pain to the sky.

At the end of the execution, the officials and the crowd began to disperse without suspecting that the events of that day would be the cause of many unrest to come.

All kinds of emotions could be seen on the faces of the villagers at the end of this event, some were sad, angry, disgusted, scared, excited, euphoric, and happy.

The imposing and otherworldly appearance of Halzir wielding his ax would forever be etched in everyone's memories.

Habel walked towards Maha who had also witnessed the execution. She was crying her eyes out, supported by a young woman next to her.

This young woman was called Kalha, she had become Maha's apprentice a little over 5 months ago. Maha knew that the possibility of Habel returning to the healing profession after his death was non-existent.

She therefore began to train this young woman who had certain predispositions for medicine. As she got closer, Habel could hear her grandmother's lamentations.

-It's my fault Kalha, if I hadn't declared that she was pregnant perhaps... Boo ouh ouh!

The young woman Kalha did not know how to console her teacher. Seeing him collapse, Habel could only sigh and try to cheer him up.

"Stop doing this to yourself, if you hadn't told the truth it would have been just a matter of time before it came to light".

-B-but Habel, s-someone died because of me... It's as if I killed him boo-hoo...

'...'

Habel didn't really know Hajin, he had never spoken to him or spoken to him any attention, but for Maha it was different, he was a little boy whom she had seen grow up and cared for on several occasions, and she liked him very much.

Habel, for his part, was indifferent to the young man's death, but even if he did not really understand the reason for his grandmother's torment, he knew what he had to say to console her.

''Sigh. Just tell yourself that you saved your life, you would have been put in a difficult position later if you had lied. Telling the truth was the right choice for our family, you don't have to feel guilty.

"If something had been done to you… I would have been the one who would have been destroyed"

At these words, Maha began to calm down and after a long time of persuasion, they finally decided to return.

Before leaving, Habel went to find Prisha who was still vomiting, she had been in the front row to witness the execution, and the scene was far too frightening for her little heart. Without caring about her condition, he made her pay for the treatment that she had not even consumed and left her to endure her torments.

Once inside, Kalha took care of Maha until she fell asleep, then she returned home.

Habel, for his part, went to the stable once he arrived. He took out his chiwa* that he had raised since childhood.

It was the beast he trusted almost blindly to carry out tasks. He entrusted him with a mission which the beast hastened to carry out.

"Go ahead and be discreet".

Watching her walk away as night fell on the island, Habel began to smile.

This end of the day had been particularly enriching for him, unexpectedly allowing him to progress towards his objective.

"You will excuse me in advance Idy-Kachi, but I need your authority".

His light purple eyes shone intensely in the darkness as he said these words.

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Seran: six-legged wild beast of small build with gray fur.

Kachi: this term means 'the ruler appointed by mortals'.

Hall: This word refers to the inhabitants of Hallguna.

Chiwa: They are the beasts closest to the halls, they are intelligent and faithfully carry out the instructions of their masters.