A Mutt in a Pen

On the way back to his village, Devery did not feel any difference in his body. He hurried back as best as he could. He could see his village on the horizon.

It was called Ponte, and there were a few hundred people living there. It was encircled with strong wooden logs. The whole village encirclement had been inlaid with sturdy Klite stones. It provided some protection from the Worms that became active at night.

He walked past the entry gate, giving the gatekeeper a perfunctory greeting. Walking down the street felt especially cramped today, as if the stone huts on both sides had come together to trap him. It was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

He reached his home, which was in a state of disrepair. Other village folks had their children do the hard work on repairs. His child...

"Best not to think about it," thought Devery. It never ended well when he went down that memory lane. He entered his home and shouted, "Gracyyy, I'm back!"

"Shut your pie hole, Dev! I'm not deaf. How was the damage?" Graciana was a thin old woman. While her body was emaciated, her eyes still held that twinkle of life. Her head full of white hair adorned her once beautiful face.

"We will have to take a loan for this winter. All the crops are gone. Seems to me that it was the work of two 3-star Guardians," said Devery.

"How will we take a loan, Dev? The village head is not going to give us any more loans. He warned us last time," said Graciana, grimacing.

"We will get by somehow, Gracy. Now I've got to hurry. I have to meet Seleph for some work."

"Stop spending time with that mutt, Dev. He always lands you in trouble. I wish he had stayed back with those beastfolk of his!" hissed Graciana.

"Now now! He ain't that bad," said Devery while walking out of the house. He was feeling jittery and wanted to tell someone about what he had experienced.

He walked towards Seleph's house. On his way, he saw someone in the village cow pen who was swishing his tail while pouring the feed into the tub.

He shouted Seleph's name and walked towards the infamous mutt. Seleph turned towards him with a smile on his face.

"Ohhh...Are we drinking, Dev? I thought your wife said that you were prohibited from drinking in the day."

"No, no... No drinking. I have got to talk about something important, Seleph. How fast can you get free from here?" asked Devery.

"Give me a few minutes. It's the last of the feed."

Devery stood in the corner watching Seleph pour the feed and keep the tub in the corner. The two cows went ahead and started eating.

"Come, let's take a seat," said Seleph and went and sat on a rock that was smoothed out and shaped to act as a bench.

Devery sat and started narrating his story. He could see Seleph's eyes popping out and the incredulousness in it when he heard how he was dangling in the air a few hours past.

While narrating it, Devery started to feel that what he went through was real and no dream.

"What do you think I should do, Seleph?"

Seleph kept silent for a few seconds.

"It might have been a practical joke, Dev. But... a Guardian would not waste their time playing with the likes of us. If he was not a guardian then, who? I've never heard of someone who could fly like that, other than guardians," said Seleph.

"Exactly! And before today, I had never even heard about anything related to Versam," said Devery.

"I think you should just take it easy. Not like you can really kill a guardian now, eh?" laughed Seleph. "Moreover, if you don't get the loan for this winter, you might really get the chance to know whether you can really die."

"Damn it all! Thinking about the loan, I wish what that man said would come true. At least I could do something to ease Gracy's burden then! If I couldn't die, I would go kill some beasts for meat!" said Devery.

"Right, right... And you could also pay my gambling debts, eh? Also..." Devery could no longer focus on what Seleph was saying.

There was a loud thump inside Devery's sternum. His ears started ringing, and his vision blanked out. He felt as if there was a heavy weight pressing all over his body. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew. A binding oath had been made. And he would never be able to escape. The words of that man now seemed haunting.

"What have I done?" It was his last thought before he passed out.