Stygian Victims

What is it? Thing that could be considered as evil?

As an iniquitous tag bearing on the shoulder of the damned one or the one who was damned? Morally degenerate, one chaotic being who yearned for Pandemonium - the capital city of Hell; the Lost Paradise. This alone was already carved such paradoxical history, contradicting to the virtuous kin and culture.

What is it then? Thing that could be craved as a virtuous frame of mind?

As a virtuous denomination, a face value of a bright coin in a nomaden society which always change depending on one dynamic season many regarded as sociological perspective where one's social background and experience changed one's attitudes, behavior and life... as well the eye of magistrate towards the evil and good, black and white - devils or humans.

If one's choices and commitments were painted in stark black and white, life wouldn't full of gray threads in which all the choices that confront them seemed morally problematic... giving birth to moral dilemmas, parent of stygian victims.

Filling the role as the wrongdoer and sufferer concurrently, was the man's genuine color now. Standing beneath underneath the dim shadow surrounded by the shining cold azure light, and staring at the silver figure whose white greatsword already being shown before his very eyes. Looked dense, and bloomed - as if in harmony with the moon frequency, waltzing and blinding one's eye with the overbright glare of its surface.

Curiously enough however, despite his little scheme has been revealed... his bloodstained hand was already opened divulging its naked palm full of naked scars stripping its haram flesh... the tremble body and the shaking heart has become tranquility. No more frozen sweat, for its already vaporized in the thin air pressing the room from all possible angles and swaying the distinctive scent of the resting family - cadaverine and putrescine odors.

"I expect no less from a figure of justice. Your vigilance without doubt is outstanding."

The man known as Heerys whose background merely was a head villager of a small community, began to open this finale of dialogue with the adherent of egalitarianism in silver armor. Having no literal experience nor training other than that, except his keen comprehension towards surrounding.

That's why they chose him as their leader,

That's why he designed this scheme...

A scheme which has been eradicated,

"I have nothing to argue anymore."

Admitting his guilt in the end, confessing his sin because he tired - tired of bearing the blasphemous mark on his shoulder and his moral sense that has been screaming unyieldingly inside his ears, piercing through his mind. Maybe these diagnoses were the reason which became the basis cause of his smile across his relaxed face following a very long exhale along with the discharge of the load inside his human heart, for the diagnosis wasn't indicate a form of disease but indicate a glimmer of humanity still remained intact - immovable.

Kharys - the silver silhouette shining beneath the moonlight - maintained his personality and inner balance from being uncontrollably overdramatic, for he evidently had been hunting and fighting the hardly innocent victim who had nothing to do with the current problems.

After almost took him the entire journey dreams under the starry sky, the concrete culprit has shown himself standing before his very eyes... because the evidence has become coherent with the flowing and dynamic truth. The actuality however, he received quite a punch right into his belief to such an extent that it shocked him, shutting any words which supposedly voiced following an unthinkable miracle happened when struggling with the devil who he was supposed to resist.

The shy evil... standing right before his hidden eyes.

"I should've known." his benign but firm manner, easing up the developed tension by putting away his bright greatsword at last, "At least the reason behind this unfortunate event. The motivation and emotions which justified the killing."

Two pair of eyes, once again, exchanging the scenery they perceived. The hazel color which was in hiding deep inside the faint penumbra, taking a silhouette of the same man in his early senescence... serenely staring at his only interlocutor whose eyes were only exposed through a tiny gap on an unyielding silver board covering the face as well any emotion and expression which could only be shown particularly by it.

Ergo another eye staring contest, yet this time... the gripping presence was absent. It simply dissipated into a dignified tête-à-tête moment between two separate being. One's eminence and social status took no influence in there, only a mortal title - the fundamental dispositions and characteristics... ways of thinking and feeling.

"If only after the execution you had burned the entire mansion into black ashes, and made it one with the ground... maybe you'd be safe, for the evidences had turned into the ashes as well and there's no way I could accuse you without it and instead I would've believed more that the devil who committed all of this."

Kharys began to raise his voice a little, in order to overcome this solitude which if left uncharted would be rampant. The subject matter however, strangely enough, was quite the opposite about what his only interlocutor might thought... the relieved-looking man who was preserving a little smile on his slightly wrinkled face... he was instead acquiring sufficient guidance on what should've done to improve his little scheme.

"You're right, Lord Kharys, once again... but you're also wrong for the first time," Heerys responded, keeping the conversation flowing in place, "I might be safe... my little scheme would be left untouched without anyone know except myself, but I wouldn't able to bear this feeling. Their screams, begging for mercy... their warm blood, pouring profusely from their chest and turning the brown hands into crimson color, for it was drowned... and their hearts that were still beating even after when got removed. These memories would surely haunt the rest of my life, forcing me to end my own life eventually."

"Ending yourself isn't an answer nor it is a mercy. Don't even think if there are no consequences after what you have done in this world! Because if there's no such a thing as the afterlife... this life will become unfair."

Raising the intonation the silver figure was... from that moment and so on, the head villager could tell if the feeling of fury of the prominent individualist has reached its pinnacle point to a certain extent was unavoidable in order to match evenly the non cognate and cognate the stimuli of his own despondency.

"I know, Lord Kharys." Heerys, the head villager answered willingly, "That's why I feel, somehow, relieved. Maybe because I have no regret committing such a wicked ritual, knowing that Lord Yindas was looking for the devil too." the man paused for a moment, letting out a brief snigger, "He really didn't see it coming, did he? If he in actuality welcomed the devil himself. It was good for him though, because the ritual was a success to begin with - doesn't mean I took pleasure participating in it."

Moments of silence coming back to haunt the ambience once again, as the man's face was looked down and harden the clench of his fist - holding back the concealed emotion which thrashing to escape through his oral, yet felt inferior before the adherent of egalitarianism.

"It was an expected end for the notorious Lord Yindas." Kharys began to speak up to diminish the tension which seemingly about to thrive once again, "There have been many conspiracy theories about him - sprung and flourished around him... and as any conspiracy theory which available within everyday rumors, it wasn't really a virtuous one. Human trafficking, exploitation expropriation and deprivation of property rights. Many had fallen a victim on his hand, not excluding your daughter - hence I'm able to see why you were doing such a thing, because the desperate parents are willing to do anything for their children."

It seemed that the silver figure was never-ending to surprise the head villager - from every possible ways and angles... when he was caught off guard, that silver armored figure was always approached in an unforeseen manner - the unpredictable movement creating dubious thought on how to counter it... only silence words that came out in the end, so did the man.

"Regardless of how many reports and accuses fallen upon him, justice never has been brought." consequently, Kharys carried on with his clarification behind the motive of this recent incident, "Because his relation with the King, because of his lineage born as a part of noble houses... all of his action was protected legally bylaws for having privilege in general society. Even when his course was proven to defy the nature of law, only the evidences left to be found. Someone with a high sense of justice such as yourself, undeniably would choose a forthright action by delivering a cold iron metal into his heart."

"Because my prayer was apparently granted." the man slowly but surely dared himself to connect a heart-to-heart chat, "You see, Lord Kharys, everyone in the village knew about him, everyone hates him, and they want him lying down in cold out of scared and felt threatened... yet they really have no... 'prowess' to perform such a work, since our financial depends solely on his questionable wealth in frozen season. We're not proud of it, but not much we can do to survive this cruel world. However, I realize something... by doing that and letting him still breathing and roaming the world because of our ego, maybe it's not us but others people who may suffered from his existence. That's when the god sent me this devil whom I accidentally met beneath the moonlight."

The head villager eventually dared himself to take a step forward, towards the brighter side of the room where the azure moonlight could illumine his dark hair which some has turned into grey because of his age. His serene face had been lifted, and now turning it towards the large window where his hazel eyes could perceive and savor the scenery which brought his past memories.

"Exactly the same as tonight scenery." Heerys continued, "And since that moment, I knew what I had to do."

Kharys was breathing in and out from behind that silver helmet, hence creating some muffled sound, "I see... it requires a devil to kill a devil, eh?" he then walked away, approaching the large desk for the last time, "Another reason why you didn't burn the whole place, maybe because you were also looking for some evidences or at least some sensitive information regarding the whereabouts of your daughter, yet you couldn't... even when it lays right under your nose." grabbing the log book that was lying intact on the desk, Kharys then showed it to the man, "These numbers, words, syllabaries... they're actually a code, and when we burn the book... the evidence will reveal by itself."

A wild flame suddenly formed on that silver plated palm which he used to hold the said book. Instantly burned within the crimson flame, turning it into ashes... oddly enough however, that silver plated palm seemed still grabbed something in it, even when every old-looking leather paper had changed it appearance drastically... there was another book which seemed to have survived the cremation - with different cover and papers.

"It's such an unfortunate you didn't burn the whole place to the ground."