Drumbeat

Arnacia felt as if her heart was about to burst from the lightness of her body and the elation of her feelings. Day 2 of the crash course has resulted in an enormous change compared to day 1. She wondered about the powers of that cubical pellet and, for a moment, forgot about the approaching danger.

She walked with a harmless yet serious attitude all along the way back to Naomi's house. An experienced stalker could barely classify her moments as stiff, but she was happy with the results of her acting because no one seemed to be following her.

However, one can never be careful enough to sniff and slide through all the dangers.

"Naomi, is it alright if I come to your house tomorrow?" Arnacia asked.

"Is everything fine? You should bathe here," Naomi said after looking at Arnacia's attire. The shirt looked a little sodden with sweat in places. In places, you really feel the stickiness creeping into your soul through the skin.

"I will see you tomorrow, I promise," Arnacia said in a low-pitched voice.

"Your clothes are here and I also have a few new pairs of underpants if you like."

"No, that's not it. I really have to go now." Arnacia briefly hugged Naomi and walked away.

Naomi watched in the direction until her childhood friend went around the corner of a house. She felt as if she wouldn't be seeing Arnacia for a long time now. Her body visibly shivered, and she crossed her hands to tightly interlock the fingers together.

***

The village routes were scattered and plenty, like a spider's web maze. All paths led to the village market if followed correctly. It was the fifth evening of the Evernight festival and the shops were bustling. The gathering of people made one believe every villager was sucked into the center of the village.

Arnacia walked into the sea of people slowly flowing forward. It was pretty packed and she could only overtake when the person in front of her stopped at a stall. She chose the easiest direction to traverse and got out of the horde of fireflies, decoration lights and origami.

The sweat of really getting into her. She felt her entire body burn like a candle in the wind when she made it to the lonely path out of the market. The wind would soothe her face, but instantly the skin would heat again. She saw her breath in the air as she passed through a house that had an origami lamp.

The sound of air seemed to tear apart the gently swaying crops. Arnacia heard her own footsteps drum inside her head. But wait, another pair of drums tap in the background. She strode forward, and the drumming turned louder.

Louder. Louder. LOUDER!

Three pairs of drums chased after one another inside Arnacia's head. She heard the beats echo as she turned around the corner at great speed. The wind howled as she raced.

Faster.

Louder.

Throbbed her heart like it would burst out of her chest. Soon, the third pair of drums could be heard no more. Instead, she felt the blood pump inside her head. New sounds rustled to tear sanity apart.

The calm forest sounded like a den of beasts licking and smacking their lips. Soon she heard blood flow like a food calamity. But her legs didn't stop, she couldn't stop if she wanted to live.

Her vision darkened as she ran along the riverbank. She was as numb to the sounds inside as a lifeless corpse to the heat. Anymore, she couldn't run anymore. She touched her heart. A heart that felt nothing like her own. Slowly, it ticked. It ticked like a time bomb.

The last thing she saw was a blurry cabin. Her body fell forward at the sight. She crawled a little before her body gave into the warmth that originated from the burning of her own body.

***

A knock on the door. It wasn't loud, but it echoed. Raffaella opened the thin piece of wood to greet the strangers. The uninvited guests were giants compared to her thin and frail body, especially the villager in the back.

The man on the front had blue hair. He was wearing a cloak that hid everything below his neck. The smile on his enigmatic face seemed genuine.

"My apologies for intruding," Gerome said politely.

A hand emerged from underneath the cloak and fully opened the door. Gerome's metal boots stepped on the ordinary wooden floor. He casually walked closer to the person lying on the bed.

"Your patient here is a friend of mine." Gerome said while looking at the person.

Theon immediately entered the house. A light thud attracted Raffaella. Apparently, a long piece of metal hit the wall. It wasn't anything major, only a little dent on the was left to tell the story.

"This is…" Theon held the patient's face between his fingers. He turned it sideways before tossing it back. "He is the damn brother."

"Ah, I seem to fail at keeping track of things. Won't you help this poor man out here?" Gerome said to Raffaella as he walked on the opposite side of the room and sat on the bench. The cloak swiped sideways and revealed the hilt of a sword.

"Where's the doctor hiding?!" Theon asked in anger.

"I-I…" Raffaella fled the room in terror.

Theon was about to follow the little girl, but stopped because Gerome waved a hand. He still looked around the room and peaked through the two doors one by one. This was the doctor's house alright.

"Good evening, sir. Good evening and merry Xende to you." The doctor entered the room.

"I have never sat on a wooden bench before, never seem to find an excellent carpenter." Gerome said with a smile.

"My deepest apologies. Forgive me and my foolish daughter." The doctor bowed and showed the way to the door that led into the house. "Please make a place in this lacking house."

Gerome nodded in satisfaction and stood up, thus the sword hid under his cloak again. He looked at Theon and waved his hand at the other door. The doctor didn't stop bowing until he entered the study room.

"You seem quite a doctor. I can't even imagine what's buried in these books." Gerome looked at the array of books hiding on the shelves.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself." The doctor took the chance to wipe the sweat from his face as Gerome inspected the room. "I am an ordinary doctor who has been living in the woods for the past ten years in my wife's memory. Mose Keller at your service."

"Are you a carpenter as well? Or perhaps a pirate? Aren't those stories you hear as a kid about pirate's treasure the most intriguing thing ever?" Gerome asked as he casually walked near the bookshelf. His every step sounded like a warning.

"Sir, those are some delicate books." Mose's voice cracked and his heart beat faster, like a ringing drum, as he saw Gerome pull out a book with a smile.

The book seemed to be stuck on the shelf. But a metallic voice sounded from beneath the study desk when Gerome pulled the book with force.