Unexpected Reunion
Several hours had passed since Guhin had left the village. Having turned his back on the western region of Valherya, he found himself on a wooden platform similar to the one he had stood on in the village. This grand lift, designed to traverse the otherwise unreachable heights and depths that separated the vast continent, was a marvel. For most, these heights and depths were insurmountable, but for Guhin and the occasional mage or wizard who defied the laws of gravity, traveling to other regions was not entirely impossible.
The lift, impeccably designed and imbued with magic by the great wizard Thalos himself, a leading figure in the northern academy, functioned smoothly. Manipulating the levers at its center would cause the chains to rustle, moving the lift up or down according to the user's preference. Thalos, a great wizard and architect, had sculpted the lift in the image of his peers, with wooden statues of wizards consulting one another surrounding the platform. These great lifts of Thalos could be found all over the continent.
Guhin had pulled the lever to his right, and as a slight vibration shuddered the platform, the lift ascended to greater heights. Elevated alongside a staggering mountain, Guhin returned to "Jhorfa", the southernmost region of Valherya.
Walking through the mountain lands, filled with large boulders and lush forests, Guhin kept his eyes on the sky. The storm that had made him leave the village in a hurry was conjoining, merging into a single, raging bolt of lightning.
"They're here," Guhin muttered.
After all these years, he had discovered that everyone who hunted him, other than their oath of silence, appeared in a storm. It was as if lightning itself was their means of travel, or perhaps their means of descending upon the earth. Guhin had yet to uncover where they came from, but he was almost certain it was from another world.
The thundering bolt of lightning crackled through the ashen sky, unleashing itself upon the land and illuminating the area with a bright flash of white. Blinded by the blaze of light, Guhin blinked a few times before his vision returned. The cliff, empty just a moment ago, was now filled with lurking hunters. Clad in dark plated armor, their tarnished robes wavered in the aftermath of the storm. These hunters were different from those he had encountered that morning.
Hidden behind a beaked mask of plated silver, their magical aura was carried in the wind. An intense aroma of freshly picked lemons breezed over the grass as they fixed their gaze on Guhin. It was another attempt on his life, another day he had to fight for it. As he wondered if it would ever end, a profound sense of loneliness washed over him. He had never been able to settle because of them, and perhaps he never would. Always on the run, always ensuring that nobody else got caught in his problems.
"Fukujin... I'm tired... It's been so many years now, I don't think I can do it anymore... Maybe I should just, let them k..." Guhin's words trailed off.
Before he could finish his sentence, Fukujin pecked at his head, followed by another peck between his brows. The bird spread his wings with a hefty thud, jumped off Guhin's shoulder, and positioned himself in front of him. The feeling of his friend's beak pecking at his skin brought a smile to Guhin's face. The last thing he saw before he shut his eyes was the hunters descending from the cliff.
The rumbling sound of heavily armored boots hitting the ground approached. Deep down, Fukujin knew that Guhin was sad. From the moment he had been at his side, he had known Guhin was sad. Although his feathered head tilted slightly to the side in a worried manner, when the rumbling sound grew louder, Fukujin's gaze turned into a glare.
His small beady eyes transformed into an abyss of nothingness. As an ominous aura radiated from him, the presence he had as a small bird morphed into the aura of a towering beast. Spreading his wings in anger, he took off into the sky just as Guhin's eyes sprang wide open.
Embracing his impending death, a sudden feeling of hate boiled inside of Guhin. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his stomach, pulled his hair, and did everything in his power to stop this warm feeling of bloodlust from taking over every fiber of his being.
"No! Not again. Can't... Stop ... It," Guhin struggled to say.
He was losing control again. That morning, he had already succumbed to the darkness he felt deep inside him. But this was different; he was instinctively reacting to the situation before him. Changing his stance against his own will, Guhin crouched close to the ground on his hands and feet like a wild animal. Trying to resist the surge of boiling hate within, he looked down at his hands, where he saw his amulet lying in the dirt before him. It was whispering to him in the form of a hymn.
"citereH desruc lufitip kaew"
And just like at the waterfall, every sound of life died down. The raindrops splashing onto the surface, the wind howling through the grass, and the dozens of heavy footsteps closing in with each passing moment. The hymn, however, turned into a sound that resembled the beating wings of a thousand flying bugs, paralyzing Guhin completely. Still, he could feel that every cell within him was about to react to anything that bore ill intentions towards him.
The vibrations from their armored boots, he could feel them. Every breath of air their lungs took in, he could see it. All of his senses were taken to their limit, and beyond!
"Ikenai, Don't do it," Guhin pleaded.
The first hunters that were about to collide with Guhin formed some sort of spear between their wrists. Leaping in the air, they elegantly spun their newly formed weapon around their body before aiming the tip of their spear towards Guhin, ready to pierce his very existence!Inches away from impaling his flesh, a large greatsword was hurled out of a cluster of trees behind him. Soaring past Guhin with incredible speed, the huge sword sliced through the dark armor of the hunters, cutting them in half with little to no resistance.Drops of blood rained down on Guhin. His crouching posture didn't falter, but his eyes diverged to his right. Something soft was biting and breathing in his ear. It was Etro, the horse of the smiling giant.
Bokun laughed loudly, "What the hell are you doing here? What's the matter? Why are you on your hands and feet like that? ...I see."
Surprised to see Guhin in this strange posture, Bokun took a good look at the people before him. It was a small army of warriors, nomads by the look of their robes and hoods. The fact that they hid their faces behind masks was nothing but a sign of cowardice, according to Bokun. Still, their numbers could give any fighting man a run for his money. Taking a whiff of the sweet aroma of lemons, he examined the design of the spears around him.
"Conjurers, I thought I smelled magic..." Bokun mused.
He dismounted from his horse, "Etro," and gave him a hard smack on the rear.
"Sate...(well then)... Off you go, Etro!" Bokun commanded, smacking the horse and making it wince.
Guhin tried his best to warn Bokun. Speaking through his clenched teeth, he managed to mutter a few words. However, he didn't warn him about the hunters lined up before them.
"Get... Away... From... Me," Guhin warned.
The warning seemed to have no effect on the smiling giant. On the contrary, it seemed to bring him a sense of joy.
"Seeing you all worked up only excites me more. These maggots must be a real challenge... Let's see here, which one of you is volunteering..." Bokun said, ignoring Guhin's warning and approaching the masked hunters to pick his first challenger.
"Bakajaro! Damn idiot! I don't know if I can hold out much longer," Guhin cursed under his breath.
"You there, Big Boy," Bokun pointed at one of the hunters who was noticeably larger than the rest of them and gestured for him to come closer. "Yeah, you... How about—" Bokun was interrupted.
Before he could finish his sentence, the hunter he had pointed to appeared in front of him with an incredible burst of speed and struck Bokun on the side of his cheek with a heavy blow.
"...I see you chose violence... Right, have a taste of your own medicine then," Bokun retorted.
The masked hunter looked at his fist in disbelief that his punch had had no effect. As Bokun grabbed the hunter's robes, he caved in his chest with a single punch. The hunter's life ended instantly, his lifeless body tumbling on the ground until it came to a stop at his comrades' feet. They all looked down and watched the earth soak in his warm blood.A sudden silence fell over the area as Bokun pulled out his bloodied greatsword from the ground and pointed it towards the hunters with a broad smile from ear to ear. The smiling giant had returned.
"...Who's next..." Bokun challenged.
The black dots on their beaked masks, which resembled spilled ink, were moving. They changed shape as if they had a life of their own, expanding and shrinking in various ways until they all formed into dark horns sticking out of their hoods. After this small change in appearance, every hunter slowly turned their head towards Bokun.
"This is bad... That big idiot is about to get killed," Guhin realized.
Bokun felt the killing intent from the hunters; he could almost see it radiating from their aura.
"Seems I struck a nerve, hehe... All of you... Kakatte Koi...(bring it on)," Bokun taunted with a grin.