CHAPTER 23: CHAPTER 22: YOU ARE NOT HUMAN

Under the star filled night sky, moonlight streamed through the branches of the trees.

The forest was drenched in stillness, broken only by the occasional chirp of insects or the rustling of leaves.

Everyone had fallen into a deep sleep everyone except the masked man.

He sat on a low rock, watching the leaves sway with the wind.

Nearby, Oliver slept on the grass, and beside him, Lemur lay on his back, eyes fixed on the moon.

Under that pale light, memories surfaced those nights he used to leave the cave to gaze at the moon while his father stood guard at the entrance.

He remembered his mother’s smile, her calm voice whispering whenever he cried from fear or sorrow:

"Warriors don’t cry, my little one."

Now, as he looked up at the sky, he felt tears threatening to fall once more.

He quickly wiped his face with his hand.

"Warriors don’t cry."

The last bloody scene refused to let him rest.

The image of his tribe being slaughtered kept replaying in his mind without pause.

On the other side, Oliver turned in his sleep, then suddenly woke up gasping.

It wasn’t Lemur’s voice that woke him it was a nightmare.

Eleanor’s bloodied corpse. The screams of the villagers.

He stayed silent for a moment, staring at the ground.

He wasn’t okay, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise.

He couldn’t even feel grief the way he thought he should, and that bothered him more than the pain itself.

The others had cried and screamed he had remained still.

Yet deep down, he knew that if he wanted to, he could simply forget everything and move on.

But he didn’t want to forget. The nightmares, despite their cruelty, were the only thing that reminded him he was still human.

He turned to Lemur, who had finally fallen asleep after a long struggle to stay awake.

He smiled faintly, then got up and stretched.

After that, he walked over to where the masked man sat, watching the gray horizon beyond the trees.

"You’re still awake?"

The masked man didn’t answer, but Oliver continued.

"Don’t you plan to sleep? If you keep this up, you’ll collapse before you even get us out of this forest."

"Someone has to stay awake. The forest is full of predators at night, and most of them prefer weak prey."

"So, you’re just going to stay up all night?"

"Yes."

Silence settled between them, broken only by the whistle of the wind and the sage’s snoring in the background.

Then the masked man turned to him.

"Kid, you know I’m the reason that gray one’s tribe is dead, right?"

Oliver stayed quiet for a moment.

"Yes. It’s the same cave where you threw that blood vial, isn’t it?"

"Have you figured out how they died?"

"I’m not sure," Oliver answered after thinking for a moment. "But I guess the smell of blood drew a pack of forest predators. When they reached the cave, they found the grays and slaughtered them, right?"

"You’re correct. Those creatures hold regular gatherings, and when one of them goes missing, the others start searching. The one I killed was part of their group. But since you figured that out, why do you still want to take him with you?"

"I don’t know. Call it guilt or maybe duty."

"I’m the one responsible for their deaths, not you."

"If I hadn’t run into the forest that day, you wouldn’t have come searching for me, and none of this would’ve happened. So yes, I share the blame."

"You’re too kind for your own good."

Oliver smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, thanks for the compliment. Didn’t expect that from you, of all people."

"Who said it was a compliment? You’re kind to the point of stupidity."

"Hey, that hurts. I’m just a decent human being, that’s all."

"And that’s exactly the problem. You’re not just human you need to understand that."

"I am human."

"No, you’re not. The sooner you realize that, the better for you. Like I told you before, the outside world isn’t as forgiving as your little village."

Oliver felt a tightness in his chest but said nothing. Soon, he turned and walked back to his spot beside Lemur.

The masked man remained seated on the rock, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

Tell emerged from his coat and stood beside him on the rock, then looked up at him.

"You were a little harsh with him."

"I told the truth. He isn’t human, and he needs to accept that."

"But he’s half human, after all."

"That’s what makes him neither human nor mythical creature. He’s stuck in between. Humans won’t welcome him, and mythical beings won’t see him as one of their own."

"I think you’re exaggerating. Humans have accepted him so far."

"Did they know he was a hybrid?"

"That... I don’t know."

"I doubt it. And even if they did, people out there aren’t as kind as you think. Once they learn he’s a hybrid, he’ll be hunted and hated by humans. Even you spirits didn’t accept him, did you?"

"I don’t think anyone will ever find out."

"Just as you discovered it, others can too. But what interests me is what’s a hybrid like him doing here, right in the heart of a region full of humans and spirits?"

"I don’t know. I asked him, and he said the previous sage found him deep in the forest and brought him back."

"Deep in the forest? That makes no sense."

"You’re talking like I made that story up. That’s what he said."

"Has he shown any magical ability unique to mythical creatures?"

"I haven’t seen him use or display anything unusual. He seems just like any human boy if not for that strange aura around him, I’d think so too."

"In this region, do any mythical beings appear other than the Spirit of Autumn?"

"I don’t think any creature dares to show itself within its domain."

"In that case, how was that boy born?"

"How should I know? I’ve only known him for a few days."

"You’re nothing like the image one imagines when hearing about the daughter of a chieftain of the Spirits of Autumn."

"You talk like you’ve met one before. Besides, how do you even know so much about spirits?"

"This isn’t my first time dealing with them. I’ve met Spirits of Winter, of Fire, and even many dark spirits."

"There are that many kinds of spirits? The outside world sounds much bigger than I thought."

"They all exist within this forest alongside countless other mythical beings."

"Are you serious? Then why haven’t we encountered any of them yet?"

"Because we’re walking through territory ruled by the Spirit of Autumn and because I simply choose the safest path."