Yanz walked out, blood dripping down his hands. There were bloodstains on the ends of his shirt sleeves. He pushed the door open.
*๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ*
The sunlight hit his face bright, and he raised his bloody hand to shield his squinting eyes.
-"What was all that noise? We heard screaming,"
The chief said, his voice heavy with concern.
-"And why are your hands dripping in blood?"
Donvano added, his expression dark and suspicious.
Yanz looked around. In the distance, people were gathering, whispering among themselves. No one dared to approach, but their curiosity was undeniable. He pointed toward the crowd.
"We should talk inside,"
he said.
The chief and Donvano followed him back into the house.
The moment they stepped in, Donvano froze, his eyes wide.
-"What the hell is this?"
he exclaimed. His gaze darted to the body lying in a pool of blood, wooden sticks still stabbed into the man's lifeless frame.
-"Don't tell me you killed him!"
-"It had to be done,"
Yanz said, his voice calm, almost detached.
Donvano turned to the chief.
-"This is a mistake. A huge mistake! You shouldn't have given him this much authority. We're finished now!"
-"No one from the Sky Island knows he came here,"
Yanz replied.
-"How can you be so sure?"
-"Because he told me himself. He snuck down here in secret."
Donvano's face twisted with disbelief. -"And you just believed him? What if he was lying?"
-"He had no reason to lie. If anything, he would've said someone knew he came down, so we wouldn't dare harm him. But he didn't. I guess he was just someone stupid with power."
The chief spoke then, his voice grave. -"So, what now? How are we going to break this to the villagers? They'll panic. They'll demand we hand you over to save their own lives."
-"It would've been far too dangerous to keep him alive,"
Yanz replied firmly.
-"If he'd regained his strength, none of us would have been safe. As for the villagers... I'll handle them."
Yanz walked to a small side room.
-"Can I get some water? My hands are filthy."
Donvano nodded and followed him, leading him to a modest bathroom with a bucket of water and a small drainage hole in the corner. Lifting the bucket, Donvano poured the water over Yanz's hands as he scrubbed away the blood.
-"Have you done this before?"
Donvano asked, his tone low.
-"Killed someone, I mean. You seem... unfazed."
Yanz didn't meet his eyes.
(๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ๐, ๐'๐ข ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐. ๐'๐ซ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ง๐, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฅ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐ช๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐) .
He kept the thought to himself.
-"No,"
he said aloud.
-"But I used to hunt animals. It's not so different i guess."
Donvano said nothing more as Yanz dried his hands. They walked back to the chief.
-"Have you thought about what to tell the villagers?"
the chief asked.
-"Yes,"
Yanz replied.
"Can you gather them at the place where the incident happened last night?"
The chief hesitated.
"What are you planning?"
-"Trust me,"
Yanz said simply.
With a nod, the chief left the house, Donvano trailing behind.
The villagers gathered slowly, whispering amongst themselves.
-"What's going on?"
-"Why did they call us here?"
-"Does this have to do with last night?"
-"Hey, look! That's the kid from yesterday!"
Someone shouted, pointing at Yanz, who stood atop of a small tower like structure called '๐๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ' loomed tall, its circular frame forged from obsidian black, absorbing light like a void. Surrounding it, golden frames gleamed brightly,
-"Is he insane? Standing there?"
-"He must have a death wish!"
-"Well, better him than us."
Yanz raised his voice.
-"The Sky Person is dead!"
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
-"I am the one who killed him!"
Yanz announced.
For a moment, there was stunned silence. Then the cries erupted.
-"We're finished now."
-"They'll take revenge for sure!"
-"We're doomed!"
-"Mom, are we going to die?"
A small boy whispered to his mother, clutching her tightly.
The woman held him close, her trembling hands betraying her attempt to stay calm.
-"N-No, of course not. Everything is fine,"
she said, her voice shaky as sweat trickled down her face.
Her legs wobbled beneath her, fear etched into every movement. The crowd's unease mirrored her own as they watched Yanz step forward, his voice cutting through the noise.
-"DON'T LOSE HOPE,"
Yanz shouted, his voice booming over the commotion.
-"I AM HERE."
-"Who the hell do you think you are?" someone yelled.
-"You've doomed us all!"
another shouted.
Yanz clenched his fists.
-"My name is Yanz. I came from another world. And I believe I was summoned to save you!"
The crowd erupted in jeers and shouts.
-"Save us? You're just a kid!"
-"You've brought us nothing but trouble!"
-"We should hand him over to the Sky People!"
Yanz let them speak, his eyes scanning the crowd. Finally, he raised a hand for silence.
-"Why do you cling to your lives so desperately? To keep living in misery? Tell meโhas anyone here ever gone to sleep with a full stomach?"
The crowd fell silent.
-"You were born as slaves. Many of you have lived and died serving those monsters in the sky. To them, you are nothing more than ants. Working. Clinging to lives that have no meaning. Tell me! what dreams do you have!? What goals!?"
A man stepped forward.
-"So what do you want us to do? Fight them? Commit suicide?"
Yanz smirked.
-"No, i don't want you to go and fight them. To be honest, no matter how much you try you would never be able to defeat even a single one of those beasts alone. What I want is for you to stop being cowards. You can't win without me."
-"And who are you to talk so big!? You are nothing but a slave just like all of us, you are no different than us! "
Someone shouted.
-"Yeah! he's right!"
-"You can only talk big"
-"Go home brat!"
The crowd went against Yanz
-" You're wrong,there is a difference.I am not a damn coward like everyone here!"
Yanz replied.
The crowd murmured again, uncertainty still thick in the air.
-"Looks like i do need to demonstrate that im not like you"
Yanz pulled a bloodied wooden stick from his pocket. Without hesitation, he stabbed it through his hand.
A collective gasp went up as blood poured down his arm. Yanz winced, crouching slightly in pain, but he forced himself to stand.
The villagers watched in horror as he held out his trembling, injured hand.
-"Heal!"
he said.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, before their eyes, the hole in his hand began to close. The blood stopped flowing. The wound vanished entirely.
Yanz raised his now-perfect hand high. -"Do you believe me now?"
The crowd erupted in shocked gasps and murmurs.