Hanging Soul

After the fight against Lutwel, they returned to Luzie’s house.

Lan said, “Is this the house you were talking about?”

Yenza said, “Yup, this is it.”

Yenza called out, “Hey, Granny! I’m home.”

But there was only silence.

Lan said, “It feels like no one’s home.”

Yenza said, “Maybe she went to the village.”

Lan replied, “At this time...?”

There was a letter placed on the table.

Lan said, “There’s a piece of paper. What is it?”

Yenza took the paper and read it. It said:

». Don’t search for me. I will not be here for some time.

You should continue your journey...

Maybe somewhere in your journey, we can meet again.

When we meet, I’ll ask you to forgive me.

               Find the Hanging Soul...

As soon as they finished reading, the letter turned to ashes.

Yenza was confused. “What does it mean by ‘Hanging Soul’?”

Lan said, “Don’t worry. If that’s the case, it means she wants you to figure it out.”.

Lan added, “Look, she left some Valz for you.”

Yenza felt something was off. But he didn’t worry.

He said to himself, We’ll meet again, that’s for sure, Granny... Forgive you? What do you mean by that...

Lan slept inside the home. Yenza, thinking about the letter, wondered, Where did you go... I wanted to say goodbye, but it’s okay. Maybe another time...

He tried to sleep but couldn’t.

So he went to the village to look for her — even though he knew he wouldn’t find her.

It was midnight. No lights, only the faint trace of moonlight.

He walked through places he thought she might be.

Yenza said, “Why am I going through the whole village even when I know I won't find anything? It’s like this body knows something...”

Finally, on his way home, something hit him in the back of his head — like a sharp flower.

His vision blurred, and he lost consciousness, falling to his knees.

A group of people gathered around him.

Yenza looked up with tired eyes. “Who are you people?”

A man stepped forward and said, “You don’t remember?”

Yenza recognized the voice. “You’re... dead.”

“So you do remember.”

Yenza laughed. “Lutwel... I don’t know what I did to piss you off.”

Lutwel kicked him. “If I needed to kill you, you’d already be dead. But someone wants you alive.”

Lutwel added, “This is a warning. Don’t worry. When the time comes, I’ll be the one to take your head.”

Yenza laughed, blood spilling from his mouth. “We’ll see about that…”

It angered Lutwel. But another man said, “It’s time. Our job here is done. Consider it your luck.”

They disappeared into the shadows.

Yenza, lying on the ground with blood in his mouth, slowly stood up.

“The previous owner of this body really pissed them off... interesting.”

He smiled. “What an interesting way to end the day.”

He cleaned his wounds and returned to Luzie’s home to sleep.

»»»»……

Next Day...

Lan woke up as sunlight glazed over his eyes.

He looked around for Yenza, but he was already outside watering the garden.

Lan walked to him. “You got up early.”

Yenza said, “Yeah, I fell down.”

Lan looked at his bruise. “That’s one hell of a bruise.”

Yenza asked, “When will the ship arrive?”

Lan said, “Afternoon.”

Yenza replied, “We need to buy something before we go.”

Lan asked, “What do you need to buy?”

Yenza said, “You told me everyone’s armed, right? I’m thinking about that...”

They walked through the village, looking for a shop that sold swords or anything useful.

Lan said, “Look over there.”

Yenza said, “You sure that’s it? Looks like it’s about to fall down.”

They stepped inside.

A voice said, “What do you need? I’m Mozl, the owner.”

Yenza asked, “Do you have anything?”

Mozl said, “What do you have in mind?”

Yenza said, “Something like... a sword?”

Mozl said, “You don’t even know what you need? No problem. Look around the shop and decide.”

Both Lan and Yenza began looking around.

Something caught Yenza’s eye — a long, old shotgun with silver striping all over it.

He picked it up and brought it to the owner. “How much for this?”

Mozl looked surprised. “Wow, I haven’t seen this in a long time.”

Yenza asked, “What do you call it?”

Mozl replied, “It’s called Lyzen. It doesn’t need bullets to fire.”

He continued, “It uses Lyth. And it’s dangerous if you don’t know how to control it.”

Mozl added, “It has a unique ability. If you use your Lyth, it can turn into a katana too.”

Yenza said, “Awesome. How much is it?”

Mozl said, “It’ll cost you a lot.”

“How much?”

“About 40 Valz” 

Yenza smirked and said, “Mister, can you reduce the price?”

Mozl laughed. “I’m just kidding. This thing’s been sitting here for years. In a few more years, this shop might not even exist. No one knows what happens next — that’s the interesting part, I guess.”

“I’ll give it to you for 20 Valz. How about that?”

Yenza said, “Reasonable.”

Mozl said, “I have a question. Are you going to explore the continent?”Then be safe out there..

Yenza said, “We will.”

Then Yenza asked, “Wait, where’s Lan?”

“I’m here!” Lan returned. “Where did you go?”

“I was looking for a some clothes. I think it looks good.”

Yenza looked at the outfit. “Classic black… and a hat?”

Lan nodded. “Yes. I think hats look cool.”

Yenza said, “Time’s getting close...”

Lan said, “Wow, you bought that?”

Yenza said, “Yeah, it’s called Lyzen. It only uses Lyth, so I need to practice.”

Lan asked, “Who are you gonna shoot?”

Yenza said, “Probably you.”

Lan replied, “Sorry for the question...”

They left the shop, saying goodbye.

“Mr. Mozl, see you again.”

Mozl said, “Yeah, be safe.”

They went to the nearest hot spring, relaxed, and changed into their new clothes.

»»»»…..

It’s Time...

Two guys stood at the port, wearing hats, waiting for the ship.

Yenza said, “This hat is comfy.”

Lan said, “I know. Always trust my taste.”

Yenza chuckled.

They heard the ship’s horn as it arrived. Many others were waiting too.

They boarded.

Lan said, “Looks like a pirate ship.”

Yenza said, “I know. Luzie told us not to be picky.”

Both stood at the edge, looking at Vozno village one last time.

After a few minutes, the ship started moving. As the village faded into the distance, Yenza kept looking back.

A few hours later, they were resting on the ship.

Yenza placed his hat over his face to block the sunlight.

Suddenly, he felt someone watching them.

He moved his hat and saw a group of guys staring at them.

“Who are you guys?” Yenza asked.

One guy stepped up, took their hats, and said, “I like this hat. You got a problem?”

Yenza said, “Yeah, your head’s too big for it.”

Everyone around laughed. The guy looked annoyed.

Lan asked, “May I know your name, big guy? And please return our hats.”

The guy said, “I don’t have to tell my name to losers.”

Lan replied, “Okay then, Big Head.”

The guy snapped, “I’m not Big Head! My name is Yuke.”

Yenza burst out laughing.

Yuke got angry. He used his Lyth to threaten Yenza. “Give us all you’ve got — and that thing wrapped in cloth. Looks valuable.”

Yenza stood up. “Fun time’s over.”

Lan and Yenza both got to their feet.

Yenza said, “This thing? You want it?”

“You’re threatening us with weak Lyth? Pathetic.”

He unwrapped the cloth and pointed Lyzen at Yuke.

““You gonna give us our hats back or should I use my Lyth?”

Yuke looked nervous. “You’re not that brave...”

Yenza replied, “Oh? Wanna try?”

His hand symbol glowed, and he channeled Lyth into Lyzen.

The gun glowed orange, like it was heating up.

Yenza didn’t fully know how to control it, but he said,

“I don’t even know when it’ll shoot. Give me the hat — before your head leaves your body.”

Yuke, trembling, said, “Okay, I’ll give the hat...”

At that moment, Lyzen fired — the blast so powerful, it shifted the ship’s direction.

Yuke barely survived and... He soiling  himself.

Everyone around stared in disgust.

A crew member ran over. “What’s going on here? You two — what are you doing?!”

Yenza stood in shock, realizing how powerful Lyzen really was.

Yuke shouted, “He tried to rob us! He pointed that weapon and shot at me!”

Lan replied, “Bullshit! He took our hats and tried to rob us!”

The officer shouted, “Enough! You both aren’t going to the next town...”

                        ……….★………..