The Great Escape

Ren tried to open his eyes, but it felt like they were weighed down with lead, and the evening settled on his aching body, threatening to swallow him whole. His relaxed muscles were bunched beneath him, and he couldn't do anything but lie and wait. He became aware of movement as the rhythmic sound of shoes shook the ground beneath him. Then he sensed figures above his motionless body.

"Is he dead?" The familiar voice was music to his ears.

A cold hand was placed on his neck. "No, he's still alive."

Haku and Lily were discussing above him, and although he couldn't see them, their gazes bored a hole through him. He felt completely exposed. Warm tears began to burn his face.

"This is all my fault!" Haku's voice rang muffled as she buried her face in her hands. "I said some horrible things to him. I felt so lonely and only focused on myself that I forgot how alone he must feel."

"You said ugly things, but it's not your fault that this happened." Lily comforted her. "I thought I was aware of his power and could keep everything under control..."

"I found another body!" Zel shouted from a distance as his footsteps grew louder. "She is dead."

"Are you sure he did it?"

Lily looked at Ren's palm and smoothed it. "It's a third-degree burn. It seems he was the one who caused the explosion. According to our law, a murder—accidental or not—is to be punished publicly, before the entire town.

"That's impossible! He doesn't even know anything about how this world works!" Haku cried out.

Lily and Zel spoke at the same time, "What do you mean by that?"

"I'll explain later. Now, I have to take him and..." Haku looked at Zel like she was expecting something from him. "What do you want to do with Pen now, Hero? A resident of the city you're supposed to protect was just murdered." Haku stood up and spread her arms. Her voice echoed sharply from the surface of the water. "If you want to stop me..."

Zel talked without hesitation, "I won't. Consider this as compensation for getting answers to my questions. But—" He stopped for a moment and wore a sad expression. "I have to put a bounty on Ren's head. All of Ivory Concord will be looking for him."

The oni slowly nodded, savoring what she had heard, her hand still in the air. With teary eyes, she turned her head towards Lily.

"But about my Master—"

"Go north from here. You'll be safe for a while at the foot of the Alps. We haven't sent explorers there in a long time. Try to protect Ren until I find you." The Prophet held her palm a few centimeters above the unconscious body, which began to glow underneath. Blood started to flow from her nose, and she began to gasp for air, as if she had run a marathon. "He's out cold. He can't hear us. I've stabilized his condition."

She took a deep breath, but a coughing fit came over her. She tiredly leaned next to Ren, resting her aching palm on her chest.

Haku sat down next to the girl, and they both stared up at the clear, starry sky.

Zel watched from a distance, a knot of dread twisting in his gut. The "right decision" was clear. He was the Hero, a citizen was murdered, and here was the suspected killer, weak and vulnerable. He could end this now—a quick, clean death for Ren and the mentally unstable Haku. No one would question him. It would be his duty. But the thought made him sick. He started to like these people. And selfish, he wanted to protect them. Too many unknowns hung in the air, a suspicion he couldn't name. And then there was Lily, the Prophet, risking everything to help them. 

His tactical thinking was interrupted as Lily sat up and looked him deep in the eyes. A shiver ran down his spine as she looked deep into his eyes, as if reading his very thoughts. Then, giving in, he walked to Ren and looked down at him.

He sighed, knowing he couldn't trust his eyes alone. There was something suspicious about the whole thing that he couldn't explain. He pulled Lily up and put his arm around her under her armpit to help her walk. The girl wiped the blood from her face. Haku picked up her sword from the ground and tossed Ren's motionless body over her shoulder. The three of them looked at each other one last time before heading in two different directions.

Ren opened his eyes. He found himself in an unfamiliar location. The air was different here; it was cool and damp, thick with the earthy scent of wet soil and grass. He could hear the whisper of leaves in a breeze, and the distant, lovely song of an unseen bird. His mind was still foggy, struggling to make sense of the new impacts around him. The city’s noise was gone, replaced by the hushed hum of the wilderness.

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious. The sun was setting, its rays only fleetingly caressing the landscape. A large piece of leaf was fastened to his palm with some sticky stuff underneath. His blue hair was full of smaller and larger wood particles. He was lying on a warm, soft animal hide. Looking around, he saw no one else. Huge mountains stood defiantly behind him, and in front of him was only the smooth, green lawn, with one or two trees and even more bushes scattered here and there. A little further away, there was a fireplace.

He took off the leaves and moved his fingers; they seemed fine. Haku approached with a great commotion, holding an animal carcass in one hand and her sword in the other. She had a poker face and an empty gaze, then tiredly threw herself down opposite Ren, whom she had just noticed. She grinned and dropped everything in her hands and pushed herself forward, leaning on her two hands.

"You're finally awake! I was starting to think you were dead."

"What happened? Where are we?" as if the thought had struck him in the face, he asked the next question more vehemently. "And where is Sonja?"

"Who?"

"The... the girl I was with," the boy stammered.

Haku fell silent for a moment and took out a knife to skin the animal. The smile returned to her face without her even looking at him.

"I was lucky to find a gogi nearby. They're very fast with all their jumping. I also picked some berries during the day to go with the meat." She looked up at the sky. "Look at that! It's already so dark. I'll go gather some twigs for the fire."

Ren grabbed her wrist before the girl could leave.

"Hakuka, please. I need to know. What happened?"

"I—"

A sudden chill ran down Ren's spine, and the air around them seemed to grow heavy. He felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, as if they were no longer alone. His grip around the girl’s wrist tightened.

A bush rustled. Something was approaching. Haku snatched her hand away and picked up her weapon, preparing for any beast that might come. Two tall, hooded figures appeared from the darkness. A wide and a thin figure. Their faces were hidden, but a sinister energy flowed from them until the thinner one took off their hood.