Stoat | Day

“What the hell is this?!” The boy screamed, looking at everyone in the room.

“Sit.” Selene simply asked as she sat opposite to the two chairs.

Sasaki sat first. It's hard to deny Sasaki’s performance during all of this, sounding completely believable. Which is honestly somewhat unnecessary, the boy’s behavior is so erratic at the moment that he’d be very vulnerable to gullibility.

Regardless, the boy is ensnared, as he reluctantly sat next to Sasaki with an unnerved expression. The boy then looked at Purnama, hand on her sword, guarding the only way of escape.

“I found this in the aftermath.” Selene then placed the booklet on the table.

“What is that?” The boy instinctively asked, glaring at Selene.

“I found it on the ground, at the farm. It contains dozens of Sect Emblems.” Selene said. “Is it yours?” Selene calmly asked.

“No…” The boy remarked quietly, shaking his head.

“Then it’s Sasaki’s?” Selene then asked

“Huh? Why would it be mine?” Sasaki then remarked with genuine confusion.

Selene didn’t answer. Either she is creating a deceptive situation, or she isn’t convinced of Sasaki’s innocence. As the Beyonders looked around in confusion.

“What about you? How do we know it’s not yours?” The boy asked.

“I suppose that’s possible… But the handwriting in it is way better than mine.” Selene explained.

“This is ridiculous, what are you up to? Huh?!” The boy yelled. “I thought your goal was to get to the Rebellion? Or was that a lie?” The boy reasoned.

“Even if I am. What does it matter, if you're lying too?” Selene asked, continuing to show little emotion.

“What could I possibly lie about? I’ve been with you the whole time.” The boy remarked.

“Couple of reasons.” Selene mentioned. “You figured out the time pretty quickly. You didn’t seem too surprised about Sorcery, like most Beyonders are. I also heard that Beyonders only come to this world after a full moon… You didn’t, but Sasaki did.” Selene divulged as the boy grew with frustration.

“So what?!” The boy yelled. “What about you? What reason do you need to use different names? Or, what’s this Warlock Devil?” The boy remarked with many questions.

“Are you with him?” Selene ignored the question and looked at Sasaki to ask the question.

“Come on, Yen, er, Selene. You saw how soaked I was.” Sasaki mumbled.

“Yen?” The boy caught Sasaki’s slip up. “Are you Yen? What are you—” The boy inquired before Selene stopped him.

“Quiet.” Selene said sternly as she placed her knife on the table.

“You could have easily staged that.” Selene said to Sasaki. “However, your footwear had hardly any water on them.” Selene then directed the statement to the boy.

“Selene? What is this about?” Sasaki interrupted as his confusion grew into some panic.

“Why travel with us?” Selene slyly asked.

Both the boy and Sasaki remained silent at the question. As a sudden thud on the door startled the Beyonders. Purnama barely opens to see who it was. It was the concierge of the hostel, concerned about the noise. Purnama then gives the concierge money, saying nothing.

“Y'all have a good night.” The concierge nodded.

“How about this… How are you still alive?” Selene then asked.

“I told you… Nasir gave me a super-rejuvenation amulet when he talked to me.” The boy previously made this statement during the walk to Eidsvik, the Party made little remark from the claim, possibly believing it to be true, until now. However, this statement is obviously a falsification, he received nothing of the sort during his time with Nasir.

“I never saw him give you anything.” Selene refuted.

“Well it’s true!” The boy growled.

The room felt as if the colors were fading from this complicated situation, each side refusing to give way to their secrets, remaining firm with their position in the clueless argument. Even though the boy doesn’t seem to have an idea of what information he wants out of the Party; asking questions that reveal little to nothing who he believes them to be. While Selene, knows the exact questions to ask. She clearly has an idea of who or what the boy is.

The boy’s heart rate continued to increase with every passing second. It’s painfully obvious that he is hiding something that would be devastating if the Party were to find out; he’s clearly nervous that he’ll be discovered.

Selene must see that she likely needs one fragment of evidence to confirm her own suspicions. Selene should think of something soon: the boy is showing signs of doing something reckless by glancing at the window that’s reflecting the altering sky lights.

“I think I know what you're hiding.” Selene said, as both Beyonders waited quietly for her statement to complete. “You’re both in the supreme Sect of Shokuin.” Said Selene.

“Supreme?! Why would anyone want to be one of those Grot Wyrms!” The boy seethed with aggravation at the accusation.

“Uhm yeah, being part of a Sect sounds like a death sentence.” Sasaki slowly remarked in agreement, equally confused.

“Not necessarily… Some Sects are very good to their members, surprisingly.” Selene mentioned.

“Tch, doubtful…” The boy scoffed.

“W-What now?” Sasaki asked, quietly.

“Yeah, you have no reason to hold us here… Whatever it is you want, I don’t want to be part of it any more. With you and your probably fake Rebellion.” The boy crossed his arms with lingering exasperation.

“He’s right Selene, I don’t see much of a reason to keep this up.” Sasaki mentioned neutrally.

Selene leans back into her chair, seemingly about to agree with the Beyonders. She then placed one arm on the table, interestingly with her hand directed at the boy. Simply staring at the two Beyonders, physically expressing nervousness in their eyes, accompanied by hot drops of sweat. With the hand she placed on the table, Selene tapped in two pulses with her middle finger.

Purnama quietly ascended over the boy. In one abrupt action: Purnama tightly fastened a rope knotted into a languid noose perfectly around the boy’s neck, to then wrench the boy from his chair upward, instantly causing him to struggle for air.

Purnama then fastly shifted her and the boy’s positions to be placed back to back with the boy’s body removed from any solid flooring, while Purnama’s hands securely on the rope as her back is used as leverage against the boy’s body.

The boy pointlessly clutched onto the rope to break free, but it is clearly too late as the rope is tightly stuck to his neck. Unable to relieve any form of air into his lungs; he could only flail his slowly weakening legs all over the room, as Purnama calmly adjusted herself to balance the boy’s squirming body on her back, along with Sasaki backed into the wall watching in shock at the sudden burst of violence.

Becoming limp from the loss of oxygen: the boy’s legs jerked softly, arms can no longer function as they fall to the side, mouth and cheeks turning into a sickly blue, with the whites of his eyes becoming more visible. As his breathing is now forced into a dying buzz.

Selene touched Purnama’s arm; as soon as she did, Purnama carelessly dropped the boy’s doll-like body onto the floor. Immediately colliding with it in a haunting thud. Selene then rolled up both of his sleeves, and Purnama placed a small mirror by the boy’s mouth. The mirror quickly fogged slightly, indicating the boy is still alive after a brutal 194 seconds of strangulation.

Selene then poured some liquid on the boy’s forearm. Within seconds, the center of the boy’s right forearm began to glow green with a small symbol. Selene stood up in a sigh to look at scared and confused Sasaki, as Purnama started to wrap the boy in more rope and cloth, covering his eyes and ears.

“You have this one chance to answer my question truthfully, and I’ll simply accept it.” Selene menacingly explained to Sasaki. “But if I find out that you lied… You're going to wish you were in his situation.” Selene translated, as she referred to the boy’s near lifeless body.

Sasaki slowly nodded his head in understanding as his throat shook.

“Did you know… At any point that he is in a Sect?” Selene slowly posed.

“I-I had no idea.” Sasaki stuttered. Selene glared at him for a quick moment, and then turned to Purnama.

“Let’s get the others… We’re leaving tonight.” Selene announced to Purnama, as she nodded in agreement.

“Wait out in front of the inn… If you still want to travel with us.” Selene then glanced at Sasaki with a look of demand as the Party left the room, dragging the boy’s unconscious body with a loose rope collared around his chest.