Hello Ms Mary

I was jolted by the sound of yelling.

Loud, frantic voices and the sound of crashing furniture erupted around me.

A particularly nasty voice lorded over the chaos—one I knew all too well, and one I hoped never to hear again.

My body shook fiercely as I crept further into my hiding spot, desperate to survive the night.

“Akoni! A-KO-NI! I know you can hear me, boy!“

The man grew more irritated, soon turning to bark a command at the woman cowering at his side.

“Agatha! Bring me that bastard, now!”

She remained unmoving, her body stiff with terror. Growing more frustrated, the man snapped once more.

“This bitch... have you lost your mind? Find him!”

Still, the woman stood in silence, scared but unwilling. Dumbfounded by her defiance, the man let out a heavy sigh before delivering a brutal slap to her face.

Dissatisfied, he escalated his assault, striking her again and again while yelling out the most terrible curses. The sounds of her screams began to fade, replaced by the sounds of the forest around me.

I soon fully awoke from my dream and came to my senses.

I hurried to wipe my watery eyes and running nose.

After some time, my breath became steady and my shaking ceased. Just as I had calmed myself, a woman's voice interrupted the silence.

“What horrible dreams you have.”

I lifted my head hurriedly, meeting her gaze.

Her face was positioned just in front of mine. I hadn’t even noticed her approach; it was like she had simply appeared in an instant.

She leaned closer, inspecting my pitiful face with pitying eyes.

Her hair was short, curly, and a bit matted. Her skin was olive-tinted and smooth; she looked mature yet ageless, like a work of art. Her eyes were a deep purple, glimmering beautifully in the early morning sun. A glinting light pulled my gaze toward her lower lip. There rested a small metal ring, pierced against her lip; a thin chain connected it to a similar ring at the base of her ear, hidden by her dark brown hair.

The sight of the chain sent a shiver down my spine. A cold sweat fell down my cheek as I realized where I had seen that chain before.

“You’re the woman from before,” I whispered softly.

She only smiled and raised her hand to pet my head.

“Do not be afraid Akoni. I have seen your heart and no longer wish you any harm. Simply follow my instructions, and I will protect you.”

How does she know my name? No, there was a more pressing matter at hand.

“Protect me… from what?”

The smile on her face dropped, and she looked at me with a serious expression.

“My Master.”

The shift in her tone was heavy. Whoever her master was, he had to be dangerous. I couldn’t afford to refuse her help.

She let out a small sigh and quickly rose to her feet, turning toward the trees.

“We must leave this part of the forest. I will explain some things as we travel.”

I promptly stood up and chased after her. I watched her closely, a bit unsure whether she truly wished to protect me.

As if sensing my distrust, she suddenly began to speak.

“Are you still afraid?”

I paused for a second, a bit unsure.

She turned around to meet my gaze, a solemn expression strewn across her face.

“Honestly… I am. Who are you?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she looked up slowly and pointed at the sky.

“The sun has just risen. If we do not reach the mansion by nightfall, I cannot guarantee your life. No matter what happens, you must not stop walking.”

The finality in her voice was terrifying.

Am I really going to die?

No, it wasn't worth questioning. I swallowed my doubts and kept walking with her.

Hours passed in agonizing silence.

My mind was spinning, trying to process her warnings about the forest and her master, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the strange vision from yesterday.

To calm myself a little, I decided to ask her a question, hoping to start a conversation.

“Why did you save me?”

She waited for a moment before answering.

“To be honest, I don’t know. Humans rarely venture this deep into the forest. I was curious as to what you were doing.”

Her suspicion seemed valid; the Igudu Forest was a well-known death trap.

I had only managed to live this long because I was lucky. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it so I resumed my inquisition.

“Is that all?”

She paused again, this time a bit longer than before.

“My magic. You managed to utilise it yesterday, I want to know how.”

What? her magic? does that mean she’s connected to the vision I had?

before I could ask about it she spoke again.

“Magic imitation is obvious, but your abilities lie far beyond that. It got me thinking that you could be of use to my master.”

After she said that, I began to think back to the events of yesterday: the beast, the barbarians, the stranger.

As I recalled that man, his message began to linger in my mind. I looked back at the woman and wondered, could she be the one?

“Um… excuse me, Ms—”

“Mary. Please refer to me as Mary. Do away with the formalities and treat me like a friend.”

The warmth of her smile shook my heart. As its rhythm heightened, I felt all my worries melt away like summer snow. I could only reply with a sheepish “Okay” before continuing on with the journey.

Some more time passed, and my mind was once again consumed by the silence. I grew a bit restless. I wanted to talk with her more, but I didn’t know what to say. Just as I thought the stillness would continue, I suddenly recalled the message the stranger had left me.

“Excuse me, Ms. Mary…”

“Yes, Akoni?”

“You watched me while I fought that beast, right?”

“Hmm, in a sense. I guess you could say I was there.”

“What?”

“Never mind. Carry on.”

“Um… okay. The thing is, while I was asleep, I had a kind of dream.”

“A dream?”

“Yes, but not really like a dream. It was like some sort of vision, or a revelation. I saw something.”

“Hmm, interesting… What did you see?”

“I saw some people. They were getting attacked, and a man came and put an end to everything. He left me a message.”

“Okay? I’m sensing that I have something to do with this message, correct?”

“Yes, I think so. The man said… well, he asked me to tell someone named ‘sin eater’ that he would be paying their master a visit.”

She stopped walking. This was the first time we had stopped in hours.

She looked a bit panicked, yet excited. After composing herself for a moment, she looked back at me and spoke.

“Glowing blue eyes and chalk-white hair?”

My eyes widened, my mouth dropped, and sweat soon began to pour down my face.

No way. I was right?

Ms. Mary lunged at me, gripping my arms with both hands and shaking me.

“Where is he? Hurry, Akoni, we might not have much time!”

I panicked a little before stammering out my answer.

“I don’t know, I swear! I had never seen the place before. I only saw it get levelled, and all the gian—”

Her eyes narrowed, and her tone seemed to relax. She pulled me closer and then asked,

“Giants? What did they look like?”

I was dumbfounded by her question. A bit wary, I quickly blurted out my answer,

“They had crimson eyes, they wore thick, grey animal fur, and they wielded massive black weapons.”

She let out a deep sigh, falling to the ground for a moment before swiftly returning to her feet.

“We still have some time before his arrival, but this changes things. I can’t wait for nightfall; we need to reach the mansion now.”

She seemed calmer now.

I was able to relax myself now that she was no longer holding me.

Still, I couldn’t relax fully.

She had only said "for now," and there was no guarantee for tomorrow. The thought of seeing that man again made my hands tremor.

“There’s no more time to waste. I’ll carry you back to the mansion.”

Before I could protest, she snatched me and slung me across her shoulder. I felt my body suddenly jerk back as she leaped straight forward, dashing toward the trees. Without slowing down once, she leaped from tree to tree, clearing the large gaps between them effortlessly.

At first, it was manageable, but soon her speed grew beyond the limits of my body. I tried my best to adjust to it, but the discomfort soon grew painful.

Even though the whistle of the wind was loud, I could still faintly make out her voice.

“The mansion is still about 15 minutes away. Rest for now.”

In an instant, all the strength escaped my body, and I began to drift asleep.