Chapter 29: The Most Intelligent Race

The Ghost Territory warriors had white armor and their faces covered by a mask in the shape of a ghost.

But unlike Draval's, the expression wasn't smiling.

It was angry.

The group leader looked at them one by one.

-What are you doing walking through our territory? What are your intentions?

Joshido spoke.

-We're just passing through. We're from the Lightning Village.

The leader signaled with his hand.

The warriors lowered their swords at the same time.

But the distrust in their posture didn't fully disappear.

-Who exactly are you? Who sent you?

Renir stepped forward.

-We already said we're from the Lightning Village. I'm the son of leader Jojiro. And we were trained by your leader, Draval.

The group leader went still for a moment.

-My apologies. I had no idea who you were. You're the beings our leader went to discipline.

Mozir and Yuzo glanced at each other.

Eldren, who had been quiet since they were surrounded, heard that last word.

And the memory hit him all at once.

His turn with Draval. The cave. The hits he couldn't dodge. The feeling that every session was harder than the last.

They call that disciplining?

Heliya crossed her arms.

-Interesting to know you would have killed us if Draval didn't know us. Ha! You're savages.

One of the warriors stepped forward.

-Watch what you say. Show more respect. Korei is second in command after our leader Draval.

Korei raised a hand toward his warrior.

-Easy. It's not that serious.

Mozir was looking at the fog still floating around them.

-Is this fog real? The smell it gives off is strange.

-It's not real fog -said Korei-. It was created by Amiria.

A small smile escaped Renir.

-My mother?

You never stop surprising me.

-It's an artifact buried underground -Korei continued-. When it detects beings approaching it starts releasing the fog.

Yuzo processed that for a moment.

-Does the fog send you some kind of signal to let you know?

-No. We're always watching. The fog is a tactic Draval came up with. We camouflage ourselves in it, which is why our armor is this color.

-I see -said Yuzo-. Now everything makes sense.

Korei looked at all of them.

-You're welcome to come into our village.

Joshido shook his head.

-It would be an honor. But right now we can't.

Korei frowned behind the mask.

-Are you in trouble? We can help.

-It's a problem you won't be able to help us with -said Joshido-. We're going to the Path of Peace. To look for information about our parents.

Korei thought about it for a moment.

He was right. It was something they had to handle themselves.

-Be careful with the living beings you encounter at the Path of Peace -he said-. Some of them go there with bad intentions.

Joshido nodded.

-Thank you for the advice.

A brief pause.

-And tell Draval that when we come back, I want a fight with him. Without holding back.

Korei looked at him for a moment.

-I'll tell him. You still have time to change your mind.

Joshido smiled and kept walking.

When Renir passed by Korei, he stopped.

-Be careful with Kaosuru. He's planning something.

Korei looked at him.

-Thank you for the warning. I'll let Draval know... and your father.

Renir gave a small nod and kept walking with the group.

Korei watched them move away in silence.

Kaosuru, huh? What are you up to this time?

And without another word, he and his group disappeared into the fog.

After a while walking through the trees, the path changed.

The trees disappeared and in front of them opened a long, clear road, bathed in a sun with nowhere to hide.

Eldren squinted.

-And now what? This is supposed to be it, right? Because there's nobody here.

-Yes, this is the Path of Peace -said Renir-. But we have to keep walking. At some point we'll reach the trading area.

He paused and looked at all of them.

-From here on we can't fight. Avoid conflict at all costs.

Everyone nodded.

And almost at the same time, everyone turned their head toward Joshido.

-Why is everyone looking at me? -he asked with genuine confusion.

-No reason -said Heliya-. It was a coincidence.

The laughter didn't take long.

Renir waited for it to die down.

-Let's go. Keep moving.

The road was long and the sun gave no relief. Eldren didn't take long to make his feelings known.

-This sun is unbearable. How much further? I'm desperate to get there.

-Complaining doesn't solve anything -said Mozir-. We're all going through the same thing.

Eldren kept walking, though not as quietly.

It was Joshido who spotted it first.

In the distance, movement. A lot of living beings coming and going.

-Renir, is that it?

Renir looked toward where he was pointing.

-Yes. That must be it.

-Finally! -said Yuzo-. We made it!

But when they arrived, what they found stopped all of them cold.

Two giants.

Four arms. Four legs. Sharp, large teeth jutting out from their mouths. Enormous white eyes, long wide ears. One had long black hair falling over his shoulders, the other had none. Both wore armor that just looking at it conveyed weight and resistance.

They walked among the other living beings like it was nothing.

The group let them pass in silence, eyes following them until they were far enough away.

Naiden was the first to speak.

-So what Zianya told us about the giants was true.

-They look incredibly strong -said Mozir.

Eldren let out the breath he had been holding.

-Good thing fighting is forbidden in this area.

-What could beings like them be looking for here? -said Yuzo, not taking his eyes off the giants.

-Maybe they were just passing through -said Eldren.

-Be careful -said Renir-. There are living beings who take advantage of the no-fighting rule to do whatever they want.

-I'll stay alert -said Heliya-. If I pick up any negative thoughts from anyone, I'll let you know.

-That'll be a big help -said Renir.

Joshido looked around. Living beings from everywhere, races none of them had seen before, moving between stalls of every kind.

-There's a lot going on and a lot of stalls. Best if we split up to find information as fast as possible.

Everyone agreed and spread out without needing more instructions, each approaching different stalls and different living beings.

When they came back together, the result was the same for everyone.

Nothing.

Nobody had found anything useful.

Mozir arrived with a piece of raw meat in his hand, chewing calmly.

Eldren looked at him.

-Did you actually look for information or did you just eat?

-Both -Mozir answered with his mouth full.

Heliya looked at him and scrunched her face.

-Ugh. You're disgusting.

Mozir laughed.

And as he did, a piece of meat flew out of his mouth.

Naiden shook his head.

-If nobody found anything... we're lost.

The silence that followed wasn't a comfortable one.

Until a voice came from somewhere nearby.

-I can be the solution to your problems.

Everyone turned at the same time.

Nobody there.

-I'm down here.

The voice was raspy and shrill at the same time, a combination that wasn't easy to forget.

They looked down.

A very old living being was looking up at them with oval yellow eyes that didn't miss a detail. Dark green skin, thin, short in stature. His hair, bleached white, was styled in irregular spikes pointing upward, and between them small pieces of metal were embedded in his head. He wore a long white robe that was far too big for him, dragging slightly on the ground, and dark brown long pants. His fingernails and toenails were long and black, contrasting with everything else. His ears were small and thin, barely noticeable among all the other details.

Nobody said anything for a moment.

Joshido spoke first.

-And who are you?

-I'm the solution to all your problems -the small living being answered, with the calm of someone who had been saying it for a long time.

Yuzo looked at him with skepticism.

-And how exactly are you going to solve our problems?

-It's simple. You just have to give me your trust for a short time.

Mozir looked him up and down, not convinced by any of it.

He turned to Heliya and spoke quietly.

-Read his mind. See if he's honest.

Heliya nodded and closed her eyes for a moment.

She frowned.

She opened them.

-It's strange. I can't. It's like his mind is empty.

Mozir didn't take his eyes off the small living being.

-I don't like this at all.

Joshido shook his head.

-We don't need anyone.

He turned to keep walking. The others followed.

-I thought you wanted information about your parents.

The entire group stopped.

They turned slowly.

Mozir was the first to speak.

-What exactly do you know?

The small living being let out a short laugh.

-I know exactly what happened after the explosion.

Eldren stared at him.

-Are you sure about that?

-Of course. And I also know what happened to your sister Lizena.

Eldren's face changed.

Not gradually. All at once.

Before anyone could react, Eldren already had the small living being by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

-This is not something to joke about. If you really know what you're saying... then talk. Now.

Yuzo moved in slowly.

-Eldren. Let him go. He can't talk like that.

Eldren held him for one more second.

Then set him down.

The small living being straightened his robe with calm, as if what had just happened was something ordinary.

-We can't talk here -he said, his voice still slightly affected-. The information I'll give you is very valuable. It would be dangerous for anyone else to hear it.

A pause.

-I have a healing center right next door. Come with me and I'll tell you everything I know.

Heliya frowned.

-A healing center?

-Yes. I dedicate myself to researching how to cure diseases. Right now I'm working on how to heal a wound in an instant.

Renir looked at him with something different in his expression.

-So you're a gifted mind.

The small living being looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

-Something like that. My race is known for it. For intelligence. We are the most intelligent race that exists.

-You remind me of a living being we had trouble with recently -said Yuzo-. His substantial weapon is chains.

The small living being nodded without surprise.

-I've heard of him. He belongs to another race. They're close to mine, but with one difference. Their specialty is combat. Mine is intelligence.

-I see -said Yuzo-. That's why he gave us so much trouble. I'd like to face Yusaro again someday.

The small living being's head snapped up.

-Did you say his name is Yusaro?

Naiden looked at him.

-Isn't that his name?

-His real name he never says. But that... will be a story for another time.

The healing center was the last thing any of them expected to find at the Path of Peace.

Large capsules filled with liquid lined along the walls. Screens, instruments, devices none of them could identify. A technology that made everything they had seen until now look primitive.

The small living being walked up to a hologram-shaped screen and began moving through it with a speed nobody could keep up with.

-What are you doing? -Heliya asked.

-Just making sure everything is in order -he answered without taking his eyes off the screen.

Eldren looked around for a moment.

-You never told us your name.

The small living being stopped.

-That's true. I forgot. Some call me the Recruit Investigator. But my name is Zaulan.

While the group walked around looking at everything, a sound came from outside. And then from inside.

Like something was sealing the place shut.

-What's happening? -said Mozir.

-Don't worry -said Zaulan without turning around-. I'm just securing the center so nobody gets in or out.

Joshido looked at him steadily.

-What are you planning?

-Heliya, read his mind -he said.

Zaulan laughed.

-She won't be able to. These pieces of metal in my head block my mind with a magnetic field.

He pressed a button on the screen.

From the ceiling, several ducts opened and a strange gas began pouring out, dense, colorless, spreading through the entire space.

-I knew we couldn't trust you! -said Joshido.

-Don't breathe in that gas! -Mozir shouted.

But it was already too late.

The effect came almost immediately. Their legs felt heavy. Their vision blurred. Their bodies weren't responding the way they should.

Zaulan had covered his nose with a transparent protector before anyone noticed.

Renir looked at him from where he stood, fighting to stay upright.

-What are you doing to us?

-Relax -said Zaulan-. You're going to be just fine.

One by one they fell.

Joshido. Heliya. Mozir. Yuzo. Naiden. Eldren.

The last to fall was Renir.

Zaulan stopped the gas. He removed the protector and looked around in silence.

-Well. I was genuinely nervous. I wasn't sure it was going to work.

A pause.

-Ha. That's a lie. How could I doubt myself? I'm the most intelligent.

He turned toward the entrance.

-Come in. You can take them now.

Four living beings in black armor and helmets entered without saying anything. One of them stopped in front of Zaulan.

-What do we do with them?

Zaulan looked at all of them lying on the ground. A smile appeared on his face that had nothing innocent about it.

-They're perfect for my great ambition. Take them to Planet Celatias.