Mystery Rise: The Second Line

Kyshanne decided to find her family in the depths of the village, among the people who weren’t participative in the community exchanges. It was the house of her supposedly grandparents. Hoping her mother is still there, she knocked.

“My, you really look like me daughter,” the old lady said after she offered the teen a seat and tea. “Um… pardon, but I’m looking for someone. …named Keila,” she asked, unsure of every word. Just after the grandpa came, he already knew who the teen was. “Keila, you say?! Are you that cursed child she threw?!” clearly, the old man has the same hatred towards her as her mother. “Why did you let her inside, dear!?”, “I’m sorry if I’m bothering. I swear to leave immediately, just give me a minute to speak to her…” the lass bowed her head sincerely.

“You can’t find her here! She’s somewhere happy with her family!” she felt something in her heart. Pain? Relief? Hate? She doesn’t know. ‘So I do have sibs…’ “Then shan’t I talk it to ya, geezer,” she dropped her sweet talk. ‘Nay, I don’t care about those sibs. One’s enough’ “Change yer way of organizin’ the merchants, will ya?! Yer their ruler, aight? Don’cha know they harm and steal from people? That ain’t tradin’, that's just robbery!” ‘If my family’s like this, then I ain’t taking it’ “If you really think your fit as their leader and continue this false superiority, then not long, YER MERCHANTS’LL DIE OFF OF THEIR OWN FUCKIN’ GREED!” ‘Seril’s enough, the gang’s enough!’ Kyshanne continued with her battle.

Months after… “—We’re finally here…” Deneb said after he spotted the familiar hills from afar. He told the Seril, Jack, Pablo and Carnelia to take the long road because the way to the village was longer. On his way, he was wondering what could have been the dropped object was. Aware of the fact that the village is now weakened, he wasn’t expecting any greetings. But what stood before him is also something he didn't expect.

The day he left with the others, not all of the villagers died. Some must’ve still remained, but what Deneb saw was a ghost town. Not a single soul. Not a single corpse. As if the all the people migrated to another place. What was strange was that not a single belonging or bloodstains were left behind, not even to the ones who died. However, he did not want to lose hope. He searched for parts where no belonging can be taken. Behind the bushes, between rocks, underground.

Deneb also explored around and inside the houses. He noticed those beyond the hills still have things inside them. “…!?” there is only one possibility that comes in his mind.

Several days after he arrived, he heard noises of people coming. He quickly hid, and saw hooded men come over. ‘I knew it!’ “We still haven’t taken the things from behind the hills”, “Make it quick, then. I’ll send a report to the boss.” Merchants. Evil human merchants. They once theorized they are in cahoots of some necromancers. ‘Was that… no, I’m probably just hallucinating.’ He turned to the other way. The bush was disturbed, rustles. ‘Dang…!’ – “If merchants appeared, quickly get away.” Kyshanne gave that advice.

Deneb clenched his fist and quietly ran away quickly. “I’ll never find it if they are here. Xadulo won’t hide such precious thing here if merchants might just find it,” he thought as he took the route to the forest where he met Xadulo. One of the merchants noticed him and thought of a plan.

As soon as he got there, he started looking for Jack. When he found the lad, he was breathless. “The merchants… they got the Farhoods…” Jack, who still have yet found the item, already got bad news.

“Are you going to come back there?” dusk, Jack asked. “Not anymore. If Xadulo’s here, I don’t think she’ll want me to. It’s not like Carnelia said that each of the selected places had it. I’ll just help you look in your case,” and Jack nodded in response.

Not far to them, a merchant who followed was writing his report. “‘I have found Deneb Contts’,” he wrote, then rolled the paper and gave it to a crow. It flew away with the report. “This shall be your downfall now, Angelic Demon,” he whispered.