Free Web NovelChapter 8: Chapter 8 — Shikar
I felt a searing heat wrap around my heart as I muttered to myself:
The pain in my body is less than the pain in my heart. I bowed my head.
Where am I, my God? My vision blurred as I recalled the faces of the people of Malisura... their children and women.
Am I in hell? My saliva choked my words.
Is this Malisura?
The city of opportunity... the city I fled to escape my cruel past and start anew.
I am the cursed one, not this city. Mat Kamel died because of me... and I put my family in grave danger.
I have never done anything good in my life.
Then I felt a warm hand on my back.
It was Ren, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, while her smile looked like a rainbow piercing a cloud-filled sky.
She whispered in a voice full of compassion and tenderness:
“Don’t blame yourself, Hidara. My father, even in his final moments, trusted you, and I will trust you too.”
I looked at a piece of glass in front of me and saw my reflection.
A faint, bitter laugh escaped me as I whispered to myself:
Is this the man Ren will trust? I looked at Ren and smiled, as if I had poured all my feelings into that smile.
I looked up at him.
He was sitting quietly, gazing out the window at a bird’s nest in a tree, while a crow attacked it.
I clenched my hands until my knuckles turned white, then said:
“I want to help everyone in Malisora.”
Neil looked at me and whispered:
“What did you say?”
Questions swirled through my head as I sighed.
Tell me, Neil... Have you spent your whole life trapped? Were you kidnapped, or did you get mixed up with witches? Tell me... What was your life like?
A confused smile spread across Neil’s face.
“I don’t want to hear that from you.”
I placed my hand over Ren’s and said:
“I know how painful that was. I know how much you suffered, Neil... but remember, this suffering won’t last. A day will come when you’ll see what lies beyond the rain.”
Neil turned his face away coldly, fixing his gaze on the head of a small mouse peeking out of a crack in the gray wall, and muttered: “That’s how life is; nothing in it is fair.
Everything depends on luck. No matter how hard you try or struggle, you won’t be able to do anything. Be content with who you are.”
I looked at Neil as if I were looking at my former self.
What life are you talking about? I won’t accept injustice.
“A person who leaves nothing behind will never be able to change anything.
So, Neil, let go of those thoughts.
Come with me, Neil... I need your help.”
The corners of Neil’s mouth turned up, and he said:
“How so?”
Thoughts were swirling in my head as I pieced the events together, and then I saw a thin thread in my mind’s eye, and I whispered aloud:
“ I’ve come to a conclusion that might sound silly, but I think the kidnapper chooses his target in advance.”
“I don’t know the exact target yet, but I think they’re targeting a specific age group...
between sixteen and seventeen.
Not everyone, just those who live alone.
Those who have no one to protect them.
I was one of them, too."
Neil replied sarcastically:
“You mean teenagers like us?”
I wasn’t surprised by Neil’s sarcasm, because I know how strange my conclusion is.
I nodded quickly. "Yes, but not everyone.
They’re looking for the easiest prey,
so we’ll look for those who live alone,
and we’ll protect them before they get to them.”
Neil burst out with a brief smile, but this time it wasn’t entirely sarcastic. “Are you kidding?
You’re talking about criminals from Malisora.”
My fingers trembled as my breathing quickened, as if I’d forgotten who I was talking to, but something inside me was telling me I was right.
“I know the idea sounds crazy... but I have a feeling I’ll find them.
Please, help me.”
Neil was silent for a moment, then sighed.
“I don’t like people who act out of pity...
But fine.
I’ll help you.
I’m not ready to see you die, Editor.”
A wave of hope washed over me, and at the same time, an equal measure of dread enveloped me.
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere in Malisora...
The sound of mice and the rustling of cockroaches filled a dark room pierced by dim blue electric lights, while a man sat in the middle of his room on a worn-out sofa.
His vacant eyes were fixed on a faded, distorted photograph on the wall. He whispered in a cold voice:
“We must begin the search for the missing heir.”
He picked up a glass syringe containing a thick green liquid, twirling it between his fingers as if it were an ordinary object, then continued in a calm, chilling tone:
“Before killing any teenager, we inject them with this. If the color changes, he is the one we seek; if it does not... then the body is worthless.”
Beside him, a man was examining a serrated dagger, then smiled a suspicious smile and said:
“It looks like tonight will be eventful. I’ll try out this special-grade forbidden tool.”
Then he looked up and added:
“But tell me, Ghaib, where shall we start?”
Ghaib replied as he gazed at the faint blue light seeping through the wires.
“We’ll go to the places where teenagers gather. The heir is between sixteen and seventeen, according to the information I received from the leader.”
He rose from his seat as a creaking sound, like a worn-out door, emanated from the sofa.
“Come on, Jin the show is about to start.”
Then he turned toward another man who was drunk, reeking of alcohol and cheap cigarettes. He was dressed elegantly, and his appearance suggested he belonged to a wealthy family.
“You, stay here.”
He didn’t answer, merely giving a terrifying look.
Meanwhile...
At school...
Inside the old gym, the lines drawn on the worn wood looked like ant hills, while cobwebs stretched along the edges of the walls.
Neil sighed and said:
“So you mean we’ll start the search tomorrow?” I looked at him and mumbled, “Yes, we’ll start tomorrow.”
Neil sighed and then said:
“You know, Hidara, I don’t fully trust your plan, but I’ll go with you anyway. See you later.”
Neil headed toward the door, but he stopped suddenly as if he’d remembered something, then looked at me and said:
“Take care of yourself.”
Hidara replied in a low voice:
“You too.”
I ran my hand through my hair as I let out a long sigh, then looked at Ren and said:
“Come on, Ren.”
But she didn’t move right away; her fingers were clenched tightly around my shirt. I placed my hand on her head and said:
“What’s wrong?”
She slowly raised her eyes, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her rosy cheeks.
I said calmly:
“Don’t be afraid.”
I reached out and took her hand. “I’m here with you. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
I squeezed her hand gently, then said:
“Come on, Ren.”
At the same time...
In one of the alleys of Malisora...
Ghaib and Jin were walking down an alley surrounded by towering buildings. Ghaib whispered to Jin, “We’ll be there after this alley.”
Jin smiled with burning enthusiasm.
Suddenly, in an instant, a pitch-black vortex appeared before them on one of the walls.
Ghaib stopped, putting his hands in his pockets as if nothing had happened, then whispered to himself:
“I was expecting him to come.”
A terrifying gust of air surged from the vortex, and suddenly two feet slipped out of it quietly
The darkness surrounding them gradually faded until their features became visible. The first one stepped forward slowly; his hair was black and tightly braided, with sharp strands hiding part of his face, and he carried a black sword whose sheath was streaked with blood-red lines.
He raised his head.
His eyes were a bottomless, dark void. He fixed his gaze on Ghaib, then said:
“Where are you going, Ghaib... O
descendant of the Six Shadows clan?”
