Trickery

And then someone came over this land and killed the beast in a battle that lasted twenty-two days.

Rumors say that the hero that killed the beast did so with a special power he had awakened during his fight.

The first twenty days he was just dodging, but on the twenty-first day something changed, the witness who saw him fight said that he started attacking way more oftenly until he defeated the wretched beast.

The beast died with a smile on its face.

"Oh, by the way" I said, "what was that light that came out of your hand earlier?"

"You don't know Sefor?" he responded, "It's something that everyone learns, how do you not know it?"

"I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've heard of it." I replied, "what does it do?"

"Well, it's complicated, and I cannot teach it to you because it's prohibited to teach if you don't have a license." He replied, "but, I might know someone who can teach you, her name is Emma Sinus.

"It can't be her, can it?" I thought to myself

"Does she happen to live in a village of the decaying?" I asked 

"She does actually, how did you know?" he replied, "if you want I can message her"

"Yeah that'd be great" I said thinking he meant by a land phone, "thank you for everything, I said as I pulled out a home sewed wallet and took out five silver coins, enough food for a week, and gave him the coins as a sign of my gratitude.

The man-shadow then waved his hand in the air, calling about a two-dimensional screen and pressing.

All I can see from my view was him clicking a button that said "(ჸlimƎ)яɘɈƨɒM" and then ɘϱɒƨƨɘM and after that "⸮miʜ niɒяɈ oɈ qυ υoჸ ˎɘno wɘn ɒ Ɉoϱ I" and after that another text appeared saying "ɘяυƨ ˎʜɒɘY".

"You're all good just head south and you'll see the village of the decaying, but inside the village there will be a house that is clean, go to it, good luck."

"Thank you."

And thus I headed south, this time avoiding the forest of the six-eyed wolves.

As I stepped into the village of the decaying, memories of my last visit crept into my mind like unwelcome ghosts. The air was thick with the scent of rot, just as I remembered. The people here—if they could still be called that—moved with sluggish, unnatural motions, their bodies frail, their eyes hollow.

This was the place where I had first seen her.

The woman who imagined Victor.

I clenched my fists as I walked through the streets, my destination clear this time. The clean house.

Last time, I had been hesitant. Now, I knew better.

I knocked once.

The door swung open almost instantly, as if she had been expecting me.

Emma Sinus stood in the doorway, her piercing green eyes studying me with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine. Her silver hair framed her face, unnaturally perfect in contrast to the surrounding decay.

"So," she said, leaning against the door frame. "You finally decided to come back."

I met her gaze, trying to steady my breath. "I need to learn Sefor."

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "Oh? And why would I teach you?"

I tightened my grip on my Cultro. "Because I want to get back to my family"

For a moment, there was silence. Then, she laughed.

Not a mocking laugh. Not one of disbelief.

But a knowing laugh.

Like she had been waiting for this to happen.

She stepped aside and gestured for me to enter.

"Come in," she said. "We have a lot to talk about."

Something had changed.

She walked to the garden and I followed her.

The tombstone was not there, just an empty spot in the grass.

She had tricked me.

Damned be the woman.

"If you want me to teach you Sefor;" she said, "you'll have to pass my test"

"Which is?" I replied

I want the heads of five different chevas on my wall by sunset tomorrow, about twenty-four hours, should be enough time right?

"Yes ma'am" I answered

"Master," she corrected me

"Yes, master"

"Your time starts now, go."

I turned on my heel and sprinted out of the garden, my heart pounding.

Five chevas by sunset.

I didn't know much about chevas except that they weren't natural creatures. They were born from the rot, from the decay itself. Twisted beings, neither beast nor spirit, but something in between. Their forms were never consistent—sometimes they had too many limbs, sometimes not enough. But one thing was certain: they were dangerous.

And now I had to kill five of them.

I gritted my teeth and headed toward the outskirts of the village. The land beyond was a wasteland of withered trees and cracked earth, a perfect breeding ground for creatures like them.

The first step was finding them.

The second step was surviving.

The Hunt Begins

The first cheva found me.

I had barely crossed the border of the decayed land when I felt the shift in the air. A deep, rattling growl echoed from behind a crumbling stone pillar.

Slowly, I unsheathed my Cultro.

A pair of glowing hollow eyes flickered in the darkness. Then another pair. And another.

Three of them.

Their bodies were warped, hunched over like starving wolves. Their flesh looked half-melted, dripping with some foul-smelling substance that sizzled when it hit the ground. Their jaws twisted unnaturally, filled with jagged, misaligned teeth. 

I tightened my grip.

One of them lunged.

I dodged, barely avoiding the snapping jaws. With a quick slash, I aimed for its neck—

The blade met its flesh—

And passed right through.

I stumbled back, eyes wide. No blood. No wound.

The cheva turned its head toward me, its jaws curling into something that resembled a grin.

Damn it.

This was exactly what happened with the six-eyed wolves. My Cultro wasn't enough.

I needed Sefor.

But I didn't have time to figure it out. The other two chevas were already circling me, their eyes glowing with hunger.

My pulse thundered in my ears.

Think. Think.

Emma had to have used Sefor since she was a teacher. So had Mike. They had both controlled it effortlessly. What had they done?

I tried to remember the feeling from before—the moment when my Cultro had been engulfed in light, when I had actually hurt one of the wolves.

That power had come from Mike.

But what if I could do it on my own?

I clenched my Cultro tighter.

The chevas tensed, ready to strike.

I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second.

And then I willed it.

A pulse of energy rushed through my arm, down into the blade. It flickered—just for a moment—before a faint, greenish-purple glow wrapped around it.

The first cheva lunged.

This time, when I swung, the blade didn't pass through.

It sliced.

A gurgling screech tore through the air as the cheva's head hit the ground.

I barely had time to process it before the other two attacked at once.

But now, I was ready.

I dodged the first, countered the second, my blade glowing brighter with every strike. The power felt right in my hands. It was mine now.

When the third cheva finally collapsed, its head rolling into the dirt, I took a deep breath.

Three down.

Two more to go.

And only a few hours left.