Faint footsteps were getting closer. The little animals squeaked. Based on the noises, Vince guessed two people were coming.
Not long later, two people came in. Vince peeked at the tiny holes of the mat and saw two middle-aged men, one was holding a burning wood used as a torch. These men were wearing black short pants with layers of bone necklaces dangling in their bare upper bodies.
"I'll take this one, you go take that one."
The man holding the torch said. He put the burning wood down and came to the side where Vince lay.
Vince calculated his moves. He must attack at the right distance. The man was standing beside him, about to take the mat off. As the man extended his hands, Vince quickly grabbed him and stabbed his heart. He then covered the gaping mouth. Later, a lifeless body was covered by a mat. Looking at the side, he saw the prince who just covered another lifeless body.
Vince looked at his bloody hands who just killed a life. His eyes were grim. He's a soldier, and a soldier is also a murderer. This cannibal isn't the first person he killed. He has been assigned to the southern part of the country and killed terrorists, but it was the first time he killed a person at such a close distance. The feeling was unpleasant.
"Dari, another two are coming..."
The faint voice pulled Vince's mind into reality. In a situation where you have to kill to avoid getting killed, there is no room for guilt.
Vince and Prince Aiji positioned themselves at the hut's entrance, opposite each other, preparing for a surprise and quick attack.
Later, another two came in. They finished them off and put their bodies beside the first two they killed earlier. They both peeked at the wall after, observing the remaining cannibals outside.
A few minutes passed, the people outside were impatient, facing in the hut's direction.
After a quick discussion, four people came over. As they got in, Vince quickly stabbed one of the men, the prince did the same. The remaining two were about to run, but they caught them before they had a chance to.
The commotion inside the hut got the remaining four people's attention. The prince didn't waste time and jumped to the flat surface below. The remaining four, realizing that someone was attacking them, wanted to flee, but the prince swiftly attacked them. Two men were down, leaving only the old couple.
The prince moved towards the old man who was shaking. The old couple tried to flee but Vince blocked them. As the old man saw Vince closely, he was horrified!
"You! You are his descendant...? How could it be... His tribe had fallen many years ago...and his descendants were all killed!"
The old man was shivering. His lips that never stop smiling throughout their conversation in the afternoon were trembling. At the back, the old woman shrank.
The old couple was terrified looking at the cloth that was tied on his head, Vince's curiosity was stirred, and wanted to interrogate the old man but Prince Aiji finished him off quickly.
"You are wrong. There is one, who, fortunately, survived..."
A soft voice whispered at the pale and wrinkled ear. The old man lost his life with his eyes wide open.
Vince's curiosity intensified, but he knew it wasn't the time to satisfy his curiosity.
Looking at his dying husband, the old woman ran off. The prince took his dagger from the old man's chest and shot it to the back of the fleeing old woman. The frail body fell on the rocky riverside, a few meters away.
Prince Aiji pulled the dagger, blood gushed out from the wound.
"Isn't it a bit harsh to kill an old woman?" It was a pang of double guilt for Vince to kill an old woman.
"Not this kind of woman. She had eaten too many humans to live this long. Killing her is saving her future innocent prey."
These words muted Vince. Of course, he knew the prince was right and reasonable, but he came from the modern world where criminals are still given proper human rights.
Vince soothed himself later and helped the prince gather the corpses and made a pyre. They burned all the dead bodies together.
When the fire was burning, Prince Aiji burned all the huts too. Vince secured the little animals to a safer distance. The prince came after.
A few meters away, two young men were staring at the blazing fire.
"Dari, the dawn is breaking, let's go find a safer place to rest."
Two humans and two little animals moved forward, still following the river flow with a few pieces of burning wood as a torch. About thirty minutes later, they found a resting place under a massive tree. They took a bath in the river to clean their bloody bodies.
After they freshened up, they settled in between the massive roots, a few steps from each other.
"Prince Aiji, what was the old man talking about?"
Vince was dying to ask the prince about the old man's intriguing words.
"There was a tribe who practiced these evil rituals to obtain a longer life. To live long, they need to consume human flesh regularly, otherwise, they will age and die in a short period. They master the rituals of luring innocent people. They were very cunning, and with their evil powers, no one managed to stop them. Their neighboring tribes suffered a lot since they can lure people easily. Tribe kings enforced more soldiers to safeguard their people but those soldiers became their prey too. Their evil acts continued for many generations. But one night, a bold and fierce young prince attacked their tribe, killing the tribe royals and almost all of their people. It was when they performed their biggest annual ritual, sacrificing a hundred human offerings. The prince and dozens of his soldiers seized the opportunity and launched a surprise attack. Only a few managed to escape, including those people we met earlier." Prince Aiji narrated.
"How did this prince manage to defeat them in their territory? And those old couples were terrified seeing this white cloth around my head."
"It's because this cloth was the reason they were defeated. The good spirits gifted this mighty prince a powerful prayer. This prayer was able to ward off their evil rituals for a wide distance around the prince and weakened their senses. The prince wrote this powerful prayer in this white cloth, with his blood. He tied it in his head and led his soldiers. Equipped with bronze spears and daggers, they finally ended this evil tribe. Those who escaped probably knew how powerful the man who wore this cloth was before. After their tribe was defeated, they hid so well that no one heard of them again. The fear was probably instilled in their hearts. That's the reason why the old couple was terrified seeing you with this cloth around your head."
"How did this cloth end to your hands? Are you a descendant to this mighty prince?"
"I am not, but you are."
Vince turned his head to the side.
"I... am?"
"Yes, Dari. I've told you that you are a prince right? Your father, King Danli, is the mighty prince who ended this evil tribe. He managed to give you his important things before your tribe fell. That powerful prayer written with your father's blood can only be used by him and his descendants, otherwise, that cloth won't unleash the desired power. This helped your father overcome not only the human-eater tribe but also those individuals that were practicing evil rituals and magic that harmed other people. His name and good deeds spread far and wide. After he became widely known, his father stepped down and made him the new tribe king. His fame and power increased many folds. The two leading tribe kings were threatened and decided to unite. With their combined powers, they attacked your tribe, killing your father and your family. Your loyal soldiers and people were killed too. One of these kings, as you probably guessed, is my father. When I knew this, I resented him for killing a good man, but I was too young then and my resentment faded eventually. A few years ago, when I knew your real identity, I was extremely guilty. I can't help hating my father again. I was holding these resentments and anger towards him inside since I cannot confront him to protect my identity. We always argued since I cannot hold myself talking back to him even with insignificant and petty matters. You told me not to bear this hatred since my father treated you well, but still, I slowly distanced myself from him. I love my father and I know he is not that cruel but I cannot stand him especially when he blood compacted with King Anok. King Anok, the king of the Samohok tribe is the one who convinced my father to attack your tribe. The Samohok tribe is the largest and strongest tribe on this Island. Their king is a despicable ruler and his offspring aren't any better. So we must be wary of them, they are the most eager to catch us, because... they are my fathers' ally..."
It was a sad and tragic story. Vince can't help but mull over. Dari wasn't only an ordinary soldier but a prince that came from a powerful bloodline. Although he was already aware of Dari being a prince, being a mighty king's descendant is extraordinary.
"Prince Aiji, it's all in the past now and beyond our control. But the future is a different story. We can choose the path that we want to take. We can forgive to ease our minds, but we should not forget those tragic events to avoid doing the same evil deeds. It was a good thing that I told you everything before, it helped us a lot this time."
It was really good that Dari told the prince everything because when he took over Dari's body, not a sliver of his memory was left.
"Of course, I knew everything..." Prince Aiji's voice was fading, yet there were unspoken words that lingered in the air.
Vince stared at him.
"The sun will rise in a few hours, Dari, let us get some rest."