Every doctors in the city gathered at the royal court. They were here to dissect the atrocity. They butchered the thing to find... well what was missing.
Organs. Things that could make it live by breathing or digesting its food. But they found none, they couldn't even understand how it howled. It lacked the very thing that made an animal be an animal. It was classified as a monster. They had no other word for it.
The insides were quite intact, though the hair, eyes and faces were unrecognizable.
Three people entered the palace, none of their face were known to the court. The shortest spoke.
"Oh great one! It is a blessing to meet you once in this entire life. I, am Picco, modest jack of all trades from a far village and here are my companions. We seek the evil that damaged your belongings and your people since many moons."
The king lifted his head, not much. He looked at the small but courteous man in front of him.
'It makes four people aware of its arrival, and more that knows this chunk of meat isn't the source. Could it not have been prevented?' Thought the king, while he observed his two followers with disgust, they were dirty and slovenly, especially the one with a thing in his mouth.
"Let me introduce you to your new companion then. Moore?"
'That name...' It piqued Picco's interest. 'Where did I hear that again? Right! The one that flew away with his lover... Juliet? No... Jutile!'
"YOU! Where is Jutile?"
He screamed, pointing out the man with a clean moustache. Incidentally shocking the people around for talking loudly next to the king. And Moore replied, shocking them even more.
"That's none of your concern!"
Chandragupta was surprised of the first second they spent together. He asked.
"Do you know each other?"
"No my king! But I bet this man has sold you a story where he forgot to talk about his vanished lover! How come you are related to this?"
Said Picco, pointing once more at Moore.
"I brought the kid to this city."
Moore said, scratching his head.
"Keith? The kid ...?"
Finally. A piece of the puzzle.
"No, David! This tall with brown hair and a stomach that rivals a tiger's."
"Scars on his arms?"
"I'd say arms under his scars was more accurate! There were plenty of it."
"What about his mother, Raima?"
"I don't know that woman."
The king interrupted them.
"That Jutile seems to be an important matter, spill out the truth, Moore. Your king is your light, and so the truth must be spoken."
Moore fell to his knees. He gulped down his saliva.
'No way.'
"The kid killed and ate her."
Picco, Reis and Yotoh gasped. But not the king this time who unrolled a very long golden lined paper.
"That's not in the script you gave to the priests. Last chance before sentence."
Prem, who was listening stepped forward to shout at the stupid man.
"You fool! How dare you lie to the supreme one? We should cut your ankles just for you doubting his benevolence!"
Kneeling, in a prostrated position, Moore said.
"I killed her my king. But the kid caught me red handed and promised me to not tell my village if I helped him find his father, in your city. But hear me out, I was about to move her away, alas she had vanished. I then looked for where I put the head... But the kid took it and it vanished under my very eyes!"
He started to mimic the movement the kid did with the shirt, but he was interrupted after the holding-head gesture.
"Thanks for your enlightenment. Guards, kill him. But not here, enough stains on the royal carpet for today."
While Moore fought to not be caught, the king turned toward Picco, now shy with his words.
"My king I think I know the whole truth now! The problem is the kid. The one we call Keith since his birth. He acted weirdly before vanishing half a year ago in our village, taking away his mother, Raima my king. If the kid can make two women disappear, I fear he can do worse. We fight the same evil."
That's right, Picco was talking with a warrior more than a noble. He chose his words wisely. His mental was top notch after he got Moore's hints. Finally some results.
The king handed the three men his scroll. And Picco was the one tasked to read out loud, his companions being unable to read.
The wounded pride, Prem could contemplate the dead monster, it wasn't reassuring and sent chills to his spine just to recall how it massacred everyone.
Prem was useless without his arm. As a servant, his exhausted muscles were an extra step toward burnout. He contained himself and exited the building, going toward the house were all begun.
---
"Father, you can go ahead if you are hungry."
Keith said, looking at Devdas' lifeless body. But Lorbe could only stare at the dried blood puddle around, when he recognised the city's cartography.
"Who taught you that?"
'Don't answer.'
"My shadow."
"What was the monster back then?"
'Don't answer.'
"My shadow."
Lorbe held his head and grabbed his hair.
"Which one of you was looking for me?"
'Heh.' Show's voice echoed in Keith's mind as his irises shrank.
' He's here. How could I have been so foolish...'
"Wenyi?"
Asked Lorbe, before Keith could answer.
The kid's shadow extended. It grew and darkened the room they were in. Both were caught by multiples hands at the same time, covering their mouth as more darkness seeped through the floor. The arms stuck them to the wall, they could look at each other in fear but not move an inch.
A humanoid shape was created between them. Strands of black matter crawled to its top slowly and finally, a buffalo skull popped out of the head part, fitting its wearer like the perfect helmet.
"What a fantastic day~! I see you could remember me, unlike this raggedy whore."
His voice was as hoarse as usual but it felt clearer than bright day. Its echo was still present but it was so deep it made both their body shiver.
'Mister Show?'
'Just for close friends.'
"Now now, let me explain the situation, this little one dared to misshape most of my saying. Likes challenge! Like father, like son."
The shadow grasped the air once, twice... And the third time, a very straight and long arm emerged from the ground to be used like a walking stick. He continued his monologue.
"This little one wants to help you getting rid of MY curse. The one granting YOUR wish. You know, that was quite of a penalty, making you crazy when not eating properly... The mother quickly forgot about me. Wanna play which one's the most rotten?"
He used his stick to scratch the corpse's skin. letting out a few silver linings only Keith could see. He saw the bloodbath. He had not eaten for long days. He knew what was Show doing, exposing his hunger. So he became very agitated the same instant. He tried escaping, moving as much as possible with all his strength.
"Come on kid, the scary lump of meat was far heavier than that. Say how much time you think you can contain yourself without me repairing your insides?"
Now he noticed the pain growing by the second from his stomach. The burn, the pinch, this restless ache that came back when it was time to feed.
Lorbe bit his tongue. Seeing his son being tortured was the worst thing he could've imagined. He tried to not change his facial expression but his red lips alerted the monster who opened his mouth wide and tilted his head forward.
"You are not going yet."
Devdas' body was cut open in a swift gesture. A hand went inside and pulled out the heart with clean cut on the main arteries. While Keith redoubled his efforts to free himself.
'I beg you, don't! Please stop!'
The hand rubbed the old heart against the kid's face until his eyes turned black and his mouth moved to bite it.
A natural pocket of blood. How nourishing. How nurturing. One bite in, his strength increased once more to escape, but the reason of his struggle shifted objective. The hands suddenly let go of the kid who rushed on Devdas, he begun his feast by shoving his head in the new tummy hole.
Lorbe cried.
"That's exactly what happened to your wife. First, I kill it out of his sight, then put on a scene, make Keith think she died for a precise purpose, then make him eat the body without his consent. Oh~ sweet vengeance. I wonder when I'll reach the midget."
Two hours passed. Devdas was no more and the kid licked the planks to have every bit of it. That moment, Lorbe saw a hand connecting his puddle of blood with the dry one.
"Now, now, don't you want a fresh meal? Give your daddy a kiss will you?"
Keith progressed on the mark, he climbed on his father, clinging on his clothes or on Show's arms. The one in the man's mouth was removed quickly and when Lorbe had the occasion to scream, he did not.
"I'm sorry..."
Lorbe said while staring at the abyssal eyes.
"He can't hear you." Said Show coldly.
Keith's jaw opened to its limit and he bit his father's teeth, pulling the damaged tongue and most of his cheeks with it. When he wanted to scream, his son's hand grabbed his throat tightly, almost crushing it. The second half of the feast commenced while Mister Show admired his work.