Chapter 40- A Banquet (Part 2)
The huge bonfire was quickly prepared as many people carried a huge amount of logs all at the same time. The pile was almost twice Akio's height and twice as wide.
The wood used for it was also special as it had a very peculiar shade of red with hints of black riddling it. It was as if these logs were burnt in fire and then dipped in blood just to get that color.
After that, one of them approached the bonfire with a big torch in his hand. That person was none other than Norma himself.
"In celebration of our survivors. For our health, for our future, and for our lord. May this fire burn and carry all of our sins with it?" He said as he swung the torch around, aiming it at every single villager there.
Immediately, each one of them closed their eyes and tapped their hands together as if they were praying. Looking around curiously, Akio's ears registered one of them muttering some words.
"May death be my destiny and lord's soul's fuel may I become." They said in a low, pleading tone.
'Huh?' Raising an eye Akio found himself really confused.
'May death become my destiny? Are they wishing to die?'
Even though Akio knew of the existence of religions in this world and he even saw some people follow them. However, he didn't really understand these things that much. The concept of praying for a god so that you can obtain something you desire didn't quite sit well with him.
However, he still acknowledged that people can dedicate their lives to their beliefs and he had no problem with that. But, hearing the prayer, he had several questions.
"Did you hear that?" Finding no other way, he directed his question to Toru.
"Hmm, hear what?" The latter seemed to be completely oblivious to what was happening.
"Their prayers… They are very weird." He whispered.
"Are they? Some religions are weird. You won't understand it till you read about it." Toru explained.
"You think?"
"Yes. Well as long as we can eat good food, I don't mind participating in such things. Heheh!"
The ritual continued as Norma swung the flames around and prayed along with everyone. Slowly, the atmosphere of the place turned weirder and weirder. The air became a degree heavier and the ominous whispers of the people there made it even more dark and ominous.
Along with it, Akio was also growing more and more uneasy as it was quite incomprehensible how religion can make him feel this alerted and worried.
*Swish*
The flames on the torch turned a shade of red. The color was very dark to be normal so Akio quickly dismissed the possibility that it could be a normal physical occurrence.
'This isn't normal…'
"Let the flames of life eat away our sins," Norma added at the end and then put the torch near the bonfire.
Almost instantaneously, the wood absorbed the fire and created a huge one. Rising to the sky, the smoke of the flames dissipated in the air, mixing and blending with it as if it was never there.
"Amen." Ending it like that, he turned around and smiled.
"Let the banquet begin!!!"
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"
Immediately cheers erupted along with the sound of music hitting the ear like a rushing train. People then appeared with some weird musical instruments as they quickly made their way around, dancing and singing happily.
Soon, everyone joined in and they started what seemed to be a festival of some sort.
"Join them, you two!!" Norma called for Akio and Toru.
"No, no, it's not…"
"Meh, don't be shy! Come on!" Ignoring his attempt to refuse, Toru was pulled along and he had to start dancing too.
However, his hesitant expression quickly turned into a smile as he started singing too.
'Where did he even learn the song?' Akio wondered as he looked around with a frown on his face.
Even though on the surface, this seemed like a normal festival or a big party. However, when one takes a close, one would notice the abnormality of the situation.
The looks of the people dancing were simply too weird. Akio could swear he could see some kind of light emitting from their blind eyes. Coupled with the crazed, almost twisted expressions and the wide, eerie smiles on their faces, it created what could be considered a picture of a nightmare.
"Hahahahahaha!!" Chuckles echoed in the village. Each laugh carried hidden insanity.
"Akio! Akio! Come on, join us…" Toru called for him.
"Huh… Mmm, no, I'm tired." Akio replied, absentmindedly.
Weirdly enough, the moment Toru offered that he joins, Akio felt an extremely strong urge to actually start singing and dancing.
"I will just eat food…" Murmuring he walked to one of the tables and sat down.
Even after all of this, the idea of leaving never crossed Akio's mind.
Looking at the whole wide table filled with food and meat, he randomly picked one dish to eat. However…
'Huh? Why is this…?'
The dish he chose was a grilled steak. But, the moment he took a closer look at it, the food looked moldy and old. All kinds of insects were flying around it.
This steak, whatever creature it belonged to, was completely rotten.
'Rotten meat… This isn't fresh prey… What is seriously going on?'
All kinds of questions bugged Akio's mind that he couldn't find an answer to. Why was this place like this? Why are these people acting weird? Why is he not leaving? Why is he not… Why is he… Why is he what again?
Rubbing the back of his head, Akio tried to remember the last thought he had but it somehow dissipated before he could do so. But, it all came down to nothing. So, he tried to instead focus on something else. There was no point in trying to remember something he can't remember.
'Where is Keth? Now that I think about it? Did he leave?' He thought.
Sighing, Akio stood up again as he lost his appetite from seeing moldy meat and decided to head to somewhere quiet. He didn't enjoy the sounds and of the instruments nor the singing of the villagers. It all felt as if it was the cursed lullaby of a devil.
Walking slowly, he reached a secluded place where he can sit alone.
Laying his back against the wall, he looked up.
'I'm exhausted… Very exhausted…'
For some reason, Akio's mind started to feel sluggish and heavy now as if he had just come out of a very straining mental battle. His body was also quite weak and his eyelids were screaming for him to just sleep.
However, he still didn't succumb to that urge and kept staring up, counting some unimaginable stars he created in his head. That created some kind of task for his tired mind to keep it awake.
In the background, he could still hear the echoes of the festival reverberating around. For some reason, the sounds were now deeper and more mysterious. The notes made him realize that the place he was in wasn't normal. Maybe it was dangerous or maybe the Serenity Abyss was just that odd. Hell, all of Holem could be a whole bizarre realm that only accepted equally bizarre people that had no place in the real world.
'That could be the case indeed...'
Yet, Akio didn't know that in the next few hours, something that he never expected will happen that will change his fate and the fate of this world forever. A small ripple created in Akio's world will create a tidal wave that will take all of Holem along with it.
(A//N: Thank you everyone for supporting the book with power stones, golden tickets, and comments. I'm deeply grateful. Let's all keep it up :) )