Beep-beep.
A polished black sedan drove past the man in his fifties wearing a black suit and white-yellow tie leaning on the metal railing.
His golden jewelry glistened as sunlight beamed into the treasures while his shades covered his eyes from the glare.
"City life is not for me, Sebastian."
He spoke to an old guy in a wheelchair in a white suit as he opened a container containing white cigarettes.
"It's not the city, Niccolo. It's you and your night antics that you don't like."
The senior replied as he beckoned for a waiter inside the cafe overrun by vines.
The two men were at a local cafe's patio beside the road, surrounded by men in black suits and ties.
"I think I need to stop already, Sebastian."
Nicollo said as he opened his metal container of cigarettes.
"You know, I am grateful. You adopted me while I was young and gave me everything I ever needed. But, I think I'm done with the business."
He proceeded with his case.
"Don't rush your decisions, Niccolo. You know I can't have you leave. You are 'extremely' important."
The white-haired senior replied with a sigh as he kept his eyes on the back of the man.
"I tell you what. You can still stay within the company and have less responsibility, so you can enjoy…with that girl Lucia, and maybe have a kid or two. You know. What do you think?"
Sebastian proposed while he received the cup from the waiter.
"I'm sorry, brother. I'm done."
Niccolo sternly replied as he looked into the massive buildings in the city—hoping to be free from his current life.
Sebastian, perplexed and sad, nodded at a man on his right as five men took Niccolo down.
"Ugh."
The shocked Niccolo widened his eyes as he grunted while being brought low by the men he once considered brothers.
"I'm not a heavy talker, brother."
Niccolo pleaded. His once firm stature was now brought low and became a broken fortress as his branded shades flew into Sebastian.
"Brothers, let me go! This is a big mistake!"
He spoke at the top of his lungs as he moved like a raging bull. However, the strong men pinned him like a heavy yoke.
"Relax, Nicco. You know I love you, right?"
Sebastian said as he lowered his face to meet Niccolo's eyes. His laid-back attitude quickly changed into an offended ruler who wanted to punish unruly citizens as he hardened his grip on the wheelchair's handle.
"There's a representative from the South arriving tomorrow morning. I want you to kill him the moment he leaves the airport."
Sebastian calmly spoke as he sat up and stirred the coffee on the table.
"If you do this job well, I'll let you go and maybe give you some funds to start a new life."
The senior went on with his proposal. He sniffed the hot coffee and looked back to meet Nicco's eyes filled with rage and disbelief.
"Deal?"
He smiled as he inquired and sipped on the coffee.
"Deal," Nicco replied with grunts as his once straightened and ironed out suit now looked crumpled and dirty while five men clipped his wings—never to fly again.
***
Niccolo perched on a tree with his eyes looking through the scope aimed at the gate of a military airport. The two men standing guard on each side of the entrance looked menacing as they held onto their guns.
"Any time soon."
Niccolo said as he kept the rifle close to him. He was wearing a guille suit, making him invisible from anyone's eyes.
Suddenly, the metal gates of the compound opened as three succeeding sedans appeared inside the gate.
"Bullseye."
Nicco spoke as he pulled the trigger of his unusual rifle.
Then, a ray fell onto the sedan and the surrounding area. It was as if they became important in the eyes of the divine.
However, this was a precursor for his act. The beam of sunlight started to melt the three cars with intense heat.
The glass, the metal, and the surrounding men felt the intense heat that no man could persevere.
The soldiers guarding the entrance tried to run, but their burns were so severe that they hoped for death rather than salvation.
Niccolo observed the torture and death of the men inside these cars. However, he didn't see the target. He looked through, but no man stood out inside the vehicles.
Woosh.
Then, out of the blue, a metal piece hit his arm as the metal clamped on him and pulled him.
"What?!"
Niccolo said as he tried to use a hidden knife to burrow into a tree. Nonetheless, this was useless as his hand hurt from the impact and pull of the device.
Then he saw it. A young man with ruffled hair looked him in the eye.
"Are you okay, mi amigo?"
Nicollo looked at the guy with utter disbelief and collapsed.
***
Boom.
A minor earthquake woke up the three friends inside the cave.
"Boom. Boom. I hear. Ahh."
An unusual childish voice shocked Nicco as he evaded the falling dust and soil. The rain was gone, but the aftershocks returned.
The sleepy pup was now acting like a child running around. However, the young girl, Mira, was not moving at all.
"Mira, are you fine?"
Nicco asked, but the girl didn't reply or move. Her dirty clothing and body covered her. However, Nicco could see that she was turning red.
'She needs help!'
Nico thought as he saw the girl getting a high fever.
"Mira, please respond! How can I help you?"
The bird worriedly flew around the girl.
"Go…to…Vulta…Ask…Ma…ma"
Mira weakly replied.
"Where is Vulta?"
Nicco urgently replied as his heart pumped higher.
The frantically running pup earlier was now timid while watching the sick girl. He then walked closer and lay beside Mira—whining and sad.
"Mama, are you okay?"
The wolf whinely barked.
"Yes…I'm fine… Hulkis…I'm just…sick."
Mira replied as she tried to console the young pup.
"Go…southeast…Nicco…Please…ask Mama."
The girl then tried to explain to the bird.
Nevertheless, after hearing the weak girl's command, the bird started his flight and left the cave.
The once withered surroundings now looked a mess as flash floods and earthquakes from yesterday wrecked the place. The bird rose to higher heights beyond the trees into the windy skies.
"Mira, are you fine?"
Nicco spoke while trying to gauge the distance of Mira's skill.
'Yes…I…am…still…good…Please…go…ask…help."
Nico heard the weakening voice of the girl as he aimed his sight at the southeast of the forest. Judging from the rising sun in the east, he still has time before the people leave their houses.
***
Vulta village was still sleeping. The lazy smoke flew higher as the food in their pots and pans emanated a wonderful smell for everyone. The whole settlement was burning today.
"I hope Mira is still fine."
A bearded man said while his legs and hands constantly moved with nervousness. The room was hot. A woman in her thirties moved around and about as she prepared food for everyone.
"She will be fine. She's a fighter."
The woman replied as she moved among the ingredients and cut some vegetables. She then poured the chopped produce into a boiling pot.
"Do you think so?"
The man said with a worried face. His eyes frequently moved as his forehead started to pour sweat all over his face.
"You are sweating with worry, Marwal. You should relax. Eat something first, then go with your brother."
The woman sternly said as she quickened her pace.
"Trust your child, Marwal. She's been through a lot. She'll make you proud."
"Yeah, right! I'll try and trust her. But. Remember, she's slow!"
Marwal said as he aired out his frustration to her wife.
"You shouldn't be angry, Marwal. It's you who permitted her to do the prime hunt!"
The woman said as she aimed her wood ladle on Marwal's face.
***
Outside the house of the fighting couple were two men leaning on the wood wall, waiting for Marwal to come out.
"Your brother's temper needs culling, Chief."
A man clad in leather armor and a bow spoke to a man with two swords on his back.
"Just let him be, Elder Remona. Elder Marwal needs time. Let's wait."
"Alright, but we need to start the search party soon."
"I hear you."
The two elders talked as they decided to join the search party to look for the girl, Mira.
Usually, teens would take two to three days to finish their hunts. However, even though it is still Mira's second day, the extreme happenings last night, as they've observed from afar, were quite dangerous for a young kid who was slow on her levels.
After a few moments of waiting, two young men arrived.
Mazel Hiwa, Mira's cousin and Chief Muska's first son, was the leader of the two. He was Vulta Village's Hunting Leader and volunteered to join on this rescue mission because they also wanted to see the situation of the forest.
"Father, the hunting party is waiting at the gate."
Mazel said proudly.
"Thank you, Mazel."
"I think we need to go in and bring that boy outside."
Chief Muska, the brother of Elder Marwal, was furious as they waited outside for a few minutes already, but the fighting didn't subside.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The humble abode of Marwal's family heard a knock.
"Coming."
Marwal loudly said as he raced to the front of their house. However, as he opened the door, he didn't find one man, but four people waiting for him outside with faces that could tell stories of his unbecoming.
"Hilda, they're here."
Marwal shouted as he beckoned the four to come into the house and eat something.
"Come here, Chief. Let's eat first. Hilda is cooking here."
"Thank you, Elder. But I think we need to go soon."
"That's fine. We can still reach there before the hard noon sun."
"Alright. Everyone, take your seats, and let's eat fast."
After Chief Muska's command, all three people sat at the long table and had their meals.
***
After the short break at Elder Marwal's house, all five men walk towards the northeast entrance of the village.
The village was home to more than three hundred people. Furthermore, the village chief had always been a Hiwa. The previous Duke Napsaki saw the village as an upcoming town in the middle of the Northern Domnion and Napsaki City's trade route.
Although for most of the time, it was under the Napsaki Duchy's rule. However, at times like these, the villagers often felt alone and abandoned by the duchy's authority.
"Hopefully, that catastrophe last night awoken the Napsaki's lords."
The village's healer, Elder Remona, said as he walked with the village leaders.
"We can't really hope to find help, Remona. We're nothing but fodder in their power struggles."
The Militia Captain, Elder Marwal, said as he held an iron spear.
"Let's do what we can, Elders. Let's not mull over something impossible."
Chief Muska said as he quickened his pace.
However, even before the elders could go beyond the village walls, they saw an unusual event outside.
"What is happening?"
Elder Marwal hollered.
Hearing their captain's shout, the militia guards reported what they saw.
"Reporting, Captain."
"Go on, Lieutenant Winston."
"There's a bird doing sketches outside of the gate. And it seems to point out to your daughter, Mira."
"What do you mean? Lead the way."
Elder Marwal said as his face turned serious.
A few moments later, they arrived at the scene. Then, they saw it. They saw a bird making a drawing on the sand.
The sketch showed a young girl with lines outside his head—inside what appears to be a cave.
"Wait. Who are you?"
Mira's father asked the black bird perched on a rock.
However, for Nicco, the man sounded gibberish.
"What are you talking about, young boy?"
Nicco replied, but to the people surrounding him, he was chirping with a beautiful song.
"Wait. Let me summon my roc. Maybe it can understand the bird."
Mazel, the hunting party leader, said as he opened his palm, and a formation of lines and circles appeared.
After a while, a mirror reflecting a dark forest floated on his hand as a rooster stepped out of it and crowed.
"Do you…understand…me?"
Nicco chirped to the rooster.
However, all he received was a louder crow.
"I think this chicken is not hearing me."
The bird chirped to the person who summoned the rooster, but he was never understood.
So, Nicco flapped his wings and flew up. He flew in circles the place as he chirped.
"What is this bird doing?"
Marwal said as he set his sight on the black summer bird. Nonetheless, the bird didn't wait for everyone to understand him. Instead, he flew north, which caught the search party's attention hard. Then, he circled in place again.
"Everyone, follow the bird!"
Chief Muska said as if noting that the bird was becoming their guide.
"Winston, please keep the place safe. Also, be vigilant, as we won't know what monsters were stirred up by the sudden catastrophe."
Elder Marwal said to his lieutenant.
"I obey."
The ragtag bunch of a search party, Chief Muksa, Elder Marwal, Elder Remona, Leader Mazel, Lieutenant Victor, and the ten-man hunting party, followed the bird as they brisk through the grassland and into the Weathered Forest.
"I hope she's okay. Isha, please look after my child."
Hilda said as she whispered her prayers to the Holder of Worlds, hoping her faith could 'just maybe' help her.
However, for Nicco, these ragtag bunch were super slow.
"I hope we'll get there before lunch. I'm hungry."
The bird said.