The horses dragged the carriage as it moved on the lonely road. The surrounding forest loomed ominously, its dense canopy blocking out the sunlight, casting long, eerie shadows that danced with the carriage's movement.
The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth.
It was odd. In most cases, guards or mercenaries were assigned the task of protecting a carriage moving over a long distance. This was because the roads were usually infested with bandits.
Since the war had temporarily ceased and the three kingdoms signed an armistice, hunger and crime were at an all-time high, and security was at an all-time low. So it was peculiar for a carriage to move like this by itself.
The young man inside the carriage yawned. "I'm bored." He opened the window and looked outside. The road stretched endlessly, flanked by dense, foreboding forests. The only sounds were the creaking of the carriage and the rhythmic clopping of the horses' hooves, echoing ominously in the still air.
"Hahaha! An easy prey." "Yeah, we don't see many of them nowadays, do we?" "Gullible idiots. The woods seem like it's rare. This might not only be super easy. We might have stumbled over a fortune." "Don't get too excited. Surround the carriage first." The leader shouted. He tried to appear serious but couldn't hide the smile threatening to appear on his face.
Bandits stormed out. One, two, eight... they easily reached over twenty.
"So annoying." The only man in the carriage rubbed his forehead. "But just in the right time." A slight smile tugged on his lips.
"Arrghh!!" One of the bandits screamed as a black thorn pierced his back and came out from his chest. Black blood leaked out from his chest and mouth.
"…!" Confusion and panic appeared on the others' faces. 'What just happened?' As they vigilantly looked around, the leader saw the carriage's door open, and a single man came out. He lazily stretched his limbs as he looked at them. Unlike others, the leader was a mage, and he felt a sense of crisis just looking at the man.
He turned to the others to warn them. But… 'What is happening?' His movements were slow and his thoughts sluggish. The others looked at him in horror. 'Eh?' He tried to warn them, "Glurg, glurg!" But he couldn't talk. The others watched as their leader, Robert, stretched his hands to them.
His hands – they were melting! Not just his hands, his whole body started melting in front of their eyes into a puddle of mushy liquid.
"Arrghh!!"
"D-demon! Ukh!"
Puddles of mushy liquid began to form on the lonely road.
"…!!"
A bandit who had started retreating since the first man was killed now turned his cautious retreat into a full-blown marathon.
He ran without looking back but ended up colliding with something invisible and fell on his butt. He looked up and saw the man with long limbs who was a second ago beside the carriage.
'what witchcraft?!"
_Step, step
The lanky man walked towards him. Holding him by the neck, he raised him from the ground like he weighed nothing and, to the bandit's horror, threw him to the carriage.
"Puchi!"
A horse's feet pierced the man's head mid-flight. The horse wasted no time and began feasting. The carriage driver also came down and joined the fight – no, massacre. But there was something off about him – His eyes were hollow and his face blank. As he swung a metal rod at a bandit's head.
Unbothered by the chaos surrounding him, the lanky man was rather bothered by something entirely different.
"Wait a minute. You will get a bone stuck in your throat," he said as he patted the horse's mane. The bandit's corpse melted just like the others. As the chaos subsided, the last two remaining men, besides the lanky man, were the carriage driver and a terrified-out-of-his-mind bandit. His eyes were still hollow, his breath ragged, and his back slightly hunching. One of his legs appeared broken.
"Tsk, tsk," The lanky man clicked his tongue as his gaze landed on the bandit crawling on the ground. With slow, steady steps, he approached the bandit. The bandit tried to crawl away - a futile effort. The lanky man grabbed the man's neck. Immediately the man made eye contact, it felt as if his soul was sucked out of his mind. He became terrified.
It lasted for a moment.
The man's gaze turned hollow. "You've served me well. You can now rest." He placed his hands on the man's shoulder. A puddle formed where the man was standing moments ago. With a smile, he turned to the last bandit. "You're officially hired. You can now be my driver." No response. "What's with the blank look? Today's your lucky day! Smile."
A smile spread across his face. It was creepy. Really creepy. A smile that didn't reach his eyes.
It was more like someone stretching a doll's face to force it to smile. "That's better! Now, let's get moving, shall we. After handing the boring reports over, let's return here." "There is someone interesting here." His eyes twinkled at the thought.
The journey between a man-eating horse, a smiling carriage driver, and an unknown man with more than a few screws loose continued.
-----
Meanwhile, an intense debate was going on in a particular bookstore. The store was dimly lit, with tall wooden shelves crammed with ancient tomes and scrolls. The air was thick with the scent of aged paper and ink. Dust particles floated in the rays of the setting sun that filtered through the small, grimy windows.
"What do you mean that they are lies? They are clearly written here."
"Because they are. How can anyone with a working brain believe that?"
"Hey!"
"What?"
Liam and Evan were engaged in a huge debate on what could increase one's chances of awakening. "Are you saying Karl C. Dusk wrote a lie in his book?"
"Yes."
"You...! Take that back this instant!" Ren watched on in interest. He was only missing popcorn, the scene would have been complete. He would have loved to watch more, but dusk was fast approaching.
"Guys, cut it off already. It's late," Ren said in a dreary voice.
Ren and Liam walked home. The narrow, cobblestone streets were bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. Shadows grew longer, and the chill of the evening air nipped at their skin.
Night was fast approaching. Ren picked his ears; there was an annoying 'fly' constantly buzzing in his ears.
"… I mean, how could he call so many experts liars?…" The buzzing continued incessantly. "I know he is smart but…". And even got louder, "Can you believe it?..."
Sigh
"Are you nervous that all your 'rituals' might be for nothing?" Ren said with a knowing look. "U-uhm, no, that's not it. I never performed those rituals!" Liam was flustered and denied vehemently.
"Yeah, I believe you." Ren nodded, but his expression said a different thing altogether.
"No, I really did not..!"
"Hmm, I said I believed you?"
"No, you don't." Liam accused him."
"You can't really blame me. Look." Ren said as he pointed at Liam's leg. Liam wore two different socks. One was bright red, and the other was deep blue.
"No, this… It's a new style that's trending now." "It is in one of those books." Ren replied flatly.
"Is that so? Never saw it." He tried to act surprised but failed with the grace of a dancing elephant.
The rest of the journey was quiet, and Ren inwardly sighed in relief.
They reached the orphanage. After dinner, the children retired to bed, unaware of the chaos tomorrow would bring.
A/N: Please, leave a comment or review if you like the story. I want to know your thoughts!