Yanz sprinted through the darkened farmland, his breath ragged and his chest heaving. The sight of the child about to be executed drove him to desperation. His eyes scanned frantically through the shadows, searching for anything that could serve as a weapon. The dim moonlight offered little aid, and time was slipping away.
Then, a scream tore through the night.
-"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa"
The sound froze the gathering in their tracks. Every villager turned, their faces a mixture of shock and terror.
Yanz stood over the fallen figure of the man in white, gripping a bloodied hoe tightly in his trembling hands. The once-pristine robe of the sky person was soaked in a growing puddle of blood. The purity of his white attire was now marred, crimson staining the golden embroidery.
Silence engulfed the crowd. No one spoke, no one moved. Even the glowing staff that had illuminated the night was dimming, its light fading until complete darkness consumed the scene.
From the darkness, a voice called out.
-"Bring some light here!"
A figure dashed toward the village and returned with a torch. As the flames banished the shadows, the horrific sight was revealed once more: the unconscious sky person lying limp in his own blood, and Yanz standing above him, his weapon dripping.
The torchbearer handed the light to Donvano, who was supporting the trembling chief. Donvano glared at Yanz, his voice sharp and accusatory.
-"What the hell did you do!? Do you even realize what you've done?!"
"We'll all be killed now,"
He spat, his words heavy with dread.
Yanz's voice wavered as he tried to defend himself.
-"But the kid... the kid would've been killed for no reason."
Ceph who was standing in the crowd, trembling with fear, stepped forward.
-"Yanz, why? Once the sky people hear of this, they'll mercilessly slaughter all of us."
Panic spread like wildfire among the crowd.
-"What do we do now!?"
-"We're doomed!"
-"It's all because of him!"
Voices of anger and terror rose. The children cried, clinging to their mothers. Some villagers fell to their knees, overwhelmed by fear.
-"Kill him!"
Someone shouted from the crowd.
-"Yes! Kill him and save ourselves!" another echoed.
-"Kill him! Kill him!"
The chant spread until the villagers were united in their demand for Yanz's blood. Ceph tried to intervene, but his voice was drowned out. He clutched Yanz's arm, tears streaming down his face.
"ENOUGH!"
The chief's voice cut through the chaos, silencing the mob.
He steadied himself, his face pale but resolute.
-"I will decide whether he lives or dies. You have my word."
His voice held authority, but his shoulders sagged with the weight of the situation.
The villagers murmured in discontent, but none dared challenge him openly.
-"Fine,"
One muttered.
-"But if you can't fix this, we'll handle it ourselves."
The crowd dispersed, carrying the unconscious child back with them. Ceph hugged Yanz before walking away.
-"Donvano, take the body and come to my house"
The chief told donvano
The chief and Yanz went went back to his house. At the chief's house, the tension was thick, The room was sparsely decorated, its stone floors and wooden furnishings bathed in the dim light of a small lamp. The air was heavy.
The chief turned to Yanz, his expression grim.
-"Do you understand the gravity of what you've done, Hero Yanz?
The villagers think killing you will solve everything, but even your death might not save us.
They could kill half the village in retaliation."
Yanz said nothing, his gaze fixed on the floor.
Moments later, Donvano entered, carrying the limp body of the sky person on his back. The staff clutched in one hand glimmered faintly.
Donvano dropped the man to the ground with a heavy thud, collapsing next to him, his chest heaving. Blood smeared the floor, trailing from Donvano's clothing where the sky person had bled onto him. The chief handed him a cup of water.
-"Thank you for bringing him here,"
The chief said softly.
Donvano waved him off, gulping the water.
-"What's are we going to do now?"
He asked between breaths.
Yanz crouched beside the sky person. -"Do you have a rope?"
Donvano's eyes widened.
-"You're not serious. You want to keep him alive!?"
-"I have questions,"
Yanz replied.
-" But He's lost so much blood,"
The chief interjected.
-"I doubt he'll survive much longer."
Yanz ignored them both, closing his eyes. He began to chant softly.
-"...Heal."
Donvano frowned.
-"Have you gone mad now?"
Yanz's voice rose, desperation lacing his words.
-"Heal! Heal!"
His body trembled, his knees buckling beneath him. He fell to the floor, gasping for breath.
-"I told you," Donvano muttered, shaking his head.
-"He's lost it."
The chief's eyes narrowed as he inspected the man in white. His gaze fell to the leg where blood had been pooling moments before.
-"Wait..."
The chief murmured, kneeling closer. "The bleeding... it stopped?"
-"What?"
Donvano leaned forward, lifting the cloth covering the wound. His breath caught in his throat.
The gaping injury was gone.
-"The wound...it's not here"
Donvano whispered, disbelief etched across his face.
Yanz, still sprawled on the floor, managed to choke out,
-"He can wake up any second now... tie him up."
Donvano's expression hardened as he stood.
-"What did you do?"
Yanz, still sprawled on the floor, managed to choke out,
-"Tie him up before he wakes up!"
-"Get the rope,"
The chief ordered, urgency in his voice.
Donvano ran outside, leaving the room to get a rope