I think it's pretty obvious, but it took us two more days to return from our little hunt, and no, we didn't bring back the body of that jaguar. It was just too big for a 5-year-old and an elderly woman to carry on their own, though I'm starting to doubt the frailty of that elderly woman. But we didn't leave everything behind either—that would have been too much of a waste to tolerate. Even so, we didn't bring much with us; everything is just too big!
The parts we did bring back were the claws, the teeth, the eyes, a handful of meat, and, of course, the heart. I must say, that thing is huge and heavy too! Good thing I didn't have to carry it all by myself.
But what now? After we returned, Mama Huiya immediately went to 'prepare' the heart, whatever that means, and it's been almost two full days since she started. The important ritual is tomorrow.
…
And now tomorrow has arrived—or more precisely, tomorrow night has arrived, just a few hours before the ceremony, and I am obviously getting ready for the occasion, which isn't much, to be honest. It's not like I have a very varied wardrobe, you know.
But that didn't stop me from trying to add some style to my look, so in addition to my regular clothes, I now have an animal pelt tied around my waist!… And that's about it. It's not like I'm a fashion expert.
Speaking of getting ready, I think she must be done playing with that heart by now, and it's about time because we don't have much time left.
Even after finishing the heart preparations, there were still other things that needed to be done. For instance, the ceremonial painting all over my body, which Mama Huiya spent about an hour applying. And yes, I had to get dressed again. As if that wasn't enough, I now have a cloak that covers all my 'glamour'! About the painting, it's just a bunch of lines and symbols scattered across my body with some gray paint. I'm not very experienced with this, but I'd say at least a few of them are runes.
With that said, in a few minutes, we finally set out for the village. Looking down from here, I'd guess it's about a 30-minute walk to get there. Speaking of the tribe, it's lit up by lanterns again, just like it was five years ago at my baptism. Now that I think about it, it was also a full moon that night.
"Are you nervous?" A raspy voice beside me interrupts my train of thought. Looking at her, I see that Mama Huiya hasn't made much effort to change her style: the same clothes and animal skins as always, the same three stacked skulls. If I had to point out any difference, it would be the face paint, which, unlike mine, is red. Speaking of which, the three skulls on her head are also painted; the one in the middle has a symbol on its forehead that looks a lot like a flower—cute.
"Well, this IS my first time coming down here, so maybe I am a little," I finally reply after some thought.
"I wasn't asking."
… Jerk.
"You don't need to worry about anything. You're under my protection, and no one can touch you, even if they want to."
Oh, I think I forgot to mention that, didn't I? But it's nothing serious, really. It seems I don't have a very positive reputation down there, and why? One of the tribe's traditions is that the shaman—Mama Huiya in this case—must choose an apprentice from among the tribe's young girls and teach her the path to becoming the next shaman. And in case you haven't noticed, that's me. And you know what? I can kind of understand why people down there don't like me much. From what Mama Huiya told me, several families in the tribe exist for the sole purpose of raising the next shaman, and then out of nowhere, a baby shows up from the river and takes their place. I'd be pretty upset too.
I even asked if she couldn't just choose another girl to teach, but it seems the tradition only allows the shaman to have one apprentice at a time. That sucks.
Lost in my thoughts, I realize we've finally reached the village entrance, and if I may say, the place looks pretty cool. It even has a gate! Well, it's two 4-meter totems side by side, but it's more than I've seen in many villages.
Entering the village for the first time gives me a strange feeling. I'm not quite sure how to describe it; I feel... out of place? This is harder than I thought. On another note, this place is much bigger than I expected, and more organized too! They even have well-defined dirt roads here, and those lamps hanging from the houses? Neat! I have no idea how they made them, but neat.
"Oh, Mama Huiya! What a pleasure to see you here!"
What's not cool, though, are these stares. Just a few meters from the entrance, we've already encountered a few people, and understandably, everyone stops to greet Mama Huiya, while they completely ignore my presence—no, that's not quite right. They are actively choosing to ignore me. So, that's how it's going to be. Lovely.
Even with all the greetings, Mama Huiya doesn't stop for a moment, at most giving a wave of her hand. Cold.
Ignoring the hostility toward me, the people here are quite interesting. To start with, everyone has a perfect tan, and considering the sun here isn't even that strong, I believe this is their natural skin color. Even I'm jealous of that natural glow. And what's with these muscles? All the men here are giant muscular types; not even in the army did I see people like this. The women here aren't far behind either, though they're not as huge. And before you start judging me for staring, I was observing their clothes! Just the clothes! Which are made of animal skins adorned with paint, colored stones, or even flowers. Speaking of paint, everyone has their bodies painted, and now that I have more people to compare with, I notice that the designs on each person are slightly different, even if only a little. The paint on all of them is red, but compared to the designs on Mama Huiya's face, theirs are much less vivid and detailed. Curiously, I don't see any children among the people here.
…
"You wait here until I call for you."
After walking for a few minutes, we arrive at what I believe to be the village center. It's a small square with a fountain in the middle. I call it a fountain, but it's more like a small pond, and interestingly, it reflects the night sky perfectly. It's quite beautiful, actually.
And where am I at the moment? Leaning against one of the nearby houses—there's no chance I'm standing in the middle of those kids over there. Speaking of which, kids! They exist in this place, and I have a few things to say about them. First, they all look quite similar. Normally, you can tell a boy from a girl at that age, but if I hadn't overheard them talking down below, I would have thought they were all boys. Second, their body paintings are all gray and practically identical. So now I can say for sure that the adults' paints are red, and the kids' are gray, though I have no idea why that is.
But that's not entirely true. Here in the middle of the village, where everyone is gathering, I do see some older children with red designs on their bodies, and women carrying infants with no body paint at all. I think I'm going to stop paying attention to this.
"Goero, son of Bakal, step forward."
Right on time, it seems the ceremony is about to start. I hear that raspy voice announce from the other side of the square. Strangely, her voice isn't any louder than normal, yet I can still hear her clearly.
After hearing the call, a particularly tall boy among the children moves toward the old shaman, and an adult—probably his father—also steps forward. Looking at him, I can see where the boy gets his height from. This man is taller than usual, which says a lot considering all the men here are giants. But he doesn't seem particularly stronger than the others. In fact, he appears leaner, like he's built for running, like a deer ready to sprint at any moment.
When they reach her, the adult kneels, followed by the child after a moment.
"Bakal, what is the worth of your offspring?"
She speaks with a cold voice as she looks at them.
"Great one, I offer the heart of a fierce beast to prove his worth."
The adult responds solemnly. I think I can see him trembling slightly as he lifts a basket with a large heart inside.
At his answer, even Mama Huiya raises an eyebrow. Focusing my gaze, I notice that his arm is clearly injured with fresh bite and claw marks. It looks like this man really risked himself for this offering, which is surprising considering what Mama Huiya said about the tribe's cowardice.
"Very well, we may proceed with the ceremony."
Upon noticing the father's wound, the old shaman's voice softens slightly as she accepts the basket. She even seems pleased for some reason.
The father and son pair move to one side of the fountain, while the shaman moves to the other. She releases the basket into the water, and as if it were a boat, it slowly drifts toward the center of the fountain, where the reflection of the full moon shines brightest. When the basket reaches the exact center, a supernatural scene unfolds.
The edges of the basket begin to burn with a white fire, and the flames slowly move toward the heart, consuming the basket behind them. Then they begin to burn the heart itself, which, to my surprise, starts to melt into the water, forming a red stain that drifts toward the boy. Finally, the boy kneels, cups his hands, and drinks from the water.
Before I can react to the strange events before me, something else even stranger starts happening. The gray markings on the boy's body begin to shift, dancing across his skin, changing shape and morphing in some areas, all while glowing a vivid red. Judging by his trembling body, this process seems painful, and as if to confirm my suspicions, when the dance finally ends, he collapses, unmoving on the ground. His father picks him up and carries him away. So that's what he was there for.
"I heard Bakal went into the forest alone to get that offering."
"Poor man, he won't be able to work with that arm."
"He really managed to carry such a large heart? It must've been so painful to bear all that."
I overhear some women talking nearby. With the first ceremony over, only one thought crosses my mind.
'Wait, does the size of the heart matter?'
...
Two hours have passed, and it seems that large heart from the beginning was really a surprise. The offerings that came after were nothing impressive. Seriously, every now and then someone would bring a wolf's heart, but nothing remarkable. Now I understand what Mama Huiya meant about courage being in decline. And speaking of her, remember that joy she was feeling? Forget it.
Overall, things were quite similar to the first ceremony, except the stain in the water was much smaller, and the paint's dance was far less... how do I put this... alive? On the bright side, it seems the children didn't feel as much pain as the first boy—at least none of them passed out.
There aren't many children left now. Counting me, there are maybe two at most, and they seem pretty impatient after two hours. I can't blame them—I can't wait much longer either.
"Rod, son of Garau, step forward."
Another name is called, and a boy steps forward from the remaining children. This boy is a bit different. He seems... I don't know... more trained? Stronger? He definitely has an air of confidence, that's for sure.
And as happened every other time, an adult steps forward as well, and my lord, this guy is massive. Not like that first father, though. This guy is a wall of muscle towering over the others, and he's wearing a huge wolf's head on top of his own. The markings on his body are incredibly vibrant, exuding a beastly ferocity.
"Chief Garau, what is the worth of your offspring?"
With a voice so cold it's almost freezing the air around her, Mama Huiya asks the same question she's asked everyone else. But I couldn't help noticing the "chief" at the start of the sentence. So, he's the tribe leader? I guess that makes sense.
"Great one, I bring the heart of a great alpha wolf to prove his worth."
Unbothered for a moment by the shaman's displeasure, Chief Garau speaks as he offers a basket with the largest heart yet.
"Very well, we may proceed with the ceremony."
And things went the same way as before, but this time the red stain was much larger and more vibrant. In fact, I think it even had a glow of its own. When the boy drank the water, he immediately started screaming in pain. The markings on his body began to shift as if they were scratching him, but despite the agony, he remained standing, clenching his fists so hard they bled. That's some serious willpower. Then, his screams of pain were replaced by the howling of a wolf, and I swear I could almost see it forming within the markings on his body.
When the process finally ended, the boy instantly lost his strength, but before he could fall to the ground, his father's strong arm caught him, and the man looked at his son with pride. Well, that was impressive. I have to give them credit for that. Even Mama Huiya seems pleased—or at least less annoyed.
"Phoebe, ward of Huiya, step forward."
Hm? Is it my turn? I guess this is it then. Goodbye, cruel world.
I begin to make my way forward, and I can't help but notice all the eyes turning toward me. I can hear the murmurs of the crowd around me, talking about me and the basket I'm holding. Finally, I reach her and lower my head slightly—she explained this process to me before we arrived in the village.
"Phoebe, what have you brought to prove your worth?"
She asks, with the same coldness she used with everyone else.
"I have brought the heart of a king to prove my worth to the tribe,"
I reply promptly, as if I hadn't rehearsed this answer five hundred times in my head. I offer the basket in my hands, and at that moment, I hear many gasps around me—a mixture of surprise, pity, and disdain. What a lovely atmosphere.
"Very well, we may proceed with the ceremony."
We move toward the fountain and take our positions. When she finally removes the cloth covering the basket, revealing the huge and heavy heart inside, a new round of gasps ripples through the audience.
As she places the basket into the water, I can't help but start to sweat. How could I not? After watching the last boy scream in agony from drinking the stain of a heart half the size of mine, I'm not exactly feeling optimistic.
But despite my worries, the basket floats to the center of the fountain and promptly starts burning with those silvery flames. Looking closely, they're really quite beautiful. Then they reach the heart, which begins to melt like all the others, except much more slowly. It takes about three times as long to fully dissolve, and, as if that difference wasn't enough, instead of forming a stain in the fountain, the entire fountain turns red! And what is this glow?!
'I'm definitely going to die this time…'
Accepting my fate, I begin to kneel to drink the water from the fountain, but before I can even get halfway there, something else strange happens.
The water in the fountain starts spinning rapidly, forming a whirlpool, and as if that weren't enough, some unknown force lifts the red water. Like an arrow, it flies straight at me, hitting me in the face and forcing its way into my mouth before I can do anything. Looking at my arms, I can see the cloak I was wearing beginning to tear apart, and the gray paint on my skin starts changing to a deep blue. Immediately afterward, an excruciating pain erupts from the depths of my soul. It feels like I'm being torn apart infinitely in the space of a second while simultaneously being burned by lightning, all while more water forces its way into my body.
1 second, pain...
2 seconds, pain...
3 seconds, pain...
...
'paindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpaindpain'
I don't even know how much time has passed since this torture began. All I can think about is the pain. I can't see the village square anymore—all I can see is a dark, infinite space, and I wander through it aimlessly.
...
After wandering for what feels like an eternity, I finally notice a change. Lightning consumes the ceiling of the dark space, and something begins to form from it in front of me—the body of a giant feline. I quickly recognize it: this is the giant black king that Mama Huiya hunted.
Even before its form fully takes shape, the face of the beast looks at me with disdain, mocking me as I struggle to stand.
"Pathetic creature, you are unworthy of my essence. Disappear!"
After uttering these words in its thundering voice, it swings its paw at me, and I feel like my body is about to be torn apart by the wind.
'No, I don't want to die now. I refuse this ending!'
A massive surge of unwillingness wells up inside me.
'It's so unfair! Why is this happening to me?'
And then frustration consumes me.
'No, I refuse! I refuse to die to some dead cat!'
That frustration fuels the fire of rage within me.
"I REFUSE!!!"
In a sudden surge of power, I roar at the storm above, and my scream seems to carry an immense amount of power. It disperses the storm clouds and shoots toward the form of the black lightning beast.
"How? This is impossible! How could such an insignificant bei—"
But before it can finish speaking, it is obliterated by the force of my scream.
ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!
In the next moment, I realize I'm back in the center of the village square, roaring fiercely into the night sky, standing in the same spot as before and probably only 10 seconds from where I left off. But I can't think of anything else as all the strength leaves my body. Just before I collapse to the ground, I feel a familiar long, wrinkled arm catch me and wrap me in a new cloak.
"You did very well today. You may rest now,"
Mama Huiya says, looking at me warmly. I do exactly that, closing my eyes and completely losing consciousness.
.
.
.