Chapter Text
Perhaps it was a mistake to linger over the corpse a couple minutes longer. Perhaps he should've ran out the window the moment he ripped the man's beating heart out of his chest. The town militia would've never seen his shadow and he wouldn't have had that bullet poke a hole in his arm and the dogs wouldn't be snapping their jaws at his heels. Oh, and, of course, he wouldn't be stuck clinging to this tree for dear life.
His right arm was straining to keep him up in the branches, hidden in the shadows and out of the beams of lights that shone from the militia's lanterns. The dogs were barking as they followed his scent. They would find him in seconds.
"Looks like we finally got the scoundrel," one of the officers growled as he took a break to light his pipe. He must've decided to take a break since they were so close to finding him.
"He's been causing trouble for months, hasn't he? How many did he kill by now?"
"Sixteen," the first officer answered, "Seventeen, if we count tonight."
"We'll finally have him behind bars. Will be hanged tomorrow. The masked serial killer."
No way, he thought with a roll of eyes. There was no way they were catching him. This was boring. Ever so boring. There was no spark to this chase. He even let them catch up to him, yet they were taking a break and counting their chickens before they hatched? He shouldn't have been so kind.
The dogs were nearly at his tree when he let go of the branch and landed on the dead leaves below with a crunch. Immediately, the dogs perked up, but he had already broke into a run. Behind him, he could hear the members of the town militia barking orders at each other.
What a mess.
He knew the forest well. In this tiny town at the edge of the kingdom, there was never much to do as a child. So he took to wandering amongst the trees. Most of the townspeople would take walks around here, but only a few knew the forest after dark. After dark, the roots trip people up, the tree branches smack people in the face, and the animals all seem to give people a hard time. But he knew how to bypass all of that. An older brother (who was more likely a cousin) had played with him out of pity as a child, pointing out various things to look out for in the dark.
The kingdom was an old one, full of forgotten legends and myths. A history of wars and fallen regimes had changed its culture, mixed different people together, and created an ignorant youth.
In this particular town, the people used to follow a forgotten religion. A single church built within the forest was dedicated to whatever God they worshipped. Only a select few even knew about the religion. It was like an urban legend to the townspeople. Every few years, children would be rounded up to become guards at the church and no one else was allowed in.
Even he never dared to set foot into it during his wanderings as a child. However, he was a grown up tonight and his feet were taking him straight towards the church. It would be his escape route. The town militia grew up just like him, they would be afraid to walk into the church, too. Even if one decided to be brave, that one would have to argue amongst their companions before being allowed in.
Fast approaching the church, he sped up and used the momentum to help pull himself up and over the iron gates. Landing on the other side, he took a quick glance for the church guards and when he saw none, dashed into the church.
The doors closed behind him, he could hear the snapping of dogs' jaws, the shock of the militia... He was safe for now. "Arghh," he let out a grunt as he dropped to the ground clutching his arm. Now that the adrenaline rush was ending, he was starting to feel the pain and fatigue catch up to him.
Click.
His fingers brushed against an odd shaped rock on the floor. It rolled in a circle and his eyes followed it until it was visible in the light that came from one of the side windows of the church. He narrowed his eyes. What he had just flicked with his finger was a bone. Cautiously, he moved forward to pick it up and examine it. There were marks throughout it, someone gnawed on this, he realized.
Crunch.
He snapped his head up at the sound. It had come from further down a side hallway. Curious, he decided to venture forward.
***
He finally came to a large room with intricately decorated walls and pillars. Curtains made of velvet hung on the walls, kept clean by some invisible servant each day. A single window in the ceiling let moonlight into the room, resting on a cage at the center. The cage was large enough to reach the ceiling and was made of brass. There was no apparent exit out of the cage, the bars were cemented into the floor. It looked as though it was built for a one time trap of its captive. Within the cage, a girl sat with her back facing him.
Crunch. Munch. Crack. Munch.
The girl noticed him, but continued her meal, blood dripping down her arms and off her elbows. The blood was still fresh and had he never seen a corpse before, he was sure he'd have emptied his stomach already.
"Two this time?" the girl said as she wiped her mouth and turned to face him.
And all of a sudden, he completely forgot that he had been hit by a bullet. Completely forgot that he was in the forbidden church. Completely forgotten the fact that the girl in front of him had been eating human flesh.
Hell, he probably forgot his own name.
The girl standing in front of him was dazzling. She looked young, probably in her early twenties, with white hair that reached past her knees. She had large eyes that looked at him with curiosity and although her lips were covered in blood, he still thought she looked perfect.
"You're alive," she tilted her head and frowned as she made her way to the edge of the cage. The way she spoke was strange, her words were choppy. The syllables pitched incorrectly. It was as though she was forcing her tongue to speak the way they did.
"I... Um... Yes," apparently he had forgotten how to speak properly, too. But he was regaining the hang of it, "You... What's your name?"
Clasping her hands on the cage and leaning out as far as possible, she responded, "They call me Canni..."
"Canni? That's a beautiful name--"
"...Cannibal."
"...Oh," he stopped, feeling mildly uncomfortable as he stepped closer. His eyes were adjusting now. He could see piles of bones in the corners of the room. Why was she caged? He licked his lips behind his mask, why was she here? "Then, I'm Seri," he paused, "Serial Killer."
Understanding flickered across Canni's eyes and she chewed on the inside of her cheek as though she was thinking of the right words to say to Seri, "Is that reason for mask?"
"Partially," Seri answered.
"Killing is bad."
"Oh?" his eyes drifted to the half eaten corpse behind Canni and she followed his gaze. She jumped in surprise.
"No, no! Not like that!" she exclaimed in a hurry and waved her arms above her head, "Weren't killed... they promised."
"Is... that... so," Seri responded when an uncomfortable silence hung between them. If there was one thing he never really learned, it was how to converse with pretty girls in cages. He never found any need for that skill.
Canni sniffed the air, "Sweet. Serri smells sweet. Seri is hurt?"
"Huh?" he looked at his left arm and... right. The bleeding had slowed, but his sleeve was soaked with blood. Good thing he wore black. "I'll be fine," he smirked, glad that his mask covered any pain that might've shown on his face.
"Nooo, Seri," Canni giggled, "Want help?" She reached out of the cage with an open hand towards Seri. A voice in the back of his mind screamed, wait! You don't know her intentions! But he ignored it, there was a pretty girl inviting him in. He held his arm out and she grabbed hold of his wrist. She looked down at the arm intensely, but he wasn't sure what she was focusing on. Then, without warning, a searing heat shot through his arm--
"AHHH!" he doubled over and broke contact with her, dropping to the floor in front of the cage.
"Oh! Oh! Is Seri alright?" she dropped down to her hands and feet as well to try to look him in the eye (which was a bit difficult with the mask).
"What?!" Seri sat up as he panted and pushed his sleeve up, certain he would see his skin burnt and shriveled up. Instead, as the sleeve peeled away, there was only dried blood caked on his skin, a faint scar where the bullet hole had been.
"Did I do good?" Canni smiled at him and Seri froze, words stuck in his throat.
"Uh--"
Pit-Pat. Kling. Kling.
Seri was interrupted by the sound of footsteps accompanied by what sounded like metal knocking against metal. He recognized the sound, a sword. His mind flashed back to a moment when he had seen the guards standing outside the church, his brother apologizing profusely for having approached them. They're looking for me, he realized. The militia must've gotten contact with them by now and told them of what happened. Seri turned his gaze back to Canni, who was still awaiting his answer with a smile. "I..." his words died at his throat. The blood had been wiped off her face now and she looked angelic sitting in the moonlight. The sound of the footsteps were getting louder. "I'll see you later!" Seri said and quickly turned away. The longer he stared at Canni, the less he wanted to leave.
Seri dashed to a corner of the room and pulled at the velvet curtains. They were attached firmly to the wall. He pulled himself up, climbing it as though it was a tree, until he reached the ceiling. Then, he made a leap onto the top of the cage and pulled himself out from the window in the ceiling. Below, Canni watched him with wide eyes and an open mouth, clapping in awe.
"Bye!"
***
The door opened and Canni turned away from the ceiling. "Mart!" she greeted with a grin. She hadn't seen him very often recently. He used to be the main guard outside her cage, but for whatever reason, he wasn't around very often anymore.
Mart frowned. He had on a clean uniform, but messy hair. A child in an adult's uniform. He learned everything he needed to succeed in life, except the essentials. "Where's the guard on duty?"
"I haven't seen him since sunset."
"Tsk."
"Something wrong, Mart?"
He shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Cannibal."
Canni tilted herself back and forth. The moon above shone brightly. Her world consisted of the well, the moon, and the stars.
"Mart, do you dream?"
Mart, who had turned to leave and find the idiot that had abandoned his post, stopped at the doorway. He turned to face her again, a confused look on his face. She was smiling at him and he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.
"No."
He turned and walked away before she could ask him anything else.
Canni hummed to herself. She was a little upset that Mart had appeared and disappeared so suddenly, but tonight was a good night. The frog's world consisted of the well, the moon, the stars, and the turtle that peered down into the well.
***
The town was full of whispers the next day and Seri didn't blame them.
killer on the lose
seventeen victims
KILLED MY BROTHER!
not caught
in this neighborhood
VENGEANCE!
Pictures of his mask had been sketched up and put everywhere. Seri sighed. What a pain. He wouldn't be able to move around as easily anymore. Well, the backstreets had always been more interesting anyhow. Either way, he had more important things to worry about.
Like how was he going to meet up with Canni again. He could just sneak in again, but he was lucky last night that the guard was playing hooky. It's certain that he wouldn't get so lucky again.
Seri heard whispering behind him. The bartender was staring at him. Even in a dirty bar where villains gathered, he wasn't welcomed. Seri's lips twisted up into a smirk behind his mask, ahh~ It didn't matter anyways. Nothing ever did.
***
The sun was setting as Canni beat a rib bone against the cage, attempting to play a tune with the bars. Lazy orange sunlight filtered through from the window into the room. The guard that stood in front of her cage was younger than Mart. He had been the newest one and he used to talk with Canni, but he grew silent as the sun rose and set. Canni often wondered why that happened to everyone. Why didn't they want to talk with her anymore?
But Seri talked with me, she thought and her lips curled up into a small smile. She banged on the bars more enthusiastically.
"Hey!" the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway, "Hey! Help!" Another guard appeared breathless at the doorway.
"What?" the guard by Canni's cage asked and took a step closer to the doorway.
"There's a swarm of bees at the entrance! Get a torch! We need all the help we can get to get rid of them!"
"On it!"
"The Parliament is sure to ignore us! Hurry!"
The two guards scrambled out, leaving Canni in confusion.
"Bees?"
"Hey!" the whisper came from above and Canni turned her attention to the ceiling.
"Seri~!" Canni greeted happily as Seri jumped in and slid down using one of the cage's rods. "I heard about bees. Stung?"
"No," Seri laughed, "I threw a nest over the gate to keep them preoccupied."
Canni pouted, "Doesn't sound nice."
"But then I couldn't come talk to you."
Canni sniffed the air. She had caught a whiff of it earlier, but it was much stronger now that Seri was standing right in front of her. Her lips twisted downwards in both shock and disappointment, "Someone died. ...You killed someone?"
"Oh, yea, I--" Seri was about to brag when he saw the expression on Canni's face. She gripped the bars of the cage so tight that her knuckles were white. The cage itself was beginning to dent. She clenched her jaw, ground her teeth together and glared at Seri. "C-Canni?"
"Killing. Is. Bad."
"W-Well, I...Uh..."
Canni released the bars and her lips turned down into a pout, "Don't kill! Killing is bad!"
"What?" Seri's mind went blank for a moment. When it came back on, he was still just as lost. "But, I... It's... Um... My job..."
"Killing... Hurts people," Canni whispered, she was looking past Seri. Her eyes were lost somewhere else. "They cry and cry and don't stop. So I asked them not to kill anymore." Then, without warning, she reached an arm out, pointing her index finger at the center of Seri's mask, "Promise me! No killing!"
"But, I--"
"Please?"
All the thoughts in Seri's brain melted away. How could he refuse Canni? Sweet Canni who only wanted to do the right thing, "Okay." Then, his brain snapped back on, "On one condition."
"Hmm?"
"...Go on a date with me." Did he just say that? Seri shook his head, "I-I-I mean. Never mind. Nothing. How about just leaving this church? Why are you even here to begin with?"
Canni raised an eyebrow, "What? Date?"
***
Canni rocked on her tailbone as she listened to the frantic sounds of the guards running around to get rid of the bees. A date? She still didn't understand what that was about or why Seri had gotten so flustered over it. But he had been talking about leaving the church. Leave this place? Canni blinked and stared at the room around her. It was dark, decorated only by velvet curtains with bones swept to the corners. A servant would come to bring her food, a guard would stand watch over her.
This was perfect.
When she fell asleep, all she ever saw was this place.
There was nothing else.
So what's it hurt? Leaving would make Seri a better person and she could always come back.
Canni smiled as she spread out on the floor and closed her eyes. She would tell Seri tomorrow. She fell asleep with a smile while listening to the sounds of guards shouting and bees buzzing.
***
He sounded so stupid. How could he have said something so stupid? Seri sat on the roof of a building that overlooked the main street of the town. People were milling about, enjoying a nice evening. None of them bothered to look up. Even if they did, it was too bright down there and too dark up here for them to see him.
I sounded so stupid!
Seri dropped onto his back and stared up at the sky. The moon was covered by clouds, but still shone dimly through them. The stars twinkled throughout the night sky. His world was enormous!
And it never held any meaning until now. Until he met the frog inside that well.
The next day, a flurry of bats attacked the front of the church and had the guards scrambling again to put everything to order. Even the servants had to come out to help dispel them. They later found a stash of rotten fruit next to the front gate.
"Strange," Mart had muttered, "They wouldn't have come all the way here for rotten fruit. Did someone release them here?" And where would someone gather so many of them to bring here?
While they were busy tackling Seri's present, the masked killer had once again slipped into Canni's room. "Well, Canni?" There were butterflies in his throat. They tickled him. He kept wanting to turn away. She's so beautiful.
"Yes, yes," Canni smiled and reached her arms out of the cage to wave him closer, "But, I need trust."
"Trust?"
"Mmhmm," she nodded and sniffed the air exaggeratedly, "Old scent. Haven't killed for two nights."
Seri blinked, surprised that should could tell just from the scent. ...Would he be able to hide anything from her? He reached a hand up to his mask and pressed down.
Big brother! It hurts! Ahhh!
And buried the memories.
"You're right. I haven't."
"No killing seven nights."
Seri clicked his tongue, "That's not fair. I have to wait that long for one date?"
"What is date?"
"Uh... never mind. But, can I get something in exchange for that?"
"Uh-huh?"
"...Would you... Uh," the words caught in his throat. He was a boy with a crush. So never mind, "Stay this way? With me...? Um..."
Canni tilted her head. She didn't quite understand what Seri was saying, but she supposed it was fine. Stay this way? It shouldn't be hard. She will always be Canni, after all. "Sure!" she answered gleefully. The sound of hurried footsteps and the rustle of clothing echoed from down the hall. "See you next week!"
"Of course!"
***
"Shut up! Get out of here!" the bartender yelled and the little girl who was being yelled at burst into tears before running out of the fine establishment. Seri's fingers twitched. Did he think he was so powerful? Yelling at a child to do errands he should be taking care of on his own? He's sending his own daughter to a war zone just to pick up a pack of cigarettes for him.
Twitch. Twitch.
He could see it already.
He'll start with the fingers. Crack the bones. Rip the nails, pull them off, one by one. Burn the stubs--
Seri shook his head, almost revealing his mask covered face from under his hoodie. Oops, better make sure that stays on. He won't be thinking about that anymore. He made a promise to Canni. Instead, he focused on something else in the bar. There was so much talking. Another corner had a bunch of men with big muscles shouting at each other.
"He killed him! Ripped him to pieces!"
"There, there--"
"One of ours! How can you be so calm! We need to kill him!"
"We will, but no one's seen him for a week! It's like he vanished into thin air!"
"Maybe he did, maybe he just walked off a cliff or something," a round of laughter from everyone at the table except the one who wanted to kill.
"No! If he died by some other's hand, I'll find a fucking way to bring him back to life! I need to rip him apart myself! We are Gwyllgi! No one gets away with killing one of our own!"
Seri rolled his eyes. Another one he would like to trample on. But this one because he was a pure idiot.
***
"Well, how do I smell?"
Canni sniffed, "No killing... seven days." She smiled, "Good job, Seri!!"
"So you'll come with me?"
"Mmhmm," Canni nodded, but didn't do anything.
"So... how are we getting you out? I don't think the lizards are as distracting as the bats and bees..." Seri grumbled.
"Oh-- that's simple," Canni smiled as she gripped onto the bars. Then, she pulled and Seri watched in mild disbelief as the bars bent like wet clay in her hands. She made a large hole between the bars and stepped out with ease.
Seri's mouth dropped open.
"What do they bother putting you in that cage for?"
Canni shrugged, "Never asked."
"Okay," Seri shook his head, "We need to get out of here. Can you climb? I can carry you on my back--"
Canni shook her head, "No, no." She pointed upwards at the ceiling then reached over to pull Seri into a hug.
Seri froze.
His heart might've stopped.
"Upsie daisy!" Canni grinned and with a quick bounce, she shot up into the air. Seri's mouth dropped open a second time that night. She had just jumped hundreds of feet high!
"W-Wha? How-- What?" Seri gasped.
"Oooh! Lookie, it's the guards!" Canni unwrapped one arm and pointed downwards. Seri grabbed onto her and hugged her tightly in return.
Besides, rather than being preoccupied with what was happening below, the sky was much more beautiful. The deep blue was endless, dotted by stars. Clouds floated lazily and the moon was big and round, staring at them as they flew through the air. The wind rushed past his ears, stung his eyes, and chilled his skin. But everything was so warm. So perfect. Here with Canni in front of the moon.
"Hey, Seri!" Canni suddenly spoke up and broke Seri out of his trance.
"Huh?"
"Do you dream?"
***
Do you dream?
The boy that sat in the endless field was looking at something far away. Something that Mart could never reach.
Bang!
Mart jumped and sat up, startled out of his dream. It took him a moment to register his surroundings. The ugly moldy stone walls, the uncomfortable bed, the rusted gate... Shit.
He rubbed his eyes and got out of the bed, tossing the ragged sheet he had been curled against onto the pillow.
"Sir," the guard greeted with a grim expression, "The Parliament will meet you now."
Mart nodded in response.
"Are you ready?"
He nodded again and walked out of the gate without further instruction. He had been on both ends of this transaction before. They've all been here since they were boys, which gave them many chances to get in trouble with their guardians, the Parliament.
I wonder why I dreamt of that, Mart thought as he was led through the dungeon and up some stairs, when was the last time I dreamed?
At seven years old, Mart was the adventurous one. He was the one with the perfect grades in school. He was the one who took care of the younger children. He was the one that listened to no one. At seven years old, Mart had the world in front of him.
And then it was snuffed out.
Every once in a while, his brain liked to taunt him. It'd play back his memories, of the smiles of his two best friends. Of his older brother's awkward attempts to impress him. Seven years didn't hold a lot of memories.
Mart was born to a normal couple in a normal household. He became fast friends with the children that lived in his neighborhood. "Mart! Wait up!" a voice called and Mart screeched to a stop, his shoes taking the brunt of friction against pavement.
"We're going to leave you behind, Meri!" the boy next to Mart called out and ran further ahead.
"Hold up, Relo. Let's wait for Meri," Mart suggested.
"Ew! Ew! Mart likes Meri! Mart likes Meri!" Relo yelled as he ran further ahead. By now, Meri had caught up with Mart and her face turned beet red at Relo's singing. She made a small noise before inching away from Mart.
"What? Do you believe him?" Mart laughed and pulled Meri by the arm, taking her with them as they ran through the roads and into the forest.
"No!" Meri squeaked as her short legs struggled to keep up with Mart.
There was never much to do so they three of them often played pretend in the forest. In the whirlwind of leaves, Meri was a witch, Relo was a knight, and Mart was the monster out to kill the both of them. He had always been stronger than Relo and faster than Meri. To make it fair, they almost always had the games as two against one. Sometimes, they played close to the church in the forest. It was a strange and eerie place. Worn and old, yet clean. The guards and servants that roamed the place made sure of that. They always looked so dead, so worn out by their duty.
"What's in there?" Meri asked as the three of them hid behind a log near the church gate. A guard stared blankly outwards. Mart was sure that he knew of their presence.
"Dunno," Relo shrugged. Then he grinned and held his arms up to make himself look bigger, "It's probably a monster that eats little girls like you! Hahaha!"
"Eeek!" Meri lost her balance and Relo collapsed on top of her in a fit of giggles.
"Let's go," Mart said, standing up and starting to walk away, "I don't like this place." When his mother asked him about his day that evening and he told her about the church, she made him promise her that he'll stay away from it. "Why not, Mom?"
"I don't know," his mother answered as she set the dinner table, "We are simply not allowed to. Probably because only those closest to the old God are allowed in there. They take children there every few years."
"Oh."
"Don't touch," his mother slapped his hand away from the dishes on the table, "Go get your father and brother, first."
"Okay."
***
The day Mart met him, he had returned home from school early. They had an exam that day and the students were free to go the moment they handed in their paper. He had been the first one to get up from his seat. So Relo and Meri weren't around to play. On impulse, Mart decided to explore the forest on his own. He had already played in there with Relo and Meri for years, but there were many spots left unexplored.
The leaves crunched underfoot and the ground sloped upward. Mart had to cling onto small trees to not slip off and roll down the hills. There were no paths here, the half dead bushes of the fall got in his way every other step. He was shoving aside tiny branches and covering his face from being scratched by them.
After half an hour of walking, Mart was panting. He stopped to catch his breath and that was when he noticed that the trees were thinning out. There was grass underfoot and the sun was beginning to set. He was enjoying the scenery when the sound of heavy stomping came from behind him.
Whinee!
The pained cry of an animal ripped through the air as the snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves grew louder. A dear with large antlers came running out of the forest, its legs reared up. Mart froze where he stood. The deer's eyes were wild, it was not seeing anything-- only panicking and Mart was right in its path!
Run, he willed his legs, but fear glued him in the spot.
"I already said, stop!" the deer suddenly veered left, its head bending at an awkward shape as it turned. It took a few steps to the left, then blood spurt out of its mouth and it collapsed to the ground. Mart watched with wide eyes as the deer's body spasmed, then grew still. Crawling off the deer, a boy with dark hair glowered at the corpse and pulled a knife out of the animal's neck. There was a crack in the deer's left antler.
"How did you do that?" Mart gasped and the boy turned to face him. An array of scars ran down the left side of his face and across his forehead. Some of them passed through his eye. "Oh," he couldn't help exclaiming in shock of the boy's looks. If the boy was offended, he didn't show it.
Instead, he shrugged and answered, "I just do."
"Huh?" Mart's eyes were shining now, "Can you teach me?"
The boy shrugged again as he wiped his bloody hands on his pants. He sheathed the knife and put it in his pocket, "Sure."
The boy was only five or six years older than Mart, but he seemed like a giant to him. The boy was fast, strong, and smart. He seemed to know everything there was to know about the world. Despite their bloody first meeting, Mart was strangely unafraid. A boy that was capable of taking down a beast over three time his size was cool.
"C'mon! C'mon, tell me your name!" Mart asked as he trailed behind the boy. He suddenly stopped and Mart walked right into him. He held up an arm to prevent Mart from walking further and held a finger to his lips. A rabbit poked its head out of a hole in the ground and within seconds, its neck was sliced and the boy held it by its ears. Mart had barely caught sight of the motion. "Woah! Woah! Teach me!" Mart exclaimed.
The boy laughed, "Sure," then he started walking again, "Have you had rabbit before?"
"I think Dad brought some home once. We generally eat pork," Mart answered as the two of them came to a clearing. They have been meeting up the past two weeks and since Mart spent his afternoons with the boy, they had made a base camp for their operations. Nothing but childish games. Mart should invite Relo and Meri some time. But Meri would cry at the sight of dead animals and Relo would need to keep her company.
The boy hummed in response and started up a fire.
"Oh, you didn't answer me! Your name! Who are your parents? I've never seen you in town before!"
The boy shrugged, "Because I don't exist."
"Huh?"
A turtle that had been sleeping nearby poked its arms and legs out of its shell, bothered by the smoke. It made to get away, but the boy reached out and snatched it. Despite its reputation for being a slow animal, the turtle was quite fast in retracting into its shell. "Silly thing! Why does it hide? It doesn't really help! I'm still right here!" he laughed as he placed it on his lap. "I don't exist," he repeated as he returned to addressing Mart, "Sometimes, the town forgets that people exist. And I want to keep it that way."
It was later that evening, after they had eaten the rabbit and were watching the sunset that the boy asked, "Do you dream?"
Mart raised his eyebrows. They had both been so quiet, he hadn't expected the question. The boy was looking at the field. Mart tried to trace his gaze, see what he was looking at, but he couldn't pinpoint it. What was he looking for? "Yea, every night," Mart answered with a grin.
"Ha," the boy flopped down on the grass and stretched, "You should teach me, too."
Mart stared back in confusion. They didn't speak of the topic again. Over the next few months, Mart spent more and more time with the boy. It ate into the time he spent with Relo and Meri. However, he was also learning more and more from the boy. He was faster, stronger, he learned ways to trap and take down large animals. ...It was so much fun.
***
"Wake up, Mart!" his mother whispered harshly as she shook him.
"Huh, what--"
"Get dressed," her voice was stern, completely unfeeling, but her hands were trembling as she pulled a coat over Mart's shoulders.
Mart looked out the window of the room he shared with his brother. The sky was a light blue, the first rays of sunlight only beginning to spill over the horizon. His brother had already left his bed. Mart was shoved out of the room and out of the house. His brother was standing in the doorway and he looked up at him in question.
His brother shrugged in response.
Mart looked to either side of him. Outside their homes, he could see Meri and Relo trembling in their doorways. Then, he heard the rhythmic footsteps. The soft clink of metal against metal. A group of uniformed church guards arrived at the front of their street. They stopped momentarily and looked down, their eyes empty and aimless as they scanned every child. There were eight children on this block. The soldiers walked down the street and scattered, approaching each child. He heard them whisper as they passed Relo, "Too small." Another one had glanced at Meri, "Too weak."
A guard stopped in front of Mart and his brother. Mart forgot how to breathe, the air was stuck at his throat, his nose didn't work properly. The cells in his lungs gave up. The whites of the guards eyes were bright against the muted colors of his surroundings.
"Too old," the guard mumbled and shifted.
The air escaped from Mart's throat and his shoulders sagged slightly. He felt his brother relax beside him as well.
Then, he was lurched forward.
Mart's eyes widened as the guard's hand gripped onto his shoulder and pulled him along, "Perfect."
"No, wait, st-- Big brother, help!" he reached backwards to his brother, but his brother only stared back with wide eyes. It was only after he was pulled into the street that his brother reacted, running out towards him.
Whack!
Another guard moved in front of his brother and smacked him on the shoulder with the hilt of his sword. Mart watched his brother drop down and curl up in pain. "Stop!" he yelled and tried to pry the guard's hand off his shoulder, "Stop--"
Whack!
There was a sharp pain to the back of his neck and the world disappeared from his eyes.
***
"Congratulations, you have been selected to be a member of the Parliament's Guard," there was no feeling of happiness in the man's voice. He was in his mid twenties and had hollow eyes that stared at nothing in the distance. He stood before the ten boys that sat in the small auditorium's seats. The room was dark. There were windows, but they were near the ceiling and didn't illuminate much of the place. Mart was trembling. The boys that sat next to him did too. "From now on, you will live here," the guard continued, "You will serve the Parliament until the day you die. Your one and only job is to guard the Cannibal."
Cannibal? Parliament?
The words stirred forgotten memories in the back of Mart's mind. He remembered, ever so faintly, his mother reading him bedtime stories before he claimed to be too old for them. He remembered the stories of horrific monsters and wars that tore the continent apart. He remembered the church that led the soldiers, that fought monster with monster, but--
What? What was it? His memory was like smoke. He could see it, but he couldn't grab a hold of it. Like having all the pieces of a puzzle before him, but not knowing how to piece it together.
"We will now show you to the rooms you will be staying in. There will be daily chores. The Parliament may..."
***
"Soooo small!!" Mart flinched as the girl in the cage slammed her hands onto the cage bars and faced downward to look at all the children. The ten of them had been dressed in miniature guard uniforms. They held small weapons on them. Daggers and smoke bombs. Nothing big.
He blinked, the rest of the boys were speechless as well. Standing before them was the prettiest girl they had ever seen. Her white hair flowed down past her shoulders and all the way down to her knees. She appeared to be in her twenties and towered above the boys who hadn't even made it to double digits yet.
"Great, great!" she grinned at them and pressed her hands together in a clap, "More friends!"
Their first meeting with "The Cannibal" went well. All ten boys adored her and wanted to talk with her, telling her whatever they could to impress her. It only took thirty minutes to bore her, though, and she turned away from them. The children were led away from the Cannibal and were quickly assigned chores.
Within three months, Mart proved himself to be the strongest amongst the new recruits. He was faster, stronger, and better at listening to instructions. The other boys liked to goof around and often got in trouble with the Parliament. Sometimes, they'd have detention in the cells underground. Other times, something was ripped off of them.
"Your ear, please," was collected mumble of the Parliament. The boy would throw a fuss and try to get away, but the older guards would hold them steady. And the next thing they'd know, there was blood everywhere and the boy would return to his chores sobbing silently without an ear. Then, weeks later, the boy would get called in and walk out with his ear glued back on with nothing to show except for a thin scar.
Slowly, but surely, the boys learned to fear the Parliament. Never make a mistake. Never disappoint them. Never let your pride get in the way.
And the Cannibal watched as the light disappeared from each of the boys' eyes. Even Mart, who used to run in to show her the new techniques they were taught.
"Look at me! Look at me!" he would say as he waved his dagger around, pretending it was a sword. After several months, Mart simply stood by the cage, staring forward at something in the distance. But all the Cannibal ever saw in that direction were the dark halls that led into the room.
***
Mart did not falter as he stood before the men and women in cloaks with intricate designs. They sat high above him in a balcony with stone seats and stared down at him. They were mumbling softly to each other as he awaited their judgment.
"Mart, how do you explain this," every member of the parliament spoke at the same time, creating an unsettling echo within the room.
"There is no excuse," Mart responded with an even tone. Every word held respect with an edge of discomfort. He could've told them that they were attacked, but he already knew they wouldn't care.
"Hmph," the Parliament responded, "Well?"
"I will find her and bring her back."
There was another burst of mumbling and Mart wondered why they bothered. They had collective thinking. There was no need to talk. Perhaps they did it as a formality. Finally, the mumbling died down. "Mart, this is in your hands. You will have four days to find her. Whether you succeed or not, you will be punished on the fifth day. However, you may get a lighter sentence."
Mart closed his eyes and bowed his head, "Of course."
***
They were at a different part of the forest now, an open field that looked up at the millions of pin prick stars in the sky. Canni had landed and started prancing about in excitement, "Seri! Seri! There are so many stars! And the moon... is quite small." She frowned up at it, as though she had been lied to.
"Actually, it's quite big," Seri laughed in reply, "I overheard some smart people talking about it the other day. They theorized that it's probably a quarter of the size of Earth."
"The sky looks much bigger," Canni whispered, "Inside the church, the moon took up so much more of the sky."
"I guess... I guess it would seem that way."
Canni grinned and twirled around, her dress blooming out around her, "There is so much I have never seen before! Thank you, Seri!"
Seri was surprised by the sudden gratefulness from Canni and couldn't think of a response. Finally, as she settled down and he sat down on a rock, he asked, "...How long were you in that church?"
Canni sat down on another nearby rock as well, "Um... A long time?"
"How long is that?" when she looked at him in confusion, he elaborated, "Days? Months? Years?"
"Oh! Um... I... don't know," she tilted her head as she struggled to come up with a number, "No calendars."
"Do you remember how many times the full moon passed over your head?" it was a joke. There was no way she could remember. She couldn't even remember how many years she was locked up for.
Canni started raising her fingers like she was counting. Seri watched her, but didn't give much thought to what she was doing until she said, "Three thousand seven-hundred forty-six!"
"What?!" Seri exclaimed.
"Three thousand seven-hundred forty-six!" she repeated.
"No way! You look so young--" oh, wait, that explained the white hair. He's going to have to find out more about this religion. Why didn't anyone ever know about it? How could they possibly keep power while being forgotten? It didn't make sense.
All he knew was that the people who ran the church kept a three hundred year old girl with super strength that eats people locked in a cage and he just stole her out for a date.
...Could be worse.
"Hey, Canni, is there anywhere you want to go?"
"Um..." she looked at him with wide eyes, "Uh... I don't know."
Of course, he realized, she's never been outside the cage. She couldn't know what she wants. "Well," he stood up and offered a hand to her, "I can show you some parts of town?"
"Town? I think the guards mentioned that place before," she took his hand and he began pulling her along, walking in the direction of the town.
"Oh, and what do you know about it?"
"Um... The candy shops are beautiful and bright!"
"Er... what?"
***
It was only as they approached his usual neighborhood that Seri realized this was a bad idea. Canni dragged his hand forward before she realized he had stopped and turned back to look at him. "Ah, sorry," Seri mumbled and fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve, "We probably shouldn't go in right now."
"Why not?"
"This is a bad place..."
"Not afraid."
You should be, Seri bit back, "Let's find something else to do."
Canni pouted and crossed her arms, "No, want to go to town! Other parts are good?"
Seri thought of taking her to the nicer parts of the town, the parts where upright citizens would be and-- quickly shook his head, "No, definitely not."
"Why?" she sounded much more demanding this time.
"N-No," he sputtered, "I can't take you there."
Hey, big brother. I hate the way they all look at me.
"They'll recognize my mask right away and take me away!" he continued.
"Take off," Canni stated.
"I... I can't do that!" he was desperate now.
don't do it don't do it don't make me do it
Canni stared at him for a moment before stating, "Fine. Go alone."
"Wait--" he reached out to grab her, but she jumped up into the sky landed on a building far from where Seri was standing. "Shit!" he grit his teeth and dashed into the town. He was familiar with the twists and turns of this neighborhood. He should find her in no time.
As he dashed through a mostly deserted street, he was suddenly grabbed by the hood and held back. "Huh," he was surprised when his feet were lifted on the ground. He turned to look at who was manhandling him. He was a big man, probably more fat than muscle with scars across his face. He bared his teeth at Seri and let out a growl before swinging Seri around and smashing him into a brick wall.
A cloud of dust formed from the impact and Seri could hear bits and pieces chip off the bricks as he slumped over. "Do I know you?" he asked as he stood up straight. That hit a nerve in the man as his eyes widened and he let out another growl.
"You killed one of our own!" he moved in for a punch.
Seri easily sidestepped and dodged it, "I've killed lots of people. Be more specific. (Also, I really don't care.)" The man's punch hit the wall and there was another small cloud of dust. Seri made use of the time to pull a dagger out of his pockets and spun around to pull the man's other hand behind him. Then, he swept his foot out and tripped the man down. Momentum and gravity did the rest. Seri reached around the man's neck and held the blade against his throat.
The man stopped moving. Seri imagined that if Canni was here, she'd be able to smell the fear rolling off of him. Seri didn't go through the motion of slicing his throat. "Stupid promise," he grumbled as he removed the knife. Before the man could make sense of why Seri spared him, however, Seri slammed his fist down onto the man's skull, knocking him onto the earth. He was out cold in an instant.
His fingers twitched. He was really irritable now.
Skktchh.
Seri heard the sound of scuffling. He turned to see a girl staring at him with wide eyes.
Big Brother, I hate it. I hate it I hate it. I want to be erased from this town. I want to be forgotten.
His brother had looked down at him in shock. Then he whispered, "If it's everyone that you dislike, why should you punish yourself for it?"
Seri's hands curled into fists again. He ran up to the girl and grabbed her by the throat. She started to scream, but it was cut short as he slammed her into the same wall that he had been smashed into earlier. It knocked the wind out of her. He pulled his other arm backwards, then in one quick moment, stabbed four of his fingers into her stomach.
"AHHHHH!!" this time, she did scream out.
"Punish the ones who dislike you. Punish those that make you hate."
His fingers passed through the skin, the fat, the muscles and just as his fingernails were curling into intestines, he stopped. The girl was still screaming and people would start running here in seconds.
No killing.
He had made that promise to Canni. Seri let go of the girl and pulled his hand out of her. She dropped to the ground and continued to scream in pain. People would be here soon. They would give her medical treatment and she would get all sewn up.
Seri didn't kill her.
He backed away and put his bloody hand in his pocket. He turned and walked away. He had to go find Canni.
***
Canni landed in the shadows of a side street. She had gone rather far, jumped past at least half the town. Here, she could hear the bustle of evening activities. Couples on dates, families on an after dinner walk... Especially from the edge of the shadows where she stood, the world seemed so bright. The town square was lit up by all sorts of colors. Everything was tinted a happy orange despite the fact that the sun had already set.
Stunned, Canni took a step out.
The world enveloped her and she suddenly felt at peace with the warm feeling. The sounds of children playing in the fountain. The humming of a waiter serving food to customers. Canni closed her eyes and smiled, enjoying the moment.
"Hello, Miss," a man's voice said from behind her and she spun around to see a handsome man walking up to her, "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"
"Yes!" Canni replied with a grin and drew the stares of several nearby people.
"My, my. What's such a pretty girl like you doing alone?"
Canni's mood suddenly soured and she twisted her lips into a pout, "Seri won't come with."
"Seri? So you're alone right now?"
Canni nodded, "He said to show everything to me."
The man held out a hand to her, "In that case, can I do it in place of him?"
Canni's eyes lit up, "Okay!"
The man led her through the town, pointing out places of interest and telling her about how beautiful the town was. They made rights and lefts and down alleyways and across rooftops. Finally, they stopped in front of a restaurant with dark windows. Canni looked around, when had everything gotten so dark? She could no longer hear the warm bustle of a happy crowd. Everything was dimly lit by single lamps on each street. It was so silent. She didn't even see anyone around. Was this really the same town she had been in?
And... how odd.
There's a sweet smell in the air and she could hear the mumbling of a crowd a little distance away.
"You must be hungry, I can hear your stomach growling."
"Uh," Canni tilted her head, "I smelled something sweet."
"Of course," the man grinned, "Best restaurant in town, I promise!"
Canni's lips pulled up to a smile, "If you promise!" She skipped to the door and pulled it open. It was pitch black inside and she was pulled forward by someone in the dark.
BAM!
Before she could say another word, a wooden bar was smashed against her head. Canni froze, momentarily stunned as the pieces of wood fell off of her. She stood up straight and she looked around, her eyes adjusting. She could make out the shape of two big men around her.
"What the hell? Did you not hit hard enough?"
"I hit hard enough to break the bat! Of course I hit hard enough! Grab her!"
Canni was tackled down by one of the men and he grinned down at her, "What a catch! So pretty!"
Her eyes widened in fear and disgust, "Off!" She pushed at him, sending him flying to the other side of the room.
Clang! Crash!
"AHHH!"
The shrill scream ripped through the air. "Why's it so loud in here?!" the man who had led Canni here dashed into the building, "What's she still doing awake?"
Canni's eyes fully adjusted now. Cages. She saw piles of cages in the room. That's what she had thrown the man into. And inside these small cages sat people. Small. Frail. Skinny. Her nose twitched. Dying.
"What is it?" she stood up and faced the men, "Why?"
"Take her down! She's just one girl!" one of the men yelled as the three of them picked up various weapons they had lying around. One of them let out a scream as he ran up to her and whacked her across the face with a pipe.
Ow.
The force was enough to make her turn her head. It was not as brittle as the wooden bar.
"Hehe, how do you like--" the man swallowed the rest of his sentence as Canni turned to glare at him, her eyes turning red. She reached out and grabbed the man's arm, then swung him and threw him into the wall by the door. The wall cracked and gave and the man flew outside, landing across the street in a pile of dust and rubble. The other man stared at her with mouths open.
"W-Wait, we--"
"Aarghh!" Canni yelled as she dashed forward and kicked one of the men on the side of their head. She had seen Mart and the other guards train or play fight before. She could do this--
The man went flying out into the street. Oooh... She had never seen Mart or the other guards manage that before...
BANG!
Something flew past Canni's face and to the cage behind her. She immediately smelled the delicious scent of roast meat, warm soup, and crunchy vegetables. Like a celebration dinner. Her eyes widened as she turned around. Red spilled from a hole in a man in one of the cages. He laid crumpled on the floor of the cage, eyes still wide open with fear. There was shouting and screaming from the other cages now.
"S-Stay back!" the man whimpered as he backed away from Canni, "I won't miss next time!"
"You killed," Canni whispered as she took a few steps closer. The man continued to back off. She took another step forward and the man pressed the trigger. The bullet flew towards her and she held her hand out in front of her. Clasped it. Opened it. Then presented the bullet back to the man. He screamed. Everyone else stayed silent.
"Monster! You're a monster!" he fired his gun a few more times, but Canni caught each and every bullet. He was finally out of shots and dropped to the floor in fetal position. Canni raised an arm and punched him several times. He was unconscious after the second punch, but she didn't realize she had to stop until the screams started again.
Canni snapped out of her daze and looked at the bloody man before her. He smelled sweet, but not delicious. Not dead. Not dead yet. The people in the cages were all watching her with wide eyes. Fear. They smelled so scared. "Sorry," she whispered hopefully, giving them a small smile, "Don't be scared." She stood up and walked towards one of the cages. The girl inside immediately let out a scream and scooted further in. "I... Why?" Canni furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"
She didn't understand. What were they so afraid of? She had been in a cage all her life and when Seri approached her, she didn't react this rudely. Was it the blood? Seri was bloody, too. What was the matter with this girl?
"Didn't I help?" she mumbled and that's when the girl in the cage seemed to understand. She reached out and grabbed Canni's skirt.
"Let me out."
"Sure," Canni returned a smile as she pulled the bars open to a gap wide enough for her to fit through. The girl still eyed her warily, but stood and stretched. There was a chorus of people asking for her to let them out now and Canni did so, one by one. When they were all out, they smiled at her, looked thankful. There were a few that lingered back in fear, however, and looked at her distrustfully. Canni only caught whispers.
"Isn't she?"
"Yea, I saw it on the papers. Her picture."
"...One of the customers."
"Why, then?"
"Let's get out of here!"
A few of them ran out into the street, but the crowd of them were still lingering by, smiling at Canni. She had done a good thing! Yay! And then her stomach growled.
"Oh, are you hungry?"
"Yes," Canni mumbled in reply, "But, okay! Food here!" she grinned as she skipped over to the cage with the dead man in it. She bent open the bars and pulled him out. The rest of the people looked at her horrified. She's joking, right?
Then, Canni pulled at the corpse's arm. It came off easily, blood splattering over her and spilling out to the ground. There was a collective gasp from the crowd before she bit into the flesh. That's when the screaming started again.
"Monster! You're a monster!" they ran out into the night, leaving Canni confused on the ground. One of them tripped on the rubble and when Canni moved to help him up, he picked up a rock and threw it at Canni. Others followed suit.
"Ow! Ow! Stop! Stop!" she backed away from them, tripped out of the destroyed restaurant and ran as far as she could.
***
"Canni! I finally found you!" Seri yelled as he spotted the little white figure at the other end of the street.
"Oh, Seri," Canni greeted as he caught up to her.
"Woah, what? What happened, why are you covered in blood?"
"Dinner."
"What?"
"Dinner."
"With who? ...Or rather, of who?"
Canni shrugged and didn't answer. She turned and started walking away.
"Wait, Canni!" he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, "Did... Did something happen?"
Her eyes drifted to the hand on her shoulder. It was caked with dry blood, "You... You killed?"
Seri flinched and pulled his hand back, "N-No. I swear, she was going to be okay."
Canni narrowed her eyes, "...You're right. Smelled only sweet before."
"Canni, can you tell me what happened?"
She was silent for a moment before she responded, "The world... is colder than the cage."
Seri's eyes widened behind the mask, "Aww, no. This is why I said I didn't want us to go into town."
"My fault?"
"Huh? No, I didn't mean that!" Seri sighed, "I just... Don't let this change who you are, Canni."
"Okay, Seri," she gave him a small smile, "But--"
"There you are!"
Both Canni and Seri were startled by the rough voice. They had been so absorbed in their own conversation that they didn't notice their approach. A group of ten roughly dressed men approached them and Seri quickly hid Canni behind him. They were all carrying various heavy weapons. Metal bars, wooden bats, some had knives.
"I don't recall arranging a meeting with you," Seri retorted.
A man who looked to be the leader of the group stepped forward, "We are Gwyllgi! And we're here to take our revenge on you! You kill one of us, you mess with all of us!"
"Seriously? I'm on a date..."
"Date?" another member of Gwyllgi piped up, "Oh, she's pretty! Can I keep her afterwards, Boss?"
"Do what ya want," the leader hit his metal bar against his hand, "It doesn't matter as long as the Serial Killer dies!"
"Canni," Seri whispered, "Get out of here."
"I can fight--"
"I don't want you to!" Seri almost yelled back, "Don't dirty yourself with these lowlife!"
Canni flinched and frowned, but nodded. She backed away slightly then jumped into the air, surprising everyone but Seri.
Seri cracked his fingers, "Okay, let's get this over with."
"Don't get cocky!" the leader yelled and raised his weapon. The rest of the men charged up at Seri. Seri waited for the first one to reach him. As the man swung his bat above his head, Seri reached out and caught it. He dug his fingers into it and pulled, the man fell forward and Seri kneed him in the stomach. He fell to the ground momentarily stunned as another member of Gwyllgi rushed forward to attack. Seri dodged a hit from the second member and punched a third member in the face. He kicked the second one just in time for the first to get back up and land a hit on his back.
"Ugh," Seri fell to the ground and quickly rolled out of the way as a dagger was stabbed into the ground where his head just was.
Wham!
The wind was knocked out of him as was kicked in the chest by one of the men. Seri made a pained noise and rolled up in a ball. The hits were numerous now. They had surrounded him and were beating down on him. Seri tried to cover his head from too many blows, but they were getting to him.
Big brother! Help me! Help me! Ahhh!!
All Seri could see were teeth, claws, and fur. The animal growled as it mangled Seri. It wasn't stopping. His brother won't be able to help him--
"Big brother..." Seri mumbled as he caught the wooden bat of one of the men. He squeezed it between his hands and flicked his wrist. The man holding the bat flipped through the air and was flung out of the crowd. The Gwyllgi gang members froze at the sight. As Seri sat up, the men snapped back to reality and beat down on him again. Bruised and covered in cuts, Seri didn't bother to block any of the blows this time.
He reached out and grabbed one of the men's arm and twisted it. The man let out a yell to accompany the sound of his arm being broken. Seri stood up and lifted the man by his broken arm before tossing him into three of the other men, knocking them down. The remaining five looked at him nervously.
"What are you standing around for?!" the leader yelled, "Get moving! Kill him!" The four other men exchanged an uncertain look before they ran forward with weapons raised. The first one that reached him stopped short.
Splurt.
Warm blood oozed out from his stomach and the man stared at Seri's mask fearfully. Seri could feel his body convulsing from the shock. The adrenaline rush was keeping most of his pain at bay. It won't last for long. They both knew it.
"Don't say you'll disappear. Don't give up on life like that."
But I hate all of it. I want to disappear and be forgotten. I want to shrink back. Hide in my shell.
"Yes, but maybe someday you'll find something you like. Then you can come out of your shell," his brother smiled down at him. He had been sick in bed for a long time now. The wounds were all festering. Something must be infected. He was sick sick sick.
For a brief moment, Seri remembered his promise to Canni. He wouldn't kill. He promised. He promised--
Seri swung his arm outward, ripping through the man's belly, cutting him in half. The man fell to the ground, he would be dead in minutes. "Next," he muttered to the remainder of the crowd.
***
Seri limped through the streets. He was covered in blood, some of it belonged to him, but most did not. Good thing he wore black. A bloody trail was smeared behind him as he dragged the top half of the Gwyllgi leader's body behind him.
"Sorry, Canni, please forgive me," he mumbled to himself, "Here, I even have a gift for you. Please forgive me." Seri stopped and grit his teeth together. Even if the mask hid his face, it couldn't and wouldn't hide his sobs. "I'm so sorry, Canni. I really, really, really wanted to change."
Just briefly, he had a dream. His eyes had finally, finally focused on something.
***
"It was right here!" the woman gasped, skinny fingers clinging onto a militia officer's arm, "A monster! She was eating t-that!" She pointed at the man that had been shot in the cage. The group of people that Canni had freed had alerted the militia and in turn, the militia alerted the church guard. Mart had spoken with them earlier to report any strange incidents to them.
There was no doubt about it. The Cannibal had been here. However, it was the place that worried him. Mart looked up at the name of the restaurant. Moonlight Dream. He was not in charge of dining services, but sometimes, he'd see a church servant's shopping list.
Pick up supplies at Moonlight Dream.
What irony, he couldn't help thinking. While the other guards inspected the place, Mart walked off to the street behind the restaurant. The Cannibal wasn't there. There wasn't a point in milling about. As soon as he stepped away, he saw a trail of blood on the other block. Mart narrowed his eyes and traced it. It went down the block and disappeared in the distance. His left hand griped on the sheath of his sword, was it the Cannibal? It didn't seem like her to do something like this. That much blood loss was sure to have killed the victim. Killing and dragging bodies around wasn't her style.
Still, he had to follow.
***
Seri heard the sound of footsteps and the familiar clinking of a sheathed sword. He stopped and turned to face Mart standing half a block away. A smile spread across his face. Too bad Mart wouldn't get the chance to see it.
"The masked serial killer. I've heard of you," Mart said.
"Another blank faced guard. I haven't heard of you."
Mart pulled his sword out and held it steady in front of him, "Surrender quietly."
Seri shrugged and laughed, "C'mon! Have a little humor in your life, would you? You weren't always this serious!"
Mart didn't answer and dashed forward instead. Seri's eyes barely caught it. He pulled out his dagger just in time to block Mart's sword. He glared out at Mart from underneath his mask. Mart was strong. After a few seconds of struggling, Seri shoved out and leapt backwards, creating distance between the two of them. "Why are you lugging a body around?" Mart asked.
"I was going to give it to Canni as a present."
"Canni...?" realization lit up in Mart's eyes, "The Cannibal?"
"Cannibal? Canni deserves a much prettier name."
"She's a monster. We don't name monsters. Where is she?"
Seri narrowed his eyes behind the mask, "Like I'd tell you." He dropped the body and ran forward. He made as though he was aiming high, meaning to stab Mart through the chest. As he predicted, Mart moved his sword upwards for a high block. At the last moment, Seri changed direction and slashed low instead.
Mart caught the sudden shift in movement, but he didn't have the space to block. He moved back instead, the tip of Seri's blade slicing through his uniform. He put some distance between the two of them and steadied himself. He glared at Seri and lunged forward, aiming to stab him. Seri slammed his dagger against the blade of the sword, redirecting its path and successfully parrying it. Mart didn't miss a step and swung his sword back, this time for an upward attack.
"Wide open~" Seri shifted and dodged Mart's blade, then went in for the kill as he aimed to stab Mart in the side. Mart noticed this and twisted around, Seri's dagger stabbed into thin air. "Huh--"
Slash!
The sword came down across Seri's back, cutting deep into his flesh. "Aghh!" Seri dropped to the ground as the pain spread through his back. Warm. It was warm. His blood was warm and it was everywhere. Then, there was a point of cool against the back of his neck. Mart's sword.
"Where's the Cannibal?"
Seri laughed. The sword pressed harder against Seri's skin. He could feel a trickle of warmth flow down his neck.
"Answer me--"
Seri twisted around and grabbed the blade of the sword with his bare hands. He pulled and Mart had the sword ripped out of his hands. Seri jumped back onto his feet and flipped the sword in the air so that he was holding the hilt again. Mart glared at him from several feet away. "Hmm, the handle's nice and warm. Yuck," Seri joked. His palm hurt. The hilt was slippery with blood. His back ached.
But he was going to win this.
Mart was defenseless.
"Tch."
***
Canni had run off to some other part of the town. Seri told her to leave, but she didn't know where she could go. So she wound up hiding underneath a merchant's cart. At this point in the night, the town was quiet. Everyone had gone home to sleep. The commotion at the restaurant had also influenced people to retire early and double lock their doors. Canni curled up underneath the cart. Everything felt so cold.
That's when the tears started falling out. She couldn't keep it down any longer. She started crying. What was wrong with this world? It was so cruel. Seri had been kind to her so she thought-- so she thought--
She could give the world a chance.
But she was wrong. The cage was so much nicer. She could've stayed there. She could ask the church to let Seri stay with her as well. They would do it. They would listen to her. They wouldn't throw rocks at her after she helped them out. All the frog needed was the well and everything in it. And as long as the turtle can fit in with her, she would be happy.
"...It hurts," she mumbled.
All she wanted was to do the right thing. Yet, it only served to bite her back in the end. "Go home. I want to go home," she can always return home, right? Right? She was still the same as before. Her sobs and hiccups died down and Canni crawled halfway out of the cart to look up at the sky.
The moon still looked small.
If she had never left that well, she would never have known this. Canni swallowed an upcoming hiccup. There was so much she never would've known about had Seri not run into the church a week ago. Before Canni knew it, she was crying again. She never could've even dreamed of the world outside the well.
"Seri..." a smile graced her features and she felt at peace again. When she saw Seri again, she would have to thank him--
Canni felt her blood run cold. It was a little far away, but she caught a whiff of it. A familiar sweet scent. She had smelled it a week ago.
"SERI!" she yelled in a panic as she crawled out from under the cart completely. She had to find him.
***
The sword was in Seri's hands. He was going to win this easily. Seri stepped forward, then it was all a blur. One second Mart was standing several feet away, next he was right in front of Seri. "What--"
Splurt.
It was a nasty sound and Seri felt blood soak through the front of his clothes. He dropped Mart's sword. "...How?" Seri gasped. Pain wrecked through his body as he spoke the syllable.
Mart's arm passed right through Seri's chest, all bloody on the other side of him. "I had... good teachers," Mart said before pulling his arm out. Seri dropped to his knees just a scream ripped through the air. Mart turned to see Canni staring at them with wide eyes. She ran forward and caught Seri in her arms.
"Seri! Seri! No! No no no no no!" she yelled as she pressed her hand against the wound. She activated her healing powers, tried to send energy through to him. "NO! WHY?! NOT WORKING!!"
Work, powers! What do I have you for if you don't work, she screamed in her head. But the wound wasn't closing. More blood spilled out onto her hand. Seri's scent was getting more and more delicious by the second, "NO NO NO SERI! DON'T! STAY, SERI!"
Seri coughed, then smiled at her. She couldn't see it, though. "Don't cry," he said, "You're going to see the world." He let out a breath of air and Canni could no longer smell any sweetness off of him. He smelled of dinner, a well cooked meal, but her stomach churned. Seri wasn't food. Seri wasn't food.
Seri was... Seri was...
"He's a serial killer. He deserved to die," Mart said as he picked up his sword with trembling hands.
Canni placed Seri on the ground, the shell shocked look still present on her face. "Seri was kind to me," she whispered. Even if he was a terrible person, he had been the only one to show Canni kindness in the world outside the well. To say that he deserved to die, did her happiness mean nothing? Did her testimony not count for anything?
"Cannibal, let's go home--"
Clang!
Mart almost missed seeing Canni approach him. Her nails had grown sharp and her eyes were bright red. Her canines had grown out of her mouth and a pair of wings sprouted from her back. She no longer looked angelic, more like a devil, Mart thought. "So you've chosen to rebel?" Mart forced the sword to remain steady in his hands.
The world was ugly. The world was beautiful. She wanted to see all of it with the turtle.
"None of this was for you to decide," Canni's voice was hoarse, her tongue had forked, "It's terrible. But Seri lived here. And everyone else, too. ...So, me too."
"Cannibal, stop it," Mart grit his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword. Canni flapped her wings and flew towards him, she held out her claws and raked it down his face. Mart managed to back up just enough that it was only a light contact. Then, Canni twisted around and kicked him on the side, sending him flying down the street. Despite being hit so hard, Mart bounced back immediately. He had trained like this for years. If he was knocked down, he had to get back up no matter how much it hurt.
Canni had power, but she lacked technique. Mart narrowed his eyes. He could make use of that fact. Canni was gliding towards him now. He ducked down and sliced his blade upwards.
"AHHHHH!" Canni yelled in pain as she crashed on the floor. Her right wing had been sliced clean off. It sat a few feet away from the rest of her body. Blood poured out of both parts, she could see bone on the detached wing. "Heal," she commanded herself, "Heal! Why not healing?!"
"The Parliament created you. They know exactly how to take you down." Mart flicked his sword downward as he stalked up to Canni, "All our weapons are designed to poison you so you can't heal." He paused, "Let's go home, Cannibal."
"NO!" Canni screamed and held her claws out, aiming to stab through Mart like he did to Seri, but he was faster. His sword blocked her claws and he kicked out at her stomach. Canni gasped as she was sent falling to the ground again. "AHHHH!" her eyes widened as she felt pain in both of her legs. She looked down and saw that Mart had sliced both of her feet off, a clean cut right below the knees.
"Well? The Parliament can still reattach everything."
Canni remained silent on the ground. She panted. It all hurt. It hurt so so much. She looked up at the sky. The stars still dotted it. Nothing will change if she went back to the church.
"Cannibal?" Mart stepped closer, his voice a little softer.
"I don't want to go back," Canni whispered, "I never knew... I never knew I could choose this."
"Wha?" Mart stared at her. Why? Why did she want to leave so badly now? In a distant memory, he suddenly recalled the image of two boys sitting in a field.
Do you dream?
Yea, every night!
"I want to dream," Canni pushed herself up and off the ground with both arms, propelling herself up to Mart and sank her claws into Mart's arms. Surprised, Mart wasn't able to block her and she bit down on his shoulder.
"Cannibal! Stop!" Mart waved his sword about, fear seizing up on his body. He was going to die. Canni was going to kill him. No, he can't die! He can't!
He held the sword up and stabbed it through Canni, through his shoulder. Canni immediately became still and the pressure from her claws and teeth disappeared as Mart dropped to the ground. He felt sticky. There was blood everywhere.
From the ground, Mart could see the sky above him. Millions of stars. The moon.
Shit.
He just killed Canni. The realization of it was just beginning to dawn on him. Mart grit his teeth, "Cannibal, why?" Why did she have to let it come to this?
***
"You failed," the Parliament spoke in unison, "We wanted the Cannibal back, but you killed her."
"Yes," Mart answered.
"You will receive punishment."
"Yes."
"Good boy," the cooed.
Mart's hands curled into fists. He hadn't even gotten the chance to change. To dress his wounds. ...To mourn both their deaths. Dormant feelings were beginning to bubble up from inside him.
"We'll have to make a new one," they sighed. Then, they ordered, "Carry out the punishment."
***
A week had passed since Mart killed both Seri and Canni. His wounds have almost completely healed. The process was sped up by whatever medicine the servants gave him. The only injury that remained on him was the one inflicted by the Parliament. His right eye was gone and he wore an eye patch over the empty socket.
Mart sat on his bed and held Seri's mask in his hands. His hands trembled and he bit down on his tongue to try to keep the anger at bay. Just as he was about to snap, there was a knock on his door. Walking over to open it, another guard greeted him.
"Your turn for guard duty on the new Cannibal."
"Yes," Mart nodded and the guard left.
It took Mart no time at all to arrive at the cage that was the new cannibal's room. In the day time, everything looked peaceful, calm. So long as he ignored the bones scattered throughout the room. The place had been cleaned out since the new one was created. There were only a few skeletons littered about.
Mart approached the newly repaired and improved cage and stared at the child within it. It was sleeping, hair pure white and innocent. This one, too, was like her. Would it turn out like her?
I want to dream, her voice echoed in Mart's head. The little being bathed in warm sunlight didn't know the word freedom and would never know it. Mart curled his fingers into a fist. This was his job. He was still holding Seri's mask. He put it on, tightening the straps around the back.
The turtle wanted to tell the frog all about the world-- and that, he'll do.