The Bird That Drinks Tears c4

Hwareet damned Viias for leaving him without killing him. She probably wanted it; she probably wanted Hwareet to lay on the pool of his own blood, suffering in pain and waiting for his death. Until then he could only neered it in condemnation, but Hwareet could now neer it with certainty. Viias is completely crazy.

[I don’t want to die…. Please, someone help!]

He could not concentrate his mind because of the pain. Hwareet realized that he couldn’t even emit a neerm loud enough for someone right next to him, let alone a neerm loud enough for the whole heart tower to shake. Hwareet thought of using his voice, but he knew well that it was futile. He didn’t even have the strength to scream, and Nagas are always insensitive to sound. Hwareet tried again to concentrate his mind.

[Help! Help me! I’m dying here! Help!]

All was without return, and more pain added on the more he concentrated his mind. From the excruciating pain, Hwareet felt his mind becoming faint.

Hwareet tried to see forward but couldn’t. Only then Hwareet realized that he was crying. The silver tears of a Naga, unlike the translucent tears of unbelievers, almost completely obscure one’s vision. Hwareet screamed towards the silvery darkness.

[Is anyone there? Help, please help!]

[Hwareet, it’s me. Ryoon.]

[Ryoon? Did you say Ryoon?]

Fingers that shook wildly grazed Hwareet’s eyes. The silvery darkness dissipated, and Hwareet could see Ryoon’s face. Ryoon looked down at him with a contorted face.

[I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I locked my mind for too long. I couldn’t move. Only now, only now I could start moving. So I couldn’t stop her. I could have stopped her. I’m sorry. I was so dumb and stupid. I couldn’t stop her!]

Hwareet didn’t know what Ryoon was neerming about. But he didn’t need to ask. Ryoon’s mind, which was locked until then, stormed into Hwareet now that it was free again. Feeling Ryoon’s completely open mind, even open to the most private places that one couldn’t even consciously access, Hwareet quickly inhaled.

Why Ryoon ran away, and what Ryoon saw and heard. Self-contempt filled Ryoon’s mind, as he was unable to stop his friend from being attacked, being paralyzed by the aftermath of the mind lockdown. Seeing this, Hwareeet could not blame Ryoon. Because he saw not words nor neerms, but the mind itself, there was only complete understanding.

Then Hwareet understood other things. Ryoon, apprehended by fear and confusion, could not summarize what he had seen and heard, but Hwareet could realize how his sister planned the murder. Hwareet could revisit the body of Yoovex like he had seen it himself, and again shuddered at the Viias’s cruelty.

Hwareet calmly used Ryoon’s sight, and even until the moment he diagnosed that it’ll be difficult to live, he hardly felt any fear.

It was a moment in which the self and the other was mixed up, the inside and outside contradicted each other, and the cause resulted from the effect. Even to a Naga who is familiar with the interaction of minds from the use of neerms, the chaos of that moment was fear itself. But Hwareet did not allow Ryoon to be apprehended by fear. Hwareet anchored onto Ryoon’s mind and violently attempted to take control of his mind itself.

Hwareet neered with his exhausted mind.

[Now go.]

[Hwareet, you must get up. You can be healed. I’ll get help.]

[No.]

Hwareet neered this in the sense that he won’t have a chance to survive, but Ryoon understood it in the sense not to call for help. Even until now Ryoon’s mind was open, so Hwareet recognized Ryoon’s misunderstanding, but did not resolve this misunderstanding. He was too tired. He did not want anything more either.

Left alone, Hwareet let out a long sigh. He no longer felt the pain on his back. Some kind of chill saturated his body from all directions but he thought the chill was warm and comfortable.

What Hwareet wanted to do was to give his life and death a meaning. He wanted to make sure that he did everything he needed to do. That was the tool that he used to keep his dignity facing the fear of death.

Cephabil, my Goddess.

But Hwareet felt that was not the case.

Normally, a covert space is usually placed underground or somewhere similar. But because of the overwhelming 200 meter height of the heart tower, the higher, the more hidden. No one climbs up to the high floors of the heart tower, which takes a few hours just to get their, for something of little importance. Therefore, it is overly obvious that the meeting of three taking place at the 55th floor of the heart tower is very covert. Because it was a meeting that involved climbing up to the 55th floor.

The owner of the room, guardian Serisma, was one of the greatest guardians. He, who out of all the guardians of Haatengraju is among the most respected, truly was fit to live on the 55th floor. It has already been more than a decade since he last made a trip down all 55 floors. The abundant rain water was his drinking water, and the goat, sheep, calf, or deer on the verge of death brought up once a month by an unlucky acolyte who also would be on the verge of death was his food. Serisma is truly a great guardian.

The two visitors looked uncomfortable as well. Of course, climbing up this horrendous height, even the best optimist in the world would still look a little distressed. But, along with such concrete concerns, they also possessed abstract concerns.

[I invoke the right to revenge.]

The clan council suddenly became silent. Of course, gatherings of Nagas are always silent so this would be a Nagaan expression, and should be understood as all the members of the council closed their minds at once. Each members of the council, all representatives of their respective clans, looked at the chairwoman’s seat.

An adamantine and sharp sword, made only for an assassin and used only by an assassin. The reason for its adamancy is for the assassin to stalk the target to the end of the earth, and the reason for its sharpness is to inflict less pain when the assassin slashes her blood-relative. As born-warriors, Leckorns greatly desire this sword, but never was the Sheiktol held by any race other than the Nagas, because once the assassination is over, the assassin breaks the Sheiktol.

After an immense amount of consideration within just a trice, Viias picked an appropriate answer.

[I just thought that Hwareet’s death was a bit absurd. He must have died so easily because he was not extracted yet. And him not being extracted means that he is still our responsibility.]

Dussena laughed.

[Very logical. Is that the attitude of a scholar?]

[We were lucky that our opponent was the Fei clan.]

Fortunately, Dussena was satisfied. Viias bowed her head and left her room.

A sagitta tenues is a thin and easily bent arrow. When hunting with a sagitta tenues, one stalks the animal that is hit with the arrow until the animal becomes exhausted because of its lack of lethality. Mostly herbivores are prey to this arrow, and firing a sagitta tenues to a violently charging beast would only anger it more. Therefore, ‘to take down a dragon with a sagitta tenues’ means the unbelievable feat of taking down a great target with an absurdly little effort. Viias became curious as to which clan had sent this symbolic gift, and nodded when she discovered that it was from the Sen clan. It was a gift with grace that fitted the stature of the clan.

But Viias froze as she saw Karindol put on the accessory. If Karindol was planning to accuse her, there would be no reason to ask for such an accessory. At that moment, Viias could come up with a word. ‘A deal?’ Then Viias reconsidered all the neerms that Karindol had neered. ‘Even when giving an impressive gift they plan a way out.’ A smiled shined on Viias’s face at last.

Left alone, Viias pondered who lost or gained more. Without a doubt, Karindol gained more. Karindol knew that Viias left her room that day and even has the Syker that was the murder weapon. Viias looked under her bed, and discovered that it was missing. And Karindol even took an accessory, despite its triviality.

Not the eldest like Somero nor is ambitious as Viias, was collecting keys the only thing that Karindol has been doing to survive? Viias thought that she should keep an eye on Karindol. Of course, before that, she thought she needed to change the lock to her room.

Somnani Fei looked like she was wondering if her limbs were still intact. To help her not knowing where to look, Samo looked back at the Sheiktol, and Somnani only then could directly look at Samo and opened her mind.

[Do you understand what I’m neerming?]

Samo neered a neerm of affirmation that could not be translated to a specific word. It is like nodding one’s head, but a Naga’s vague neerm as such contains a much more complex aftereffect. Samo neered in the sense that she does not know if she understood fully but she still has to affirm. Somnani, as if she was condemning that vague neerm, neered firmly and heartlessly.

[Stalk Ryoon, and kill him. The head must be returned. There needs to be evidence that the Shozain-Te-Sheiktol has been complete.]

Samo neered, still staring at the Sheiktol.

[If not, will my head do?]

[Do not even neer that!]

[Only the assassin or the target needs to die, no?]

[But this time, Ryoon must die. Go get Ryoon. It might be tiring, but not difficult. That idiot ran away still having his heart. Even if you don’t get him, the scouts will. It won’t even take long. So, you just need to pretend like you’re chasing him and come back.]

Suddenly, Somnani found something close to a weird stain in Samo’s mind. Somnani focused on the stain, and realized that it was rather an emotional orientation than a firm will. However, what it signified made Somnani shudder.

Samo looked with surprised eyes at the eldest daughter of the Fei clan. Somnani emitted her neerm as if she was trying to fuse her mind with Samo’s.

[No.]

[Sister.]

[There is no need for you to die. Think straight! Ryoon can’t live anyways. How will a Naga with his heart live in Keeboren? Even worse, he killed an acolyte and a guardian. Only so much can be covered by the ignorance of man. He doesn’t even deserve your pity. To be real, he doesn’t even deserve you killing him!]

Somnani again felt hatred for Viias. This is an outrageous insult, requesting the most respected woman of the clan as an assassin for a man. But Somnani was reminded of chairwoman Lato Sen’s neerm. ‘Instead, be thankful such an opportunity was given.’ Somnani sent her memory directly to Samo, and so Samo was able to hear chairwoman Lato’s neerm. Samo’s head sunk.

[I understand, The woman needs to take responsibility.]

And Samo grabbed the Sheiktol. Somnani, about to neer something, was taken aback by her aura and closed her mind. Picking up the Sheiktol, Samo slowly unsheathed its blade.

There was a stone table there. While Somnani looked with surprise, Samo held high the Sheiktol, and in a breath struck down on the stone table.

Samo raised the Sheiktol onto her left arm.

Samo was again surprised at the sharpness of the Sheiktol. Almost no pain was felt. It almost felt like her flesh wasn’t cut. But on the blade was Samo’s blood. Samo took out a handkerchief and cleaned the blood off. Now the Sheiktol will look for those who share the same blood. Samo, testing if the blade soaked her blood, pointed it towards various directions. As she expected, the hilt warmed up at all directions, because she was inside the Fei clan. But once she went outside, the Sheiktol will be able to find Ryoon even if he was at the end of this world. As a sword born to drink the blood of a blood-relative, it could not be more perfect, as it looks for the blood that once soaked its blade.

Ryoon realized the mess he was and muttered an obloquy. He was laying on the revealed part under the tree. It was a mistake to have eaten an armadillo out of hunger after running for four days without eating. Nagas usually have trouble hunting an armadillo, because an armadillo’s hard skin makes the detection of its body temperature difficult. But that armadillo made the mistake of curling into a ball and staying still. Even inexperienced hunters like Ryoon can find an armadillo if he steps on it and trips.

It was comfort that shouldn’t have been allowed. However, Ryoon still lied under the tree and stared blankly atop. The branches were so intertwined with each other that it was hard to see which tree they were from. The gigantic trees that have never experienced the axe of a lumberjack felt like fossils. Looking at the intertwined branches, Ryoon thought of blood vessels. The leaves that grew covering each other were green blood that spewed out of the veins.

Ryoon jolted up.

Instead, the fear that Ryoon felt at his father’s death apprehended Ryoon. Yoovex overlapped Yosby’s final moments, and Hwareet on top of that. Ryoon got up quickly in fear.

‘There is no time for this.’

Ryoon approached a shrub nearby. The dew was already drying off the leaves. Ryoon carefully gathered the dew from the top of the shrub. Even at the very bottom of the shrub, not much dew was gathered. Ryoon drank the collection of dew and wiped his mouth. He then estimated the direction of the sun.

‘So that’s east. This must be north.’

His stomach felt heavy, and Ryoon felt uncomfortable. Nagas digest slowly, as they do not chew their food. Ryoon was unfamiliar with his status, as he never ate anything bigger than a mouse. Ryoon even felt unpleasant when he thought that chopped up pieces of meat, almost retaining their shape, was floating in his stomach.

“I must get used to this. Men eat like this until they die anyways.”

As he heard his own voice, Ryoon was terrified. It took him a long time to realize that it was his soliloquy. At the same time, Ryoon was surprised at the fact that he was paying attention to his hearing.

Ryoon realized that the sounds he heard were not all the sounds by any means. The sounds his weak auditory sense can detect are very limited. Even so, Ryoon lost himself in the sounds that were almost overwhelming. Sounds he had never heard before, but he could say what those sounds were.

Silver trails thinly shined where he had left.

Chapter end