Zjjan Master 79 Sp04 04 03, The Unspoken Decision

Akrosdasan Forest, is the neighboring forest from the southeast to east of Jelfyr Kingdom. It's a famous forest known by the hunters for hunting foods, and materials like mostly poisonous-tusked wild boar, poisonous frog, and venomous snake as materials for detoxification and cure for some illness.

Intro: Inside the forest of Akrosdasan, to a branch of a tall tree, a crow lands. Its body is gradually growing bigger. Black feathers are shrinking. Its black wings are forming to human arms. And finally it becomes a man without cloth.

Gaile, is one of the race of norims. Some of this race can mutated to another form of species. Others became half-breed.

The man wears on his garments. He picks up his sword, hunting knife, bow, quiver, and other materials, like ropes, traps, etc. Then he climbs down fast on the tree.

Hiding on a tree while waiting for his target, after setting up his trap, he sees the decreased number of traitors walking back from Eladin's camp. He hears the echoing dismay, criticism, disagreement, comment, flattery, thoughtful options of plan from those he recognizes as two n.o.blemen and their three companions.

As his targets go down to a slope, he, the man once a crow, draws his bow and releases the arrow at once.

A n.o.bleman among the group notices the quick zooming wind. "Urg," has moaned by his companion, a n.o.bleman. He sees his companion has stabbed by an arrow on the neck. And his companion's body falls down, slides, and rolls in the slope ground. Despite of the shocking situation, he yells, "Hide all of you!" His words command the rest of his group. He slides to the slope and he ducks to hide. Another arrow again has been released and stabs to the eye of his other companion, who has failed to find a place to hide. "Yahh!" has cried by his other companion, whose hands are in flame. That companion of him throws those fireb.a.l.l.s, again and again to the place where the a.s.sailant is expected hiding. Those flame burns some trees and the fire begins combustion. And the place is painted of dancing glowing gradient red, yellow, and orange. The heat surrounds the place. A moment later, his companion stops the attack and breathes from getting tired. He and his other companion, who is currently hiding, rise slowly to see and confirm if the a.s.sailant is dead. Another zoom of wind as an arrow hits to the head of his other companion, who has went out from hiding. His last companion is enraged again. He sees him throwing another set of flames to different uncertain locations. He, the last person of his group, rages seeing his last companion falls with an arrow in the left chest. He has stood to yell, "Face me cowards! Show yourselves! Fight me head on!" He can hear the consecutive sounds from gritting dried leaves and bushes. And to the right side, he sees the man, the a.s.sailant. He hears him speak,

"Of course. You are the purpose of my task," has spoken by the man, who is a crow before. The n.o.bleman disappears to his sight. He, who is a crow before, unsheathes the sword while he turns around, and vertically he swings up the sword. A shrill sound from the clash of metals continues and suddenly halts, when he kicks the n.o.bleman, flying into a tree nearby. The n.o.bleman's back lands heavily onto the tree. The n.o.bleman groans in agony. The man, who is a crow before, approaches quickly the n.o.bleman. He parries the n.o.bleman attack, a desperate one but premature of strength. And he kicks the n.o.bleman around the stomach. The n.o.bleman spits out blood. The man, who is a crow before, asks angrily, "Where's the daughter of Brigan?"

Due to the pain of his back, the n.o.bleman can utter a very thin sounds from his lips, "Who... knows..." His smile with blood of his lips shows his agony along with relief. "Might... might she be... dead."

"Speak loud!" has demanded by the man, who is a crow before. Despite the strong-and-stink-smell of the smokes and heat of the fire, he points his blade to the neck of the n.o.bleman, who loses conscious. He cries, "Answer me!" The waters rain down from above and he hears someone speaks,

"Leave him to us Mike. I already have the evidence. I'd heard what happened to my cousin."

The man, who is a crow before, sees the person, his client, going near. His client is once among the n.o.blemen and probably traveling back in separated group from Eladin's camp. He sees the n.o.bleman's accompany, an emode, uses pure water element to kill the fire. "What about justice?" he has asked.

"That truth was a total cruel. But I also want justice for all. My cousin wasn't the only victim. And to achieve such a thing, I want to end the root of this cruelty. I have a new duty for you. I will send the reward to your guild later. I believe your guild master is strong, right?"

"So, what is it?"

"I want you to inform your guild master and pursue him to take action. Our good young prince is to be a.s.sa.s.sinated."

—End of Intro.

On the peaceful ascending path where few trees and cut gra.s.ses on its each corner, Jaino and Ritzel are silent while they are walking. The cool breeze of afternoon protects them from the heat of sunlight. Twittering birds emit sounds soothing to any listener. Ritzel feels certain that somebody is following. She asks Jaino, "fa—"

"Nope Ritzel, I'm still not ready to be called like that," has replied by Jaino.

"But, you said—" She receives a pat on the head from Jaino. She sees him smiles.

"Speak to me without any address, okay."

The missy, Ritzel, shivers her body. "Father! I have to do.... Y'know, girls' thing. Would you kind and willing to wait for me, father?"

With his drained out of strength shoulders and unable to get angry, Jaino begs, "Please Ritzel, it's weird."

"Father! Please! I can't hold on anymore! Father!"

"Ritz..." With the feeling of defeat, Jaino replies. "O...kay... I, I'll wait."

"Yahoo! Yahey!" And Ritzel runs to a corner of the path. "Thanks father!"

Somehow... I feel my age plus ten years... has thought by Jaino.

After running through the gra.s.sland with few trees, Ritzel stops to see, same of her age, a boy feels relief while he's peeing. "Are you the one stalking at us!" her yell has made the boy startled, halting his activity.

The boy hides his symbol. Unable to respond due to the shock, he hears Ritzel's loud utterance again,

"Mind your manners if someone asking you a question."

The nerve... has thought by the boy, feeling unwell about the unfinished and halted activity of him. "Speak that to yourself! You pry in 'n randomly suspecting me. Didn't you see I was discharging my burden?"

"You were doing, what?"

"Ugh, I'm gonna go."

"Wait. I cannot let you go!" Unable to move her body, she thinks, He's a saiyk.

Saiyk, is a norim with tremendous psychic ability.

"The moment I see you in my eyes, you're under the spell of my ability. So b.i.t.c.h, just knock off already. My mother is waiting for me."

With the feeling of defeat, Ritzel goes back to Jaino. While they are walking, she asks, "Can I use my medou ability now, father?"

Medou, is a norim with a relationship to the dimension of time or/and s.p.a.ce. Ghost, refers also to Medou. It refers also to a phenomenon when object pa.s.ses through another object's body when it supposed to be collide.

Hearing the last word, Jaino is sulking again. "Nope Ritzel. I haven't bestow you my lineage's technique yet. Endure it for the meantime."

"He he he he. You didn't complain when I call you, father—"

Hearing her words, Jaino think, I want to cry.

"I guess I can endure it like you did." She nods her head. "Right, father? He he he he."

Seem like, I'm being tortured.

Inside the entrance of a graveyard, they see a wide gra.s.sy hills and few trees. Inscribed tablets are respectively arranged on the ground. The two, Jaino and Ritzel, venture deeper.

To a crossing where they see an unaware boy standing, Ritzel reacts, "You!" her voice startles this boy at her age. "You aren't sneaking on us again, do you?"

"Oh, you again!" has responded by the boy. "You don't have manners, am I right? Stop making surprises 'n randomly accusing somebody! You're scaring me on."

"What are you doing here then?"

"I'm waiting for my mother." He suddenly notices Jaino and he speaks to him, "Bro Jaino, you're here."

"Bro?" has mumbled by Ritzel. And she stares at Jaino's face.

After he has smiled, Jaino speaks, "Ritzel, he's my bro in law. Shin, this is my adopted daughter. Both of you, get along okay."

"With this girl?" has remarked by the boy.

"I'm Ritzel, nice to meet you." And she bows. "I'm sorry for accusing you."

"Heh, since I'm superior of you. You should obey my ch.o.r.es."

"What did you say?" Another argument of the two erupts again.

And to the other side of crossing, a veteran woman greets Jaino, "Long time no see my dear. You appear, a bit, disarray. Should I call you, boss? Sire? Or should I honor you..." Not hearing a reply, she just watches him coming near.

Jaino asks, "Can I be forgiven?" He grabs the woman's hand and lands the back of her hand to his forehead. After kissing the back of her hand with his lips, he asks again, "Allow me to visit her grave."

"Don't try to put your distance on our clan, Jaino. You're a man now. Know your responsibilities, authority, and your rights." Before Jaino could reply, she continues, "Don't tell me. Act that independency." Tears begin pouring on her eyes while the Ritzel and Shin silence. "Don't get the wrong idea. I don't harbor hatred on you. I just want to see what my husband and daughter had been up to."

"For now," has replied by Jaino, diverting his view at the sky. "I be doing my personal business." There're already tons of sinners that I slayed. And tons of norims that died because of me. I will say it. "Despite of me no inheritance, your family is among the people who respect me. Ritzel, come here."

What would it be? has thought by the missy Ritzel.

Jaino hands her a book. "This is the record of my lineage's technique. It contains varieties of skills from each person who inherited the technique through many generations. Lend me your wooden sword.

"Have you remember the man you sparred in the military training ground?"

The missy nods back.

"That man had fought many survivals. And through natural instinct, he gained bewildering strength and skills. You can't harm him if you're a norim who isn't a dralk or you are using those materials with sharped blade, sharped pointed materials, or any other weapon along with a plain strength.

"It was nice to see that you could fight on him head on.

"You can feel that a strength is gathering with your body right?" He sees the child nods again. "My father was quite brighter than me, so this example may not be stronger." He poses his stance. His left arm is pointing at a tree in far distance. His ready to swing right hand holding the sword is behind his right waist. "I'll show you how my father killed the last king of Jelfyr.

"Ritzel, like this. Gather strength to your sword. Use your mind for that. And think clearly before you do.

"Draw it to your target. Allow me to show you." With his right foot he steps forward, Jaino swings his sword. Onto a tree in far distance, leaves have lifted out and are falling down. Branches are gradually falling down into the ground.

Speechless, both the children, the missy Ritzel and the boy Shin feel the cold on their skin. The veteran woman wipes out her tears and scrutinizes what Jaino has been up to.

Jaino speaks again, "Now, Ritzel, your turn. Try to envelope your body with that strength of yours."

As the missy does, she speaks, "Whoa, I can really feel—"

"Nah, you're lying," has commented by the boy Shin.

Ritzel glares at the boy Shin.

The veteran woman speaks, "How about, try holding her with your ability, Shin. We can find out if she's lying or not."

"Mother..." has mumbled by the boy Shin. And to Ritzel, he speaks "Alright! Let's see what you can do." A moment later, he sees the missy seems moving freely yet confused. This can't be... "Mother, my ability isn't working."

And the veteran woman glances at Jaino who speaks,

"Now Ritzel, your final exam is, have a duel against your mother in my behalf. You probably need to practice and train with my technique for the meantime."

Receiving back her wooden sword from Jaino and unable to conceive something on her mind that she wants to speak, Ritzel says, "Thank you, father..."

"That's unfair bro! Teach me also!"

"You still need to learn the swords' basic, Shin," has replied by Jaino.

And Ritzel follows up, "I'm my father's reliever. If you want to know the swords' basic, you have to do lot of my ch.o.r.es."

Leaving the children having an argument again, the woman and Jaino have went to a tablet inscribed with a name Mrs. Misisa Diarke. After a long silent prayer, Jaino speaks, "I should have a child with her before the marriage. The path that I'm walking now is no guaranteed homecoming. I guess, I'll be the last one of Diarke's bloodline."

"Jaino, had you not flirting with my daughter and other women?" has asked by the veteran woman.

"I had not done such a thing. Not until I became the third.

"I was trying to follow my father's footstep when I'm still a child. But what I'd done was carnage. I really don't know if I'd given justice to the victims of the crimes that I worked for. But, now that someone had bestowed me hope, truth, and existence. It's foolish for me to reject it or use it for my personal affairs. I don't want those new sacrifices be in vain.

"I have decided. I will reveal what behind the outside world and face whatever may come. We norims are not alone living in this world.

"I shall prove it that everyone has a right on this world."

"Is that your confidence?" She doesn't hear any reply. "You speak firmly. You made me no reason to disagree. Try not to overdo yourself young man. I shall see what you can do. But I won't comfort you."

Behind the grave, a crow lands. And Jaino asks the woman, "This crow is a man, forgive me if I have no respect. But I can't let you feel disgusted if you see him back to his form. My apology."

"You still won't address me anything do you," has replied by the veteran woman. "Remember that I'm a mother of your wife. At least show me that she lives in your heart...

"Well, I guess. I shall have my leave."

Silent as the woman has begun to depart, Jaino speaks loud, "This might be sour to my heart. I can't forget how she bravely stood to her father's order despite of her race. She could tell me that she was a dralk!

"...

"But, that was all the past. Mom... Thank you." He takes a look to the veteran woman who smiles.

She replies, "You're still young Jaino. Find a woman that's worth for your life. And don't ever forget, pleasure may irresistible but children have rights and must know how to live in this world. I be going now."

After the woman has left the place, the crow's appearance is changing again. As it regains its human form, a man without clothe, he speaks to Jaino, "My apology, for hearing about your circ.u.mstance.

"However, my Job is my job.

"And to whom would I go for? The prince a.s.signed you as the Third General.

"To maintain our guild's relationship to our kingdom, by default, you are our Guild Master. I came in the shop, and he told me I destine to meet you here. Don't say no and I won't accept complains nor reasons. We should show respect to our departed leader, the previous third.

"But since we all only have brief and a single life, I will ask. Are you willing to bear responsibility?"

"Speak already," has ordered by Jaino. "Just bear it to mind, my representative of my division could hear this."

"And?"

"She's a loyal to me."

With the delighted feeling of relief, he, the man who is a crow, grins while he stares with a sharped eyes at Jaino. "I'm glad," he has responded. "I have brought someone's urgent request. The lord of the underworld will a.s.sa.s.sinate the prince.

"I will give you the I gathered complete details of the attack..."

Brave for the citizen safety

Countrymen have their shared duties

Ending the tradition of crime