The night had fully settled when discreet noises rose from the tall grasses.
Dan immediately straightened up, ready to leap, but Sakolomé raised a calm hand to signal him to wait. The silhouettes of two people emerged from the shadows: Yui, followed by a woman of more mature appearance, whose presence commanded a certain respect.
The woman wore a simple but neat loincloth, and her face, marked by experience, was imbued with a quiet dignity.
Her eyes scrutinized Sakolomé and his companions with curiosity, but also with a barely concealed glimmer of hope.
— Here is Kujin, Yui gently announced. She is the one I told you about.Kujin slightly bowed her head in a sign of respect.
— Thank you, she murmured with a deep but warm voice. Thank you for coming all this way... and above all, thank you for daring to challenge the situation of our clan. You cannot know how precious that is for us.
Her eyes clouded with emotion for a moment, and she clasped her hands before her as if to contain her impulse.
— For years, we have suffered in silence, prisoners of traditions that suffocate us. But tonight... tonight, I feel like a door is finally opening. Please... do not leave. This may be the only time, the only chance we have to save our clan.
Wendy exchanged a glance with Sakolomé. Despite the tension of the evening, a sincere smile stretched her lips.
— Do not fear, Kujin. According to him, our clan will be saved.She indicated Sakolomé with a look.
He responded with an enigmatic smile, his eyes shining in the moonlight.
— Kujin, he said calmly, your determination is precious. But I need to know... you saw that little one, Nehan. You followed her. What exactly can you tell us about her?
A silence fell, heavy with promises, while Kujin lowered her eyes slightly, as if the weight of memories suddenly returned.Kujin took a deep breath, as if gathering her memories.
— It was a sunny day, she told slowly and gravely. As usual, we women of the clan had gone out to fetch water from the river that flows at the foot of the mountain. Everything was going normally... but that day, there was a difference.
Her eyes clouded, and her tone became heavier.
— While we were filling our jars, one of us saw her. A little girl, lying by the water's edge. Her body was burning with fever, her breathing was labored.
She seemed ready to fade away...Dan felt his breath catch, but he remained frozen, clenching his fists.
— We immediately took her into our arms, Kujin continued, and brought her back to the village to care for her. Of course, nothing escapes the chief's gaze... He saw her, approached, and took an interest.
He asked where we had found her. We told the truth. Then, he said she needed to be cared for.Wendy, surprised, furrowed her brows.
— That madman actually reacted... that well?Kujin gave a bitter smile.
— Up to that point, yes... you could say that was the best part of the story.
Dan clenched his fists, feeling his heart weigh like lead.Sakolomé, impassive, encouraged him with a nod.
— Continue, Kujin.The woman nodded.
— We watched over her day and night. We gave her decoctions, remedies. She had a high fever, but eventually regained strength. Then, she told us her name... Nehan Hasu. And she had only one desire: to see her brother again.Dan lowered his head, his face tightened with emotion. His eyes shone with a dark gleam.
Kujin continued, her gaze drifting aside.
— We wanted to understand how a child that age could end up by the river in such a state. So, we asked her.
She told us she was being chased... by a monster.
— A monster?! Dan burst out, his voice trembling with rage and worry.
Sakolomé calmly placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Dan, wait. Let her finish.Kujin inhaled deeply.
— She was very afraid. Her words were clear: it was neither a mutant nor a simple wild animal. It was something else.
Much worse...She looked up to the sky, thoughtful, a hand under her chin.
— Its description matches a legend we know here. A greenish creature, with a hunched back, deformed nose. Its skin is covered with pustules, its smell unbearable... and wherever it goes, swarms of flies follow.
A heavy silence settled around them, as if just mentioning the beast was enough to attract its shadow.Wendy suddenly widened her eyes, a shiver running down her spine.
— Could it be... the mountain demon?
Sakolomé frowned, intrigued.
— The mountain demon? What is this story?
Kujin hugged her arms as if to protect herself just by talking about it.
— It is a monstrous creature... a horror said to be immortal. Hideous, repulsive. Its skin oozes disease, its gaze conveys disgust, and its odor suffocates. Often, we hear strange noises in the heart of the mountains.
They say it's her... a creature that cries day and night. And believe me... those cries are unbearable. Many men have tried to find her, but... she always eludes them.
Dan went pale, his eyes widening in amazement.
— That's... strange. Nehan had already told me about a creature exactly like that... She even drew it on a piece of paper!The silence grew heavier.
Sakolomé, thoughtful, crossed his arms.
— Hm... all this is becoming strange.
What mystery hides behind this creature? Kujin resumed, her face serious.
— The little one kept repeating she was followed by this monster. And... that it was because of it she never really healed. The creature kept worsening her condition, as if feeding on her weakness.Wendy, squinting her eyes, turned to Dan.
— Tell me... how did you react the first time she told you about it?Dan lowered his head, ashamed.
— I... I never took her story seriously. I thought she was inventing a nightmare to get my attention...A heavy silence fell, broken by Wendy's soft but firm voice.
— Kujin. Continue.The woman nodded, then resumed:
— After she recovered, the clan chief summoned her. She was only ten years old, and yet... he already desired her.Everyone's eyes widened, horrified
.— What a bastard!!! Wendy cried out, her voice vibrating with anger.
— He... he really dared?! Dan stammered, pale.Kujin clenched her fists.
— He kept saying it would be more "unprecedented" to have a girl foreign to the Dorei. Even though she was just a child, Nehan Hasu was to become Kyo Masutā's wife.
The name fell like a stone in a well.Dan almost spat the words:
— So... that's his name?Kujin nodded slowly.
— Yes. In all the rural areas where these disgusting traditions persist, he reigns.
Kyo Masutā is at the head of it all.Sakolomé remained still, surprised despite himself.
— Really...?Wendy firmly nodded.
— That's why I brought you to this village.
Because if Kyo falls... then all these practices will fall with him.A slight smile appeared on Sakolomé's face.
— Well played, Wendy.Kujin sighed, her gaze darkened.
— None of us agreed with this monstrosity. So, we made a decision: to help Nehan escape, at all costs.Dan suddenly raised his eyes, hope rekindling in his troubled gaze.
— You... you really did that?Kujin lowered her eyes, her voice trembling slightly.
— Yes... we finally convinced her. But Nehan was afraid. She kept repeating that if she left the village, the creature would come back for her.
She took a deep breath, her fists clenched.
— We tried everything. Said everything to reassure her. Given the stakes... she finally accepted.A heavy silence fell.
Then, in a painful breath, she let fall:
— We managed to make her flee. But Kyo... he did not tolerate our act. Among us, those who had helped the little one... five women were coldly executed, before our eyes. As for the rest of us, we were tortured for weeks.
Sakolomé lowered his head, a shadow of sadness veiling his face.
— ...Dan clenched his fists, his voice trembling with indignation.
— What?!... Really?!Kujin gave a bitter smile, a smile that no longer had any life.
— If I could show you my back... you would see the marks of what they made me endure. Every scar reminds me of that day.Her words hung in the air like an unbearable burden.Dan, despite the pain he felt at each word, gave a slight smile of gratitude.
Dan (in a trembling but sincere voice): Kujin... I thank you, truly. For allowing my sister to flee. And... I am sorry for all you endured because of that.Kujin held his gaze, her eyes darkened by melancholy. Then she gently shook her head.
Kujin (half-voice, sadly): I summarized things too quickly earlier... The truth is Nehan did not want to leave. She trembled at the idea that the creature might come back for her. She stubbornly refused, despite our pleas.
She paused, her lips pursed.
Kujin (more seriously): What finally pushed her to accept, despite everything, wasn't only our words... It was because Kyo was torturing her.At these words, Dan's eyes widened. His breath caught sharply, as if the ground had collapsed beneath his feet.
Kujin (face darkened, detailing bitterly): He beat her mercilessly. He forced her to live as one of us, as a Dorei. She was beaten so violently that one of her ribs broke.
Sakolomé and Wendy, frozen, watched Dan. His features twisted under the impact of these revelations.
He remained there, motionless, eyes wide open, without reaction.
As if his ears no longer heard anything, replaced by a dull buzzing filling his skull.Kujin resumed in a lower voice, softened by compassion:
Kujin: We took care of her as best we could. She wasn't fully recovered... but at least she could walk.
So, we helped her escape. Since then, she has disappeared. It's been three years now... She should be thirteen today. Well... if she is still alive.A heavy silence fell, weighing down as if the night itself had thickened around them.