Chapter 31 – The Turning Point
Halfy stood frozen as the hyenas closed in around him. His body refused to move. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and when he opened his mouth to speak, the words slipped out trembling with fear — the fear of weakness.
"You... tricked me," he whispered.
One of the hyenas grinned wide, his breath foul.
"We did."
A large hyena stepped forward and grabbed Halfy by the hair, yanking his head back roughly.
"You can't do anything," he growled. "You're just weak. Your skill won't save you this time."
The hyenas laughed, circling him like wolves around a cornered prey.
One of them sneered, his voice sharp with mockery.
"Look at him. He's shaking... Is he happy or scared?"
Another chimed in, "What's your next move, Halfy? Gonna cry? Gonna beg? Show us what your little powers can do."
Halfy looked at them, his thoughts spinning. His chest felt tight, his arms heavy. His soul itself trembled. Fear crawled through every inch of him — but not just fear. Shame. Doubt. Helplessness.
And then —
A voice echoed in his mind.
"Fight. Don't just fall. There's always something you can do. It never ends… until you say it does."
His eyes widened. Something sparked.
Moon Walk...
"It'll hurt," he whispered to himself. "But I don't have a choice."
Suddenly, a radiant silver light burst around him. His entire body shimmered as if forged from moonlight. The pain hit instantly — a burning, blinding sensation that wrapped around his limbs and chest. But his mind was clear.
The hyenas jumped back, startled.
"What the—?!"
"Why's he glowing?!"
"His body — it's silver!"
"Don't waste time!" one shouted. "Attack him now!"
They rushed in — five at once.
But Halfy was no longer frozen.
He stepped, vanished, reappeared behind one of them, and slammed an elbow into his back. Another hyena tried to strike from the left, but Halfy spun and kicked his dagger away. A third lunged with claws, but Halfy dodged, rolled under the swipe, and landed a brutal strike to the ribs.
The air crackled with energy as he moved like a phantom — silver light trailing his steps.
But the power came at a cost.
His muscles screamed. Every movement was agony. His skin felt like it was being torn apart. Tears streamed from his eyes — not from fear, but from the unbearable pain of pushing beyond his limits.
Still, he kept moving.
With gritted teeth, he knocked a hyena to the ground, then disarmed another. One by one, he fought them back.
Until only one remained — the cruel one. The one who laughed first.
The hyena's eyes widened. He backed away.
"I... I should run... Yes. I'll get another chance. I'll—"
He turned to flee — and tripped. He fell under a tree. But this was no ordinary tree. Its bark twisted into grotesque shapes, and its branches loomed like claws. A silent, eerie smile seemed carved into its trunk.
The hyena stared up at it.
"Even the tree laughs at me..." he muttered. "How am I supposed to live like this? How could I ever have a chance?"
He looked up at Halfy, who stood over him, dagger in hand, eyes glowing with silver light.
"You're no different from me," the hyena said, tears in his eyes. "You're going to use your skill to kill me… But that doesn't make you better. That's how the weak survive… isn't it?"
Halfy raised the dagger. His hand shook.
Then—
A strong hand grabbed his wrist.
Halfad.
His father stood beside him, calm but firm.
"Don't waste yourself, Halfy," he said quietly. "Even a poisoned dagger can be used to save a life. Be strong enough to face your enemies — but be stronger to forgive them. Don't carry their weight on your shoulders for the rest of your life."
Halfy's hand dropped. The dagger clattered to the ground.
He turned and threw himself into his father's arms, crying freely.
Halfad embraced him tightly, his voice steady as he looked at the hyena.
"Go," he said. "There's no punishment harsh enough for you. I'll leave you to yourself — that will be your punishment."
Then, without another word, he turned — carrying Halfy in his arms.
He smiled faintly through the tears as they left, running like a child learning to walk again.
Later...
Silver stood at the entrance of the cave, staring at the damaged land around it. Dust still clung to the edges of destruction. Lolo and Lilly stood beside him.
"This is how it was," Silver said quietly.
Lolo stepped forward. "Let me clean it up."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small seed.
"This will grow into a replica of the cleansing flowers. It'll take time — but it'll work."
Silver gave a rare, faint smile. "That'll be helpful."
Then he turned, voice calm, but a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"Take what you can," he said. "I'll destroy what you can't — as we agreed."