Chapter 10: " Shunnya:- investigation 1"
(Setting: On a ship in the middle of the sea. Late lunch time.)
Shunya was reading a book, relaxed in a deck chair, when his VAD vibrated. He picked it up and answered, "Who is it?"
"Hello. I am an Association member. I need to inform you about the report from Givnu Island."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow? Is this about Serbhij or Dulga?"
"No, it's about tax and Karnol."
"Karnol? Who is he?" Shunya asked, his tone instantly serious as he closed his book.
"He's the guard the Samuh Kingdom appointed to collect tax and handle the island's security. But we found out he's the one behind all the bandit attacks and the source of the trouble on Givnu—including the major attack fifteen years ago. Last time, he fled after seeing our messenger. At that time we didn't know who he was, so we couldn't question or capture him."
"Wait—he saw your messenger?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" the member asked.
"Did you send any of your members to Givnu before this Serbhij incident?"
"No, we haven't. At least, no one in the last ten years. Why?"
"If he's behind all of this, he wants something from that village or the island. If he saw your man and thinks the Association is trying to learn about his plans, what do you think he'll do? He'll try to finish his work before he gets caught by you—he can attack any time. I need to get there as fast as possible. Please tell the Director."
Shunya gave a sharp sign to the ship's driver to increase speed.
"Yes, I will. But there's something important the Association wants to discuss with you first."
"Okay." Shunya said.
"We want to keep a constant watch on the Samuh Kingdom. Because of the distance, we haven't been able to, but we find we can make Givnu Island our base. We will protect them from attacks and even heal them for free for the first six months. They won't need to pay any tax to the Kingdom for security, and our security fee will be only about one-tenth of the Kingdom's. It's a deal they can easily afford. Please present this to them and ask for their approval. Even if they don't agree, we will still heal everyone who is hurt in the upcoming attack and repair any damage to the land and houses. That's all the Association has to say. I will go and tell the Director now."
"Okay. I will try to convince them." Shunya hung up and stared out at the sea.
The waves rolled quietly beneath the ship. The air smelled faintly of salt and oil as the sun reflected off the water's surface like burning gold.
(Setting: At the port of Givnu. Almost evening.)
After two hours of travel, Shunya reached Givnu's port.
"Is this the location the Association sent me to? No one is here. Wasn't the port supposed to be crowded and noisy? It's quieter than a graveyard," he muttered. The faint cry of seabirds echoed across the wind. "Now, how do I find this restaurant?"
He heard voices and quickly hid behind a large tree as three men approached. Two were bandits from Karnol's party, and the third was Gilbo.
"Hey, Boss, why do you follow that weak Karnol? He's older and weaker than you. Why don't you just kill him?" one bandit asked Gilbo.
"Don't you know that little human has a Ver-dan? That's why we're his subordinates," the other bandit replied.
"You think I'd be someone's subordinate just because of a Ver-dan?" Gilbo scoffed. "No. He's strong even without it. I could still win if I caught him off guard, but his Ver-dan won't let any human attack pass. I can't injure him. I'm just waiting for a chance to kill him and get his Ver-dan. Then we can loot this village ourselves and take whatever he came here to find."
"Yes, Boss!" the two bandits cheered.
Gilbo chuckled. "When his plan starts, I'll go after that little girl he's talking about, but—"
"Oh, so you know about Karnol and his plan?"
Shunya launched himself from the tree, slamming his heel down on Gilbo, crushing him into the ground like a cockroach.
"Who are you?!" the two bandits shouted in unison, lunging at him with swords.
"Annoying. Did no one teach you how to be silent?" Shunya roared.
"Black Snow."
His left hand glowed with white light, instantly freezing the two bandits into solid, lifelike ice sculptures. Then the white snow rapidly darkened, turning fully to black. As the black snow finished forming, the sculptures shattered into fine, dark ash, leaving the bandits dead.
"What did you do to them? Where are—" Gilbo tried to speak, but Shunya cut him off.
"Do I have to tell you to be silent again, or do you want to end up like them?"
"No! I'll tell you what you want to know! Just don't hurt me!" Gilbo pleaded.
"Tell me everything about Karnol's plan and what he's looking for," Shunya said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
"Yes! Karnol is going to start looting this village any minute. All of us were going to help him. He will also kill everyone living on this island. To ensure no one escapes, we were told to cut all ties to the mainland. I came to this side of the port to kill anyone present and block it off."
"And he also told me to check that our men were working properly and to kill all the villagers on the east side before nightfall. After making sure everything was going as planned, I was supposed to come here and kill a girl with orange hair and a man named Valmo. He's going to the restaurant in the village to kill Hina, the owner, and question her about the thing he wants."
"And what does he want from Hina?" Shunya demanded.
"I don't know! He never told me! But he captured a boy from the west coast and was going to use him to blackmail Hina. If she still didn't talk, he'd kill the boy. He might already be there right now!"
"How much time does it take to reach the restaurant?" Shunya's voice now burned with quiet fury.
"Only ten or so minutes," Gilbo answered in a terrified, low voice.
"Take me there. Run as fast as you can. If I find you slowing down, I will kill you right there."
( In the restaurant's backyard at the same time.)
In the backyard, Timminy was on the ground, panting, wounded, and bleeding from a deep sword cut. Beside her, Hina was sobbing, clutching a small boy lying unconscious—or possibly dead—in front of her.
The air reeked of blood and smoke. The setting sun turned the sky crimson, like a reflection of the chaos below.
Karnol stood over them, sword in hand, his face twisted in anger.
"So you're telling me you don't know about the Unkillable?" Karnol shouted.
"Yes, I don't know about it! Please let us go! We never did anything to you! I did as you told me—I never told anyone about what you did to my parents or what you're trying to find!" Hina cried harder.
"Well, I think it's fine if you don't know," Karnol said, laughing. "That means your parents didn't find it, and I have the map to that place, so I can sell it or find it myself. That also means I have no need for you anymore!"
He swung his sword again, but Timminy moved in time, using her tail to push Hina back and shield her from the blow.
Karnol start attacking Timminy.
(Events continue, matching Chapter 7.)
"I hope it all ends here," Gilbo whispered, his voice trembling.
"Yes. It will all end here," Shunya said in a cold, emotionless voice as he stepped into the backyard. "So—you are Hina, the one the Association told me about, and this whale must be Timminy. But there something's wrong with her."
Hina didn't look up. Her tears dripped silently onto the ground, her body shaking with fear and exhaustion.
Shunya walked toward her and tossed a small brown box labeled medicine in front of her.
"Take it and apply it to both of them. Timminy might survive half-dead, but that boy will die if you don't help him. If you don't want to save them, just keep crying there and do nothing," Shunya said, his tone as cold as the sea breeze.
For a moment, Hina's eyes flickered with hesitation—then she wiped her tears and reached for the box with trembling hands.
"The Hunter Association will be here soon. Tell them to heal all of you and start rebuilding the houses—"
"Mira!" Hina cried out, cutting him off.
"Mira... please save Mi—"
"They're okay. The Association has sent someone, and I'm going after Karnol now, so you don't need to fear. Just wait for them here."
Shunya turned and ran toward the direction Karnol had fled. Gilbo followed close behind him.
The two sprinted through the dense forest. The branches whipped against their faces, and the air grew colder with every step.
"Sir, I did what you told me. Can I go now? You're going after him, but Karnol is stronger than you think. I wasn't even able to scratch him. He's very strong, and I don't want to die by his hand, so please let me go," Gilbo pleaded.
Shunya suddenly stopped, which terrified Gilbo, but he remained silent.
"Looks like you don't love your life if you want me to take it," Shunya said in a frigid tone.
"No... no, sir... I don't mean to oppose you, nor do I want to say that Karnol is stronger than you. I just—"
Suddenly Gilbo began to feel intensely cold. His breath froze midair, and his voice cracked under the weight of the chill.
Shunya turned, his eyes sharp as shards of ice. He raised his arm, palm open toward Gilbo, and said coldly—
"Front way, first step — Snow Sculpture."