The atmosphere in the hut shifted the moment the heavy wooden latch dropped into place. Outside, the village was alive with the sounds of a grand departure—the rhythmic chanting of warriors, the clatter of bone-tipped spears, and the distant, commanding shouts of the patriarch. But inside, the air was still, heavy with the scent of dried herbs and the lingering warmth of the central hearth. Nula sat on a woven mat, her posture graceful yet weighed down by the absence of her husband.
Earlier, she had been caught in a trance, her mind racing until Rana's voice had sliced through her thoughts.
"Nula… Nula…" Rana had called, his tone brooking no distraction.
"Ye—yes…" she had responded, feigning a slight surprise, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She had spent the last hour feeling Fuyu's eyes on her—not the eyes of the boy she had raised, but something darker, something hungrier.
Now, with Rana gone on a perilous week-long journey to negotiate with the Hague tribe, and Manu having dashed off to chase after Rani, the hut felt cavernous. Fuyu moved with a newfound, predatory grace as he followed her instruction to lock the door. He sat cross-legged before her, his presence filling the space between them in a way that made the air feel thin.
"What recently occurred that necessitated Father's trip to the other tribe's area?" Fuyu asked, his voice steady. "It will take them nearly a week of long travel from here."
Nula sighed, her hands resting on her knees. "It's because of the borderline killings. The Hague tribe has spilled blood, and with winter looming, the patriarch cannot allow killers to roam freely. They go to seek a peace agreement, but the path is dangerous." She looked at her son, noting his lack of visible emotion. Rana had praised his strength, but Nula felt a flicker of unease at his coldness.
"I see," Fuyu replied simply.
Nula shifted her weight, the fabric of her leaf-garment rustling. She needed to address the tension she felt. "By the way, Fuyu... I want to talk to you about something important." She took a deep breath, trying to summon her maternal authority. "Are you finding yourself a mate? You know, everyone your age starts looking for a spouse. If you are interested in someone, tell me. Your father and I will arrange the meeting."
Fuyu raised an eyebrow, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. "Well, it's nothing like that, Mother. I don't want to marry anyone."
Nula's eyes widened. "Huh… but why? Don't you want a girl for yourself? Lara told me... she told me you are having erections every day. It's a sign, Fuyu. A sign that your body is ready to start a family."
"No, Mother. It's true that I am having them," Fuyu said, his voice dropping an octave, "but I don't want a burden."
"A burden?" Nula countered, her voice rising in disbelief. "It's not a burden to have a wife! It's the natural order. She would care for you, cook for you, bear your children. Why would you deny yourself that?"
"Well, Mother, I guess I'm clear that I don't want to marry," Fuyu said, his gaze intensifying until Nula felt she couldn't look away. "And let me ask you this: why do you want me to marry anyway?"
Nula was momentarily stunned by the directness of the question. "Of course, because you would get someone to rely on! Especially with that… that trouble of yours. It would be hard to focus on the hunt or the field with such things clouding your mind. Most boys show attraction toward girls from a very young age, but you… you are different. Why is that?"
Fuyu remained silent, the presence of Vasana stirring within him like a coiled serpent. The spirit's voice echoed in the back of his mind: "Marriage is a cage for the weak, Fuyu. One woman is a drop of water; you need the ocean to open the Nadis. You need the energy of the many to transcend this primitive rot."
He knew he needed a source of power. He thought of the "Secret Exchanges" in the village—the women who traded favors for grain—but those women were often depleted, their spirits worn thin by poverty. They wouldn't provide the high-vibration energy needed to activate his internal channels. He needed something more potent.
"Well, Mother, I am attracted to them," Fuyu finally said.
"Then why not find someone for yourself?" Nula pushed, her voice carrying a hint of desperation.
Fuyu leaned forward slightly, the orange glow of the embers dancing in his pupils. "That's because… the girls in this village are naive. They don't know the 'fire' I have inside. They would break under the weight of what I need. Why should I bind myself to a girl who cannot help me grow, when there is already so much power right here?"
Nula froze, her breath hitching. The implication hung in the air, thick and suffocating. She looked at Fuyu, seeing the way his eyes lingered on the swell of her chest, the milk-smooth skin of her shoulders, and the sturdy curve of her thighs. The awkwardness she had felt earlier returned tenfold, but with it came a strange, terrifying heat.
What is he saying? she thought, her mind racing to find a safe interpretation of his words. He's just confused. He's reaching out to the only woman he knows... but the way he's looking at me...
"Fuyu..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "You are talking in circles. A wife is how a man finds his place in the tribe. If you don't marry, you will be an outcast."
Fuyu stood up slowly, the movement fluid and unnervingly quiet. He took a single step closer to where Nula sat on the ground. "Outcasts are the ones who are free, Mother. Father is gone for a week. The house is quiet. Manu is occupied with his lust for Rani, and Lara is away with Karl."
He knelt down, bringing his face close to hers until she could smell the scent of the forest and a strange, metallic tang that seemed to emanate from his skin—the scent of Vasana's energy.
"You say I need someone to help me with this 'trouble,'" Fuyu whispered, his eyes locking onto Nula's with a magnetic force that made her feel paralyzed. "But a wife is a stranger. Why would I trust a stranger with my fire when I have someone as beautiful and strong as you right here to guide me?"
Nula's heart leaped into her throat. The taboo of the thought made her dizzy, yet the isolation of the hut and the raw, masculine energy Fuyu was radiating made the world outside feel very far away. She felt a jolt of alarm, realizing that the "innocent" boy she had raised was gone, replaced by something ancient and demanding.
"Fuyu, stop this," she said, though the command lacked any real conviction. "I am your mother... you shouldn't speak such things."
"I am speaking the truth, Nula," Fuyu replied, using her name instead of her title for the first time. The shift in address felt like a physical touch. "You feel it too, don't you? The way the air changes when I look at you? The way your heart beats faster when I'm close?"
He reached out a hand, his fingers stopping just an inch from her cheek, the heat radiating from his palm making her skin prickle. "Don't you want me to be the strongest warrior for this tribe? To protect you while Father is away? Then help me. Help me unlock this power so I can be the man you need me to be."
Nula looked up at him, her eyes wide and wet with a mixture of fear and a suppressed, forbidden curiosity. She saw the "eager lover" in Manu, but in Fuyu, she saw a master—someone who was moving toward a destiny she couldn't understand but felt compelled to witness.
The crackling of the fire was the only sound in the hut as the boundary between mother and son, protector and protected, began to blur into a haze of secret desires and ancient, karmic necessity.
Fuyu has successfully trapped Nula in a web of her own concern and his newfound intensity. With the door locked and the house empty, the "Secret Exchange" he truly desires is within reach.