Chapter Six

            "Why, hello there little pup! Are you lost by any chance?" a dark-skinned man covered with tattoos and piercings mocked the stranger. The rest of them laughed maniacally.

        The stranger remained silent, wearing an expressionless face. He's just standing there with an unusual posture. It was like he would fall to the ground any second soon as half of his body seemed to drag him down. A soft breeze blew the loose strands of messed hair into his pale face, waving in front of his blank eyes.

        "I said leave him alone." His cracked lips slightly raised forming into a mischievous smirk. 

       "You're not kidding us, right?" the tallest one with a braided hair forwarded towards the stranger.  Another set of annoying laughters followed.

      "Come on! Let's dance, brothers!" he said proudly and the rest followed his lead.

      The moment the he arrived in front of the stranger, he landed a sturdy blow on its gut. But, unexpectedly, the stranger remained unhurt wearing the same face, in the same place. He didn't even bother to dodge it! They knew that he was the second of the best and strongest fighters of their group, next to their boss. But how did that happen? Never in their whole lives they'd seen someone perfectly standing still after being hit by him. It left them speechless.

         "Too weak," the stranger said with a bored tone. "Now it's my turn."

        The clouds above had grown darker, concealing the few silver lines of sunlight that had broken through. Darkness crept. Before they could compose themselves back, the latter had been forcibly sent back flying towards their direction. In a snap, all of them were knocked off like bowling pins. There were consecutive thuds on the dusty ground of brown. Everyone rolled  in pain, letting out agonizing groans.

        "You son of a bitch! Kill him!" the boss wailed in anger, making the veins on his scarred forehead visible. He immediately stood up to maintain his reputation, regardless of the tormenting pain on his head. Soon, blood trailed down in the middle of his forehead.

       As the heavy clouds couldn't bear its weight anymore, rich rain poured. Weapons clattered, craving for blood as they went to attack the stranger, who, on this critical time, just stood there showing no hint of fear at all. Instead, he slowly raised his plump yet paper-white hand and pointed his forefinger to the closing enemy—no, it was actually the boss.

        They were taken aback, looking at each other trying to find out whom did the finger pointed to. The stranger started walking towards them without putting its hand down. Straightening his posture, his broken ankle suddenly cracked back to its normal location. His bare feet left footprints on the thirsty ground. In every step that he took, they stepped backwards avoiding to close the gap between them. Apparently, he stopped in the middle of his way.

       All of a sudden, the stranger twitched his neck and head eerily producing a cracking sound of bones. Eyes widely opened, full of excitement to kill.

       "What the hell are you doing?! Stop it!" the boss growled chasing his breath.

       "Boss!" His men were startled upon finding him floating in the air, holding his neck and chasing his breath. Red wriggly veins started to crawl on the white part of his eyes.

        The stranger just ignored them. They wanted to attack him but fear held them back. What was this man? How could he do such impossible things?

 

         "Put me down, asshole! I'll chop your head off!" the boss warned him. His men looked at him with dismayed expression about why he provoked the stranger instead of begging to spare his life.

        Just as what they expected, the stranger laughed devilishly and even tightened his grip on the boss's neck by the way his finger quivered. The boss was left speechless, miserably gasping for air with thick crimson tears flowing down his wrinkled, saggy cheeks.  Without warning, the stranger swiftly bent his finger as if pulling a gun's trigger.

       They heard something crack like a branch of an old, dying tree. Just then, their boss fell to the ground lifeless. Blood trailed down from his nose, red-stained eyes staring blankly into nothingness.

       "B-Boss!"

        "Boss!"

         Everyone worriedly gathered around the boss, forgetting the stranger who was now enjoying the scene, laughing with content. Some were too stunned to move. Some ran away despite their injuries. Some couldn't accept that their boss was once alive before being fixed in the air and fell to the ground as a corpse—all that with just in a blink of an eye.

          But that's not the end, the stranger mysteriously froze, leaving the rest of his echoing laughter, vanished into thin air. Now everyone's eyes were fixed on him. An arrow had struck on his gut. Another one on his shoulder. Another one on the top of his head, exactly where his hair had gathered into a bun, splitting it into two.

       The rain had calmed down but the wind had started to blow stronger causing his long brown locks fell down like a glossy, silk fabric, dancing wildly in front of his fading vision. His breath had ran out before he could truly savor the harrowing pain that had penetrated into his flesh.

        "I can't believe you let a girl dressed in men's clothes kick your ass. Shame on you, cowards!" a woman's voice echoed behind them. She's white as snow so as her hair. Hung around her neck was a frill of white feathers that made her look like an descended celestial being.

     

     "Madame!" they chorused upon her arrival.

       But what did she just say? They couldn't believe that he's a girl afterall! How's that possible for a girl to be invincible?

 

        "Galmont, take boss with you," she ordered the tallest one and then turned to the other two who looked like each other's copies, on her left side. "You two, threw them to the beggars' town," she added referring to the other two unconscious bodies.

        "Yes, madame!" the three answered.

        As soon as they brought them up on their horses, they went separate ways. The sun had successfully defeated the darkness, springing its rays freely. Small puddles were formed on the hoof prints left on the once parched ground. It made splashes of mud as another several hoof prints plunge their way out of the town.    

     

          "Maldecido! They shouldn't be here!" someone in a terrified voice shouted, "They shouldn't be here!" he continued and broke into laughter.

       "What are you talking about? They're not, you crazy old fart," answered a woman's voice.

       "Maldecido! Maldecido! Maldecido!" the terrified voice continued.

       "Shut up! Get out of here before I lost my patience! This instant!" the woman yelled.

       A loud thud and clanging of metal things followed. Footsteps running away made a pattering sound.

        Méah was awakened by the commotion. Her vision was still blurry so she chose to shut her eyes back again. She weakly hummed at a sudden bolt of pain that had crept throughout her body. Her mouth had gone hot and dry so as her throat like a desert under the sun.

       "Wa...water... I need," she paused at the sear feeling that made her cough a couple of times, "water..."

       "Oh, you're awake! What is it my dear? Water. Yes, let's get water for you," the same voice full of excitement appeared on her side but then disappeared right away.

        "Here, my dear. Alright, let's get you up so you can drink." The woman was back again and now she's helping her up.

         "Hmm..." Méah groaned upon the gradual motion of her body making her eyes open deliberately. Pain suddenly struck at its worst but then slowly disappear after settling down.

          "Here," the woman handed her an old earthen cup.

        Without warning, she snatched it and refilled herself with the satisfying lukewarm taste of water. Only then, her vision became clearer.

         Méah's eyes examined the place. Another unfamiliar one. An opposite one. Everything was lifeless. Black, gray and white were the colors she could only see. Stripped old clothes with moth holds of different sizes adorned the whole place, swaying at the calm blow of foggy breeze. There were wind chimes of black bronze hanged on the entrance. A few ones made of animal bones were hanged on the balcony, too. It reminded her of something...

       When her vision laid unto the woman, fear aroused from deep within her. That...that necklace! Hearing it chatter upon her movement brought all the memories back, the memories that she'd never forget even if she would die a million times. With trembling hands, she covered her face as if hiding from something horrible. Pictures from the past had mixed with her present vision—the woman! Must it be her?! But how did she get out?

        'My family...It was her! I have to avenge my family... I have to prove her wrong!'

       She peeked between the gap of her cold fingers. Horrific scenes blinded her, sending her into extreme fear. A ghost! She's seeing a ghost!

       "What's wrong, my dear?" the woman's voice echoed in her head.

       A creepy, cold one. Hair-raising. Like it came from a thousand-year-old grave.

       Her strong will had sunken. "No... Don't come near me!" she waved her hand, shooing her away while her free hand covered her pale face.

       Something warm held her wrists but it still sent chills to her spines. Who was it? Was it the ghost? Should she take a look?

        "No! Let me go!" she cried trying to free herself from the grasp of the unknown force.

        "Shhh! Calm down, dear. I'm not gonna hurt you," she said to Méah with an ever-calming voice.

        Méah was taken a back. Upon opening her eyes, she couldn't help but feel bewildered. So was she just hallucinating a while ago?

        "Come here, my dear. You're safe here." The woman smiled at her, wearing her favorite fairy tale costume when she was younger.

         The woman spread her arms wide, offering her a hug. Shes must be dreaming, right? Her father used to tell her that they only exists in books but how's this possible? Did his father lied to her?

        The dress... the long golden hair... it's really her! Delighted, she almost jumped out to her if she hadn't felt the pain on her wounds. Forgetting about everything, she warmly accepted her hug.

       'What would you do if you'll meet her?' her father asked her.

       'Hmm...' She held her chin, thinking. 'I would ask her to play with her. I want to play with her, father!'

       "Would you like to play with me?"