The sun had yet to set, but darkness already settled into the forest. The still silence was unnerving, but to Luca this was normal. The woods were his backyard. He knew every corner of it like the back of his hand. His steps were careful as he walked on the uneven ground and hung his head low to avoid the low branches. Sensing his destination within reach, he gave a sigh of relief. He didn’t think he had any more patience to continue walking any longer.
As he stepped closer, a shrill cry emerged. Luca almost jumped, startled by the sudden sound. He turned around and saw movement in the bushes nearby. Interest piqued, he diverged from his original path to see what broke the silence. He caught a faint whiff of blood. Human blood. How interesting~ Who was so brave enough to come into these woods when it was already so dark?
He inched closer to the clearing and made out something moving. He could see two cloaked figures were carrying something, Luca couldn’t see what clearly, but he could tell it was still alive. It was probably the source of the scent that dragged him here. Did he accidentally walk into a murder scene? Or perhaps it was some cultish ritual. Either way, Luca squatted into the bushes and curiously peeked through the leaves to see what the two figures were doing. After all, it wasn’t every night something so strangely interesting happened.
The two cloaked figures carefully looked around, and after making sure they were alone, they relaxed, unaware of the presence behind them.
“Put it down here. The beasts will take care of it.” One of the figures said.
“But-” The other figure interjected, before being interrupted by a glare by the other.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Po sbe vbc’a teggs eq, atbrf yfjrar klii ajxf mjgf bo er!” Ktf qgfnlber oluegf yfgjafv.
Lfjglcu atlr atf mibjxfv oluegf yfmjwf jczlber, jcv tf qgbmffvfv ab vgbq atf “iewq” atfs kfgf mjggslcu. Ktfs ybat mjealberis yjmxfv jkjs ogbw atf ybvs. Oemj lcmtfv mibrfg ab ufa j mifjgfg nlfk. Llr nlrlbc kjrc’a jcsatlcu ugfja, jcv vjgxcfrr bcis wjvf la tjgvfg ab rff.
As he crouched forward, he accidentally brushed against the leaves causing them to rustle. Luca inwardly cursed at his carelessness. He’d been found out. It wasn’t as if he’d be in any danger if he were caught in this strange scene, but it would startled his entertainment away.
Just as Luca expected, the two cloaked figures jumped at the slight sound and ran away, frightened, as if they would be cursed if they stayed here any longer. Far away, in the distance, Luca heard an engine start. The two figures dropped a bloody body in the woods and drove away . . .
How cliche. Wasn’t this the premise of numerous murder mysteries? Perhaps tonight he’d get to play the role of a third-party witness.
By the time the “show” was over, it was already nighttime. Not good. He was late to his appointment. At best he’d get a stern scolding, and at worst he’d have to go there next week. Since he was already late, no need to hurry. Might as well satisfy his curiosity.
Luca, not one to take caution or let reason drive him, jumped out of the bushes and approached the “lump”. A thick blanket covered the “lump” and the smell of blood got stronger. He unwrapped the blanket, and saw a badly injured body. Though it was hard to see in the dark, Luca could tell the body belonged to a child. Luca clicked his tongue. How cold-blooded, to leave an injured human child in the woods filled with beasts . . . beasts like him.
He grabbed a nearby stick, and poked the injured body. The amount of strength he used wasn’t strong, but it wasn’t anything light either.
“Still alive?” He asked, not really expecting a response.
To his surprise the “lump” groaned in answer, or more likely, in pain.
Luca abandoned the twig, and crouched closer to the “lump”. As if the universe sensed his need for light, the clouds cleared, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the clearing. Luca’s face glowed under the pale light, making him look like he was more spirit than whole.
His breath stilled as he saw the body of the boy. His hair was matted against his forehead and thin cuts covered his arms and legs. His clothes were nearly torn to shreds. His breathing was dangerously shallow. However, what caught Luca was the boy’s face.
‘He looks younger than in my dream.’
Luca didn’t know how long he stared at the other’s face, but after a while he came to his senses, seeing the other shiver. Luca covered the injured boy with the blanket again, with careful movements. The night was quite chilly, and the clothes the boy was wearing would do little to prevent the cold. He easily lifted the boy in his arms, and strode forward to his destination. Now, he really hoped his appointment would be available. Luca felt strange, carrying the motionless boy in his arms.
Luca’s thoughts strayed back to his strange dream. The dream was still clear in his mind, unlike the others which faded from memory after waking up. Every detail was etched deeply into his mind, to the point where he couldn’t forget it even if he wanted to.
In the dream, Luca was surrounded by flames, his vision blurry and lungs suffocating due to the smoke. The flames burned with a passion, and Luca could feel the intense heat emanating from them. It was vivid, as if he weren’t dreaming, but actually there. He was facing another man. The man carried a sword aimed at Luca’s chest. His face was impassive, but his eyes burned with hatred. The dream turned blurry and Luca was forced awake from the sharp pain in his chest.
Luca felt the tremors of pain even after he woke up. That man looked suspiciously similar to the child he was carrying in his arms. Luca had never been a paranoid one, but this realization made him wary. Was this really just a coincidence? He had never heard of his kind having prophetic dreams before, but then again all the knowledge about them was hidden in ancient books lost to time.
Luca sighed, feeling his head hurt from the turn of events. Perhaps the person he was going to visit would know what to make of it.
oh! what exactly is Luca? and why does the man (boy) hate him?
thanks for the chapter <3