SHIRO
Arriving at your destination was supposed to be exciting and wonderful, that even from afar, you couldn't contain your emotions. You wanted to explode out of happiness and joy.
But that was not the same case as what we were feeling right now. The moment we saw the towering fortress of Wset's main city, what we felt was the opposite of excitement.
Even from a distance, we could already feel the chilling air that was enveloping the whole city. It reeked of fear, panic, and sorrow. If one didn't have important matters to attend to in this place, they would most likely not continue and walk away.
But not us, and before I even knew it, we were already inside the city walls.
The atmosphere was much worse than from the outside. The stillness of the air and the eerie silence intensified the fear I once felt before we even entered this domain.
"The situation now is much worse than before," Mister Riku commented.
"You're right. The last time we went here, we could still see a dozen people walking the streets, but now, not even a shadow can be seen," Mister Arano pointed out.
It was Mister Keiro who spoke next. "Now that we're here, what's next?"
Mister Keiro looked at me, and even after a week of traveling together, he still had that irritated and annoyed look on his face whenever he would talk to me or look at Mister Daku.
But just like before, I ignored it. I thought of it as his way of talking.
"I don't know. Only Mister Daku knows what to do," I confessed.
"Just great," Mister Keiro grunted while throwing his hands in the air. "Now, we have to rely on someone who is not even in his usual self. Do you know how crazy that sounds?"
"Why don't we find someone we can ask about what actually happened here? What we know are just rumors. It'll be more relevant if we ask the residents themselves," Mister Arano suggested.
All of us agreed to Mister Arano's suggestion, and for some reason, Mister Daku somehow agreed to it when he moved along with us.
"Looks like Daku and I are thinking the same thing," Mister Arano jested before beaming a smile. Everyone knew it was a joke, but with the place's influence, laughing in this place seemed to be a difficult and disrespectful thing to do.
As we got deeper and deeper into the city, the scene became worse and worse. Stalls and shops were deserted by both the owners and customers. They didn't even bother to keep their goods and just left them on their spots. The perishables rotted, while those that couldn't rot were blanketed with thick dust and dirt. It looked like they left in a hurry that they couldn't secure their shops and stores anymore.
Trash and garbage decorated the pavements, and traces of blood were evident.
"Someone is coming," Mister Keiro alerted, halting us in our tracks.
A man appeared from an alley a few meters ahead of us. And based on the way he moved, I could tell he was not in his best condition. His skinny complexion and ragged clothing told me that he recently hadn't had a decent meal and had forgotten to look after himself. His dry and hoarse cough implied his chronic illness.
"Shall we help him?" Mister Riku asked.
"Not so fast. He may not be on our side," Mister Keiro disapproved. "And he looks like he's very hungry. You know damn well what happens to people who are in desperate need of food—they go feral and would do anything just to satiate their hunger."
"But we won't know if we don't try," Mister Arano protested. "Besides, we are looking for someone who could give us information about what happened to this place, and that someone is that man."
"How sure are you that the stranger won't attack you the moment you get close to him?" Mister Keiro inquired, earning a defeated look from Mister Arano.
Then, a movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and when I turned my head to look at it, my eyes widened and my brows met when I saw Mister Daku start walking in the direction of the man.
"Mister Daku!" I called out his name, catching the attention of the three misters as well. We all looked at Mister Daku as he stepped closer and closer to the man.
I ran towards him and held his hand to stop him. Thankfully, he did stop, and he looked at me. But the words he spoke didn't fit to my liking.
"Must...help..."
And I saw the same look I once saw from him on the night that he secretly left the shop. The night when he told me that he must go to this place and that no one could ever stop him.
So, I let go. Because if there was someone who knew better what he was doing, it was Mister Daku.
I watched Mister Daku getting farther and farther from our spot. Each step closer to the man was a step farther away from us. Eventually, he got close enough for the man to notice him.
At first, I thought the man would run away and flee the moment he saw Mister Daku. As someone who went through such horror in this place, to meet a stranger was the last thing they'd wish to happen.
But I was wrong.
Because instead of being scared of the figure before him—who he didn't even know—he approached him. And I was surprised to see the man's reaction before he fell into the hands of Mister Daku. He looked like he was saved—he was happy and grateful that he saw Mister Daku.
"See? Not a bad guy. Just an unfortunate man," said Mister Arano.
"Let's go help Daku," Mister Riku announced, and the four of us rushed toward where Mister Daku and the man were.
The moment we reached them, the first thing I heard was the man's weeping. I couldn't tell the reason behind his cry, but one thing was certain: this man had suffered a lot.
"You...shouldn't have...come here..." the man mumbled in between sobs. "This place is...is not safe."
Unexpectedly, it was Mister Daku who responded. "That... reason... why... we... here..."
If I was not mistaken, that was his longest sentence yet, even though it was not a proper one.
The man shook his head in disapproval, and his cry gradually diminished in intensity. "Many have tried to free this place, but all of them failed. This place is already hopele—"
He didn't get to finish his words when he started coughing hard. It persisted, and I was getting worried that he might irritate his throat so much that he would start bleeding and cough out blood.
And it seemed like Mister Daku read my mind when he placed his left hand on the man's upper back and started pouring out healing magic.
My eyes gaped in bewilderment when I witnessed Mister Daku use healing magic for the first time in his current condition. And even though I was not looking at them, I was certain that the three gentlemen were also in shock.
The man stopped coughing and heaved a very deep, relieving breath. When Mister Daku noticed the man got better, he stopped the magic.
"Are you a healer, mister? Did you just heal my sickness?" the man asked Mister Daku, which he responded to with a nod. The man clasped both of Mister Daku's hands and knelt on the concrete road below him. "Thank you so much, mister! Oh, thank the gods! I thought I wouldn't last for tomorrow. You're a savior!"
The man held onto Mister Daku's hands as if he didn't want to let go. His tears of joy wet his face, and his joy-driven cry echoed throughout the street.
Unconsciously, I found myself smiling. Not only because the man got better, but because it felt pleasurable when kindness prevailed.
"Turns out going to this place isn't that bad at all," Mister Arano mumbled.
"At least for Daku," Mister Riku added.
And they were right. The moment we stepped into this place, Mister Daku made huge progress, and we were just getting started. If Mister Daku managed to speak more words and use his healing magic in just a few minutes of being here, imagine what more he could do if we managed to fulfill his mission here. I bet we would leave this place with him back to his usual self.
But of course, that was just me and my wishful mind talking. Nevertheless, what just happened now was undeniably remarkable. It was certain that little by little, Mister Daku was regaining his old self.
That's it! I will help Mister Daku with his mission here in Wset Region. Whether he would get his old self back or not, I will do my part to the best of my ability!