Some days passed. Zinor was living with the old man and his grand kids .
Stungh!
The tree fell down with one blow.
"Haah.. Looks like it is plenty for some days."
Zinor looked at the huge quantity he had already gathered.
A bird flew over the sky. Damo was staring at it.
The old man was in ash-house cooking something.
"Hey Damo. Why not you and Siri go to see your friends in the village?"
"I don't feel it."
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"No... There will be a ceremony of fire in fiery forest."
"So?"
"They will come again for Dayans on the name of fire. We are already in poor state. What do we do?"
"You are thinking way much than your age."
"Hmm.."
"Don't worry if that's the case I will borrow some from the villagers. I hope they will..."
"And for how long?"
"Huh?"
"For how long they gonna bear a family of an old man and two kids?"
"Damo..."
"Brother Berca is not here too. We got last news from the Cambara that he got missing in the war against Heins."
"Damo!"
Grrd!!
Zinor came back. The rope got snapped for which logs fell down.
"I hope these are enough for some days."
Damo went inside.
The old man adjusted those logs. "Yes, they would be plenty. I made some Hira soup and rice."
Zinor heard him and walked to the well. The old cloths made his body itching and chains were already a displeasure.
Adjusting the logs Dante sat facing toward the sky.
The central village was not quite lonesome.
"Come here come here.. Sepecial artifacts are here...","Hira, Falami, and many more vegetables are cheap today..."
Vendors were in high enthusiasm. Some children were running behind a flying fire. Peoples are gossiping among themselves.
A group of people were walking through the crowd. They were wearing a red cloak which covered their face. One of them had a exceptional design. One of the rest was carrying a censer what contained a burning fire.
As the walk to the centre of crowd one of them said.
"Tomorrow is the holy festival of Frierra. On her name, our fellow disciples will now collect alms. Give alms with open hands. It will forgive your sins." That exceptional cloaked man
announced.
Others held a big shawl before the villagers.
Everyone came forth and gave silver coloured coins on it.
The day was about to be passed by the reddish afternoon. The evening was urging to fell.
Zinor was taking a rest on the ground on a straw mat. Siri was sleeping on old man's lap. Damo yawned on the chair.
Knock! Knock!
The old man startled hearing that.
"Hey hey, Damo, Damo. I think they came."
Damo rubbed his eyes. "Aah?"
"Don't let them see Zinor. I am going to open the door ok?"
"Oh... Ok"
Old man opened the door.
"May the holy fire protect you."
They offered him an shawl. On it there were silver coloured coins.
"How much this year?"
"Fourty Nine Dayans"
"Oh. Here I have it with me."
He opened a pouch from the inner sleeves and put fourty nine Dayans on the Shawl.
"I think you didn't understand. Fourty nine Dayans for each person."
"Huh? But i have only this. Besides I live alone."
"Oh really? Then may this censer of holy flame nourish your house's air."
"No no. It is not needed."
"Oh no. It is! "
They forced the old man. Dante fell on the ground. The sound woke Zinor up.
"Looks like. You are really alone with two kids and this man. Aren't you old man?"
"But, I gave you everything I had. I have nothing more. Tomorrow I will lend from village chief and send it to the tomb myself."
"That willn't be needed. We will just take one of these young soul and the fire will forgive rest of you. Jarda!"
The big one from the cloaked person walked to Damo and Siri.
As he was about to pick one of them.
"Huh? Didn't you heard him? Just mo~"
His words stuck as Zinor grabbed his throat. He lifted him up.
"Hey! Are you anticipating the holy fire's order?"
"Who is this holy fire? Go and tell him I don't care."
"Jarda! Why waiting? Just burn that evil man!"
Jarda tried to say something. But words were choking and his throat too as Zinor forced his grip.
"Now I will need to wash my hands."
Dhaaam!
He threw Jarda at those cloak guys.
All five of them fell on the ground. The censer's flame extinguished by falling.
"Ugh."
"No. No. Nooo! The holy fire. It got extinguished."
One of the red cloak men faced at the standing Zinor.
"Unholy. You just did an unholy."
"Did I ask?"
The cloak men stood up one after another.
"You will pay. You will pay. You will."
The person who was talking to the old man was mumbling strangely.
Suddenly his pupil starts to glow like fire. Sparks of flame were coming from his hands.
Whooosh!
His hands started burning.
Zinor wondered what he just saw.
The man charged at Zinor. He punched Zinor's chest and guts with his burning fist.
Dham! Dham! Ddhaam!
He threw many punches.
Dhaaam!
Zinor threw a punch to his guts. He flew meters back and slammed on a tree.
"I don't know what you did but those calling that fire show an attack must be disrespectful."
Zinor's clothes burned. The chains of Abzala came into view of those cloak guys.
"You.. You are a sinful soul. A devil. Those chains..."
That man lost his senses.
"Hey you three!"
"Haa!"
The rest of them answered in fear.
"I don't think you have any will to attack me. Your strong companions have done too. So...
Run. "
Three of them carried those two and ran into the jungle.
"Haah.. What a headache. Who were they?" Zinor turned to the Old man and Damo.
"What did you just do? Do you understand this can cause a huge chaos and four of us would be executed for protest against them?" The old man exclaimed Zinor.
"Oh. So old man you are in a huge problem now?"
"What do you mean I? We are in."
"So when they wished to take one of your grandkids. Did it not be a problem for you?"
The old man couldn't answer.
"When he was approaching to take them away. You were just begging from them. Now when I saved them. You are here blaming all at me. Have some shame old man. Have some."
"Zinor, I.."
The old man tried to say something.
Zinor went toward Siri and Damo. He crouched down in front of them. Their eyes were still filled with fear of that incident.
"Don't get wrong ideas kids. All of you gave me a place to rest and food to eat. After this I will owe you nothing."
He went to the door and then walked outside. At a time he vanished in the dark night.
For a brief moment, the room was silent. The old man sat on the ground. Damo and Siri moved to him.
The old man cried.
"Grandpa?.."
"Sorry Damo. Sorry Siri. Your grandpa couldn't do anything."
They hugged their grandpa.
That night the moon was not visible. The sky was a bit cloudy yet there was no sign of rain.
"What did that man think? He could get away after this disrespect to the Law of Fire. Never!"
That cloak guy was walking by the help of another one.
Jarda's neck was dislocated. He can't keep his head steady.
A warm air flowed. From forward someone was coming to them.
It was a man. His body was half covered by the same type of cloth they wear as a cloak.
"Master Gardaan? Why is he coming this way?"
"Sandai, Chibi, Fahiya, Jarda, Poi. What's the matter? What happened? Why is the Censer out fired?"
That man who attacked the old man, Sandai tried to stand by himself.
"We were collecting alms for tomorrow's ceremony. Then when we went to old man Dante's house they beat us and killed the holy fire of the censer."
"Dante? He never did something like this."
"And that man in his house. He injured Jarda and Sandai this much." Fahiya, the girl with a pale face said.
"Berca? Is he alive?"
"No it was not that protestor. It was another one. A new one with the chains of Abzala."
"A sinful soul? Unimaginable."
"What do we do know Master?"
"Go to the temple and get cured by Asumia. I am going to check Dante's house."
"You are going?" Sandai asked.
"Hm. Any problem?"
"No. Just don't believe any words of protestors."
They went on the path to the temple. Gaardan watched them until they went far away.
"So. The old man chose the sinful path. May the holy fire forgive him."
Gaardan walked to the way of Dante's house.
The room was lit barely by the lamp. The old man was sobbing. He grabs his chest tight in grief and shame.
Damo said, "Don't worry grandpa. You didn't mean that way. We know."
"Hmm.." Siri assured.
The old man wiped his eyes. "No no. It is not a moment of crying. They will come here at any moment."
"What will you do Grandpa?"
"I will do what i should from a long time ago."
"Huh?"
"I will protect you."
Through the middle of the forest Zinor was walking. He was unarmed. Only a pouch of water was accompanying him.
The clouds are so dense that the heat is rising. What will it burn now?