"Ow ow ow…" Abel held his head in pain. He had three visible bumps on his head as a result of his brother's brutal beatings.
"..."
"I said I was sorry! So heartless…"
The two brothers had promptly taken over for Jove ever since the little incident that had occurred early on in their travels. Jove had yet to awaken, but he still groaned and moaned as the rocks jostled the back of the wagon. He was alive, as promised by Abel.
Aside from the aforementioned moans and groans, the ride was quiet. Abel had certainly simmered down his antics since his punishment.
A bump for getting them lost, a bump for dissing Seth's romantic ship, and a bump for his compulsion to take the reins for a fun-filled spin.
And yet, Seth noticed that Abel had a sly smile lying underneath his pain. He didn't know what was making his brother so content, but it certainly perturbed and irked him to no end. He scoffed and averted his gaze from that stupid smile as his hands gripped tightly on reins.
"So," Abel began, his hands now interlocked on the back of his neck, and his elbows pointed outward. "If he does remember us when he sees us, what should we do?"
Seth felt his jaw tighten as the thought crossed his mind. How would he react if he saw them? If Seth was being optimistic then there was a chance that he wouldn't recognize either of them. But that seemingly felt slim to none. No, he had to prepare himself for the inevitable that once they met, things would turn ugly. But there was no other way. Oh, how he hoped that it wouldn't turn out the way that it was, or in the very least, that it would be far longer before it did.
"..."
"You don't have to answer. But you still ought to ponder upon it."
"..."
"Besides, that was a rhetorical question."
"—!"
That—that was why Abel was so admired, yet so feared. Seth knew that look, and he loathed it. The deadening in his eyes as he spoke calculatively of the matter. The way his tone became ice-cold; no coddling or fluffing, no nuances with teasing or jesting.
This was Abel—the same man who had three lumps on his head, the same man that effortlessly killed ten men in cold blood. And that was all by his design.
"..."
"Hm hm, what makes you say that?"
"..."
"Course not, I was merely fulfilling the terms of the contract Jove had agreed upon."
"..."
"Besides, if I didn't establish that contract, we'd be out of a ride, wouldn't we?"
Sett turned around to look at the elderly man still resting in the back of the wagon. He was still moaning, he was still groaning, but above all, he was still breathing.
"They had been tailing him ever since he first entered the forest," Abel said factually. Seth stared at Abel. All he could do was stare. Interrupting him now was seemingly unthinkable.
"The brush becomes much thicker nearing the end of the forest as it's composed of maple trees, whereas the start is made up of birch trees."
Seth looked around them. Indeed, the surrounding trees were adorned with the signature maple leaf and double samsaras.
"They probably were waiting until the wagon was deep within the forest, making it easier to hide any potential implications of felonies amidst the dense scenery. And to that end, the rumors of increased murder and theft rate along with road would remain as such, just rumours."
"..."
"Oh, that was simple. I just so happened to see a birch leaf on one of their boots. I think it was one of the three that were trying to sneak up on you while you read."
Oh, you think? Such a silly word in his vocabulary. It was all a manner of figurative speech. Even the most minuscule details wouldn't slip Abel's memory. Being calculative requires calculations, of course. And calculations are built upon facts.
"Well, none of that matters now, does it? The bad men are dead, and there's nothing that can be done."
Bad men. Since when did Abel believe in such things? Evil can only be expected from that which is flawed. Evil was evil, lesser, greater. It festered deep in the hearts of mankind. To say such a thing as "evil men" was to imply that they and they alone were evil. Nonsense—all were evil. All bore the capacity to be evil.
"Well, we should be out of the forest in a couple of minutes here. Then after that, it's just a few hours till we reach the gates of Orario." Abel yawned as he finished his sentence. All the excitement early on had taken its toll on him. He smacked his lips as tears formed in the corner of his unbandaged eye.
"Wake me up when we get there, yeah?"
Seth nodded, and Abel laid back and closed his eyes. Moments later, he was happily whisked away into dreamland. Seth looked back onto the road and could see that the trees were indeed dissipating, little by little, giving way to a luscious open field. As the wagon continued to travel closer to the end of the forest, a thought occurred to Seth.
Abel didn't just yell joyride so he would be forced to drive the rest of the way… right?
.
.
.
"Next!"
Shakti let out a quiet sigh as she dismissed the next person in line. It was a long line-up. It was composed of all sorts of people. Men, women, children, each wishing, wanting and thus waiting to enter the gate of Orario. They each had their own reasons for doing so. Typically, it was in search of adventure. But others simply saw the business opportunity that Orario offered with its bustling population. And others just wanted to cause trouble. Hence, why she was posted at the gate.
It seemed rather unusual for the Ganesha familia captain to oversee something as supposedly trivial as the front gate. However, since the incident with the Xenos, the familia had taken numerous casualties in the preservation of civilian lives. They needed more time to lick their wounds. But evil never rested, so neither could she. She had a duty to uphold, and she would not let something as meager as fatigue stop her.
"Next!" she called again. That was the two-hundredth and eighteenth person. Admittedly, her sanity couldn't take much more. She looked out towards the dirt road and something caught her eye. A wagon. It was the first one of the day. But it wasn't just that that caught her eye. It was the people sitting in it. With her sharpened level five vision, she could make out a snoozing bandaged young man, and a cloaked and masked driver. What a peculiar duo. She'll get to them eventually, but for now, all she can do is focus on the person in front of her, occasionally glancing at them from afar.
They were here. After traveling out the forest and on the lone dirt road for three hours, they were readied up in line to enter Orario. Of course, after waiting for the next fifty-seven people to enter before them. It was as good a time as any to wake Abel up.
Seth nudged his brother lightly. No response. He nudged his brother again, a little harder. Abel stirred slightly but was still peacefully slumbering. Finally, Seth took a hand off the reins and smacked his brother. Abel woke up screaming.
"NO MISTER FLUFFY, FUZZY BOTTOM! I DID NOT STEAL THE LAST JAR OF HONEY!"
Abel's eyes darted around, completely out of focus, as he was jolted awake. Seth (along with the other people in line) stared at him, completely dumbfounded. After gaining consciousness to realize he was in the waking world, Abel simmered down back in his seat, still breathing heavily.
"Oh, thank goddess! It was just a terrible dream!"
Seth facepalmed his mask as Abel went on a rant, exclaiming the harrowing experiences he went through while he slept.
"Next!" Shakti called out once again. First, she heard the sound of horses neighing, then the sound of wood creaking, then a young man's voice.
"He was at my throat, Seth! I professed my innocence until the bitter end! He placed his firm yet fluffy hands around my neck then—"
"Ahem."
Shakti coughed as the wagon came to a stop right in front of her. The young man had his back turned to her as he dramatically proclaimed his trauma. He turned around and she immediately noticed his striking scarlet eye. They pierced the veil between her eyes and her soul.
"Oh hello there," he said, his voice smooth as silk. A complete opposite of the childish voice he had moments earlier. "Names and purposes for travelling, I assume?"
He spoke with a certain confidence in his tone. It was mysterious yet alluring. Such a dangerous thing.
"I—ye—yes!" Shakti flushed as she stuttered. She had never stumbled upon her own words before. She was a captain characterized by her strict, steadfast, and calm demeanor. She was completely out of her element. All the rest of her familia members could do was stand there with their mouths gaped open.
"Well, I'm Abel and this is my brother, Seth." He gestured to the masked man driving the horses. He gave a simple nod to Shakti. "And we are here to visit an acquaintance of ours who very recently got a promotion, of sorts."
Abel flashed Shakti a devilishly handsome smile to which she immediately averted her eyes. Abel closed his eyes and hummed happily as he awaited a response from Shakti.
"What would be the contents of your wagon?" Shakti managed to utter out.
"Oh," Abel said as he placed a finger on his chin. "That."
He quickly got up from his seat and went into the tented wagon. He looked down to see the elderly man still sleeping. Abel pursed his lips in thought before sighing. Grabbing Jove by both shoulders, he took a deep breath.
"WAAAAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEEE UPPPPPPPP!"
Jove immediately jolted awake as his neck was helplessly thrashed about. Adrenaline pumped through every vein in his body, practically oozing out of the pores of his body. After three seconds, Abel let go, giving the old man a chance to breathe (wheeze).
"You up? Are you good? Give me a thumbs up."
Jove's eyes were still a complete blur as he clumsily stuck his thumb up.
"Wonderful. Now could you please tell the beautiful woman outside the contents of the wagon?"
"Wha—we're here…?"
Abel didn't spare time to answer Jove's question as he darted back to the front of the wagon. Stumbling onto his feet, Jove followed him moments later.
The light was blinding to Jove. He squinted as his eyes slowly adjusted to it. The first thing he saw was the towering gated wall. Its daunting size coated everything surrounding it in shadow and darkness. The blistering heat or the shimmering brightness of the sun completely unfazed the solemn stone structure. This was the wall, the protector, the guardian to the center of the world. Jove was so awestruck from the sight that Abel's words almost didn't register.
"Ah, there he is. Jove, would you kindly explain to Miss…" Abel gestured to Shakti.
"Shakti. Shakti Varma. Captain of the Ganesha Familia," she responded calmly, though a hint of pride could be faintly heard.
"Miss Shakti," Abel continued. "The contents of the wagon?"
Jove stood completely dumbfounded as Abel and Shakti waited for his response.
"Oh uh, paprika, coriander, star anise, bay leaves, thyme, cloves, cumin, black pepp—"
Jove stopped as he stared at Abel. Somehow, amidst Jove's description, he had maneuvered himself off the wagon and in front of Shakti. He held her right hand with his left while he delicately traced the palm of her hand with his index finger.
"My, what lovely, delicate fingers you have."
Ganesha familia members could swear that they could see puffs of steam coming from the ears of their captain as her face flushed several shades of red. Some rubbed their eyes, some slapped themselves, others looked to the closest person by them and pointed at their captain and the stranger.
Shakti's brain was utterly fried. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. Many men over the years would stare and ogle from afar at her slender, lean physique. But that was just it—it was always from afar. None had ever dared to approach her. She always seemed too prestigious for someone to dabble in such feminine things as love or courting. For thirty years, she hadn't had a single suitor. The dancing at balls and parties was just a formality, of course. There was no feeling behind it. The feeling of a man intertwining his hand with her's during waltzes was plutonic at best.
Yet, here was a man who boldly grasped at her hand, and plainly flirted with her.
"Ardi… what am I supposed to do?!"
Suddenly, Abel let go of her hand, leaving it feeling far colder than it had been a moment ago. He tucked his hand back in his pocket and turned to face Jove.
"Pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and saffron. Right, Jove?"
Jove shook himself out of his stupor as the young man addressed him.
"Yes. Yes that's right!"
"Hmm," Abel hummed. "Are you sure we're not missing anything?"
The air around Abel became drenched in sadistic trepidation. It became permeated in a cold that sent shivers down both Shakti and Jove's spines. Never in her career had Shakti seen such nerve gripping fear that clutched Jove. Abel smiled at the elderly man as he waited for an answer.
"Yes… that's everything—!"
"Really?" Abel began slowly walking towards Jove. "Nothing that could have possibly slipped your mind?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"No, I'm sure that you've missed a spot. Specifically, the compartment underneath the wagon."
All of time froze around Jove. His mouth gaped slightly as millions of thoughts all spewed into his head.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"The compartment you were just sleeping over. What's stored in there?"
Jove could feel his hands trembling. He quickly stuffed them in his trouser pockets in an attempt to make them stop. A spotlight shone down upon him. All eyes were on him. Nothing but eyes surrounded him. All by Abel's design.
"What compartment? There isn't any compartment underneath the wagon."
"Ha ha. Hahahahaha!" Abel laughed slowly before bursting out into fits of hysteria. It wasn't warm or friendly like his previous laughs, no. Instead, they permeated something far more wicked than what anyone around would dare to describe.
"I knew traveling with you would be entertaining, Jove. I love it when people try to lie when I already know the truth."
Jove's fight or flight response was completely overridden by fear. He couldn't fight, nor could he flee. All he could do was remain in place as his nerves stiffened further.
"Alright, what say you and I play a little guessing game with our audience, hm? I slowly paint a picture for them to help them guess what's in the compartment. And you can also chip in and help that out. The more hints the better!"
Shakti stared in awe at Abel. So many adjectives could be used to describe him. Hyper, polite, noisy, flirtatious—sadistic, deranged, chaotic, calculative. She stared at Abel for all she could do was stare. She did not dare interrupt him. Interrupting him now was seemingly unthinkable.
"The spices in your wagon should only weigh around one hundred and ten pounds. Fairly light for a man that's trying to make a living out of trade. But that aside, the first thing I noticed was how high dirt and mud had trekked up on the back wheels of your wagon."
Jove felt his eyes slowly hover to the circular contraptions that supported and drove his vehicle.
"Something else was weighing the wheels down, something fairly heavy."
This man was a complete monster. No normal human would notice such minuscule details. But such things never slipped Abel's memory.
"My big oaf of a brother weighs around one hundred and seventy-two pounds which could definitely explain this phenomenon."
Seth shot Abel a glare at the mentioning of his weight. Abel simply brushed it aside.
"However, I noticed the dirt and mud prior to us boarding your wagon."
How? How could anyone notice such a thing? This, this was beyond absurd!
"And supposedly, let's say that there isn't anything in the back of your wagon, Seth's weight when he sat himself with the spices would have only given the wagon a grand total of two hundred and eighty-two pounds, still not enough weight for the wheels to sink to the sufficient depth. No, there needed to be an additional eighty-six pounds. It would also need to be small enough to fit undetected on your wagon. Something between four to five feet tall would more than easily fit in the space beneath it." Abel snickered to himself.
"Am I painting this picture well enough, Jove?"
Jove couldn't move, Jove couldn't think. So many calculations, so many facts. His brain scrambled to come up with any plausible explanation. There had to be some sort of loophole in Abel's logic. But there was nothing. There was no escape. Run! His soul pleaded. Yet his body, the flesh that bound his spirit, remained completely locked.
"No reaction? Okay, well. That makes things easier."
Abel slowly walked up to the wagon and boarded it. He calmly brushed past both his brother and Jove as he entered the back of the wagon. He crouched down and began to delicately trace his fingernail along the cracks between each board.
"Then there's the question of time. The forest leading to Orario spans forty thousand, two hundred and forty-four acres." That—that was the reason the brothers had wandered around the forest? Just to measure it?
"At the speed you were traveling at, it would only take you eight hours to clear the forest. You wouldn't even have run into Seth and I." He stopped as his finger latched onto something.
"The composition of the dirt found on the wheels is unique to that region. Judging by how the dirt's dried up, I'd say that you've been in that forest for twice the amount of time it would have taken you to leave. Now, why would that be? It's almost as if you spent a night in the forest."
Abel turned to look Jove dead in the eyes. A scarlet-eyed devil stared into Jove's soul. That infinitesimal second felt like an eternity of torture and suffering for him. How he wished he could have been like one of those bandits. Compared to them, their pain was seemingly over in an instant. Jove could feel his mind shattering apart at the seams. Instinct began a coup as rationality eroded.
"Let's recount the facts, shall we? A compartment hidden underneath the boards of your wagon. An object in said compartment that weighs eight-six pounds, and is fairly small, around four to five feet tall. And to top it all off, an elderly man staying the night in a secluded, isolated forest."
Abel looked away from Jove and back to where his finger was hitched upon.
"Of course, I could be completely basing my little tangent on completely nothing, and we could even chalk it up to the rant of a madman. That is, if I don't flip this board up right now."
No… you wouldn't. You wouldn't do that. Right? You wouldn't ruin an elderly man's life, a life whose days were numbered. Right? But alas, evil can only be expected from that which is flawed. Evil was evil, lesser, greater. They were all evil. All bore the capacity to be evil.
Sure enough, Abel flicked his finger upward, flipping the wooden board up from its nesting place. And there, staring back at Abel was the deadened face of a blonde girl.
Snap.
Jove screamed as he clumsily tried to flee. All the stress and pressure put upon Abel had finally broken him out of his fear. He tripped over the side of the wagon as he desperately tried to escape. He didn't even bother to pick himself back onto his feet, instead, resorting to crawling on all fours like the deplorable animal he was. He had to flee, he had to flee—! But before he could even get two feet away, Shakti ordered some of her fellow guardsmen to seize him.
Subdued on the ground he cried out, "It was an accident, it was an accident!"
"I'm sure that it was." Abel began approaching the elderly man, his supposed former charitable driver.
"Who was she?"
"Sophia…" Jove quietly uttered as he averted his gaze. "A stable girl who I entrusted to care for my horses while I stayed in Stansted. I didn't know her for long but she was kind, albeit quiet. I never meant harm to her."
Stansted, the small lodging town that typically housed those traveling to Orario.
"It was an accident. It was early in the morning, and I was leaving the stable with the horses. I suppose she was running an errand and I didn't see her, and…"
His voice grew quieter as his guilt began to seep into his words. It was an accident, it was an accident, it was an accident. He didn't mean to—
Abel leaned down to Jove and whispered in his ear. "But what you did to her corpse wasn't."
Abel stood back up and stared coldly at Jove. Tears began to form in the elderly man's eyes as the thought of what he had done truly dawned upon him.
"It gets lonely on the road. A traveling man wanted something to satiate his needs, his carnal desires. And so, a little idea popped into your head when you looked at the corpse of a pretty, young girl."
Abel turned and began walking back to the carriage. During his small talk, Seth had removed the last pieces of wood that covered and concealed Sophia's body. He carefully scooped up her corpse from out of the wagon and placed her on the ground. He placed a hand on her cold forehead and prayed a soft prayer. Abel stood by his brother and stared at Sophia. So young, too young. What a cruel place the world was. Abel placed a soft hand on his brother's shoulder, and gently squeezed it. Seth turned to face his brother. Abel simply nodded, turned, and walked towards the gate.
"Wait!"
Abel stood still as Shakti called out to him. He sighed. There was no way she was going to let him go that easily.
"Just who are you?"
Abel turned and flashed her a warm smile.
"I told you before, didn't I? I'm Abel, and over there's my brother Seth."
He turned and resumed walking.
"I'll leave you to handle the rest."
He walked past her, noting how amusing her face looked whilst utterly shocked.
"Don't worry. I'm sure I'll see more of your beautiful face soon, Miss Shakti," he said as he casually waved behind him. "After all," he stopped. "It never gets boring at the center of the world."
Shakti's face for the third time flushed a tinge of pink as the young man grew distant. In the distance, she swore she could hear her sister squealing giddily. A small smile curled onto her lips as she thought of her sister. Such a romantic, that girl.
Having finished saying all that needed to be said for Sophia, Seth stood up and began to make his way to his brother. He gave Shakti a small nod as he passed her. Soon after, the two brothers were walking side by side again.
They were here. They were past the gate. They were in Orario.
Abel stretched his arms before stuffing his hands in his pocket. Seth stared hard at his brother.
"..."
"Oh, no. I only really began to suspect something after our incident with the bandits."
"..."
"Well, if I acted sooner, we'd be out of a driver, wouldn't we? And it would be better to let the proper authorities handle him. Besides, I still had to fulfill the contract I established with him."
It was to protect him from anyone who dared harm him while on the road. Now that they were at Orario's doorstep, the contract had expired.
"..."
"Oh, don't be like that. Would you rather that that little girl's death and defilement go unpunished?"
"..."
"But enough of that. I've expended all my energy already, and am hungry."
On queue, Abel's stomach growled loudly as he hadn't eaten anything since the two started their journey. He had been saving himself for something…
"Now that we're in Orario, I'm going to go on a café spree!"
Seth was also far too tired to smack his brother again. Instead, he glumly stared at his brother as he began to carelessly run around Orario like a glorified manchild.