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idkjusturabus · 5 months

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It was late when Udai returned to the compound, he quietly opened and closed the gate behind him. He glanced across the courtyard, lit only by a dim moonlight, and frowned. Not a single light from any torch, fire or lanturn. Pure darkness. He listened for music, or quiet conversation. Nothing. Udai hesitantly made his way towards the camp, his heart starting to race. Something was wrong.

As he stepped beside one of the first tents, he froze. A horrible, metallic scent assaulted his nose. He slowly stepped towards the front of the tent, stumbling upon an unlit lantern on the ground beside it. With shaky hands, he picked up the small lantern and lit the wick with his fingers. Udai held the burning lantern up to see his surroundings. His stomach dropped.

The entirety of the camp was littered with motionless and bloodied bodies of his following. He stumbled through the tents and huts, eyes jutting between gruesome sites, whimpering to himself.

“What… happened here?” He spoke softly and shakily to himself.

“They’re dead.” A familiar voice stated back, matter-of-factly, “All of them.”

Udai jumped in startle as a small flame erupted not 20 feet away from him. He turned to the new light and saw it perched in Qetar’s blood stained hand. The crimson soaked figure started walking towards him.

“Qetar?” Udai’s mouth gaped in disbelief and he stepped back, lowering his lantern.

“I warned you.” Qetar’s free hand rose from his side and reached toward a pot of water, hanging above a darkened fire pit. He pulled the water out and with a swift motion flooded the ground at the shaman’s feet and froze him in place.

“What did you do?!” Udai’s voice cracked as he swayed to regain his balance.

Qetar stepped in front of Udai and looked down at him, a stern expression across his face. Udai stood, frozen in fear, staring up at this monster that he welcomed into his family.

“You did this.” Qetar spit out, “You taught your people forbidden knowledge. I told you there’d be consequences.”

“They were sworn to secrecy!” Udai argued, “They didn’t need to die!”

Qetar raised his arm again and encased Udai’s arms in ice behind him. He loomed over the bear and narrowed his eyes.

“So were you.” He spoke slowly, bringing the flame closer to Udai’s face.

“No!” Udai flinched away and shut his eyes tightly. “I didn’t want any of this! Qetar, stop!”

Suddenly, the flame went out. Udai, took a couple shaky breaths and listened. It was quiet. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Qetar still standing there. Lit only by the dim light of the fallen lantern.

“You’re smarter than your mistakes, Udai.” Qetar said as he stepped back a couple paces. “If murmurs of people practicing gate control in the area start popping up, I’ll come find you.” He turned slowly, and began walking away. “Next time I won’t be so merciful.”

Udai stared after Qetar as he disappeared into the darkness of the camp, trying to catch his breath. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the ice around him melted away and he lowered himself down to his knees. He wrapped his hands around himself, panting, and scanned the camp again, desperate for any sign of life. As his breathing settled, he looked down at his hands.

‘You did this…’ Echoed in his head, he gripped his hair and shut his eyes tightly. He threw his fists to the ground with the weight of his whole body and screamed in anguish. All those people he brought together, the world he was building, his chances to save Suri, ripped from him. There was nothing left to do but cry.

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