CG Chapter 118: Now Doth the Last Dawn of this World
Moving through the desolate forest once more, Tom inevitably found himself going through the village where he had hidden before.
As his eyes swept over the scattered houses, he noticed how much things had changed.
The village had deteriorated; its houses looked worn out, with a broken roof on almost every house.
The quiet laughter of the children and the occasional chatter of the old people were gone.
The children who once played near the tree were nowhere to be seen, and the old woman who scolded that young boy from his memory was no longer there.
Crack!
Snapping out of his thoughts, Tom prepared to order his wolf to move on, until he heard the door of a door creaking open.
A teenage boy stepped out.
His face and expression gave off a strange feeling, and this feeling was only amplified when you looked into his soulless eyes, devoid of any emotion.
It was as if the teenager had seen all the sorrows the world had to offer in the short time he had been alive. He looked like he had lost everything, with nothing left to desire from this world.
Despite recognizing him, Tom didn't care.
What had happened here was of no concern to him, His only thought was reaching the shaman's hut.
The boy called out to him, in a desperate tone.
Still, Tom ignored him. Even if the boy had an actually interesting story this time around, what difference would it make? He knew it wouldn't change anything, since it wouldn't benefit him, he was leaving this world soon.
Had Tom stayed and listened, he would have learned that his brief interaction with the boy back then had affected the boy more than he would have guessed. Or perhaps, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
Back then, after suffering under the bullying of the village children, something in the boy had twisted.
With no parents to guide him and only hatred in his heart, he had sneaked into the homes of the elderly and taken them out one by one in their sleep.
Since then, he had lived alone in this village. He didn't even bury their corpses, letting the smell linger as a reminder of the past.
And since this was a village that no one visited, due to its location from the nearest city.
No one had come to look or ask for the missing.
And so, the only thing that remained was the boy and the houses.
…
After a while, Tom finally reached his destination.
The same old hut stood before him, but by now, Tom knew that its appearance was only there to hide the existence of the being living inside.
As he stepped inside, a surge of wind rushed past him, sweeping through like a raging hurricane.
Pushing through it, Tom waved away the strong smell of burning.
On the other side, Buya Ulaga stood, holding a smoldering stick of incense, waving it in a slow, deliberate motion toward a fractured bronze mirror.
A few seconds passed in silence before the shaman began to speak, remaining in the same position while looking at the bronze mirror.
"it has been a while, hasn't it?" she rasped. "But worry not. Just as children always return to their mother's side, I have not forgotten our agreement. And since you have upheld your end, it has come time for me to fulfill mine."
From the mirror, Tom could see the reflection of her lips curling into a smile that stretched too wide, looking anything but human.
"I have prepared everything for you to enter and take what you seek."
Hearing her voice, Tom couldn't help but feel a chill creep down his neck and through his spine.
The feeling of standing in front of an entity beyond his current level wasn't easy.
Still, he remained motionless. He knew that she couldn't hurt him despite her strength, not to mention that they still needed each other.
The only thing Tom said was, "We shouldn't waste time. You wouldn't want them to have a chance to turn things around, would you?"
The shaman stood silent for a moment before a loud, manic laughter escaped her broken lips.
"That's true," she muttered. "But before you go, remember your true battle only begins now."
She turned around, taking a step toward him, before continuing.
"When you forget everything… when you no longer know who you are… and when you lose your sense of self… you must break through and see beyond that fog of lies. In there, all that matters is what you carry within. They have no authority over you no matter how much they try to convince you otherwise…"
The last words were spoken with a venomous tone, full of hatred, but suddenly, she smiled again, as if nothing had changed.
Behind Tom, footsteps echoed through the hut.
He turned his head to see the goblin-looking pet of the shaman, Bogu, entering as he carried a familiar bowl.
But something about him and the bowl was different.
His ears had been cut off. One of his eyes had been plucked out, leaving a hollow void in its place.
But, Tom didn't react. The shaman could cut him into a thousand pieces for all he cared.
The shaman reached for the bowl, her grin somehow stretching even more.
"The tide of ages shifts; and dynasties shall wither unto dust," she whispered before her voice rose.
"Now doth the last dawn of this world. I, the mother of all, the last pillar of the old age, do swear upon mine own name and the lingering remains of my people."
Her voice grew louder, reverberating through the hut and across the whole forest as if it were a heavenly mandate.
"Together, we shall march across the foggy lands, shatter the gates of this world, and cast away our chains."
"May their spirits roam free once more."
The moment she finished her sentence, Tom heard something.
A song.
The same agonized bard's voice he had heard beneath the palace, but this time, he was singing joyously.
His head turned toward the sound, but before he could react, the shaman poured the contents of the bowl over him.
In an instant, the world around him turned into darkness.
Blank!
Her final words echoed in the void.
"Go on, as thou bring them down from their high heavens."