After emerging from a deep sleep, Nyell didn't move an inch as he needed time to organize his muddled thoughts. Once he did, he plastered a hand against his mouth to keep himself from bursting into laughter, half out of amusement, and half out of anger. Let him be damned: his uncle was merciless. He shouldn't be surprised, however. The elders' machination had turned the gentle Dangu into a vengeful ghost. A relatively rational one, but vengeful nonetheless. Nyell should count himself lucky that the daemon hadn't wiped out the whole tribe. Even if he didn't let them off the hook, they were alive, and that was all that mattered.
Still, it was hard to believe. Nyell would never have imagined Dangu could and would do this. Or did he receive Allen's help? Meddling with people's dreams was a shaman's forte, after all. In any case, his plan was ruined. Nyell had hoped to bring the truth to his grave… Now, that was impossible. Everyone knew.
Nyell heaved a deep, tired sigh before glancing askance around him. The warriors trapped with him in the cellar stared aimlessly in front of them, dazed. They were trying to process what they had seen in their dreams and make sense of it. But it was easier said than done.
"Question for you, guys," Nyell's voice resounded and broke the deafening silence, grabbing everyone's attention. "Did you all have a certain dream about a ghost of the past?"
At first, no one dared to say anything. They looked at each other, and reality slowly sank in. It took a while before someone mustered the courage to speak. His voice shook with anger and sorrow, and the deep anguish welling in his heart spilled out. It resonated with everyone who had known Dangu. Among those present, some even considered him a dear friend, someone they had cared for deeply. Their confused memories of the past were slowly being mended. The friend they could not quite remember at some point now had a face, and their hearts clenched in pain. It was even more painful when they looked at Nyell, whose physical resemblance to Dangu was uncanny.
"How could I have forgotten about Dangu…? How?!"
"To be fair," Nyell pointed out, feeling the incoming headache, "his existence was collectively erased from everyone's memory. Only the elders and my mom remembered him, so no need to feel guilty. It's not anyone's fault."
These words did not comfort the warriors, and their gazes turned misty as they fell upon Nyell. The poor child had been wronged the most, robbed of his mother and his uncle, yet he was comforting them. Wait. He was comforting them? Wasn't he too stoic? Like them, he should have just discovered the truth through that heart-wrenching dream. It couldn't be… did he already know? Did he know about his uncle's terrible ending and how everyone participated in killing his mother, albeit unknowingly? If so, for how long did he know…?
And did he plan to never tell them?
In that dream, Dangu showed them the past. He didn't spare anyone and made them all aware of the role they played in Hulien's death. The only ones who had a somewhat less harsh version were the children. The daemon's heart hadn't yet grown cold enough to traumatize kids with the unforgiving reality. He still held a soft spot for children. Their parents could always tell them the real events later, once they were old enough.
Now that every elder and Hulien were dead, one of the main conditions for the spell that erased Dangu's existence from people's memory and kept him from contacting the Black Moon tribe was gone. Allen got rid of the others, trashing the array and talisman that trapped him in the canyon. Moreover, the protective array surrounding the tribe's ground was powerful, but it wasn't perfect and couldn't keep indirect interferences at bay. Dangu wasn't physically breaching it. Using the medium of dreams wasn't prohibited, especially if no killing intent was detected.
With that in mind, Dangu didn't miss the opportunity to address the tribe in their dreams with the shaman's help. After showing them how he had been sold off to another tribe as a sacrificial offering and the tortures that ensued, followed by the plot to murder Hulien and how the elders sent others to die in their stead, he made himself appear. He didn't look quite human, yet still appeared as one. It gave off an unsettling feeling. Although this was a dream, his voice still carried a heavy weight. But he had things to say, so the people would have to endure.
"Now that those who had wronged me are gone, I have no intention to pursue the tribe anymore. You can rest easy and live your life like before. Farewell."
That was all. There were no apologies for spiriting away the innocents, nor were there any excuses for his actions. He didn't show remorse, but also didn't show anger. He was like an emotionless doll, far too different from the bright young man he once had been. That broke some people.
"I feel like puking," Cloe said, holding her stomach.
"You're not alone," someone else winced.
"You only feel like it?" a man retched. "I am emptying my stomach right now."
These past few months, the people from the Black Moon tribe had often wondered what they had done for such a tragedy to befall them. However, no one genuinely thought they had done something to spark the ire of a higher being. They were peaceful people and only ever bickered with the White Moon tribe. They thought they had nothing to feel ashamed about. But now, they knew. They knew everything, but they might have been better off not knowing. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss. Hulien knew that very well, and she endured alone. Dangu also kept the help he received from Nyell and Corriel a secret, taking on all the blame.
The Black Moon tribe should feel relieved that no more comrades would disappear, yet they couldn't rejoice. They were still trying to wrap their heads around the betrayal. Only Nyell, Myrven, and Lapis were left unaffected in the cellar, for they already knew the truth. And honestly, it'd have been great if that had remained that way.
"Alright, guys," Nyell clapped his hands. "Stop whining and let's get out of here. We have much to do."
.
.
Corriel was massaging his temples as he stood before his people, who seemed as distrustful as he was. Although he had been aware of Dangu's existence, he had no memory of the man until this morning. Knowing he had existed and remembering him were two different things. Hulien had been very close to her sickly little brother, and so had he been.
"First off," he sighed, "let's get Dangu a proper burial. He might have said he wouldn't come after the tribe anymore, but I would rather we do things right and appease his soul."
No one complained.
"Second," Corriel's voice grew icy, "those who participated in his death will be exiled. And I dare you to use the excuse that his sacrifice was for the well-being of our tribe. It wasn't."
In all honesty, Corriel would have preferred snapping their neck with his own hands. However, being branded as an exile was a far harsher punishment. No tribe would accept them with that mark burned on their foreheads, and they would be condemned to wander for the rest of their lives. That was if they survived the jungle in the first place. None of these traitors were particularly strong warriors, and there was no doubt they would end up as a feast for the roaming beasts. They had sold off Dangu to another tribe to get their protection against the monsters, so it was befitting that they died under their claws and fangs.
Sanding by his father's side, Nyell nodded. They could not keep these monsters wearing human skin in their tribe. Who was to say they wouldn't repeat these actions again? Some didn't stop with Dangu and sank so low as to help the elders target innocent people in the tribe. Others might have forgotten what they had done to Dangu for years and lived good lives until today, but that did not absolve them of their sins. The rotten apples had to go.
"I also have something I want to add," Nyell raised a hand, and his father nodded. "The White Moon tribe's chief struck a deal with Dangu early on after vanishing from the tribe. I don't know the details of this deal, but he managed to rescue most of the spirited people's souls and released them into our memorial cave. We have made temporary tablets to host them. However, we need to make proper ones and send them on their way. I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but it entailed the security of these souls. It was hard to say what would have happened to them if the elders had known about it."
This hadn't been revealed in Dangu's dream. The news shocked everyone to their cores, and relieved sobs echoed throughout. They could send their loved ones to the afterlife and allow them to go on the road of reincarnation. That was a huge weight off their shoulders.
"I have another announcement to make," Nyell gritted his teeth. It was better to twist the knife all at once instead of coming back later to stab his people. "I'm pretty sure all of you know I'm the White Moon tribe's chief's destined mate by now."
Nyell had thrown the fact into the White Moon tribe's delegation's face a few weeks prior. He declared it in front of a crowd, and gossip traveled fast. There was no way people hadn't heard about it. And seeing as pretty much everyone nodded, he was right.
"As such, I'll be leaving the tribe to accompany him. My dad will be looking for a successor, so for those who are interested in becoming the next chief, you'd better be on your best behavior. I'm also keeping a veto right on my replacement."
These words resounded like thunder in people's ears, and their faces grew pale. They had lost their elders, and now Nyell was leaving, too? Unrest and words of protestation started to shake the crowd. They could not accept it.
"I don't want to hear anyone complaining," Nyell's icy voice silenced the noisy crowd. "The decision is final and won't be changed."
"I love that decisive side of yours," a nonchalant voice traveled to their ears, and people turned around to see Allen, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. It was impossible to pinpoint when exactly he had arrived at the tribe. His appearance was eerily pristine, and his mesmerizing eyes sent shivers running down people's spines. No one dared to protest anymore. "Lapis, would you mind staying behind? This tribe is in dire need of a shaman."
Lapis, who was standing on the other side of Corriel, cocked an eyebrow. Still, he played along, "I don't mind, but the elders are going to give you hell."
"Don't worry about that," Allen's gaze turned dangerously cold, "they won't be the only ones giving hell. But before that, do you agree to accept Lapis in your tribe, Corriel?"
"Of course," Corriel smiled, aware that the White Moon tribe's chief was doing them a favor. Lapis wasn't any shaman in the White Moon tribe, but the beta. It meant the White Moon tribe would lose a valuable member, just as the Black Moon tribe would with Nyell. This exchange should help lessen the burden on the Black Moon tribe and make it easier for his people to accept Nyell's departure. "Alright. For now, I'd like everyone to go on with their day. I know it's not easy, and you're dispirited. However, the tribe cannot stay in a state of standstill while I look into the preparation for the burial ceremonies of Dangu and the victims. We're alive and have to keep on living, if only to carry on the memories of our lost loved ones."
It concluded the chief's speech and the long, arduous months they had endured. The crisis was now over, but much was left to do.