Codename Vestia

Chapter 25: Joonie

Thud.

It was only after quite a long time had passed that the door finally opened, and the guard entered. Gamal was huddled against the wall, her shoulders wrapped around herself.

The guard stood in front of her. Gamal struggled to lift her head, forcing out a voice that carried not even a hint of moisture.

“Water… please… give me water… I beg you….”

As time went on, the thirst became unbearably painful. At that moment, she felt as though she could drink up the entire ocean.

No, she couldn’t even tell if it was thirst or hunger. Sometimes, it felt as though her stomach was being gnawed at, making her feel ravenous, yet her throat was so parched she could barely speak. It was a chilling, overwhelming craving.

She had never felt something so profoundly lacking before.

But the guard said nothing and merely looked down at Gamal. Then, he knelt on one knee in front of her.

“……?”

Gamal looked at him, confused.

Her wedding dress, still as it was when she had climbed out of the swamp, was caked with all sorts of dried matter, making its original color unrecognizable, and it emitted a rancid stench. Yet, despite being the impure woman who had murdered her husband on their wedding night, she exuded an irresistible sheen.

He grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Her face was streaked with mud, smudged between clumps of matted hair. However, beneath the thumb pressing against her cheek, her skin was cool and soft, and her eyes, despite reflecting pain, were clear and pure.

As she looked at him with those eyes, he felt a growing heat in his belly.

He had been attracted to her ever since he saw her at the wedding, but now, in her current state, she appeared even more surreal and captivating than she had been when she was adorned in finery.

Throughout the insults that were hurled at her, all the guard could think about was how much he wanted to touch her. So, he had waited until everything around them quieted down.

After all, she would be executed tomorrow.

The guard untied the rope that was binding Gamal’s arms. Then, he climbed on top of her. Gamal flinched.

“If you stay still, I’ll give you water.”

With that, he grabbed her chest.

“Stop… Please….”

“The one who killed Adawi must be the demon that wanted you. How could someone with such delicate arms kill Adawi?”

He spoke, panting.

“Please….”

Gamal opened her mouth to stop him. But then she felt something growing inside her mouth. She didn’t know what it was, but somehow, she instinctively knew how to use it.

His neck was right in front of her. At that moment, neither Gamal nor the guard, busy gasping for breath, realized that Gamal’s irises were slowly narrowing, like those of a predator excited by the hunt.

Gamal could see the tiny hairs on the nape of the guard’s neck twitching.

She had never seen any object so close and detailed before. It felt as if she had gained the eyes of a god, allowing her to see a world she hadn’t known existed.

Beneath the guard’s skin, which was moving up and down as he breathed, a river was flowing.

Shwaa… shwaa…

The flow beneath his skin felt like the currents of a river churning after a storm. Gamal opened her mouth.

“I’m thirsty.”

The sound of water inside the guard’s body grew louder.

“I want to drink.”

Gamal aimed her glistening fangs at the nape of the guard’s neck.

Her fangs were about to pierce his skin when she hesitated. The guard, oblivious, was still panting.

Gamal squeezed her eyes shut and pushed the guard away with both hands. To her surprise, the guard was lifted off the ground as if thrown by a giant, flying through the air. He rolled across the floor like a limp doll before crashing into the wall, finally coming to a stop.

Both Gamal and the guard were stunned. The guard’s face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost.

“A- a demon…! A demon!”

The guard, terrified, ran out. Gamal stared at her own hands, bewildered.

“This strength…?”

Bang.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and people rushed in. Whatever the guard had told them, they approached as if ready to commit murder right then and there.

“Please, tell Tawa. It wasn’t me… I didn’t….”

The men didn’t listen and dragged Gamal out like she was a piece of baggage. The blazing sunlight poured down. She felt as if her body was about to burn under the scorching rays.

In the middle of the village, all the tribe members had gathered.

The elder delivered the verdict.

“The crime of killing your husband on the wedding night is severe. You will be executed.”

“No, it wasn’t me!”

Gamal screamed desperately.

“Then who was it?”

The elder’s face was chillingly cold as he asked.

“Tell us. Who killed Adawi? In the bridal chamber where only you and Adawi were.”

Gamal was unable to say anything. The elder clicked his tongue.

“We accepted you as a symbol of peace and unity. But did your father send you here to kill Adawi and end our tribe’s line?”

“No!”

Gamal shouted reflexively. But if she said that Kunis, the chieftain’s eldest son, was the one who killed Adawi, it would escalate matters even further. It would lead to a war between the tribes.

Gamal lowered her head.

“I killed Adawi.”

“Why?”

The elder asked, as if to confirm the truth.

“Because I…”

Gamal slowly began to speak.

“I did not love him.”

It did not take much effort to say the truth.

“Was there another man?”

“No.”

“So, you killed Adawi even at the risk of this danger?”

“I thought I could escape.”

Gamal could no longer hold back her tears.

Even though it had only been a day since they were married, the sight of the widow who had killed her own husband weeping was so sorrowful that it left everyone speechless.

A silence settled over them. Yet, the elder spoke.

“Go and apologize to Adawi.”

The executioner stepped forward. And just as he was about to carry out the execution—

Thud.

A knife pierced through his throat. Gamal’s eyes widened. The executioner collapsed to the side.

Boom.

Standing where the executioner had been was Kunis. When had he gotten there?

He looked disheveled, as if he too had been dragged through a swamp. Covered in so much mud that it was hard to tell if he was human or just a clump of earth, only his eyes shone brightly.

A tremor rose from the tips of Gamal’s toes, shaking her entire body. She tried to lift her arms to free herself from the invisible aura binding her, but she still didn’t know how to use her newfound strength, so she couldn’t break free.

Kunis collapsed to his knees in front of Gamal. The eyes that had looked at the executioner with contempt, as if he were a mere insect, now quivered with tenderness.

“Gamal.”

He raised his hands and cupped her face.

“You’re safe. Thank goodness. I was worried. I lost my temper for a moment… I’m sorry. Truly. You’ll forgive me, right?”

Gamal’s body shook uncontrollably.

“Kunis…!”

A warrior swung a sword at Kunis from behind.

Thud.

But the sword did not cut Kunis.

Everyone was stunned. It was something that shouldn’t have been possible. Gamal was just as confused, but unlike the others, she could sense one thing.

The murderous intent exploding in Kunis’ eyes.

Gamal instinctively screamed.

“No!”

But Kunis thrust his hand straight through the warrior’s chest. There was a sickening sound as blood and remnants splattered out.

She saw the warrior convulsing and collapsing, his eyes bulging as if they were about to burst. Kunis spoke calmly.

“Marti and Tawa are dead.”

“What…?”

“When you claimed you killed Adawi, the peace talks collapsed, so they went and slaughtered everyone.”

Gamal shook her head.

“Lies, lies….”

It no longer mattered whether Gamal understood or not. Kunis, drenched in blood, turned to her and smiled.

“The gods gave me the power to exact revenge.”

“Demon! Demon…!”

People began to scream and scatter in all directions. Kunis’ entire being was brimming with strength and a lust for blood.

“Stop! Kunis, stop…!”

The carnage began. Gamal couldn’t even find her voice to scream.

In the midst of the chaos, a child who had lost his parents opened his mouth as if about to cry. Gamal urgently shook her head. The child, sensing her signal, instinctively covered his mouth and stifled his sobs.

Kunis, ignoring the child, approached Gamal and led her into a tent.

It was likely because it was the closest shelter, but it happened to be the same tent where she had spent her wedding night with Adawi. The bodies and bloodstains had been cleared, but traces of the bridal chamber remained, not yet fully removed.

Kunis pulled Gamal into a tight embrace.

“Gamal. I was so scared. For a moment, I thought I had lost you.”

His body was trembling.

Gamal twisted around, pinned Kunis down, and began to strangle him. Kunis did not resist. He looked up at her with a sorrowful expression and spoke.

“If it will ease your anger, you can do it as much as you want.”

Grip…

Gamal kept tightening her hold. Kunis flinched, realizing that her strength was abnormally powerful. Just as strangely strong as his own.

It was only then that he realized she had gained the same strength he had. He hadn’t expected it, assuming she would just be held down by the others.

In hindsight, even though he had struggled, it was Gamal who had managed to drag him into the swamp.

“Gamal… Gamal…!”

Kunis gasped, his voice choked.

“Stop. Gamal…! I can’t… I can’t breathe!”

As her grip loosened, he seized the chance to quickly reverse their positions. Unable to contain his anger, he slapped her.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh was almost deafening. Had she been an ordinary human, her head would have been severed, but with the same strength as Kunis, Gamal’s face only turned to the side.

He lost control of his temper again.

Kunis had no time to react. Gamal snapped her head back to look at him. In that moment, Kunis felt as though he had been pierced from his crown to his heart.

It was a look he had never seen on Gamal before, eyes blazing with fury and venom.

Gamal kicked Kunis. The immense force sent him flying into the wall, and the house collapsed in on itself. Compared to this, the way she had pushed the guard earlier had been just a light shove.

She didn’t miss that brief moment. Gamal dashed out, grabbing the child crying among the corpses, and ran.

There was a loud noise as Kunis pushed through the debris, shouting.

“Gamal!”

The moment Gamal pushed off the ground, she soared high into the air, almost as if she were flying. Like an animal realizing its innate abilities when escaping a predator in a life-or-death moment.

“Gamal—–!!!”

Kunis’s anguished cry echoed through the sky. The child, shocked by the sound, rolled his eyes back and fainted.

But Gamal did not stop.

***

On top of a hill, Gamal set the child down and spoke.

“If you go down this hill, there’s a village.”

The child’s face was streaked with tear stains, but he had calmed down somewhat. Gamal made sure to stress her words.

“Don’t stop.”

The child nodded and started to leave. Then, he hesitated and turned back.

“Adawi, Gamal didn’t kill him, did she?”

Even a child knew this obvious truth, yet Adawi’s tribe had not, simply because they had not bothered to find out.

Gamal’s face twisted into a bitter smile.

“Run.”

The child held back his tears and began to run.