Cursed Odyssey

"Should be closing time already." The twelve-year-old boy whispered, teeth clenched in anticipation. His tanned skin hid him well in the dark night, though his blonde hair made him slightly more visible. "You sure you saw him go in?"

"Yes, Captain Lee. He's there, I promise." The second boy's voice cracked nervously. Brown hair hung

over ragged clothes—mismatched shoes, patchy fabric that had seen better days.

Lee swept blonde strands from his eyes, grin widening. "He doesn't come out in the next minute, you're taking his place."

The boy said nothing, but his hidden expression trembled. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulders, and he nearly jumped

"Eek!"

"Poor Poro." The third boy spoke up—taller, skinnier, ginger hair catching what little light filtered through. "No hard feelings, okay? Just orders and—"

"SHHHHH—" Lee signalled louder than he probably should. "I see something…" He peaked further from behind the house.

He peered around the house corner. There—the outsider Joseph, leaving the library alone. Ashen hair dusted with actual ash, red eyes wandering aimlessly. Skin so pale it practically glowed.

Lee's grin split his face as he abandoned cover.

He burst out, chest puffed in some heroic pose, index finger aimed straight at Joseph like a weapon. Joseph simply looked back with dull, tired eyes—as if this happened every Tuesday.

"Sooo!! Mr. Whitey Ghost! You're the intruder huh?"

Ghost? Aren't ghosts supposed to be transparent? Joseph stared, then let slip a subtle yawn.

"You may have fooled the elders with your evil ways, but we won't fall so easily! You're a blight on us and our ancestors! Prepare to die!"

On cue, two figures emerged from shadows, striking fighting stances. The brown-haired boy and the tanned ginger, both trying to look intimidating.

"Blight? Complex words for a little boy." Joseph smiled. "Think you have what it takes to eliminate the mighty intruder?"

"YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME!?" Kalo, the ginger, stammered. "Don't think so highly of yourself! Despite our age! We're both trained warriors!!"

"Both?" Joseph's eyes flicked to the third boy. "What about him?"

"He's just here as our decoy informant! Pretty much a waste of space! Ignore him!" Kalo laughed, and the

brown hair boy took a step back as though he shrunk.

'First time I see the ginger not being the one bullied in a group of three…' Joseph couldn't help but inwardly comment.

"Sorry for making light of this, but how could I not take it as a joke with all those poses and heroic talk. You read too many novels…" Joseph shrugged. "You really think you're the hero? What kind of hero jumps a man with shackled hands? At least come at me one at a time…" He brought up his clinking chains.

"Y—you!! You white devil!" Lee's voice cracked with rage. "Of course I feel no shame attacking an unwanted pest!! I'll eliminate you by any means necessary! NO MERCY!!

From his back, he drew a wooden sword half his height. His allies tensed, ready to follow.

Lee raised the blade overhead in an exaggerated windup. "PREPARE YOURSELF!!!"

He charged screaming toward his opponent— The outsider… he was smiling? Why are these doubts only hitting me now? His heart hammered as pure adrenaline drove him forward.

Before he could strike—

"ENOUGH OF THAT BOYS!!"The boisterous voice froze Lee mid-swing. The guard assigned to trail Joseph stepped into view.

Thought Poro said he wasn't following anymore. Damn liar. Lee's heart threatened to burst from the pressure of that stare. Behind him, his allies looked ready to bolt.

Lee's mouth gaped, words refusing to form.

"It's okay. I don't mind." Joseph's smile remained steady.

"Not up to you, boy." The guard shook his head. "Either party gets injured, I'm to blame."

"I wasn't planning to hit back anyway. Besides, they've got no chance of touching me."

Lee's grip tightened on his sword. "One blow!" he roared. "I won't kill him—for now! But if I land one hit, he bows down and worships the ground I stand on! And if he retaliates, put him down like the scum he is!" He dropped to his knees, the others following. "Please, sir!"

The guard, startled by the display, sighed. "Fine."

Lee's eyes brightened, teeth working overtime.

"Let's make this interesting." Joseph's grin widened. "You land one blow, I'm your personal slave for life. You fail, I ask one favor you can't refuse. Deal?"

"Deal! I swear on the ancestors!" Lee laughed, victory already assured in his mind.

The guard assessed the danger—minimal, as long as he stayed alert. Truth was, he was curious about this boy's abilities. Exaggeration or genuine skill?

Without warning, Lee lunged.

Joseph swayed effortlessly aside, the wooden blade whistling past his ear. Kalo followed with a clumsy kick at Joseph's midsection. Another sidestep, Kalo nearly stumbling from his own momentum. Poro darted in with a hesitant punch that Joseph deflected with a casual flick of his chained wrist.

"All at once! Keep the pressure up! He's better than I thought!"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

They pressed their assault—a flurry of mistimed strikes and desperate movements. Nothing resembled actual attacks, more like children grasping at smoke.

Joseph danced through their efforts like a leaf in a playful breeze, shackles chinking softly with each graceful evasion. His movements flowed like water, red eyes tracking his opponents with what looked suspiciously like amusement.

He didn't counterattack. Didn't even attempt to break his restraints. Simply moved, flowing around their strikes with preternatural awareness.

Lee grew frantic, swings wilder, breath ragged. Kalo slowed, initial enthusiasm draining. Poro hung back, first to understand their defeat.

Finally, realization dawned on the others.

Lee's sword clattered to the ground, chest heaving. Kalo slumped against a tree, sweat streaming. Joseph stopped moving, shackles falling silent.

"You see," he said, voice calm and even. "You lost." In fact it was so easy, his tongue never once left his pallet. "To be honest, I expected worse. Now you all owe me a favor."

"Shut... the... fuck... up..." Lee gasped between breaths.

"Lee, was it? I've seen rocks more flexible, and your attacks are so telegraphed. Exaggerated. Easy to read." He gestured at the discarded sword. "The most devastating attacks are fast, unexpected, delivered with focused power."

Without warning, Joseph pivoted with speed that defied his restraints. His leg whipped out in a controlled arc toward Lee's face.

The guard's hand flew to his sword hilt, ready to intervene.

Joseph's foot stopped centimeters from Lee's terrified face, displaced air ruffling the boy's hair. Lee's eyes widened, breath catching as color drained from his features. Kalo and Poro froze, mouths clamped shut. Even the guard remained poised, hand hovering over his weapon.

Only insects chirped in nearby bushes.

"This is a real attack." Joseph lowered his foot, walking away as if nothing happened.

"W—Wait! I'm not done yet!" Lee called out.

"You might not be done, but I certainly am. Haven't eaten since morning. Feel free to try again tomorrow—I'll always welcome it. Don't forget that favor. You did swear on your ancestors."

"I said I'm not done!" Lee's voice cracked. "You pale freak! Tomorrow I'll... I'll..." Words failed him, anger mixing with budding fear. "I'll show you! Ash-faced, red-eyed demon!"

The guard stepped forward, voice carrying unmistakable authority despite its calm tone. "Enough, Lee.. Go home."

"Damn it!" Lee slammed his fist into the dirt, frustration radiating in waves. He glared at Joseph's retreating figure while Kalo and Poro stood silent, earlier bravado completely evaporated.

"Next time I see you, I expect better insults!" Joseph's laughs echoed in the dark.

---

Moonlight was dim that night, only sparse torches flickering along the path to Anne's house.

Joseph walked beside the guard through thick silence, streets quiet enough they seemed alone in the world.

"So... what's your name?" Joseph glanced at the stoic figure.

Silence. Eyes fixed ahead.

"Mind if I ask why no Zott children were with those kids? This village is interesting. You'd be surprised how rare such peace is compared to the outside world."

A grunt. Then words: "Village is usually more peaceful. Your presence has disrupted the balance." He paused, choosing words carefully. "It will return to normal once you're gone."

"I see. I understand." Joseph's smile turned shallow. "I've long come to terms with my death. Don't tell the girl I came with about it—she wouldn't handle it the same way." He chuckled.

The guard's silence carried a different quality. Agreement.

"I'd rather her death be quiet and peaceful. Let that be my final wish."

They continued, footsteps and insect the only sounds. As Anne's house came into view, the guard spoke with something approaching curiosity.

"Not worried about those kids? Lee might bring an army tomorrow."

"Not at all." Joseph's slight smile remained.

"Because you know I'll protect you?"

"Not at all." The smile widened.

The guard paused, considering. "You're an interesting outsider." He thought back to the day's events—he'd been watching with scrutiny throughout.

"I try to be." Joseph chuckled softly. "By the way, feel like someone's watching us?"

"Trust me, if we were, I'd know."

Joseph nodded agreement, but he knew this feeling well. It had lingered for hours, lurking in shadows. He smiled, unperturbed.

Soon they reached Anne's house. The wooden door creaked open to complete darkness, slight silhouettes emerging as eyes adjusted.

The guard entered behind Joseph, dim candle in hand. Even in sleep, his watch continued—always tasked to look after the prisoner.

Their footsteps creaked across floorboards. Anne and Rayah were undoubtedly asleep at this late hour.

A faint aroma guided Joseph's grumbling stomach to the small kitchen. On the table sat a single bowl.

He settled down, minimizing sound. Some kind of porridge he'd seen on Earth. Cold to touch, with a melted pattern atop the soggy mess.

Sighing with a smile, Joseph lifted the wooden spoon and tasted. His expression brightened, ears almost twitching. By far the best thing he'd had in this world.

The guard watched Joseph's smile grow with the second bite.

Far from Earth's finest delicacies, but despite the cold, it carried a subtle warmth he couldn't place.

Leaving the bowl uncleaned to avoid noise, he retreated to the entrance and turned left toward Rayah's room.

The door stood slightly ajar. He peered inside.

Rayah wasn't quite asleep. Subtle breathing, figure shaking as she tossed and turned in her own world, oblivious to his presence. He intended to keep it that way.

"Still sick, I see." He whispered loud enough for the guard to hear.

Turning around, he found himself in the living room where a single mattress waited—his bed, prepared by Anne.

Nothing lavish, but compared to prison floors, it felt like clouds.

The guard wrapped his sheathed sword around his chest, settling into a nearby wooden chair before extinguishing the candle. Near-complete darkness enveloped them.

"Want to trade beds?" Joseph smiled under his quilt.

The guard looked down, expression unreadable in shadow.

"Just rest, kid."

Joseph chuckled meekly, not pushing further.

For the first time, Joseph found serenity alone with his thoughts. He exhaled deeply, face relaxing in darkness.

He closed his eyes.

Dead bodies. Decayed, mutilated, decapitated, violated. Strewn across red grass like litter.

Memories flooded back—Samsara's desperate pleas, the Leviathan destroying the prison island, the warden's sheer destructive power. Her cackles rang clear as day, smile maddeningly crystal clear.

If it were only that, Joseph wouldn't have been phased. But when the final scene played out, his expression visibly shifted—creases in his cheeks, lips pursed, chest clenched.

"Zephyr!"

"Live! I want you to live!"

Skylar? Or was that...

He shook his head heavily.

No. Idiot. Skylar is not Nina. I'm certain. Don't even entertain the idea.

Long-repressed emotions resurfaced, subtle like simmering heat but undeniably present. This peaceful silence allowed it.

She's still out there. I'm certain. He exhaled and beamed. Both of them…

Though unfortunately, it's within this village that I'll be executed. Or the Warden's men will find me first.