SIDE:
A New Beginning
I was brought to a small room at the village watch station. Starting today, I would spend eight years working out my days as a slave here. This was the place where I would reflect on my crimes.
The adults of my village were given minimum sentences of forty-five years for all the blackmail, intimidation, damage, assault, and murder of their fellow villagers. The children’s sentences varied in length, depending on their level of involvement. My father was sentenced to fifty-five years for his crimes, including the attempted murder of my little sister. My mother received fifty-five years as his accomplice. They would surely die before their sentences were up. My big brother hadn’t assisted with any of the murders, but since he was a willing collaborator in all the other crimes, he was given thirty-eight years.
For his various crimes of extortion, terrorism, damage, assault, accessory to murder, and murder, the chief of Ratomi Village was sentenced to life as a slave. Since I had reported the crimes and hadn’t committed any of the murders, my punishment was rather brief at eight years. To be honest, when my sentence was read to me, I thought it was too short. I just watched and said nothing while the only baby sister I ever had was threatened and beaten. No, I did more than just watch. I said the worst thing I could have possibly said to my little sister. I wonder if she overheard me saying that…
How had she felt when I said such a horrible thing to her? And that wasn’t all I’d done… I’d turned a blind eye when a friend was killed. I had committed all these sins. Eight years of slavery would never wash my slate clean.
“Excuse me, I’ve brought the prisoner.”
A watchman knocked at the door, asking permission to enter. I clenched my fists. This was the place that had given a home to the prisoner I’d become, and it was also the place where my little sister might’ve been trying to go.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
“H-he…” My voice trembled. Pull yourself together! You’re going to spend the next eight years making everything right in this place that was kind enough to take you in. “Hello, sir. I look forward to serving you well.”
As soon as we entered the room, I saw a sturdily built man with a rugged face sitting in a chair. The sight of him almost made me recoil, but I somehow managed to compose myself and enter the room with a bow.
“Good to see you. I’m Abira, chief of Ratome Village.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
I then noticed a man next to Chief Abira who was staring at me and frowning with a deep crease between his brows. His eyes looked menacing. They made me shake.
“Oght.” When the chief called the man’s name, his gaze shifted away from me. I heaved a long, quiet sigh of relief. I didn’t know it, but I had been holding my breath all that time.
“Greetings. I’m Oght, the captain of the department in charge of you.”
“A pleasure to meet you, sir.”
So he was my direct superior. And I remembered that Oght was the man who had found her. The man who had sent me that letter. I discreetly looked at him…and our eyes locked immediately. As I stared into his eyes, Captain Oght stared right back into mine. And I definitely sensed anger in his gaze, like he blamed me personally for something… Unable to stand it anymore, I looked at the floor.
“Oght, is everything ready?”
“Yeah, all good to go. I’ve briefed all my subordinates. And Velivera… Well, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”
“You sure? Wasn’t he opposed to it all along?”
“Yeah…but he understands now, especially since we got a faax from her.”
“By the way, is she doing well?”
“Yeah, there’s just one little thing that worries me.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s just a rumor, but you heard about the giant serpent migration near Hatada Village, right? People are saying it’s a new kind of monster.”
“What about it? That has nothing to do with her.”
“Probably not, but I keep noticing that all these rumors seem to follow her wherever she goes on her travels. Besides, she arrived in Hatahi Village way too early.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Just a gut feeling of mine, but that girl is very mysterious, so I have a feeling she’s got something to do with it.”
“Ha ha ha! You’re overthinking it, my friend. I may have only met her once, but she seemed like an ordinary kid to me.”
“Yeah, I thought she was ordinary at first, too, but she’s the kind of kid who gets odder and odder the more time you spend with her. So much so that it wouldn’t surprise me if it was her, traveling with all those serpents.”
“Come on, that can’t be true.”
“I agree, it’s impossible. I’ve never heard of serpents getting along with humans.”
“But I’m surprised she’s made you so unshakable, Oght. Maybe the next time she comes by the village, I should spend some more time with her.”
“Over my dead body.”
“What?! Why?!”
“Isn’t it obvious? A man of your age and looks having a weakness for cute things… It’s a disgusting personality trait, let me tell you. And just so you know, I won’t be the only one stopping you. Velivera will definitely step in, too. He’s sharp as a knife, and he’ll use any means necessary to get his way. He’d even drag your wife into it.”
“Him, too?! And hey, as I’m sure I’ve reminded you countless times, I’m your superior, you know!”
“And as I’ve reminded you countless times, I know that. And what’s it got to do with anything anyway?”
“…You impudent little bastard!”
I quietly listened to Captain Oght and Chief Abira going at it. I didn’t really understand what they were fighting about, but they were clearly talking about somebody. As I watched them, they suddenly stopped, noticing my stares. I hope I’m not bothering them.
“Sorry. Uh, what should we call you?”
“Huh?!”
Oh, that’s right! They introduced themselves to me, but I didn’t return the favor.
“I’m so sorry, sirs, I’m Fecilla.”
How could I be so nervous that I forgot to give them my name? I’m the worst.
“Fecilla. Got it. I’ll take you to the place you’ll be working. Come with me.”
After confirming my name, Captain Oght marched straight out of the room.
“Oh! Um, yes, sir! Um, excuse me, sir.”
I said a hasty goodbye to Chief Abira, then went after Captain Oght. He was marching so quickly that I practically had to run to catch up.
“Hm? Oh, sorry. I was going too fast.” Captain Oght, noticing how I’d had to sprint to catch up with him, slowed down for me.
“Thank you, sir.”
I breathed slowly in and out to steady myself. I got a good look at Captain Oght’s face when he turned around. His eyes were in slits, and his mouth was drawn into a tight line. I hoped he wasn’t annoyed by getting me as his assignment, but I knew he probably was. When I was sentenced to work here, I was told that watch stations rarely took on slaves. I was even asked if I had a friend or relative working there, but I had no friends or family here. My only relations were in Ratomi Village. When I shook my head and answered “no,” they gave me the most perplexed looks.
“Here’s where you will be working, Fecilla.”
I looked at the building. There was a sign on it that read “Village Watch Station.” When Captain Oght stepped inside, a flurry of greetings from the staff I would be working with bounced off the walls. I raised a hand and said hello to them, and then I was escorted to a room in the back.
“We’re here,” Captain Oght said.
“Welcome back. Is she the one?” said the man in the room.
“Yeah, this is Fecilla. Fecilla, this is my vice-captain, Velivera.”
“Nice to meet you, sir. I hope I prove to be satisfactory.”
“Likewise.” Vice-Captain Velivera’s eyes were as sharp as knives. His name sounded familiar, too. He was the man who had found my little sister, alongside Captain Oght.
“I just remembered; I got a faax.”
“From her?”
I sensed an immediate softening in the moods of both men.
“Yes, and it was pretty funny.”
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this…?”
“See for yourself. Fecilla, read the documents on that table. They’re the village watch rules you have to follow.”
“Understood, sir.”
“You can sit if you’d like.” I’d been about to just read the documents standing up, but Vice-Captain Velivera offered me a chair. I thanked him, sat down, and started reading.
“Velivera?”
“What is it, sir?”
“It says here, ‘Those friends I met in the forest of Hatow Village traveled with me to Hatada Village. It was so much fun.’ Just a gut feeling, but…does that mean what I think it means?”
“I think so, yes. And I don’t know which I found more shocking: that, or her first faax where she wrote, ‘Adandaras are so big and fluffy.’”
“That one was definitely more shocking. I didn’t get what she meant at first, but I’ll never forget the horror I felt when I figured it out. I can’t wait till the next time I see her.”
“Sounds like she might come back with a lot of new friends in tow.”
As I read over my own documents, I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. Maybe this was the same person Captain Oght and Chief Abira had been talking about. She sounded very important to them. They were both smiling out of pure joy, and stealing glances at their smiles made my heart feel warm. I was so grateful that these were the men who had found my sister. But for some reason, part of me hoped earnestly that she was still alive, and that stopped me from asking them about her. I couldn’t possibly ask them where she had died.
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