Rain watched Baal, who was searching frantically around the tent.
Papers and books were scattered everywhere, but Baal didn't care. He was searching desperately for something.
"Here it is!"
Baal held a wrinkled, old piece of paper. It was covered in dust and looked torn and worn out.
He opened the paper, which turned out to be quite large, and spread it across the table.
Rain looked at the map. He was completely confused.
"Do you recognize this map?"
Rain looked at Baal. He didn't understand why the lizard was so excited and eager.
He chose to answer honestly, hoping that his honesty wouldn't lead to his death.
"Yes. This is a map of Earth. This is France, this is Germany, and this is..."
Baal placed his hand on his chin as he listened to Rain naming not just continents, but countries as well.
He took a deep breath before removing the map from the table and saying to Rain:
"Rain, when did you arrive? I mean, tell me the details. How exactly did you get to this forest? Don't forget anything."
Rain told the story in detail. However, he avoided talking about what happened to his family. He only told him where he was and what he saw before and after Gulan caught him.
Baal listened carefully and took notes in his small notebook.
Silence filled the room.
Baal put his hands on his head, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at the ceiling of the tent.
"Damn, this is crazy! Hahaha!"
Baal placed his hands on Rain's shoulders.
"Do you know what this means?!"
Baal didn't wait for an answer. He shouted with joy:
"You aren't just a Freak! You are an Anomaly! and I, Baal, discovered you! Haha! Those bastards at the Academy... I will make them regret kicking me out!"
"Excuse me..."
Rain interrupted Baal's joy. He had no choice; his shoulders were getting numb from Baal's grip.
"Oh, sorry."
"It's okay."
Baal calmed down and sat in his chair.
"I have some questions."
Rain decided to try questioning Baal. He felt that he was more ignorant than he thought.
"Ask whatever you want."
***
"Where am I?"
Baal took a sip from his cup before answering.
"You are in the western region of the Star Sky Kingdom. This place is called the Forest of Blood."
Star Sky Kingdom? Forest of Blood? What was all this?
Baal's answer didn't solve anything. It only made Rain more confused.
"What do you want from me?"
"We don't want you. We wanted the money from selling you."
"Are you slave traders?"
"No, we aren't. A creature like you isn't even sold in the market. You are something everyone wants."
"Why?" Rain asked. It made no sense. Why did everyone want him? Was it because he looked different? He hoped not everyone in this world was a lizard.
"Because you are a Freak."
Baal looked at him, but all he saw was Rain's raised eyebrow.
"What do you mean by Freak?"
Baal stood up and walked to the tent door. He took another sip from his cup before saying:
"You have no skills or abilities. You haven't even started using your power. That is a 'Freak'. A white page waiting to be drawn on."
Rain thought about Baal's words carefully.
"Do you mean I am useless? Then what is the point of me?"
"You are capable of becoming useful."
Baal noticed that Rain still didn't understand. He sighed and continued:
"In short, you are a potential 'Strategic Resource'... That is why you are valuable. But don't worry about that now."
Rain didn't fully understand, but there were more important questions on his mind.
"How did I end up here?"
The lizard looked at him calmly. Hesitation was clear on his face, but he soon sighed and said:
"You aren't the first Freak to come to this world, and you won't be the last. The reason and the way you come here has been unknown since ancient times."
"But..."
"The way you arrived is different from any Freak who came before. There is a 500-year gap between you and—"
Suddenly, someone stood in front of the tent and signaled for Baal to come.
"We will continue our talk later. I must convince the Chief not to sell you. It will be hard; these fools only care about immediate profit."
Baal said this as he left with the person.
Rain looked around the tent. His hands were still tied, and the pain burned his wrists.
His body was exhausted. He went to the bed in the corner and lay down. He prayed inside that this was just a nightmare. He didn't want to wake up to the disgusting smell of the tent or those cursed monsters.
***
At night, loud noises rose outside the tent.
Rain opened his eyes, realizing he had fallen asleep accidentally.
He looked around; he was still in the tent.
The last bit of hope that it was a dream disappeared.
The sound of clashing metal and screaming grew louder outside.
Something was happening out there.
"This is my chance."
He began searching for anything sharp to cut his ropes. He found a sword hanging on the wall.
He dropped it to the floor and then slid his back against it, trying to cut the rope.
He cut himself during the process, but eventually, he managed to cut through the rope.
The noises outside became more intense.
Suddenly...
"Quick! Gulan has started a coup! He is fighting some lizards for the position of Chief!"
Rain froze. He could see the shadow of a lizard through the tent. The lizard was talking, then a second shadow joined him before they both left.
Rain breathed a sigh of relief. That was close.
He continued cutting the rope.
Finally, it snapped.
"Ha... freedom."
He rubbed his wrists. Rope marks and burns covered his hands.
But there was no time for that.
He picked up the sword and looked for anything helpful. Unfortunately, there were only books and scrolls.
Before losing hope, he found a paper with drawings. He couldn't see well, so he stood where the moonlight reached.
Right in front of him was exactly what he was looking for.
A drawing of a thick forest and plains of red grass.
It was a map.
After checking everything, he took a bag and put the map inside. He carried the sword with him.
It was time to escape.
As soon as he stepped out of the tent, his mouth fell open as he looked at the sky.
The sky was full of moons. They were very close and huge.
His heart beat fast at the sight, and he felt dizzy.
When he lowered his head to look ahead, he saw a lizard child.
And not just any lizard—it was the child of that one-eyed lizard.
Rain hadn't seen him because the child came from the side while Rain was busy looking at the sky.
The child stood there, staring at him.
Seconds of silence passed...
Then the child turned and started screaming.
"He's escaping! Mom! Dad!"
"He's—"
Rain ran as fast as he could, jumped over him, and put the sword to the child's neck.
"Be quiet!"
"Mom! Dad!! Waaaaah!"
The child couldn't understand the threat, and Rain couldn't understand what he was saying. But he was sure the boy was calling the other lizards.
"Damn it!"
Panic hit him. If any of those lizards came and saw this, they would kill him instantly.
Driven by survival and fear, he began hitting the child with the hilt of the sword behind his head. He hoped the child's body worked like a human's.
But the screaming became louder, making Rain more nervous. One hit didn't knock him out. Then a second, third, and fourth... he lost count.
Then suddenly, the child stopped moving.
It worked.
The child stopped screaming.
There was something sticky on Rain's hand holding the sword. He looked and found a red liquid on the sword's hilt.
His heart sank. "My God, what have I done?"
His heart was beating like drums, and his hands were shaking violently.
He let go of the child, and the body fell to the ground.
He looked around and found no one.
Then he turned and ran toward the forest as fast as he could.
***
Meanwhile, Gulan stood before the Village Chief, who was in a terrible state.
Between them lay the body of a lizard wearing a long, elegant robe.
"It's over."
The Chief's eyes were red, staring sharply at Gulan's face.
He had been defeated. All his followers were killed. Even the researcher, Baal, did not survive.
The Chief looked at his daughter, who was standing with the crowd. She was crying bitterly, but she had already chosen which side to take.
The Chief thought to himself, 'What an ungrateful daughter. She is just like her mother.'
The Village Chief stood up and raised the spear in his hand.
There was a long, deep wound on his chest.
He looked at the sky and took deep breaths.
Silence filled the area.
"You want to take the position of Chief? Come and take it. This time, I will make sure to destroy both of your eyes."
Gulan said nothing. He just watched.
In his hand, he held a sword stained with a foul-smelling red liquid.
The blood of everyone who tried to stand in his way. Now, only the biggest obstacle remained—the shadow that had followed him his whole life.
The person who raised him like a dog after killing his father. Today was the time to pay.
Suddenly, Gulan rushed toward the Village Chief with incredible speed. His wife turned her head away to avoid the sight.
The Chief welcomed Gulan's rush with a mad laugh and stood with his spear to block the coming strike.
**BOOM!**