The fire was long extinguished by now. When the chlorogoo and the pyromancer approached, they saw the Zoraï absolutely motionless, clad only in boxer shorts, covered head to toe in ashes. They called to him, then shook him, but failed to elicit the slightest response.
- So, what do we do with it?
- He's been here for three days, and I'm going to find out how long it's been since he's had a drink of water. At some point his kami will call him back.
The word "kami" seemed to awaken something in the flesh statue. Haokan rose to his feet with a blank stare, leaving all his belongings behind, and left the room, followed by the two homins who couldn't come up with a real answer.
They followed him as the bereaved man made his way back down the shadow road, unwittingly avoiding the various predators, as catatonic as ever. They stopped at the vortex of the Bosquet de l'Ombre, leaving him to continue on his way, wherever he was going.
- This guy is really nuts.
- What, that surprises you? Everyone knows it. But we had a hell of a time proving it.
How had he crossed the Primes, then the Jungle? He had no memory of it. But the camp awakened something in him. Homins crowded around him, but he was unable to answer their questions, let alone understand them. One word, however, cut through the haze he was in.
"Zhen".
He clung to it, shouting back:
- Zhen!
And on to the camp, where Zhen had to be... had to be. The homins guided him, ushered him into a tent and spoke kindly to him. It wasn't Zhen who was in front of him, but a matisse. He knew her... It was impossible to remember who she was or what her name was. Her voice was soft, enveloping, tender. Like a mother's voice. The mention of his mother made Haokan jump. He shouldn't be here! His Mi wouldn't be happy!
The hands around him became more constraining, forcing him to sit back down, then open his mouth to swallow the candy the matisse slid down his throat.
- Come on, Haokan, let yourself go... You'll see, everything will be better in a few moments," the Matisse whispered tenderly. You'll finally feel at peace... a deep peace.
Lulled by the hypnotic inflections and the discreet spell that chained him, Haokan finally gave in. Here, he was safe... here, with his zaki's family. And Zhen was coming. He'd be here when he woke up... then everything would be totally fine.
- So, what do we do with it?
- He's been here for three days, and I'm going to find out how long it's been since he's had a drink of water. At some point his kami will call him back.
The word "kami" seemed to awaken something in the flesh statue. Haokan rose to his feet with a blank stare, leaving all his belongings behind, and left the room, followed by the two homins who couldn't come up with a real answer.
They followed him as the bereaved man made his way back down the shadow road, unwittingly avoiding the various predators, as catatonic as ever. They stopped at the vortex of the Bosquet de l'Ombre, leaving him to continue on his way, wherever he was going.
- This guy is really nuts.
- What, that surprises you? Everyone knows it. But we had a hell of a time proving it.
***
How had he crossed the Primes, then the Jungle? He had no memory of it. But the camp awakened something in him. Homins crowded around him, but he was unable to answer their questions, let alone understand them. One word, however, cut through the haze he was in.
"Zhen".
He clung to it, shouting back:
- Zhen!
And on to the camp, where Zhen had to be... had to be. The homins guided him, ushered him into a tent and spoke kindly to him. It wasn't Zhen who was in front of him, but a matisse. He knew her... It was impossible to remember who she was or what her name was. Her voice was soft, enveloping, tender. Like a mother's voice. The mention of his mother made Haokan jump. He shouldn't be here! His Mi wouldn't be happy!
The hands around him became more constraining, forcing him to sit back down, then open his mouth to swallow the candy the matisse slid down his throat.
- Come on, Haokan, let yourself go... You'll see, everything will be better in a few moments," the Matisse whispered tenderly. You'll finally feel at peace... a deep peace.
Lulled by the hypnotic inflections and the discreet spell that chained him, Haokan finally gave in. Here, he was safe... here, with his zaki's family. And Zhen was coming. He'd be here when he woke up... then everything would be totally fine.