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  Chapter 5: The Path

  The next morning, Mei confidently led Nagi through the thick forest. To his surprise, smooth steel rails ran between the ancient trees, and soon a train silently pulled up to a platform that didn’t exist on any maps.

  (I had no idea there was a station here!)

  — How long will the trip take? — Nagi asked, lifting Mei’s heavy bags.

  — Just a day. The city was built too far from here. The Creator clearly should’ve placed it closer to civilization, don’t you think? — Mei glanced at him slyly.

  — Maybe… — Nagi replied, feeling a faint sting of unease.

  (I wonder… who is this creator of the city?)

  | Damn, I never thought I could get this tired from doing almost nothing. Soon I’ll move all the action to the new location, but first I need to get rid of the village in style. I’ll give them a reason for a civil war. I love action. |

  {The village was a monarchy, ruled by an old king.}

  The scene in the square ignited instantly. One of the farmers raised a rusty sickle above his head:

  — Cursed king! Why must we break our backs in the fields while you grow fat?! I hate you!

  At first, people looked at him as if he were insane, but with every passing second, rage spread through the crowd like a virus. Dozens, then hundreds of voices joined in. A bloody slaughter began, where it was impossible to tell friend from foe.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  {Back to the train.}

  Nagi entered the compartment and placed the bags on the rack.

  — Maybe we should go to the main hall? — Mei suggested. — It’s much cozier there.

  Nagi nodded silently.

  (Why not? The cabin feels gloomy, though it was a chance to get to know her better. I wonder… does she really love me?)

  Only the silence of the carriage answered that question. When they sat down at a table in the empty hall, the train began to move smoothly.

  (Strange. There’s no one here but us.)

  — Where are the other passengers? — Nagi looked at the empty rows of seats.

  — Maybe today no one felt like leaving their settled lives for the city, — Mei replied. She took a thick book out of her bag and immersed herself in reading.

  — What’s the book about? — Nagi asked.

  — “How to Write the Perfect Script,” — she answered without looking up.

  (Hm. That’s a strange hobby…)

  {The book contained detailed instructions on how to build a flawless plot and avoid logical inconsistencies.}

  Nagi leaned against the window. The rhythmic clatter of the wheels was soothing, and soon his eyelids grew heavy. He drifted off to sleep. Mei looked at the sleeping boy, and a cold smile touched her thin lips.

  — Not much longer now, — she whispered.

  {Meanwhile, in the village…}

  The chaos had reached its peak. One of the rebels, having somehow acquired a gun, fiercely fired at the guards.

  — Advance! Victory is ours! — he shouted, stepping over the bodies of those who refused to join the uprising.

  The crowd broke through to the palace. At the entrance stood the king’s last loyal soldier. In his trembling hand was a grenade with the pin already pulled.

  — Surrender! Or I’ll blow us all up! — the guard roared.

  The crowd froze. Someone whispered fearfully, “What do we do now?”

  But the man with the gun did not hesitate. He aimed and shot the guard straight in the forehead. The soldier collapsed, the grenade slipping from his fingers. The explosion engulfed the palace, the king, and the attackers alike.

  {A little earlier, in Nagi’s house.}

  A group of looters stormed into the blacksmith’s workshop.

  — Are you with the king or with us?! — their leader barked.

  Nagi’s father didn’t answer. He stepped forward and drove his work knife into the intruder’s chest.

  — Get out of my house, idiots, — he rasped.

  But the odds were unequal. In the next second, a hail of blows rained down on Nagi’s family. The looters spared no one: not the father, not the mother, not little Hina, whose life ended in an instant.

  {Present time.}

  The village was burning. Streets piled with bodies slowly turned into ash. The Creator’s plan had been executed flawlessly.

  {The train.}

  Nagi jolted awake, pierced by a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest.

  (Why do I feel so awful? As if something inside me just snapped…)

  He looked at Mei. She was still calmly reading her book.

  — Mei… what’s happening to our village? — he asked anxiously.

  The girl slowly turned a page.

  — I don’t know for sure. But knowing those farmers, they could very well have started a war.

  — What?! — Nagi went pale. Horror tightened around his throat like an icy grip.