As they ran away after throwing the ropes at each other, silence fell over the nearby area. Even the clashing sounds of the slaves' chains stopped. Some of them stared at him from below.
But the monkey man's red eyes were still glowing toward those fleeing soldiers.
He stared at those running bastards. "Don't worry… you will still come here. How far can you run? For how long? How will you escape? Once the crow's eyes are locked on you, eternal slumber will always befall you. Hahaha…"
After they disappeared, the sound of chains clashing against chains began to echo again from below. Only the ropes lay abandoned on the ground, as if staring at each other.
The monkey man sat again upon the rock with a faint smile, staring at the sky.
He softly murmured to himself:
"What is my role here? To be bound by law… or to bind those who claim to rule over it? Can I really free myself from this little yet enormous chain?
You, little boy, are so free in this gang of wolves. Still, you are unable to understand it. Why not awaken it and destroy everything? Raze this ground into dust. If others who once claimed it had seen you in this situation or, if this had happened to someone else, the ground would already have been destroyed to its core.
I should have taught you some basic things from beginning. My fault… my fault. But still, I am sorry. I am literally sorry. It is already written in fate. I am like you, I cannot go against it and survive. But don't worry, I am here for now.
However… where you are going is a very dangerous place. Even I don't know what will happen… huh…"
He closed his hand toward the sun.
"O eternal sun, please grant your eternal blessings to him. Do not let him be consumed by darkness."
He sat down, took a handful of sand from nearby, and raised his hand. The sand slowly began to fall between his fingers. He stared at those sand particles and asked himself "What others see about you or, what you have learned about yourself, is just a speck of this sand."
The sun continued to rise. The wind seemed to welcome it, its power making the monkey man's clothes flutter.
After some time, a clanking sound echoed from a distance, like soldiers' boots striking the ground, like weapons hitting the earth.
Soon, a squad approached. Among them were two soldiers who had previously fled, along with several familiar and unfamiliar faces. Each carried a burning flare and weapons. They placed the flares on the ground and formed an almost perfect circle around the stone.
One of them kicked the rope toward the man who had dropped it earlier.
"Pick it up! Quickly, bind him!" he shouted, pointing at him. He appeared to be the leader of the group.
As a soldier stepped forward, the monkey man slowly lifted his head.
First, a crazed smile spread across his face. Then he tilted and rotated his head in slow motion, as if a devil were staring at a human. His eyes began to glow again.
But this time… the colour was different.
A twisted smile curved across his face once more.
The advancing soldier froze mid-step and stumbled backward.
"How… how are his eyes glowing in different colours?" one of them shouted from the crowd.
"I told you," another whispered. "He knows how to use that power. Just like the previous commander."
"Now that you mention it, the commander could do it too. We begged him many times to teach us, but he never did."
"Then how does he know it?"
"Maybe the previous commander taught him, the one who died mysteriously… no traces of him were ever found."
"I don't think he taught him. He must have tortured him… stolen his power."
"He's a devil."
"You're right. Otherwise, how could someone's eyes glow like that?"
Some of them even began stepping back, muttering, "A monster…"
"Monster?"
"Monsters should be killed."
"Then kill him! Yeah… we must kill him!"
Suddenly, rage spread through them like wildfire.
The leader shouted, "Shut up, all of you! Just kill him… by any means!"
They raised their weapons with a roar and pointed them at him.
"Don't taint our swords with his blood," one shouted. "Let's stone him. That will be a better punishment."
"Grab him before he does anything!"
"We should all go together. If we surround him, he won't be able to hurt us."
Another soldier who was present in previous encounter with that monkey man, interrupted sharply, "Did you forget what happened earlier? Do you want to see that again? We were already bent in fear by his stare. Do you want to feel that again?"
Some of the soldiers who had witnessed the earlier incident stumbled backward, fear creeping into their eyes.
"Shut up!" the leader barked. "If you're afraid, your salary will be cut. You'll be demoted to slave labour here. And if I do not see him dead, then you are dead."
With that, he started walking toward a path.
The monkey man tilted his head and mockingly spoke through his nose toward him, "Are you thinking of sneaking into that woman's house again? Really, you are something. Who made you the leader of this foolish team?"
The leader did not even bother to respond. He went away, perhaps ignoring the words, or perhaps being dragged away by his own lust.
At that moment, a stone flew past the monkey man.
He turned his head toward them and asked, "Huh… or have you finally gathered the courage to capture me? Did you forget how you ran away as if your legs were in your hands?"
His eyes glowed again as he looked toward them, then shifted his gaze into the distance.
"Monkey! One more word and I'll kill you!" one of them shouted.
Before anything more could happen, a loud bell rang throughout the camp.
A shout echoed from the top of the tower as the bell continued to ring:
"From this moment on, every slave is a free citizen! Come quickly, the feast is already underway! Those selected for the ritual have already arrived. Others are welcome to join the holy ceremony as witnesses for the first time! Soldiers are also required to be present to maintain peace!"
A murmur rose from below as some shouted in response, but the noise was too mixed and chaotic to understand clearly.
The voice from the tower continued:
"Any soldier who is not present will be demoted to slave labour, ten times the digging for ten years! This is a direct order from the commander! If the king is pleased, perhaps you may earn your promotion again! The king, clan leaders, sect elders, and ministers from different regions are already on their way! Hurry! Bring all the slaves. Quickly!"
The soldiers who had been ready to attack the monkey man froze in shock.
Without another word, some of them turned and rushed downhill. They began dragging the slaves away from their work, pulling each one toward the gathering ground.
Again, the voice rang out:
"Not in chains!"
Nearby soldiers quickly kicked aside some tools, ran to their tents to retrieve the keys, and began unlocking the chains.
The flares flickered violently in the wind.
The freed slaves started running uphill toward the top.
Meanwhile, the monkey man remained seated upon the rock, watching silently.
Then he shouted,
"Ants grow their wings only when they are near death."
Those who remained began shouting from those stationary soldiers:
"Count them properly! If even one is missing, the commander will kill all of you. So shut up and move quickly!"
They saw other soldiers dragging people from every direction, old men with weak bodies, young boys, and even those who were unwilling to come. No one was spared, not even those willing to go.
They had only been given the title of free citizens, not the rights.
They were pulled by the hair, shoved forward with spear shafts, whipped with chains.
One of them shouted, "We are free citizens now! So why are you treating us like slaves?"
From above, some soldiers mocked them. One soldier laughed as he grabbed a prisoner by the hair.
"See? They just got the title of 'free' and think they earned it. Kick them as much as you like until the gate. That is where you get your freedom. They only said you could go there free of chains, not free of kicks. Free citizen doesn't mean free from being kicked. Quickly, move everyone! More kicks, more money. See, the leader is counting them."
Another added cruelly, "Grab his ear. That one has plenty to spill from his stomach, a filthy whore. You know his child was a girl… ahh, a new flower to stain. I heard his wife ran away after his arrest…"
More vile words followed.
The prisoners did not respond. They only stared downward, fury burning in their eyes, until a whip lashed across their faces.
"Move forward, bastard!"
Another soldier rushed in, breathing heavily.
"One is missing, I counted. And five of our own soldiers are gone too. What do we do now? If we report this to the leader, he will skin us alive. Then forget about the commander, I don't even want to mention him. The ritual time is almost here."
One soldier looked around and said, "See, almost all the group soldiers have gone. I think the leader went with them. I saw him leave."
"Yeah… I saw it too."
"Now only a few of us are left. We must drag this monkey bastard before sunrise."
Nearby soldiers joined in, kicking the slaves to force them forward. Some glanced toward the monkey man.
The monkey man muttered under his breath,"Haahh… what a good day to be reborn again."
No one had time to argue.
But suddenly, the orange-clothed monkey man turned his face toward them and laughed loudly. One soldier had been silently approaching him with a spear.
"Why are you all going there? Where are you taking them?" he asked.
One soldier sneered,"To witness the holy ritual. And now the king has promised them a feast."
The monkey man asked in an astonished voice,"Why are the slaves getting a feast today? Why not me?"
One soldier replied, "Because you are not a slave. Why? Do you want to be?"
"Nope. But the feast is only for slaves, not for you. After all…"
Another soldier said, "He does have some brain. We don't get it either. But anyway, how would I know what's in the king's mind?"
The monkey man said in a hidden mocking tone,"Of course… piglets are always going for filth."
A soldier frowned. "Did you say something?"
"No…"
"I'm saying, you all are doing the king's work, sucking their blood and using the women. Strength not needed. So I think the king made the right choice not giving you food. I agree…"
"You bastard!" a soldier shouted.
"Ahh, leave it. You can't win against him in talking. See how he's mocking you? Hey, do you want to touch those women? Do you want to fuck those whores?"
The monkey man laughed loudly. "Why would I need that, when so many are standing here ready to suck my dick? Hahaha!"
Some soldiers mocked him. "Go on then!"
He replied, "He said all of you, fools."
The monkey man then turned toward a soldier and asked,"Are you all going to watch it?"
A nearby soldier smirked. "Yes. I might even get promoted."
With that, he hurried away. A few others lingered for a moment longer before following.
The ground trembled faintly under the marching feet, and the sun was almost rising.
When most had left for the ritual ground, a few soldiers remained behind to guard the area. Soon, more soldiers approached.
One of the guards, watching the monkey man's strange body movements, asked the newcomers,"Why are you all here?"
They replied quietly, "The commander is coming here. Today…"
He made a gesture across his throat, pointing toward the monkey man.
Laughter broke out among them, and the newcomers joined in.
But one soldier frowned.
"What is that old man always muttering? 'Tides falling, land collapsing…' What does it even mean? Is an earthquake coming? Or great waves? Every day it's the same nonsense after we come here."
Another shrugged. "Just the ramblings of a madman. Don't listen to him. Wait for the commander."
From the side, someone added, "Do you know what actually happened here my first time? Also, I heard new arrivals are coming tomorrow."
One replied casually, "Nothing new. Every ten years the ritual happens, and new ones arrive the next day. Until then, let's enjoy the show."
They all stared at the monkey man with mocking smiles, though a few carried unease in their eyes.
Those few quietly stepped back without drawing attention.
One soldier shouted, repeating the same words mockingly,"Hey, monkey! What were you saying earlier? If the tides fall, what happens? Say it again!"
The orange-clothed man, who had been murmuring with his eyes closed, began to speak softly:
"O eternal sun… eternal darkness… eternal destruction… eternal life…Why do you wound me? I am only a small traveler within your small creation. Release me from this endless pain…"
The soldiers looked at one another in confusion, then burst into laughter.
"See? I told you—madness!"
"Eternal life? Eternal destruction? Look at him, a sack of bones wrapped in skin, asking for eternity!"
"Hahahaha!"
"If you want to die, come closer! Let's stone him with pebbles. The more hits, the more reward!"
They roared with cruel amusement.
The monkey man opened his eyes.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he turned his gaze toward the distant slaves being marched away and laughed softly.
"Go… do not be afraid. What is bound by fate, what is earned by work, will always remain yours. Do not fear losing it. It will return to you. It will stay with you again. But what never truly belonged to you will fade away—like those burning flares."
Suddenly, a cold wind blew. All the flares flickered, and all but one faded out.
His voice deepened.
"Rise again. And again. And again. Destroy the fate that tries to bind you. Move forward as you did before. It is alright to fall—but it is the rule of life to rise again."
"Go. Seek it. Reach for it. Grasp it."
"Remember… what is truly yours can never be stolen. It is yours to carry."
To be Continued...