—Why? —growled a Bigfoot—. Why didn’t you kill them? You could have avenged them. You could have avenged all of us.

  Ja-tul stopped.

  —Eipus… —he said, observing the three Bigfoots and the three White Thangs who had attacked the boys.

  —Answer us! —the simian’s fangs ground together.

  —They weren’t the culprits. Didn’t you hear? —Ja-tul took a step forward—. And if you wanted revenge so badly… why didn’t you take it yourselves?

  Silence fell immediately.

  —You attacked the most scared boy. And the boy with the snake knocked all three of them unconscious. —His gaze locked onto Grompus—. The frightened boy paralyzed you with a roar.

  Then he looked at Eipus.

  —You and Handol almost lost your arms to the boy of the Bear. —His voice grew colder—. Be grateful the one of the Dragon chose not to use his Beast Koa.

  Ja-tul walked past them.

  —You wouldn’t be injured. You’d be dead.

  The simians said nothing. Ja-tul continued on his way.

  The boys reached Yu-Han and explained what had happened.

  —Argh… Carlo, you’re an idiot —said César from the bed—. You almost died out of fear.

  —I… I’m sorry —murmured Carlo—. I felt overwhelmed.

  —Hey, don’t be so hard on him —Edward intervened—. He saved me. That white simian would’ve killed me.

  Yu-Han observed them in silence.

  —I knew you would be fine. —He approached Carlo—. We need to heal you. Tomorrow we leave for a nearby village. We have an unexpected mission.

  —What about the exploration? —Yulian asked.

  —It was enough for now. —Yu-Han adjusted his watch—. The other teams have already finished their assignments. They’ll arrive soon.

  —Great! —Edward smiled.

  Damien tried to hide his own excitement. Yulian, on the other hand, remained thoughtful.

  —You did good work —Yu-Han continued—. Rest. We leave early.

  —I want to go too —Carlo said.

  —You’re injured —Edward replied.

  —I need to get stronger —Carlo responded, shifting with difficulty.

  Damien nodded.

  —He’s strong. He just needs confidence.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  —Then it’s decided —Yu-Han concluded—. Carlo is coming with you.

  The next morning, the group prepared to depart.

  —Will you be okay alone? —Carlo asked.

  —The master healed me —César replied—. Go. Don’t worry.

  On the road, Yulian recalled the fight with the first Wampus feline.

  —Why did you create a Koa gauntlet before using Fist of Fury?

  Damien hesitated.

  —My fire still burns me… —he lowered his gaze—. The dragon hasn’t fully accepted me yet.

  Yulian placed a hand on his back. He said nothing. They kept walking.

  —We’ve arrived —Yu-Han announced—. The village of the Hammiz shamans.

  It was an ordinary village, except for the ritual area. Enormous teepees dominated the landscape. At the entrance, a reinforced structure contrasted with the rest.

  —And the cryptids? —Damien asked.

  He felt no strange Koa. The supernatural atmosphere was stable. The same as when they first entered Apalacide.

  An old man approached them, dressed in robes adorned with feathers.

  —I am Inola. You must be the exorcists.

  Exorcists? Damien thought.

  —Mr. Inola —Yu-Han said—. We were told about a problem.

  —For years now —the old man replied—. Children have been disappearing. It’s the fault of those damned ghosts.

  —Ghosts? —Yu-Han frowned.

  —They look like small children. They wear masks with a smiling face. They take them. And every time, more appear.

  —We’ll investigate —Yu-Han said—. But first, where will we be staying?

  Inola led them to a hotel.

  —I thought we’d stay in the teepees —Yulian commented.

  —Hammiz customs do not allow it —the old man replied—. When you’re done, return to me.

  Yu-Han glanced at his watch.

  —It’s time —he said—. Yulian, Damien, investigate. Carlo, stay at the hotel and rest, you haven't fully recovered yet. Edward comes with me. We need to immunize the companions who are arriving.

  —What about the ghosts? —Damien asked.

  —Ghosts don’t kidnap children —Yu-Han replied—. These must be demons with childlike forms. That’s why they cover their faces. Use these talismans. You won’t need Koa. Remember, the mission is to eliminate those who make children disappear.

  He left.

  —So now what? —Damien growled—. How do we know where they appear?

  —Let’s ask around —Yulian suggested.

  —Sure… “Hello, sir, do you happen to have a ghost nearby?” —Damien mocked.

  —Did you say ghosts?

  A woman interrupted them.

  —Talk to Primo. He’s a seller in the center of the village. He knows.

  They thanked her and went looking for him.

  Primo looked at them with disinterest.

  —Information? Buy some candy.

  —We don’t have money —Damien muttered.

  Yulian placed a few coins on the counter.

  —The master gave them to me —he whispered, smiling.

  Primo spoke.

  —Years ago, children disappeared. The culprit was a clothing merchant. His accomplice: a twelve-year-old girl named Clara. Though they eventually nicknamed her “The Bitch.”

  —Why “the Bitch”? —Damien asked. He remembered Jonathan’s words on the night of the party incident.

  —They said she had fallen in love with him. He had a wife and children her age. One day, she took the man’s gun and killed him and his family. —Primo lowered his voice—. To some, she was a heroine. To others, a monster.

  A victim who became a perpetrator.

  —What happened to her? —Yulian asked.

  —They locked her up in the detention center behind the village, near the exit. Two years later, she was released. Days after that, she was found dead. Some family avenged their child. And of course, after that, the disappearances continued—but now those ghosts began to appear.

  —If you want to see ghosts, that’s the main place where they show up.

  Damien was deep in thought about Primo’s words regarding Clara when they reached the detention center.

  —Could those demons be… formed from the hatred of those who disappear? —Damien asked.

  —I don’t know… This whole thing is far too strange —Yulian replied.

  His gaze caught a child in the distance, their face covered by a smiling mask.

  —Damien, let’s go after him.

  —Hey, there’s another one over there. You take that one, I’ll take this one.

  They split up and caught up to them. The small figures did not attack, did not speak, and did not flee.

  Quickly, Damien placed the talisman on it… but nothing happened. To his surprise, the creature took two steps back and vanished like a gentle breeze, leaving only the talisman on the ground and the sound of what seemed like a sigh.

  —Any luck? —Yulian asked.

  —No. I don’t think they’re demons… I’m sure they’re ghosts —Damien said, intriguing Yulian—. Next time one appears, I’ll try something different.

  —Ghosts don’t kidnap children. You heard the master —Yulian replied.

  —What if those kidnappings aren’t their doing? —Damien clenched the talisman in his hands.

  What looks like a monster is not always the true culprit, and not every tragedy leaves behind something simple or clean.

  Thank you for staying with the story.