Chapter 13 "The Most Beautiful Sunset"

The dusk wore on, the atmosphere in this bar was increasingly busy. Some workers who had finished their work stopped by here just to eat something or rest for a while after working all day long. From the double doors that opened wide, people who came in were more than going out. Making this shop more packed. So, sharing the table between them wasn't rare. The frenzied sound burst abysmally, made our meeting were not conducive. It seemed we picked the wrong place and time.

Right now, Dimas, Kak Shella, Vian, Vani, and I were holding a meeting. Only five persons were present because of only us who were still living in Glafelden Town. The rest were mostly boys, signed into the royal army in the capital, or became an itinerant assistant merchants.

We had just finished having dinner. Leaving dirty dishes on the table. I gathered them here to tell the information I just obtained a few days ago. The Spirit Crystal. I also mentioned two solutions given by Almira and asked for their opinion.

"It's very dangerous, Anggi! Infiltrating into the capital of West Elvian Kingdom was a crazy thing that never anyone dared to do, including Grussel. Who knows we would be immediately arrested while stepping a foot in their land?" Dimas was the first one to protest in a fraction of a second, without thinking.

"Not us. But only me," I replied. My voice was almost swallowed by the hubbub in this shop, but I was sure if they could still hear me.

"I'm more disagree with it. What things could be done by a stupid hunter like you? I'm sure you would be tempted by the white rabbit again and make a mess."

"Impossible. No person repeating the mistake twice but a fool."

"That fool one is you!" Yelled Dimas.

If there were only two of us, I would have beat this shitty friend. But I deliberately held back. I didn't want to start a fight in public. Especially with my own friend, it was stupid. Exactly as Dimas said.

"C'mon Anggi, Dimas! Don't make a fuss!" Kak Shella tried to mediate. Then cast a glance at me. She looked at me in silence for a moment. "I don't agree with you, Anggi. The risky path is not the best solution."

"An opportunity like this will never come twice. Maybe there's a time Elvian would open the border and accept humans with open arms. But when? It could be tens or hundreds of years. Or maybe it wouldn't happen until this world destroyed. Don't you want to go home?"

Kak Shella was speechless. Hearing my last words seemed to make her mouth silent. I turned toward the twins.

"What about you, girls? You two wanna go home so much, right?"

Both stared at each other for a moment. Then they nodded.

"Of course. But what Kak Shella and Dimas said is true. We can't act without an arranged plan." Vani that usually cheerful opened her mouth. While her quiet and calm twin sister only nodded slowly.

"That is why I'm asking for your help now. Make a great plan that I could breakthrough into the Elvian's capital."

*PLAK!

A moment later, my head hurt. I moaned softly as holding it on. Throwing a sharp look at Dimas, who sat next to me.

"What are you doing, motherfucker!?"

Before I could protest more, he opened his mouth. "Could you remove the stubbornness of your head? Calm down a bit and think it clearly. Don't you realize that it's too dangerous? We live in this town, but it doesn't mean we wanted. Of course, we want to go home so bad.

"Each of us indeed missing our parents, family, or friends in the homeworld. But not like this way. Forcing yourself into danger was a super foolish idea. Neither Kak Shella, Vian, Vani, and I, don't want us to be in danger. What if you don't come back later? It's really useless if we go home, but not together. If it should be like that, I prefer to stay here with all of them."

"But ... if not now-."

*PLAKK!!

Dimas hit me again hardly. This time in the forehead. The burning sensation left there. I was sure that my forehead was reddish right now.

"Stupid! You don't understand at all if we're worried about you. Don't be stubborn like a child. Don't you think about our feeling if you fall on the dangerous path?"

My heart sank. Dimas' words pierced my chest and made a hole there. It was unthinkable to me. When looked at others, they nodded. I was never known when they were worrying me. It made me ashamed. Because the one I could think of, just about only myself.

I lowered my gaze to the dining table, then smiled. "You guys are good friends. I think you would continue to blaming me, who has brought us all to this world."

Kak Shella immediately grabbed my hand and clutching it. "How many times I've told you, Anggi! We won't see you as a trouble maker. And stop blaming yourself. We live in this world together. We eat, work, and sleep together. We're in the same boat. For that, we need to pay attention, taking care of, and loving each other. I'm sure one day we could find a way to come back without endangering ourselves."

Unable to see the sincerity in her eyes that were like crystal, I cast a glance aside. From the deepest recesses of the heart, I was grateful to have been granted friends like them.

"Now, promise us to not doing something dangerous! And forget about the crazy idea about infiltrating the Elvian Capital!"

I immediately turned to Dimas.

"Your head as hard as a rock. So, I want you to make a promise."

I nodded and sighed. "Well, I promise!"

Everyone grinned, glad that this issue had been completed. So did I. A joy burst out of my heart when realizing everyone's strong feelings. Perhaps with the bonds of friendship, I could understand the real meaning of life.

If you rethought it, their words were right. Acting without a proper plan was a stupid thing. As a hunter, I should know it surely. Maybe this opportunity would be lost and wouldn't come a second time. But as long as we kept trying, nothing was impossible. Because the miracle only came to those who never gave up.

***

Without realizing it, days passed quickly. It had been almost a week since Grussel drove me out of the base, and the punishment would end soon. Tomorrow night was the day of the hunting. The Dark Night would be back in action. I heard from Dimas, our target was an animal like a tiger named Orska. I'd only ever heard it. From the illustrations given by him, the creature was like a tiger but bigger. Nearly as tall as an adult human. They hunted for the long fang. At a glance, Orska was similar to the ancient animal Smilodon or saber-tooth lion. The hunt seemed challenging after several days of idling in the clinic of Aunt Saantya.

I stepped out of the kitchen after just helped the clinic staff to wash the dishes. The sun was still warm. The time that was suitable for daily activity. I'd been going to the library lately. Almira's house also had too often visited, to the extent that the host would drive me away when seeing my face in her door's house. Now, I was confused about what to do.

So boring, I thought.

I passed half an hour by daydreaming on a bench park at the town park. Kept silent like a pile of stones. Staring blankly into the middle of the herd of squirrels that gnaw fallen fruit beneath the tree. Even though I didn't really watch them.

Suddenly my instinct telling me of someone in the back. Before I turned, that person was already pulling my hood slowly. As if curious about what covered behind it. Immediately I held it with my hand and stepped back. Standing five feet away, and glanced sharply.

He was grinning.

"Why are you daydreaming here?"

"Gosh, Dimas! I'd be happy if you didn't startle me like that," I warned with exasperation. If he had really pulled the hood I wore, a pair of long ears of mine would be the center of attention in this crowd. That wasn't a good thing to be a joke.

"Relax, bruh!" He laughed casually. And then sat on the bench and handed wrapped pastries that were on his hands. "Want some?"

Finally, I sat down with Dimas while eating the snack. Hey, I knew this. It was sold next to the town library. I often bought them after  I visited the library. Its texture was crunchy and sweet. Besides, they also have other flavors like fruit and fish.

Fortunately, Dimas brought it to me. My finances were running low after nearly a week without any income. For I, who was unemployed, a cake for ten pieces of bronze has become a luxury thing.

"Tasty!" I said happily. "A green apple flavor is really the best one!"

"I love this thing since you treated me back then."

"I told you, right? Once you try, you'd like it."

Dimas agreed. We continued spending time at the park bench. I looked at the bright blue sky without clouds as far as the eye could see. The wind was blowing softly on my face. Gave freshness to my soul this morning.

On the bench, we chit-chatted about every day at Dark Night when I wasn't there. The boy said almost nothing had changed at all. As if I'd never been there.

Before I began grumbling and cursing Grussel, Dimas was the first one who explained that the bastard old man actually cared about me. Occasionally he asked about me to Dimas. 'Where is she now?' 'Does she make a fuss at Saantya's place?' 'I hope she's getting more clever after staying there.' The words really couldn't be used to ask about how was someone doing. It seems he wasn't the intention of asking the news of me.

"He isn't apathetic. Only to that extent, the attention could be given by him. No more. If he doesn't want the impression of fierce and firm fade in front of his own underlings," said Dimas. "Imagine if Grussel is too attentive! Can you picture him smiles at you with a friendly and always speak very softly every time?"

"That'd be disgusting. Suddenly I wanna puke," I trembled. Sending shivers down my spine like haunted by nightmares.

"Right? You gotta be more sensitive next time! Be aware of the little things around you."

"Whatever!" I snapped.

"Oh yeah, Anggi! Tomorrow afternoon before the hunt, you're allowed to come back by the boss. So today, you should say goodbye to Kak Shella and Aunt Saantya."

I muttered quietly. "Is that so? Maybe I should buy something as a sign of gratitude later. It seems like this week I'd been a bother to them."

"Do you just get it by now?"

His grin and laugh felt unpleasant, made me threw a used empty pack of pastries toward his face. He avoided deftly. Then he continued to laugh hard at me. I was the one who didn't accept it tried to punch his body but was avoided by him. That was our routine activity. Than a 'fight,' it'd be more correct to say we are jesting each other. Since we had never seriously fought.

The whole day I went to various places in the city with Dimas. Spending a lot of time in exciting places around Glafelden town. I just knew there was a big beautiful flower garden in the east of the town. Also, a fish pond with artificial rivers on the south side.

The town was quite large. The wall that protected the whole town was nearly spherical, with a diameter of about ten to fifteen kilometers. Since the first day I lived in Glafelden, I'd never been around it to every corner. This was the first time for me.

At the end of the day, the sun began to fall on the western horizon. We both still found time to relax, enjoying the sunset on a tower near the south gate. This place was part of the old building sites that were long abandoned. It was far from the nearest inhabited building, so few people around here. The tower height exceeded the wall that surrounded the town. It made me free to enjoy the moment the sun was setting.

"Do you know? Sunset scenery in this world is the best," I said with eyes adrift ahead. "Whenever if I had a chance, I would love to watch it."

"Why are you so loving the sunset? Isn't it the same as our world?"

I looked briefly at him, then back at the sun began to set little by little. "Indeed. But in this world, you could see the vast expanse of stars as night falls. Look up there! Already seen, isn't it?"

Every second the sun slid down, the dark sky starting to conquer the space. The sky split in two, between night and day, darkness and light. Stars came on the dark side.

Dimas nodded with agreement. "That's true, anyway. Here we could see clearly with naked eye the expanse of stars and colorful sky dust. In contrast to our home town which too much light pollution."

We were silent for a moment. Having fun watching the amazing scenery up there. Until finally, my eyes fixed on something.

"Dimas, look at that!" I yelled excitedly.

I pointed my finger toward the sky, where there were six brightest stars. When you draw a line connecting the sixth, it will create a shape like an arrow ready to release the arc.

"What is that?"

"Celebrus Constellation. The brightest constellations and could be seen with naked eyes when the dusk comes. If you get lost in the woods, take a look at the direction shown by the arrows. It would take you to the west."

"You know a lot about the constellations in this world, huh?"

"Yeah," I exclaimed proudly. "I've got a lot of interesting things from books in the library, including the science of astronomy."

"It's great!" Said Dimas. He smiled, which displayed his white teeth. "You're really talented to be a hunter. I could depend on you next time."

I replied with a wry smile. Whether what Dimas told was real or just teasing me. I still remember a few days ago when he called me a stupid hunter. But this time, I didn't feel the joke of his words. Because he didn't tease me afterward. That boy sometimes had an honest side that was hard to guess.

Moments later, the mighty sun actually slid down behind the western horizon. Leaving tinges of orange light that was implicit in the sky. Creating a very long light line. Dark sky instantly enveloped. Accompanied by the expanse of stars and colorful space dust. Sometimes looked there were also one or two shooting stars.

"We're going home now?" Said Dimas. He was preparing to descend the stairs of the tower.

"There's a thing I'm gonna do."

"What?"

Incidentally, I answered the question with a slow response. Waiting for Dimas to make an expression of wonder and confusion. "I wanna hunting."