"What do you mean by that?" Kichu asked her.
"They don't welcome outsiders. Congratulations—you're only the fourth person to ever find this planet," she said.
"You're not from here, are you?" Kichu asked.
"No, I'm not. Can we talk somewhere else? It's not safe here. If they find out about you… you're dead."
"Who are you talking about?"
"I'll explain everything. Just follow me." She motioned for them to come along and walked down a narrow street, Forcy following closely behind.
They arrived at an old building and stepped inside.
"Okay, can we talk now?" Kichu asked impatiently.
"Yes. This planet is called Gadha. That man you saw earlier—Forcy—is the chief of two villages. This used to be a peaceful place… until twenty years ago." She glanced at Forcy, who nodded silently before stepping outside.
"What happened?" Kichu asked.
"The people here have worshiped a god for centuries—the Destroyer God, Gadha. Their faith was extreme. They believed in offering animal sacrifices to keep the god from destroying their planet. But twenty years ago, everything changed. The villagers began hearing the voice of God. It told them that killing animals was no longer enough." She lowered her head, her voice heavy with sorrow.
"That doesn't even make sense. A god wouldn't demand suffering from its own people," Roco said.
"That's exactly what I've been telling them. But their belief was stronger than their reason. They began sacrificing women instead—one every month. Can you imagine? Fathers sending their daughters, husbands sending their wives… all in the name of devotion."
Kichu and Roco remained silent, trying to process what they were hearing.
"I arrived here thirty years ago," she continued. "It was an accident. At first, they treated me just as they treated you—with fear and hostility. But then, a child fell from a tree and was badly injured. I'm a healer… I have a Class Three Sin—Simplest Healing. I saved him. After that, they started trusting me. They asked me to stay, so I did. I even started a school to teach them first aid and medicine. For ten years, life was good. Then… I saw their true nature. I want to put an end to this."
"What do you want us to do? Fight the god? Haha… You don't make any sense. Just let us go our way. This is your problem," Kichu said to her.
"What if I say it's not a real god?"
"Oh… then who is it?"
"It's someone pretending to be the god. Someone who knows everything about this planet. I never believed in this god nonsense, so I started investigating. I even followed the women who were sent to the mountains to die.
One day, I followed a woman to the mountain. She was terrified but still praying to the god. She climbed the mountain and reached the statue of the god. Suddenly, a man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her. Then another man appeared—standing on the statue. She screamed and cried, but the man dragged her into a building near the statue.
Then… the screams started coming from the building. The man on the statue laughed at every scream. It was the worst day of my life… listening to a woman just like me being torn apart by two monsters. I silently went back to my house. I couldn't sleep for weeks.
The next day, I began telling the villagers the terrifying truth behind this. But they didn't listen to me. The number of students in my class started to decrease. I couldn't do anything. Then the chief came to me and talked about this. He was also suspicious.
I asked him why. Then he told me about the prophecy."
"Prophecy?" Kichu asked.
"The previous chief—Forcy's father—had the ability to predict the future. On his deathbed, he spoke of a great danger that would come to this village. And when it did, two men would arrive to save them." She looked directly at Kichu and Roco.
"Wait, you're saying… us?" Kichu raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. It's you two."
Kichu scoffed. "Are you kidding me? We don't believe in that kind of stuff. Roco, we're leaving." He stood up, ready to walk out.
At that moment, a young girl entered with drinks, smiling as she held them out.
"This is a traditional drink from our planet. It's really good, please try it," the woman said.
"Ah… we don't need it," Kichu said, waving her off.
The girl's smile faded, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"This is why I don't like kids," Kichu muttered, sighing. "Fine, fine. I'll drink it." He took the cup and downed it in one gulp. Roco hesitated, then drank his as well.
"It's actually really good. Did you make this?" Kichu asked the girl.
She looked at the woman in confusion. The woman translated, and the girl nodded, her smile returning.
"It's really good," Kichu said, patting her head. She giggled and ran outside.
"She has a beautiful smile," Kichu said.
"Yes… and it breaks my heart knowing I'll never see it again." The woman's voice trembled.
"What do you mean?" Kichu asked, his stomach sinking.
"Her turn has come. She's the next sacrifice… tomorrow."
Kichu's eyes widened. "Wait. She's just a child!"
"They don't care. Do you know how many children they've killed? More than I can count." She knelt before them, her voice breaking. "That's why I'm begging you. Please help us. Please be our saviors."
Kichu stood frozen for a moment, then silently turned and walked toward the door.
Roco grabbed his arm.
"I don't care what you're thinking right now," Roco said, his voice low and seething with anger. "But if you decide to leave this planet… you're going alone. I'm not leaving until I put that pedophile bastard's head on a spike."
Kichu yanked his arm free, gripping his sword tightly. "You said they live on the mountain, right?" Without another word, he stormed out.
Roco loaded his gun and followed.
"Wait! You can't just rush in!" The woman ran after them.
"Why not?" Kichu asked, irritated.
"You don't even know what they're capable of. You'll get yourselves killed."
"I don't care. I want them dead."
"At least let me tell you what I know about their powers."
Kichu exhaled sharply, then nodded.
"First of all… do either of you have a Sin?"
"No," Kichu replied.
"Then this will be even harder. They both have Sins. One of them can teleport. The other… can turn invisible."
"The invisible one… he's the 'voice of God,' isn't he?" Kichu asked.
"Yes. And for the past twenty years, this planet has been constantly shifting locations. I believe that's the teleporter's doing."
"He has the power to move an entire planet?" Kichu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's why I asked if you had a Sin. You're up against two incredibly powerful men. Are you sure about this?"
Kichu's expression hardened. "Yeah. I understand the risk… but we will save you." He turned and walked out, Roco right behind him.
The woman watched them go, her eyes brimming with tears.
Kichu and Roco made their way toward the mountain.
"Kichu, I have a bad feeling about this. We should have a plan," Roco said.
"I know," Kichu admitted. "We're up against two Sin users. Charging in blindly would be stupid. But we need to confirm something first."
"What?"
"I'll go up the mountain alone and check if they're there. If they are, they'll come after us. If they're not… then they don't know we're here yet."
"How can you be sure?"
"They think they're gods. If they knew we existed, they'd make a show of trying to kill us. If I don't find them, it means they're unaware of us. That gives us an advantage."
"Fine. Just be careful," Roco said, staying behind.
Kichu climbed the mountain and reached the massive statue of the Destroyer God. He looked around. Nothing. He entered the small building near it—then froze in horror.
The floor was littered with skeletons. Rotting bodies piled in the corners. The stench was unbearable.
Kichu covered his nose and staggered back outside.
"How could they…?" His stomach twisted. He turned away and vomited.
After regaining his breath, he hurried back down to Roco.
"What happened? Were they there?" Roco asked.
Kichu placed a hand on his shoulder, his expression dark.
"Roco… we need to kill them. And we need to do it now."
-To Be Continued....