"He was a thornsleeper?" Rya asked as they approached the wooden house with the basket of fruits. The path had narrowed, the trees leaning in close, their leaves brushing shoulders like curious fingers.
"Thornsleepers are despised everywhere," Aeloria replied, voice calm as she adjusted the basket on her shoulder, the weight of the harvest shifting with each step. "But not all are bad. Out of the eight pathways of a thornsleeper, there is one that is actually good. Ishnore—the pathway of the venomless viper. This pathway is named after one of the eight deadliest vipers, Ishnore."
She stopped right in front of the door and turned toward Rya, the sunlight catching the faint purple sheen in her eyes.
"I've heard of the eight vipers, but I wasn't familiar with their names," Rya said with a curious look, eyes bright despite the lingering fatigue from the morning's work. Aeloria set the basket down for a moment, flexing her fingers.
Opening the door, she picked it back up and handed Rya the basket of fruits after which she headed for the kitchen. She then took a bowl and filled it with water from the cistern. She took a plate from the shelf and settled it on the water and placed a knife on the plate. She then brought the entire bowl of water together with the plate and knife outside, and Rya followed her with the fruits.
She placed the bowl of water on the ground as she sat on the bench. Rya brought the basket with the fruits and handed it to Aeloria, who took it gently from her hand.
"Not everyone is familiar with them since they are very rare," Aeloria said as she took fruit by fruit from the basket and washed it in the bowl of water, the clear liquid rippling with each motion.
"Out of the eight, there are two that stand out among the rest—the Xevnora viper and the Ishnore viper. The former is known for its unrivalled patience, and the latter is known for being an anomaly—a creature that appears innocuous yet it remains the apex of its kind."
Aeloria took the last bits of fruits and washed them in the bowl as she explained to Rya.
"What do you mean by being deadly but venomless?" Rya asked as she took the empty basket from Aeloria and placed it at her side.
"It is rumoured that there's no antidote for its venom, but its venom is the antidote for all poison. If you have even the tiniest of good will, its venom will not work on you. Otherwise, you'd die without realising what happened."
Aeloria took the knife and began to peel the fruits, the blade moving with practiced ease, skin curling away in perfect spirals.
"Its venom is an antidote?" Rya asked in surprise. It was absurd to think a venom could cure another venom.
"Yes," Aeloria answered as she tasted a berry, eyes half-closing in quiet pleasure. "The venom of the eight deadliest vipers has no cure, however, the Ishnore viper's venom can cure all poisons, no matter the type. But it's not that simple. The Ishnore viper is the largest, most terrifying viper of all. It's rare to meet one and near impossible to capture it. Once you extract its poison and mix it with machnilla herbs, all poisons, no matter the type, will be cured."
Aeloria had now finished preparing a small variety of fruits and handed it to Rya.
"I see," Rya said as she took the fruits.
She watched them with curiosity. She had never seen most of the fruits on the plate—strange shapes, vibrant colours, some fuzzy, some smooth, all glistening with fresh water.
"It's quite delicious," Aeloria reassured with a gentle smile. "You should try it."
"If you say so," Rya said as she took a green fruit sliced in the form of a crescent moon and bit half of it.
She chewed once, then twice.
"Wow, it's so sweet," she complimented in delight while Aeloria only smiled.
"Told you it was good."
"Say, what pathway was the man who saved you on?" Rya asked as she put the other half of the fruit in her mouth, reaching for another one with eager fingers.
All this while as Aeloria told Rya about her past, she had left out every part related to the cannibal—every bite, every drop of blood, every scream swallowed in the untold.
Back then, as the man revealed the markings on his back, he was extremely terrified. He had no idea why he had done it, why he had bared his greatest secret to a woman who could end him in a heartbeat.
The man turned and faced Aeloria, who was now seated on the bed with the blanket pulled up to her chest, covering her completely.
"My name is Hanon," he said as he put his shirt back on, his voice was steady despite the fear still flickering in his eyes. "A thornsleeper who follows Ishnore—the pathway of the venomless viper."
"It doesn't matter which pathway you follow," Aeloria said with a suspicious look in her eyes. "Once word gets out, you know you'll be killed, don't you?"
"I do," Hanon answered, meeting her gaze for only a moment before looking away.
"So then, why tell me?" Aeloria asked, now confused, she tilted her head as she studied him.
"I don't know," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "But one thing I know is that you don't need a mob to kill me, Aeloria."
"And you're not afraid I might kill you?" Aeloria was trying to make heads and tails of what game the man before her was playing. This was no minor secret, and he had just casually revealed it to her like it was the perfect thing to do.
"You wouldn't believe just how terrified I am of you," Hanon answered with a firm expression, though his hands trembled slightly at his sides. "But please don't let it bother you. I always tend to keep a very good distance between myself and anyone able to kill me with ease. I don't know why I told you my secret, but strangely enough, I don't regret it."
The man said as he took deliberate steps forward, leaving room for escape, just in case.
"I already told you I won't hurt you," Aeloria said, irritation creeping into her voice. "You're starting to annoy me."
With those words—that he had annoyed someone who could kill him with ease—he rushed to the door with such speed it was difficult to follow, feet stumbling over each other in panic.
Aeloria burst into laughter, the sound bright and unexpected in the small room. "Now that I think about it, even if someone wanted to report you being a thornsleeper, they would be laughed at. I mean, just how can a coward like you be a thornsleeper?"
"Does that mean I'm safe?" Hanon asked, half of his body already outside the door, one hand gripping the frame like a lifeline.
"Yes, Hanon," Aeloria said, still smiling. "I promise I won't harm you."
With those words, he walked back toward her, but with calculated steps, eyes never leaving her face, ready to bolt at the slightest movement.
..
Once he got close, he noticed that Aeloria was sleeping in the sitting position she was in.
Strange, she was all conversational a while ago. With how she's sleeping, she'll only strain her neck.
"I should help her lie well," he said quietly as he positioned the pillow.
Just as he held her arm to help her lie down, Aeloria—who had been feigning sleep just to scare the poor man—opened her eyes wide.
Then their eyes met. Split pupil stared into round pupils.
"Booo!" Aeloria screamed.
Hanon collapsed on the floor with his eyes rolled backwards, body going limp from sheer terror.
Aeloria's laughter wasn't the sound of a monster, but of a woman who had finally found something to find joy in—even if it was at the expense of a man's heart rate.