Tale Of The Half-Blood Wizard

"Your other skill?!" he exclaimed in awed. 

I was confused instead. "My capability?" what did he mean? I did not understand at all. 

"That woman is a transformation of the creature we are looking for," Azalea explained, "Don't you know that?" her face was mixed up with confusion. 

I did not think about that. I just saw it strange to see a woman with a nice gown standing by the lake and she did not do anything toward a little girl who was trying to row to her place. It could be that the boat leaned to the side and sort of thing. It was not something logical for a human being. Unfortunately I did not say out loud my own perception to Azalea. I chose to say nothing and I would say I was just guessing.

Azalea said that we needed to catch that creature alive. She wanted to cut off the horn, and then set her free again. She said that the horn was a very expensive herbal medication due to its rarity and its level of difficulty to get it. Now I understood a little because that animal could camouflage like a woman to trick the hunters. 

After being cut off, the horn would grow back and it would be hunted again on different time. That was the reason Azalea did not want to kill them. She said that at the moment was their time to look for food before a long hibernation period, when most of them were  wandering throughout the forest looking for food.

"Tha, now you know what that animal look like, right?" Azalea asked me. 

"Yeah I do," I answered. "It is like a deer. I think by looking at a glance, it will be easy for me recognize them again although they can run very fast. Their body also had white lights like fireflies. So that it is easy to see them even in the darkness," I said convincingly. 

She smiled in satisfaction. Although I did not really know why she smiled, I smiled as well. "You know Tha, among four of us, only you can see that creature well." 

I looked at her in bewilderment. "What do you mean?" 

"That animal is not a deer that ordinary people can see. Only someone with a certain ability can see it. I believe you have also seen Falak as long as you lived in the cage? For me and Naar, that creature is not more than big balls of smoke that move or a kind of liquid forming like a snake. But we don't see the real figure of those creatures," Azalea told me. 

'I swear, this is crazy! And I never realized about it. Now I am thinking if it was only me who saw Kerberos in the shape of a three-head dog? Why I did not know about it so far? Why am I so obtuse? Why am I just realizing something really crazy in me? Is it a curse or a blessing?' my mind was confused. 

…

We decided to spread again to look for that creature. Yoru was leaving with Azalea, while I was going with Naar. 

Azalea told me if Naar was good at fighting and I just needed to instruct him to catch that creature and to cut its horn. 

Ahh, I felt like I was the boss if that was how we would work. Yes. It was my skill to hide and to run away. 'Hahahaha this is fun,' I thought. 

"Can I ask you something?" as we walked along the bank of the river not far from the lake. 

Naar glanced at me, then looked back at the path in front of us, "Sure, go ahead," 

"What kind of person is Azalea? I mean I feel there is something strange in her," I saw him frowned a little and turned his eyes to me, "She has a super power, and you may think she can stand on her own feet without the help of the weak," I stopped, and got confused to find the right words to represent my thought, "But why does she really want me to join with her and keep asking me to do something illogical for a normal human being. I am nothing," I underestimated myself. "You saw me tripped and fell down when I ran after that animal, didn't you? It was really ridiculous" I laughed at myself, feeling silly with my capability. 

Naar just smiled listening to my words. "And Azalea, em, she is a person who will not say white to a black, very honest, strict, rude too and merciless. But after a while you know her, you will find her quite good," 

This time I saw him pushed a smile. I could feel he was hiding something bad from me, "And this is my advice. It is up to you whether you take it or not," He looked at me in a serious mode as he took a round-pocket watch out of his pocket. The watch was about 5 centimeter in diameter. "When you feel you have nothing, open this watch and look at it," The watch had a silver lid and it was transparent inside. There were twelve little lines in neon color arranged in a circle.  There were three shiny black needles and you can see all the serrated wheels move slowly to drive the needles. "everyone in that group is one of these serrated wheels, no matter if they are small and thick with close serration, or they are flat with sparse serration. Every wheel is different but they rotate together so that the needles can move and the watch functions. You are unique. Everyone is. None is similar and all of them have function," I was amazed, and what he told me made me feel calm. 

"Imagine if one of the serrated wheels is gone, the watch will die of course. Remember, because you are unique, no one can really replace you," And he gave me that watch, "No more telling me you are useless. When you are about to give up, look at this watch. You are unique and everyone needs you to move," I was quiet. I only looked at his back when he walked ahead of me. 

From the watch Naar gave to me, I could see the time. I knew when it was noon or night although there was no moon nor sun. 

… 

It was pretty long time we walked along the bank of the river, more than three hours. Naar asked me to go back and meet Azalea, but I did not want to give up yet. It was I who asked to search the area near water because after knowing their habits, hey would not live far from the waters. 

Just as we argued about either to give up or to continue searching, I saw five women sitting by the river. One of them was playing a music instrument and the others were around her

"Wait a second," I said quietly, "I will try to walk closer by hiding behind the rocks, watching them from a distance," I signaled him to stay quiet and walked toward me in no noise, "By that tree, there are five people. They are disguising again," I was so certain. 

Naar nodded. He was ready with his small sword that was likely to be used to cut the horn of that creature, "I just see shadows there, moving," he whispered in a low voice so as not to scare them away. 

"Don't catch them all, focus only to one of them," I warned him. Naar nodded in understanding, "You go to that one that is on the tree, she looks the smallest. Catch it, cut it, then go. I will be the one who scare the others away," I thought it would be pretty simple, "They are in a group. I don't know what will happen if others attack. So when I scare the others away, do what I say, okay?!" 

Naar nodded again. After assuring he was ready with his sword, I instructed him to move stealthily toward the tree I showed him. 

From a distance I could see he was ready with his task. He sent me signal to start my action. And I picked up dry twigs to cover my body and rushed toward them blindly.

Things happened so quickly when I heard a painful scream. Four creatures ran away when I scared them off. 

They transformed into their real figures as they ran, but of them, I did not why ran toward me. That made me automatically alert and tried to face it by pushing my fear away. 

When it came closer to me and ready to run over me, I fought it body to body. But certainly my power was nowhere stronger than that of that creature, I bounced to the river instead. 

I saw three others stopped running as they heard me splash in the river. They looked at the biggest size one. It seemed that it gave them instruction to fight back Naar who was holding the cut of horn from the smallest on his hand. 

"Naar! Look out!" I warned him when I saw the biggest among them was heading toward him.