After a while of recuperation, he took a look at his wounds. He somehow managed to only be grazed on the left side of his chest. There was another member of the mining team that taught him how to do basic treatment of wounds.

 

He ripped cloth from one of the dead corpses that is relatively clean, he washed the wound with water he found and wrapped it with the cloth.

 

He got up and started to walk to the exit, he did not have much thought of getting any loot or anything else from the corpses. He just wanted to leave this wretched place. He didn't know if more trouble would come to him if he stayed here any longer, but it definitely felt like this place attracts trouble.

 

He forgot about checking on Micah, he ignored the bodies of his fellow miners on the ground and walked past them. Everything in this moment was ignored by him, he was in a state of half-consciousness and half asleep. All he had in mind at this moment was to get out, to finally breathe fresh air, to see the sky.

 

After a while, he was able to see the light coming from the entrance, he was walking close and closer to it. With each step, he kept on speeding up faster and faster until he started to run.

 

It was there, salvation finally!

 

After he had this thought, he immediately collapsed on the ground, even before he left the cave. His body and mind both have been pushed past what they could take, the moment he felt the nightmare was over, was when he fell into a deep sleep.

 

-----

 

Saiph opened his eyes to see the roof of his shed and feeling his rickety bed under him.

 

He slowly sat up and saw a few people in his room.

 

“Saiph, I’m glad you're awake my boy.”

 

It was Khaila, the wise woman of the village. The villagers looked for her when they needed guidance, she also acted as the village head when the stewards were not around.

 

She also is the village’s doctor, though she would be the first to tell you that she couldn't provide good medical treatment, at least compared to the Azfar family.

 

Saiph heard before that she worked in the medical department of the Azfar family when she was younger. 

 

There were a few others, Saiph knew they were family members of the mining team. There was even Micah’s father there, Michael.

 

“Saiph! What happened in the mining cave? What happened to Micah, to the stewards, and the team of miners? And what happened to your face?” 

 

Michael asked, he was worried about his son and worried about the safety of the village if the stewards are all gone. What if a beast from the wild attacked? Or bandits.

 

“No one has dared enter the cave after you come out, as long as the stewards don't come out, no one should enter. It would be too dangerous.” Khaila explained.

 

Saiph looked at the villagers and then looked down. He wanted to hide his mouth from sight once he saw the worry and disgust on the villagers' faces.

 

“They are all dead. They fought with a monster which looked like a floating head and in the end, everyone was dead.”

 

“No! That can't be! You're lying! The village should have gotten rid of you, you accursed outcast.” 

 

A teenager, Raihen, ran up and grabbed Saiph, hoping he could shake out a more desirable truth out of him. His father was one of the miners.

 

“Enough!”Michael intervened and pushed them apart. He then looked at Saiph.

 

“Saiph is what you said true? Is Micah also dead?”

 

Saiph looked away because of guilt, he remembered what happened back in the cave, perhaps he really could have saved Micah. But he tried to cling on to the thought that if he told Micah to hide with him, then both of them would be dead right now. The thought was a way to cope with his survivor's guilt.

 

“I don't know if Micah is still alive, we separated, but I saw the stewards be killed.”

 

Saiph was afraid to make the same mistake of adding too much information again so he gave as little info as possible.

 

“Then how could you possibly come out alive? And how are you still alive with such an injury to your face?” Raihen doubted the story, how could Saiph, who was a villager like them, be able to do something that the strong stewards could not do.

 

“I kept hiding until the stewards came, after the fighting was done all the stewards were dead and so did the monster.”

 

“How did you get that injury then?!”Raihen interrogated. 

 

“... I and the other miners were ambushed by that thing, that’s when I received these injuries.” Saiph tried to come up with a lie.

 

Everyone, except for a few, were already keeping their distance from Saiph, but forced themselves to stay and hear the news. But once they confirmed that this injury was from a monster, they all still took a step back, fearing it may spread to them like a plague. Some even left the shed and tried to listen from outside.

 

“Then what happened to the two stewards that were standing guard on the outside of the cave?” one of the villagers asked.

 

Saiph at this point was out of words, the memory and guilt from back then haunted him, in fact, the murders he did were more burnt in his mind than the experience of running away from the monster.

 

“Did you see them when you were coming out?” Khaila asked Saiph when he was stumped, which helped him come up with a way to answer.

 

“No, when I was leaving there were too many bodies on the ground for me to check who was who. I just wanted to get out of there.”

 

“That's fine my boy, take a rest,” Khaila reassured him and turned to the other villagers.

 

“As Saiph said, it seems the cave is safe currently, you all can go see and bring back the deceased.”

 

But at this moment, “How is it possible to just let him be! It's all his fault, he’s cursed! That's why he’s the only one to stay alive!” a woman in the crowd yelled. 

 

The old superstition was coming out and combining with the current situation. Especially the evident marks on Saiph's face was, to them, as hard evidence.

 

“Enough, you all go check on your family members, there is no time for such things! Perhaps there may still be a chance to save lives.” Khaila tried to direct the crowd.

 

Once the crowd heard this, they all had a small amount of hope that they could bring their family members back home. The crowd dispersed, even Michael was one of the first to start running to the cave once he knew it was safe, in hopes of finding his son.

 

The only one left is Khaila. She looked at Saiph which made him uncomfortable, he felt that she figured out his lies.

 

“You should leave this village,” Khaila said out of nowhere.