132 Declare War? (1/2)

”Where’s the Shaman?” Werner slammed his fist on the table, frustrated with the endless waiting. ”He said he wants to talk, but he’s not here. What’s he doing? Toying with us?”

Behind the round table was an empty chair. Behind the empty chair was an older man. Hearing Werner’s voice, the man known as Ghosthand just glanced at him, uncaring. ”You can leave if you don’t want to wait,” he said. ”No one’s forcing you to be here, but know that the moment you walk out the door, you’ll be the Shaman’s enemy.”

”He still thinks he’s the Dark King?” Werner scoffed, his expression scornful. ”Don’t think we don’t know that Shaman has already been back for so long, but he still doesn’t have anyone under him! If I were him, I’d really thank you. If you weren’t such a loyal dog, he’d be a one-man band!” Beside him, Alberto and Silo had similar mocking smiles on their faces.

The Shaman’s era was over. Not many in the city could still remember him. The Shaman seemed to know this too, and stayed hidden in his lair over the past few days. Not only had he not gained any power, but he had even lost some of Ghosthand’s territory!

Those in arrival had been a bit worried at first, but now it seemed like a joke. The Shaman was no longer the king from before, and yet he still wanted to pretend as if he were. It was laughable.

Hearing their laughter, Ghosthand’s eyes hardened.

In the silence, a knock suddenly sounded. A figure walked in, his back to the sun. He took off his hat and hung it on the coatrack, revealing his salt-and-pepper hair under the sun. His coat was old and looked as if it had not been washed in a long time. It was threadbare and worn.

He seemed powerful at a glance, but if one looked closely, he seemed a bit pathetic and awkward. ”My apologies for being late.” The man walked over and nodded at the others. ”Sorry for the wait.” Ghosthand pulled out the seat for him to sit in.

Silo snickered. ”Mr. Shaman, you are very brave to come talk to us.”

Old Alberto looked over too. ”Long time no see, Mr. Shaman. What did you call us over to talk about?”

”Not much, actually.” The Shaman shrugged. ”As a senior, I thought it was necessary to check up on the rookies. After all, it’s always good to meet each other before the war.”

”War?” Werner burst into laughter. ”Are you declaring war on us? Just you two?”

”Are we not enough?” The Shaman shrugged and gazed around. ”Everyone, you should consider coming to the right side and joining me. I will go easy on the ones who surrender now.”

Werner stopped laughing. Silo stopped laughing as well. The sleepy Alberto looked up too. His rheumy eyes were serious as he studied the former king, trying to see if he was joking.

But the Shaman was not joking. He was serious, as if he were stating a fact. Even the wrinkles on his old face had a shade of wild graveness.

Alberto could not help but sigh. The former Dark King, the one left behind by time...had he gone crazy? He was still caught in his golden age, and it was logical for him to reprimand the people who were supposed to respect him. He looked awe-inspiring, waiting for them to obey him. It was laughable.

Alberto sighed. ”Shaman, have you gone insane?”

”This isn’t the place to joke, Shaman,” Silo said. He put down his hookah and squinted like a snake. ”Don’t speak nonsense.”

Instead of speaking, Werner chose to spit onto the ground.