"This..." Citar began. "Was amazing!" The boy finally grinned, which made the team members all burst out laughing. "What now? You thought so too! Don't even try to deny it!" He pointed at the team with one hand on his hip.
"Don't worry, Citar. None of us are denying it." Wandi patted the Bolacsuk boy on the shoulder.
"Okay, let's move on." Rahul waved and started to walk away, but after two steps he stopped and looked back at the Athamans. "Oh, while we're at it. We might run into a few more nyiumgyis, so don't hold back." Rahul managed to make the team members' eyes sparkle with excitement.
They all wanted to test themselves against the nyiumgyis, even if the creatures didn't seem like the strongest opponents, but novelty always fills a person with excitement and this was no different with the hegins. However, to their greatest regret, they didn't run into more nyiumgyis on the way to the village.
"Rahul! Rahul came home and brought his friends from the east!" The group had barely reached the village when similar shouts reached them from all sides.
"Look there, guys, we've become famous." Benkó laughed.
"I think it's just Rahul." Suk rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Rahul! How good it is to see you and your friends again. Tell me what brought you here?" The village chief appeared before the group. However, with his words, he managed to make all the Athamanas, including Rahul, blink at him in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?" The village chief joined in the blinking.
"No, Uncle Baebel, it's just..." Rahul started, but stopped when he couldn't decide how to explain the situation. In the end, he just shook his head and chose the simplest method. "I received a letter, which said that I should come home as soon as possible, because there's a nyiumgyi invasion." Rahul said, which made the man blink even more rapidly in front of him.
"We didn't send you a letter. Don't get me wrong, we thought about it, because it really looks like one is approaching, but we didn't want to bother you." The man explained.
"Yes, I saw that. We ran into one in the forest on this side too." Rahul added.
"But if you didn't write to Rahul, then who did?" Citar thought aloud.
"I have no idea, it could have been one of the children." The man shook his head, then snapped his fingers. "But you won't believe what happened, Rahul. There are admissions this year in Floating Air and anyone can apply. Every traveler has been raving about it for weeks. A few of us decided to go into the city to watch the exam." He told me enthusiastically.
"Floating Air?" Razvan blinked.
"Floating Air Barracks. The biggest school you can find here. Only the best of the best can go there." Rahul shrugged.
"The prophecy!" Benkó blurted out, and everyone looked at him in surprise. "In Chájna, the seer said in a prophecy that said: ' From the west over the west, In barrack high up in the air Even there at the highest point, The inferno of glory will blaze, And the demon comes to life, the fire burns everything, If the sun does not see the new year with the great seven there.'" He repeated the seer's words. "I just have a feeling we should go to this Foalting Air Barracks.
"Whoever told you this really seems to have wanted to send you there." The village chief nodded.
"Then we will go there. We need to find out what is going on here." Razvan declared.
"But first, join us for lunch." Uncle Baebel raised his hand.
"Naturally." Rahul immediately snapped, not even bothering to ask Razvan for permission. Not that the head of the team had to be persuaded to the idea. A little rest and a hearty meal would only do the team good. So soon the Athamanas were sitting at the table with the villagers in the largest building of the village.
"Father, may I speak to you privately?" Rahul addressed the village priest when he had finished eating.
"Of course, my child. Come." The priest led the boy into a small room. "What did you want to talk about, Rahul?" He asked with a kind smile on his lips.
"Father, you said that God saved me, right?" Rahul asked in a serious voice, and the priest began to nod enthusiastically.
"Yes, yes. It was the first nyiumgyi invasion in many years. Your father found you in the forest, if I remember correctly. That night God appeared to me in my dream and said that he saved you from death and accepted you into his grace. By his command you could receive all the light of our faith without initiation." The priest explained, and Rahul, still suspicious, tried to reconcile his memories with the father's story.
"Father, could it be that God kills children?" The question was quiet, but sincere, which made the father pat Rahul on the head.
"God has a good reason for everything, my child. It is not our place to question his decision." He stated, then hugged the boy. "I will pray that God will calm your worried heart, my child. But now it is better to return to the others. Your friends are surely waiting for you." The father put his hand on the boy's shoulder and led him out of the small room.
As the Father had predicted, the Athamanas were really standing and waiting for Rahul. The group had already said goodbye to the village chief and thanked him for the dinner. So they were just waiting for Rahul to leave the house. After Rahul had said goodbye to everyone, he joined the Athamanas standing outside the door, when Razvan nodded and spoke.
"We have no time to waste. It would be best if we set off for the Floating Air Barracks right now. The sooner we are on our way, the better." The members of the group began to nod in agreement, but Rahul folded his arms in front of him and looked at each member of the group.
"You certainly won't go to the city like this." He stated, making the Athamanas look at him in surprise.
"Why?" Razvan tilted his head to the side, and Rahul sighed and pointed at the group.
"If you set foot in the city in clothes like this, everyone will immediately know that you are Eastern bastards." The chüvigh boy spread his arms and grimaced.
"Hey!" Citar got worked up, and Rahul smiled.
"Calm down Citar, it's not an insult, it's just like when you say 'Zovárd' to someone." The boy said in the typical tone with which several members of the Athamanas regularly used this statement.
"I don't want to belittle you, Rahul, but what should we wear? All we have are these clothes." Razvan noted and looked at the boy curiously, and the boy smiled faintly.
"Oh, just leave that to me." He chuckled. "Come on, don't waste more time, the faster we finish, the faster we can go to the city." Rahul turned left and set off with sure steps down the street, with the confused group of Athamanas at his heels.