RAIWAN AGAINST THE DIVINE

Chapter 13: The Stranger in the Shadows

Manika borrowed some of Abril's clothes for Raiwan, as their body heights were almost the same.

She cleaned and changed him, wiping the blood and dirt from his body that he'd picked up along the way. Manika didn't rest until she was sure she'd done everything she could for Raiwan.

The sun was high in the sky, signaling it was already time for supper, but Manika could no longer manage to do anything else. She had truly exhausted herself.

Luckily, the only task left was preparing dinner, as all the other chores were done. She locked the house and went to her room with Malina for a well-deserved nap.

Their house was on the outskirts of the kingdom, one of the few homes in the last row. By the kingdom's standards, it was a modest, two-story building with a small parlor and three bedrooms on the second floor. On the ground floor were a guest room, kitchen, larger parlor, and dining room.

Malina followed her mother upstairs, and as soon as they lay down, they fell into a deep sleep.

The two snored.

Later in their sleep, a sweet fragrance, rich and mouth-watering, wafted from the kitchen, filling the entire house.

Manika swallowed involuntarily in her sleep, inhaling deeply and sniffing the air.

Eventually, she opened her eyes, albeit reluctantly. She sniffed the air again and then yawned, a confused look on her face.

"So this was why I dreamed of them…" she mumbled under her breath. "I didn't want to wake up; those ghost eggs were so delicious! But I must have slept a long time if he's already back." She continued mumbling.

Putting on her flip-flops, she walked to the window and drew the curtains, her eyes widening. "Malaysarh! It's already night!"

She placed a blanket over Malina and rushed out of the room.

"Welcome back from the land of the dead," her husband greeted from the kitchen.

"I didn't want to leave, you know."

"Why?" he asked.

"Well… it was full of ghost eggs. Delicious ones, believe me!" she said as she arrived at the kitchen's doorstep.

"You actually tasted them?" he asked.

"Fortunately!"

He sighed with relief, chuckling. "I guess you won't mind me and Malina having your share, then."

"What? No! I'll definitely mind, and I'll kick you out of my kitchen if you dare say something like that again!" she said, hopping, glaring at him.

The way she was acting was so amusing that he found it hard to hold in his laughter. He clutched his stomach, laughing heartily.

"Get out!" she said, pulling and pushing him out of the kitchen. To make her point, she shut the door behind him.

He stood there, momentarily stunned. Was the final push necessary? Smiling, he went to the dining table, chuckling every now and then.

In the kitchen, Manika peeked through a tiny hole in the door, watching him. When he was gone, she smiled and went to the pot on the cooker.

The cooker was a metallic box with a red crystal at its center, which radiated heat, turning the entire box red-hot.

Inside the pot were the carefully cooked ghost eggs, their aroma striking all her olfactory senses.

Her stomach rumbled, and she swallowed hard.

Clicking a switch behind the cooker, the crystal stopped glowing, and she removed the pot.

She reached in to grab an egg, but withdrew her hand quickly with an "Ouch!"

She blew on her fingertips, fetched some tongs, a plate, and a glass that she filled with water.

Setting the glass on a small kitchen table, she put an egg on her plate and sat down.

'Malina must be hungry too, but she'll get a headache if I wake her,' she thought, smiling to herself.

She prepared to eat, bringing the plate closer and picking up her spoon.

With a delicate scoop, she sliced off a small piece, raising it to her mouth when suddenly—

"Maniiii!... Who's this boy?"

'A boy?' She was completely taken aback.

---

Raiwan slowly opened his eyes, looking around the unfamiliar room in confusion. Propping himself up, he sat.

The enticing smell of ghost eggs drifted to his nostrils. He looked down at his stomach, which growled in hunger.

But as he sat, memories rushed back to him—the destruction of Idaam, vanishing from that place, spacing out in terror.

His heart pounded.

Rage filled his veins, pulsing through every cell in his body.

He gritted his teeth.

'I'm sure all this is the doing of that bastard, the king of Naif-al'azal, and I swear… if anything happens to my parents, not even the gods will be able to protect him from me.'

'I'll still kill him for killing Uncle Idaam.'

'he better not do something that will make me kill him twice'

His stomach growled again, worsened by the aroma of ghost eggs.

His feet moved on their own, his hands following suit, guiding him to the door. He opened it.

Raiwan locked eyes with a man sitting at the dining table opposite the room he'd emerged from.

'Huh! Where am I?'

'Huh! Who is this?'

They both shared similar thoughts.

"Maniiii!... Who's this boy?" the man called out to his wife, who surely must have an idea.

She didn't answer immediately. He saw her step out of the kitchen, confusion on her face, but then her eyes widened as though she'd seen a ghost.

They all stared at her.

'Why is she looking at me like that?'

'Why is she looking at him like that?'

'But… didn't she say he wouldn't wake unless healed by a divinant?' Manika's thoughts raced wildly.

'How is he awake and standing? Is he a djinn? Did I bring a djinn into my house?' Her panic started to rise.

Come to think of it, hadn't he fallen from a strange magic ball from the sky? Why had she brought him home without questioning it?

Opening her mouth, she stammered, "Are… are you a djinn?"

Both Raiwan and her husband were baffled by the question. Why would she ask a child if he were a djinn?

"What! No! I'm human, but… how did I get here? Who are you?"

'Wait… he didn't even know he was here?' Her husband felt a headache brewing from all the confusion.

Realizing they'd get nowhere at this rate, he raised his hands to calm them.

"How about you both sit down and explain what happened, one by one?"

They nodded and went to the dining table. Raiwan didn't sit, still finding everything too strange.

"Sit," Manika said, now somewhat at ease, noticing the boy's innocence and reluctance. If he was a djinn, he was a good actor.

"You go first, Mani."

Manika recounted everything from the moment she saw Raiwan fall from the sky to Anithya's final words before leaving.

Her husband gave her a proud thumbs up.

"Don't worry; we'll repay Anithya for what she's done for us," he assured them.

Raiwan felt a surge of gratitude. 'These are good people, truly good. I'll repay them one day.'

He bowed deeply to both Manika and her husband. "Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me so far."