The Divine Hunter

“Did you hear? A horse crashed into Moore’s kid.”

“Poor child.
He’s only thirteen, isn’t he? I think he’s bedridden for life.”

“That’s old news.
Roy’s woken up, but something’s wrong with his head.
He keeps spacing out in the yard.”

The farmers on the field whispered about the tragedy that befell a boy named Roy.
A burly man behind them quietly put his hoe down and clenched his fists.
He was infuriated, frustrated, but also helpless.

The man was Moore, the one the farmers were talking about, and also Roy’s father.
He was just a lowly peasant like everyone else, and he had toiled on the fields for half his life.
He wasn’t handsome, capable, or rich.
Nobody had wanted to marry him, until his wife had come along and done so despite his flaws.
He was twenty-three then.

The couple had a child when they were twenty-five.
In their time and age, most people were already parents when they were sixteen.
Having a child at twenty-five meant they were behind their peers.
They cared about Roy tremendously, and worried he might get hurt.
Because of that, he seldom worked in the fields.

Roy was a quiet one.
He listened to his parents, kept to himself, and always had a sheepish smile on his face.
He was a stark contrast to the wild children who stampeded the village every chance they could.

“Roy’s a good child.
Such a pity…”

The thought of Roy’s condition tore into Moore’s wound further.
They’d thought they would live a happy and peaceful life with their son forever, but alas, it was cut short.
Four days ago, a woman blazed through the village on horseback, and Roy was in her way.
The horse only grazed him, but that single graze took him out.

The village’s unskilled herbalist failed to find out what was wrong with Roy, and he thought the boy was done for.
The next day though, as if by miracle, Roy woke up.
However, he was a changed boy.
His eyes were dead, and he was quiet, not answering when spoken to.
All he did was stare into the sky like a person who had lost their mind.

Moore sighed.
It was getting late, and he picked up his hoe before going back home.
He was still worried about his son.

The villagers’ houses were primitive and ugly, made out of thatch and wood.
A single gale could have blown the rickety buildings away.
Kaer was a small village, housing about a hundred families.

Moore’s house was situated on the western side of the village.
It was high noon when Moore came back, and the sun glared at them without any mercy.
Despite that, a young child stared back into the sun, eyes unblinking, as if he were a soulless puppet.
Beside him stood a plain, rough-skinned village lady who was feeding the chickens.

“Why is he staring into the sun? What if he hurts his eyes? Susie! I thought I told you to keep an eye on him.
Don’t you know this is bad for him?”

Moore rushed into his yard and waded through the overgrown weed to pick up his son.
He placed Roy before the front door and patted his buzz cut-trimmed hair. 

A hint of tenderness blossomed on Moore’s dry, yellowed face.
“Never do that again, Roy.
Okay?”

Roy wouldn’t respond to anyone or anything after waking up a while ago, but when Moore called him again, something flickered within him, and his eyes started clearing up.
“Huh? Dad? Luo Yi… No, Roy,” he mumbled.
“Right.
My name is now Roy.”

“D-Did you just talk, Roy?” Surprised, Moore huddled closer to Roy, intending to confirm he was talking.
Finally, he got his answer.
His son, who had been quiet for the past three days, had started to speak again.
At least he didn’t turn mute.

“Come here, Susie! Leave the animals alone! Roy just talked!” Moore shouted, and Susie came a moment later, obviously in a hurry.

The couple hugged Roy, and when he called out their names, tears streamed down their faces.
Roy looked at his parents, Moore and Susie, closely.
They weren’t exactly good looking, but they weren’t ugly either.
Their clothes were made out of hemp, and they looked worn out.
Their skin was rough, and they looked gaunt from overworking.
They had the f