Chapter 205: DIY Project

Yang walked back to the house with Raya in silence. 

Ever since the day he had been declared the chosen, the other children had taken to treating him with reverence, mirroring the behavior of the adults of the tribe.

It was only Unaib who still treated him like the kid he was supposed to be, and Yang appreciated it deeply, though he sometimes looked at Yang, or rather Nahar, in a way that made it seem as if he was mourning him already or maybe mourning the loss of his childhood.

Any child being forced to bear the burden of being “divine” or the future leader of a tribe was too much. Children this age should be playing around and getting into trouble rather than navigating the heavy expectations of leadership.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, Yang was not a child. And he was well aware that he was a phony chosen one. There was nothing divine about him beyond possessing the dead body of a child.

Raya left him at the door, bowing slightly to him as she left. Yang looked back at her, letting out a sigh. His presence had really placed everyone in the tribe in a rather awkward situation, leaving him increasingly uncomfortable about this whole farce.

He shook off the unease and stepped inside, finding Unaib sitting at a small wooden table, arranging sequins in a pattern on a piece of fabric, working on some kind of design.

“Nahar, you’re back. How was training?” Unaib said, looking up with a warm smile. “Learn anything new?”

Yang smiled as he came closer and took the seat next to him. “Still trying to make a self-sustaining water form. I haven’t managed it yet.”

“Don’t be disheartened.” Unaib comforted him, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “It's only been six months. It takes people years to learn to accomplish what you are already doing.”

Yang smiled and looked down at the table where tiny iridescent petal-like sequins lay scattered as Unaib looked through them before selecting the best for his design.

“What are these?” Yang couldn't help but reach out, taking hold of one of the sequins only to find it to be stiffer and heavier than it looked, gleaming with the smooth pearlescent luster of a seashell.

“These are the scales of Sivlar Flet," Yang suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the Sivlar part.

“What is a Flet?"

“Sivlar Flet. It's a fish. It's called Sivlar Flet. They are abundant in the river. I am surprised you haven’t seen one already with how much time you spend in it." 

“This is a fish scale?” Yang asked incredulously. “It looks like something to be mounted and set in jewelry.”

“Well, it ought to. It is worth more than most gems.”

“Is it? What are you doing with it anyway?” Yang looked curiously at Unaib. “I’ve never known you to care for pretty or precious ornaments.”

“It's for you, you idiot," Unaib replied dryly.

“Me?” Yang blinked. “Why? I don't wear jewelry. As you just said, I spend most of my time in the Sivlar. What would I do with jewelry?"

“I never said it was jewelry, just that it was more precious than most jewels,” Unaib added, and Yang realised he was enjoying messing with him.

Yang knew how to deal with him. He deliberately made his voice whiny and petulant. “Unaaaib…. tell meee!” 

He was well aware that it bothered Unaib when he played the whiny brat, and he was the only one Yang did so in front of. After all, he had to maintain his chosen aura in front of the others. Even Saral only looked at him with a lens of worship now.

“Don’t whine, Chosen One,” Unaib chided before relenting once he saw Yang was willing to continue his whining.

“These scales are to be worn by you and me. It's tradition for every major feast.”

Yang looked down at the scale in his hand as he rubbed it between his thumb and index finger. It was half the size of his, or rather Nahar’s, nail.

“How will we be wearing them?”

“We will use this glue.” Unaib gestured to a small pot placed on the other side of the table.

“We are going to glue them to ourselves?” Yang asked as he reached for the pot, removing the stopper to take a quick sniff, only to flinch at the pungent assault on his olfactory senses. He quickly pushed the stopper back in and set it far away.

“I will be gluing them to myself and you,” Unaib said with a smirk before raising a mocking eyebrow. “Unless, of course, the Sivlar has already revealed the pattern to you.”

“The Sivlar had not done so,” Yang said with a haughty sniff and his most exaggerated, pompous expression.

Unaib let out a small chuckle. He was one of the few who hadn’t let all the divine drivel change how he treated Yang. Sometimes Yang feared Unaib knew he was faking it all, but Unaib never said anything, and Yang never dared ask.

The time he had spent here in this house with Unaib reminded him of the years he had spent with Grandpa. The time when he was still mentally somewhat a child despite having the memory of adult James.

Unaib was decades younger than his grandpa, who was very old even at that time. Certainly too old to have some unknown child foisted upon him. But sometimes, Yang liked to pretend he was still the young child being looked after by his grandpa. It was not fair to Unaib, but Yang was only human. He couldn't control his feelings. 

He was brought out of his musings as Unaib called him out, “Take off your tunic.”

“My tunic?” Yang asked, startled.

“Where do you think I am going to stick these?” Unaib asked, gesturing towards the pile of shimmering fish scales.

“I am going to be naked?” 

“Only the top half, boy,” Unaib said as he helped Yang take off his tunic. Gently pulling it over Yang’s head.

He grabbed Yang under the armpits and set him on the table facing away from him.

Yang felt him reach for the stinky glue and, from the corner of his eye, saw him dip a thin brush into the mixture and apply it near the sides of Yang's ribs.

Yang's nose twitched at the smell, but he stayed still, breathing through his mouth as Unaib brought the scales one by one, sticking them to his body.

He held still and lost himself in his thoughts as Unaib patiently painted his skin with the glue and stuck the scales. 

It must have been more than two hours before he heard the clatter of the pot of glue being placed back on the table.

“Done.”

Yang jumped off the table and raised his right arm, twisting around to look at as much of it as he could. The shiny silver scales seemed to look like waves. Yang would say it looked like waves made in the style of Starry Night. Unaib had really worked hard at it. As far as he could see, each scale was carefully chosen individually to show the waves in dimension and depth instead of letting it remain flat.

Yang stretched back, trying to get a better look as the glue pulled tightly against his skin. Only for Unaib’s hand to come down on his shoulder and stop his wriggling. “Stop ruining all my hard work. Everyone will be looking at it tonight. “

Yang just nodded obediently as he sat down in the chair and watched as Unaib shed off his own tunic and applied a swirling design near his neck and collarbone, trailing off to his shoulders until it reached his elbow.

Once done, Unaib quickly went into the room and brought back two folded pieces of fabric.

“Take off your trousers. Nahar,” he said as he unfolded the large piece of plain, unstitched fabric.

“The trousers as well. You just said bare-chested?” Yang cried out.

“Don't be ridiculous. We will be wearing this wrap.” Unaib said waving the white cloth in Yang's face before he let out a tired sigh at Yang’s reluctance. 

“Fine. Let me put mine first.”

Unaib stepped out of his wide-legged trousers, leaving only the shorts he had under his trousers. He tied a knot at his waist and tucked the fabric edge into the waistband of his shorts before wrapping it a few times around his hips and draping one part over his shoulder from the front and winding the fabric over his left arm, so it trailed over his elbow. 

He then came close to Yang, who quietly took off his own trousers and stood with his arms held up as Unaib expertly wrapped the fabric around him, only in a different style. The fabric only draped on one side of Yang, while the side with Unaib’s little DIY project was fully on display.

Once done, Yang gave himself a once-over and turned to Unaib, who was already heading for the door.

“Let's go.” He followed Unaib outside the house.

Join my Patreon to read 10 advance chapters.