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In the vast meadows of a region blessed with fertile lands and abundant waters, there lived a creature little appreciated by men. Those fields, granted by the King to a group of settlers for their protection and harvest, had long been the home of a beholder. Hukur was the only one of his kind in the area; a being of the sort that prefers solitude, allowing imagination to guide his destiny. However, the presence of those invaders was becoming a problem that Hukur, sooner or later, had to solve.

Hukur, a spherical creature with a great central eye, floated silently through the darkness. Lacking limbs, he felt vulnerable; staying suspended in the air consumed nearly all of his concentration. However, he compensated for his fragility with absolute vision: thanks to a dozen eyes located at the ends of the stalks sprouting from his upper section, Hukur was able to watch every angle of the world around him.

His physical fragility convinced him that the entire world was against him. Even others of his own kind were potential enemies in his struggle for survival. The power of his mind was the only tool at his disposal, and thanks to it, Hukur knew everything that happened around him.

To him, the most dangerous creatures within his domain were the humans. Beings who, like him, were physically fragile but possessed sharp minds. However, human intellect was no match for the telekinesis Hukur had perfected, though moving from one place to another remained a risk he preferred not to take.

Hukur made his way toward the village. Too much time had passed since he last spied on his enemies’ plans. The humans were the only ones who had detected his presence, and that made them an imminent problem.

Upon arriving, he located the first men he could find: guards armed with heavy metal armor. Keeping a prudent distance, Hukur deployed his mental control. For a few hours, those men would be his slaves, executing his orders without question.

«Pretend everything is normal,» he commanded them with his mental voice. «Act as if you have never seen me.»

For the guards, the memory of that encounter would be blurry and horrific—a nightmare difficult to define. Under the beholder’s influence, their reality was altered until they believed that, indeed, there was nothing in front of them.

As he crossed the gate of the wall, Hukur felt a pang of fear. He had to be cautious. His objective was close, but it involved floating dangerously near the dwellings. His twelve eyes moved from side to side like hair underwater, granting him a panoramic view of every corner. He stopped when he reached the large wooden house where the local leaders gathered to conspire.

Hidden against the exterior wall, Hukur listened. The dialogue was tedious, but vital for his safety.

«Look at what is happening to our town,» said Paramu, pointing to a green substance oozing from the cabin wall. «This is the work of that monster.»

«The crops are also being lost,» Tirma added with concern.

«At this rate, we will have to abandon these lands,» Paramu declared.

«We should request a squad of the King’s knights,» Quesad proposed. «I am tired of complaints. We have amassed a fortune with these fertile soils, and we must protect our territory at all costs.»

«I agree,» Tirma seconded.

«The cost of a royal squad is astronomical!» Paramu protested. «We will lose nearly all our profits.»

«And what use are your coins if we no longer have a people to rule?» Tirma replied.

Hukur could not allow it. If the King’s knights arrived, his existence would cease to be a secret, and his end would be near. He floated toward the main entrance and, upon reaching it, released the power of the giant eye that dominated his center. The guards at the door fled in terror, possessed by an irrational fear.

Hukur entered the cabin. The glow of his central eye caught those present, bending their wills in an instant. The leaders continued their discussion, but now, the words of one of them were no longer his own.

«What will happen when we have a real problem?» asked Paramu, now a puppet of Hukur. «Where will we get resources if we spend them on the royal army? That creature… deep down, it does us no harm.»

Tirma looked at him bewildered; after all, it had been Paramu who started the accusations.

«And what will we do about the green substance on your hands?»

«The most prudent thing will be to organize cleaning brigades,» Paramu responded in a monotonous voice. «We have much to prepare for winter. Tomorrow I will head out with a wagon for provisions.»

«Very well,» Tirma conceded, though not quite convinced. «But sooner or later, we will have to deal with that creature.»

Hukur felt a deep contempt for the woman who insisted on destroying him. As he floated away, he knew it with certainty: for his secret to remain safe, he would have to control, one by one, every soul living in his territory.