The silence in the forest suddenly became gloomy, devoid of any trace of life. Hajime wanted to leave this place immediately, but he still didn't know how. According to the old woman, they had entered a sacrificial field. He took out his wooden black hawk figure and tossed it into the air. The black hawk spread its wings and soared into the sky.
"Did you ask him to scout the area?" Michio asked, looking up.
"The old woman I met told me that we had stepped into a sacrificial field, and there was no way to get out of this forest," Hajime explained, his gaze fixed on the disappearing hawk.
"And you believe her?" Michio questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Not at first," Hajime admitted, "but when I got up to help you and Yul, I saw that the whole forest looked like a human skull. Also, we were supposed to go up the mountain and meet at the top, but somehow I ended up in a sacrificial magic circle in the village at the foot of the mountain."
"It's dangerous to wait in this open space," Michio observed, his concern evident. "I'm afraid the wolves will come back." He then looked at Hajime's hand. "Let me see your wound."
Hajime looked at the palm of his left hand and found that the blood had dried, and the wound that was once deep was slowly healing. "It's okay," he said, flexing his fingers slightly. "Everything will be fine in a day or two."
Michio sighed, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You truly are amazing."
"He is really amazing," Hajime corrected, clearly referring to the original mage whose body he possessed. "That's why he has the ability to do things that I can't." Hajime was very grateful to possess this body, and at this moment, he finally understood what Avalokitesvara had said to him in the crystal cave. In other words, although the body he occupied was just a corpse, he felt strongly that this empty vessel, with no soul of its own, would bring great protection to the people he cared about.
"That's why he is the captain of the other palace guards," Michio added, nodding.
Hajime gave a strange, almost sarcastic sneer; he wasn't sure if Michio was on the same page as him regarding the body. "That's right, that's why he is the captain…"
After U-ri tended Abrafo's wounds, Abrafo put on new clothes and walked over to Hajime and Michio. He sat down next to Yul, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. "What's next?" he asked, looking at Hajime.
"I don't know yet," Hajime replied, his gaze sweeping the eerie forest. "One thing I can be sure of is that we are definitely inside a sacrificial forest."
"I don't doubt that part," Abrafo agreed, a grim edge to his voice. "Looking at the situation we encountered, everything in this forest wants to eat us, as if we are a rare, special dish."
"I did send the hawk out," Hajime said, looking up at the sky. "If he finds something new for us, that would mean we could fly out of here. If not…" He sighed, the weight of the unknown heavy on his shoulders. "Otherwise… we have to find a way to break out of this place."
"Breaking us free, does that mean that these monsters are also free?" Michio asked worriedly, his brows furrowed. "If these monsters can move freely, what will happen to the surrounding villagers? To be honest, I want us to leave here as soon as possible. There would be no point in leaving this place if we would cause harm to others. I'm sure these monsters are here for a reason. This place feels like…"
"How does it feel?" Abrafo prompted, sensing Michio's hesitation.
Michio and Hajime said at the same time, their voices echoing eerily, "Prison."
"I lived a life of luxury, and I never imagined that one day I would fight these monsters," U-ri mumbled, rubbing his temples.
From a distance, Hajime and his companions heard the renewed howling of wolves. The wolves seemed to have changed their minds, deciding to attack them now rather than later. Hajime reached into his side bag and tossed out his two eagle figures.
Abrafo grabbed his bag, his eyes narrowing. "It seems that the wolves have changed their minds."
Michio quickly helped U-ri onto the back of one eagle, then Abrafo. He swiftly grabbed their scattered belongings and threw them onto the eagle for Abrafo and U-ri. Then he helped Hajime lift Yul onto the back of the other eagle. He gathered Hajime and Yul's remaining belongings and tossed them to Hajime.
"Michio, hurry up!" Abrafo urged, turning his head to gauge the wolves' proximity. He could already see more than three wolves rapidly approaching. "They're getting closer!"
"Go now!" Hajime shouted. The eagle carrying Abrafo and U-ri immediately began to take off, and Hajime reached out, pulling Michio onto the eagle that he and Yul were on.
The eagle carrying Abrafo and U-ri soared into the sky quickly. Abrafo and U-ri looked down to see hundreds of wolves streaming into the open road below them.
"Hajime! Get the hell out now!" Abrafo screamed, his voice carrying on the wind.
Hearing Abrafo's desperate shout, Michio quickly took out a blank paper talisman and flung it in the direction of the charging wolves. The eagle he was on spread its wings and followed the eagle carrying Abrafo and U-ri into the sky. The two eagles soared side by side, their riders unsure of where they should fly.
"Do you know where we're going?" Michio asked Hajime.
"No, I'm waiting for my hawk," Hajime replied, holding Yul close. "We can only fly in circles. There's no safe place down there."
Michio looked down at the forest below. "The forest is, as you said, a human skull," he murmured, chills running down his spine.
"It's impossible to escape without breaking the barricade, but until then, let's wait for news from my eagle," Hajime said, looking down at Yul lying peacefully in his arms. "After leaving here, we have to find a place to settle down and wait for Yul and Abrafo to recover from their injuries before continuing."
"I agree," Michio said. He looked straight ahead and saw Hajime's hawk flying towards them in the distance. "Hajime… your hawk is back!"
The black hawk flew directly to Hajime's right arm, landing gently. From its beak, it dropped two small red bean seeds into Hajime's palm. Hajime looked at the black hawk, then at the two red seeds, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "Lead the way," he instructed.
The black hawk flew out from Hajime's arm and circled the two eagles twice. Then, it flew in front of the two eagles, leading the way north.
"What is he doing?" Abrafo asked, puzzled.
"He is taking us to the escape corridor," Hajime replied. He opened his right palm, looking at the seeds. "Red beans… do people eat red beans?"
"People do eat red beans," Abrafo confirmed.
"In other words," Michio concluded, a rare smile gracing his lips, "we can finally escape from this forest without causing trouble to anyone."
The two eagles followed the black hawk over the Skull Forest, leaving its oppressive boundary, and entered a vast wilderness of tall pine trees, stretching for several miles in all directions.
U-ri shivered and immediately began searching for his clothes. "How far north are we?" he muttered, pulling out a spare robe and putting it on. "I'm starting to feel cold." He continued, his voice taking on a reflective tone, "I remember reading it many years ago. There were once four seasons in Tanzang. It's said that four hundred mages created such a landscape: summer, autumn, winter, and spring. Ever since those four hundred mages threw themselves into the river, there have been no four seasons in Tanzang. It is said that the first snow to fall after their death was no longer white, but red. And once that snow melted, it was no longer clear water, but blood. Many people died because of the lack of water that winter."
"Are you referring to the Red Winter?" Abrafo asked doubtfully, listening intently.
"Yes," U-ri confirmed.
"According to the texts and history I have read," Abrafo countered, "the Red Winter was caused by a fire that burned all over Tanzang."
U-ri chuckled, a dry, knowing sound. "And you believed it?"
"That's what we were taught in school," Abrafo defended, a hint of defensiveness in his voice.
"Being taught something doesn't necessarily mean it's true," U-ri said, his expression serious. "Sometimes the truth is harder to swallow than some fictional tall tales."
Hajime listened to the discussion between Abrafo and U-ri. He himself believed that there was a more sinister truth behind the stories others had made up. He had seen it with his own eyes, even experienced it himself. His mother was the best example. His mother lived in her fantasy world of alcoholism, so she didn't have to face the fact that her greed had caused his father to leave her and cheat with another woman. Perhaps, facing the truth was simply too much for her.
When Hajime was young, he didn't understand why his father made up stories to cover up the truth. But as he grew older, he found that everyone has their own way of dealing with feelings. His mother chose to hide the truth and lie because she didn't want to lose face in front of others. The same must be true of the Tenth King of Tanzang. The Tenth King didn't want to lose face in front of the nation, so he rewrote a period of history and blamed others.
Hajime had lied to himself many times; he lied to himself that beyond any red horizon was the starting point of an eternal rainbow, and someone was waiting for him there. Perhaps by lying to yourself and others, you can also gain peace of mind. When the mind is at peace, you can fall asleep and dream at night.
"I believe U-ri's version of the story more than what was taught to you in school, Abrafo," Hajime said, looking at both Abrafo and U-ri.
"Why?" Abrafo asked, genuinely curious.
"Think about it," Hajime reasoned. "Too many unfortunate events have happened in your kingdom, and now it is coming to an end. A black hole, created by the Emperor of Heaven himself to destroy Tanzang. Among all mortals and immortals, the Tenth King chose to offend the Emperor of Heaven. This Tenth King of Tanzang was either very ruthless or not very smart. He did not write the correct content, but continued to make up such a lie to cover up his evil deeds." He suddenly realized that he was at risk of getting angry at his two friends. "Sorry, I didn't mean to vent my anger at anyone." He looked at Abrafo. "So, Abrafo, what did they teach you about why the River of Sorrow turns to blood?"
"It was said that the four hundred mages gathered all the Kukuga people and burned them alive in the river," Abrafo replied, reciting the official version.
Hajime turned to U-ri, his expression serious. "U-ri, about the Red Winter. I really want to hear it."
U-ri looked at the men, a somber look on his face. "Well, many generations ago, before the Red Winter tragedy happened, the Tenth King of Tanzang received news from his spies in other kingdoms of a coalition to overthrow his majesty."