Finally, the day arrived.
The day Kin Ouren had been waiting for.
Early that morning, Kin and Shen Seizan set off for Zemura Village.
Kin was visibly excited. His heart raced with the hope of finding Banja.
He believed — with everything inside him — that Banja was there, waiting for him.
Shen Seizan was behind the wheel, focused on the road ahead,
while Kin sat beside him, navigating with the village map in hand.
But no matter what they tried…
they couldn't reach the village.
They kept driving in circles —
again and again, the same path, the same turn, the same stretch of trees.
As if something invisible was pulling them away…
refusing to let them in.
Hours passed. And by the time they finally reached the village,
evening had fallen.
They drove past the old wooden sign that read "Zemura",
but the entire place was eerily quiet.
Not a single soul in sight.
No lights. No sound.
It felt abandoned.
With nowhere else to go, Kin and Shen decided to spend the night in the car.
They reclined their seats and tried to rest, wrapped in an unsettling silence.
---
The next morning, everything changed.
Kin and Shen were jolted awake by the sound of voices.
People. Talking.
When they looked through the car windows,
they saw a group of villagers standing outside, staring at them.
No one said a word. They just stared.
Whispers passed between them as they looked at Kin and Shen with suspicion.
Shen quickly got out of the car and approached them.
After a short conversation, he managed to speak to one of the elder villagers
and arranged for a place to stay and eat for the next couple of days.
Zemura had finally let them in —
but it hadn't welcomed them.
To Be Continued...