CHAPTER 48: Go ahead.
At this moment, she stretched her bow tight, the arrow aimed at the place where Kazuka stood outside talking. Her hand released the arrow; the arrow flew, pierced through the foliage, and headed straight for Kazuka's face.
Kazuka, who was talking, immediately turned and caught the incoming arrow with his hand. Seeing this, Airi threw her bag to the ground and plunged into the forest.
"Someone is there, chase them!"
Kazuka and Takeshi panicked and ran after her immediately.
Kazuka: "Oh!"
Takeshi: "Wait for me!"
Seeing the pursuit, Ayaka inside the forest turned her head and ran deeper into the woods.
— "They are chasing me."
Airi followed behind; although she could not see clearly, the leaves kept shaking. They pursued continuously.
Ayaka, familiar with this forest, quickly escaped toward her home.
Airi, Takeshi, and Kazuka, seeing no more movement, stopped; they scanned their surroundings with alertness.
Airi: "Lost the trail."
Takeshi: "You were too hasty, Airi."
Kazuka: "What do we do now?"
Ayaka quickly ran back to her house. She panicked and ran inside; her sister was sitting there drinking tea calmly.
"Sister, three people have entered the forest, what should we do?"
The calm emotion shifted instantly; she slammed the steaming wooden tea cup down, causing the green tea to spill onto the table.
"Are you telling the truth? Tell me."
Ayaka spoke with an urgent voice.
"Just now outside the forest I saw them. I fired a warning arrow, but they chased me inside."
The sister sighed.
"You should have let them inside and lured them to the conscious trees instead."
Ayaka stammered.
"I... I didn't think of that."
The sister went into the room, took out a bow, and strapped a quiver to her back.
"Now lead me to those three. We will eliminate them."
Ayaka: "Yes, but I saw those people seem very strong. Should we use a trap?"
"Is that so?"
The sister went back into the room and took out a small, long box, placed it on the ground, and opened it. Inside was a white arrow covered in a layer of blue ice energy; its freezing coldness overflowed, making Ayaka shiver as she peered in curiously.
"What is this arrow, sister?"
"I once bought this arrow from a master bowmaker. Once fired, it will freeze a large area, and those standing within range will be frozen."
Ayaka's face showed admiration.
"That sounds truly powerful."
The sister stood up and dashed outside.
"Let's go."
They ran to the spot where Ayaka had previously lost Kazuka's group. No one was there anymore.
Suddenly, they heard Kazuka's voice from afar.
"It seems to be this way."
Airi: "Yeah, this part looks very familiar, it seems correct."
Suddenly Kazuka shouted loudly.
"Careful, two people are coming!"
The three immediately entered a state of alertness, backs against each other, scanning the surroundings.
Whoosh!!!!
A white arrow flew in. It was the direction where Takeshi was standing. He covered his entire arm in energy. His right hand swung a punch, confronting the arrow directly.
He thought to himself:
— "It's too fast."
Takeshi's punch and the arrow collided. A great light emitted; all three stood frozen. A horrific cold wave spread out.
A cracking sound rang out, freezing the three along with a massive area of the forest. Large leaves were frozen and fell; the trees suffered the same fate. Airi, Takeshi, and Kazuka had no time to make a sound before becoming cold blocks of ice; one could see their faces still carrying bewilderment and terror.
Ayaka and her sister stepped forward and observed. Ayaka had a surprised face and eyes full of admiration.
"Oh my god, so strong."
Ayaka stepped toward where Takeshi stood; he was still in the posture of swinging a punch. Ayaka poked Takeshi's arm.
Clack!!!
That arm fell onto the frozen ground.
Crash!!
Like the sound of shattering glass. It exploded into dozens of different pieces. Bits of flesh and bone lay within that ice layer; they fell scattered everywhere.
Ayaka recoiled in panic.
"Aa!"
Her sister walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Alright, let's go back. It's finished."
Then Ayaka's sister pulled out three arrows and shot them at the three ice statues of Kazuka, Airi, and Takeshi. They shattered into pieces and slid across the ice-covered ground.
Time passed like that; Ayaka was 30 years old and still living happily in the forest with her sister…
Outside, it was morning. Airi kept shaking Ayaka, but she wouldn't wake up. She ran to call Takeshi and Kazuka over; they stood before the bed where Ayaka was sleeping, arms crossed.
Airi: "She won't wake up."
Takeshi: "She sleeps so heavily."
Kazuka stood there and released energy into the surroundings; his face showed suspicion as he observed the area.
Takeshi: "Kazuka, now is not the time for training. Find a way to wake her up."
Kazuka turned around.
"How about trying to scream in her ear?"
Kazuka and Takeshi leaned into Ayaka's ears and shouted loudly:
"Wake up, Ayaka!"
Ayaka did not wake at all; she remained in a deep sleep. Signs of breathing remained, showing she was still alive.
Takeshi stood scratching his head in confusion.
"How can she sleep so intensely? Calling like that and she still doesn't wake."
Suddenly Kazuka's eyes widened as if realizing something; he ran to the window, climbed up, and stood on it.
Airi and Takeshi looked on in confusion.
Airi: "What is he doing?"
Takeshi: "Who knows? Probably running off to play."
Kazuka gripped the small roof of the window and climbed onto the house roof. Before his eyes was a crow with a large body standing there. Seeing it, Kazuka poured energy into his right arm and created an energy blade.
The large crow saw him, flapped its wings, and flew away, leaving Kazuka below watching it.
"What was that thing? What does it want to do?"
Kazuka crawled back down; he saw Ayaka sitting there with a dazed face.
Takeshi ran over.
"Hey, did you feel that energy just now?"
Airi: "I just felt it too."
Kazuka had a serious face, his voice dropped low.
"Just now I climbed onto the roof; there was a crow as big as a normal human standing there. When it saw me, it flew away."
Airi: "You sensed it beforehand, didn't you?"
Kazuka nodded.
"Yeah, I spread out energy to scan the surroundings. When I scanned the roof, there was a strange feeling, likely its energy. Besides, how could the roof terrain have a lump like that? So I crawled up to check and met it. But it flew away."
"It seems its energy is quite low, so it's hard to sense."
Takeshi sighed in frustration.
"Having such a large energy source is truly great."
Kazuka laughed loudly.
"Come on, don't be sad."
Airi sat next to Ayaka and took her hand.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Ayaka hugged Airi, face pressed into Airi's chest, her voice trembling with fear.
"Just... just now I dreamed of my sister, and I even killed everyone? But it seemed I didn't know, and I just lived happily until old age."
Airi also hugged Ayaka, lowering her voice to comfort her.
"Calm down, it's okay, don't worry."
Kazuka and Takeshi stood there too.
Kazuka: "It seems that crow made Ayaka have long dreams."
Ayaka stopped hugging Airi and turned around.
"At first, the dream was my sister leaving the forest, then it was as if that never happened. And so, my sister stayed with me until old age."
Takeshi spoke with a pensive look.
"So that's happiness?"
Airi nodded in agreement.
"It seems it makes others dream happy dreams."
Takeshi: "But why does it do that?"
Airi shrugged and shook her head.
"Who knows? Maybe just for fun."
Kazuka seemed to think of something.
"Or maybe it wants to savor the happy dreams of others?"
Airi: "Have you seen any monster do that?"
"I think it would make the dreamer stuck in the dream forever."
Takeshi: "Yeah, that sounds plausible."
Ayaka: "So Kazuka met some kind of monster?"
Airi sighed.
"It seems you are still a bit dazed after waking up?"
"Basically, that crow perched on the roof, and when it flew away, that was when you woke up. In general, we can only deduce it was the one behind it."
Kazuka: "Oh my god, I don't know if this town is peaceful or not. Why do we meet monsters everywhere?"
Airi sat up.
"Why complain? If we meet them, we deal with them. We can't know beforehand to strike first or plan anyway."
"Anyway, let's go down and eat. I'm very hungry. The food is probably cold by now."
Takeshi: "But remember to stay alert."
Ayaka and Kazuka nodded.
They stepped downstairs. They heard noisy sounds from outside. They turned at the same time. Outside, a crowd was gathering and making a commotion in front of the shop.
Sitting at the table, the innkeeper's wife, with a plump body, brought over a tray of food and arranged it on the table.
Airi observed the owner's movements and asked with curiosity:
"Ma'am? What is happening outside?"
The woman's voice carried indifference.
"Don't mind it. Just an old woman wanting to see people's fortunes. I don't believe in any of that."
Kazuka smiled when he saw the meal.
"I'll eat first."
After eating for a while without caring about the outside, they finished, but the crowd outside showed no sign of decreasing.
Takeshi, a bit curious, stood up.
"I'll go check what's going on."
Kazuka saw this and ran after him.
"I'm coming too."
All four squeezed into the crowd and looked in.
It was an old woman in a black cloak. A hood hid her face. But one could still see that wrinkled face; a bit of white hair showed. A hunched back further showed this was an elderly person.
In front of the old woman was a young man; standing right behind him was a man; they seemed to be merchants, and that young man was the man's son.
He sat there smiling, pointing a finger at his own face. The other hand held out a gold coin.
"How do you see me in the near future? I'll be very rich, right?"
The old woman took the coin slowly with thin, wrinkled fingers, her voice calm:
"May I touch your hand?"
The young man nodded.
"Yes."
He held out his hand; the old woman placed a finger on the young man's hand. After a moment of stillness, she spoke:
"You have a fairly bright future, but you should be careful with some temptations."
The old woman turned to the young man's father.
"You should manage him more strictly. I see a future where if you don't manage him strictly, it will cause disaster."
The man smirked.
"Oh, fine."
He threw another gold coin to the old woman and turned to leave, still pulling his son along. The boy shouted angrily:
"You damn old woman, are you trying to play me?"
The young man's father walked and thought, his face pensive and quite serious.
— "Indeed, that kid's friends are truly good-for-nothing, despite their big backgrounds. It seems she spoke some truth, or perhaps she is right. Best to keep this kid away from those noble brats."
Kazuka was a bit curious and turned back.
"Hey you three, I want to see my fortune."
Airi shook her head, her face annoyed and uncaring.
"No."
Kazuka clasped his hands sincerely.
"Please, Airi? Just one gold coin for me."
Ayaka spoke up:
"I am quite curious too."
Takeshi: "Me too."
Airi had an annoyed and unwilling face.
"Huh? Are you guys planning to bully me?"
Kazuka waved his hands.
"No, just curious. Give me one coin."
Airi glanced around; three pairs of excited eyes were staring at her. Airi relented and sighed; she took a gold coin from her bag and gave it to Kazuka.
"Sigh, alright then."
Kazuka took the gold coin and turned around, wanting to push to the front.
But someone else had gone in to see their fortune before him, making him wait.
It was a man about 30 years old with one hand cut off. He only had his right hand and held it out.
The old woman touched the man's hand with her finger.
"Your future will depend on your decisions. There will be some decisions that change your life, but there are decisions that will crush you. So, consider every decision carefully from now on."
The man was a bit surprised and spoke with a thick, deep voice.
"So what do I need to decide?"
The old woman shook her head.
"I can only say that much. The rest is up to you."
The man was somewhat reluctant, then stood up, bowed, and turned to leave; the old woman also bowed slightly in return.
Seeing the man just leave, Kazuka rushed in and shouted:
"Grandma, please check for me!"
He held out the gold coin and placed it close to the old woman.
"Oh, hold out your hand, young man."
The old woman glanced behind Kazuka and saw Airi, Takeshi, and Ayaka standing there watching.
"Your friends?"
Kazuka nodded, his face very excited.
"Yes."
The old woman touched Kazuka's hand lightly with her finger, closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them again.
Kazuka, with excitement, his eyes lit up.
"How is it? What do you see?"
"I see quite a lot."
"Tell me."
"I see incidents, many incidents."
Kazuka paused for a moment, his mouth muttering:
"Incidents?"
The old woman nodded.
"Yes, many incidents along your path. Though they do nothing, it will be as if they seek you out."
Airi, standing behind, frowned upon hearing this.
"Although there is a black future, there is still pink for you. So, just keep walking... I can only say that much, just remember to be careful."
Kazuka stood up and walked toward the others; he scratched his head but still looked back.
"Only knowing that little, just incidents."
All four of them turned and squeezed their way out.
Takeshi stroked his chin in thought.
"If so, we will have a very arduous time traveling everywhere, right?"
Ayaka nodded.
"It seems that way."
Airi sighed.
"Forget it, who knows if that's true or false?"
Kazuka sighed in disappointment.
"But knowing only a little is truly a letdown."
Then he changed his emotion, hands clenched, eyes determined.
"But what the hell? We just move forward and face them."
Takeshi: "That's all there is to it."
Airi had a pensive look.
— "Why did I sense that old woman's energy as like an Elemental? And a very ancient one at that."
— "But the human energy is sensed very clearly, confusing. Or perhaps she was blessed by an Elemental, possibly a blessing of time allowing her to see the future."
— "But the feeling is very ancient; if it were a blessing from long ago, it should be very strong. When checking for everyone, if anyone asked more, she looked quite helpless."
— "What is it after all? Truly confusing."
Takeshi: "Anyway, when will we start moving? It's too boring here."
Kazuka nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, truly boring."
Ayaka: "I want to go somewhere a bit crowded."
Airi: "Then we will leave tomorrow, okay?"
Kazuka: "I think that's reasonable, so now let's go ask everyone if there is a city around here."
Airi nodded.
"Kazuka and Takeshi, go."
That night, at the end of the hallway, in room 15, Airi and Ayaka were sitting on the bed. Takeshi and Kazuka sat in chairs, each in a corner of the room.
Kazuka: "I went to ask. Just follow the dirt road that merchants use and you will reach a city; it's called Kari City."
Takeshi nodded in agreement.
"Yes, but this city is also quite far. About more than 10,000 tharn."
Airi had a pensive look.
"Seems quite far? We should take a carriage."
Kazuka sighed in disappointment.
"Huh? So boring? I prefer walking and observing everything."
Airi frowned.
"You plan to make our new friend walk?"
Ayaka, sitting next to Airi, shook her head, her hands waving it off.
"No... it's okay, I actually like walking."
Airi turned over.
"You want to walk? It's quite far."
Ayaka nodded.
"Yes, I want to walk while sight-seeing."
Airi sighed helplessly.
"Fine, if we walk, we walk."
Kazuka spoke with a teasing voice.
"She's not worried about you, she's just lazy and doesn't want to walk."
Airi spoke with an angry voice, her eyes sharp and cold at Kazuka.
"Shut up, Kazuka."
Kazuka ran outside and left only one sentence:
"Goodbye, I'm going to sleep."
Night covered the small town. Takeshi was sleeping soundly. A strange dream appeared:
He was walking on a normal dirt road; suddenly someone fell from the sky.
"Aaaaa!"
Unable to react, Takeshi was fallen upon.
Suddenly he screamed loudly and sat bolt upright.
"Aaaaaa!"
Takeshi panted, his voice stammering.
"So... so it was a dream?"
His face showed suspicion as he glanced around the dark room; next to him, Kazuka was sleeping soundly.
"Surely it's not the crow Kazuka saw, right?"
He lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes.
"Forget it, back to sleep, save energy to walk tomorrow. Another long journey ahead."
He gradually sank back into sleep.
The next morning, Takeshi stepped down with Kazuka, his face still clearly showing sleepiness.
"Hello everyone."
He sat at the table, where many dishes were already laid out. He seemed quite surprised and pointed at the food table.
"Why so many dishes today?"
Airi crossed her arms, her face and voice showing a bit of dissatisfaction.
"Plenty so you have the strength to walk."
Kazuka also understood Airi was talking about him; he scratched his head and laughed.
"You hold a grudge, Airi?"
Airi puffed her cheeks, her face looking sulky.
"Hmph, I don't care."
After finishing the meal, the three stood before the inn door and looked inside. Airi was standing there with the innkeeper.
"I'm returning the key."
The owner, who was checking books, looked up.
"Oh, you're not renting anymore? Thank you for your support."
Airi smiled.
"Yes."
The innkeeper's son, standing right behind, was arranging things and then ran after Airi.
She walked nearly to the door when she heard a call; someone called her back.
"Wait."
Airi turned around, scanning the innkeeper's son once.
"Is there something?"
"Where do you want to go?"
Airi: "We want to go to Kari City, any problem?"
"Are you walking?"
Airi replied coldly:
"Yes."
She was a bit suspicious when this stranger took the initiative to talk. And surely there would be some purpose.
"I have a carriage, do you want to use it? I won't take money."
Airi waved her hand and pointed her thumb back, where Kazuka, Takeshi, and Ayaka were standing.
"None of my friends want to go."
Being rejected, he froze for a moment. Then he spoke again:
His eyes lowered.
"Then can I go with you?"
Airi frowned.
"Why do you want to go with us? We don't know each other."
— "Damn it, does this guy like me? I don't care about him. What is he thinking?"
The shop owner's son blushed, his voice stammering.
"Because... because... I... I like you."
The customers sitting in the shop laughed loudly. As if they were watching a comedy.
"A brat wanting to like that lady is a bit too much."
"Stop deluding yourself."
His father stood there and wiped his face; at this moment, he was too embarrassed.
— "Damn kid, what are you doing?"
Airi still kept a calm face.
— "I knew it."
"Sorry but I don't like you, excuse me."
She turned to leave.
Being rejected bluntly, he stood stunned for a moment, hands clenched and shouted loudly.
"Then... then, can I go with you?"
Airi turned her head, her sharp cold eyes looking straight at the young man.
"Sorry, but I know your purpose."
Airi turned and stepped outside, her serious voice remained as she spoke to the group:
"Let's go."
Ayaka, with surprised eyes, turned her head to look at the young man standing there alone, hands clenched. She turned back to look at Airi.
"You were too blunt."
Airi: "Ignore that guy, you guys being my family is enough."
Kazuka spoke with a teasing voice:
"Doing that makes people sad."