Relaxation

It felt good to be able to get that off of my chest. I was able to loosen up somewhat as a result, and begin to start thinking more positively.

Looking around, I thought we looked like the strong and capable team I once perceived as us. We were all brimming with confidence and a sense of optimism that seemed unshakeable.

For the first time, we felt like a real group of friends. Friends who valued and looked out for each other, no matter what.

Yet as was all too common since Junpei had died, a troubling thought, or should I say, series of thoughts, lingered in the back of my head, bothering me more than I would have liked it to.

They were something I had considered from the very beginning, but never truly put my mind to.

They encompassed the uncertain question surrounding our life once we returned if we were to succeed in resurrecting Junpei.

How would our current life be affected? Would Junpei suddenly rise from his coffin and amaze everyone? But surely that would cause an uproar and a series of unimaginable problems? Worse than that, it would bring far too much attention to the matter.

Furthermore, if that was the case, then why hadn’t something similar been reported on the news before? I doubt that only Ren and I have been offered this opportunity. There must be other people on Earth who have taken the opportunity to resurrect a loved one.

Logically speaking, my mind leant towards the more rational side of thinking, believing that we’d likely be sent back in time, at a point where Junpei was still alive. We’d then relive our life as it was before, but, on that fateful day, Junpei would not be killed.

And all would be fine.

But would logic really prevail here? Nothing we had experienced so far…nothing about any of this place or opportunity conformed to logic as human-kind knew it. It all defied the depths of human knowledge.

This was something different. Something unheard of.

But coming to think of it, I doubt that we were going to remember any of this anyway.

Perhaps that was the solution to all of this. Whatever comes to unfold after we save Junpei won’t be noticeable to us because we simply won’t be able to recount the events that transpired. Regardless of whether Junepi quite literally rises from the coffin, or whether we are set back in time, Ren and I will have no more knowledge than everyone else.

If what comes to fruition is obscene, then we will view it as obscene. If time reverses and everything goes back to how it was, we wouldn’t notice a thing.

That made me feel quite sad. What I had done here alongside Ren and Izumi, however cowardly at times, were memories that I knew I would’ve cherished for the rest of my life. It had been an unforgettable experience at the very least, and was an experience I wished to recount to my children and grandchildren — that is, if I manage to have any.

Either way, this was all merely a hypothesis. So I thought the only thing to do was make the most of it and hope that nothing would be wiped from my mind.

We eventually came across a small, secluded campsite tucked between a pair of leaning pine trees within yet another forest we were venturing through. It didn’t look like much — just a clearing with a few scattered sticks and stones where a fire might have once burned — but to us, it was everything we needed.

Ren took one look around, let down his weapon and restfully spoke. “Alright, we’ll camp here for tonight.”

I nodded, grateful for the break, but a part of me didn’t want to just stand around. I wanted to be helpful, so I asked Ren if I could do anything to make this place even more accommodating. “Ren, is there anything I can do? Something useful?”

He turned to me with a faint smirk. “Actually, I was just about to ask you. We’re going to need a fire. If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you went to collect some fire wood.”

That was all the prompting I needed. I began to head off deeper into the forest, the crunch of pine needles beneath my feet fading into a soft hush as I walked. But just before I left the close vicinity, Ren shouted for me.

“Taro! Make sure to go quite far. If you go far enough, you’ll find some special blue wood. It’s particularly good for burning all night so we don’t get cold.”

I didn’t feel like shouting, so I stuck up my thumb to confirm that I had heard his orders. Though I hadn’t initially offered myself for such an extensive period of walking, I started to appreciate the forest more, as well as the time I had alone.

The air was different here — cooler, stiller — and before I knew it, I’d wandered farther than I intended. Yet I was dissatisfied with the fact that I had yet to stumble upon this ‘blue wood’ Ren had told me about.

But it was getting dark now. I knew that Ren cared more about my safety than he did the blue wood, so I turned around, and began heading back towards the camp. I made sure not to come back empty handed, however, so I used my sword to chop down a few trees, and collect some wood that my freakishly strong body could carry with ease.

The canopy above bled with the last traces of daylight into a pale, dusky blue. I wasn’t exactly afraid, but I couldn't help wondering what might be watching from just beyond the tree line. Every distant snap of a twig seemed to demand my attention despite knowing that this wasn’t one of the missions, and therefore contact with monsters wasn’t going to occur — or at least that was how I thought to comfort myself.

This place had its share of mysteries, and we’d already seen enough to know that not everything was as predictable as we had initially believed it to be.

I continued forward, clutching the bundle of wood atop my left shoulder as I held my sword in the other…just in case. The sword became useful for something other than fighting, however. I set it alight, helping it guide me through the forest and back to the camp, which I was excited to see what Ren and Izumi had done with it.

The forest was almost silent, save for the steady rhythm of my boots pressing into the soft earth below.

But then — a sound.

Not just any sound.

A perilous scream.

My body froze before the noise struck me again. It was sharper, more desperate this time, shattering the calm.

I recognised that scream. It could only be one person.

Izumi!

It wasn’t the startled yelp of someone tripping or being caught off guard. No — this was the kind of scream that carried an insurmountable terror. The kind that tore from your lungs when you knew your life was in danger.

I dropped the bundle of wood without a second thought, the thud drowned out by the pounding on my feet as I charged toward the noise. My sword still burned faintly in my grip, a wavering trail of light that split the night as I darted through the blackness.

Branches whipped against my face as I tore through the trees, my breath heavy, my mind refusing to entertain what I might find.

And then, between the trunks, I saw her—

Izumi, backed against a tree. Three broad, strong, dangerous-looking men whose faces were lost beneath their hoods circled her like wolves, their shapes hunched and predatory. I couldn't hear their words, but their intent was obvious.

Something deep in my chest ignited. A burning anger I had never quite felt before.

She didn’t deserve to die — not like this. Not in a forest. Not before she had rescued her sister. I couldn’t let her suffer this fate…the same fate I was afraid of being victim to — dying in the process of saving a sibling who had been taken from you.

No.

I had to help her. I had to save her.

Just before I took action, however, I realised Ren was nowhere to be seen.