A Message or a Order ?

"Nothing, I'm looking at the sky," said Hiroshi with his eyes turned upward.

"Ah, and what's special about it?"

"Up there are billions of stars, each far from the others, each in its own world. None says where it is, nor why it exists. Yet they shine without pure reasoning."

"Why so gloomy, young man? I see that you're a cold person."

"I don't know."

A silence appeared in that silent night. Hiroshi, still staring at the stars, asked: "I have a question to ask you."

"Yes, go ahead and ask."

"What does it mean to be a human being according to you?"

Hukuro didn't take even a second to think and said: "It's being worthy of assisting a pure person until their death with happiness."

Hiroshi understood and asked: "Were you married?"

Hukuro approached and sat with him to watch the stars.

"Yes, I was married."

"What happened then?"

"I lost her."

"Won't you marry again?"

"No."

"And why?"

"Because my heart is still full of her. She never really left, you know? She's in everything I do. In every sunset I watch, in every step I take in this world. I could never give another person the same love. It wouldn't be right... for her, nor for me."

Hiroshi felt as if the words came out of his mouth without his permission: "Some bonds don't dissolve easily. They continue to exist until death and sometimes even after, like the light of a distant star. Even if you can no longer see the person's skin, the light remains in memories, in thoughts, in breaths."

Hukuro looked at him surprised. "Are you perhaps a poet?"

"No."

"Then these words?"

"I don't know either, they just came out without any will," he said coldly.

After that, Hiroshi climbed down from the rock.

"Now I should go to sleep," said Hiroshi.

Hukuro nodded in affirmation while watching the starry night.

Hiroshi slowly began to walk. After going a few steps forward, without turning around, he said: "Your decision preserves an emotion that I cannot describe or feel, but I can say it was the best you could do."

Then he left. A smile appeared on Hukuro's face hearing this, while he was still watching the stars.

* * *

Hiroshi was sleeping in his tent when at a certain point his body began to sweat brutally. His mind went wandering, he couldn't understand what was happening. He saw himself again trapped in that dark dimension, his mind went into crisis. He saw that he could feel emotions, but they were only pure fear.

At a certain point the very loud voice shouted: "I TOLD YOU TO BECOME A MAN, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, ENJOYING LIFE? WAKE UP AND HELP THOSE WHO NEED IT!"

After that, Hiroshi's eyes opened. He saw that he had returned to his tent, his warm skin slowly became cold and the sweat began to disappear as if nothing had happened.

What was this? That sensation? I can't understand. That loud voice was so strong, what did it want from me? Who do I need to help? And why? And how?

Hiroshi's night passed like this, in thoughts. He couldn't sleep after that.

The sun rose. Everyone had woken up early and had started doing their own things. Very early they had also already organized breakfast and had called everyone.

Hiroshi had red eyes due to lack of sleep. He ate somehow, and even at breakfast neither Rania nor her family were present.

After breakfast, Hiroshi went with Hukuro to take a tour of the village to show him everything. They met some people, had some chats and moved on. About two hours passed.

Finally Rania came out of the tent. Her appearance was not like before: it was as if she had forgotten how to smile, her hair was messy, her eyes red, dark bags had appeared underneath. She had come out, taken some things, then went back inside again. No one had approached her.

Night came again. Hiroshi was lying in bed sleeping. Again his body began to sweat, his mind went wandering. Again he saw himself trapped in the same dark dimension and heard the same voice, but this time louder than before: "I TOLD YOU TO BECOME A MAN, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, ENJOYING LIFE? WAKE UP AND HELP THOSE WHO NEED IT!"

Hiroshi opened his eyes and jumped again. He saw the sweat disappearing again and his skin becoming cold.

What is happening? I can't perceive in any way who I need to help?

This night too, Hiroshi couldn't sleep.

The day arrived. Hiroshi's mind was going into crisis. Due to lack of sleep he couldn't perceive basic things in front of him easily, his head hurt, but he had understood one thing: once could be coincidence, but the second time was not by chance. He was getting a signal that he had to do something before time slipped from his hands and couldn't be resolved.

So he gathered courage and decided to act.

So, I've toured this entire village and the only person who currently needs help is uniquely Rania's mother. But the problem is: how do I help her? I don't know anything about medicine, I was simply a businessman and nothing else, and then besides all my things, old Sato managed everything. But now I have to act.

So Hiroshi asked Hukuro to bring him a book about the lizardmen, their history, medicine and other things. Hukuro at first tried to ask the reason, but seeing Hiroshi's dead face he said okay without asking questions.

About three hours later, Hiroshi had the book in his hands. So he locked himself in the tent and began to read. With him he had some papers and the ink brush. He read and wrote his theories. He read one page ten times to understand its meaning. The ink ran out, but his hands didn't stop. His red eyes beat strongly. Sleep came over him, he fell to the ground due to sleep for certain long periods to cover that absence of sleep.

So about four days passed. In these four days his stomach was tight, his head seemed heavy, his hands a bit shaky from continuous writing, his eyes half sleepy. His belly rumbled continuously. At this moment Hiroshi was just surviving.

Hukuro had tried to come to Hiroshi's tent many times during these days, but he had refused.

The night of the fourth day arrived. Rania and Tenen came out of the tent and went to their own to sleep.

Hiroshi masked his face with a blanket and put on the gloves that were in his tent. After that he took a knife stolen from the kitchen. He masked himself completely so that he wouldn't be recognizable.

And boom.