The Inherited Duty

At the moment Ren's top was removed, he seemed to calm down. His muscles relaxed, and he slept with a peaceful face on his stomach. The strong wind ruffled his blue hair.

"I thought there was no map of our world," Zel said. He always spoke his mind, as if there wasn't enough room for his thoughts in his empty little head.

"We don't. Ivory Concord and Ebony Vow have been at war with each other for so long that they couldn't send exploring teams too far."

Lily ran her fingers over Ren's back, specifically the left side, over Ivory Concord. The cuts weren't fresh, but they hadn't healed completely yet.

Haku grabbed her sword and carved the map into the ground so they could all see it on a large scale.

"Look, here," she pointed her sword at the map of Ebony Vow drawn on the ground, "here, and here, and here and here," she continued, pointing to Ivory Concord, Snow-dusted village, Thousand Whispering Woods, and the Oni's Cave. "There's a point at each one, and we've been to all of them."

Zel's eyes widened, and a pure shock rang in his voice. "How did you go behind the mountain to the north?"

Haku looked at him with a deadpan expression for a moment, then cleared her throat. "But there are two more spots."

"Don't ignore my question!"

Haku was right. One of the spots was on a separate island located under the giant oni's cave. The people who lived in this world were unaware of the ocean. Only fishermen used it. They hadn't explored what was under the water and thought there were no other islands outside the main continent.

The other spot was to the southwest, in the middle of nowhere.

Haku clapped her hands together and grinned, gesturing toward Zel. "Come on, Kel! Pick up Wen and let's go south!"

"How can you still not know our names?" Zel yelled, but the red girl had already grabbed Lily's hand and run off.

Sighing, Zel hoisted the boy, who was almost in the same weight class as him, onto his back. The fog was as thick as it was around the black mountains. They could barely see the tips of their noses.

"Augh," Ren groaned. His bare back ached painfully as the ground moved beneath him, and his hands just dangled down.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Zel hummed sweetly, which sent a shiver down Ren's spine. "I've been waiting for us to be alone!"

Ren began to squirm like a worm. "Just put me down and stop being a creep!"

Zel dropped the boy's body from his shoulder. Ren's body hit the ground with a dull thud. He immediately grabbed his painfully throbbing back, writhing in agony in the dirt.

"Go to hell!" Ren hissed through his teeth. Zel laughed and pulled Ren to his feet. "Where are we going?"

"To an island we didn't even know existed until now. But thanks to you, now we do."

Ren raised an eyebrow questioningly. It seemed he had missed too much, again.

"You're our living map, Mr. Japan!" Haku said, turning back with a grin. "You and Lily are doing some really cool things! It must be great to be a mage!"

"You say that as if you don't enjoy swinging your sword," Lily teased.

Haku playfully patted Lily's hand in agreement, then opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. She began to strain her ears and focused her eyes into the fog, as if searching for something. A moment later, Lily also defensively raised her hand in front of her. Something was wrong.

The girls, who were leading the way, jumped back in unison and grabbed each other's hands to pull each other back.

A loud blast of sound, and shards of rock flew into the air. Ren shot down a few larger pieces that were flying toward them. The fog closed in behind a new, prominent figure, trapping them inside. First, they saw the red eyes, then the red skin and fangs peeking out from behind a huge grin.

"What's he doing here?" Zel asked, taking a deep breath.

Gōwan was fine. He moved his right hand and left leg as if they hadn't been completely immobilized the day before. It was as if the whole thing had just been an act. As if he only wanted to make them believe they had defeated him. But why?

Haku didn't seem to notice this, because with a loud sigh, she casually slung her sword over her shoulder. "You seriously want us to beat you again?"

Ren didn't let the male oni answer. He immediately bombarded him with the next question.

"Do you know about the island?"

The oni's jaw hardened, and his gaze wandered to Ren. With his hands clenched into fists, the blue-haired boy bravely stood up to the strong, intensely burning eyes. Ren took a step closer.

"Why won't you answer?" he cracked his knuckles. "Fine, you don't have to answer. I'll ask another question. How is your arm? It doesn't look like it was really affected when Haku plunged her sword into it."

The oni ran his hand over his arm, as if he doubted what he had heard. But not a word came out of his mouth. It seemed Ren had won, that he had solved something, and because of this, he could solve this world, too. He could restore Zel's power, allowing him to save the world and find a way out.

But all of this crumbled when the oni began to laugh in a deep, rumbling voice.

"Oh, little boy," Gōwan's voice boomed, laced with a mockery that was worse than any threat. "I respect the Mage, and for that very reason, I couldn't kill the girl he took in and her so-called friends. So yes, I pretended you defeated me. You're just children. If you don't get a chew toy, you'll give up on everything and fall into depression."

Ren's hands, which had been clenched with defiant resolve, now hung limp at his sides. He took a single, slow step back, the air knocked out of his lungs. 

"And yes," Gōwan continued, his laughter fading into a cruel smile. "I know about the island. I'm the caretaker. But if you really want to, you can do it for me today."

With those final sentences, he said goodbye to them, which was not reassuring at all. As he vanished, the group fell silent, each person lost in their own thoughts. The weight of his condescending words settled over them like a heavy cloak.

Hours passed. The sun, once high above them, had begun to set, and the vibrant colors of the day bled into the gray mist. A deep chill settled in the air. The air suddenly grew heavy, and something truly oppressive weighed down on them.

The outline of a boat appeared from the fog. The brown wood stood out from the blue water around it. Someone was sitting in it. The shadow had broad shoulders and a tall, muscular frame, resembling that of a male. A hood covered his head, and as they got closer, they became more and more unsettling. His body flickered, like a hologram. He didn't look at them, not even when it was clear that the group was standing behind him. Gōwan hadn't mentioned the creepy boatman who would silently row them to the other side.

"I don't like this," Zel whispered, his gaze fixed on the figure. He took a protective step forward, instinctively moving to put himself between the stranger and the others.

Something was wrong with the figure. Everyone except Lily gave each other a strange look.

"What's happening?" Lily didn't understand the silence. She couldn't see what they could, and her frustration was evident in the way her foot stomped on the ground.

They hesitated to answer. Lily had had enough and started to walk forward, and before she could end up in the water, Ren pulled her back by the shoulder.

"There's a boat in front of us," Ren whispered, his voice low with caution.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Lily tried to move again, but her legs started to give out, and Ren was holding her, so her feet were kicking the air.

"There's a strange person in the boat," Haku also whispered to the group.

"Great. Excuse me! Could you please take us to the other side?" the orange-haired girl shouted. Ren and Haku immediately covered her mouth.

The driver didn't move, showing no sign of life, as if he were a ghost.

The wood of the boat was damp and cold beneath their feet. The space was cramped, and the smell of the air was different here—salty and heavy with the scent of wet earth and something else, something metallic and old.

Zel impatiently stepped into the boat. It trembled under him, and he lost his balance slightly, but he managed to settle himself. He looked up at the others, his expression a mix of relief and grim determination. "Aren't you coming?"

Reluctantly, they climbed in one after the other and took their cramped seats. The driver, with his back to them, started to row.