Exploration

The red sun shone from high in the sky as Ichiji and Sumida walked down the path to the rest of the village. Sumida’s house was located on the outskirts on the village, almost out of Tengoku District totally.

Due to this, a sizable distance separated his house and the rest of the village.

Excitement pumped in Ichiji’s heart.

He was already forming images of the village in his head, according to all the details Yuki and Sumida had told him about.

“Excited, huh?” Sumida asked.

 “Well, yeah. It’s supposed to be beautiful, right?” Ichiji chuckled.

 “Yeah, just after that hill,” Sumida pointed.

The hill Sumida referred to came closer and closer. Ichiji looked at the side of the hill.

There, a small house lay. A man and a woman stood outside it. Their skin was pale and worn, hugging their bony figures.

But that wasn’t what bothered Ichiji the most. As he and Sumida passed the couple, a small bundle of rags lay in the man’s arms. A child’s face revealed itself from under the covers.

It was dead. But not just dead, it’s body was withered and shriveled.

The two continued to look at Ichiji, their empty eyes following him with their gaze. Chills ran down Ichiji’s spine. He turned to look at Sumida.

“Grain tax. I’ll explain more when we get there,” Sumida explained. “Alright.”

They continued walking, reaching the base of the hill and started to walk upwards. The peak was just in front of him. Not able to hold it in anymore, Ichiji sprinted past Sumida, jumping off the top of the hill high into the air.

In that moment, he saw it.

The red sun illuminated the land below. From the coast with rolling waves and sparkling sands, to the beautifully crafted buildings and vibrant decorations.

Tengoku Village was filled with pure beauty.

In the distance he saw other settlements, far away to distinguish but definitely present. The other villages that made up Tengoku District.

But one structure stood out more than the rest.

Far in the distance, a large, imposing behemoth of wood and stone rose into the air. The grey walls and red roofs of Haiirosan Castle stood tall and intimidating.

The sprawling sections and lush trees and greenery inside the castle area made the scenery gorgeous.

Ichiji observed all these things extremely quickly, taking in all the details in seconds.

For a moment, he felt like he was floating. Then the wind rushed past him quickly as he plummeted back to the ground.

He braced himself, landing on the ground and bouncing off it multiple times before crashing into a wooden structure.

Ichiji heard murmurs and the sound of breaking plates. A slimy substance was obscuring his vision. All of a sudden, the substance was removed from his face.

The worn but angry face of a man filled Ichiji’s vision. Gears turned in his head as he immediately grasped the situation. Those slimy things obscuring his vision were probably noodles.

“Did I knock over your ramen cart?” Ichiji asked testingly. The man seemed to boil in anger before shouting: “Knock over?! You destroyed it, you dimwit! Seppuku! Commit Seppuku! Now!”

He lifted Ichiji off the ground with surprising strength for his stature. Ichiji suspected that the man had summoned the strength through pure rage and willpower.

“Wait! Wait! He’s with me!”

Sumida soon appeared on the scene, panting from running after Ichiji.

“Sumida! This bastard is with you?” the man asked.

“Yes. I’m taking care of him, for now,” Sumida wheezed. 

“Taking care? This bastard flew straight into my cart. How are you going to make up for this?!” the man screamed. 

“That can be arranged,” Sumida said.

Ichiji watched as Sumida slipped out a small pouch from within his clothes and handed it over to the ramen seller.

“I believe this will cover the costs of the cart,” Sumida resolved. The man seemed to be in shock as Sumida put the pouch into his hands.

“But that’s…!” 

“Don’t worry about the amount. Just take it,” Sumida said.

The ramen seller took the amount with a glint in his eyes and went away.

Ichiji opened his mouth to apologise, but Sumida stopped him with a raise of his hand. 

“It’s okay. Look around.”

Ichiji looked around him. They were really in Tengoku Village now. The buildings were intricately built and carved, the silkbirds sang their melodious songs, lending the air a special sense of mysticism.

But the place felt off. People walked around, tending to their shops and going to their farms. But their gazes were all the same. Listless and empty.

“Mori Terumoto has imposed woeful taxes on the people under his control. A lot of people make a living by farming and selling grain. He’s made it a lot harder for the average person to survive,” Sumida said.

Ichiji remained silent. He had spent majority of his life in the Temple after being rescued by Gyatso as a child. Despite that, he had been educated about the wider world by the elder monks, along with mystical knowledge about Kami.

Due to that, he understood the concept of taxes and how bad they could get if abused.

They walked around more as Ichiji noticed something strange. Whenever Sumida walked by the people, their listless gazes and demeanor brightened, replaced by cheerful smiles and greetings.

“You’re very popular, it seems,” Ichiji noticed. 

“I’ve helped everyone here with one health issue or the other. Once in a while, I help others with funds. It’s the least I could do,” Sumida said.

The two of them had to stop multiple times as they walked. Everybody in the village seemed to want to talk to Sumida. Old and young, men and women.

Ichiji continued to be taken aback as a small crowd began to gather with Sumida at the center.

He managed to extricate himself, bowing and giving greetings as he carried Ichiji away.

“It seems like they haven’t seen you in a while,” Ichiji said. “Of course. I’ve been taking care of you for days,” Sumida said. “Let’s go to the coast.”

The two continued walking, moving on winding paths and through shortcuts to avoid Sumida’s miniature fan club.

The sheer size of Tengoku Village continued to surprise Ichiji. From what he had been taught, villages were supposed to be small and cramped. Tengoku Village seemed to defy imagination.

“What? Is there a problem?”

Only when this question was asked did Ichiji realise his mouth had been open.

“Oh. Sorry. I’m just wondering. I was taught that villages were small. So this is very surprising for me,” he answered.

 “I can understand why you would be confused. Tengoku Village was originally multiple smaller villages that came together. It’s the largest village in Tengoku District. The Amago clan took over eventually, bringing master craftsmen with them,” Sumida explained.

Ichiji now understood the reason for the size and the well-built nature of Tengoku Village. But the images of the people were burned into his mind. Their lack of will to live. The dead child he saw on the way to the village flashed through his mind again.

Despite being a place of beauty, Tengoku village had pain and death in its heart, rotting away at it.

This place, Master Gyatso definitely sent me here to help them, Ichiji thought.

“We’re here.”

Passing through a blanket of leaves, the coast of Tengoku village appeared in front of Sumida and Ichiji. The water seemed to sparkle, shimmering as if lit up by fireflies. Rickety sailing boats were on the sand, slowly rotting away.

“These boats. Seems like it’s been a while since anyone used them,” Ichiji noticed.

“We normally had a strong fishing culture. Fishing festivals were held multiple times every year. Now, Mori’s men completely control the seas, refusing any of our attempts to continue our tradition,” Sumida explained.

His eyes seemed to dim as he said this, the life within them dulling until it became quite similar to those in the village they had met.

Noticing Ichiji’s gaze, Sumida quickly turned, cleared his throat and said:

“Come. There’s still one more thing I need to show you.”

The two of them walked along the coast as Sumida continued talking.

“Since ancient times, this land has always been favoured by the gods. Because of that, Tengoku Village has always been…mystical,” Sumida said. 

“Mystical?” Ichiji asked.

 “Yes. It is now time for you to jump into the water,” Sumida said, with a serious expression on his face.

 “Excuse me?”

 “Jump in. Just do it. It’ll make sense in a bit.”

Ichiji’s hands shook. Elder monks took younger ones to rivers or streams in the area to observe the flow of nature, first by looking, then by swimming in the water itself. Ichiji had always been terrible at swimming.

But he trusted Sumida. He closed his eyes and jumped into the water. Ichiji’s body dropped into the water with a splash. He looked around him. It was nothing special. Water in every direction, with fishes swimming around him.

Ichiji resurfaced, looking at Sumida with a puzzled expression. “I don’t get it. What am I supposed to see?”

Sumida smiled as he helped Ichiji up to the sand. “What I want to show you can only be seen if one was born in this village. If you have the blood of Tengoku running in you.”

Sumida took hold of Ichiji and plunged into the sea with him. Ichiji’s eyes widened when he saw it.

What was previously a dull, clear ocean, was now a vibrant and bright coral reef teeming with life. Multicolored fish of all shapes and sizes swam about, each one slightly glowing and emitting its own light.

Ichiji looked at his arm and noticed scales and a fin growing. In his shock, he realised that he could breathe. He was breathing underwater! 

He looked at Sumida and understood why. Large gills had grown on the side of his neck, allowing him to breathe. It was the same for Ichiji.

Ichiji looked up and was shocked. The surface of the water was dark, like there was no sun above. A tap on his shoulder brought his focus back.

Sumida pointed towards the ocean floor, far in the distance. The two of them swam in that direction. Ichiji felt so free under the water. He could swim as fast as he wanted, in any direction.

So this is how it feels to be a fish, he thought.

The ocean floor soon came into view. Small pillars appeared, dotting the ocean floor. As Ichiji went closer, he began to feel sick. Those weren’t pillars. They were people, if that word could still be used.

The “people” on the ocean floor were rotten, their bodies decaying and missing parts. Brains and intestines hung out of their bodies and their skin had since turned a dull grayish colour.

But they were moving. Slowly, extremely slowly, but they were moving nonetheless. Their feet dragged on the floor as their mouths hung open. Men, women and children. As Ichiji and Sumida approached, the “people” stretched their hands out towards them, a dull noise leaving their throats.

Ichiji was taken aback. Who were these people? What in the world happened to them?

Sumida tapped on his back, pointing towards an underwater cave with the opening obscured by mist.

The two swam towards it, leaving the dessicated and rotting “people” behind.

Ichiji went through the cave mouth first. The mist clung to him tightly like thousands of miniature hands holding on to him.

He came out on the other side completely dry, heart beating fast. Sumida came in after him, also dry. Ichiji looked at him wantingly. Sumida knew what he wanted.

“The Rot. It’s some kind of disease. We don’t know what causes it or how it spreads. But anyone who gets it has their fate sealed from that moment on.”

“Is that…is it Mori Terumoto that did that too?” Ichiji asked.

“We don’t know exactly. But it started a month after he took over control of this district. Our informant tells us that he’s been conducting human experiments in his castle. There’s a good chance that’s what’s causing this,” Sumida explained.

“‘Informant’, ‘us’. Who are you referring to?” Ichiji asked.

“Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. There’s a Resistance. And we’re at their front door,” Sumida said.