Ch. 16 - A Crescent Shine over Mount Yosei

Whenever night came in Galliath, a noise resembling a thin wind passing by peeked out amongst the silence.

Accented by the flowing rivers, the sound turns into soft chimes, greatly contrasting the chaos the Morians witnessed earlier. Now that everything had turned darker and the lights in the lamps lit up a warm orange, the moon's vibrant shine cascaded over the island as if heeding that wind a sign to appear.

Morio put both hands on the windowsill, meeting the white, crescent presence. Back in Morta, if you could even spot its faint gleam, it was tiny, as if it was a faraway hope the two wouldn't reach, coupled with stars prancing around.

You could always see the moon in Galliath. Even strutting right next to the sun during daytime, although faded, it was, much like something else, always in the corner of your eye.

He smiled lightly, thinking of everything else besides where he found himself. He wondered about everything, such as if someone could be resting on that moon right now. Sleeping, with a book over their eyes because they drifted off to a different land while reading. Morio wanted to soar away too, from all the stress of everything new overwhelming him.

Maybe if that person on the moon was sleeping, it was time for someone else to take care of things. He sighed, turning around and sliding down the wooden wall.

The door to the room swung open, revealing Jyuzou's silhouette, as the other Morian quickly stepped in, carrying a large book. "They have a library!" he announced, sitting on the warm planks below, with a brown tinge carried from the light that rested by the other side of the room.

Morio slowly slid the curtains shut, standing up, almost hitting his head on the slanted roof and crawling towards his friend. "Don't they use Old Manjuno here?"

"No, I mean, yes." Jyuzou shook his head, reluctantly. "It's weird. I searched for it myself since I heard mentions here and there, but I had to build the courage to ask Mrs. Koyote's assistant for directions. Turns out, the books here are in the modern tongue!"

Morio flipped through the pages, reading a few words. "So they're not from here?"

"I recognised a few, and then there was this one." he pointed to the cover, smiling. The cover showed nothing in particular, so Morio looked up, disappointed. "With this grand encyclopedia, we'll get to know about Galliath in no time!"

Morio squinted his eyes, his finger tracing the page's edge. "Cool." he slowly waddled to a hole in the ground, where thick sheets and a mattress were neatly laid. The Morian crashed inside, closing his eyes.

Jyuzou's watchful glance turned to his friend. "I'm guessing you're tired." he scratched his hand.

"I'm guessing you already did enough reading," Morio smirked. "You can just tell me what you learnt instead of me having to catch up!"

"Well!" He coughed, trying to keep a cool front. "Did you know that they don't use Silver here?"

"What?" Morio raised his head, slightly.

Jyuzou nodded. "It's a completely different c-currency." he scratched his head. "They're these little stones called Pies."

"Pies? Man... I'm hungry again." Morio complained, rubbing his stomach.

"E-Even though we just ate?"

"The food here is different!" Morio sat up. "Everything is!" he turned his head up, closing his eyes. "I'd kill for some of Victoria's soup instead."

Jyuzou backed out a little.

"Wouldn't you too?" Morio clenched a fist, punching the sheet beneath.

Jyuzou fixed his glasses, not necessarily trying to join Morio's ploy. "I'm okay."

Morio glimpsed at the other Morian.

"The less I think of home, the less I crave it." he put the book into his hands. "I guess I could kill for soup." he beamed a little, and Morio raised an eyebrow. "But we can't go back now, can we?"

Morio's expression softened, as he climbed out of bed. "I guess so." he nodded, slowly, and Jyuzou glimpsed at his face, then at the moon, which still managed to shine through the closed curtains.

Despite trying to stray from the topic, both Morians couldn't help but wonder what home would bring now, atop everything else.

What happened in the Star Sun Cave? Jyuzou tried avoiding the responsibility, while Morio, despite doubt, wanted to think that everything turned out okay.

Looking back to the moon, the white-haired Morian was reassured, that at least that one light in the sky was sure of everyone's whereabouts and stories. After all, it could've illuminated the paths his friends were to take.

He smiled, putting a hand on Jyuzou's shoulder, and the latter sighed, in gentle relief. "D-do you remember what Mr. Bancho said?" Jyuzou muttered, fixing his bed.

"That." he stopped for a second. "No matter what happens, we still have ourselves." Morio raised a finger.

"So let's not backtrack from that," Jyuzou said.

"I wasn't going to!"

"You always seem like you want to be one step ahead of me!"

"Pft!" Morio stuck his tongue out, blowing a raspberry. "A little."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and both Morians turned.

"Pardon the intrusion-" Genni opened the door, glancing inside. Morio moved back a little, forcing a smile, and Jyuzou immediately stood up, clearing his throat.

"Oh, hey," Jyuzou's voice was shaky. He scratched his eyebrow, searching for the book to cover his embarrassed and flushed face. Morio smirked, taking it into his arms.

"Hi!" Genni waved.

"Morio..!" Jyuzou mouthed, while the other Morian giggled. He immediately turned back to Genni, taking another step back as if to invite her inside. She chuckled, understanding his request without a word, and ducked a little under the tilt.

"Sorry if I interrupted something," she muttered. "I did hear some muffled voices."

"How long did you stand there?" Morio asked.

"Five minutes!" she raised a finger. "I considered going back to my room for the longest time, but I felt like I needed to face a few fears."

"Morio, take notes," Jyuzou said, and Morio leapt, almost taking him down but accidentally falling into another bedded hole. "W-What fears?"

"You guys." she scratched the back of her head. "Our meeting was a little chaotic, after all. Crashing into each other and then running for our lives. It's not a good first impression, is it?" she laughed, fixing her glasses. "So, why don't we start over, eh?"

Morio raised his head, and Jyuzou nodded.

"Okay!" Genni noted, stepping out of the room. A few seconds passed before a noise similar to sliding metal across the ground sounded. Ingo was pushed into the room, with a stern, angered expression and crossed arms. He sighed, having to look at both Morians.

Genni sat down. Jyuzou followed, and Morio crawled out of the hole. The three stared at Ingo, who didn't comply with her request.

"Sit," she uttered, and Ingo finally abided with a groan.

"Jyuzou Junya." Jyuzou stuck his hand out, first to break the ice. Morio smiled a little, turning away for a moment. "I'm a Morian from Mistwick and a Demonear... e-even though you already know that." he looked to the side, awkwardly.

"Genni Andi." Genni shook his hand, with a bigger smile than what Morio conjured. "Nice to meet you, Jyuzou! I'm a Haran-Morian just like Ingo over here." she pointed with her thumb, then stared dead into Ingo's annoyed eyes.

"Ah!" Ingo sighed, unwillingly sticking his hand out. "Ingo Sforse! You and those manners all the time!"

"I didn't know your surname, for example." Jyuzou beamed lightly.

"You didn't need to, smart prancy boy."

Morio raised an eyebrow. "Smart prancy boy."

Jyuzou grabbed Morio by his collar. "Don't even think about it."

Morio giggled, escaping from his grasp. "Morio Frisks!" he shouted, sticking his hand out. "Nice to meet you all!"

Genni gave him a high-five and Ingo's hand was already nestled in his pocket.

"So, why did you guys become Demonears?" Genni asked, straightening up.

Jyuzou opened his mouth a little.

"I was curious the second I saw your weapons. They weren't necessarily normal-looking ones."

"I think a Morian in a land like this was the thing that stood out the most. Weapons came second." Jyuzou laughed, subtly thinking back to his missing ghost sword.

"Gloria, Victis." Morio took his Guardian Demon and stone sword out. "Aren't they cool?!"

"Mine's cooler." Ingo folded his arms.

"Definitely not!" Morio raised his voice.

"Bet." Ingo snickered, before violently lunging himself towards the door. Morio stood up.

Jyuzou's head turned to their conversation for a bit, and then back to answering Genni's question. "I kind of dragged along with Morio."

Genni chuckled. "I guess we're in the same boat, then." she inched closer. "Ingo wanted me to join him during the test and it turned out that both of us passed."

"What was your challenge like?" Jyuzou asked.

"It was a course around the Mora Canyons. We only had one task and it was to escape through that maze of obstacles only using our wits. Actually, I had to help Ingo out in some places. He would never admit that, though."

"Much simpler, then." Jyuzou rolled his eyes. "Our task was to kill a demon."

"Wait, what? You can't just... kill a demon." Genni shook her head, confused.

"See?!" Ingo came in, throwing his club around. Genni subconsciously ducked, avoiding his swing.

"That's supposed to be cooler? Do you see this slick metallic polished design? Power that, you red bull!" Morio swung Gloria around, and Jyuzou ducked as well.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Ingo grabbed him by the shirt.

"RED. BULL!" Morio yelled. "And you're holding your weapon like an idiot!"

"That was the whole point." Jyuzou squinted his eyes, furrowing his brows. "If you couldn't do it, you weren't strong enough to lift a Guardian Demon in the first place."

Genni rubbed her chin. "It's an interesting way to put it, isn't it?"

"I don't think I can be the judge of that," Jyuzou answered.

"LOOK AT YOURSELF! SWORD IN SHEATH OR IN BETWEEN ARMPIT AND FOREARM!" Ingo pointed.

"YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT EVEN WITHOUT YOUR CLUB!"

"Of course, you can. If you passed, that means you're strong enough, aren't you?" Genni asked.

"Strong enough, but I guess not that powerful if we require training," he answered.

"Who knows, Jyuzou? Life's full of surprises and challenges for you to overcome. Hard work, easy way out. It's all there, bit by bit, and not for us to decide." Genni shrugged.

Shin believers were taught from a young age that their faith was greatly rewarded. So why was it not for humans to decide?

Jyuzou turned to the moon. It watched from above, already knowing which paths the Morians were to take.

Koyote leaned against the wall, standing right outside the room. She closed one eye, slowly drifting off, much like the person who could be sleeping on the crescent shine.

***

The morning, as well as their abrupt awakening, came with a loud sound. Morio shot up, eyes half-opened, and Jyuzou searched for his glasses.

"Wake up." A soft voice spoke out, and Morio made out the silhouette of Koyote's assistant, walking out of the room, carrying a horn in her hands.

He blinked twice, turning to Jyuzou.

"How early?" he asked, with a raspy voice.

Jyuzou made a single noise, falling onto the bed again.

The sound of the horn intruded his ears once more, with the woman blowing everything she had in her lungs to create the loudest of sounds. "Forty-two minutes less." she reminded them of Koyote's words, shutting the door.

"Kill me." Jyuzou stuffed his head into the pillow before Morio dragged him out of bed.

Following through and out of the room, the two Morians were met with wooden walls, divided with thin dents and patterned with small drawings etched in black ink. The ceiling was made of three layers, the first and third with thin planks extending vertically, and the second had them lay horizontally. There were these big, unreachable paper-like lamps hung from the planks which dimly lit the hallway, despite the light shining in from the open window.

Morio stared out for a second, meeting the river's calm flow, as the sounds of the first animals pondering in the morning rose greeted his ears. It was now up to Jyuzou to drag the other Morian toward their daily deeds. Moving along the spiral staircase, they passed the large, open corridor, and Morio peered around, finding the nearby waterfall with clear rocks which almost served as obstacles in the green path towards the liquids. The roof was now a deep red, and the floors had woollen carpets.

In the distance, there were no stairs, but an open room with a turn right next to a rather abstract painting.

"Where is Ms Koyote?" Morio asked, turning to Jyuzou, who shrugged, still trying to get his bearings after the sudden awakening. "We might get lost again if she doesn't help us!" Morio answered his indecisiveness.

"Agh." Jyuzou opened his mouth. "What other path is there for us to take?" he mumbled, stepping inside the fortress again. Taking a sharp turn, they heard sounds of metallic cutlery swiping around various plates or bowls. Passing a few more windows looking out to the mountain, they found a wooden railing and a table, with Ingo and Genni sitting on colourful duvets, enjoying breakfast.

To their surprise, Ingo was rather calm, taking each bite with strange precision, putting little thin bamboo sticks into some strange sauce before enjoying and savouring them with a stoic expression. His eyebrows were furrowed but in complete focus. On the opposite end of the table, sat Genni, who, contrasting her usual calm demeanour, stuffed everything into her mouth as fast as she could.

Harans think the way a person appreciates their food says a lot about their character, but in this case, Jyuzou, still rubbing his tired eyes, concluded that both respected their meals in very different ways.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top