High above the sky, everyone clutched the eagle feathers tightly with both hands, a primal fear of falling to their deaths gripping them if they dared to let go. The crisp breeze whipped against their faces as the two majestic eagles soared, finally crossing the churning expanse of the Endless River of Sorrow and climbing higher into the vast sky.
"Why do they call this river the Endless River of Sorrow?" Hajime called out, his voice cutting through the wind.
Yul leaned closer, raising his voice to be heard. "It's named after the grave mistakes made by our ancestors. A long time ago, a group of innocent people were cruelly forced to throw themselves into this very river. Since that day, the clear water has turned into blood, and it can no longer be used for fishing or farming. Therefore, the locals began calling it the Endless River of Sorrow."
Hajime frowned, a flash of irritation crossing his face. "We didn't do anything wrong. Why should we bear the consequences of our ancestors' actions?"
The five of them had no idea how many hours they had been flying, but they knew it must have been at least half a day, for the sun had already begun its descent towards the eastern horizon. They flew on and on, seeing nothing but an unbroken expanse of water as far as the eye could see.
Abrafo's stomach rumbled loudly, a stark contrast to the endless emptiness below. "How long have we been flying?" he grumbled, his voice a dry rasp.
U-ri, ever the scholar, replied, "If I'm not mistaken, we've been airborne for half a day now."
"I haven't seen any land, or even a single bird," Yul observed, a worried crease forming between his brows.
"How is it possible?" Michio murmured, his voice laced with unease.
Hajime wondered if there was something profoundly wrong with the river itself. According to Yul's grim tale, thousands had perished here. He began to suspect a powerful curse. "U-ri," he asked, his tone serious, "is this river cursed?"
U-ri shook his head slowly, a grim expression on his face. "I don't know for certain, but according to some ancient books I've read, thousands of Kakungga people did indeed drown in this river."
"Accidental drowning?" Hajime pressed, a faint shadow crossing his features.
U-ri sighed, a heavy sound. "No. They were forced to drown."
Hajime's silver eyes hardened. He swiftly took out a small, intricately folded paper butterfly from his sleeve. He gently kissed the delicate paper, then whispered, "Stay here." With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it into the air, and it shimmered, remaining suspended exactly where he released it.
Abrafo, ever the provocateur, teased with a grin, "Madame Bayarmaa, what are you doing now?"
Hajime shot him a sharp look. "Marking our tracks. If the dead were not accidental but forced, then they must have harbored a great deal of hatred for the person or persons who hurt them. If we fly back to this butterfly after a few hours, then that means we are merely circling a cursed river." His gaze swept over the four men, his voice growing solemn. "The spirits won't let us cross."
"Yul!" Abrafo shouted loudly, a booming laugh escaping him. "Your wife is very smart! It's a pity that she's old!" He winked at Yul, then turned to Hajime, his grin widening. "Madame Bayarmaa, I bet you must have been incredibly beautiful when you were young!"
Hajime drew himself up, a boastful glint in his eyes. "Of course!"
"How many children do you have?" Abrafo pressed, clearly enjoying himself.
"None," Hajime replied, his tone dismissive.
Michio's eyes widened in disbelief. "You are so old but have no children? I don't believe it!"
"I don't want to have children, so I decided to marry a man!" Hajime retorted, a defiant note in his voice. U-ri, Michio, and Abrafo burst into riotous laughter, their guffaws echoing across the sky. "What's so funny?" Hajime demanded, his face reddening. "Do you think it's strange for a man to marry a man?"
Abrafo, still clutching his stomach and gasping for breath between laughs, pointed a trembling finger at Hajime. "You are so old, your brain isn't working properly, and you still think of yourself as a man!"
Michio wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Amitabha…Ha…ha…ha…ha… Amitabha…"
Hajime glared at the three men, who were now bent over in helpless mirth. A slow, terrifying anger began to simmer within him, his silver eyes narrowing to slits. He offered them an unnervingly sweet, evil smile, then uttered a single, chilling word: "Disappear."
The eagle on which the three men sat vanished without a trace, leaving them suspended in the empty sky. Their screams of horror ripped through the air, quickly fading as they plummeted towards the blood-red waters below. In an instant, the wooden eagle appeared, small and harmless, in the palm of Hajime's left hand.
Yul, his heart jolting with shock, grabbed Hajime's shoulder, his grip urgent. "Bring them back!" he demanded, his voice sharp with alarm.
Hajime looked at the small wood carving in his hand, a stubborn set to his jaw. "I refuse. How dare they call me a liar?"
"You're a woman," Yul insisted, his voice exasperated. "It's wrong for them to laugh at you, but they're not wrong about you mistakenly thinking you are a man."
Hajime froze, his eyes widening as he suddenly realized the truth of Yul's words: he was still in the disguise of an old woman. An angry flush spread across his wrinkled face. "Fine!" he snapped, taking a deep, indignant breath. He then threw the wooden carving down with surprising force, yelling, "Catch them!"
A few minutes later, the eagle reappeared, soaring shakily beside Hajime and Yul. The three men, clinging to its back, were still visibly trembling, their faces ashen.
Hajime looked at the terrified men, a triumphant, almost childish laugh escaping him. "Who's laughing now?" he crowed, pointing a finger at the three, continuing his triumphant cackle.
"How dare you do that to us, you ugly old hag!" Abrafo screamed back, his face contorted with outrage and fear.
Hajime scoffed, a chilling coldness in his voice. "If you want to free-fall for a second round, please keep talking and calling me names." He stared at Abrafo with an icy gaze that promised severe consequences.
Michio, his face pale, quickly reached over and clamped a hand over Abrafo's mouth.
Abrafo jerked away Michio's hand, his eyes wild. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, wrestling against Michio's restraining hand.
"I don't want to go for round two, so you better stop talking!" Michio hissed back, his own fear still evident.
The two men continued to argue, their voices rising.
U-ri was about to tell the two to stop fighting when his gaze caught on a small, faint spark of golden light appearing in front of them. He pointed forward, his voice a sudden, urgent shout. "Everyone, look!" He pointed to the shiny object ahead. "What's ahead of us?"
Abrafo and Michio instantly stopped arguing, their heads snapping forward. All four men looked intently to where U-ri pointed.
Hajime murmured, a flicker of despair in his eyes, "That's my butterfly."
"What do you mean?" Michio asked, confusion clouding his features.
Yul looked at the three sitting on the other eagle, a grim realization dawning on him. "We're flying in circles."
Biting his lower lip, Hajime confirmed, his voice tight, "Angry souls won't let us leave." He looked at Yul, a profound sadness in his eyes. "No wonder those who've left never return."
"What shall we do?" U-ri asked, his voice filled with urgency. "Shall we go back?"
"We are forcing our way out of here," Hajime declared, his voice firm, his resolve hardening. He looked at the four men, his gaze unwavering. With a swift motion, he sent three glowing talisman papers to them, one each. "Hold on, don't lose it." He gave Yul one as well, his eyes meeting Yul's. "The same goes for you. Don't lose it."
Hajime took out another paper talisman, larger than the others, and sent it down into the river below. He closed his eyes, his lips moving silently as he began chanting. The single talisman transformed, blossoming into thousands of blinding lightning bolts that struck the water's surface. As the lightning hit, piercing screams rose from the river, echoing to the sky, and thousands of spectral spirits flew around the two eagles, swirling like a malevolent storm. Hajime then took out his silver bangle, throwing it into the air. The bangle expanded rapidly, forming a shimmering, transparent barrier that covered and protected both eagles.
"What did you do?!" Abrafo shouted, his voice laced with renewed terror.
"Enrage the spirits!" Hajime shouted back, his voice surprisingly gleeful amidst the chaos.
"Why would you do that?!" Yul demanded, his eyes wide with alarm.
"Didn't I tell you?" Hajime yelled over the ghostly wails. "We're going to force our way out of here!"
Michio's lips trembled, his face pale. "Enrage the spirits? This is not looking good."
"It's a perfect idea!" Hajime retorted, a triumphant smile on his face. "If the spirits don't wake up angry, how do I know which one is my ancestor? I need my ancestors to help me!"
"So, you are a descendant of the Kakungga tribe?" U-ri asked, his voice filled with a new understanding.
Hajime nodded, a proud glint in his silver eyes. "I am." Just then, a small, radiant golden butterfly appeared, fluttering gently in front of the five of them. Hajime smiled, a genuine warmth in his expression. "We follow that butterfly."
The eagles followed the golden butterfly, which danced ahead, leading the five people across the cursed river. When they were close to the escape gateway, thousands of spectral ghost hands erupted from the blood-red water, clawing and reaching, trying desperately to pull them down. But they were protected by the impenetrable magic wall of the bangle.
Thousands of angry ghost hands began to slam against the transparent crystal fortress, their ethereal forms distorting as they tried to break through the magic wall of the bangle. Slowly, agonizingly, the transparent crystal fortress began to crack, thin lines of fracture spreading across its surface.
"The top is cracked!" U-ri yelled, pointing up, his voice filled with alarm as he watched the magic wall begin to zigzag down from top to bottom.
Michio, acting swiftly, stood up. He quickly drew a luminous talisman in the air, its lines glowing with protective energy. Before any spirit could venture down through the widening crack, he sent the drawn talisman up, sealing the opening above.
Yul looked at Hajime, his voice urgent. "Can you make this thing fly faster?"
"I can't," Hajime replied, his eyes fixed on the golden butterfly. "I'm chasing that golden butterfly. If we lose sight of that butterfly, we're screwed, and we'll be wandering in this river forever!"
"Your magic wall can't hold it anymore!" Abrafo shouted, grabbing the hilt of the sword on his back, ready for a fight he knew he couldn't win.
Just as the top of the magic wall completely collapsed above them, the golden butterfly suddenly burst into hundreds of tiny golden particles, forming a shimmering, open gateway. The two eagles flew straight into the radiant gate, and a powerful, almost deafening wind roared past the five men. Hundreds of screams and cries died away behind them, swallowed by the river as the powerful force of the gate pushed the five people out. With a collective scream of horror, they tumbled through, falling uncontrollably onto the sandy beach on the other side of the Endless River of Sorrow.
Hajime landed face down, spitting sand from his mouth. He vigorously wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry, I..." he began, spitting and wiping his mouth again, clearly disoriented.
Michio grunted in pain, slowly pushing himself up. "I'm still alive," he mumbled, then heard U-ri moan softly beside him. "U-ri, where are you?"
U-ri moaned, his voice strained. "You, stupid monk…you are sitting on me…"
Michio yelled, "What? I can barely hear you! Louder!"
"Get off of me!" U-ri groaned, his voice a little stronger this time.
Abrafo stood up beside Michio and U-ri, dusting himself off. He chuckled, pointing. "You are sitting on him, Michio."
Michio quickly scrambled off U-ri, his face flushing. "I'm sorry!" He immediately helped U-ri up.
"Is everyone alright?" Yul asked, already on his feet, assessing his companions.
Abrafo was startled when he saw Hajime sitting on the sand, still wiping his mouth. "Yul!" he exclaimed, pointing a shocked finger. "Look!"
Michio stared at Hajime, his eyes wide. "Who is he?" he asked, completely confused.
Abrafo looked around, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Where's your wife, Yul? Eh... could it be, your wife has fallen to her death?" He giggled, unable to resist.
Yul looked around, not seeing his "old wife." His gaze then landed on a young man in his early twenties, sitting with his back to them, about twenty feet away.
Hajime heard Abrafo's mocking voice and quickly spun around, his irritation clear. "You are the only one who fell to your death!" he snapped, then frantically approached the men, his concern overriding his anger. "Is everyone okay?" The men, still dazed, nodded. "Sorry for the hard landing. When I'm scared, my mind goes blank, so everything I've created is lost!"
"Who are you?" Yul asked, his voice puzzled.
Hajime offered a dazzling, flirtatious smile. "It's me. Your beloved wife."
Yul stared blankly. "My wife is an old lady. You are a young man."
Hajime rushed to the river's edge, gazing at his reflection in the water. "Why does it disappear? How is it possible? So, when I am afraid, even my disguise will disappear?" he mumbled to himself, truly perplexed. He slowly walked back towards the confused men, his expression thoughtful. He stopped abruptly, staring at the four men. "What are you four looking at?"
"You, of course," Yul replied simply.
Hajime sighed, a hint of exasperation in his tone. "Well, the old lady is one of my disguises. This is my real face."
Michio's confusion deepened. "Then you're a man?" He looked from Yul to Hajime, his expression a mixture of shock and dawning realization. "You and him… husband and wife…?"
Hajime folded his arms across his chest, a challenging glint in his silver eyes. "So?"
Abrafo, ever pragmatic, dusted the sand off his robe. "You don't have to worry, Michio. Many royal families have male mistresses. In Tanzang, this is not a problem. My brother has one."
U-ri nodded, a look of understanding on his face. "No wonder you told General Kazan at the meeting that even if you are young, you cannot bear children."
Michio, his curiosity piqued, reached over and grabbed a handful of Hajime's striking white hair, pulling lightly on Hajime's distinctly pointed ears. "I want to know why you want to marry a man," he said, his voice earnest. "Please tell us!"
Hajime slapped Michio's hand away, his expression one of disgust. "Don't touch me! It's disgusting! How long do you intend to interrogate me?"
"Look at your abnormal ears," Abrafo pointed out, unable to resist. "They are pointy at the top!"
Yul, ignoring the four squabbling men, turned his gaze back towards the Endless River of Sorrow. In his mind's eye, he could clearly see Tanzang, its people walking happily in the marketplace, the tall palace standing proud in the distance. He knew that the fate of the kingdom rested entirely in the hands of the five of them, and it was his solemn duty to protect the safety of everyone. He must not fail this mission. With a renewed sense of purpose, he picked up his bag and began walking away from the bickering group.
The four men saw Yul leaving them behind. With a scramble, they quickly grabbed their own bags and hurried to catch up. As the five men began to leave the river and enter the desert terrain, the sand behind them slowly shifted, silently moving to erase their footprints, as if swallowing their passage into the vast, unknown land.