⚠️ WARNING: The following scenes may contain graphic content regarding racism and discrimination in 1945 U.S.A. The author does not intend to sensationalize or upset the reader; discretion is advised.
🫠 Author's NoteI've been thinking too much. And… after so much thinking, I've decided to stop thinking, just to give myself a break. Sometimes, insecurities about my characters blind me, and I forget that I'm building a universe. So I'll think again—not to control them, but to let them live… and to live with them.—Tholio.HM (2025)
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Jack is in Vermont, the hidden forest of Vermont, preparing the pillars for the cabin's towers. The cabin, in a way, rests on four pillars embedded in the ground. He is adding soil and stones to seal the columns, ensuring that the house will be stable when the first and second floors are built. The planks are already cut.
Jack thinks: "Honestly, I didn't think it would be this hard. I had helped Kamei-san before with repairs, but this is really complicated."
Jack possesses a lot of strength; being a saint, his physical power is impressive. However, even for a meta-human, this kind of work is arduous, especially with only two months to complete it.
An angel appears to him and says: "You should take a break."
Jack gets excited upon seeing him and replies: "No, I'm not going to rest. Give me one more moment and I can finish this part."
Jack continues cutting the planks that will form the cabin's interior. Although he has a construction and carpentry book that Kamei-san gave him, it's not enough to complete the cabin's architecture. It requires technical support: columns, reinforcements, corners to hold the second floor, entrances for the rooms. The boards must be cut precisely to prevent the wood from warping, and nails, pitch, and other materials are needed to protect the cabin from moisture and termites. Fortunately, the cabin is being built next to Galton's house, in a cool and dry place, enough to comfortably house four people.
Jack reflects: "If I don't push myself, who will force me to? If I try, it will be the first step toward doubling my effort, because effort translates into the desire to get things done."
The angel speaks again: "I think you should rest."
But Jack responds: "No, if I rest I'll get melancholic again, and I'm already tired of living like this."
The angel nods and instructs: "Then, if you're going to keep working, place the weight of the stone in this direction. That way, when you cut the wood, it will come out straight and without problems. I know it's very difficult for one person to build a cabin with these rustic tools."
Jack smiles and says: "No, it's an honor and a blessing for me."
May 24, 1945
Kamei-san and Dánae crossed from Lecco, Italy, into Chiasso, Switzerland, passing through the Lombardy border in a commercial shipment. Chiasso, with its railway station, served as a key point to avoid walking all the way there. They managed to sneak through unnoticed.
Upon arriving at Giovanni's sister's house, it was her husband who spoke with Kamei-san. His name is Sepp, and he received them, albeit with hesitation; when he heard Kamei-san's name, his wife stopped him and recognized it: "Kamei-chi? …Kamei-chi? …oh… it's been so long, the last time I saw you, my mom was still cooking for me."
Chiara explained that they were family friends and that he was willing to help them as much as possible. They entered the house and sat at the guest table. While Chiara prepared a snack and dinner, Kamei-san presented the gold bar to Sepp. It weighed 2.76 kg, roughly equivalent to $3,105.76, a considerable sum for the time.
Kamei-san mentioned that he would give him half on the condition that Sepp helped him travel to the United States, by any means necessary: commercial shipment, temporary Swiss documentation, or whatever was needed to get there.
Sepp, an Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) with commercial connections, both acquaintances and close friends, warned that it would take one or two weeks to organize everything: "Are you sure you have to leave?" asks Sepp. "Switzerland is safe. No one comes here; we've kept everything under the radar. It's peaceful. We even offered Giovanni to stay, but he preferred the tavern. You can stay if you want… I mean, I think you have enough money to have one or more establishments."
"If I wanted to stay, I would have to work," replies Kamei-san. "I would love to, but… I have to go there… and take Dánae with me."
"That girl is important to you, isn't she?" Sepp.
"She became important when I decided she should be important," replies Kamei-san.
He thinks to himself: "I decided when I saw her; after so much time, I think… it's time to try once more…"
Dánae, incredulous, doesn't understand any of the conversation. "Again they speak in a language I don't understand… so annoying," she whispers to herself.
Kamei-san turns back to Sepp: "So, how could we get there?"
"There are commercial shipments heading to Washington," he explains. "They leave as industrial material, officially registered and inspected by Swiss personnel before shipping. We can arrange everything so that you and Dánae pass as internal inspectors of the shipment, or that's what I can think of; it's within my possibilities. That way they won't raise suspicion, and you can get there without problems. We wouldn't save the Swiss IDs, the passport, and all that documentation that could take months or years."
Kamei-san asks: "What are the risks?"
"The risk is that they could interrogate you, think you're a spy. But Chiara said you're extremely strong… if the cow photo is real, I think you'll be fine," Sepp replies. "Also, the gold bar is a guarantee: it ensures that those supervising the shipment won't ask questions. We can exchange it for francs and dollars, create a Swiss ID for you, and bribe the customs officers; I don't think they'll say anything and you can leave… but… you only need to go there, not looking for a specific airport?"
"I just need to get to this continent; it would take me too long to go on foot, and even at sea they place explosives. It's better to fly than expose Dánae to the war… will this amount of gold be enough?" asks Kamei-san.
"I'm surprised you treat that gold bar as if it were a stone."
"Hahaha," Kamei-san laughs. "Well, at least I don't have to worry that much."
"That's true, but if you're going to pose as an inspector, you'll have to cut that hair and those braids."
"The braids stay, and so does the hair," Kamei-san replies firmly.
"One question," Sepp says. "In the photo of Chiara's grandfather, you look exactly the same. Doesn't your hair grow?"
"Yes, it grows, but only when the spirit changes. For now, my spirit is stable. Hair grows with the person, with exceptions: even if I'm immortal, I'm an ancestor."
"Ancestor" is the term for a failed saint, not chosen by God. It doesn't diminish their value as a person.
"Then you'll sleep here for a week, or at most two; we'll go to Altstadt in Zürich. That's where I can drop you off."
"Alright… at least I won't worry about bombings or trench patrols."
They shake hands. "I hope everything goes without interruptions or setbacks."
"I hope so," Kamei-san replies. "I have to get there as soon as possible. I can't afford another three years."
They spent five days at Sepp and Chiara's house. They used the time to organize everything: the Swiss documents, the gold exchange, the uniforms, provisions, and some keepsakes. Finally, the day came to board at Zürich-Kloten Airport, which was already functioning as a civilian and military hub open to international traffic under Swiss neutrality. Once again, the gold sealed the necessary silences.
The chosen flight was not direct. In 1945, transatlantic routes still required technical stops. A modified Swissair cargo plane, in collaboration with allied military lines, carried goods to the United States. The usual route included refueling stops in Shannon (Ireland) and, occasionally, in Gander (Newfoundland, Canada), before crossing to the North American east coast.
In total, the flight from Zürich to Washington D.C. took about 22 hours, including stops. A nonstop journey would have been impossible in 1945, as planes of the time (like the Douglas DC-4) did not yet have the range for a direct transatlantic flight.
When the plane finally landed at Washington National Airport (now Reagan National Airport), the reception protocol was simple: boxes of military supplies, equipment, and a supposed Swiss inspector accompanying the shipment.
The U.S. inspector asked for his ID and why he was with the shipment; however, Kamei-san grabbed his backpack, wiped the sleep from his eyes, yawned, and with Dánae asleep in his arms, handed him the last envelope he had: "I'm sleepy… oooo… it's awful to travel by plane… here… Merry Christmas."
He left brazenly; the inspector wanted to stop him, but when he saw the envelope with five months' pay, he just smiled and said: "Have a good day, sir… and… Merry Christmas."
Kamei-san and Dánae got out as best they could, because the man had fallen asleep in a public park. Their Asian appearance, along with the presence of a Russian girl, caught the attention of police, alerted by an elderly woman.
"Identify yourselves! Hey, Asian rat! Identify yourselves!"
Kamei-san opened one eye and said: "The girl is sleeping, don't be reckless. Or tell me: didn't your mother teach you not to shout at your elders? In my times, if someone spoke to you, they'd beat you to death…"
The soldiers said: "Hands up! And… drunken Chinese too!…"
However, Kamei-san, with momentum, ran with Dánae in his arms and said: "Damn it… what do you have against Asians… as if we were a Naja atra."
Dánae woke up and said: "Good morning… ohhh… again they're not chasing, what did you do?"
"Nothing… I said something about their moms and they got mad."
"Kami… we're in America."
"Yes, we left the airport three hours ago."
"Ohh… well, could you stop shaking me so much? I need to go to the bathroom again."
"Dánae, wait until we at least reach Vermont."
"And where is that?"
"Up north. We'll get there in about 14 hours at this pace, but I'm tired… I want to sleep and eat Zhou with beef."
"What's Zhou?"
"Dánae, there are things I don't want you to learn."
After escaping the police, Kamei-san rested in a quieter area: a forested spot near Pig Tail Lake, just outside the city.
"I may be immortal, but I need my seven hours of sleep."
"Oooo… I'm sleepy, and everything we went through just to get to another country where I don't even know the language… Ahh! How much longer?!… I'm tired of peeing like an animal, behind bushes or on a dead soldier's helmet."
"It's not far now, Dánae. If I rest for two more hours, I'll have enough energy to reach Vermont and pass into Vermot; Jack must be waiting for me."
"Who is Jack?" Dánae asked.
"A young guy… not so young… who is immortal like me… and soon like you too."
"Will I be able to be immortal?" Dánae said excitedly.
"Yes," Kamei-san replied wearily.
"Like you?"
"Better than me…"
Dánae nestled under Kamei-san's arm. Both were sitting on a tree, too tired to keep their eyes open.
"Kami…?"
"Yes."
"I miss my parents so much…"
Kamei-san fell silent for a moment and said:"I miss people too, Dánae. I miss… Liang Hua, Liang Wei, Liang Xiu, Liang Bo, Liang Rong, Liang Yun, Zhou Yan, Liang Jian, Altansarnai, Batu, Tömöriin, Saruul, Enkhbayar, Erdene, Bolormaa, Ganbold, Mönkh, Narantsetseg, Sükhbaatar, Sudsakorn, Anong, Kiet, Malee, Phailin, Somchai, Takeda Aiko, Takeda Haru, Takeda Nao, Takeda Ren, Takeda Yumi, Takeda Michi, Takeda Aya, Takeda Kenta, Takeda Sora, Takeda Hana, Chime Drolma, Jigme, Pema, Sonam, Karma, Dechen."
"Who are all of them?"
Dánae closed her eyes. Kamei-san, exhausted, cried as he spoke:"They were my wives… children… grandchildren… from them I learned to love… to make mistakes… to forgive and have the courage to be strong. If it weren't for them, I would have given up in the first hundred years… I lived those lives, and I loved them all fiercely, hoping they wouldn't leave… and that's why now I'm forgiving myself… it was hard for me to love again…"
Dánae fell asleep before hearing everything he said; however, Kamei-san smiled and said:"God, thank you for bringing me here safely…"
Kamei-san closed his eyes and slept alongside Dánae for eighteen hours.
He woke up, and it was four in the morning. He stretched and said:"Well, we have to reach Vermont, Dánae, get up."
"I don't want to."
"If you don't get up, I'll throw you into the lake."
Dánae rose in a single motion, but, just waking up, she couldn't see where she was going.
"Ready… let's go."
However, Dánae slipped and fell headfirst into the lake.
"Hahaha."
"Why are you laughing? It's not funny."
"Hahaha…"
"Hahaha."
They understood each other, but the moment ended because a person exploring the area saw them in the distance:"Hey! Who are you?!"
Kamei-san didn't want any trouble. He grabbed Dánae, carrying her on his back, and ran north.
"Be careful, ugh, I think this isn't land," Dánae said with disgust.
"Dánae, that doesn't matter. In a few hours we'll reach Vermont and go to the enclosed forest."
"How long will it take?"
"If I don't stop, we'll get there in the afternoon before sunset."
"Finally… but… do you have any money left? I'm hungry and I want meat, or this time I might try the strawberry with chocolate. I'm not picky, so I'm asking for ice cream."
"As soon as we reach a town or village, I'll buy it for you."
They continued in a straight line toward Vermont, and by five in the afternoon they reached the tree.
"Alright, Dánae, we've arrived at the door."
Dánae looked incredulously:"I don't get it… the door is… a tree?"
"Take my hand."
Fascinated, Dánae realized that the tree was moving. The ground seemed to embrace them as if receiving two kings about to enter an unknown place. The tree split in half like an entrance, and only the darkness of the interior could be seen, like a cave.
"Kami, it's so dark."
"Look ahead."
When Dánae was blinded by the light, she rubbed her eyes to see, realizing it was a huge forest. It was five in the afternoon in the outside world, but in Vermont it seemed like dawn. There were insects, fireflies, butterflies, squirrels, beautiful birds, and trees of many species. In the north there were pines and cedars, while to the west there was mahogany. Beyond the cave, there was more land, just one hill from many that were there.
"Ohh, for some reason this forest is prettier than the one outside, although I don't understand how a tree can lead to a cave, and inside that cave there's this… and why is it daytime if it's five in the afternoon?"
In her eight-year-old mind, Dánae couldn't contain her curiosity, intrigue, and the questions that puzzled her.
"I don't understand."
"I think eating too many candies isn't good for you," Kamei-san said.
"Don't take my sweets away," Dánae replied.
"Alright, get on my back. The cabin should be close."
Kamei-san moved from structure to structure, as there was a path inside the cave formed by columns stacked three meters apart, leading toward a river that connected to the whole forest. In Vermot, there were six rivers, all interconnected like an infinite spiral, a place that only the science God gave to angels could create.
"How much farther?"
"Not much. Look, there's this… another cabin?"
"Yes… after this, I want to eat."
In the distance, Jack shouted excitedly:"Kamei-san! You finally arrived! Stupid old man! Hahaha!"
Kamei-san jumped to reach them, because the cabin was on the edge of a steep hill. Like a grasshopper, he soared up and landed as lightly as a feather.
"What are you doing?" Kamei-san asked.
"The angel said… he ordered me to build it… for the new saints."
"You're covered in pitch."
"Hahaha… I thought you'd take longer."
Dánae climbed down from Kamei-san's back and said:"Hello… Hey, your name is Jack, right?"
Jack looked at her in astonishment, completely frozen, not knowing what to say. It was like seeing himself. He saw in her the innocence of a child, the purest act of creation, of life itself. Looking at her intensely, he said:"You are… one of the saints, right?"
"That can't be," Dánae replied in amazement. "You have hair as long as Kamei-san's… I'll call you Broom Man Two."
Jack couldn't stop looking at her. He thought:"She's a saint, she's beautiful, although I don't know what's up with her eyebrows. Her hair has the color of the forest in autumn, she has freckles, so many, and her eyes are green, like plants, but crystal clear. Her nose is straight, like a triangle. It's as if God took a tree and gave it life."
"Kamei-san, is she one of the Saints?"
Kamei-san replied:"Yes, she is the Saint of Nature, the saint of plants and everything that lives from the earth… she is the fourth… the fourth saint."
"Don't look at me like that, you're scaring me," Dánae said to Jack, who couldn't stop staring at her.
Jack looked down, lost in his thoughts and impressions, recalling pains with his parents and with Galton over the past twenty years. He also reflected on everything he had thought about in the last three years, deciding to move forward if he had the chance to feel that his life had a purpose beyond the prophecy imposed on him… he wanted to be free of his destiny.
With firmness and respect, he said to Dánae:"Hello… let me introduce myself… my name is Jack."
He shook her hand and said:"I am the Saint of Fire… the first saint… the Saint of Prophecy."
He tried to smile, forcing himself not to get too emotional, wanting to hide the excitement of seeing another saint and another person in Vermot.
Dánae looked at Jack, intuiting what he was trying to say, and said:"Hello, strange being from the forest inside a tree, my name is Dánae Anastasia Valcliev Kirov. Nice to meet you." She bowed in a reverent gesture.
However, Jack couldn't understand her language.
"Excuse me, what are you saying?"
"Kamei-san, what is she saying? I don't understand her."
Kamei-san said:"She speaks Russian. Don't worry, you'll learn her language."
"From what I can see, you still have half of the new cabin left. Do you want me to help you finish it?"
Jack asked:"Will you stay here?"
Kamei-san responded with a smile:"Yes, Jack, this time I'll stay here. I'll continue traveling, but only when necessary. I've decided I will be part of what God is doing with you…"
Jack tried not to cry, because in his heart, a confined space was very hard to endure alone. Kamei-san was in Vermot, but only came by occasionally.
Wiping his tears, Jack said:"Wait, two more are missing."
Kamei-san replied:"That's right, two more are missing. Galton should be bringing them; I just hope they're okay."
Jack responded:"I can't expect anything good from that man; they must be having a hard time."
Kamei-san said:"Don't worry about that. Come on, we'll help you. If we work together, we'll finish in four days."