Curse of the Eight [Flashback]

[Shinku]

Setting: Opealon on one of the lesser known floating islands

It was a fair afternoon, the sky painted with the tangerine blaze of the setting sun which casted long shadows on the forest just outside of Shinku’s hometown. The air gradually became crisp, filled with the fragrance of orchids that hang on evergreen oaks. Without any noise from the forest’s usual creatures, the edge of the woods would have been a serene place if not for the clash of metals that disturbed the creatures within it.

A spear and a sword bashed against each other, both being handled by kids? The battle however, though an intense one, was rather short lived.

“I yield!,” the boy handling the spear exclaimed as his back hit the trunk of an old oak tree.

“Well that was quick,” young Shinku stated, as he retracted his sword and returned it to its sheathe.

“You ARE getting faster every time we spar. I don’t think I’ll catch up to your skill anytime soon,” the boy remarked, as he tried to catch his own breath.

“That’s because you’re always just messing around,” another boy of large build suddenly spoke up from the side, making young Shinku and his sparring partner turn their heads at him.

“Says the boy who does nothing but eat buns all day,” the spear practitioner complained, nagging at the boy who simply sat by a nearby tree, both his hands occupied by buns.

“Nah! I also have mochi here and some rice cakes. Perhaps you’d like to have some?,” the boy offered, as he consumed some buns that he held earlier.

“Ha! That’s exactly why you’re here isn’t it?,” the boy with the spear blurted, letting go of his weapon and rushed towards the boy who offered the meal.

Young Shinku followed immediately, helping himself with the obese boy’s food.

“Hey guys! Have you heard of the demon’s cave?,” the spear holder blurted out as he munched on some buns.

“Who wouldn’t….no…no, no, no, no, Takeo! I know what you’re thinking and we refuse!,” young Shinku responded nonchalantly at first but seemed to have realized where the discussion would lead to.

“Yeah we refuse…whatever it is,” the obese boy seconded, in a rather slow and dull tone.

“Oh come on guys! Aren’t you curious about what's inside?,” Takeo, as he was referred to by Shinku, pleaded as he stood up to convince his fellows.

“It wasn’t even a week when we had to clean the village elder’s house because you freed his pigs and made them rampage all over the place! And now, you want to put us in trouble again! No!,” Shinku argued, his voice stern and cold.

“You know that I just needed to get my top that got inside. I didn’t mean to break the pig pen’s gate,” Takeo explained, his tone as persuasive as he could. “And besides, the cave is deep in the forest! We won’t mess with anything owned by anyone in there so what could go wrong?,” he continued, in a continuous attempt to convince the other two.

“If you haven’t noticed yet, it’s about to get dark. We’ll be in trouble if we stay too long outside the village. Besides, I have to help father set up the town square for tomorrow’s festival,” Shinku retorted before grabbing a piece of rice cake.

“But I saw Yuki’s father already working with him a while ago. I don’t think he’d need your help anymore. And that’s exactly why this is the perfect time for us to go. Everyone’s busy for tomorrow’s festival. None of them will notice,” Takeo insisted, seemingly determined to proceed with his mere quest of curiosity.

“No, and you won’t change my mind no matter what. There are a lot more things we can do here instead of just messing around somewhere,” Shinku lectured, his face obviously lacking some interest at his friend’s invitation.

“Oh well, I guess this time I have to go alone,” Takeo sighed, as he walked away to pick up his spear and lumbered his way out of the training area.

Shinku and their other companion however, didn’t seem to mind as they continued their meal while the spear holder slowly walked farther away from them.

“Hey are you sure we are going to let him be?,” the obese boy whispered after a few moments of their friend’s egress. They could still see Takeo for a while before the boy finally disappeared within the trees of the forest.

“No, not you Ikuma. You don’t believe he’d actually go there alone don’t you?,” Shinku responded though somehow, his eyes showed some hints of anxiety.

“Well, he definitely walked that way,” Ikuma continued, his eyes still staring at the direction where Takeo went.

“Nah! he’ll be back you’ll see. Just wait a bit and you’ll see him running back,” Shinku denied, before letting off a deep sigh.

“But he’s…” Ikuma was about to speak out more but realizing that Shinku had made his mind to remain in place, he chose to just shut his mouth and stared at the place where his friend disappeared to.

Ikuma stared at the forest for a while, before getting back on consuming his food. Shinku on the other hand, tried to ignore the whole situation, yet his unsettling quick consumption of meal proved how tense he actually felt at the moment.

A couple of moments have passed, but there wasn’t even a single shadow of their friend returning to them.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!,” Shinku exclaimed, as he quickly stood up and followed Takeo after downing a mouthful of buns. His steps were quick and heavy, his fists clenched in agitation.

With his friend leaving, Ikuma decided to quickly consume the bun he held and ran after Shinku. Though a bit slow, his longer legs allowed him to at least catch up with his friend’s frenzied strides.

“I knew you couldn’t resist our friend,” Ikuma said, as he caught up with the agitated Shinku.

“That bastard! When will he ever learn to stop messing around!,” Shinku yelled, his phase quickening as he cursed his troublesome friend.

 

[Shinku]

“I knew you’d come!,” Takeo shouted as he descended from a gingko biloba tree, seeing Shinku and Ikuma walk towards his direction.

“You crazy bastard! You never learn don’t you!,” Shinku barked, surprised at finally seeing Takeo after a couple minutes of walking. The sun had become blazing red and had almost sunken into the world, yet its light was still enough to barely illuminate the day.

“Hey guys!” More to his surprise, another boy appeared from behind the large tree, holding a painting canvas on his right hand, with a brown leather satchel bag strapped on his body. The boy quickly greeted them with a full smile, making Ikuma return the greeting but Shinku doesn’t seem to be happy at the boy’s presence. Or perhaps, one could judge that he’s merely worried to say the least.

“No, not you too Chizuo!” Shinku exclaimed in disbelief as the boy walked towards him.

“I found him painting by the lake and convinced him to come.” Takeo answered on behalf of Chizuo as he finally landed from the tall tree.

“Well, I have always longed to paint that sinister demon cave. I will never pass this chance to create another wonderful masterpiece!” Chizuo exclaimed, raising both his hands to emphasize his point.

“You’re seriously thinking of painting when it’s about to get dark?,” Shinku complained, as his worries continued to pile up.

“A makeshift torch will do just fine and besides, how can I capture the horror and mystery in the cave when I don’t paint it at night!,” Chizuo responded in his fiery bravado, his eyes glistening in spite of the dusk’s dimming light. The boy seemed frighteningly pumped up just like Takeo, further decreasing Shinku’s chance to break their ridiculous plan.

“You guys are hopeless,” Shinku could only sigh with a facepalm, leaving him no choice but to put up with his friends’ small adventure.

“Now ease up dude! Shouldn’t you be less worried now that we have another person in our group? With the four of us going to that cave, what could actually go wrong?” Takeo spoke yet again, trying to convince Shinku to drop his worries. He walked right beside Shinku, placing his hand across his friend’s shoulder, as if the gesture could help in convincing the young swordsman.

“What about disturbing the spirits that live inside. Or waking up an actual demon in the DEMON cave!” Shinku barked, still a bit enraged at his friend’s ridiculous idea. He stepped back to break his friend’s embrace emphasizing his strong disapproval.

“Oh come on! You seriously believe that stuff! I bet they’re just making that up so we won’t discover the treasures they’re hiding inside. Yeah that’s right! There must be treasures there that they don’t want us to find!,” Takeo exclaimed, convincing himself that they’re doing the right thing.

“And don’t you forget that time when we brought all those wasps into the village just because you were CURIOUS!,” Shinku nagged even louder, hoping to knock some sense into Takeo.

“We did not bring them over, they chased us. And besides, there’s more of us now. We can handle any situation better,” Takeo grinned, his will remained unbreakable.

“Jeeze! Nothing can ever stop you when you set your mind on something don’t you?,” Shinku complained, defeated at the hope that he could change Takeo’s mind.

“Hey, will you include me in that painting? I want a painting of myself inside that demon cave. You know, so that the others won’t call me a coward anymore.” Meanwhile, Ikuma and Chizuo were having their own conversation while the other two argued at the side.

“Of course! You can count on me to give you a magnificent portrait!,” Chizuo responded in confidence, giving a full smile at Ikuma.

“But do you think they’d believe us when we tell them that we went to the demon cave?” As quickly as his confidence was boosted, so was the abruptness of its loss as Ikuma seemingly bowed his head in sudden despair. “I really doubt they’d believe it, especially from me.”

“Now cheer up my friend! Even if they don’t, wouldn’t it be enough that you actually braved the darkness of the night to go there?,” Chizuo encouraged, seeing how depressed Ikuma has suddenly become.

“But…”

“Alright! Let’s go!” Ikuma was about to respond at Chizuo but Takeo’s cheery invitation broke up his friends’ small conversation. The spearman whistled a cheery tone as he walked ahead of everyone. Shinku, on the other hand, walked with a heavy heart but followed his friend anyway.

The cry of wolves could already be heard from a distance but none could seem to reach any of the boys’ ears.

“Come on, cheer up! We got you!” Chizuo gave Ikuma a light tap in the back before following after Takeo and Shinku.

“EEEEEEEEEKKKKKK! HELP US!” The boys hadn't even gotten that far when the sudden scream from a girl caught their attention.

As they turned, everyone was surprised to see a young Yuki and another girl who yelled at the top of her lungs as they rushed towards their direction. What alarmed them however, was the sight of a large boar that chased after the girls who were surprisingly fast enough to quickly get past them.

“Someone, please kill that boar!,” Yuki’s companion continued screaming as they ran farther from the others. Both were obviously half fatigued but were amazingly able to keep their speed.

Takeo tightened his grip on his spear and Shinku quickly unsheathed his sword, in an attempt to fight the raging boar.

“Forget it! Let’s run!” Chizuo yelled, shattering his friends’ bare attempt at courage. Ikuma, though being the largest among them, had already escaped first, almost catching up to the girls.

Influenced by their fleeing friends, Shinku and Takeo couldn’t help but follow after their escape. They scampered as fast as they could with the boar simply a hand’s length away from the two who lagged behind.

“Run!” Takeo went ahead and Shinku followed right after, as the large boar continued to chase after them. Could it have been training or their mere will to survive that they all seemed to outspeed the raging beast.

 

[Shinku]

The chase inside the forest disturbed creatures that they wouldn’t have thought to be around. More thumps of hooves could be heard around them, chorused with cries from birds and several other creatures as the boar rampaged towards the kids.

They made some deers leap out of the bushes, some birds flew away from the low trees and some smaller animals ran away to find refuge elsewhere.

Their bad situation turned to worse as Yuki tripped over a log and fell face forward to the ground. Her girl companion quickly skidded to a stop and ran back to help her. Ikuma on the other hand simply went past them, seemingly with his eyes closed, unaware of his friend’s unfortunate accident.

“Come on, stand up!,” Yuki’s female companion urged in panic as she tried to pull her friend up.

“I’m…trying,” Yuki groaned, as she struggled to raise herself from the ground.

Chizuo quickly skidded to help the two, who were both successful to finally have Yuki regain her stance. “Can you still run?,” the boy asked in concern, seeing both the girl’s knees bleeding.

“Go on, I can manage,” Yuki responded, as she looked back to see Takeo and Shinku quickly catching up with the boar tailing behind.

“This is not good. This is not good indeed,” Chizuo trembled, yet turned around and pulled the wagasa that hung on his back.

“Move out!,” a sudden yell made Chizuo look back yet again and quickly move aside in panic upon seeing a boy up an oak tree with a loaded bow.

Shinku and Takeo were luckily able to hear the command as well and notice the same boy that they were quickly able to steer away as an arrow flew past them. One shot hit the boar by its right shoulder then a follow up one just below the first shot. The shots were able to successfully throw the pig out of balance, making it fall and bulldoze the ground till it finally stopped just in front of Chizuo.

“It’s dead isn’t it,” Chizuo stuttered as he held his wagasa against the downed boar.

“It will be, soon enough!,” the one who made the shot yelled as he jumped down from the tree and walked towards them. “And thanks for the hog,” he continued, as he walked past Chizuo and marched straight to the boar. The beast jerked for a while before finally succumbing to death.

Shinku quickly ran towards Yuki to check on the wounded girl. Chizuo on the other hand, called out to Ikuma who immediately stopped on his tracks and finally noticed the downed beast. He tried to catch his breath for a while before lumbering back to his friends.

“You guys off somewhere?,” the young hunter asked as he pulled a knife from his waist and started punching holes at the boar’s rear tendons just above its hooves.

“We’re visiting the demon cave! Wanna come with us?,” Takeo responded enthusiastically as if the whole chase scene didn’t happen.

“I would love to but I’d like to ask for your help first,” the hunter appealed as he pulled out some hooked ropes and hooked the holes he made with his knife. He then held the rope from its other end and gestured for Takeo to come.

“Oh ok,” Takeo answered, then ran towards the boy.

“And you guys wouldn’t want to stay here at this time so you better come as well,” the hunter persuaded, as he pulled the boar together with Takeo.

“Where shall we take it anyway?,” Takeo grunted, struggling at the weight of the beast.

“We just need to take it off the wolves’ territory and we’re good,” the hunter stated, suddenly alarming the group upon the mention of wolves. That made the other boys help in pulling the lifeless boar, making the job easier for the hunter. “Actually the demon cave could work just fine.” he continued, as he led the path for his friends.

“You really know your way around these parts, don't you Kagerou?” Takeo remarked, as his hunter friend confidently led them along the forest from their previous clear path, to a detour off their usual trail.

“Well, my father did train me to find my way around. That’s part of hunting anyway, you’ve got to know where to hunt and where to do your other stuff.,” Kagerou stated, his eyes fixed forward to their path.

“So, if we get past the wolves’ territory. We’ll be safe?” Chizuo asked, his heart still racing in fear.

“I guess that’s how it works,” Kagerou uttered in a half-thought speech as he continued to survey the forest while they hiked.

“Wait…what do you mean you guess?,” Ikuma suddenly spoke up before Chizuo could utter his own response.

“Just relax, you have me with you. I know how to at least fend those…” Before he could continue, Kagerou had to stop himself before bumping into another guy who seemed to be walking inattentively. The boy walked towards them but none of the guys seemed visible to him.

“Hey Kumo! Is everything alright!,” Kagerou called out in an attempt to catch the boy’s attention. The boy kept walking past them but snapped back in attention shortly after Kagerou yelled.

“Oh hey Kag…err guys!,” Kumo stuttered, his eyes widening upon seeing the rest of the gang.

“What happened to you? Did you meet a ghost or something?,” Takeo asked, being the one standing nearest to Kumo.

“I..got lost. I don’t know how to get home!,” Kumo panicked, his hands shaking in fear.

“Haha, you looked more than just lost. But anyway, why don’t you come with us? Let’s get home together!,” Takeo laughed, but kept it short and decided to offer help.


“Errr…I..of..course! Yes, please help me get home!,” Kumo continued to stutter, causing Shinku and Ouchi to cross their brows in suspicion. Both of them chose to be quiet however, as they listened to Kumo and Takeo’s exchange.

“Come on then. Don’t get lost again!,” Takeo invited and teased, as he gestured Kagerou to resume their hike.

“Ah thanks!,” Kumo complied, giving a wry smile at the rest of the gang and followed after them. “Wwhat’s with the dead boar?,” he inquired in curiosity after following the rope they pulled with his eyes.

“That’s my kill for today! They’re helping me to get it out of the wolves’ territory so I can fix it up and bring the meat home,” Kagerou answered, fully delighted at his accomplishment.

“But, errr…why not fix it in the village?” Kumo continued on with his query, gradually stabilizing from his previous state of fear.

“Well you see I…” Kagerou answered but was abruptly stopped by Shinku’s speech.

“I thought you’re lost. How can you tell that we’re not going to the village?” Shinku retorted, finally speaking out his suspicion.

“I..err…came from that direction! There’s nothing there but the stream and endless trees!” Kumo snapped back this time in a rather impatient tone.

“Yeah, we’ve decided to visit somewhere else for a while. You should come with us! It’ll be fun!” Takeo interrupted, in an aim to break the current tension.

Shinku simply nodded and remained silent but his eyes never left Kumo.

The gang regardlessly chose to go ahead and continue their hike, led by Kagerou. The sun has sunken more to the ground, gradually decreasing the light that illuminated the forest. The blazing red sky had been mixed with purplish speckles, the forest hues continuously dulling each moment. The group continued walking, in a dangerous mixture of excitement, fatigue and suspicion.

 

[Shinku]

“Alright, now we're out of the wolves’ territory!,” Kagerou announced after the group crossed a shallow stream. “I think we’d have to rest for a while and start making some torches,” he continued as he let go of the rope and started surveying their makeshift camp.

Yuki and the other girl quickly sat by some rocks, followed shortly by Ikuma and Chizuo all soaked in sweat.

“Ah Kumo. I heard you’re really good at thinkering things! I think it’d be best if you could make the torches for us!,” Takeo urged, before the boy could think of having some rest.

“Sure…actually I believe I already have something here that could..” Kumo responded, then reached inside his small sling bag. As he pulled out his hand, Takeo saw at least three slim sticks within the boy’s grasp. “Here, you just tap them like this…,” he continued, as he repeatedly tapped the objects on his palm until they glowed in a greenish-yellow hue, emitting lights as that of a hundred fireflies.

“Woah! That’s really cool! I’d take one please!,” Takeo exclaimed before grabbing one of the glowing sticks and started to wave it around.

The ladies and Ikuma all rushed near Kumo upon seeing the boy’s light sticks.

“How did you do that?,” Ikumo asked in curiosity, his face almost touching the remaining two sticks in Kumo's hands.

“Well, I just mixed it in with some…”

“Oh come on Ikuma. We wouldn’t be able to get it even if he explained. Right, Kumo?” Takeo teased, abruptly cutting off Kumo’s response.

“I think he might…but…yeah I guess let’s just leave it at that…,” Kumo responded half-heartedly, somehow wanting to speak up more but realized that his speech might indeed just go to waste.

“Well whatever this is. This is awesome!” Ikuma giggled, his eyes dazzled at the glowing stick. “Can I have one?,” he then asked, his own finger pointed at his face.

“Sure, just pick one up.,” Kumo responded, this time in a raspy tone. He cleared his throat thereafter, as soon as Ikuma grabbed one of the glowing sticks.

“Can that one be mine?,” Yuki’s companion perked up, shoving Ikuma off before facing Kumo up close.

“Here, tttake this,” Kumo stuttered, shocked at the sudden interference of the girl.

“Yay! Thanks!,” the girl cheered, snatching the last of the glowing sticks from Kumo.

“How about the rest of us?,” Kagerou chimed in as he cut the boar’s head with his knife.

“I still have one here,” Kumo responded as he pulled out another one from his bag.

“Nah, I realized a few of them would be enough. You can keep that one.,” the hunter teased, his dagger nearly done with its cutting task.

“Oh by the way, what were you two doing in the forest Akane?” Meanwhile, Takeo spoke up at Yuki’s companion after the lady grabbed the last glowing stick.

“Yeah, about that.” In response, Akane casually walked over to Takeo before screaming at the top of her lungs. “HOW COULD YOU FORGET ABOUT US! WE WERE JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRAINING GROUND AND YOU DARE DECIDE TO LEAVE US WITHOUT A SINGLE WORD!,” Akane grumbled, putting Takeo into a sudden state of shock. Shinku stepped back, realizing that he was one of the culprits. Akane’s hands shook in fury, both tightly placed on her waist.

“Yes, of course…” Takeo stuttered, rubbing the back of his head in nervousness.

“..HAD WE NOT HEARD SHINKU’S YELL, WE WOULDN’T HAVE CHECKED ON YOU, ONLY TO SEE YOU ALL WALK INTO THE FOREST!,” Akane continued her yelling, catching the attention of everyone around.

“Ok, calm down, I’m sorry.,” Takeo pleaded, both his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

“Yeah you’re sorry and….wait..where are you off to anyway?,” Akane was about to continue her complaint when she realized that she wasn’t aware of the group’s destination.

“Woah wait, don’t tell me you didn’t hear us mention it a couple times just a while ago. After Kagerou rescued us, and when we stumbled upon Kumo?,” Takeo teased, a laugh almost escaping his lips. He would have burst into laughter if not for his subtle fear for the girl.

“WELL WE’RE SORRY THAT WE’RE STILL TRAUMATIZED AFTER BEING CHASED BY THAT MONSTER!,” Akane barked, as her finger hardly pointed at the dead boar. “And eww! What are you doing?”, the girl suddenly blurted in disgust as she witnessed the beast’s innards being pulled out by Kagerou.

“Ah, I’m field dressing the boar so it’ll be easier to bring it home.,” Kagerou responded as he threw the boars innards at the rushing stream.

“Well you don’t seem that traumatized to me.,” Takeo mused under his breath while Akane’s attention was at Kagerou.

“You were saying something?,” Akane however, abruptly turned her attention back to Takeo upon the boy’s subtle speech.

“Oh I…was just thinking…perhaps we’ve all had enough rest and we can resume our walk?,” Takeo remarked, in a cautious manner. His eyes alternately darted to the lady and to the ground, his fingers clasped against each other, his lips contorting to a wide grin.

“You still haven’t answered my question. WHERE ARE WE GOING!,” Akane growled, a little softer this time, as her emotion quickly shifted back from disgust to anger.

“Ah of course. We’re visiting the demon cave.,” Takeo blurted in an awkward smile.

“WHAT? THERE’S NO WAY YOU’RE MAKING US GO TO THAT SCARY PLACE!,” the girl barked yet again, immediately upon Takeo’s mention of the cave.

“Well, most of us here agreed and we’ve walked too far to back out now.,” Takeo pointed out, somehow knocking some sense into Akane.

“But isn’t that place forbidden? And what if we did encounter some demons there?” Akane shuddered, in a ridiculously abrupt change of mood.

“Nah! If there are demons in that place then they would have attacked us long ago. Besides, you have me and Shinku to protect you. And there’s also Kagerou!,” he bragged, tapping the girl by her shoulder.

“As if you were of some help against that boar!,” Akane retorted, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

“We just panicked a bit, ok?,” Takeo argued, his speech shifting to a more confident tone.

“Ah forget it. I guess we don’t have much choice anyway. So how far is it from here?,” Akane dismissed, before letting off a deep sigh.

“It’s just a couple of walks ahead. About half an hour maybe!,” Kagerou yelled in response before Takeo could speak a word. The hunter has then moved beside the stream to wash his hands.

“See, we're almost there! Now come on.,” Takeo cheerily invited as he turned around to lead the walk.

“Well, let’s not forget my kill!,” Kagerou noted as he walked towards the field dressed boar. He then secured the dead beast with his rope before hanging it to a tree.

“Wait, you’re leaving it there?,” Chizuo suddenly spoke in curiosity.

“Yeah. It’ll be safe up there. We’ve been hunting in this area for quite some time now and those we leave at this place, we always return, getting it all back,” the hunter explained in a grunting sound as he pulled the rope to raise the boar from the ground.

“How could that happen? I mean with all the predators around here?,” the artist continued, still puzzled at the hunter’s remarks.

“I guess there’s none in here. And I’ve seen it with my own eyes. None of them dares to cross that stream,” the hunter explained as he secured the rope to the tree’s trunk.

“Come on Chizuo, he knows what he’s doing. Now let’s go,” Takeo interfered, impatiently urging them to resume the walk.

“Yeah let’s go. Don’t worry about that. It’ll be safe,” Kagerou assured as he walked past the pondering artist. Chizuo looked at the hanged boar for a while, still at a puzzled state before finally deciding to follow after his peers.

The sun has now sunken beyond the horizon. The forest has now faded to a gloomy state, void of its previous bright hues. Eerily enough, the woods have gotten frighteningly quiet. Not even the sound of night crickets nor a blow from the air which seemed almost non-existent. The kids however, went on with their hike, unwary of the forest’s suspicious state. They’re attention was mostly at the glowing sticks that worked enough to illuminate their murky path.

 

[Shinku]

“This part of the forest sure is too quiet isn’t it?,” Takeo noted, finally noticing the strange silence around them as he led the group’s march through the woods, closely followed by Kagerou and Kumo. Darkness had taken over the place, save for the meager light, their luminescent sticks provided. The boy could at least see a few steps ahead, before the forest melded with the shadows. Not a single creature could be heard, save for the occasional rustling of the leaves and the children’s steps against the rocky ground. The forest’s sharp fragrant scent was noticeable from its previous dry, musky smell. Above, thick clouds hovered, veiling any stars that should have littered the night sky.

Shinku on the other hand, stood behind Yuki and Akane, fully dependent on their greenish yellow torch to light the way. He surveyed around, not that he could clearly see beyond the small radius of light he had, but to at least be wary of whatever lurked beyond the shadowy forest. All he could see however, were merely silhouettes of trees and bushes that all seemed lifeless without their verdant hue. His eyes however, never stopped darting around, his senses keen of any probable danger.

“Odd isn’t it? But we’ve gotten used to it.” Kagerou responded briefly at Takeo’s remark, his tone strangely casual for something too conspicuous to ignore.

“You mean you just take it as it is?” Chizuo jumped in, his tone hinting a little flare of suspicion. He walked closer to Ikuma, being his source of meager light as his eyes wandered around similar to Shinku.

“The hunters did warn the village about the strangeness around these parts. That’s why this area is forbidden isn’t it?,” the hunter answered, his calmness remaining unchallenged.

“Ah yes of course,” the young artist yielded, before getting lost in a deep thought. “Oh this is marvelous! We, the young ones, are braving against all the odds to discover the unknown! I must capture it all in one masterpiece!,” Chizuo then exclaimed, a drastic change from his cautious attitude back to a crazed artist.

“You guys are all insane! How could you all be excited when we are in a place that we are not supposed to be?!,” Akane protested, though unable to stop herself from following the group’s march.

“Come on Akane! Loosen up from time to time will you? No one else will know that we’ve come here anyway. And you don’t have to be afraid of this place, you have here the mightiest spearman alive!,” Takeo bragged, his confident visage somehow masking some hint of fear.

“The world’s worst loser, that’s what you are!,” Akane barked, her mood flaring up in rage.

“I know that I told you guys about how peaceful this place is. But I don’t think screaming like that could be a good thing lest we disturb something,” Kagerou warned in an attempt to stop his friends’ argument before it could escalate further. Luckily, Akane seemed to have listened and so did Takeo who both kept their silence.

Kagerou’s warning appeared to have worked for everyone as their hike commenced without a single word from any of the children. A sudden chill of wind caused them to move closer to each other, snuggling for temporary warmth. Caution, excitement, fear and anxiety could all be seen among the group as they quietly traversed the eerie forest.

“That’s the cave!,” Takeo broke their silence in a yell of excitement, as they approached a huge rock formation. The formation was almost shaped like a skull, the cave itself being its mouth, and its eyes represented by a pair of uneven rough craters. Dark green moss covered parts of the rock formation, which was also lathered with a few thick vines.

“Such a beautiful, err…eerie sight!,” Chizuo exclaimed, framing the scene before him with his hands.

“Ok, we saw it. Can we go back now?,” Akane complained, her hands slightly shaking in fear.

“Oh come on Akane. Don’t be such a wuss. We just got here,” Takeo teased, his hand already brushing against the cave’s opening. The large hole towered the boy, more than double his height and wide enough for at least four of them standing side by side at half arm’s length.

“Well, at least not an idiot like you,” Akane flared up once again, her previously shaking hands now tightly pinned at her waist.

“Will you two just cut it? And yeah, you’re an idiot Takeo!,” Shinku finally broke his long silence, similarly pissed at his sparring partner. “What is it that you want in this place anyway?,” he asked impatiently, though his eyes showed hints of interest at the cave itself.

“I’m sorry ok? I just want to know what’s inside this cave,” Takeo appealed, his eyes still locked at the cave’s opening.

“Ok so we get inside the cave. We see what’s inside then we go back,” Shinku blurted in another impatient tone, eyeing his sparring partner intently.

“Wait. What if there are monsters in there?,” Akane cautioned once again, a little less nervous this time around.

“Then whatever happens here. It’s all on Takeo. Let’s go,” Shinku stated in a stern voice, his limbs stomping towards the cave.

“Woah wait. Errr…we can all still think about it,” Takeo stuttered.

“Then shall we go back now?,” the young swordsman snapped, “You are wasting our time, don't you know that?,” he continued, his eyes sharply locked at Takeo.

“We…can use these in case trouble comes…”, Kumo decided to cut in on the conversation, his hands showing a couple of marble-like objects.

“See, Kumo got us covered! Let’s head in then!” Takeo’s confidence came back upon the young artificer’s presentation, though he still showed some signs of hesitation.

“So what can they do?,” Shinku asked, a bit calmer yet his tone still showed hints of impatience.

“Tthey explode! We can throw them at wild animals or…mmmaybe monsters ttthen we run,” the young artificer explained, a bit stumbling at his words.

“Yeah we’ll be fine with those. Come on!,” Takeo insisted as he walked towards the young artificer. He took one deep breath before grabbing Kumo by the wrist and dragging him towards the cave. Shinku, Chizuo and Kagerou all followed immediately while the others took a while longer before finally deciding to walk after their friends.

 

[Shinku]

Kumo’s torches did wonders inside the cave in comparison with how they worked outside. Their neon glow allowed the children to traverse inside the cave as if walking in broad daylight. Most of them however, were so caught up with the cave’s beauty that they failed to realize the difference. A spectrum of colors accented the cave as countless crystals lined its walls and ceiling, reacting to the children’s chemical torches.

“Now who the heck called this a demon cave! This is definitely a cave of the gods!,” Takeo exclaimed, awestruck at the wondrous sight before him. "See Shinku! Going here isn't that bad after all!," he bragged as he gestured his friends to proceed further.

"Let's still be careful," Akane warned, as she held tightly into Shinku's arm. "Hey, don't leave me no matter what," she stated in a whimpering voice, as she clung to the young boy's arm like a leech.

"Fine! Just loosen your grip will you!" Shinku affirmed in an irritating voice, as he tried to break free from her grasp.

"No!! Until we get out of here. I'm not letting go," Akane exclaimed sternly, tightening her grip even more.

Shinku could only sigh in disbelief and irritation but couldn't blame the young girl.

“Stupendous! Magnificent! This is just the masterpiece I was looking for!,” Chizuo seconded, his eyes widening in pure amazement. "What a genius work of art!," he continued, darting forward as he observed the intricate crystalized patterns etched on the cave walls.

Even Yuki and Ikuma seemed to have lost their fears, but similarly gazed in bedazzlement as they walked deeper into the cave. Shinku however, remained vigilant yet couldn’t help but to also wonder at the enchanting beauty around him.

“Well, they did say that the first men who entered this cave all lost their minds,”
Kagerou remarked nonchalantly, casually walking along beside Takeo. "And well, I heard no one was able to bring them back to sanity. That's why they forbid the others from even going near this place," he continued in his narrative, looking around as he spoke.

“Yeah…well…I also heard that. But didn’t that happen way in the past? I believe even our parents weren’t born yet at that time,” the young spearman stuttered but gradually regained his usual confidence. "Let's just keep our eyes open...I guess...and everything will be fine!," he continued, smiling faintly as he made his declaration.

Everyone silently nodded in agreement as they continued to journey through the enchanted cave, admiring the breathtaking view of their surroundings. It was almost as if they entered a dream world, in contrast to the fear they felt before entering the cave.

"Look here!" Chizuo, who went ahead of the group, cried suddenly, pointing towards a wall of the cave. The rest of the kids shuffled towards the young painter, only to be stunned in fear by the hideous painting of an angry demon's face with vicious fangs protruding from its lips. What scared them more, was the red painted sign below the demon's image.

WELCOME TO THE DEMON CAVE!!!

Dread came back to the heart of most of the children, who shuddered in terror and drew back from the wall that contained the painting. Ikuma almost ran away if not for Kagerou who held his hand firmly.

"C'mon guys! It's just a painting. There's nothing to be afraid of!," Takeo insisted with a forced smile in an aim to comfort the rest of the group. His words however, did little to no help as Ikuma, Kumo and Akane continued to shiver in fear. Yuki even tried to shield her eyes from the frightful image, but remained silent and composed.

"W-who would dare put such a scary painting in here?!," Akane gasped in fear as she similarly covered her eyes with her hands to block the view of the demon's face on the wall. "I can't even look at it! It's too horrible!" She exclaimed while turning around to walk away from the wall.

Shinku on the other hand, felt relieved as he finally got freed from the girl's tight grip. "Well, Takeo's right. It's just a painting. Let's just move on and forget about it," he finally spoke, his voice firmer than the rest. Though instilled with fear, the children decided to follow his advice and continued deeper into the cave. With Akane stuck behind the group, he took the opportunity to walk ahead, leading his friends from the front.

Takeo had to convince Akane for a while before the girl finally decided to come with them. After all, being left near the horrible painting, as she described it, wasn't the best of ideas either. She however, agreed to come along with the condition of Takeo staying right beside him, which the young spearman immediately agreed to.

In spite of the frightening painting of the demon, Chizuo's excitement did not seem to fade as he continued to walk separately from his friends. Wearing a constant wide grin, he walked over every peculiar rocks, crystals or unique patterns that lined the crystalline walls. His enthusiasm seemed infectious, causing Kagerou to similarly observe each part of the cave closely as they journeyed farther.

"Should it be time to go back? Our parents must have realized that we're gone by now," Akane urged, as the paths got narrower and harder to navigate.

"I think so too but until I'm done painting this!," Chizuo exclaimed but to everyone's surprise, the young painter was out of sight. Shinku however, was able to follow his voice to a small section of the cave that had a small pool of water in the middle. Across the pool was a human sized statue of what seemed like an armored knight carved in a pitch black stone.

The rest of the children gathered inside the small alcove, amazed at the room's unique design, not to mention the majestic statue that was beautifully carved in contrast with the demon painting that they encountered earlier.

Chizuo started to assemble his art supplies, carefully arranging his brushes and paints and placing his canvas in a more stable ground before setting out to work on his sketch. He hummed a delightful tone, as his brush started to dance into his white silk covered canvas. His confidence and creative energy started to burst out from his core, fervently drawn into his ongoing masterpiece.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm going to eat while we're here," Ikuma stated while pulling out some more of his buns from his bag.

"Well, that's very you, Ikuma. And as for me," Takeo commented before breaking free from Akane's grip, able to run and jump into the pool. Being a good swimmer himself, it didn't take him long to decide for the dip. "Hey! Come here guys! It isn't that deep and the water's really refreshing!," he shouted excitedly as he continued to bathe in the small spring.

"Hey! You promised to stay beside me!," Akane yelled angrily, as he watched Takeo enjoy a swim in the shallow pool. It wasn't that long when Kagerou and Kumo followed suit, joining Takeo in his refreshing bath.

 

[Shinku]

Shinku decided to sit in the corner, observing around as the other children did their own things. Akane continued to argue with Takeo, standing near the pool while Kagerou watched Chizuo as he painted. Yuki chose to sit right beside Shinku, her eyes steadfast at Akane and the boys at the pool.

Unintentionally, splashes of water hit the base of the statue as the children swam near it. Unnoticed by everyone, faint glimmers of runic letters started to lit up in a dark purplish hue at the floor near the statue for every splash of water that touched it.

"What...what is that?," Yuki asked Shinku, finally noticing the bizarre lights.

"I'm actually curious as well. I thought they were just fireflies, but I'm starting to get the feeling that it spells something bad," the young swordsman remarked as he quickly stood up. "Hey guys! Maybe it's time that we get out of here!," he warned not in an inquisitive tone but in a rather commanding one.

"What? But the fun just started!", Takeo protested, enjoying his time at the pools.

"This is not the time to argue! Get out of that pool now!," Shinku yelled as the lights started to intensify and extend to the statue's body.

"Yeah guys! you might want to listen to him!," Kagerou seconded, with Chizuo simply giving them a fervent nod.

With the young hunter's trembling voice, Takeo and the others realized that it was indeed something serious, and quickly left the pool.

An eerie cry started to echo from the black statue which added to the children's panic. Chizuo started to pack his things but was pulled by Kagerou.

"Forget about your things! Let's get out of here!," the young hunter urged, dragging Chizuo with him as the other children followed them towards the alcove's narrow opening.

Before they could reach the exit however, a blinding light suddenly engulfed the room, followed by a strong earthquake. The children instinctively covered their eyes, failing to witness their surroundings shatter and shift into open darkness.

After a few more seconds, the tremor finally stopped and the haunting screech ceased. Somehow, the children felt relieved but as they opened their eyes, they found themselves in an open black space. It felt like absolute darkness, witnessing their surroundings covered in nothing but black empty void. Had it not been for the fact that they could perfectly see each other in spite of having lost their glowing sticks after the commotion. Even the floor where they stood seemed like a bottomless pit if not for the fact that they were able to stand on it in stable footing.

Shinku quickly turned around to notice the black statue of the knight that remained unharmed even after the disappearance of the whole cave. At that moment however, the statue seemed to be no longer made of stone, evident by its sleek, glistening sight that suggested that its material shifted into metal.

"Who dared disturb the slumber of the shadow god!," the statue uttered with a deep voice that echoed around the room. Struck with paralyzing fear, the children could only look helplessly as dark smoke emerged from holes on the knight's armor. Having been engulfed with the dark smoke, previously lifeless knight started to randomly move its limbs as if being birthed with life.

"Your bombs! I think it's about time that you use them on that thing!," Takeo commanded nervously, gesturing to the strange black knight.

"Iiiim on it!," Kumo stuttered, pulling a couple of metallic spheres from his bag. His hands shook as he struck one of the spheres against another one.

"Anytime now!," Takeo continued to urge, his hand tightly gripping against his spear.

"Dddon't rush me please. I'm getting more nervous," he retorted, continuously striking the two spheres until finally, both of them produced small sparks of orange light. Immediately, he hurled the ignited bombs at the metallic knight who was about to take its first step.

The bombs exploded right after landing on their unknown foe. Unfortunately, its massive force sent the children flying to an invisible wall. Their backs slammed on the wall, before falling into the dark shadowy ground.

All of them writhed in pain as they struggled to pull themselves up. Before any of them could even gain proper footing, the figure of the black knight emerged from the thick smoke left by Kumo's bombs. Reaching Yuki who was nearest from the knight's direction, it quickly drew its sword and motioned to stab the young girl.

Shinku struggled to pull himself up in an attempt to rescue Yuki, but Ikuma got up first, shielding the young girl with his body. Much to their horror, the rest of them could only witness the knight's sword impale itself through their friend's chest. The sword caused Ikuma's body to slowly disintegrate into black dust particles that all disappeared midair.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!" Filled with anguish and despair, Shinku and Takeo cried out in unison, forcing themselves up and raising their weapons against the black knight.

Surprisingly, their frenzied attacks were able to push the knight back, forcing it into solely defending. Their advantage however, did not last that long as the knight finally managed to repel their attacks and sent them flying once again against the invisible wall.

The attack however, did not stop as the knight had to deal this time with arrows from Kagerou. "Run!," the young hunter yelled, as he fired one arrow after another to the black knight who was able to easily cut them in half.

The rest complied immediately as Chizuo and Kumo helped Shinku and Takeo get up. Gaining enough distance, Kumo threw more of his ignited bombs at the knight. The explosion was still able to affect the children but with a lesser force than before.

As they expected, the knight emerged once again, unscathed from the settling smoke. The knight charged with its sword but this time, it was stopped by the combined force of Shinku, Takeo and Chizuo that joined the battle with his wagasa.

"Pathetic! Your combined strengths pales in comparison to mine!," the knight scolded, as it once again swung its blade to push its three opponents. The three were successfully pushed back but not as hard as before. The three split out to give way for Kagerou's arrows that once again harassed the knight.

"You're just wasting your arrows kid!", the knight mocked as he swung his sword to repel all Kagerou's shots. To its surprise however, bluish magical chains sprung from the ground, wrapping themselves at the knight's feet.

"Great work Akane! Haha! What can you say now demon! We had you right where we need you!," Takeo bragged, before gesturing the others to continue their escape.