Chapter 3: The Untold Fortune.
After defeating the group of Mongols, I regrouped back with Mr. Hiro, his daughter, and my brothers.
“…So you’re saying I have the powers of the literal gods on my side?” I asked Mr. Hiro.
“Yes,” He replied, “The gods have gifted you their strength to defeat the Mongols!”
“…Okay…” I sighed deeply, trying to process this.
So Shinto is real.
Great.
But how did I get these powers? If anything, why did I get these powers? I was the person who despised Shinto the most. The entire town hated me for it.
So why me?
My thoughts immediately came back to the weird dream I had. A strong man facing me in a battle inside a ring of a ring of fire, killing me. Then, that deep hole that I was in…
…And the woman.
“Hey, Mr. Hiro…” I asked, “Is there any sort of woman in Shinto that appears to be…glowing?”
“Glowing? Like how?” Mr. Hiro replied.
“Like her skin was glowing…radiating warmth…like the Sun.” I said.
Mr. Hiro’s eyes widened.
“Amaterasu Omikami!” Mr. Hiro exclaimed, “The goddess of the Sun!”
I looked at him, confused.
“Okay…um…I guess I saw her in a dream, but-“
“You saw the goddess!?” Mr. Hiro questioned, bewildered.
“Uh, yes…she said something like…’Allow me to show you the world…’”
“That’s because Shinto originates from Nature, and the gods are giving you the power to use nature!” Mr. Hiro said excitedly.
“Huh…” I finalized, “Well…I really don’t know what to do with this power-“
At that moment, we heard footsteps. No, a group of footsteps.
Marching.
“Capture the boy in black!” A Mongol soldier commanded.
“More?!” I thought. But this time, I didn’t feel any rushing sensation to activate my powers.
“As long as you’re here, they will keep coming.” Mr. Hiro said, “Go, we’ll distract-“
“Distract?! “ I tried, “Are you insane?!”
“Don’t worry, Tsuji.” Mr. Hiro assured, “Everything will be alright.”
“No, I can’t do that to-“
“Head to the blacksmith!” A Mongol soldier commanded as we heard a group of feet stomp on the soft dirt, getting louder as they advanced.
“Here, take this to protect yourself.” Mr. Hiro bent down and opened up a nearby chest, and dragged out a long item, draped in an expensive, deep red, velvet cloth. Wrapped around it was a long white cord that I used to tie the item to my waist.
“From a rich client of mine…but it doesn’t matter.
“What is it?” I asked, taking the item.
“Use it whenever you get into a tough situation. “ Mr. Hiro said.
“Now, take your brothers…” Mr. Hiro grabbed my shoulders and pushed me towards the back exit, his daughter holding the door open for my brothers and I, “And go!”
“Dammit!” I cursed under my breath as the Hiro Family escorted us out of the Blacksmith.
As my brothers and I rushed out and into the forest, I glanced back at Mr. Hiro’s daughter.
“Happy birthday.” I mouthed silently.
She smiled, waving goodbye and closing the door.
My brothers and I disappeared into the lush, green trees of the forest.
“Mongols!” I heard Mr. Hiro’s voice echo in the night as we ran away from our home, “The boy traveled towards the river! Long live the Mongols!”
Those were the last words I’d hear from Mr. Hiro for a long time.
My brothers and I didn’t stop running for a while. We jumped over tree roots and bushes, and made quick stops by small lakes for water. We had traveled maybe about three-quarters of a mile when we stopped. By now, a dreary morning with grey skies had emerged. I sat down, my back leaned against a tree, wiping my sweat away with the back of my hand. There was nothing related to the Mongols in sight around us. We were safe.
“Well rest here for a bit…” I managed, breathing heavily.
“Thank goodness…” Akaji sighed, sitting across from me with Kiyoshi.
“So how does it feel to be the Chosen One?” Kiyoshi asked.
“I’m not-“ I tried, “-I’m not any Chosen One or anything…just…a normal guy.”
“Sure… a normal guy.” Akaji smirked, laughing. It brought smiles to both Kiyoshi and I.
Even in the worst situations, Akaji could always make us laugh. That’s how Akaji always was, the jokester in the family. Family dinners were great because of him, and he was always super popular in the village. Everyone, especially the elderly, loved the 13 year-old boy for his natural ability to be able to put a smile on anyone’s face. I slowly engraved a picture of him in my mind: His dark brown, flowing hair, hazel-colored eyes, slim nose, and his huge smile that showcased white, gleaming teeth. Nothing could break that confidence of his.
“But really, how does having these powers feel?” Kiyoshi asked.
Kiyoshi was always asking questions, ranging from simple ones that he should already know, to ones that…rather shouldn’t be explained, especially since he’s only ten years old. The way he asked questions with that special look of wonder, only given to small children, was enough to make you adore and cherish him like a small puppy. I analyzed his black hair, like mine, with bits of light brown showing at the tips, his dark eyes that contrasted his sparkling eyes of wonder, and his small face.
This was the Takeichi Family. A wondering child, confident boy, and a hated older brother. Misfits we were, but at least we were misfits together.
Nothing could tear us apart.
Nothing.
Our happy moment was interrupted by the harsh sounds of a group of soldiers moving.
“Hide!” I whispered, ducking behind some bushes. Through the bushes, I saw something unbelievable.
A Mongol Base Camp. This must have been where the soldier were being issued from.
If we stop that base…we could stop another town from ending up like ours.
“Hey…” I whispered, “You guys stay here. I’m gonna get a bit closer.”
“You can’t! You’ll get hurt!” Kiyoshi tried.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” I said.
I slowly emerged from the bushes and crept along the dirt pathway, getting closer to the Camp.
My movement was interrupted by a weak, old man crossing the road with a huge barrel resting on his shoulders.
“I-I have an order…” The old man said weakly, “Of 9 gallons of sake for the Mongols…”
“Ah, yes! Liquor!” A Mongol stepped forward.
“But we asked for ten gallons. Not 9.” He menaced.
“I-I’m sorry but we ran out-“ The old man tried.
“Then get more!” The Mongol pushed the old man back, making him stumble on his barrel, now broken with alcohol leaking out.
“I’m sorry…” The old man whimpered as the Mongols laughed at him.
As I watched this, I was filled with rage. This wasn’t right. He could barely carry that thing.
“Hey!” I shouted, emerging from the bushes.
“The boy!” A Mongol exclaimed, “Capture him! Now!”
A group of soldiers rushed at me.
I remembered what Mr. Hiro said.
“Use this whenever you’re in a tough situation.”
A huge brute Mongol pushed ahead, rushing at me with no plan on stopping.
“I’m going to kill you!” He yelled.
Then, I felt the familiar sensation. Using the power of Fujin, the god of wind, I threw off the red cover, grabbed the item and slashed forward diagonally. The brute’s head lay on the floor next to me, blood leaking from its severed neck.
What was in my hand was a long, sleek, jet-black sword.
“Woah…” I stared at the beautiful weapon in awe. I whipped the sword down, throwing off the excess blood, and slowly brought it back up, keeping it near my head, my feet planted on the ground.
“Come at me.” I muttered. Four other men charged at me with spears and swords. Dodging and parrying their attacks, I sliced my way through the enemy. When I slit the last soldier’s throat, blood soaking his clothing, I stood over him, once more whipping the blade down, wiping the blood off of my blade, and sheathed my weapon.
I entered the camp. There were no soldiers in sight. To my right were cages.
Cages holding people.
I made my way over to the cages, took out my blade, and cut the rope that kept the door locked.
“You’re safe now.” I told the weeping women and children.
“Thank you…” They thanked me as my brothers emerged, pointing the captives to where our village was. Although it was destroyed, Mr. Hiro and his family could help out the wounded.
Then I realized why I had this power.
This was the power to stop the Mongols.
Chapter 3: The Untold Fortune, End.
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