It was 5:20 am the following day. Jodai and I got up early to go to the top of the hill. To find some valuable stones that travelers and businessmen came here to find, and if they were lucky enough, they could bring some back home. Grandma said one traveler denied that he was a businessman and had tried to find the value stones almost two years ago, but he hadn't come back down yet. Some said he died from wild animals or some monster that guards important stones, or he might have fallen down to a volcano or a cliff.
This time, we were wearing the proper outfit for hiking and for the weather. It took us about 4-5 hours to reach the top. We took a break and ate lunch and snacks. He pushed my back up the steep hill and switched to me and pushed him back. I couldn't imagine how to get back down. I saw no one and no trace of someone who used to live here. There was no traveler's nest or dent or even his bones. Probably, he was eaten by animals or fell down from the cliff.
"You see some stones?"
I asked Jodai.
"All over the floor, Zephyra."
"Do you want me to punch you?"
"...I'm sorry, heh."
He secretly chuckled
"Let's find some rocks that give that feeling."
I explained.
"What feeling?"
"Whatever feelings."
"...You don't know, do you?"
He suspected me.
"I don't...something that looks different."
I told him the truth.
"Like this one?"
He picked up one.
"Jodai, it's too small, that's just rubble."
I glared at him, and then he threw it on the floor.
"Have you ever seen it?"
He asked.
"No."
"What color?"
"I don't know the stone color."
"Are you being sarcastic, Zephyra?"
"No, but it could be."
"…"
He glared at me back.
"Heh."
I chuckled.
"And how can we know?"
He asked again.
"It's supposed to be big and hard and rock."
"…"
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, okay? The value and important one that looks valuable and precious can be the material for something.."
And my voice was fading.
"Can you tell me why you want that stone? You don't seem like you just want to be here and admire them."
He finally asked me.
Since I didn't tell him why I wanted to come up here and look for the value stone of the North. Usually, he never asked; he just tagged along and did whatever I told him. I could see he was a bit different or more open to me. On the way up here, we were teasing and comfortable being fun hiking partners. Even if we were comfortable with the silence and hardship together, being comfortable in this way was sort of good as well.
"You want to know, Jodai?"
"Yes, Zephyra."
"I'll tell you when you find one."
"…"
"Hmpt, Yes, Zephyra."
He pouted his lips
"!"
That was new.
"Thug."
What that sound?
"…"
I looked at Jodai.
And he put his index finger over his mouth. I nodded.
"Thug."
Another sound.
Jodai was ready to pull out his sword. And I was following him behind.
"YAHHHH!!!!!!!!"
The scream was coming our way.
"AHHHH!!!!!"
I flinched and joined the scream.
And then the scream was so loud and louder toward us, and then the person holding the big rock over his head tried to throw it at us.
"AHHH WAITTTT!!!!!"
I screamed and shouted at that man.
"YAHHH!!"
He wasn't stopping.
"Stop!!!"
I shouted at him again.
"That!!! That rock, I mean stone!!"
I pointed at the stone that the dirtiest man with his beard was holding over his head.
"Are you sure?"
Jodai asked.
"Yes...I mean, no, but it has potential."
"...Okay, Zephyra."
Jodai answered and was about to take that stone on that man's hands.
"Zephyra?"
That man called my name.
"…"
Jodai was about to pull his sword once again.
"Zephyra! It's you..."
And that man threw the stone on the ground and walked toward me.
"Stop."
Jodai told the man and pulled out the sword and put it in his throat.
"It's me... Kento."
"Ha…Kento? Kento? Kento senior!!!?"
"Yes!!! It's me!!!"
"Oh...Fuck!! Really!?"
I screamed out with confusion, shocked and happy at the same time.
Jodai lowered his sword.
"Yesss, finally someone's here!! And it's you. I miss you."
He was about to run to me and opened his arms.
Jodai raised the sword again.
"It's okay."
I told Jodai with a full smile.
He was surprised and took the sword away.
"!!!"
Kento senior hurriedly hugged me, and I hugged him back.
And he smelled terrible. But I hugged him anyway.
"So, you are the traveler that people are talking about."
"Ohh, are they talking about me? Am I famous?"
"How come you are still up here? It's like 2 years?"
"You remembered I told you at the mansion right? I came here and tried to find the value stones. If I didn't find it, I could not go back home. But it was almost a year and I was discouraged... I decided to go back, but... I can't."
"Why?"
"I don't know how to go down!"
"Ha..."
"It's deep and steep, and it's high. I tried to find the same path I went up, but it was a year ago, and I forgot already."
"Hmm… Kento senior, you are like the same person I knew back then. Hehe."
"Zephyra... I missss youuu, and you are more beautiful than beforeee how comeeee?"
He was about to hug me again.
"Stop."
Jodai told him once again.
"Who is he?"
Kento senior asked.
"He's my man."
"Whattt???
Kento screamed.
"Let's talk when we get back, shall we?"
I told him
"Yes!!!"
"But first, can you point the way to that stone?"
I pointed to the stone that he threw on the ground. I just noticed that it broke in half and I
could see something shiny inside.
"What stone?"
"That stone that you threw, see? it breaks…"
I explained and pointed it out again.
"Zephyra… that!!!!! It's a value stone of the North!!!!… I found it!!"
"See Jodai? Feelings."
"Yes, you're right, Zephyra."
He smiles at me proudly.
Kento senior led us to the stones he had brought. The path was shallow, so we walked one by one in a row. Jodai was closely following me, and Kento senior was the first person to lead the way.
And he was walking deeper and lower to the dark cape inside the hill.
"Be careful, Zephyra."
Jodai told me.
"Um."
I made the sound.
"Here."
Kento stopped himself and stood in the middle of gray stones that have different sizes of them.
"How could you find it?"
I asked.
"It's my sleeping place."
"…"
"He was so clueless."
Jodai talked to me.
"Yeah."
"How can we bring them back?"
Kento senior asked.
"…"
Let me think.
"Should we go back down and bring some people or a container?"
Jodai suggested.
"Uh ah, no way. If I go down, I won't come back here."
Kento answered so fast.
"We can't use the village people because the stones are theirs. Like they said, if we're lucky enough, we can take it back home. We are on our own."
"…"
"How about we carry them back?"
Jodai suggested again.
"Are you kidding? It's heavy. How can I."
Kento asked with a shocked face.
"You just held it over your head 5 minutes ago."
Jodai told him.
"...oh right.."
"Kento senior, can I ask you something?"
"Um, what is it?"
"How much steel or iron do we need to build a blade?"
"!?"
Jodai glanced at me.
"Small one is around 400-500 grams, but the arm length is probably around 800-1400 grams."
"…"
"Zephyra, what are you thinking right now?"
Jodai called me.
"Jodai, I think you might be mad at me."
"Tell me, please, what are you thinking?"
Jodai started to worry.
"I'll stay here."
"What!?"
Jodai and Kento screamed at the same time.
"I have to choose carefully."
"…Zephyra, I have always admired your determination since high school, but this is insane. You know what it's like living here?"
"I don't, but you do. I need to choose them myself…I won't be here long because I need to go back."
I answered him.
"*Sigh."
Kento senior exhaled.
"…"
I bet Jodai knew what I meant.
"Jodai, can you please take Kento back to the village first?"
"…ha?"
Kento made a sound.
"And tomorrow, you can bring the container with you."
"…"
"Can you do that?"
I asked Jodai.
"I don't want to leave you here alone."
He said to me.
"But it's necessary. Kento senior, he must be starving. I can't let him stay here any longer.. and I cannot let you go back down alone, too."
"…"
"Just trust me like I trust you.. that you will come back for me."
"…"
"Damn it, Zephyra. Yes, I will. I will come back for you tomorrow."
"Good."
I smiled at him.
"Aren't you two really a couple?"
"…"
Do we really look like a couple?
"I should have come back down and asked you to be my girlfriend first."
"Er…"
I made a confused sound.
"What about the engagement? I thought you were married to Mr. Takaki."
"…"
And that name hit me like a gunshot.
"Was he bad to you? I knew it!"
"No... He's not like what other people have said about him. He treated me very well, but sometimes... It was too surreal."
"…"
Jodai and Kento Senior were looking at me because of my answer or the expression on my face.
"Really..."
Kento.
"…"
Jodai was still gazing at me, but I ignored the tenses.
"You should go before it's dark."
I told them.
"Are you really sure, Zephyra?"
Kento asked.
"Yes."
I answered and looked at Jodai.
"Then I'll wait outside."
Kento told us.
"…"
"It's okay,"
I told Jodai
"…"
"Here."
He gave me his sword.
"At least for protection"
He told me.
"What about you?"
"You are the one who is most at risk, Zephyra."
"..Are you mad?"
"…"
"It's only one night."
"One night, anything could happen."
"Bad mouth!"
I scolded him.
"I'm sorry."
"!!"
I hugged him.
"Thank you, Jodai."
"Stop now, you make it more..."
"Tomorrow?"
"...Tomorrow."
He hugged me tighter and then let it go.
"You guys can stay here. I can go down by myself."
Kento teased us.
Be careful.
It was dark inside the cave, but the light of a shiny stone that had broken before gave me some dim light. Even though it was a closed cave, there was still chilly wind from outside getting inside, though, the way we had walked in earlier.
*Sigh.
"Let's begin."
I told myself.
I need to throw and break all the stones to see inside first. And Damn, there weren't like two or three of them. There were a hundred of them, and it was very heavy. And, of course, the bigger one, the heavier. I could not throw every single one of them and find out which one was suitable; it wasn't just a waste of time but also a waste of stones. The value stones of the North weren't for everyone, and they should be for villagers who had always protected this place for a long time. I could not just take all of them and break them all. Even grandma allowed me to get up here and do whatever I wanted, but I needed to respect the place and people here. I was one of the villagers, too.
'Let's get the mature ones.'
And the grandma sentences popped up in my head.
Well, if these rocks were growing and having the same process as plants and herbs, the best harvest time wasn't the old ripe fruit because if it was too ripe, it would melt in your mouth, and we would not get the best taste of the crunchy bite of the fruit. And the perfect mature one was between the line of not too ripe and not too raw, you know, full-fledged.
"But it's a rock!"
I shouted out
"rock rock rock..."
And it echoed me back.
Okay...
"Rock is one of nature.. so I will believe my guts."
I started to roll and rotate the stone in the center of the cave. I didn't want to skip the smaller ones so I decided to roll the small ones together on the side first.
"Fuck.."
I cursed because the stone rolled over my right foot.
"fuck fuck fuck..."
And the echo repeated to me.
"!!!"
And I got the idea. When you had to choose or pick one of the melons most people knocked on it and listened to the sound to feel the density, was it thick, was it thin inside it.
"Umm."
"Hi."
"hi hi hi..."
"Hi."
"hi hi hi..."
"Hi."
"hi...hi..."
"Hi."
"hi hi hi hi..."
Here.
I tested the sound and listened to the echo, and I found a location where I could hear the echo clearly and loudly.
And started rolling and rolling,
It took me quite a long time to clear all the stones and locate where I wanted them to be. And my back hurt. I rested my body, leaned my back on the wall, and took off the coat. It was hot inside this thick coat.
"Thug."
I threw it on the ground, and I was panting very loudly. I could feel the chilly wind getting inside a little bit, so I crawled and sat near the entrance.
"*Sigh..What time is it?"
I asked myself.
-silence-
I miss him.
At the lake, I was thinking about him. He was the best thing that ever happened to me after a long 17 years. Even though I know myself that he wasn't the best choice or the best person in the world. The bittersweet emotion that I received from him, the behind of my heartbreaking past, and the sweet present feelings that he gave to me while he was holding on to the ugly truths on his shoulders made me, somehow, at ease. The sweet taste of his gardenia with the bitterness of the smoked wood hugged me so tight and never ever let me go. And I really didn't mind the bitter part at all. But I hung on and leaned on his sweetness too much. And I just sipped the bitter taste, and my body fell down.
Mr. Kaiza, he was the sweetness with his own bitter past. Me, I was the bitter one with the slightest of sweet memories.
Why did he want to get married to me so much, so much that he would help that man to have me?
"Why Mr. Kaiza?..."
"I...really miss you. I want to see those eyes again. I miss your touch...But why...you kind of...hurt me...it hurts..."
-silence-
I grabbed the sword and used the hilt to hit on the rock.
"Thug, Thug."
I hit another and another, one by one.
The day after.
-3:35 pm-
"Zephyra!"
"..."
"Zephyra, we're here."
"..."
"Where is she?"
"ZEPHYRAAAAA!!!!"
"Shut up..."
I scolded Craitis, who shouted my name, which hurt my ears.
"Oh fuck!"
He flinched after turning his back to see me at the entrance of the cave.
"You…should look dirty or messy.. why do you look so fucking hot right now?"
He told me.
"..."
I only glared at him because I didn't have the energy to speak much.
"Are you alright?"
Jodai asked.
"..."
I nodded.
"The container?"
I asked.
"Yes, it's outside."
Jodai answered.
I nodded at him again, pushed the way inside the cave, and led them deeper.
"Woahhh... you did all of these."
Craitis.
I lined the stones in the row in an organized way, breaking the smaller ones to search for the example first and leaving the good ones to one side and the bad ones to another side. In the middle was the big massive stone that was broken in half but only halfway down. Still, we could see the bright blue aura peeking and lightening up the dark cave.
"Did you have time to sleep!?"
Craitis asked.
"No."
"And that's massive! How can you break that big guy? Don't tell me you throw that!?"
"I couldn't even throw the middle size. How could I throw that one?"
I answer him with a moody face.
"Jodai..here I broke them. I'm sorry."
I gave him a broken sword.
"..."
He took them and said nothing.
"I really am sorry."
I told him again.
"You use the sword to cut the stone?"
Jodai asked me shockingly.
"Yes, but only that one because…feelings...feeling that it's gotta be the one."
"Fuck, In one go?"
Craitis was shocked.
"Thousand time"
"What..."
Craitis was shocked again.
"I don't know, I didn't count, but not the first ten times, for sure.."
I answered Craitis.
"Jodai, I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
He answered me and put his hand on my head.
"And how could we bring them out?"
Craitis asked.
"..."
"You guys."
I answered.
"But how!!?"
Craitis shouted again.
"how how how.."
"!!"
Craitis startled in his own voice.
"Thug."
I felt so heavy, and my body fell down, but Jodai caught me first.
"Zephyra!"
Jodai.
"...um."
I didn't have the energy to open my mouth and eyes.
"Zephyra... Let's get out of here."
Jodai.
"...How? That's the question! How!?... And which ones should we take?"
Craitis.
"..."
"We don't know which one Zephyra wants...except this big guy. I think she totally wants this one."
"Just that one."
"...Are you sure? We only have one round."
"...And the smaller sizes that have cracked open, she might not want other people to find out the location."
"Okay... that's not many of them. Then, let's do the smaller ones first."