They took almost the same path as when they had gone to Shiro's mill, but upon reaching a fork in the road, they had to head further east. Hankari Farm was situated in front of a small grove of cryptomerias adjacent to the Sorra Mountains. They opened the gate of the enclosure surrounding the farm but found no one inside. Assuming that Akimitsu had taken his flock to graze in the mountains, they decided to head there.
Throughout the journey, Shahin had remained rather silent and coldly watched his brother, who hadn't looked at him since their last altercation. He searched for his gaze, but Riga skillfully avoided it, and when Shahin tried to get closer to start a conversation, Riga would pretend to look in another direction and quicken his pace.
Shahin wished he could discuss the scuffle from a few days earlier and, more importantly, wanted to get to know him and understand what had happened after their birth. A few answers would have been welcome.
"Riga! Talk to me for a moment…"
Riga turned to his brother with a haughty look, briefly lifting his chin as if to ask what he wanted.
"It's the same problem as last time," Shahin said mischievously, smiling.
He hoped to spark more curiosity from his brother. Indeed, Riga furrowed his brow; he turned fully toward his twin, expecting a brief but convincing explanation.
"You just looked at me the same way you did last time: with contempt and arrogance. Why? I see resentment in your eyes as if I've wronged you. Could you explain it to me?"
Riga turned his back and continued walking as if he hadn't heard. Shahin couldn't believe he was being snubbed like that—and by his own brother, no less! He no longer wanted to talk; furious, he muttered like the child he still was:
"I'm going to hit him! Oh yes, I'm going to hit him!"
He grabbed Riga's shoulder firmly.
"Hey! I'm talking to you, you know!"
Riga didn't flinch. He simply glanced at the hand and then at his brother without stopping.
"Take your hand off," he said disdainfully.
Shahin, taken aback, complied. He muttered:
"But you could at least answer!"
"I thought you would have called me for something more important," Riga finally responded, still without looking at him. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't like you. I haven't liked you since the first day. You may be my brother, yes, but I can't stand you."
"What! But why?" Shahin asked darkly.
"Who knows…" Riga replied, quickening his pace, thus ending the conversation abruptly.
Anger flushed Shahin's cheeks. He no longer wanted explanations from him. He didn't care anymore. In fact, he almost wished the situation would escalate to the point of a fight. Oh, yes…
Frustrated, he rummaged through his pockets. He eventually found a piece of buckwheat cake wrapped in paper and immediately brought it to his lips. This simple gesture dispelled his anger.
His father had managed to ignite that filial love within him that exists in all of us; from the start, Shahin had felt an attachment to him and a genuine bond. More than that, the love binding father and son began to grow in him. In contrast, Riga had managed to break that fragile bond between them before they even reunited.
"No matter," he told himself to calm down, "this man is my brother; I can't attack him, even if he did speak harshly to me the other day. However, I must admit there's something off about him: his eyes. Yes, his gaze lacks sincerity. Nothing like my father's, whose eyes seem to tell a very sad story."
He then looked at Ogai, who was talking with Shiro several meters ahead. He caught up to him and tugged at his sleeve, giving him a questioning look.
"What is it, my son?"
When he finally spoke, an eternal second had passed.
"What happened?" he asked bluntly.
The boy's direct question barely surprised Ogai, and although it might have seemed vague, he knew exactly what it was about.
"At your birth?"
"Yes."
"Well, only a few days after you were born, your mother passed away. I thought you had died too, so, heartbroken with grief, I took Riga with me to flee Arcadia and forget everything."
Ogai was not very forthcoming when it came to revealing the incident that had forced him to leave Arcadia. He had never shared the reason for his departure with anyone, not even Riga. This time, he had no intention of telling Shahin either. His evasive answer only fueled the boy's curiosity further, as he looked down at the ground, as if the answer to all his questions was written on the stones of the path he kicked with his foot.
"And so?" the boy cried out. "It's one thing for my mother to die, but why leave me without ensuring I was dead? I don't understand…"
Shahin turned to his father, seeking a more satisfying answer, but seeing his distant, unfocused eyes, he refrained from asking further. Something serious must have happened, he thought, and apparently, I'll never know what it was…
They climbed a steep path that wound through the cliffs and crossed a pass that skirted the mountains; they emerged onto a plain where a flock of a hundred sheep grazed peacefully. The setting sun gilded the grass, and an imposing man seated on a rock. He was watching the animals intently. This must have been Akimitsu. They naturally made their way toward him. As they got closer, it seemed that this man was exceedingly tall. Even sitting, he was taller than Shahin standing. He held a long wooden staff, its ends fitted with copper rings. His features were rugged, with a thick chin, a broad jaw, and a prominent forehead. His large eyelids seemed to weigh heavily over his dark, solemn eyes. For a brief moment, he fixed his gaze on the visitors with a menacing look, then royally ignored them.
"Are you Akimitsu?" Ogai asked.
"Why?" he replied disdainfully, turning his head away immediately.
Shahin was angered by such irreverent behavior.
"Hey! How dare you speak to my father like that!" he shouted, clenching his fists.
But Akimitsu was unimpressed. He stood up on his long legs, held his staff firmly, and took a stance as if to show the visitors that if they wanted anything other than goat's milk or sheep's wool, he was more than ready to give it to them.
They all took a step back to brace for an attack. The surprise at such a vehement reaction was compounded by the sight of a towering figure standing before them. Indeed, Akimitsu was nearly three meters tall!
"Good grief!" Shahin exclaimed.
"Calm down!" Ogai intervened. "We're not here to fight. At least, not with you."
Akimitsu's reaction had stirred the flock.
"You… you've frightened my herd!"
He drove his staff into Shahin's solar plexus and sent him tumbling to the ground with a blow to his shoulder. Barely stunned, Shahin sprang back to his feet.
"Scoundrel!" he shouted, stepping forward with a heavy gait.
Ogai took a determined step forward, staring down the giant. The latter was poised to pummel all his visitors, but the strong, sorrowful look in Ogai's eyes stopped him cold. His gaze unsettled him. Ogai extended his arm to stand between his son and the giant, preventing Shahin from going any further.
"Calm down!" he said to his son, not taking his eyes off Akimitsu. "This will teach you to stay alert at all times."
"Well, right now, I'm on guard. I'm going to knock this guy…"
"I see you know how to use that long staff for more than just guiding your herd," Shiro interjected, his wisdom urging him to diffuse the situation. "Can you show us some techniques? I'd like to see how you wield it. You don't seem like an ordinary shepherd or a mere warrior."
Shiro's steely blue eyes met Akimitsu's. The latter appeared troubled once again by the sadness and sincerity in his gaze and stepped back. He hesitated but then grimaced complacently before twirling his long staff in the air. He took a fighting stance, pretending not to be unsettled.
"Indeed," the giant confirmed confidently, "I am not a mere warrior or just a shepherd. This staff I carry grants me special powers. It magnifies my strength and the force of the elements, blinds my enemy, shakes the earth, and even radiates the surrounding air!"
Shiro found the weapon more interesting than the man wielding it.
"You're not an ordinary man, then," Ogai said with a triumphant smile. "You are one of us – you are a Pleiade!"
The way Akimitsu had handled Shahin made it clear that he was beyond skilled in wielding the wooden staff. The former mercenary's words were not just flattery to win the giant over; he genuinely admired him, which seemed to please the shepherd, as his demeanor changed. He now seemed inclined to speak with the visitors.
"A Pleiade?" the giant exclaimed.
"Yes," said Ogai, "exactly. You are the Pleiades, and destiny has chosen you to save the two kingdoms. You: Shiro, Riga, Shahin, you, Akimitsu, and then Averkane, Ginji, and Kentaro."
"Me…" Akimitsu said, placing a hand on his chest, deeply honored.
"Ogai," said Shiro, "you should finally tell us what you expect from us."
"I would have preferred to do so once everyone was gathered," the blacksmith said, slightly annoyed. "But since you insist, here it is: Queen Andora of the kingdom of Genib wants to invade Arcadia after killing Ryuku, the creature that guards the Rassan pass. She has laid the groundwork by spreading a disease meant to weaken the kingdom. The only way to stop her is to send you, the Pleiades, to Genib. You will likely have to face the Black Stars, but you will defeat them. You have no other choice. Also, to put an end to Andora's tyranny, you will need three other men, for to enter the Royal Palace where she resides, you will need to push open the great, heavy, rusted doors that only open from the inside, and only Averkane can do that. You will need to block them with your staff, Akimitsu. One final barrier will stand between you and Andora: Charon, a Black Star said to be invincible. I believe that by combining your strengths, you can defeat her. Nothing will then stand in your way to overthrow Andora. However, before getting there, you must help the people of Arcadia and solve the cursed riddle of the Black Moon. Otherwise, the Arcadians, too, will consider attacking the kingdom that threatens them. According to Venitia, the source of the evil is in Eirin's Cavern, but to access it, you would need to fly, and only Pegasus can take you there."
Shiro's eyes widened, Akimitsu looked puzzled, and Shahin was already thinking about what he would have for dinner, while Riga, as usual, was absent.
"That's a lot of challenges for one lifetime… You're not coming with us?" Shiro asked.
"No," Ogai smiled. "You don't need me."
"In any case," Shiro continued, "I've already told you that Pegasus doesn't let anyone approach without disappearing immediately."
"From what I've heard," Shahin interjected, "it's not Pegasus seen at the forest's edge now and then but a unicorn, his mate. In reality, Pegasus has never been seen…"
Ogai's motivation took a hit. Indeed, if they had no tangible proof of Pegasus's existence, their task would be much more difficult.
"Yes," Akimitsu confirmed, "it is said that only this unicorn knows Pegasus's lair. If I see her, I think I could approach her."
Hopeful looks turned to him. Once again filled with hope, they now awaited the giant's agreement to join them.
"Are you truly acting on behalf of the Arcadians?" Akimitsu asked, slightly skeptical. "Not for your own gain?"
"You know," Ogai replied, trying to place a hand on his shoulder but finding it too high up, "I've devoted my entire life to this kingdom. I would die for it, as I would for its people. This kingdom is like the mother who gave me life, and its people are like my brothers."
"You speak like a king," the giant said, now more reassured.
"He's much better than the king," Shiro confirmed.
"Do you agree to follow us?" Ogai finally asked.
"I trust you! I'll tell you this: I don't like the company of men; they are cowardly and treacherous. But with you, it's different. Your eyes… there's an intriguing light that I can't decipher. It seems to convey many emotions, but apart from sadness and compassion, I see nothing else. And yet, I've always been able to read living beings like an open book. I imagine I have much to learn from you, from all of you. Maybe I'll even gain new abilities. That could be interesting… I agree to help you."
Akimitsu extended his hand to Ogai and shook it firmly. Doing the same with Shiro, Shahin, and Riga, he sealed a pact with them and thus became a legitimate Pleiade.