I woke up with the first rays of the sun streaming through the branches of the trees. The air was fresh, and the forest felt peaceful, as if the world was just stretching after a long night.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and slowly sat up. The campfire from the night before was completely extinguished, leaving only scattered ashes.
Beside me, Kogorō was already standing, arms crossed, with an expression that promised nothing good.
His gaze shifted from side to side across the clearing, searching for something—or rather, someone.
"Where is Milena?" I asked, feeling a strange pang of alertness.
Kogorō grunted, pointing to the empty branches that had once held the fish we roasted the night before.
"She didn't just disappear..." he muttered in annoyance. "She took our food."
My eyes widened in disbelief.
"She took our food, Kogorō?!"
The guy clicked his tongue, clearly enjoying the chance to scold me.
"I told you to tie her up, Jiro. This is what happens when you don't listen to me."
"I wasn't going to tie her up while she was sleeping!" I protested, trying to keep my composure. "Anyway... we'll get more food. At least she didn't take the spear."
Kogorō let out a sarcastic huff.
"Whatever you say, genius. But now we need to focus on finding those loom temples."
I shrugged, trying to regain some optimism.
"Well, at least she told us what they look like. Not all is lost, right?"
"I suppose not."
The days that followed were long and tedious. We crossed hills, rivers, and dirt roads that seemed endless. We passed through small, distant villages, with temples rising majestically on the horizon.
But one after another, they turned out to be just ordinary religious structures, with no trace of the so-called "dimensional maps." Each failure wore us down a little more.
Finally, we arrived at a small village surrounded by thick forests. The place seemed peaceful, but there was something strange in the air, as if the wind was whispering secrets no one could decipher.
Kogorō sighed heavily as we walked through the center of the village.
"This isn't working, Jiro," he said, clearly frustrated. "I feel like we're just walking in circles."
I looked at him, trying to stay calm despite the fatigue.
"You're right," I admitted. "But for now, we just have to check out a temple in the forest near this village."
Kogorō raised an eyebrow, curious.
"What's so special about this temple?"
"People say it's... strange," I explained. "Apparently, the fissures open frequently around it. A rare phenomenon happens."
A spark of excitement gleamed in his eyes.
"Then it could be a loom, Jiro. Ha, ha! What are you waiting for?"
I smiled faintly and nodded.
"Let's go."
Without wasting any more time, we ventured into the forest, where the mystery of the unknown temple awaited us.
The path to the temple was long and complicated. We had asked around in the village, and after gathering information, we followed the directions they gave us.
Apparently, a majestic temple was hidden deep in the forest, near a large waterfall.
The air grew more humid and cool as we advanced. The trees were enormous, with their roots tangled between the uneven ground, and several small streams wound their way through the rocks.
The sound of the water grew louder until, finally, after a long walk, we saw it: a powerful waterfall falling from high above, crashing into the river with a thunderous roar. I stood there, staring at the landscape, stunned.
"There's no temple…" I said, my voice empty and disappointed, feeling like a fool.
Beside me, Kogorō frowned, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
"We've been scammed!" he shouted angrily. "This can't be true! They took your money and in the end, they just deceived us!" I instinctively stepped back, bracing for the sermon I knew was coming.
"Calm down..." I tried to soothe him. "Why don't we look around a little more?"
Kogorō snorted, but in the end, he accepted with a grunt.
"Fine, but if we don't find anything, you better get ready for another sermon."
We began to search around the waterfall. We climbed rocky paths, looked behind the waterfalls, and explored every possible corner.
But after hours of walking under the scorching sun, my legs were trembling, and sweat streamed down my forehead.
"I think I'm done..." I said, exhausted. "In the end, it looks like we were scammed after all."
Kogorō looked at me with an expression of utter disappointment, running a hand over his face.
"I don't know how I ended up teaming up with you, kid..."
Ignoring his comment, I approached the river to cool off. I took off my shirt and left the spear stuck in the ground, just nearby. The cold water enveloped me, and I couldn't help but laugh as I submerged myself.
Kogorō, sitting on a nearby rock, watched me with his arms crossed.
"I honestly don't understand why you act so calm and carefree..." he murmured to himself. "I wonder what goes through your head."
After a few minutes, Kogorō stood up, levitating into the air with a spiritual mist surrounding him, making him appear semi-transparent.
"Jiro, I think it's time to go. Enough of this."
"Wait, Kogorō!" I shouted with a smile. "Just a little longer! I'm having a great time."
"No, kid!" he growled. "We have to leave. The bandits could take advantage of this to attack us, and it's getting dark... I can almost see the fourth moon rising."
I made a face of annoyance and reluctantly climbed out of the water.
"Fine, party pooper..."
With an agile move, I jumped onto a rock to reach my clothes, which I had left on the spear.
But in my haste, I misstepped. My foot slipped on the wet surface, and before I could react, the river engulfed me along with all my clothes and the spear.
"Jiroooo!" Kogorō shouted, alarmed. "What happened to you, Jirooo?"
I felt the water pulling me with force, dragging me farther away. My vision blurred as the current pushed me toward the base of the waterfall.
Kogorō, despite his resistance, was also swept away by the same current as he tried to reach me.
Meanwhile, at the top of the mountain, the silhouettes of two individuals who had been watching us stood still, confused by what had just happened.
The current that had swept us away suddenly vanished, leaving us standing on cold, worn stone ground.
In front of us stretched a long, mysterious hallway, its walls covered in softly glowing letters, as if telling a story only those who knew how to listen could understand.
Kogorō, still surprised, floated near me with a fascinated look.
"Impressive…" he murmured. "Where are we?"
Looking down, I noticed ancient engravings on the floor: figures of tiny stick-like people seemingly carrying luminous prisms.
Around them, dimensional fissures and portals caused chaos in the scene, giving off a sense of ancient warning.
"This is awesome…" I said, my eyes filled with curiosity. "It must be the Looming Temple Milena told us about."
Kogorō, though fascinated, snorted skeptically.
"So she was right after all. I thought she was tricking us..."
I shot him a skeptical look.
"What?" he defended himself. "It's true. You can't trust anyone these days."
I rolled my eyes and smiled mockingly.
"Save your past traumas for later, Kogorō. Let's focus on finding that dimensional map."
Kogorō's face suddenly twisted. A headache struck him hard, and a jolt of pain ran through his head.
"What…?" he murmured in a broken voice as his eyes darkened, as if something inside him had shattered.
A fleeting image formed in his mind: a long-haired girl in a lab coat bleeding in the middle of a forest. Her body lay on the ground as two wolves howled at a massive moon. Beside her, a pistol gleamed in the shadows.
"Kogorō, are you okay?" I asked worriedly, noticing his expression.
The spirit struggled to recover, shaking his head as if trying to rid himself of that memory.
"What was that…?" he whispered.
"You look fine. Come on, hurry up," I said to distract him. "We need to keep going."
"Yeah… yeah, sure," he replied, still dazed.
We kept walking through the ancient temple corridors.
The further we went, the light from some bonfires began to flicker in the distance.
"This is huge!" I exclaimed before sprinting toward the illuminated entrance.
"Wait, kid!" shouted Kogorō. "Don't get too far from me!"
Despite his warning, the spear I carried seemed to pull him along with me with an invisible force. When we reached the main hall, we both stood in awe.
In front of us rose a majestic altar, and floating above it, sustained by ethereal energy, was the map we had been searching for.
Surrounding it was a dazzling collection of treasures: gold, jewels, and diamonds reflecting the bonfire flames with hypnotic glimmers.
"So many things!" I exclaimed, amazed.
Kogorō stood frozen, his gaze fixed on the jewels.
"How tempting…" I whispered. "But I came for this."
Ignoring the treasures, I walked determinedly toward the altar. I reached out and grabbed the floating map. The energy surrounding it disappeared the moment my fingers touched it.
"Gotcha," I murmured triumphantly.
However, it wasn't over yet.
In the distance, at the temple's entrance, two mysterious figures moved stealthily.
They had crossed the waterfall and now walked cautiously toward us, shrouded in shadows. Without warning, they were also pulled into the place's force, as if the temple claimed them in secret.
I took a deep breath, still holding the map in my hands. I was a little excited, though also somewhat nervous. We had come so far that I couldn't let this end in nothing.
"Here we go..." I said to myself, carefully starting to unroll the scroll.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kogorō move with his usual skeptical attitude. He floated toward a large golden chest and hid behind it, peeking his head out as though waiting for something to explode.
"I'll stay here... just in case," he said, in a tone that made me let out a sigh.
"The man who doesn't take risks doesn't win," I replied with a smile before suddenly opening the map.
To my surprise—or rather, my disappointment—nothing happened. I stared at the scroll intently, but it was completely empty. Well, almost.
"Is it... empty?" I murmured, confused. "Wait... there's something here."
At the top, a glowing letter began to move and form words, composing a short poem:
"If the sky splits and the wind guides you,
cross between worlds with faith still true.
The lines will break, time will fold,
destiny waits... if the soul takes hold."
Kogorō slowly emerged from his hiding spot, looking at me with a furrowed brow.
"Nothing else?" he asked, clearly irritated. "Does it have any clue how it works?"
"Nothing..." I replied, running my fingers over the scroll. "Just this weird poem."
"Well, recite it or something. Do something useful."
"Alright, alright…"
Over the next few minutes, I made a fool of myself trying everything: I read the poem out loud, whispered it, even waved my hands as if casting a spell. Nothing.
"This isn't working, Kogorō…"
The spirit huffed and moved closer, losing his patience.
"Give me that, useless," he growled, snatching the map from my hands.
He stared at it intently and recited the poem as well, but nothing happened. Furious, he threw it back at me.
"This thing's useless!"
Just at that moment, the scroll touched the spear I was carrying, and suddenly, an intense light, a reddish crimson hue, illuminated the entire room.
"What the hell?!" I shouted, stepping back.
The map floated in front of us, glowing as it completely unrolled. Before our eyes, several points appeared, connected by lines that seemed endless.
"Finally!" I exclaimed, excited. "It worked!"
Kogorō, as if it had all been part of his plan, smiled smugly.
"See, kid? This is how it's done."
I moved closer to get a better look.
The map was filled with an infinite number of points… they seemed to have no end or limit at the edges of the page holding them in place.
There were countless lines and directions connecting the infinite points on the map, some of them broken and separated from other points...
"I think these points are worlds…"
"And those lines…" Kogorō added. "They look like space-time lines."
I frowned when I noticed something odd.
"Some of the lines are very far apart… Just like Milena said, it seems some worlds have completely different rules and laws than others."
"Enough talking," Kogorō said impatiently. "Press a point."
"Alright, alright…"
I extended my hand toward one of the glowing points, but just as I was about to touch it, a cold and threatening voice echoed from behind us.
"That map... is ours."
I froze. Slowly, I turned my head, and there they were: the same mysterious figures who had crossed the waterfall.
Everything happened too quickly. I had barely turned on my heels when I saw the two masked intruders in front of us. The Oni masks covered their faces, giving them a strange and mysterious air.
"Who are you?" I yelled, holding the spear firmly in my hand.
Kogorō, floating beside me, frowned. "Wait… So those two presences I sensed earlier were them."
They've been spying on us this whole time!
The two masked figures were complete opposites. The one who looked like a man wore martial arts clothing and had a firm, offensive stance. The other figure, wearing a red kimono, had a less threatening presence, but was still unsettling.
Before I could do anything, the man advanced with inhuman speed. With a precise kick, he struck my hand, sending the map flying through the air.
"Saria, now!" the masked man ordered.
"Got it, brother!" the girl responded, summoning a magical rope that wrapped around me like glowing serpents.
"Just what we needed!" Kogorō grumbled, irritated.
The spirit levitated all the treasure in the temple, throwing it toward the girl to block her. He then quickly advanced toward the masked man.
The man, trying to stop him, executed another spinning kick that passed right through Kogorō as if he didn't exist.
"What the...?" the masked man murmured, surprised. Kogorō, without missing a beat, recovered the floating map.
"Jiro, hurry!"
I gritted my teeth, focusing on the spear. With a crimson flash, I felt the energy flow through my body. In one swift move, I cut the magical rope that was restraining me.
"Let's go!" Kogorō urged, running toward me with the map in hand.
I was about to transport us when the masked man performed a series of hand movements. Suddenly, a spiritual barrier materialized around Kogorō, trapping him inside a glowing cube.
"What the hell is this?!" Kogorō shouted, pounding the walls of light. "A spiritual barrier!"
"Kogorō, hang on!" I promised, turning toward the masked girl.
Taking advantage of the distraction, she cut the prison that was restraining her and prepared to cast another spell.
Without wasting any time, I released a burst of crimson energy with the spear, forcing her to retreat.
The masked man didn't fall behind, launching another barrier toward me. But this time, my spear sliced through the spiritual structure effortlessly, absorbing the energy that had kept Kogorō trapped.
"Did… did you just cut my spiritual barrier?!" the man exclaimed, incredulous.
"That spear…!" the girl gasped, weakened. "My mana… it's being drained."
"What kind of weapon is that?" the man growled, trying to regain control of his energy.
I tightened my grip on the spear, my horns glowing intensely alongside the crimson marks that had appeared on my cheeks.
"That's enough!" I shouted firmly. "Everyone stop!"
The place fell into an unsettling silence. Slowly, each of them lowered their weapons. The masked man, sighing with resignation, removed his mask, followed by his companion.
Both of them had slightly pointed ears, but there was something curious: the girl had small horns, while the boy did not.
She seemed shy, while he wore a stern and distrustful expression.
"My... my name is Saria Yoshigane," the girl said, her voice trembling. "And this is my older brother, Ardan Yoshigane."
"Hey!" Ardan protested, annoyed. "Why are you telling them our names?"
"We have to introduce ourselves, or how will we communicate?" Saria responded with unexpected firmness.
While the siblings argued, Kogorō approached me and whispered in my ear:
"Hey... don't you think we should take advantage of this and leave now?"
"No." I responded seriously. "I want answers."
I looked at the siblings with a stern expression. "Alright, let's get to the point. Why did you attack us?"
"And why do you care, idiot?" Ardan spat.
"Idiot?" I replied, angry. "Say that again, you fool!"
"Calm down, both of you!" Saria intervened, desperate.
Kogorō huffed, rolling his eyes. "Incredible... now there are two fools."
After several minutes of dialogue, Saria, with her kind nature, managed to negotiate an agreement: we would share the map, but only if we apologized to each other.
"Is this going to work?" Kogorō asked skeptically, as we all held the spear.
"I'm 100% sure," I assured him. "The spear can work as a transportation method if we stay together."
"This can't get more humiliating..." Ardan grumbled, glued to my side.
"Go ahead, Saria," I indicated.
With determination, the girl touched a glowing point on the map.
An aura of energy enveloped us, making us float in the air.
"Hold on tight!" I warned. "Don't let go of the spear!"
"Do you think I want to let go?" Kogorō yelled. "I'm sealed to this thing!"
With a dimensional roar, we vanished from that place, leaving behind only the tremor of the temple, as if reality itself had shaken at our departure.