Three years ago…
Several days after 'the ritual' incident…
Jinju hadn't spoken to anyone after regaining consciousness. The grief of the situation still clung to him like a perfume he couldn't lose. And yet, the grief was part of what allowed him to continue.
From what he heard next from the people around him when he awakened, he understood about the cursed dagger and some kind of ritual that had shut down the Akamine leader's soul. The Akamine members preserved (their leader) Cairo Hamadaw's body in a special casket in the hopes that someday they might discover a cure to bring back to life.
He's not dead. Just in a vegetative state.
Jinju observed the grim situation lingering in the air all around the island of Lasagna, hidden from view to ordinary civilians.
But well, this has nothing to do with me. I should ask them to let me get a ride back home to the mainland.
When he mentioned his request, the reply made his eyes jerk wide open.
They wouldn't allow him to ever return back. To the world, Jinju Wan was dead. And the Akamine intended to keep it that way. What about his parents? His younger brother back home? They still weren't aware of his whereabouts, only assuming that he had passed away as a martyr doing what he loved doing best.
Even in his current state, Jinju smashed his fist on a table out of frustration.
"
I understand you're frustrated, Wan
," Nokau approached him with a neutral face devoid of emotions. "
Same goes for all of us. We don't know why Master Cairo chose you. But we simply cannot allow his wish to go in vain. Please try to understand. We need you here. He saw something in you that the others cannot see for ourselves.
"
Jinju wanted to escape. He was an A-ranker after all. No one else in the Akamines had reached that level yet. But the rank was only a fragment of his past. A weightless certificate. It was no use bragging about his rank and throwing around
what if
s to argue about authority. His body was still weak from a month of starvation, malnourished and fatigued.
Fortunately, he had been born with a spirit for motivational feats. Unlike others who would hide themselves out of insecurity or remain stressed or depressed when situations spilled over the house of cards he had been building with his life, Jinju Wan embraced challenges with relish and gratitude.
He managed to climb up ranks with his brute willpower to win and struggled till his physical body couldn't keep up with his mental resilience.
Jinju sighed.
If I were an assassin type of dungeon hunter, I'd have been standing on a mountain of dead bodies by midnight. Alas! I became a demon hunter… no matter how fearsome I might be towards non-human creatures, my weapons and skills are nearly not as good enough with human targets
.
So he accepted his fate and became an Akamine member, under the leadership of someone weaker than him. Yet, the people and even Cairo Hamadaw had insisted on Nokau Ora to be the leader, after all.
Jinju had no problems with authority.
Doesn't matter who's in charge… formally, atleast. I don't care if I'm enslaved, sold or trapped under someone else. They're all weak pieces of paper and words of people anyways. Fake formalities in the guise of contracts. As long as they don't step on my toes and keep me out of their business. Speaking of business….
Wan stretched his shoulder muscles, looking out to the natural biome spread out around the Akamine settlement. Forests, fields, ponds, and a coastline in the distance – currently undergoing tidal concert of the East China sea lapping at the sand and dirt under a moonless sky.
…Time to start my own.
The next morning, a small crowd of Akamine members had gathered around like a flock of chickens silently observing what Jinju was upto.
Smack! Slack! Spack!
Wan was busy chopping down trees and branches.
Nokau came down running after hearing about what's going on.
"
Wan! Why are you chopping down trees? If you needed materials, you could've just let us know, ya know? The Akamine treasury is open for all with valid reasonings for items
."
"
No, but thank you
," Jinju answered without even changing his focus from the timber logs. "
I like to build my own. But if you'd like to help me, it would be nice to have some fresh poultry chickens, highest quality rice seeds, sheep with prized wool, mining tools, some —
"
"
Whoa whoa, whoa! What do you think we are? Farmers? Why should you be wasting time and energy in those impractical tasks? Start training with swords and spears if ya must really be productive
."
"
Wha'? You guys have 'mine' in your guild's official name yet you don't carry any mining tools? Talk about misrepresentation…
" Wan got busy cleaving out specific parts of wood into sizeable shapes for building fences, tool handles, and furniture.
"
That's not the point!
" Nokau's raised his vocal volume. "
Are you really an A-rank demon hunter? I don't find any reasons to believe so. I've seen Master Cairo. He's a true A-ranker. And you? Your small-time activities today proves how poor you actually are. You must be some lowly peasant's son who bought his fame with bribes, huh?
" he looked behind him, expecting a few of the other onlookers to chuckle at the joke with him. But he found them staring silently like Mesopotamian clay sculptures. Turning his head back to normal, he almost jumped out of his red robes out of fright.
Jinju had dashed forward without a sound, so fast that the ground where his feet touched sizzled with the heat of friction.
"
Guard your tongue before it becomes part of my collection of oddities, Ora
," he juggled the sickle in his hand by making it roll mid-air. Jinju made sure to get his message across. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood to be reminded about his family when he couldn't go and meet them, and especially not to be offended about them. "
Know your place, B-ranker. I'm here not because of any of your meek attempts at trying to keep me here. You understand? I'm here to pay my debts of gratitude to that old man stuck in some eternal sleep disease
."
Nokau shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned back to the crowd.
"
See that, people?
" the placeholder leader of the Akamine asked. "
Is this really the kind of person you want walking along the Akamine corridors? Let's banish this bastard and refuse him entry. If he yearns for the natural ways of life so much, let him be buried in it. Go now. What are you staring at? Not everyone is so useless like Wan here. Get on with your training
," he ordered the remainder of the crowd to disperse and oil their own machines without interfering or looking at others' business. "
We are already running at a loss without Master Cairo. Any demon invasions at this location… and we'll all be doomed!
"
You bet, you will be
. Jinju eavesdropped the last audible sentence before Nokau's irritated (and irritating) voice crossfaded with the morning's playlist of bird songs and oceanic bass drops.
They have never tasted the freedom that I have. Woe betide them.
He looked up at the sky, in the direction orthogonal to the Earth's surface, hoping to be facing a higher power above.
Praise be to You for everything I have, and whoever I have become.
With that, the initiation of Jinju became forfeit as he lived a life in an intersection between his own and the regulations of the Akamine. Fighting demons wasn't a problem for him, after all, as long as the demonic side attacked first.
"
Whatever you do, and no matter who you become
," Jinju's mother had nailed reams of advice into the notice board of his mind. "
Do not oppress the innocent. The Divine may have given you something special. I knew it from the day I gave birth to you, my dear. You are not weak. But you cannot be strong until you are worthy of it. Great things are expected of you. And if God is willing, He will make you powerful. Very powerful. One day. For sure. But please… if those days arrive… do not ever use your abilities for wrongdoing. You should kill yourself than to live as such a monster, Jinju
."
Jinju rested under a tree while past anecdotes from his parents flooded his mind yearning for their presence. The so-called Evil Fate dagger had been entrusted to his care and ownership, since everyone else felt too scared to be near it in case of whatever unknown phenomena might occur. He fidgeted with it like a toy right now, bored and busy at the same time.
Why is everyone jealous of me? Have I done anything wrong? They all have better talents and gifts than me. Yet…. They think somehow I'm the unfair one, stealing their spotlights
. He thought of Nokau Ora, and he had reacted earlier.
How narrow-sighted these people can be! They all ignore the baseline foundations I lay down for rising up, and then comment on my success as if it was rightfully theirs. It's for everyone. I only harvested what was in my fate, while they ignored theirs… waiting for a perfect day to even begin
.
"
Hi
," a voice broke in.
Jinju turned around to see a female Akamine healer standing beside the tree.
"
Oh hey
," he got back up to his feet, putting the knife away. "
Didn't hear you there. My name is Wan. And you?
"
"
Yes, I've seen you, Wan
," her siren lips curled into a shy smile. Her hands were behind her back. "
You must be the chosen one who Master Cairo risked his life for?
"
"
Oh, naaah, that's not at all what I think, haha
," he tossed the dagger up high, ripping out a bunch of green coconuts from the tree. He expertly grabbed two with his hands, and attempted to catch the falling blade with his foot. The knife sunk into his flesh. "
Whoops. Hehe. Thirsty for some coconut?
"
Anita clicked her tongue. "
Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't have done that, Wan. Taking risks for useless reasons.
"
"
Haha! Oh well… I shouldn't be afraid to shed blood when I have such a cutie for a healer near me
," he winked, pulling the dagger out with his free hand after handing out one of the coconuts to the girl. "
As for taking risks? Think about it. What are we?
" he spread his arms wide as he talked with a gentle, calm tone as if he had not a single worry at all in this world. "
We are dungeon hunters. Adventurers. Heroes. Different names, same deal.
"
"
Aha?
" the healer found it hard not to laugh, but she didn't want to stop talking to him either.
"
Sometimes we heal
," Jinju ran his knife in a circle around the top of his coconut. "
Sometimes we steal
," he separated the cut section away. "
Sometimes we kill
," he stabbed the white flesh on the top, a few drops of the liquid spraying out. "
That's it. Our life defined in three simple terms
."
"
Oh really?
" Anita exchanged her coconut with Jinju's, eager to watch him do the process again. "
Is life really so simple?
"
"
Well… it may not be
," Jinju held the new coconut over his mouth. "
But it's solely upon us to define it,
" he pierced the bottom of the coconut, instantly beginning to swallow up the waterfall of nutritious liquid pouring down from the puncture. He wiped his mouth before continuing. "
Anyone can draw anything they want; but only artists declare meaning to their work
."
"
Interesting
," Anita nodded, watching the new unsolicited Akamine member with much curiosity. "
You must be very philosophical
."
"
And practical
."
"
Ah, I see. So a practical philosopher?
"
"
A pragmatician, I like to call myself
."
"
Mhm.
"
She noticed that Jinju's foot had already healed up as if it had never been dented by the falling knife at all.
"
So… uh… what was your name again?
" Jinju began walking away, a mental schedule of to-do lists ringing bells to instruct him on his next steps.
"
Haru. Anita Haru,
" she had introduced herself countless times her whole life, but for some reason, it felt different to her when doing it to the young demon hunter in front of her.
"
Haru
," Jinju's smile exposed his crooked but clean teeth, slightly embarrassed for the lack of attention he had for his own health. "
Where can I find supplies, Haru? I'm sure you were listening to the hubbub back there, early morning
."
"
Sure, I can help. But first, could you tell me why are you so interested in such agricultural items?
"
Jinju looked back again.
"
Someday… you'll understand that I'm not like this because I am Jinju Wan…. I'm Jinju Wan because I am like this.
"