Goodbye

Gen woke up the other day, almost jumping out of bed.

He looked around, realized that he was in his room, and then thought, 'Looks like time's up, and Dehji brought me back while I was sleeping.'

He then stood up and thought, 'I'd better find Dehji and see how long I have until the next attempt.'

He then went to the bathroom to wash his face, and after doing it, he said, "What a strange pain on my face. Did I burn it lying in the sand?"

He then left his room and went toward the kitchen, and as usual, Dehji was there eating.

Gen approached him and said, "Good morning, Dehji."

"Look, Mr. Faint finally woke up."

"Mr. Faint? What do you mean? And how long do I have until the next attempt?"

"You have about an hour and a half."

"What about this fainting business?"

"What about it?"

"Why did you call me that?"

"Well, counting yesterday, this is the second time I've found you passed out, or rather, in a coma."

"What do you mean, Dehji? You're exaggerating. I was sleeping."

Dehji looked at him, half confused, and asked, "Sleeping in the middle of the desert?"

"Y-Yeah, sometimes I sleep like this to-to ... hmm ... to have experience in case I need it one day."

"Hmm, I see. It sounds like you're a very heavy sleeper then because with the amount of screaming and slapping, I did to your face, I think even a rock would wake up."

"Yes, I'm a really heavy sleeper-, wait a minute, you hit my face?!"

"A few times."

"So that's why it's hurting."

"My hand is still hurting, if your face weren't, that would be weird."

"What the hell, Dehji! You could have thrown water on me or something. I did, and it didn't do any good."

"You threw water on me too!"

"What's the matter? You just suggested it."

"Okay. You better hope I never catch you sleeping."

"Haha, good luck. I haven't slept in years."

"When I got here, you were sleeping."

"N-no, I wasn't. I was lying there thinking about life."

"Of course you were. If I were you, I would sleep with my eyes open from now on."

After saying that, Gen went to get something to eat, and when he came back, he sat down in front of Dehji and said, "This time, I have to stay inside for sixteen days, right?"

"Yes. Oh, that's right, I almost forgot."

"What?"

"You don't have to go through the challenge anymore."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I have a way to get you out of here. You can leave. You don't have to risk your life unnecessarily."

Hearing this, Gen said, "What are you talking about, Dehji? I'm not giving up."

"Gen, pay attention. All kinds of people have come through here, fearful, brave, rude, humble, and stubborn like you, but regardless of how long they stay, in the end, it always comes down to two situations."

"The first and most reasonable is that they follow my advice to leave when I see that they have reached their limits. The second is when they overestimate themselves and refuse to give up, leading them to die within the challenge."

Dehji then continued, "I know that what you are trying to solve is not easy, Gen, but surely there are other, less dangerous ways to achieve the same result. I can see in you that you are strong and determined. You'll find another way."

"Dehji, I understand what you're saying. I know it's for my good, and maybe you're really right. There might be an easier way out there to solve my dilemma, but I will not give up. The solution is right in front of me, and I will never forgive myself if I give it up for fear of failure."

Hearing this, Dehji said, "Whatever.", and then got up and left the kitchen, leaving Gen alone.

Gen then finished eating and went to his room to pack what he would need, which was a lot since he would have to spend sixteen days there.

He then went to take a shower, and after finishing, got ready and left the room with everything he was going to use in about four backpacks.

As he left the room, Gen saw Dehji standing in front of the door and went towards him.

When he got there, before he could say anything, Dehji asked, "Are you really going to continue?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Dehji then opened the door, and as he looked at it, although he could not see through it, Gen began to remember everything he had been through in that desert.

After a while of thinking, he put his backpacks down and took Scar and Light off his back. He then unpacked them and took them to Dehji.

Gen then said, "This rusty spear is Light. I have had it for as long as I can remember, and it has never let me down. This red spear is Scar. I've had it for less than a month, but in that time, it has helped me a lot. It's a great spear."

"I see, but why are you showing them to me?"

"I want ... you to have them in case I don't come back."

"... All right."

Dehji then reached out to take them, but before he could touch them, the two began to glow and make a loud noise.

Seeing this, Gen said, "Light, Scar, you must understand. I might not come back from there, so you'd better stay with Dehji. That way, at least, he might find someone else to use you in the future."

Gen was then about to put them in Dehji's hand when suddenly, he took his hand away and said, "Forget what I said. I can't accept them."

"Why Dehji? I know they're making this noise now, but after I get inside -"

"GEN! Are you planning to die in there?!"

"No, but just in case -"

"There's no 'but'. You don't understand? If you're not going to die inside, there's no reason why you should worry about them."

"But it's just in case-"

"Gen. Respect their decision. No matter what happens, they want to be with you until the end."

Hearing this, Gen remained speechless for a while and then thought, 'It's true ...'

He then said, "You're right, Dehji. There's no reason not to take them. After all, I won't fail. I'm going to get to that black spot and pass the challenge, no matter what it takes."

"Haha, that's the attitude I want to see from someone who has just made the worst decision of his life. If you are going towards death itself, even after being warned of it repeatedly, at least let it be with your head held high and without fear."

Dehji then reached out his hand, and Gen reached out his to shake Dehji's hand.

He then said, "I know I already said that, but I'm not going to die."

"Great words for someone who was passed out in the desert."

"Hey, I already told you I was asleep."

"I know."

The two looked into each other's eyes, and then at the same time started laughing, "Hahahaha!", "Hahahaha!"

Gen then put Light and Scar on his back, picked up his things from the floor, and said, "Well, it's time for me to go."

"Yes."

Dehji then stepped out of the front door and said, "This time, I won't accompany you. It's too hot in there."

"That's okay, you never stay in there very long anyway. I don't even know why you come in."

"It's just to see if everything is alright with you."

"Pfft, it sure is because of that, hahaha."

Gen then started toward the door, and when he was in front of it, Dehji said, "You better come back alive from there. If in sixteen days I find you dead in the middle of the desert, I'm going to bury you under my toilet so that every time I use it, you can smell it."

Gen then looked back at Dehji and said, "Hey, at least bury me somewhere decent, like-. Hey! I already told you that I'm not going to die!"

"You better. Otherwise, you already know where your body is going to be, hahaha."

Gen then turned toward the door and closed his eyes. Various images flashed through his head: places he had visited, people he had met, friends he had made. Some of these people he didn't even know who they were, but for some reason, he knew they were important to him.

A few seconds then passed, and Gen opened his eyes again, one of them being golden and the other the normal sandy color of his eyes, but as you looked into them, it wasn't the colors that caught your attention, but the enormous determination that could be seen within them.

He then said to Dehji with his back still turned, "Bye ... See you in a few days.", and then he dropped his backpacks and jumped toward the door, closing it behind his back.