Chapter 10 Hallucinations

The two majestic eagles carried the five companions, soaring northeast, following the guiding crow. As they left the vast expanse of the Skeleton Desert behind, the wind grew cooler, and the barren, sandy landscapes slowly transformed into a new tapestry of vibrant, shifting colors, signaling a change in terrain.

Yul, positioned behind Hajime, leaned forward slightly. "What exactly were you thinking?" he asked, his voice low.

Hajime, startled from his thoughts, replied, "Thinking of what?"

"You were talking like I was having sex with Abrafo behind that dirt mound," Yul stated, a hint of amusement, yet also lingering confusion, in his tone.

Hajime flushed crimson, embarrassed by his vivid misinterpretation. "If you were me, you would have the same idea," he retorted, defensively.

Yul sighed, a soft huff of air. "We often use the word 'release' to replace 'pee.' It sounds more appropriate." He looked at Hajime, his gaze softening as he noticed Hajime's complexion. There was a fresh, delicate scent of roses emanating from him. "Hajime, do you use perfume?"

"No," Hajime replied, a little surprised.

"You have a drowsy smell of roses on you," Yul observed, leaning a little closer.

Hajime shrugged, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I don't want to smell like the four of you. Usually, during Christmas season, stores have sales and discounts. I often shop around to see if my favorite perfume is on sale."

"Christmas? What's Christmas?" Yul asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Hajime instantly realized his slip. He shook his head, quickly correcting his mistake. "Christmas is... a secret word... if you like someone, you give them a secret word... it's a secret word within the tribe..." He trailed off, hoping Yul would accept the hasty explanation.

"No wonder I've never heard of it," Yul said, pausing, seemingly accepting the explanation for the moment. "How do you know so much about sex between men?"

How could I not know about sex between men? Hajime thought to himself, a pang of memory hitting him. In his previous life, Kenji and he had done it many, many times.

Hajime quickly turned his upper body halfway around, the movement bringing him closer to Yul. Yul lowered his head, inhaling deeply, to smell Hajime's fragrant hair. Yul's lips, soft and warm, then brushed against Hajime's right cheek. Hajime felt the gentle caress of Yul's breath on his skin, a strange mix of comfort and alarm. A shiver ran down his spine as he met Yul's eyes, wide and curious. He could feel every hair on his back standing on end, a primal instinct. He decided to take control of the moment, to confront the escalating intimacy head-on. He deliberately slid his face further, his lips landing directly on Yul's.

Hajime immediately backed away, turning his back on Yul, creating a physical distance. "Because I'm preparing myself," he said, his voice light, belying the rapid beat of his heart. "Who can be sure that my true love is a woman? It could be a man too."

Yul, still reeling from the unexpected kiss, remained silent, his shock evident.

"Don't be so shocked," Hajime continued, a playful, slightly arrogant tone in his voice. "You should feel lucky to have kissed these lips first." He turned his head slightly, continuing to gaze at the beautiful, unfolding sky. "A man your age is expected to be kissed by women a lot, but this is probably the first time you've ever kissed a man, so the shock will last longer." He giggled, a surprisingly carefree sound. "I've seen that look in your eyes before."

"Where?" Yul asked, his voice still a little breathless.

The shock in Yul's eyes is the same as when he kissed Kenji for the first time. Hajime didn't want to mention his painful past life to Yul, not yet. So instead, he said, "I've seen that look in your eyes before witnessing many young masters in the brothel."

Yul's hand shot out, grabbing Hajime's right upper arm, his grip firm. "You've been to the brothel?" he demanded, a flicker of concern in his eyes.

Hajime leaned back, falling playfully against Yul's chest. He reached out his right finger, teasingly touching Yul's chin. "Like I said, prepare myself and get used to the male body," he flirted, a mischievous smile playing on his lips and a knowing glint in his eyes. He then rested his head on Yul's left chest, closing his eyes, enjoying the steady rhythm of Yul's heartbeat. "Hey honey, do you mind if I put my head on your chest?"

"Are you this happy all the time," Yul asked, his voice soft, "or are you just pretending to be happy?"

Hajime kept his eyes closed, his smile unwavering. "I've always been happy."

Yul said nothing for a moment, then, a smile in his voice, he murmured, "Did you know... you also got my first kiss."

Hajime's eyes quickly opened, and he looked up at Yul, a sudden, profound realization dawning on him. At this moment, truly, he suddenly realized that Yul was actually a very attractive, handsome young man. He had utterly failed to notice Yul's striking good looks on the first day he saw him in the meeting hall, and even during the few days they had spent together. Yul's unwavering focus on his mission, his quiet strength, made him undeniably attractive. Then, unbidden, his "dirty thoughts" from earlier pulled him back to the moment when he had held Yul's member in his hand. His cheeks began to flush a deep, mortified red once more.

"Hey, you two lovebirds... look!" Abrafo called out, his voice cutting through their intimate moment, pointing ahead.

The five men looked forward and saw the majestic turquoise mountains rising in the distance. The two eagles soared effortlessly above the clouds, high over the peaks, still faithfully following the black hawk. A cacophony of birdsong drifted up from the vibrant green hills below, and the five men, their spirits lifted, shouted happily into the clear blue sky, a collective release of tension and awe.

"River!" Michio called, pointing down excitedly.

"Let's rest by the waterfall below," Yul suggested, surveying the lush landscape.

"We don't even know if anyone we meet speaks the same language as us," U-ri cautioned, ever the pragmatist.

"Let's do the rest on foot to avoid suspicion," Yul decided, his tone firm.

"No..." Hajime protested, a stubborn edge to his voice. "I'd rather fly to civilization than walk."

Yul turned to Hajime, his expression serious. "We're here on a mission. Our mission is to keep it secret."

"Listen to your husband," Michio chimed in, a teasing glint in his eye. "He has more experience in this field than you."

The eagles gently landed on the soft ground near a sparkling waterfall, and the five men dismounted. The two magnificent eagles and the guiding crow shimmered, shrinking back into three small wooden figures, no bigger than a thumb. Hajime walked over, picked up his three carvings, and carefully placed them in his cross bag. The five of them then washed themselves in the cool, clear water and changed into new, clean clothes. Hajime, U-ri, and Michio stayed behind, setting up a temporary camp, while Yul and Abrafo went to scout ahead.

Abrafo walked up to Yul, looking up at the unfamiliar trees, then turned back to him. "Yul, do you think any of these fruit trees are edible?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen this fruit before," Yul replied, his gaze studying the strange trees. Yul picked a single, bell-shaped fruit that had fallen to the ground and examined it closely. "Look, it looks like a bell."

Yul squeezed the fruit. Inside, nestled amongst the pulp, was a small, black seed. Yul, idly curious, rubbed the seed three times between his fingers. To his astonishment, four tiny legs suddenly sprouted from the black seed. Yul, startled, dropped the black seed onto the ground and instinctively stomped on it with his foot, crushing it. He turned around, calling out a warning, "Abrafo, don't—"

Suddenly, Yul found himself standing completely alone amidst the bell fruit groves. He shouted, his voice echoing eerily, "Abrafo! Where are you?!" He spun around, searching frantically for Abrafo among the fruit trees. He looked down at the ground, and his blood ran cold: hundreds of small, black, multi-legged creatures, each the size of a human head, were swarming towards him, scuttling with unnerving speed. Yul immediately drew his sword, preparing for a fight.

As soon as Abrafo had turned around to respond to Yul, Yul was gone. He stood alone in the bell fruit forest, a chilling sense of isolation washing over him. Abrafo shouted, "Yul!" his voice tinged with panic.

Then, he saw Yul, walking slowly towards him. As Yul approached, Abrafo's breath hitched—blood coated Yul's entire body. Yul's skin was covered with grievous wounds, and fresh blood oozed profusely from them. Yul staggered, then collapsed directly in front of him. He rushed forward, his heart pounding, frantically trying to help him up.

"Yul… how could this happen?" Abrafo asked in a panicked whisper, his hands trembling.

Yul gurgled, a sickening sound of blood in his throat. "Abrafo, I'm dying. The monster is coming..." He took one last, shuddering breath in Abrafo's arms, then his body went limp, and he died.

Abrafo cried out, a heartbroken wail. "Yul… Don't die... No…!"

Meanwhile, Yul, backing away from the swarming spider-like creatures, felt his back hit a tree. He looked up in horror to see more spiders hissing at him from the branches above. Then, the hungry spiders quickly pounced on him from all directions. He swung his sword wildly, desperately chopping down some of the creatures, but they kept coming.

Hajime, U-ri, and Michio waited by the waterfall for an hour, but Yul and Abrafo hadn't returned. A growing unease settled over them, so the three decided to go find their two friends. As they approached, they found their two friends seemingly fooling around, their actions utterly confusing. They stopped at a distance and watched them, bewildered, as their two friends "played" with each other: Yul was swinging his sword wildly at unseen threats in the branches and on the ground, while Abrafo held two fruits, crying out for "Yul" not to die.

Hajime took a bite of the apple in his hand, his brow furrowed. "What are they doing?" he asked, looking at Yul and Abrafo's bizarre behavior.

Michio chewed on his apple, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Not sure, but interesting."

"Agreed," Hajime nodded, still trying to make sense of the scene.

"Hey, you two!" U-ri shouted at Yul and Abrafo, his voice echoing through the groves. "Stop playing! Let's hurry up!"

In his own hallucination, Yul suddenly saw Abrafo's dead body lying on the ground. A hideous goblin, grotesque and vile, sat on the ground, greedily devouring Abrafo's flesh. In a furious rage, Yul lunged at the flesh-eating goblin, his sword raised high. Yul stabbed at the goblin with all his might. The goblin turned, its eyes glowing with malevolence, and blocked Yul's attack with its long, ugly nails, deflecting his blade.

"Abrafo, watch out!" Michio shouted from outside the illusion, rushing forward to stop Yul's wildly swinging sword. But Michio was violently pushed back by an unseen force, sending him tumbling twenty feet away and dropping him hard to the ground.

Within his own hallucination, as Abrafo blocked the sword coming from behind him, he turned around to see an ugly demon with two horns. Abrafo punched the demon, sending it flying ten feet away.

Abrafo, pointing his sword at the demon, yelled angrily, "Ugly, how dare you kill my friend! I will kill you and avenge Yul!"

Still within his hallucination, Yul charged his sword at Abrafo, who was standing a few feet away, seeing him as the goblin.

"Michio!" Hajime yelled, rushing to help Michio up, his heart pounding.

Michio grunted in pain, shaking his head. "What's that?" he muttered, looking at the invisible barrier.

As soon as U-ri stretched out his hand, there was a clear, invisible force barrier blocking his way. He knocked twice on the unseen wall and instantly, the sound of bells jingling loudly erupted, echoing around the entire forest. The three of them clapped their hands over their ears, wincing at the deafening noise.

"That's what we heard last night!" Michio shouted, muffled by his hands.

"It's some kind of invisible magical enchantment!" U-ri shouted back, his voice strained.

Hajime frowned, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Magic can be broken."

Hajime quickly plucked six dried leaves with his right hand and, with a swift motion, sent the six dried leaves directly towards the invisible magical enchantment. The leaves, burning with a strange, otherworldly fire, pierced and burned a smoking hole in the enchanted barrier, creating a clear opening. "Michio, pull them out!"

Michio, quick to react, took out a paper talisman and sent it directly to Abrafo within the illusion. The talisman paper shimmered, transforming into a long, glowing rope that tightly wrapped around Abrafo's waist. Michio then pulled Abrafo back with all his might, yanking him out of the hallucination.

While fighting the demon within his hallucination, Abrafo suddenly felt something wrapped around his waist and was pulled back. The demon, however, pursued him relentlessly, still a part of his warped reality.

As Yul fought the goblin, he noticed the goblin suddenly flying away. In a blind rage, he chased the goblin into a shimmering black hole that had appeared. When Yul burst out of the black hole, his sword was pointed directly at the goblin lying on the ground, now revealed to be Abrafo, still caught in his own illusion. Yul raised his sword high, about to slash at the "goblin" lying at his feet.

Hajime, seeing the imminent danger, lunged forward and took Yul's right hand firmly, pulling his sword arm down. "No! Yul! Get yourself together!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the hallucination.

Yul blinked, his eyes slowly clearing. He began to hear and see clearly, the illusion dissolving. He looked to the right, and Hajime was holding his hand, his face etched with concern. He blinked again, confused. "Hajime?"

Just as Yul cleared, Abrafo, still caught in his demon hallucination, raised his sword high and stabbed at the "demon" who he perceived was threatening Hajime.

Hajime saw Abrafo's sword coming towards him. In a selfless act, he jumped in front of Yul, shielding him. Abrafo's sword went straight into his stomach. He gasped, a ragged breath, and fell back into Yul's arms, his face paling.

"No!" Michio screamed, his voice filled with horror. He slapped Abrafo hard across the face, the sound sharp and echoing. "Snap out of it!"

As the sharp pain hit his face, Abrafo's eyes cleared, and he began to see clearly. His hallucination shattered. He looked down in disbelief and horror, seeing his sword piercing Hajime's abdomen. He stared, utterly shocked and confused. "Why is it you? What did I do?" He stood up slowly, his legs trembling, and walked cautiously towards Hajime and Yul. "Oh, Hajime... I'm so sorry..." He knelt beside Hajime, tears welling in his eyes.

Yul, holding Hajime tightly, asked, his voice raw with disbelief and grief, "Why did you jump in front of me?"

Hajime scoffed, a gurgle of blood in his mouth. "Heh… because you are my husband."

Yul held Hajime close in his arms, tears blurring his vision. Hajime looked at him, his eyes glazing over with pain, blood flowing steadily from his mouth. After a brief, agonizing struggle, Hajime's body went limp, and he died in Yul's arms, his life extinguished in a final, defiant act of love.