The two stood before a grove of bamboo engulfed by multitudes of trees. Ayumi looked up and around the stone obelisk marked a few points along the outskirts of the forest with one standing right before them. Above the forests rose a large mountain-like hill buried in a thinly veiled fog, around it a wave of warm air radiated from it
"Hakk.."
Hakk turned around.
"Eyes open, ears listening, and follow me."
/////////
The grove before them was entrenched in a watery ditch, across its spanse, no wider than two pairs of feet side by side, was a graveled hued stone that unevenly tapered off into the bamboo beyond. Underneath flowing down beyond them, disappearing into a short waterfall a few strides away, crystal clear waters refracted the light above.
Ayumi crossed the distance to the obelisk, stretching out their hand touching it. The finish was worn, patches of smoothed polished stone crept up from the base, their fingers ran the well-worn inscription mouth the syllable they made. In the light, the night stone glistened a thousand tiny gems dancing as if ablaze.
"If you lose sight of me beyond here do not seek me, I will return to you." Hakks low voice called from beside Ayumi.
Nodding Ayumi turned to Hakk with an outstretched hand.
"There will be parts where your arrangement will not work."
"But for now?" Ayumi stared into Hakk's eyes, the black slitted iris's reciprocated without a single blink.
Extending their left, Hakk took the hand offered. Single file they began along the stone filled dirt path, bamboo shooting up along towering high above them. The path became ever increasingly narrow the air weighted, with a deep silence, crawled from the depths of an unseen place. What wind had been, extinguished, the smell of damp mossy dirt choked the senses, as heat rose from above and below. Hakk moved unimpeded by the narrowing ways with Ayumi banging their shoulder on every other trunk. Up, down, left and right they walked with the light filtering through the canopy above unchanged.
Hakk's momentum came to a stop releasing the hand they'd held and adjusted the lacquered box on their back.
"We will need both going forward." Hakk's voice echoed softly as their body leaned sideways giving a glimpse of the path ahead.
Ayumi peered before them, up it climbed perpendicular, exposed roots, loose dirt, and clay made up their path, well-worn parts heavily trampled where no moss grew and small tendrils of plants unseen reached out at its sides. The two climbed, Hakk propelled themselves forward using the bamboo to keep from falling backward.
At first, Ayumi attempted to follow suit, but each step found their grip slipping with knees buckling. By the time they reached the summit, Ayumi was on all fours. Sweat ran from their face with mouth agape as their chest heaved.
"Ha--" The words cut short in their throat as they leaned into the nearby grove of bamboo.
After a few LONG moments of wrenching Ayumi stopped, taking a handkerchief from the pocket they wiped their face. Sitting they leaned against the trunk of the bamboos behind them. Breathing still coming in gasps they closed their eyes. Sweat ran down their body and snot dripped from their nose they drew it back in wiping what escaped with the back of their arm.
"Uch....ouro." The words echoed faintly from their lips. Goosebumps raised on their skin and their clenched fists trembled beside them and their shoulders slumped.
Ayumi's eyes shot open, across their legs was a leather jacket and the lacquered box sat within hands reach. Looking about they noticed to the left and right were again forking paths, down behind, the hill they'd climbed.
"Hakk..." The words fell back into Ayumi's ears, standing their legs buckled falling back into the thicket as it creaked under the weight, covering their mouth they closed their eyes, taking long breaths in and out while curling into a ball, with legs bent to their forehead they clenched their fists.
"Stupid stomach shut up..." Their heartbeat in their chest and up their throat, moments past, a rustling of leaves, and then footsteps.
"Hakk that better be you."
Hakk gently placed their hand on the small masses purple hair, looking upwards Ayumi sniffled wiping their noise again.
"You were gone." Ayumi's brows crossed with narrowed eyes beneath.
From Hakk's belt, they folded out a towel full of round brainy looking mushroom with curling edges dyed in an iron black.
"Has the worst past?" Hakk put the offerings before Ayumi.
Ayumi took two, one in each hand, water dripped down their arms as they bit into it, their face slightly contorted as they chewed. Nodding they continued to eat as Hakk sat on the box nearby and ate the remainder.
Hakk offered a hand to the other.
"What remains, should be easier."
Ayumi took the hand standing than taking a deep breath, with shoulders relaxed. "Next time we cook the mush."
Hakk have a small smile as the two continued. The grove thicket became sparser with the path widened and disappearing all together among the remaining bamboo.
Ahead buried in the side of a relaxed incline, built up with limestone slabs adorned in an umber clay roof rounded at its corners with beams of burnt wood holding it up, was an open small earthen house finished with intricate lacquered wood carvings about it's trussed. Water ran from spouts on either side of the small building pouring into basins below that surrounded the front of it and flowed off into a rocky creek bed that winded its way through the bamboo, Hakk set down the box slightly slouching over and rubbing their left shoulder, while Ayumi began exploring the small building.
Nearest the back of the small house, beyond the shutters, was an even tinier house wider than tall, with three stone carved figures held inside. Made of two oblong spheres each of varying sizes colored in the night sky finished off with a polished sheen. Two were adorned with a dirtied yellow handkerchief about their neck. The first on the left was as if sleeping curled to a ball, the middle sat with a slender elongated form staring forward, its eyes were a whirlpool burring deep into the back of the sphere. The last was broken, a large crack ran through the stone hut and through its middle side, traveling up into the stone beyond with its top half nowhere to be seen.
Ayumi traced the scar, its edges were rounded with some parts having water flowing at a snail's pace onto the wooden floor beneath. Walking over to the water spouts, Ayumi placed their head under it, goose bumps formed on the nape of their neck as the water ran over it, the purple hair drenched hung over the sides of their face. Pulling back they let the hair lay flat covering their face with the water soaking their shirt.
Ayumi's gaze drifted between their bangs catching in the corner of their eye movement along the floor of the grove.
"Smoke?" A gray haze shifted on the surface of the soil before Ayumi, taking a deep breath they inhaled the air, nothing. Reaching out they passed their hand through, the lingering vision remained unphased.
Hakk paused looking to Ayumi, a small pipe and tobacco box held in either hand. "I was going to."
"This isn't like forests we've been is it." Ayumi's eyes looked around narrowing to the stalks furthest from their site that faded into a chaos of colors.
Hakk returned the items and took the canteen from the lacquered box, filling it by the spigot.
"Each forest has its oddities, and this is no exception."
Continuing upwards they zigzagged on the winding animal trails they found. Before them, the bamboo broke into an open grove, as a moisture-rich air enveloped them. Ayumi inhaled sharply as they staggered before collecting themselves.
Before them stood a mountain of stone with straggly trees clinging to its edges, off to the side a cave where water flowed forming a shallow waterfall at its mouth. Its edges marked by a two cairn layered in white and tan colored stones about half Hakk's height.
"Look back." Hakk about faced, as they ran their fingers through their hair pulling it back away from their eyes and looking skyward.
Ayumi turned around to a sea of dense grey stalks, the sun above it was beyond sight and dense fog was rolling about the base of the thicket. Touching the stalks of bamboo some parts of it crumbled in Ayumi's fingers.
"Stone? But it was alive, wasn't it?" Ayumi's hand reached to touch a second stalk but passed through it, taking a step forward Ayumi's wrist was caught and pulled backward. Hakk's left hand held firm.
"Avoid traveling inside that illusion by yourself."
Ayumi stepped back and faced Hakk with a downcast vision.
"Eye's open, ears listening." Hakk pointed to Ayumi's ears. "What do you hear, what do you see."
"The sound of leaves rustling" the hairs on Ayumi's arm stood on the edge, "Rocks tumbling down somewhere, and a stream running, animals talking, The clouds beyond the treetops, why?"
"Step back and tell me again."
Ayumi with Hakk's hand still upon their wrist stepped back into the bamboo, the sounds faded and a ringing grew loudly around them. Hakk pulled Ayumi forward.
"There is nothing but ringing and white fog."
Hakk pulled back the arm engulfed in the mist. Steading the other as they did.
" What happens if I travel inside an accident?" Ayumi shoulders drew upwards with a downcast gaze.
"Don't rush blindly about it." Hakk pointed to their eyes and ears. "And always use these, and this too." Pointing to their noise. "With some favor, you may not be lost in it forever."
Before them the cave opened half of Hakk's size, crouching down both entered. Inside, widened brick walls with a raised stone path down the center around which water flowed went on before them. The walls were damp with moss that grew up it, Hakk, still too tall, ducked with arms placed against the sides slowly walking along the path before them.
Water seeped through the sides where the brick had given way, it's remains piled beneath, slowly being carried away with each pass of water. The light from the outside faded and then a void engulfed them. Ayumi now too put hands on the walls and continued on, the echo of each step resounding around them. Ahead of them a dim glow of grey filtered in, rounding a corner the walls now lined the same black stary skied figures from the small house before.
Each sat cross-legged in their coves with offset spacing. Their eyes emitted a faint glow from a small stone at the back. Their gaze piercing beyond the world with the spiral sockets echoing the grey light outward. A few of the figures eyes lay in the flowing water, Ayumi bending down picked up one, carved in a many-sided polyhedron design the crystal had small cracks running through it with waves of darker grey light within. Placing it back in the proper place it again tumbled to the ground, picking it up Ayumi pocketing and continued on.
The cave winded upwards at a slow incline until filtered through the hanging vines of many large-leafed pothos plants, the light of day cut through. Ayumi forearm covered their face as they emerged beyond the vines.
"Welcome to Pe'nivel."
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