The Rejected Family

Chapter 15

Reject this vision

Still, in the past, the moment of these events takes place months ago — a familiar situation but differentiated by the time of its respective events. Seiji's team quietly camps around a campfire.

The group formed by Honaka and Phoena rests next to their new allies.

"Wow, you all have funny skills, hahaha! A bed? What the hell is that?" Mai laughs with her companions.

Dende grumbles, "I told you she'd freak out."

The woman is increasingly surprised as she gets to know her new team.

"Who would have thought a team like this would face a trial? It looks like everyone wants to die, hahaha!"

"Just by being alive, that's something, isn't it?"

"When there's no way out, we usually surrender," Seiji says for the others.

The laughing woman gets excited, praising the group.

"If I were you, I wouldn't risk so much. There are people out there who don't give a damn about sparing their enemies. This proves that you're tough!"

Dende asks the newcomer, "Of all the teams, why did you choose us?"

"Well, you took me in. Do I need a reason? You just wanted new members, didn't you? So here I am!"

"Don't you think you're wasting your time?"

The laughter suddenly stops. The woman — who had previously been enjoying herself unpretentiously — now assumes an unexpected posture, staring thoughtfully at the person who asked her the question.

"Listen. I'm going to get to the Summit. So just come with me and enjoy the ride. I don't care how incompetent you are. Are you going to waste this chance?"

Dundo can't believe his ears, "The Summit?"

"Even if your skills seem useless, you'll reach your full potential through my care. Your group is a mess right now, so leave me in charge, and everything will be fine. Just make sure you get there alive, hahaha!"

The light-hearted conversation between friends is back. Amid laughter and food, the campsite becomes a welcoming place. The warmth of the campfire warms the hearts of everyone who is relaxing around it.

Suddenly, Dundo makes a request, "Hey, Mai. I need some company. Can you come with me?"

"Sure, I'm free."

"Just don't go too far. The trial could start at any moment," the leader warns.

The pair gets up and walks towards a more secluded area, away from the camp.

Observing their new allies' movements, Honaka follows them. Without understanding this latest development, Dende wonders about the sudden pursuit.

"Why is that woman following them?"

"What's the matter? She's an ally. We'll help each other in there. So, it's okay for us to be companions out here," Dinda says.

"I'll go with them, just to be on the safe side."

After his words, he pauses for a brief moment. A look that awaits explicit permission, Dende waits for his leader's order.

Seiji gives his verdict, "Do as you wish."

The movement of the group members takes them to a peaceful landscape. Sitting on the edge of a small hill, Dundo can see part of the Foot of the Mountain Village, with a privileged view. 

Mai approaches her companion, who is alone, looking intently at the daily lives of all those in his field of vision. The woman breaks the silence that her ally was so keenly contemplating.

"If you just wanted to talk, couldn't you have done it back at the camp?"

"We can see the waterfall from here; we'll know if anything happens."

Sitting facing the village, Dundo has his back to the Mountain of Trials, with his legs stretched over the edge of the small hill.

"That doesn't worry me. Why did you bring me here?"

As a light breeze blows through his hair, he visualizes the society he is part of, from top to bottom. A view that allows him to see the capital from a wide angle.

"The Summit, huh?"

His dreamy voice is driven by the winds heading towards the mountain hundreds of times higher than where they are now.

He continues, "When I look at that village from above, as I am now, I feel safer. I know where many people are, and I can see most people having an ordinary day. It's as if I knew for sure that everything would be normal. In a way, it's reassuring."

Mai approaches the man, taking a seat next to him while putting her feet up on the edge and listening to more of his honest words.

"But, you know, when I look at that mountain from down there... It's a bit scary. It's weird to think that we're being watched in the same way. We don't know anything about what is coming; we can't see anything relevant from here. If anything happens up there, we won't know about it for weeks or even months."

As he turns his attention to the Mountain of Trials, Dundo turns his eyes to the top, a place that can barely be seen, completely immersed in mysterious clouds that hide every detail of the unknown.

"If we get up there, we can have a quiet life with no surprises, right? Our skills could be used for a better quality of life. And then that old man could rest without having to risk his life and count on luck every time."

The man's every meticulous gesture reveals his uncontrollable desire to make a single request. The most honest desire pierces the woman's attentive ears.

"As a team of good-for-nothings, we cannot make this a reality, so I would like to make one last plea. Miss Mai, please take Seiji to the Summit."

After a few seconds of paying as much respect as possible to the desperate request, the listener stands up, about to give an unquestionable answer.

"When we arrive, we can live knowing what is to come. When we arrive, we will live in peace, far from danger. When we arrive, Seiji will be able to rest."

"You..."

"I don't think you understand it yet. All I asked you to do was to enjoy the journey. I will reach the Summit; I don't mind helping people with the same goal. Maybe this time you did get lucky."

The smile accompanying Mai's words infects Dundo with the most profound relief. He immediately kneels at the feet of the woman who comforted him, involuntarily showing his unreserved gratitude.

"We've never had so many allies before. Thanks to you and the other group, the trial no longer seems so far away. Thank you, Mai."

"Raise your head," she rejects the submissive posture.

Unable to control himself, Dundo suddenly positions himself upright, sitting with his head held high.

"I can't bend down anymore."

"My orders are absolute. I'm sorry, you can't compete with my rejection."

"In that case, how can I thank you?"

"I'll never allow anything like that. Too bad for you."

"Huh?"

The slow footsteps of another presence mark the end of the private conversation. A new companion arrives to meet them. 

Honaka approaches her new allies. Following in her wake — like a security guard on the job — Dende also joins the unusual gathering.

"Hey, why did you come here?" he asks the newcomer.

"They're my allies. I'm supposed to be in control of the situation, too."

"From the looks of it, everything's fine here. You can relax—"

"Honaka. My name."

"Right. You can relax, Honaka. Our friend is quite strong."

"Yeah, I can imagine," her voice emanates certainty about the situation while her eyes fixate on Mai and Dundo's backs, unable to hide her interest in the pair.

Dende calls out to his companion, "Hey, Dundo. Are you finished?"

"Oh, you can rest assured. We'll be back very soon."

Dende turns away from his ally and walks in the opposite direction, heading back towards the camp. 

"Good, then we can go, Honaka. These two still need more time alone."

Honaka follows in her instructor's footsteps when her ears unexpectedly hear something intriguing.

"Whatever happens, don't knock our savior off the edge, Dundo," Dende makes one last comment.

Following the man's words, Honaka turns towards the pair, an almost instantaneous reaction.

"You got it, mister cautious."

Aiming to sit back down on the hill's edge, Dundo moves relaxedly. Also aiming to sit down, Mai leans her body forward.

An inexplicable step.

As if his feet had a life of their own, Dundo takes an unintended step, a movement towards the one next to him. 

His balance is lost.

Disoriented, he bumps into Mai, who is pushed against the hill's edge. Without expecting this action — which at first could only be done voluntarily — Mai uses every inch of her strength to try to grab onto something.

Without success.

"What—?"

"Mai?"

The woman falls off the hill's edge, plummeting through the air at the Foot of the Mountain. As their gazes meet, Dundo sees his friend's expression one last time.

Absolute dread fills a shocked face, and Mai's confidence fades through her shivering hair, immersed in honest despair.

Unable to believe his eyes, the man can understand the feelings on his ally's terrified face.

Still in the air, Mai's last moments are taken up by an undeniable vision. With eyes that are lost trying to reach the top, she looks up at the Mountain of Trials from below.

This view is truly frightening, her mind says.

"Mai!"

Dundo's shouts don't reach his companion, who finally hits the ground. Unable to fully face what has happened, he can only see parts of the victim's body. 

A sea of blood creates a frightening scene for every detail he sees. Due to his extreme nervousness, he cannot take one last look at Mai's face.

As he turns to call Honaka, Dende realizes what has happened, that it is impossible.

"Dende..."

Dundo turns to the remaining pair, his face streaked with tears, which fall unstoppably from his eyelids, flowing down the rest of his body. 

He falls to his knees, entirely surrendered to his mental chaos. 

"Dende, please..."

Even without fully understanding what has happened, the listener runs wildly towards his companion. A hug that can grasp his friend's very soul holds Dundo's emotions.

"Hey! Look at me, okay? It's going to be okay! No need to look down there, Dundo! Keep your eyes on me!"

In direct opposition to what he had been instructed to do, the crying man's attention focuses on the landscape behind his ally. He observes Honaka standing in front of him. 

Like an icicle running down his body, Dundo's cold sweat reveals his most genuine dread. The moment he witnesses is the height of his despair.

Honaka smiles broadly. The expression takes over her entire face.

"What?"

As time progresses, the story continues to be told near the present. 

Seiji's team rests next to the Mamoru family before a fire again, waiting for the current trial. 

Muro and his family sleep next to their new acquaintances. In the same place, Dinda and Seiji find themselves next to each other. The older man has his eyes closed and is lying on a bed.

"It's hard to sleep, isn't it?" The woman murmurs, catching his attention.

"You telling me that is a bit uncomfortable," he replies, still with his eyes closed.

"I've been with you every night. Not once have you been able to relax completely. Now, to make things even more difficult, you've decided to make another alliance. Why force yourself to do this, Seiji?"

"I'm the leader of a team that wants to reach the Summit. It's normal to look for allies."

"We gave up our last trial because of an alleged betrayal. Three months later, you're still welcoming anyone with that little speech of yours. Did you just give up?"

After a short silence, Seiji opens his eyes to answer the question.

"It doesn't make any difference now. Maybe when I was just a loser, you might have thought so. Now that we're four losers, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Seiji—"

"If I'm not looking for allies for myself, I'll be looking for allies for you three. I'm sure someone here still intends to go further."

"We've been betrayed by strangers before; what if it happens again?"

"Even if that's true, Mai was a stranger too."

Next to the pair talking, Dundo opens his eyes amid the depressing moment, listening to everything in silence.

Dinda adds one last problem, "Hey, Seiji. You know that alliance would only work because we had someone formally strong on our team. If two different teams form an alliance in an informal and late manner, in the end, they will have to face each other. No matter what, only one can move on to the next village." 

"In that case, we'll rely on luck. Isn't that what we've done so far?"

The discussion marks the end of the story told by Dundo, who, in the present, has finished informing Kelly about the past of their last alliance. Everyone's journey continues again in the current trial.

After listening to the whole narrative unfold, the woman asks a genuine question, "Er... What was your name again?"

"Dundo."

"Dundo, that's it. I just wanted to make one last request."

Kelly — previously seated — lies down on the cave floor.

"What are you doing?" Her companion doesn't understand her unusual reaction.

"If I stay here, they'll think I'm unconscious. I'm giving up on this trial."

"Huh?"