What is going on? What’s happening here?

All eyes turned to Kenzo in disbelief. Luca’s face fell with sadness. Sofia trembled in fear. Akiko stood frozen, gripping her sword tightly. Ming, furious, grabbed Kenzo by the collar and shouted,

“Why!?! Why did you do that!?! You monster! How could you—and why!?!”

Kenzo simply looked at him—and laughed.

“Ha ha ha.” He kept laughing.

Now Luca, too, was overwhelmed. With sorrow and anger, he demanded,

“Kenzo! Stop laughing and answer! Why did you do that!?!”

The group stood in shocked silence, demanding an explanation. Then Kenzo stopped laughing. His expression darkened. He glared at Ming.

Before anyone could react—Kenzo attacked Ming.

And then—Ming opened his eyes.

He was back in the cave. Everyone was still sleeping. It had just been a dream—a nightmare.

He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Wiping his face, he rubbed his forehead, trying to steady himself.

Was it just a nightmare?

But it felt so real. The details were too vivid, too sharp.

How could a dream feel like that?

Taking a deep breath, he noticed the others beginning to stir.

They looked slightly calmer now, but the fear never left them. It clung to them like a shadow.

Ming stood, stepped outside, and leaned against the cave wall. He looked up at the sky and sighed. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to push the dream from his mind—but the feeling lingered.

It hadn’t felt like a dream. It felt like a warning.

Was Kenzo involved in all of this?

The question clung to his thoughts.

Ming walked back into the cave. His eyes landed on his bag. He sat down and opened it.

The first thing he saw was a photo frame—his brother’s wedding day. In the photo, his brother beamed with joy while Ming looked bored beside him.

As he stared at the picture, his eyes drifted to a diary—one his brother had asked his sister-in-law to pass on to him.

Ming picked it up and was just about to open it—

“Mr. Ming! Mr. Ming!”

It was Luca.

Ming turned to him, calm but curious. “What is it?”

Luca’s voice carried a trace of composure. “Everyone’s hungry. There’s nothing left to eat. Can you come with us to search for something?”

Kenzo stood beside Luca, silent but watchful.

Ming nodded. He gently placed the diary back into his bag, closed it, and stood up.

He looked around at Akiko, Sofia, Ash, and the other passengers.

“Stay here until we return,” he said. “And don’t go anywhere alone.”

They all nodded.

Ming, Luca, and Kenzo set off into the forest. A thick silence surrounded them.

After twenty or thirty minutes, they found a Kawanoki tree. The three men looked at each other, and Ming removed his black coat, climbing the tree with practiced ease.

At the top, he plucked the Kawanoki fruit and tossed them down. Luca and Kenzo caught them and packed them into Luca’s bag.

After a few minutes, Ming climbed down. Luca grabbed the bag, and they began the walk back.

But Ming still felt uneasy.

“It’s strange,” he said quietly. “No animals… no birds.”

Luca gave a calm, tired smile. “After everything we’ve seen… I don’t even know what strange is anymore.”

Kenzo chuckled. Ming shook his head, then sighed in agreement.

Back at the cave, little Ash ran up, his eyes full of hope.

“Did you find anything to eat?”

Kenzo and Ming nodded. Ash lit up. Sofia, Akiko, and the other passengers smiled with relief.

Luca opened the bag and handed out the Kawanoki fruit. Everyone—Kenzo, Luca, Akiko, Sofia, Ming, Ash, and the others—ate quietly.

Ming looked around at them, then turned his gaze toward the cave’s entrance.

A thought echoed in his mind:

Was my dream just a nightmare… or a warning?

End of Chapter

---