Chapter 4:

Trae, Coda, and Hona stand at the entrance to the path leading up the mountain and stare in confusion to the sign posted there: ‘All may enter, only the virtuous may leave.’

“The fuck is this supposed to mean?” Trae scowls at the sign and glances between his two companions who just shrug.

“I don’t know about the sign, but I’m curious about this rope.” Coda points out the makeshift fence of rope tied to stakes and stretching around the perimeter of the mountain that they can see. “The letter I received said that the territory had been clearly marked. I’m curious to know if the entire mountain has truly been roped off.”

“We'll walk the perimeter a bit before entering in.” Hona suggests wisely. The other two agree readily.

For now they ignore the entrance and follow along the rope. Luckily in this part of the forest the grass does not grow tall so the three men are able to walk around unhindered.

Together they make a motley group. Trae is the oldest and largest of the trio with his broad shoulders and strong arms. His blond hair is cut close to his head and sticks out messily from every which way, the sun catches these shiny locks as he tilts his head this way and that to get a look at their surroundings. Despite his bright hair his eyes are a murky green and paired with his usual dark expression he’s the type of person that one wouldn’t approach casually.

Coda is of similar build to Trae, but has a much more approachable demeanor. Only a year younger than his friend, but like Trae he is the head of his clan. Coda has soft brown hair that perfectly frames his face and sky blue eyes that shine brightly from his usually cheerful face. His skin has a golden tan from spending a lifetime playing in the sunshine.

Hona is the youngest of the trio and is the most unlikely friend. He often wears a distant expression and unlike Trae and Coda has a slim build and pretty features. His black hair, when it isn’t braided or tied up, falls down the entire length of his back. His complexion is a soft brown that compliments his dark brown eyes. His appearance and attire are always neat and clean and despite being a soft spoken and kind person most find him wholly unapproachable.

The leaves crunch under their feet as they make their progress. Hona admires the fiery leaves that the trees have put on display. In the Westin territory their trees are evergreens and so they stay green and prickly year round.

Trae and Coda pay more attention to the border that Sae has erected than to their surroundings. Trae gets increasingly frustrated the further they go around the mountain and the barricade continues on. The ground becomes more sparse and rocky as the other mountains in the range hem in around them. After walking for less than an hour the trio are forced to come to a stop as the way forward is completely barricaded by boulders.

Coda scratches his head, “This can’t be right? I remember quite clearly that this way should lead back up to the main mountain pass.”

Trae frowns, “Maybe a landslide sent them down.”

Hona inspects the boulders as Coda attempts to scramble over and see what the rest of the path looks like.

“There's no mud.” Hona says quietly.

Trae narrows his eyes and looks to see what Hona means. He understands after inspecting the base of the boulders. “Aye…” He agrees slowly. “If it’d been a landslide then these would be half buried in mud or surrounded by gravel at the least, but the ground here is completely cleared.”

Hona nods his head. “Someone put these here.”

“Hey, you two, come up here!” Coda shouts from atop the rock. Hona wrinkles his nose at the prospect of having to climb, but still he follows Trae who offers him a hand up. “This side path is completely gone now.” Coda reveals as he points out the length of boulders and rocks burying in the pass. “Do you think it’s the same on the other side?” He asks. “Surely it can’t be. What’d be the purpose of blocking off the side passages?”

Hona frowns, “Are there any other paths through these mountains besides the main one?”

Coda shakes his head, “Not for carts. I wouldn’t even risk riding a horse through any of the other passages. Only people on foot can traverse the terrain easily. I had to do it once when my father forced me to come out with the cartographer and help him map the whole mountain as punishment.”

Trae scowls, “Clearly the options are to go through via the main mountain pass or to completely avoid the range all together.”

“Aye.” Coda agrees, “Maybe the game is to enact a toll? Is that what that strange sign meant. The virtuous are the ones who pay?”

Hona’s frown deepens, “Sae wouldn’t do anything as shameless as that.” His fingers absentmindedly find their way to the end of his braid where the hair piece Sae had gifted him is tied in place.

Trae snorts, “No duh, obviously this is some imposter. Sae died fifteen years ago.”

Hona’s expression stays neutral and he doesn’t make any response to Trae’s harsh words, but his hands fall to his sides in clenched fists.

“Come on,” Trae continues, “let's get this over with. I’m ready to kill this bastard and go back home.”

The three men walk in silence back to the mountain path entrance. They don’t pay any mind to the sign now and head in. They only have to walk a short ways in when they’re met with a group of sordid individuals.

“What’s all of this?” Coda stares in astonishment at the strange makeshift camp with ten or so men milling about.

Once they’ve gotten the attention of the motley group the trio are immediately surrounded and are bombarded with a chorus of shouting. “Sirs!” “Good sirs!” “Please help us!” “The wicked cultivator has trapped us!” “Won’t you help us?” “Please kill the evil cultivator!” “This mountain is cursed!”

Hona, Trae, and Coda stand and listen in shock as they are bombarded by these men with their pleas and warnings until finally Coda can take no more, “Please, calm yourselves and tell me what has happened. You!” He points to a middle aged man who looks to be of sound mind, “Explain this situation.”

The older man nods his head vigorously and starts from the beginning, “As it is we are all presently trapped here. All of us were passing through the mountains for one reason or another— most of us merchants, a few artists, a few aimless wanderers.” His words send up a chorus of “Ayes!” from the group and so emboldened he continues on, “Now there had been rumors of a madman taking ownership of this here mountain, but of course the claims of this madmen were completely ignored. This mountain belongs to the Song clan, but the madman is completely without reason. He blocked off all other passages through the mountain forcing us to come into his ill-claimed territory, but he’s cursed the lands so that those who wander in are trapped! None of us are permitted to leave. From any direction we take we can walk to the border and go no further.”

A younger man adds in, “It's like hitting an invisible wall!” The group sends up another round of “Ayes!” at this remark.

The middle aged man turns back to Coda and begs him, “Please sir, you wear the Song clan insignia on your robes surely that means you are here to help us in this situation and rid the mountain of that madman.” His heartfelt pleading softens Coda’s heart.

“I can assure you that we are here to speak with the man who has claimed my family’s mountain as his own and we certainly plan to deal with this person accordingly.” Coda addresses the whole sorry group who cheer merrily at his words.

After a few more reassurances the trio manage to break away from the group of men and continue on their quest.

Coda scratches at his neck, “This situation has surely gotten even more confusing. So it seems this person is not after money after all!”

Hona cocks his head to the side as he thinks on the matter, “If the sign at the entrance is to be believed then that means those men back there are not virtuous and that is why they cannot leave.” He taps a beat against the pommel of his sword as the matter weighs on him. “Does that mean that we shouldn’t trust them?”

Trae scowls and narrows his eyes, “I’d rather trust the word of men over a sign written by a stranger.”

“Written by Sae.” Hona corrects him quietly.

Trae shakes his head, “I refuse to believe it! Even if this person is a cultivator that doesn’t make it Sae. Why would Sae have any interest in keeping scoundrels captive?”

Coda comes between them, “Aye, aye, this is all very mysterious and annoying, but we only have to go a little further and we will have our answers.” He reminds the two.

The trio continue walking in silence. It’s close to midday when they see the first signs of habitation. Amongst the yellow and red leaves of the trees are a number of colorful lanterns and streamers hanging. They’re a cheerful sight and almost every tree along the path has ten or so hanging from them. The three men admire the sight with curiosity. The craftsmanship and design of the lanterns are extremely varied. A few look to be of the highest quality with intricate designs painted on them in gold, others look like they were put together by children.

Following this trail of lanterns the men eventually make their way up the mountain until the foot path opens up to a small courtyard of hard packed dirt littered with fallen leaves like the rest of the forest floor. They can hear the tranquil sound of water nearby, paired with the natural beauty of the forest it makes the location seem like a perfect spot for rest and mediation. Marring the scene though is a small and ugly building precariously standing in the middle of the courtyard.

Trae wrinkles his nose at the sight, “It looks cursed.” He says bluntly.

Coda nods his head and looks hesitant to go any further.

Hona ignores the shoddiness of the building itself and eyes the bright red curtain hanging from the doorframe, the numerous lanterns hanging from the eves of the roof, and the small containers of flowers and herbs placed along the side of the building. “Do you think it’s the villagers at the foot of mountain that leave these things?” He asks with a gesture towards the lanterns and other stuff. It’s obvious that the person who built the so-called temple is not the type to care about aesthetics and the differences in the items makes it evident that it’s a group of people bringing these things up here.

Trae taps his chin in thought, “Maybe. Let’s ask.” He brazenly steps forward and bangs a fist against the doorframe. The whole temple shudders under his brute force, but stays standing.

The curtain twitches and then moves aside. Trae steps back as Sae stands there looking up at him. There’s a look of disdain on Sae’s face at the sight of this visitor, “Oh, it’s you. I thought I told you to not come here.” His gaze moves from Trae to Coda and Hona, the sight of these two brings a smile to his face. “Oh, but you guys are here as well. I guess that’s fine then. Come in and I’ll put a kettle on.” He disappears back inside leaving the three to follow after.

Trae stands there frozen though. Undoubtedly, from whatever angle he can look at it, this person is definitely his little brother. Strangely, in all the years that Sae has been missing, Trae never once imagined what he would look like grown up. A part of him believed that if Sae ever reappeared he would still be the twelve year old boy that disappeared, but of course that isn’t possible.

Coda gently claps a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Come on, let’s see what he has to say.” With a slight nudge he propels Trae forward and into the shabby little building with Hona trailing behind him.