Book 9

bla bla bla = Izark's language
bla bla bla = Noriko's language
("bla bla bla") = Noriko's thought
["bla bla bla"] = Izark's thought

    "Why do you run away, Izark. Are you afraid of me?", said Keimos, chasing Izark and threw an energy ball.
Izark stopped it and threw it back but it made a gap appear on his forehead and the scales are clearly seen on his face.
    ["Argh! No, don't appear at this time"], Izark touched his forehead, ["With this condition, It will be difficult for me to communicate with Noriko. Is there any way out? Where's the way to go outside?"].
Izark touched the wall and then looked at Keimos
    .[" There it is! Although it's small........It’s behind him!"].
    "This is your end, Izark. Just pray for your death", Keimos threw an energy ball again, this time much stronger.
But Izark can evade it, he jumped over Keimos and started running away.

Meanwhile, Noriko was locked in a second floor room. She tried to escape from the window, but it's too high for her.
    ("I want power, power to fly from this place, power to destroy this huge door and go to where Izark is. But I don't have that kind of power. Izark....what are you doing?"), Noriko tried to see Izark like the first time she could communicate and see Izark clearly.
Keimos managed to catch Izark but Izark threw him away as strong as he could. That made a horn appear on his forehead, but Izark kept on running away. Keimos got up, his face became worse and he moved the branches on the wall to chase and attack Izark
    . Izark tried to evade the attack but then he felt something changes in his body, ["Uh, a little more......the entrance...."].
Suddenly one of the branches stabbed Izark, followed by some other branches stabbing the other part of Izark's body. His blood spread everywhere, and that scene was seen by Noriko in her mind. She cried and shouted for Izark. Meanwhile, Izark's body returned to normal, his hair turned black again and his horn disappeared. He can't move anymore.

Noriko stopped crying and stood up. Tazashina had bad feeling and asked her men to open the door where Noriko was locked. They found Noriko was standing outside the window, prepared to jump to the nearest tree.    
    ("This is the nearest wall to jump to the tree and go down. Then go to where Izark is!").
Noriko jumped but she didn't make it and was about to fall to the ground Suddenly Doros used his last pair of chimo and saved Noriko.
    "I'll take you to that man!", Doros synchronized his two chimo then used them to teleport to Izark's place.
    "It's good, isn't it, Izark? You are still alive in this poor condition, you are really a demon. Look, don't you hear that voice? It’s calling for you. Come and be our servant ", Keimos ordered the branches to bring him and Izark back to Rachef's place.
At the same time, Noriko and Doros arrived at some place.
    "This is really different from the previous place", Noriko looked at Doros and became surprised. Doros' face is really pale and he collapsed at once.
    "Not yet....it's still half way, once....once more......", Doros tried to get up.
    "Enough, that's enough. Don't die! This can kill you. I'll go alone from here", Noriko hugged Doros and cried.
    "But , it's still...", Doros tried to stop Noriko but Noriko held his hand, "I'm sorry to leave you in such condition. Thank you, thank you very much".
Then Noriko left Doros and started running.
    ("Why do I keep on running? Leaving Doros like that? I don't have any power to help Izark. ......Izark...Izark.....I want to be with you").
    ["Noriko? You managed to escape from them?"], Izark was really weak but he still can hear Noriko.

Noriko was running when she heard someone call her name. It was Doros who called her.
    "Noriko, I have recovered, I can do the teleportation", Doros suddenly teleported himself in front of Noriko.
    "How can?", Noriko looked confused but then she saw Irku, the Asayuge tree's spirit behind Noriko.
    "Long time no see, Noriko", Irku smiled and said that all villagers in the forest where he lives wanted to lend their power to help Noriko.
Then Noriko saw many spirits appeared behind Irku.
    "They will help Doros to do the teleportation", said Irku. Doros then held Noriko's arm and did the teleportation.
They arrived at the entrance, which was a small cave.

    "This is the entrance, but we can't go any further. Doros can't too, he will faint if he loses the villagers' powers. Strong and negative energy is inside this cave so we can't go inside it. Noriko, you will be alone from here", Irku explained to Noriko.
    Noriko smiled, "I'm not alone. I am going there to meet Izark. So long and thank you!", then she entered the cave.
    Izark felt Noriko's presence, ["Noriko, why do you love me so much? Since I was a child, my father and mother were afraid of me, I was expelled by everyone, this different body.........How do I look in front of Noriko? Sometimes I think her eyes accepts all parts of me......What is this? This strange feeling? Pain....Grief....What is this feeling? Where does it come from? Why does it exist?"].
    "Guys, look here at the mirror", Zena pointed to the mirror which now showed some weak light in the middle of the darkness.
    "The light is caught in the dark and seems to struggle and want to escape", said Zena.

Meanwhile Keimos and Izark have arrived at Rachef's place where there's a big pool in the middle of the room. Rachef ordered Keimos to throw Izark to the pool. Noriko arrived at that place and saw Izark falling down, she jumped and followed Izark. Izark was really surprised.
    ["Wrong! I'm not Tenjoki!"].
    Keimos tried to stop Noriko.
    ["I am what I am!"], suddenly a bright light appeared and made Keimos blind.
Where at the same time, the mirror at Zena's place also made the same light. Noriko, who was falling down, looked at Izark and saw a pair of white wings appeared on Izark's back. Izark flew up and caught Noriko. They kept on flying to the surface when the wings on Izark’s back have disappeared. Izark fell down, his body was covered with blood and some bloods have spread on Noriko's clothes.
    "Izark!", Noriko was really surprised and cried, "Don't die! How is it? Is it painful?".
    "It's okay", Izark spoke while the blood came out from his mouth. Irku found Noriko and asked Doros to do the teleportation at once.
    "Izark!!", Keimos managed to get on the surface, but the only thing he could see was some bloods, spilled on the ground.

    "Wings?", Izark was lying on Noriko's lap, healing his wound.
    "Yes, I saw the light made a form of wings on your back", Noriko touched Izark's forehead slowly.
    "I don't remember", said Izark.
    "You are strong....really strong", said Noriko.
Meanwhile, Rachef asked Goriya to find Izark and Noriko, but he can't. Goriya said that there’s a barrier protecting their existences. It seemed that Irku and his friends made the barrier. Doros came with the food and went to the river near them to wash the food.
    "Izark, do you want to eat?", Noriko asked Izark who was still lying on the ground.
    "I haven’t fully recovered yet, you eat first", said Izark.
Noriko looked at Izark’s chest. She had cleaned the blood but the wounds haven’t fully recovered and left some marks on his chest.
    (" Though the wound has finally closed, it hasn’t fully recovered. How awful his condition is. It must be hard and painful").
Noriko turned her head because she can’t stand looking at Izark’s wound.

    But Izark pulled her skirt, "Please look at here. I fell lonely if I don’t see your face".
Noriko blushed at once, Izark smiled and made Noriko realize that Izark was joking again.
    "Izark, you still play a joke on me!".
Izark laughed but then he sighed because of his wound.
    Noriko laid down beside him, "Are you alright? Before you want to make a joke, you have to recover first".
Izark put his hand on Noriko’s head and stroke her hair.
    "Right now, I’m really grateful that you are Tenjoki. If you were an ordinary man, you surely would have died because of those wounds. Tenjoki’s power has returned Izark to me while we were wondering for a way to get rid of it", said Noriko.

    "That’s right. At that time, I saw a light and a great power appeared inside me. Then the only thing I knew, I caught you and flew away in an instant", Izark kept on talking but then he realized that Noriko didn’t respond.
He looked at Noriko and found she has fallen asleep. Doros arrived and saw Noriko was sleeping.
    "She always falls asleep when she feels relieved", said Izark.
    "Oh, I will put Noriko’s food in a different place then", said Doros then he prepared to roast the food.
    "You will have a lots of troubles, Doros. For Noriko’s sake, you betrayed your friends. You can’t return to them again", said Izark.
    "It’s okay. I did it because I want to, I don’t regret it. This is the first time I was praised and noticed. I felt I am really useless. When Noriko thanked me, I was thinking to live better".

    "Noriko, wake up. It’s beginning to get cold", Izark woke Noriko up.
    Noriko woke up and saw Izark standing in front of her, "Izark, you can get up?".
    "Yes. Doros left you your share of food, go eat it", then Izark walked to the river to wash his sword’s sheath.
    ("He walks! The wounds have disappeared. Amazing! Izark is really amazing!").
Noriko ate happily but then Doros asked her if she has money to buy new clothes because the one they wore were covered with blood. Noriko checked her pocket but she also didn’t have any money. Their money was left in the bag on the horse, which was far away from their current place.
At a village, Doros exchanged the sword’s sheath for the clothes. The villagers wondered where’s the sword and the owner. Doros gave the reason that they were attacked by a burglar and lost their equipment. They thought that the man who owns the sword was a loser, so they wanted to see his face. "Hey, they are coming", said one of the villagers. Izark, Noriko, and Doros who have changed their clothes followed one of the villagers, which was called uncle. Noriko noticed the villagers and grabbed Izark’s hand, which made Izark looked at them. The villagers were stunned while the women were blushing.
    ("We used Doros’ chimo to come to this small village. It’s about 80 kilo to the south from the ruins. We are at Aibisuku country now.").

At the night, Noriko had a nightmare. Izark was stabbed by lots of branches while many branches , which looked like hands, prevented Noriko from helping Izark.
    "What happened ?", asked Izark.
Noriko woke up and looked at Izark who was sleeping beside her.
    ("This is………… ah, this is that uncle’s house. We use the storage room, which was once his daughter’s room before she got married. Doros’ staying with the daughter").
    "Did you have a nightmare?", asked Izark.
    "Ah, it’s alright. Sorry, I have awakened you, I’ll sleep quietly". Noriko turned her body to the other side.
    ("If I think again, it hasn’t finished yet. Someday they will come again. And what if it happen?").
Izark took the blanket and covered Noriko.
    ("Can I protect him? Doros lent his hand and we can escape because Izark got his power. Then Irku and his villagers came to help us. I can do nothing. How if I was alone at that time? My power is small……..very small").

In the morning, they started to work. Noriko tried to tie her hair.
    "Hey, Gina. Your hairstyle is different from yesterday. You look fresh", said the uncle’s son, Ewan.
    ("I use Gina as my name and Izark borrows Kaizak’s name"). "mmmmm", Noriko wanted to answer but she held a string with her mouth.
    Izark took the string, "Let me help you", then he tied Noriko’s hair.
    "Thank you, Kaizak".
Then Ewan asked Izark to take the carrot’s packs.
    Izark took one of the packs, ["It’s heavy?"].
    "Hey don’t take it one by one. Take two packs at once", Ewan took one pack and put it on the pack Izark was holding which made Izark stumbled at once.
    "Hey, what happened?", Ewan became surprised.
    "Sorry, I just can take it one by one", said Izark.
    ["My power is gone. My strength hasn’t recovered yet"].
Meanwhile three female villagers watched Izark from a hidden place.
    "Did you see that?".
    "Yup, yup, how weak he is".
    "He is not a swordsman, there must be a secret behind him".
They didn’t realize that there was a man watching them from the tree above them.
    "Hehe, those villagers only waste their time. But that man……he is not an ordinary man", said the man on the tree.

    ("Is Izark okay?"), Noriko watched Izark working, she didn’t realize that many villagers were watching them from the trees near her.
    Suddenly Izark collapsed, Noriko ran towards him, "I….Ka…Kaizak. Sorry , he has just recovered. Please let him rest for this day, I’ll do his job".
    "I’m okay", said Izark and tried to take his hat.
    ("He is pushing himself") "Don’t ! Listen to me!!", Noriko slapped Izark’s hand which was ready to take back his hat. Izark was startled and so were the villagers who were watching them.
    "Wow, that girl is really strong"
    "Maybe the sword’s sheath belongs to that girl"
    "That could be"
    "Hey, they are walking towards us"
The villagers spread at once and pretended to do their own works. Noriko saw them and wondered while Izark was still in stunning-mode. Noriko asked Izark to rest under the tree then left him to continue her work.
   

    While resting, Ewan approached Izark , "Hey, did you collapse? How weak you are!"
    "Sorry", Izark’s face became red.
    "Here, eat this", Ewan gave Izark some fresh vegetables.
Although astonished, Izark ate them while Ewan watched him finishing the vegetables. Then someone called Ewan, it’s the same man who watched Izark from the top of the tree.
    "Ewan, this is the money for your vegetables", then he turned to Izark, " Hai, my name is Roki".
After talking with Ewan, Roki excused himself. He went to the market to sell the vegetables.
At night, Noriko prepared the bed, while Izark lighted the lamp. But before the bed was finished, Noriko fell asleep so Izark had to finish it.
    "Noriko, come on. Sleep here", Izark carried Noriko and put her on the bed,"You must be tired working alone today. Sleep tight".

In the morning, Noriko was asked to go to the shop to buy some items.
    "If something happens, call me", said Izark.
    "Have you really recovered?"
    "Yup, I have rested all day long yesterday….."
    Suddenly, Ewan cut their conversation, "Don’t talk, come on, we have to work. She is just going to the shop near here, nothing will happen in this village. So what are you waiting for? Do you feel worried if you don’t see her for a little while?".
    "No, it’s not that", Izark blushed.
Noriko went to the stable to take the horse while Izark was asked to take the corn’s pack which was left yesterday.
    "So you have recovered now?", asked Ewan.
    "So it is"
    "Just testing, can you take the packs?"
Izark held the packs while Ewan was bubbling, thinking that Izark just talked big.
    He stopped talking when Izark took two packs, "I can take them with one hand".
Noriko arrived at the shop and talked to the woman who owned the shop. While she was ordering the items, Doros came in.
    "Gina"
    "Barago, what are you doing?"
    "I want to buy a new shovel"
The woman asked Barago to find it by himself, while she helped Noriko. But suddenly the woman attacked Noriko. Noriko yelled and made Doros surprised. Izark also heard Noriko’s yelling so he left his works and ran as fast as he could. Ewan was stunned watching Izark’s action.

Back to Noriko. It appeared that the woman just swung some branches at her.
    "What are you doing?", asked Noriko while the woman put down the branches and wondered.
    "Hey, what are you doing with my savior?", Doros came to help but somebody had pulled the woman.
    "What are you doing, mother?", said the girl who pulled the woman.
    "Oh, Hanna"
    "Sorry, sorry, she is rather strange", Hanna tried to calm Doros down.
    "But the villagers said she is a swordwoman"
    "Swordwoman……Me?", Noriko was surprised.
    "That’s just a gossip", said Hanna
    "Ah, Kaizak", Noriko said as she saw Izark coming
    "Ah, Hanna. He is the actor", said her mother
    "You talk the nonsense again"
    "Actor?", Izark was confused.

At the road intersection, Izark and Noriko parted with Doros
    "Sorry, Izark. I called you while working"
    "It’s okay. My job is half finished. I’ll finish the rest after this. Don’t worry"
    "Hmmmm"
    "Good weather"
    "Yes"
    "Let’s walk togeher"
    "Okay"
While they walked, Noriko told that Doros called her a savior.
    "That’s because Doros is thankful to you. He said that when you were sleeping"
    "Huh? Why? That’s not usual"
    "You are right. But….We don’t know anything about him, where he was born, what has happened, what is he thinking. We don’t know anything, but your single word can reach his deepest heart", Izark smiled and looked at Noriko warmly, "I was also helped by you. Since I was a child, I was denied from my surroundings. I turned away from myself and ran away. And then you looked at me. In a dying condition, I can see deep inside my heart for the first time. We can escape from that place, it’s all because of you"
    "That’s…..That’s because of our power. I just acted based on my feeling…", suddenly Noriko was reminded of Jeida’s words and she cried.
    "What’s wrong ?", Izaek was confused.
    "Thank you", ("My small power was received by Izark and Doros") ,"Thank you, I’ll face anything bravely"

At the shop, Hanna and her mother were talking.
    "That person…where is he and what is he doing now……..can we meet again……"
    "That chance will come, Mother. Brother Roki is in the city, looking for various infromation", said Hanna.
Meanwhile 3 new men arrived in the city.
    "Smell….."
    "This city…."
    "I’m sure they are in this city…."
    "Jeida De Girene’s family and the leader of the guards, Aref Erazard…"
    "Will soon be ours….."