THE SKY SWORDSMAN
Ch 23 - Cube Light
Granules of rainwater dripped down bit by bit and a thick fog covered his view. Noguchi held up a lantern to light the path he walked.
Noguchi then took off his boat rope tied to a mangrove tree that stood upright on the edge of the lake. He then boarded his small boat and rowed it to the middle of the lake.
Arriving in the middle of the lake, Noguchi then took out his fishing gear, then threw his hook eyes that had been fitted with bait.
“Hopefully tonight I can get a lot of fish. Otherwise, Mr. Yorinaga would have gotten angry and hit me again” Noguchi held his bruised shoulder while staring at the water where he lowered his fishing hook eyes.
After several hours of patient waiting, Noguchi then became alert when he saw the fishing line was interesting.
“It looks like a big fish!” Noguchi muttered expectantly.
Noguchi then tried to pull the fishing line. But the pull from underwater was stronger, making it difficult and cold sweats. His little boat became shrewd and nearly capsized.
When Noguchi removed a fishing rod that he was unable to stand, a burst of light from the water left him aghast and spontaneously jumped to his rescue thinking the explosion would hurt him.
In the water, Noguchi was then treated to an amazing sight. Shaped light
cubes illuminate the surface of the lake bottom, so that coral reefs and underwater plants and various types of fish around the cube of light can see Noguchi very clearly.
Noguchi then returned to the surface of the water to take a breath before returning to dive. He was curious and intended to find out what was really going on in that place.
Noguchi then approached the cube of light and touched it with the tips of his fingers.His fingers pierced through the cube of light and he was again amazed to realize that the inside of the cube of light was not touched by water at all.
He then tried to insert his face into a cube of light and found a teenager lying unconscious.
“Who is he? Why is he here?” Noguchi muttered as he barged in toward Firon who was lying unconscious.
On top of the haystack, inside the dark cave, Firon's body lay motionless at all, only his face occasionally moving right and left, as if enduring the pain. It had been four days that Noguchi had hidden Firon's body in the cave. Every night Noguchi visits the cave just to see Firon's condition.
Noguchi entered the cave with a small lantern to light his way.
“I don't know who you are, but somehow my heart is always moved to help you! Hope you're not a bad guy!” Noguchi covered Firon's body with a blanket he had just brought from his master's house and stepped out of the cave.
Not long after Noguchi's exit from the cave, Firon regained his senses and opened his eyes. He tried to raise his head, but he was only able to lift a few inches from the haystack. He recalled how weak his body was when he woke up from the death that almost took his life ten years ago.
‘How long have I been here?’ Firon stared at the cave wall which was illuminated by the moonlight bias from the direction of the cave mouth.
‘Ah, I can't move my whole body!’ Firon complained about his body that he could not move.
Mosquitoes were buzzing around Firon's head. He wanted to repel or kill the mosquitoes, but even raised his hand he was unable to. He's totally helpless. It was not the bite of the mosquitoes that disturbed him so much, but the sound of the mosquitoes around his ears that made his head like it wanted to break.
Various sounds started to ring in his ears. The sound of night beasts inside the cave and even from within the forest hundreds of meters away from him was clearly ringing in his ears.
Firon is really tormented. He wanted to cover his ears, but what a force, his hands were completely unable to move. He then tried to control his hearing by practicing focus to hear certain sounds only.
“Ah, Definitely those fish I left around here!” Whisper Noguchi While directing his gaze to the entire part of the cave.
Noguchi's gaze stopped right above Firon's head. Something he was looking for was there. He then placed his small lantern right next to Firon's head, then grabbed a basket made of rattan, then opened the cover.
“Thank God, it turns out that cave rats haven't had time to eat you!” Noguchi smiled widely because he found the fish he got from the results of fishing in the lake was still intact.
Firon who had been paying attention, intended to reprimand Noguchi. Firon was sure that the one who had helped and brought him into the cave was the one who was in front of his eyes now.
‘Ah, it turns out that I am also unable to speak’ Firon grumbled to realize that he was also unable to speak. His tongue became weak. His throat was unable to make any sound.
Many things Firon wants to ask the stranger who is currently in front of him, but Firon must be willing to let Noguchi step away leaving him.
Noguchi continued to waltz in with a wide smile leaving Firon. But his steps stopped as he had already arrived at the mouth of the cave. He heard someone calling him.
“Who?!” Noguchi asked with a face that looked slightly frightened.
Noguchi then turned his head into the cave. Yet from afar he could see the firon not moving at all.
‘Please return to here’
The same voice again rang out in Noguchi's head.
‘Maybe that person is talking to me? But why is his voice in my head?’ Noguchi wondered while watching Firon who was still motionless at all.
Noguchi then ventured to ask, “Will you speak to me?.”
Noguchi continued to look towards Firon who was lying down.
‘She, I'm the one lying in the cave!’
The answer Noguchi heard was not from his ears, but from his head.
“Will you speak in my head?” Noguchi's face looked puzzled. His forehead started to sweat coldly and his knees became trembling.
‘He is, I am the one’
The voice that had just filled Noguchi's head, made him run away from the cave. She's terrified. He thought Firon was a demon.
‘Why did you leave? You don't be afraid! I won't harm you’
Firon realized that he was able to communicate using telepathy. He continued to try to persuade Noguchi to help him.
Although Noguchi had left the cave far away, the voice in his head was still clearly heard. Even more clearly than before.