Chapter 178 – Chapter 5: Crossing – 2
‘Have you ever heard the sound of a rabbit stepping on leaves?’
‘Or, what is the sound of a deer raising its head while grazing?’
I smiled slightly and looked down at the book again.
I was wondering what else to say, and as usual, I came here to make a joke.
There’s no way a person could hear something like that.
‘But you know – I can hear. Really! Every night, the Dragonese wind whispers in my ear. When you close your eyes to sleep – mysterious sounds fill the place.’
‘… But do you know which of the things the wind tells me is the sound that makes my heart beat the most?’
I asked as I turned the pages.
‘What is it?’
‘That’s-.’
This guy is wasting his time unnecessarily.
In the end, I took my eyes off the book and glanced across.
Sparkling red eyes.
And really… A girl looking at me with a really beautiful smile.
‘-Ritz is coming to see me.’
Excited.
My heart was pounding.
I didn’t know that feeling until then.
He was just a kid who liked people. This was the child who held Tia’s hand without hesitation and returned to the village.
Tia is my younger sister. She just thought that was it.
But with just one beat of her heart that trembles slightly in her small chest.
I discovered a new feeling.
Maybe it was from that time.
Brilliant gold dust began to settle at the bottom of this heart.
Every time I think of it, it twinkles like countless stars and I look at it frantically. It’s so beautiful that if you try to grab it with your hands, you’ll be faced with the reality of thick skin blocking your way.
Wow-.
My nails always scratch on my chest. Tear it to the point that it bleeds.
I want to take out this gold dust.
Because I want to see Tia in happy memories.
“Oppa Ritz?”
“… Heo-eok.”
I opened my eyes.
In a dark field of vision. Someone was looking down at me in the shadows.
“It’s morning.”
It was Marie.
“Ah. … Yes.”
I stood up with a quiet voice.
It’s a cool morning. It seemed like it had just been dawn.
I spent the night safely today, and when I opened the bag, the remaining food was still as expected.
Marie was quietly tidying up her place.
She looks at it and takes a sip of water in her pocket.
There was nothing special about the journey along Metz Road.
There is nothing special… If you say so, that was actually a problem.
If I could describe this trip in one word.
Isn’t that definitely ‘silence’?
I had always misunderstood.
The person who was blunt and quiet was Marie, not Luev.
It’s strange. He definitely spoke well when he spoke in front of Ruev.
Even though I have been walking this Meth Road for three days now. There were only five things I heard.
Ritz oppa, I’m going to sleep, it’s morning, it’s okay, yes.
I thought it was because walking was difficult, but seeing that he followed behind me without saying a word, it didn’t seem like that was a problem.
I put the sleeping bag I had slept in all night in my bag and wrapped it tightly.
She started to follow Marie, who was clumsy at first, but now she is quite good at organizing things.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
And so the silent march begins again.
“…”
The only thing that changes during the boring walk is the surrounding scenery.
If I want to talk, I just have to talk first.
However, soon I realized that there was no need for useless conversation and the strange atmosphere that felt in the back of my head forced me to just keep my mouth shut.
Ruyev said he didn’t know what Marie was thinking.
Actually, I couldn’t understand. Growing up with Tia, I knew what she was thinking just by looking at her face. How could she not understand her blood-related sister?
I just assumed it was because Ruyev was clumsy in the emotional department.
But now I think I understand a little bit why he said that.
I really don’t know anything.
I don’t know why Marie tried to follow me, but she didn’t say anything.
She doesn’t even complain, so I can’t even tell if this kid is hungry or tired.
It was definitely a strange situation. However, I don’t have the energy left to solve this trivial question.
Because there was no big problem.
Day 4.
Finally we reached Mount Charrak.
The steps I had been walking without stopping suddenly stopped.
From the outside, it looks just like the foot of a mountain. Lush bushes and tall trees. There is no meaning to it. It must have looked that way in Marie’s eyes as well.
I am different.
Tia went up here to find a prostitute.
Hwieeeeeing-.
I look up at her. Even though the sun was shining brightly during the day, the road up Mount Charrak felt dark and gloomy.
If Tia hadn’t gone in here… Was there a different fate?
Embrace the question that can never be answered, and put your feet on the road.
Meth Road is getting further and further away. We were heading deep into the mountains. Just when I thought this was enough.
‘There’ unfolded.
This is the place where Tia met Posao.
A space where a gentle breeze blows, rotten leaves rustle, and there is a large rock with the outline of a mountain not far away.
“…”
Standing in the middle of the forest where memory and reality intersect. She slowly got down on her knees and grabbed a handful of dirt.
Slurrr-.
Dirt escapes through the cracks of her hands, forming thick dust.
However, the dust did not sink straight to the ground, but began to slowly move and emit a faint light like smoke from an incense burner.
I turned my eyes along the path created by the light. The soft light continued all the way to the eastern ridge.
… This is the ‘memory’ that Tia left behind.
As expected.
I was half sure. If Tia had fled to Char Rak, she would have chosen the most familiar place for her refuge.
Sabak.
I step on the light of memory.
Climb the rugged mountain and head toward the ridge that gradually gets higher. There was no room for hesitation. Walk and walk as long as your physical strength allows.
When I walked for a long time just looking ahead. I suddenly felt a strong feeling and looked back.
“Marie?”
She couldn’t see the child.
I was surprised and walked back a few steps, then saw something wandering in the forest in the distance.
It was Marie.
“Ha-.”
It seems that my walking pace was so fast that it was difficult to follow.
First, I decided to sit down on a nearby rock and take a quick rest.
Trudging. Truly.
As I waited for a while, Marie walked up with difficulty. It is noticeable that the speed has clearly decreased compared to when walking on flat ground.
I put my bag down next to me.
“Isn’t it difficult?”
“… No.”
“If you’re having a hard time, tell me honestly. “I almost left you first.”
If you had told me to go slowly, I would have waited for you for a moment. Did he think it would be a nuisance to me, or was he doing it out of pride? Marie refused to speak at all.
“Let’s rest for a moment.”
“Are you okay. “I can move quickly.”
“No. We are deep in the mountains now.”
Took out her water bag.
“If you want to get through this, you need to rest when you can. If you push yourself too hard and collapse from exhaustion, you end up unable to move.”
Marie shyly accepted the water bag.
“Thank you, brother.”
It was an insignificant, trivial conversation.
However, it also meant that it was going to be an arduous journey from now on, so it was a warning to be nervous in advance.
When I thought about the hardships Tia went through in these mountains, there was no guarantee that I would be safe either.
Although she did prepare a lot. Still, the mountains are dangerous.
It was time to rest her tired feet.
Tuk.
Suddenly something hit my head.
She thought it was a pine cone, but when she raised her head, she saw a dark sky.
“… Is it a shower?”
Tututuk-.
Suddenly it started pouring rain.
Then she had no time to sit idle like this. She immediately picked up her bag that she had put down and stood up from her seat.
“Let’s go, Marie.”
“Yes.”
I can feel her clouds gathering and her raindrops getting thicker.
It is a big problem if the dirt floor gets wet with rainwater. The road is slippery and you cannot move forward. Before that, she planned to quickly cross the steep cliff.
It wasn’t a very wise idea, but if we don’t hurry now, we don’t know when the rain will stop. If I were to be stranded here for another day or two, that would be the worst situation.
After wading through the bushes, a narrow slope finally appeared. The ‘memory’ continued in that direction.
Without hesitation she put her foot in there. At that time she was walking little by little.
Pusss-!
“Ahh!”
I heard the sound of earth collapsing behind me. I quickly turned around and saw Marie cowering. Stones roll down the steep slope.
“Number of animals! Grab it!”
She held out her hand.
If it rains more, this slope will become dangerous. I had to get over this quickly.
Chin.
Marie seemed to sense that now was not the time to relax, so she hurriedly grabbed my hand. And she pulled on closely and made her way through the narrow path.
Shoot-!!
As expected, the raindrops became heavier and visibility became hazy.
Before she knew it, everything on her shoulders was wet. The bag and boots were soaked with water and were extremely heavy.
Fortunately, she was able to get out of the slope and into a wide area before facing the storm.
“Whoa.”
“Ha-ha-ha-.”
“Number of animals. “Are you hurt?”
“Yes. Are you okay…”
I need a place to shelter from the rain? It would have been nice to have some very tall, leafy trees nearby, but most of them were short and with new shoots just sprouting, so it wasn’t really helpful.
Shoot~!!
As the water flows down, a small valley forms at the bottom. The bottom of my boots crunched, and muddy water splashed out.
“Shit…”
For now, I’m just walking along the direction my memory points to.
It was difficult to go through this harsh rain. Maybe she sprained her ankle on the slope earlier, but Marie doesn’t look that good either.
It was when I was shaking off the rain running down my face and thinking.
“Ritz oppa. Excuse me…”
Marie pointed somewhere.
There was a small hut there.
I thought it might be a mirage. There is a cabin like that deep in the forest, where no one seems to live.
Anyway, I’m glad. If there is someone, ask them to help you get out of the rain for a while. If not, it seemed like a good idea to stay at that house for a while.
Thinking like that, I went straight there.
“Ugh… ?!”
My breath suddenly stopped when I saw that very familiar sight.
“Oppa?”
“…”
A memory came to mind.
This is the house where Tia and Posao hid from the rain.
It remains the same without any change. The abandoned cabin stood before me.
As if repeating the fate of that stormy time.
