After he walked for half a day from the beach, s.h.i.+ra Yashura found a small pathway. A meter of wide cobblestones that looked brown-color in a greyish painting world. When he followed it, the breezes blew against his face, yet the pathway was the only guide he could use to enter the island.

He walked down the pathway that ultimately led him into a happy small village, seemed so from afar, which later he remembered as the Badril Village.

However, this village was void of life. There was n.o.body living here yet, the shops seemed open for business and the houses’ new laundries basked under the strong morning sunlight, occasionally moved as those wet clothes blown by the tender wind. s.h.i.+ra could see recent activities here but couldn’t find any clue why there was n.o.body at all. He found no sign of the village being abruptly deserted either.

After he brought himself toward the heart of the village, the truth suddenly dawned upon him.

The village was a replica.

A realistic greyish world filled with details, but still a replica nonetheless.

s.h.i.+ra wanted to see his family’s household in the village. And at the same felt some reluctance. Then later hesitated and didn't wish for it any longer. Fortunately and unfortunately, the pathway didn’t guide him towards it.

He was eager to see his own home, but the one that wasn't a replica. He thought if he walked farther through the guiding pathway he might find the real Badril Village. The one with life, the one inside the colorful world, and the one with people; which he should call them as a family.

So he followed the small pathway which looked more and more s.h.i.+ning as the time pa.s.sed by, eventually led him toward the peak of Badril Mountain.

A familiar looking gate was standing tall. Preventing him to proceed further. When he looked at the emblem of the gate, there was a strange nostalgic feeling deep inside his heart.

It was the roaring lion emblem. The symbol of Yashura Family.

And then, he found out that the gate wasn’t locked. He entered the mountain peak. And to his amazement, s.h.i.+ra saw a scene of wonder. Thousands of colorful tiny paper cranes filled the peak, blazing and floating around like particles of rainbow fireflies, looked as lively as ever been. It was a happy scene that slipped inside a dull and discolorful world.

The youth couldn't help but gave them a faint smile as he approached.

At the center of the peak, there was a ceramic-made grave. s.h.i.+ra realized that the paper cranes were circling around the lone grave in a peaceful festive. Appeared to console the poor spirit buried beneath the ceramic grave.

He crossed the crowd of paper cranes with care, afraid to disturb them too much. Finally, the pathway guided him toward the grave.

“Here lies the prince of Yashura Family. The bravest and most dedicated young man we ever had, the last of Yashura bloodline, and the dearest son of mine. Died and suffered a great injustice in order to sacrifice himself for his beloved mother.”

There was no name written on the grave. Nor ident.i.ty of the one who wrote the epitaph on the tombstone.

s.h.i.+ra knelt, removed the vines that blocked the rest of the message.

“I’m sorry for being a bad father for you. I’m sorry that I made you fight for my hopeless cause. I’m sorry that I can’t win the battle and give you and your mother the happiness you both deserve. I’m really sorry. The only thing your useless father can do now is giving you a proper burial and wait here till my time come so I can meet you and your beautiful late mother.”

“And please don’t worry about karma and sins you committed in your lifetime. I’ll take the whip of punishment for you. All you need to do now is take a break and rest in peace.

“May the Heaven forgive us and give you the happiness you have searched all these years.

“Goodbye, my wayward little prince.”

s.h.i.+ra Yashura touched his face after reading the message on the tombstone. A line of tears wet his cheeks.

He didn’t know why he felt heavy inside his chest. Intuition told him the message had something to do with himself, but he wasn’t sure whose grave was this.

“Are you done reading it?” a tired sound asked him out of nowhere.

s.h.i.+ra wiped his tears and turned around.

There’s a shadow who hid his face in the corner.

s.h.i.+ra knew he was impolite. So he bowed his body. “I’m sorry to enter without permission.”

“You’re not. I’m the one who invited you to this realm in the first place.”

The youth blinked his eyes. “Who are you and what do you want from me, mister?”

“Haha. I forgot. To be honest, it was my past self that sent you to the seawater realm as part of his plan. I’m too old now. And forget a lot of things. So I can’t tell you what’s really going on, but at least all I can say is that I’m a Spirit Conductor.”

“Spirit Conductor?”

“Yeah. Retired Spirit Conductor, to be exact. Just like the fisherman you met before. We old Spirit Conductors usually minding our business in our self-made realms to forget our grievous mortal days. Living our own everlasting solitude. It was tiring and bland, but peaceful.”

s.h.i.+ra nodded at his words. He felt off when he first heard this tiring voice. Felt like he had already heard it somewhere. And turned out it was very similar to the fisherman’s voice. If the voice owner didn’t distinct between himself and the fisherman he might think they were the same people, switching places.

However, there was something that bothered him. His face shown it all.

“Do you want to know your way back now or satisfied your curiosity first?”

“Is that okay?”

“It depends.”

“Then please forgive my manner, mister. I want to know about the one who buried in the grave.”

“It’s like the message said. He’s the last Yashura from your family bloodline.”

But that wasn’t the answer the youth wish to hear.

As the youth and the shadow had nothing more to say, both fell into an uncomfortable silence.

The only things that move was the tiny paper cranes, brought a lively mood on the solemn atmosphere which surrounded the mountain peak.

s.h.i.+ra Yashura moved his lips.

“Are you, perhaps, the spirit of the grave?” he asked.

The shadow didn’t answer. But he lamented with a long sigh.

Only after that s.h.i.+ra knew he had asked the wrong question.

But the shadow still replied. “I can’t exactly tell you ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. There’s a reason that the fisherman would wipe your memory after you return to your world,” he said. “But be aware of this: back when you pa.s.sed the wall of two realms and entered the fisherman’s sea, you saw your past fleeting by, did you? It will be the same after you return. The different thing was you will see your own futures. Take a note of them. If you steel your heart and your will is strong enough, you may see the entire story behind the grave. Especially about the painful event that occurred on this very mountain peak.”

s.h.i.+ra Yashura bowed his body again. “Thank you.”

“Don’t be. Your memories eventually will be wiped out. It’s just a short moment to satisfy your curiosity. I can't tell you a lot of things but you can find the truth by yourself. It's useless, but you seem eager to. However, the message on the tombstone is exaggerated. It’s not that sad, actually. He’s not the last of his bloodline as he made a lot of healthy babies during his younger vigorous years. But he was the last to carry Yashura’s name. So he can be considered as the last.”

“Thank you for explaining it.”

The shadow let out a faint chuckle. “Go now. You will enter your own world after you descend this mountain. I already said more than I should. Good luck.”