Chapter 11
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"782. 783... Ahhh! I can't take it. My muscles are cramping." Kon gritted his teeth. His dark and unkempt hair was now matted in his own sweat, and another drop of sweat had started to roll down his nose. He had been standing like this with both, his right hand and right foot hanging in mid-air for more than one hour.
The sun was slowly moving toward the west, and the shadows in the forest were rolling along with it, shifting and creeping like some live creature. "I'm almost there. I can't give up now." Kon shook his head. "784. 78--"
"My my," a strange voice said, "I was expecting to see a strange old man lost in the woods. But you are a handsome young man."
"Huh." Kon turned his left and right. "Who said that?"
"Here. Above you."
Kon rolled his gray eyes upward and spotted a human figure donned in a purple cloak looking down at him from the branch of a tree. Kon squinted at this strange person, trying to see the face that was hidden under the purple hood. "Uh... Good Morning," Kon said dubiously.
"It's afternoon." The voice seemed so mechanical, and yet it had a certain amount of vivacity to it.
"I'm sorry. Good afternoon," Kon said. "I'm Kon by the way. You... You are a girl, aren't you?"
"I'm. My name is Jan," the hooded figure said. "You seem stuck, Kon."
"Yeah," Kon said, "there is an invisible wall before me."
"I know. I can see the barrier," Jan said and jumped down. Her cloak started billowing in the wind, taking the shape of an open umbrella. She landed gracefully on the ground and started walking toward Kon. "Do you need my help? I can free you."
"Yes, please," Kon said. "No, wait. My punishment isn't over yet."
"Punishment?" Jan said, stopping short. "What do you mean by that?"
"Uh. Long story," Kon said. He again tried to peek under her hood. "I-I'm very curious. Can y-you show me your face? I mean, can you lower your hood?"
"I can do that," Jan said. She raised her right hand, and Kon saw that her hand was covered in a thick, black glove. "Here," Jan said and pulled her hood down.
Kon gasped.
She had really big, green eyes. Lustrous black skin. Cat-like ears. Long black hair, and white whiskers.
Wait! Kon thought and looked intently at her.
"It's a mask, isn't it?" Kon asked, his right eyebrow twitching in amusement.
"It is." She gave him a thumbs-up. "You guessed it right."
"Thanks." Kon grinned and then again gazed at her. The cat-like ears were actually fake ears popping out of a white hairband. He suddenly didn't feel like he should take help from someone like her who hides his face behind a mask and then hide that mask behind a hood.
"Let me help you," Jan said in her mechanical voice and reached out with her gloved hand. "Let me help you..."
And all of a sudden, sharp blades protruded out of her fingers, and she jabbed at Kon's open palm, which was stuck in the invisible wall, with her sharp blades. A sound of metal striking against metal reverberated across the forest.
Kon grinned at her.
Jan giggled from behind the cat-mask. "Ohhh. I see. So, you are a black-apple user, too."
Kon, at the very last second, had covered his palm with metal. "I was right about you. You are a mean girl."
But Jan said nothing. She quickly grabbed his hand and tugged him toward her. As Kon's right leg was hanging in mid-air, he easily lost his balance and hobbled across the barrier. "What the--" He teetered for a while and regained his balance. Standing like a cowboy, with his legs wide, he screamed at her. "Damn you. Now I won't be able to go back."
"Go back?" Jan laughed bumptiously from behind the mask. "No, sweetheart, you are not going anywhere." As soon as she said that, purple smoke started emanating out of her cloak. "You are not the only one with abilities," she whispered and took a few steps backward and disappeared in the purple, glittering smoke.
"What is this?" Kon looked around him. The smoke had surrounded him from all directions. He noticed a dark shadow charging at him through the smoke. "I can still see you." Kon covered his fist in metal and threw it at his attacker. But he only hit air and that weird purple, shimmering smoke. "What the--"
"Shame on you. Hitting a girl," Jan jeered from somewhere. Her voice was echoey and seemed to be coming from every direction imaginable. She seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere. Kon felt like someone had locked him inside a dark room, and everything outside that room had stopped existing.
Shit, I need to get away from this smoke, Kon thought and covered his mouth and nose. But it was too late. His eyes were getting heavy, and he was seeing the cat-mask everywhere. The sound had dampened so much that Kon felt like he was underwater.
"I need too geeeet ouuu..." Kon closed his eyes, crumpled to the ground, and fell asleep.
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"782. 783... Ahhh! I can't take it. My muscles are cramping." Kon gritted his teeth. His dark and unkempt hair was now matted in his own sweat, and another drop of sweat had started to roll down his nose. He had been standing like this with both, his right hand and right foot hanging in mid-air for more than one hour.
The sun was slowly moving toward the west, and the shadows in the forest were rolling along with it, shifting and creeping like some live creature. "I'm almost there. I can't give up now." Kon shook his head. "784. 78--"
"My my," a strange voice said, "I was expecting to see a strange old man lost in the woods. But you are a handsome young man."
"Huh." Kon turned his left and right. "Who said that?"
"Here. Above you."
Kon rolled his gray eyes upward and spotted a human figure donned in a purple cloak looking down at him from the branch of a tree. Kon squinted at this strange person, trying to see the face that was hidden under the purple hood. "Uh... Good Morning," Kon said dubiously.
"It's afternoon." The voice seemed so mechanical, and yet it had a certain amount of vivacity to it.
"I'm sorry. Good afternoon," Kon said. "I'm Kon by the way. You... You are a girl, aren't you?"
"I'm. My name is Jan," the hooded figure said. "You seem stuck, Kon."
"Yeah," Kon said, "there is an invisible wall before me."
"I know. I can see the barrier," Jan said and jumped down. Her cloak started billowing in the wind, taking the shape of an open umbrella. She landed gracefully on the ground and started walking toward Kon. "Do you need my help? I can free you."
"Yes, please," Kon said. "No, wait. My punishment isn't over yet."
"Punishment?" Jan said, stopping short. "What do you mean by that?"
"Uh. Long story," Kon said. He again tried to peek under her hood. "I-I'm very curious. Can y-you show me your face? I mean, can you lower your hood?"
"I can do that," Jan said. She raised her right hand, and Kon saw that her hand was covered in a thick, black glove. "Here," Jan said and pulled her hood down.
Kon gasped.
She had really big, green eyes. Lustrous black skin. Cat-like ears. Long black hair, and white whiskers.
Wait! Kon thought and looked intently at her.
"It's a mask, isn't it?" Kon asked, his right eyebrow twitching in amusement.
"It is." She gave him a thumbs-up. "You guessed it right."
"Thanks." Kon grinned and then again gazed at her. The cat-like ears were actually fake ears popping out of a white hairband. He suddenly didn't feel like he should take help from someone like her who hides his face behind a mask and then hide that mask behind a hood.
"Let me help you," Jan said in her mechanical voice and reached out with her gloved hand. "Let me help you..."
And all of a sudden, sharp blades protruded out of her fingers, and she jabbed at Kon's open palm, which was stuck in the invisible wall, with her sharp blades. A sound of metal striking against metal reverberated across the forest.
Kon grinned at her.
Jan giggled from behind the cat-mask. "Ohhh. I see. So, you are a black-apple user, too."
Kon, at the very last second, had covered his palm with metal. "I was right about you. You are a mean girl."
But Jan said nothing. She quickly grabbed his hand and tugged him toward her. As Kon's right leg was hanging in mid-air, he easily lost his balance and hobbled across the barrier. "What the--" He teetered for a while and regained his balance. Standing like a cowboy, with his legs wide, he screamed at her. "Damn you. Now I won't be able to go back."
"Go back?" Jan laughed bumptiously from behind the mask. "No, sweetheart, you are not going anywhere." As soon as she said that, purple smoke started emanating out of her cloak. "You are not the only one with abilities," she whispered and took a few steps backward and disappeared in the purple, glittering smoke.
"What is this?" Kon looked around him. The smoke had surrounded him from all directions. He noticed a dark shadow charging at him through the smoke. "I can still see you." Kon covered his fist in metal and threw it at his attacker. But he only hit air and that weird purple, shimmering smoke. "What the--"
"Shame on you. Hitting a girl," Jan jeered from somewhere. Her voice was echoey and seemed to be coming from every direction imaginable. She seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere. Kon felt like someone had locked him inside a dark room, and everything outside that room had stopped existing.
Shit, I need to get away from this smoke, Kon thought and covered his mouth and nose. But it was too late. His eyes were getting heavy, and he was seeing the cat-mask everywhere. The sound had dampened so much that Kon felt like he was underwater.
"I need too geeeet ouuu..." Kon closed his eyes, crumpled to the ground, and fell asleep.
"782. 783... Ahhh! I can't take it. My muscles are cramping." Kon gritted his teeth. His dark and unkempt hair was now matted in his own sweat, and another drop of sweat had started to roll down his nose. He had been standing like this with both, his right hand and right foot hanging in mid-air for more than one hour.The sun was slowly moving toward the west, and the shadows in the forest were rolling along with it, shifting and creeping like some live creature. "I'm almost there. I can't give up now." Kon shook his head. "784. 78--""My my," a strange voice said, "I was expecting to see a strange old man lost in the woods. But you are a handsome young man.""Huh." Kon turned his left and right. "Who said that?""Here. Above you."Kon rolled his gray eyes upward and spotted a human figure donned in a purple cloak looking down at him from the branch of a tree. Kon squinted at this strange person, trying to see the face that was hidden under the purple hood. "Uh... Good Morning," Kon said dubiously."It's afternoon." The voice seemed so mechanical, and yet it had a certain amount of vivacity to it."I'm sorry. Good afternoon," Kon said. "I'm Kon by the way. You... You are a girl, aren't you?""I'm. My name is Jan," the hooded figure said. "You seem stuck, Kon.""Yeah," Kon said, "there is an invisible wall before me.""I know. I can see the barrier," Jan said and jumped down. Her cloak started billowing in the wind, taking the shape of an open umbrella. She landed gracefully on the ground and started walking toward Kon. "Do you need my help? I can free you.""Yes, please," Kon said. "No, wait. My punishment isn't over yet.""Punishment?" Jan said, stopping short. "What do you mean by that?""Uh. Long story," Kon said. He again tried to peek under her hood. "I-I'm very curious. Can y-you show me your face? I mean, can you lower your hood?""I can do that," Jan said. She raised her right hand, and Kon saw that her hand was covered in a thick, black glove. "Here," Jan said and pulled her hood down.Kon gasped.She had really big, green eyes. Lustrous black skin. Cat-like ears. Long black hair, and white whiskers.Wait! Kon thought and looked intently at her."It's a mask, isn't it?" Kon asked, his right eyebrow twitching in amusement."It is." She gave him a thumbs-up. "You guessed it right.""Thanks." Kon grinned and then again gazed at her. The cat-like ears were actually fake ears popping out of a white hairband. He suddenly didn't feel like he should take help from someone like her who hides his face behind a mask and then hide that mask behind a hood."Let me help you," Jan said in her mechanical voice and reached out with her gloved hand. "Let me help you..."And all of a sudden, sharp blades protruded out of her fingers, and she jabbed at Kon's open palm, which was stuck in the invisible wall, with her sharp blades. A sound of metal striking against metal reverberated across the forest.Kon grinned at her.Jan giggled from behind the cat-mask. "Ohhh. I see. So, you are a black-apple user, too."Kon, at the very last second, had covered his palm with metal. "I was right about you. You are a mean girl."But Jan said nothing. She quickly grabbed his hand and tugged him toward her. As Kon's right leg was hanging in mid-air, he easily lost his balance and hobbled across the barrier. "What the--" He teetered for a while and regained his balance. Standing like a cowboy, with his legs wide, he screamed at her. "Damn you. Now I won't be able to go back.""Go back?" Jan laughed bumptiously from behind the mask. "No, sweetheart, you are not going anywhere." As soon as she said that, purple smoke started emanating out of her cloak. "You are not the only one with abilities," she whispered and took a few steps backward and disappeared in the purple, glittering smoke."What is this?" Kon looked around him. The smoke had surrounded him from all directions. He noticed a dark shadow charging at him through the smoke. "I can still see you." Kon covered his fist in metal and threw it at his attacker. But he only hit air and that weird purple, shimmering smoke. "What the--""Shame on you. Hitting a girl," Jan jeered from somewhere. Her voice was echoey and seemed to be coming from every direction imaginable. She seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere. Kon felt like someone had locked him inside a dark room, and everything outside that room had stopped existing.Shit, I need to get away from this smoke, Kon thought and covered his mouth and nose. But it was too late. His eyes were getting heavy, and he was seeing the cat-mask everywhere. The sound had dampened so much that Kon felt like he was underwater."I need too geeeet ouuu..." Kon closed his eyes, crumpled to the ground, and fell asleep.
