‘But they are not wrong. There should be a meaning, should be a purpose for everything. If there isn’t any meaning, what should I do now?’ She walks and walks.
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out…
All these things we'll one day swallow whole
And fade out again and fade out again…
Leon is sitting alone and watching the fire. Catala is asleep. He looks at her and is attracted by her beauty. Her shinny black hair, her pure white skin and her large clear dark eyes are perfect. He has not really fully looked and studied her throughout these few days; he is just shocked by her aggressiveness throughout the journey; and now he is totally attracted by her gorgeousness. Finally, he stops watching at her and stands up to wander around.
They have successfully escaped, but Nakashi is still in her dangerous coma. ‘We’ve nothing now. What is the next step?’ he thinks hardly. The future is uncertain and difficult.
‘Leon,’ a familiar voice calls from his back. Leon is shocked and petrified. ‘Listen to me first,’ that voice says clearly and calmly.
Nakashi has been walking for a long time, hours, possibly days or even weeks. She does not have any sense of tiredness. But, she does not have any sense of energy either. In fact, she feels nothing.
Suddenly, she finds that there is a beam of light. It appears from nowhere; it strikes high from her top to her front. Nakashi is shocked by it since she has been walking under complete darkness from such a long time.
She runs towards the destination where the light strikes at. She runs very fast because she believes that she can find the destiny there. The true meaning of everything can be explained there.
Finally, she has arrived there. It is weird. There is a cloud of golden gas in front of her. It is so bright that she cannot face and see it properly. She uses her hands to cover her eyes to prevent them from being hurt and walk towards there slowly.
She walks inside; she feels warmth instantly. She walks for a few minutes until the bright golden gas has faded away and she opens her eyes. She is stunned by what she is seeing instantly.
A boundless meadow which she cannot see the end of it; there are all kinds of flower with all colours on the meadow. A river flows from the hills far away to her front; its water is so clear and calm that it has no difference with a mirror. A row of white houses line up orderly at the foot of the hills. ‘So beautiful,’ Nakashi whispers in her heart.
The scenery is absolutely stunning. Nakashi has been to many places to explore beautiful scenery throughout her lifetime, but the scene that she faces now is much better than anything she has seen before.
To her surprise, she can see some people far away on the meadow. Nakashi can’t see them clearly, but she notices that many of them are children by listening to their joyful noises. Some of them are running around energetically, others are lying on the ground peacefully.
Nakashi sprints towards the people. ‘Welcome, you’re new, aren’t you?’ a girl who looks slightly older than Nakashi comes out and speaks in a friendly manner. ‘Yes, I was wandering in darkness; then, I enter a golden cloud to come to here, where are we?’ Nakashi asks curiously.
‘This is the Finaland. Come on, I will lead you to see our Master,’ the girl says. ‘Finaland? Master? So is this the final place I will stay after death? Is this the possible answer to all my doubts?’ Nakashi wonders in her mind.
‘My name is Nakashi. What is your name?’ Nakashi asks politely.
‘I don’t have a name. All of us don’t have any names,’ the girl says.
Nakashi follows the girl across the meadow and finally reaches the row of white houses. The houses are simple but perfectly built. Everything is in its right place. The girl knocks the wooden door and asks politely, ‘Master, may I come in?’ ‘Sure, my beautiful young lady,’ a casual and joyful voice responds.
Nakashi follows the girl into the house. A young, energetic and handsome man who appears to be about 25 or 26 years old sits casually on a wooden chair. There are a few young and beautiful boys and girls sit around him on the floor. ‘Master, there is a new girl,’ the girl says. ‘Welcome, we are going to have a meal, would you like to join us?’ the young and handsome man at the centre says casually, ‘I’m the Master, this is the Finaland, you can stay here if you like.’ He speaks as if he does not feel Nakashi is a stranger.
The young man waves his hand; a purple carpet with various kinds of delicacy on top appears instantly. The boys and girls next to the young man start to serve themselves and eat happily and the young man who calls himself the Master also eats. ‘Don’t be so polite. Serve yourself,’ he says to Nakashi.
Nakashi starts eating. She has already predicted the food would be wonderful before the eating. But after the first bite, she is still stunned by how delicious they are.
Everyone is chatting happily with each other, except the Master and Nakashi. Nakashi takes the opportunity to ask the Master some questions about this magnificent place.
‘How long can I stay in here?’ Nakashi asks. ‘As long as you wish, my young lady,’ he says.
‘Do you own this place?’ she asks again. ‘I created it,’ he answers simply.
Nakashi is more and more curious after the answers. ‘Are you our creator?’ she asks bluntly. The Master does not answer and just smiles at Nakashi kindly. All the other people in the house are not paying attention to their conversation and are still chatting and playing with each other while eating.
Nakashi assumes the answer is yes. She does not give up the chance of asking. ‘Why do you create this place?’ she asks directly. ‘Because I love all of you,’ he says calmly.
After the meal, Nakashi follows the girl that she first talked with to get outside. They play exciting and interesting group games with other people. All people are very friendly to Nakashi. Nakashi has soon integrated with them and totally forgotten that she is a newcomer and this is a stranger place.
Later, some of them start playing musical instruments and singing. They are all very good at it. Nakashi also joins them by singing. The lyrics are beautiful; they are all about how beautiful and ideal the Finaland is. Nakashi has never been so relaxed, calm and worry-free. They play unstoppably until dawn.
Nakashi and her friends are watching the sunrise. Suddenly, a few young boys and girls are flying across the sky and draws Nakashi’s attention. They are the children who sit around the Master inside the white house. ‘They can fly! Who are they?’ Nakashi asks excitedly. ‘They are the guardians of the Finaland, messengers of our Master,’ a boy who sits next to Nakashi says casually. ‘Where are they going?’ Nakashi asks. ‘To lead people who are living in darkness to here,’ the boy says.
Nakashi loves this place. ‘Yes, this must be the ultimate destiny of all people,’ she thinks to herself.
*********************************************************************
Chapter 15
Leon turns around and faces Panzhi.
‘Leon, I’m not coming to fight against you,’ Panzhi says calmly. ‘Neither do I want to, please leave us alone,’ Leon tries to stay calm when saying that. But a strong sense of fear is rising from his heart; it urges him to attack.
Panzhi looks at Leon, Nakashi and Catala. Their situation is desperate; they are hurt; they lack clothes and food; most importantly, they are on the wrong path. I’m afraid I can’t. I will not leave until you have chosen the right path.’
‘We’ve chosen for ourselves and there is not point of return,’ Leon says.
‘Yes, there’re two paths you can go by; but in the long run, there’s still time for you to change the road you’re on,’ Panzhi says. Panzhi puts down his gun on the ground and says, ‘Please come with me.’
Suddenly, Leon sees that there are a few beams of light shining around. Then, he can hear rapid footsteps. One of the beams shines directly at Leon and Panzhi. ‘There they’re!’ a man shouts.
&nb
sp; A few seconds later, about ten soldiers appear from the woods. ‘So, this is just a plan. You are going to kill or capture us anyway, aren’t you? Why are you still pretending to be shocked?’ Leon says agitatedly to Panzhi.
‘No…I did not plan this!’ Panzhi explains anxiously. ‘Surrender now!’ the well-equipped soldiers hold up their rifles and shout.
The shout wakes up Catala, who becomes alert instantly. Despite the fact that she has lost her automatic laser rifle during the plane crash and is now seriously hurt, she still draws her sword to prepare for a fight at any time.
‘Wait! Hold your fire! Back off first, I can deal with them,’ Panzhi says urgently. ‘But sir…’ ‘I said back off now!’ Panzhi shouts.
‘Leon…’ he says. ‘That’s enough. Stop your show!’ Catala shouts and charges towards Panzhi. Her injury lowers her speed but not her aggressiveness. Panzhi evades all the attacks but still signal the soldiers not to attack. Nevertheless, all the soldiers aim their guns at Catala and prepare to shoot at any time.
Catala increases her pace of attacking. Leon does not stop her; instead, he also draws out his sword to prepare for combat at any moment. Catala kicks at Panzhi surprisingly after a series of striking. Panzhi loses his balance and collapses. Catala immediately points her sword closely towards Panzhi’s throat.
‘Stop!’ Leon shouts and Catala hesitates. Catala moves away the sword slightly but she is still able to take Panzhi’s life at any time.
‘Pew,’ a bullet is fired from the soldiers. Catala screams painfully.
Nakashi has been staying in the Finaland for three days. This evening, she is resting alone on top of a hill to enjoy the beauty of the sunset. Glittering rivers, golden meadow, light blushing sky and yellowish clouds draw her complete attention.
‘Nakashi,’ a young male voice calls her from her back. Nakashi turns around. An extremely attractive young man with golden hair and bluish eyes appears in front of her. He looks about nineteen years old, about two years older than Nakashi. He wears nothing on his upper body and wears only a piece of simple white cloth to cover his lower part.
‘Hi,’ Nakashi greets friendly. She no longer feels awkward in meeting complete stranger since everyone in here is so friendly and passionate.
The handsome boy walks towards Nakashi slowly. ‘Wake up, Nakashi. Get back to reality, face the world,’ he says suddenly.
Nakashi is confused, ‘What do you mean? I have died and left the world already. Finaland is my final destination,’ she says bewilderedly.
‘No, this is not the place that you should stay,’ he says insistently.
‘Why? I can’t do anything good in the world. And Finaland is a perfect place for me. It is my eternal shelter,’ Nakashi says.
‘But this is an illusion, a trap that will fake and mislead you forever if you do not awake now,’ he says.
‘What’re you talking about?’ Nakashi asks perplexedly.
‘You are not dead; you are still alive; you can still go back to the world! You are just obsessed with this illusion and trapped in this fantasy; you need to return to the world and your friends. They need you,’ the boy says rather anxiously.
‘I’m alive? This is just a dream?’ she whispers astonishingly. Nakashi is surprised by the fact that she is still alive. Yet, she is still uncertain about whether she should go back and she is perplexed about who the boy is. ‘Then, who’re you?’ she asks.
‘I’m the one who will eliminate your false hope, lead you out of your comfort and protect your free will,’ the boy says. ‘Come on, Nakashi! Time will only make you become more obsessed with this place.’ He grabs Nakashi’s hand tightly and runs like a breeze of wind.
‘You are independent, brave, confident and proud, a kind of person that I can save. Come with me and leave this place,’ he says while he is running. ‘With courage and determination, you do not need to hide in this shelter anymore, instead, you can always face the world bravely by yourself,’ he continues.
‘Wait! You may be right. But shouldn’t we ask the Master first? His wisdom can guide me to make the right decision. Or at least I should consider for a while first,’ Nakashi says. ‘There’s no time! Trust me,’ the young man cries urgently. ‘Hold me tightly,’ he continues, then, he leaps from the cliff of the hill and soars towards the sky at a dazzling speed.
Nakashi is stunned. ‘You can fly! You’re one of the messengers, aren’t you?’ Nakashi asks. He skips Nakashi’s question and says, ‘Listen, this place will only open twice every day during the sunrise or the sunset when the messengers go out or return. You must follow me closely and listen to my instructions to get away from this place.
Nakashi is still confused; but she decides to follow this mysterious boy at this moment.
There is a black spot at the golden sky. ‘That’s the exit,’ the boy says and soars towards there like an eagle. Though Nakashi still does not clearly know who the boy is, she understands what he wants her to do and she somehow senses that the boy is not harming him. In fact, she feels that she has some kind of connection with this boy; his desires are becoming her desires; his thinking is flowing in her body.
They have already arrived there after a minute; the boy is still holding Nakashi’s hand tightly; a black hole whose diameter is about 3 metres long is right at the front of them.
‘Go, Nakashi. By passing through this hole, you will get back to the darkness where you were wandering originally. Then, you will actually find your way back to the real world. There’s no other way,’ the boy says.
Nakashi hesitates and says, ‘Thanks a lot, I know that you’re helping me sincerely. But I’m afraid of that darkness and emptiness. I’m simply afraid.’
‘Don’t be afraid, Nakashi. If you want your freedom, you have to be brave to overcome loneliness and emptiness,’ the boy says sincerely.
Just after he has finished the sentence, a beam of bright light flashes out from the dark hole. A line of young boys and girls emerge from it; they are the messengers; they have returned from their mission.
Normally, they would always wear a grateful and joyful smile on their lovely face. But this time, their expressions are dark and hostile. Soon, they surround Nakashi and the boy. They all have an extremely hostile expression towards the boy.
Nakashi is shocked and petrified. She whispers to the boy, ‘Isn’t that I can leave this place anytime freely?’ What are they doing? Why they are so angry?’ The boy says, ‘I’m afraid it is not that easy. But do not worry, Nakashi. I will handle this.’ He embraces the body of Nakashi strongly to protect her.
Nakashi is so shocked. ‘All of these are lies? I do not have any freedom in here?’ she thinks to herself.
One of the messengers speaks hostilely, ‘Demon! Hand that girl back to us! Leave her alone! And get rid away from our Master’s land!’
The mysterious boy laughs casually. ‘Tell your Master that he has lost once again,’ the boy says confidently and soars up rapidly in order to get away from the tight encirclement. ‘Holds me tightly,’ he says, then, he increases his speed to the maximum and darts towards the black hole.
Just at the very moment that they are able to get inside the black hole, a great force strikes at them and pushes them away from it. Nakashi is petrified; she holds the boy tightly to avoid dropping from the golden sky.
Then, a figure appears in front of Nakashi. Behind that figure is a line of messengers and some strong golden light. The light is so powerful that Nakashi cannot directly face that figure. She has to close her eyes so as to avoid them being hurt.
The bright light fades out gradually and Nakashi opens her eyes slowly. It is really the Master, as she has been predicting. Unlike the messengers, the Master did not show any hostile expression towards the boy and her. He just has a confident smile that the boy also wears.
‘Master of Finaland, thank you very much for providing this flawless ideal shelter for me. I admire you a lot. But, I want to go back to my own life. I
have to leave this place and face the real world. May you please kindly order your messengers to let us go?’ Nakashi says clearly and confidently.
‘My young lady, I understand that you want to leave this place. Though I do not suggest you to do so, I have no reason to stop you from doing that. But I hope you can listen to a few words from me first. It is a story, a tragedy,’ the Master speaks.
‘Sure, but you cannot stop me from going after that. I want to go back to the real world,’ Nakashi says.
The Master gives an agreeable smile and starts talking, ‘I created this place because I want people can have a land where they can put down all their worries and all their thinking. I want them to rest in here forever and provide this eternal shelter to them to separate them from the painful world. I started creating messengers. They are responsible for promoting this place to all people and lead them to here.’
The Master continues, ‘These messengers were all clever, beautiful and kind. One of them was particularly brilliant. His wits outstood all the others’; his beauty was undoubtedly the greatest; he had the most outstanding persuasive power. As a result, he was the most helpful messenger to me. I loved and treasured him a lot.’