Lost In The Woods

Oriente 6, Heaven

What should I do at a time like this, when I'm lost? Well, I'd already wasted enough time and the sun was setting, so it was time to make a decision: I could continue along the river, but it would probably be night, or something worse could happen, like getting caught in a blizzard that would kill me from cold and hypothermia. Or I could stay here and prepare to spend the night by making a fire in the temple and continue my journey to the hotel in the morning.

I decided it was best to take no chances, knowing my bad luck, and instead prepare the place in case the cold struck tonight.

The temple was small, but still large enough to sleep in. The roof was a little damaged, so I started repairing it so the snow wouldn't fall inside. I also gathered some firewood and dry leaves to make a fire that could last a good while. I didn't need to eat, since I had eaten more than enough in the morning, and finding food now with so little preparation could be dangerous. Besides, I couldn't tell what was poisonous or edible on this planet. Anyway, I'm not that far from civilization. When Momo realizes that I'm lost, she'll probably call the police to help find me. I'll be back at the hotel in a day or two at the most.

Getting the fire started was a little more complicated than I thought it would be. Well, it's not like I had any survival tools; almost everything I did required just putting something together and tying it down. I didn't even have a knife to help me do other things. But I did have my pistol and a single clip, so I improvised a bit and figured out a way to make fire with it. First, the bullets inside have gunpowder, so they can be used, but to avoid any risks, I took the bullet out of a shell and covered it with a piece of napkin I had from breakfast. I put the bullet in the gun and put the gun right next to the campfire and fired, although not perfectly, because with the force that the powder came out, almost all the leaves flew out on all sides. But what was left was enough to light the fire I needed.

Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, I also began repairing the interior of the temple in preparation for sleeping there in case it got colder than expected. So I got to work, and to be honest, I stumbled upon a few things I hadn't expected. First of all, there was a large stone on an altar, surrounded by talismans and ropes, but they were either broken or burned. There were also some rather beautiful robes with designs of a starry night with a full moon. Just by looking at them for a few seconds, I noticed how the clothes themselves moved as if by magic, with clouds floating in the wind and changing shape. They were certainly valuable for their immense quality alone, and I couldn't dismiss the possibility that they were something that couldn't possibly exist at this point in my life. I guess no one would mind if I used them as a blanket during the night. There were two other objects near the altar. One of them was a metal hand fan, a traditional Japanese one with a beautiful engraved design that also moved. However, other than being a work of art, it didn't seem to have any special meaning and seemed to be there just for the sake of being there, and cooling off was the last thing I needed right now. The other object was a strange spear, also beautifully decorated and carved, which matched the metal fan beautifully. This time, its purpose was clear: to be a war weapon. But despite its purpose, it was just as abandoned as everything else. I guess I could use it to hunt some animals or maybe fish with it if I can find a way.

With the repairs done, the bed made, and the campfire finally lit, I was able to relax a bit and enjoy a night camping out in the wild. But just then I heard the sound of a branch breaking nearby, so I turned to look in that direction, only to be met with the gaze of a girl. There was no other way to describe her but perfection, with beautiful golden hair and colorful blue eyes like gems. Her clothes were simple but clean, despite being in the middle of the forest. She had some kind of bow and arrows on her back, but you could tell they were improvised. In her hands she held a rabbit, which seemed to be her dinner, probably a hunter with her prey. The girl had a delicate and lovely face, but it was filled with surprise as she looked at me; it seemed she hadn't expected anyone to be here.

"A ghost!" cried the frightened girl.

"No, wait! I'm not a ghost!"
"Well, I'm completely white, but for a different reason."
"Mine is albinism, let's say it's a medical thing."
"...."
"Sorry to bother you for a moment, but you see, I need a little help."
"Right now, I'm just a traveler who got lost in the forest and I'm looking for a way out."

"Oh, so you're just a lost person?"
"I don't know, most ghost stories start that way," the girl said with a slight grin.

"Tell me, would a ghost wear modern clothes like an military parka or combat gloves?"

"Oh, so that's what you are."
"You dress very differently from what I've seen before."
"Combat, you said? Are you a soldier?"

"Well, yeah, no, not anymore, I guess."
"In fact, I retired only recently."
"I was on vacation, resting here until I got lost."
"Hey, if you could really help me get out of the forest or find a way, you'd be helping me a lot."

"Are you really just lost?"
"If I show you the way out, will you leave me alone?"

"Sure, no problem, I just want to get out of here before it gets dark."

"All right, I'll show you the way out."
"But it will be dark soon, and the wind mentioned that it will snow today, so we better hurry."

The girl left the rabbit near the temple entrance and started walking ahead, pointing out the way so I wouldn't get lost. Along the way, I tried to talk to her to make the walk a little more pleasant.

"You have no idea how much you're helping me with this favor."
"I really messed up by getting lost so pathetically, especially considering that my family also lives in the rainforest."
"I'm sure my ancestors would be angry if they found out."
"Hey, I'm sure you'd like a reward for your help in this, wouldn't you like to try some food at a restaurant?"

"No, that's not necessary, I'm just helping someone in need, right?"
"But how did you get lost in the woods? Isn't it forbidden for humans to enter?"

"Oh, well, I was on my way to look for someone in another village, I got a little distracted, and before I realized it, I was already in the middle of the forest."
"I remembered the times I spent with my mother and sister."
"It's been a long time since I've seen them, so I'm planning to visit them soon."
"....."
"What about you? What were you doing in the woods?"
"Isn't it forbidden for other people as well?"
"Are you a hunter from around perhaps?"

"Uh, well, yes, I am a hunter."
"You could say I have a special permit to be in the forbidden forest."
"In fact, my house is there."
"It's quite deep inside, so I've hardly ever been outside; everything I need comes from the forest."
"So please forgive me if you see me rather confused with technological stuff, I'm not good with it."
"....."
"Though I must say I'm impressed to meet another kitsune girl here; it's rare with so many Yokai hunters around."
"Although this is also the first time I have met an Arctic Kitsune."

"Huh? I'm not an Arctic Kitsune, I have albinism."
"It's a kind of 'illness' of genetic disorder."
"It may have the name 'illness,' but it doesn't really mean anything, just that I'm a little intolerant of sunlight."
"Although my case is a bit special in that respect."
"Originally, I wasn't completely white; my hair was black at first, for example."
"Wait, another kitsune? Another one in the forest? Or are you one by chance?"

"What? No, no, no."
"Ha, ha, ha....."
"......"
"Hey, can I ask who you were looking for?" The blonde girl said in what seemed like a quick attempt to change the subject.

"Um, well, I was looking for..."
"Damn, what was their name?"
"They had a weird name like Kiotoyamato or something."
"Sorry, but I'm not good with weird Japanese names. I'm sure I'm butchering it offensively."
"I apologize."

"Well, at least you tried."
"May I ask what you were looking for?"
"Does it have anything to do with visiting your family, perhaps?"

"Oh, yes, you see, I'm actually in another predicament as well."
"As it turns out, I wanted to visit my sister, but due to something that happened at the portal terminal in the capital, they're not working."
"And the truth is, I really need to visit her soon to check on her health."
"But they told me that it will take a long time to fix them, so in the meantime, I'm stuck here."
"I was looking for a solution with a friend and she mentioned a possible solution."
"It seems that I need to find a god, because only they would have enough power to change reality and give the portal enough energy to work."

"A goddess?"
"Oh, um, I mean..."
"We've reached the end of the forest; that path will take you back to the nearest town. "I'm sure they can help you get back home."

The blonde girl replied in surprise and haste at the same time; I wanted to ask her why the sudden change, but when I looked at her face, I immediately noticed a few things that weren't there before and stood out too much.

"Excuse me, are you a fox girl by any chance?"

"What? What are you talking about?"
"A kitsune? In the forbidden forest? You're hallucinating."

"And what about those fox ears on your head?"
"And are those tails? Why do you have more than one?"

But while I was still talking, I could see a huge sword appear and rotate in the space between the girl and me. Avalon appeared on its own in the conversation; less than a second later, I heard a powerful metallic crash and a spear bouncing back without hitting anything. This was an extremely sudden attack, so I grabbed the handle of the metal block and pulled it back to get some distance.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"
"Why are you attacking me now?"
"And where the hell did you get that spear?"

"Shut up!"
"I'm not going to be locked in a stone again!"
"If you escape, you'll tell the hunters about me!"
"I'm not going to let them steal the freedom I worked so hard for!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I don't know where I am, I don't even know who the hell you are!"
"You were helping me just now, and now you want to hurt me?"
"What you're saying makes no sense."

But I didn't get any other answer than more blows from her spear against the protection of my loyal sword. The girl realized that a frontal attack would be useless; she turned to me and waved a hand fan violently, causing a great gust of wind to shake the entire forest and its trees, trying to make me fly, but the enormous weight of the sword didn't move me from my place. The golden fox girl in front of me didn't seem to listen to reason and continued to attack, so I was forced to defend myself by demonstrating my strength, taking out my pistol and firing close to where she was.

"What was that?"
"A new kind of weapon? Damn foreigners."

"What that was was a warning."
"The next one will be a real attack."
"Let's see if you can dodge it."

"'Ha, lowly creature, two can play at the same game.'"
"Behold, true magic."

My enraged enemy pulled several paper cards with strange engravings from the sleeves of her robes and hurled them at me with speed and force. Once again, I shielded myself with my sword, but I could see a huge curtain of powerful blue flame rising in front of the metal wall. I was lucky to be protected by the perfect defense that was Avalon.

"What the hell is this ridiculous fat sword?"
"This flame should be able to melt any metal!"
"How is it still perfectly intact?"

"It's magic, I'm not going to explain a damn thing!"
"Especially to someone who wants to kill me."

But right after that, I saw her improvise a new plan when I saw one of her strange paper cards fly past me and land behind me in its place. She seemed to realize that the sword could only defend from the front, found the solution, and forced me out of hiding. Instead, she decided to throw me far away, trying to hide me from the deadly blue flame that appeared, but what actually happened was an explosion similar to that of a grenade, sending a large splinter of wood into my abdomen, seriously injuring me. Angered by the pain, I returned the favor and fired several times, only managing to wound one of her legs.

We were both injured and looked at each other, neither wanting to take the first step to counterattack. But after a minute I saw the sun finally disappear and the full moon take its place, it would soon be colder and I'm losing blood, that's not good for me. She's in a similar situation because I managed to hurt her arm as well, she can't use her spear and I have a gun so I can attack her from a distance.

Since this wouldn't end well for either of us, I decide to try to come to an agreement instead.

"Look, we could go on like this and both end up pretty badly."
"And in any case, even if you manage to kill me, the angels will undoubtedly come looking for you for what happened."
"But I still believe that you are just a good girl who made a very big mistake by getting confused about something."
"So what if we do something else instead?"
"I'll take this path to the village, while you take the other one back to the forest."
"No one attacks anyone and we both go on with our lives in peace, what do you think?"

"And do you really think you'll survive with that wound?"
"What if it's better if you just surrender and save yourself the suffering?"

"Come on, I'm not that weak, just a flesh wound."
"It's nothing more than a scratch."
"I'm a soldier, I know how to survive a few wounds."

"And how do I know you won't come back later to take revenge and lock me up with the other hunters?"

"I don't even know who you are or why you're being chased!"
"I'm just looking for a way to get home."
"Look, what if we both go in different directions at the same time?"
"Then you can go back to your little forest house and move somewhere else if you're so afraid of being discovered."
"That way, I won't even know where you live."

"....."
"......"
"Alright, agreed."
"I'll let you go this time just because you're a kitsune too, so you're more trustworthy than a filthy mortal."

"....."
"Oh, yeah, of course... ...."

So I started walking backwards when I left. She gathered her things and did the same, entering the forest while still watching me.

Once the immediate danger had passed, a new one took its place. As night fell, the temperature began to drop considerably, along with the first snowflakes. I also had to consider the blood loss from the wound in my abdomen. I could try to stop it a bit to lose less blood, but I couldn't remove the splinter because it needed proper treatment, or else I would die from the blood loss. Besides, I would lose even more body heat. If everything went wrong, I might die in less than two hours if I didn't find help. So I decided to keep walking and hug my tail to try to get some more warmth, whatever it was, anything was better than nothing.

From what I heard from Momo, when someone dies in heaven, their soul goes through a resurrection process in the central district near where the Celestial Security Section is located. There, they review your case and the reasons for your death, similar to a police investigation, before they finally resurrect you. As you can imagine, it's a long and complicated process that can take months, if not decades, depending on the investigation and the reason for your death. For example, if you did something stupid, you might even end up with fines or community service. And I don't have time to waste on that! I have to see my family! I have to make sure that Maria is safe!

With the goal of meeting my sister and mother firmly in my mind, I kept walking through the blizzard that was raging around me until, despite the darkness, I saw several bright lights in the distance. My joy grew as I realized that it was the Urakaze Hotel that I was approaching. As soon as I walked through the lobby door, still wearing my dirty shoes, I went straight to the reception desk. I think I even knocked someone out of the way, but at that point I didn't care. Urakaze was at the reception and looked surprised to see me coming in bleeding.

"Get me a doctor right away.
Or you'll have to explain to my father that his son died in your hands and you did nothing," I said.

"Doctor to reception now! We have an emergency!" were her next words over the hotel loudspeakers.

"You, get some towels or something over here now!" she said to one of the nearby employees.

"I'm on it!" the other replied.

"Just give me a moment; I'll try to patch you up a bit until help arrives."

But as Urakaze spoke to me, my vision blurred, and I collapsed to the ground in a faint.