Chapter 8 (English)

When I came into my room, Ake showed me the scroll and told me that he had found this scroll in the library.

It is supposed to be a very special and strong technique, but how exactly it should work, Ake did not understand, because it was an older script and he had only learned a little bit from his teacher.

< "Jun watch out though! This scroll has been declared forbidden because people have died from it. So no matter what you do, please don't overdo it," >, Ake asked me.

< "Don't worry about it. Just explain to me how to use this technique. I'll pay attention while learning and not overdo it. Don't worry about me," >, I told him, but secretly wanted to learn this technique if it was really that strong because I wanted to be able to protect my siblings.

Ake got a dictionary, which was quite old, and tried to decipher the writing, explaining that somehow you have to focus your outside on the inside.

"You must become one with everything and everything one with you," the scroll said.

The only other thing written in blood red was "Reach only for the light and not the dark."

I tried with Ake to understand what those two phrases could mean, but we couldn't think of any ideas.

< "Try before you buy, as the saying goes. I'll just try to learn this technique. How? I don't know, but we won't find out sitting around either," > I said with a motivated smile and immediately headed out to the garden to practice.

I spent the next few nights trying to figure out this technique somehow and since the scroll had said something about outer and inner, I tried something along the lines of meditating.

"Who knows, maybe I would awaken some superpowers," I thought to myself with a laugh.

But it would be nice to have superpowers.

I've only had Shiro as a friend so far, but I imagine everyone wishes they had superpowers once in their life.

Some would like to be super strong to protect others, others would like to be able to fly to escape the problems in the world, again others would wish they could teleport and of course other powers, but those are mostly wishes that come later.

The first ones are actually always the same.

< "Dreaming is a beautiful thing. But no matter how hard life is, no matter how many times I'm pushed to the ground, I will, NO, I MUST get up. Life goes on even if I'm gone, that means I have to somehow hold on to life and try to get a grip on it or I'll be left in the back and be one of those people who try to replace their life with other stuff because they couldn't fight, they gave up. After that they just try to make their life somehow beautiful, but in their inner knowledge they themselves know that it is the wrong thing, because they don't find real happiness in it. So Jun fight, no matter what, fight! You have to make it!" > I thought to myself as I lay on the floor looking at the stars after meditating, because again today I could not learn this technique.

I don't know why, but this saying always gives me strength and motivation, although I don't know where I got it from.

The next evening I was training as usual and was seen by Farrel.

He had been looking everywhere for the scroll and saw it next to me.

But instead of taking the scroll from me, he just walked away and decided to bring calm back in for now, since he couldn't run off with the scroll anyway due to the high alert.

He went to Makoto and told him that I had the scroll.

Makoto immediately dispatched guards who burst in on me, Ake and Nima in the middle of the night and arrested us.

We were taken to Makoto and when I asked what happened, Makoto said <"You're still asking Jun? After all I've enabled you to do, after the trust given you, you're stealing from me?">

I didn't know what he was talking about and tried to make Makoto understand that it was probably a misunderstanding since I hadn't stolen anything.

<"So you're telling me that this forbidden scroll was under strict guard just happened to fall into your hand?">, Makoto asked ironically.

I looked at Ake and saw that he hadn't stolen it, as he was completely pale in the face.

It must be true that he had found that scroll in the library, which meant that someone else was responsible for it.

However, I don't want to put Ake in danger, so I'm afraid I'll have to take the blame.

< "Makoto, I am the only one who used the scroll, my siblings have nothing to do with it. If you want to punish someone, punish me," >, I told Makoto.

Ake wanted to interject, but I looked at him with serious eyes to make him understand not to say a word.

When I realized he understood, I smiled at him to show him not to worry and that everyone will be fine.

Then Makoto asked me <"Did you read the contents of scroll completely?">

I thought about lying, but my mother once told me < "If you have a situation where you don't know what to choose, always choose the good choice over the evil choice, and if all choices are good, then go with what your feeling says is right." >

That's why I told Makoto <"I read the scroll and tried to learn, but I couldn't do it. was also only one who learn technique, so let my siblings go free.">

< "I'm glad you're honest, I'm grateful for that, but I won't lessen the punishment for it. You have the responsibility for your siblings, so if you disappear, they disappear too" >, Makoto decided.

When Shiro tried to interject and come to my defense, Makoto said <"Shiro, if you interfere here, I will have them killed here and now. So give it a rest, then they still few hours before their execution. They brought us nothing but trouble since showed up.">

< "Wait what? No, Makoto please don't. You can do whatever you want to me, but not my siblings, they didn't do anything" >, I tried to persuade Makoto.

< "I'd love to Jun, but we humans want compensation when something bad has been done to us and unfortunately that compensation can never be made up for with something of equal value. I'll give you an example. If someone is put down in front of everyone and bad things are said about him, so that he is disgraced in public and the tide turns, however, then that person will not also "just" be put down, but he will try to destroy the other person, because he knows that even if he gives back, what the other person deserves, it will not make up for what was done to him himself. In short, your siblings would want revenge and the simple solution is to eliminate all of you at once," >, Makoto said and ordered the guards to prepare us for execution.

Shiro knew as well as I did, that I was with her the night the scroll was stolen and even so, she couldn't imagine me stealing the scroll.

As Shiro was absorbed in her thoughts, she heard a conversation between two whispering people.

She peeked to see who it was and heard one of them say <"We had another close call Farrel, but next time something like this can't happen. It almost cost us our heads to steal the scroll">, said a man next to Farrel.

Shiro wanted to go straight to Makoto and tell him about it, but slammed into an armor stand that was behind her.

Farrel heard this and nervously asked who it was.

Shiro quickly disappeared and made her way to Makoto.

<"Makoto! Jun and his siblings are not to blame, I just overheard Farrel talking someone about how they had a close call after stole the scroll< em>

" >, Shiro tried to explain.

<"I figured you'd show up again, but it won't change my decision. You've been spending a lot of time with Jun lately, that's why you're not thinking rationally right now, for you to try blame on someone else, I wouldn't have expected now,">, Makoto said disappointedly.

<"You haven't changed a bit in all these years. You still think everything you do is right and your word an unbreakable law, but trust me one day you'll be proven completely wrong. The only question if will understand or stubborn then">, Shiro said and walked out.

Shiro went to the cells to talk to me, but when she got there she didn't find me.

She looked everywhere for me, but when she met a guard, they told her that we were taken to the execution ground.

I woke up and for a short moment it was very quiet and again light was shining from small holes, which meant that I had a straw bag on my head again.

It felt like summer weather and the light rays were pleasantly warm.

As I came further and further to me, I heard voices.

Many of them, and some of them were crying, but I couldn't quite place them at first.

Then I realized that the voices that were crying and screaming for help were those of Nima and Ake next to me.

In front of us a crowd of people could be heard, again just the voices of men mumbling to themselves and something like < "Wasn't that Jun who saved us 4 months ago? Why did he do something like that? It was probably all his plan to get the forbidden scroll. Dirty traitor!" > they said.

However, I did not care about any accusation.

I tried to free myself somehow to save my siblings, but after all the training, it seems they injected me with an anesthetic for safety, so I wouldn't cause any problems.

Then Makoto made an appearance and spoke to the people < "We dubbed him a hero. We gave him everything he asked for. We gave him a roof over his head and food. Yet he betrayed us and stole the forbidden scroll, and was also so brazen as to practice the technique of the forbidden scroll in public, so openly that Farrel could see him from a long distance away from his balcony. Before I talk too much, let's get this over quickly and show him what it means to betray us like this. Execute his head and his siblings," > Makoto ordered.

< "MAKOTO YOU WILL REGRET THIS, I WILL KILL YOU FOR LAYING YOUR HANDS ON MY SIBLINGS. YOU WILL REGRET THAT YOU EVER MET ME. I WILL CRUSH YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE HERE WHO SUPPORTS YOU, SO THAT YOUR MUTILATED BODY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED ON THE FLOOR LIKE UNCONDITION!" >, I screamed out of anger.

Everyone was short, silent, and had a momentary touch of fear.

Only pale faces were seen, after which Makoto said intimidated < "What are you waiting for kill him" >, to the guard who was to behead me.

I was getting angrier and angrier and blacked out, but just before the sword touched my neck, someone killed the guard next to me and took me in his arms.

At that moment, my complete anger was gone because I didn't know what was happening and I was very confused.

Only a few moments later I heard someone shouting from a distance <"After them, capture don't let them escape. Shiro has betrayed us! This is unforgivable! time you will get no mercy from me! KILL THEM ALL, INCLUDING SHIRO">

After a few minutes, she freed me from my bonds and I took the straw bag from my head.

When I had the straw bag off my head, I saw Shiro and was happy.

< "Shiro, what are you doing here? Why did you do that?" >, I asked her, but at the same time rejoiced, because otherwise we would be a head shorter now.

< "Because I heard Farrel admit that he stole the scroll, so you're not to blame. Besides, I've known you for some time now, which is why I can't imagine that you would steal the scroll."> She said ashamedly.

<"While I'm very happy that you saved us, we need to quickly get the harbor and escape from this island before they catch up with us">, I said.

Since it wasn't a short walk through the forest to get to the harbor, we kept taking breaks, but they were short so we wouldn't get caught up.

When we reached the harbor, Shiro gave us a key to a boat that was hidden at the harbor and was an emergency boat in case anyone needed to escape from the island quickly, as in our situation.

We got on the boat and Shiro took one last look at us and turned to walk on.

<"Where are you going?">, I asked her.

< "I don't know yet, but I will have to hide for now because my father ordered the village to kill me, so I have to look for a place to hide quickly now" >, Shiro said.

I laughed and said <"No, that's not what I meant. meant that we are waiting for you to sail. We can't leave without everyone being on board.">

< "But why? I'm part of the ninja village that tried to kill you three times, aren't I? Why would you want me to come with you?" >, she asked.

<"Yea, so the executions really weren't necessary, but you didn't have anything to do with that, did you? ">, I asked her.

< "No" >, she answered.

< "Yeah so, are you coming now? We're not leaving without our family" >, I urged her.

< "Why family? We haven't known each other that long, besides we're not blood relatives and on top of that I wanted to kill you" >, Shiro said.

< "Shiro. Family is not limited to a time or to blood. Family is what you love and trust, who can be counted on, and most of all, family is those who risk their lives for family, and I think you obviously did that just now, didn't you?" >, I said to Shiro.

I looked at Shiro and saw that she never thought about saying goodbye to the island once in her life, but now was the moment of decision.

<"I know it's very sudden that you have to make this decision, but we leave now">, I told her and Ake and Nima also smiled at Shiro in agreement.

"I haven't had as much fun as I did with Jun, Ake and Nima since I was a kid. Those 6 months, were one of the best moments in my life. I don't want it to be over. I don't want it to ever end. It feels wrong to leave this island, but my heart says I should go," Shiro thought to herself, closing her eyes and jumping in the boat with tears of joy.

Ake started the engine with the help of the manual and we headed off to the next island "Lubai".