Etsuchi - Another World Through Well

As Eiji and Sakichi tumbled down the well, they could feel the cold, damp walls of the stone structure scraping against their skin. Suddenly, a bright blue light enveloped them, and they felt a sensation of weightlessness before being transported to a completely different world.

Upon their arrival, they found themselves in the clutches of the Palace Guards, who had been alerted to their presence by "that Bitch" - a person or entity whose actions had led to their capture. Eiji and Sakichi were then brought before the ruler of this strange new world, a majestic figure named Beryuu. His crimson crystal-adorned crown shone brightly atop his head, and he gripped a dragon staff tightly in his hand.

As they stood before him, Beryuu's piercing blue eyes seemed to bore into their very souls. He had a fiery yet calm personality, and it was clear that he commanded respect from all who stood in his presence. Budoshi, a loyal minister with long luscious hair adorned with vines, stood at his side.

"Welcome, You Humans," Beryuu spoke, his voice echoing through the grand hall. "It may have taken you a long time to come this time. It's been one and a half years."

Eiji and Sakichi were confused. "What do you mean?" they asked in unison.

"The last time Rai Akiyama came here, no one else came here after that," Beryuu explained.

Eiji's ears perked up at the mention of that name. "Rai Akiyama?" he asked. "Why did he come here? Does that mean he knew about this place?"

Beryuu's face remained impassive. "The Akiyama clans and I have made this well that can connect this world with their world. We had a deal also - a peaceful one."

The weight of Beryuu's words hung heavy in the air as Eiji and Sakichi tried to comprehend their situation. What was their fate to be in this strange new world? They could only wait and see.

Sakichi leaned forward, eager to learn more about this strange new world they had stumbled upon. "Before you tell us this big truth, can you tell us more about the world and the people who inhabit it?" he asked Beryuu.

Budoshi, the loyal minister, spoke up. "Allow me, Your Excellency," he said, seeking permission to explain. Beryuu nodded, and Budoshi continued. "This world is similar to yours if you were to observe it from space, but the atmosphere and everything else is vastly different. The flora, fauna, and even the water are completely unique. And, as you can see, some of us have peculiar powers."

Sakichi's interest was piqued. "What kind of powers?" he asked.

Budoshi hesitated before responding. "Our powers are flawed," he explained. "They can only manifest when we are surrounded by a particular crystal that is unique to this world. Sadly, the crystals are now extinct, and if we attempt to leave this dimension and venture into another, our minds will shatter, and we will die."

Eiji interjected, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "So, you made a deal with humans for this crystal," he said. "Was it a supply of human brains?"

Beryuu chuckled at Eiji's suggestion, while Budoshi shook his head in denial. "No, no, no," he said. "You're mistaken."

Beryuu then took over the conversation. "Let me clarify," he said. "We do not need human brains to grow the crystals. When the crystals begin to disappear, our scientists try to create artificial ones, but their attempts have been unsuccessful."

"They found that crystals grow from human brain energy," said Budoshi, his voice barely above a whisper as he leaned in to share the latest discovery with the others. "When they're put in a pinch position, they use the brain to resolve it, and then it releases some energy which our scientists called it - Rown."

His Majesty, the leader of their group, grinned. "That's what we need. So our deal was that once a year, we would occupy a building or a place where there were a lot of humans gathered. We would get them to play games so that they could use their brains. Akiyama was known as a hotspot if they were in that place. We can easily occupy that place."

"That's why Rai always changed his job once a year," added Eiji, nodding in agreement.

Sakichi furrowed his brow. "What about the people who played the game? What would happen to them if they failed to complete the stage?"

"Don't worry about it," replied His Majesty with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Whenever we're making games, I first send them to the Akiyama clan person. They pick the right people and gather them in one place. Who can solve it? It is necessary to complete the game."

They both fell silent, mulling over the implications of this new information. It was a risky plan, but if it worked, it could provide them with the energy they needed to achieve their goals.

"Wait, what do you mean their memories are erased?" asked Sakichi, frowning in confusion.

"When the game is over, we can't have them remembering anything that could compromise our plans," explained His Majesty, his tone matter-of-fact. "It's for their own safety, as well as ours."

Sakichi nodded in understanding. "Understood! Sorry for asking like this," he apologized.

As the conversation shifted to Rai's absence, Eiji's tone turned somber. "He's dead!" he declared.

"Oh! That's sad. He doesn't have a family," remarked His Majesty, his voice tinged with sympathy.

"He actually has a wife and a son," added Eiji, revealing his familial connection to the deceased.

The discussion soon turned to finding a replacement for Rai, but when the subject of involving his young son arose, Eiji vehemently protested. "No! No! I'll do that for you. Don't use him in this, he's still nine months old," he insisted.

Sakichi and the others quickly agreed to support Eiji in this decision, prompting Reina to interject with a sharp comment about the Akiyama clan's standards. However, Zel was quick to reprimand her for speaking out of turn, and His Majesty soon revealed a new plan that involved a machine with Akiyama blood.

As the group prepared to move forward with their plans, Sakichi made an unexpected request. "So let me be the hotspot, Eiji," he said, surprising everyone.

"Huh! Why?" asked Eiji, clearly taken aback.

"Just for that?" questioned Sakichi with a mischievous grin.

His Majesty laughed heartily at their banter. "You are both interesting people! Now let me introduce you to some of my people," he said, gesturing for them to follow him.

"To the right of you, they are Zel and Reina. The hosts and makers of the game. There are certainly more. Whoever happens to be the hotspot will be able to see them at the game venue - whichever you choose."

Zel greeted the group with a friendly "Yo! Looking forward to working with you." But Reina remained silent and turned her back.

His Majesty continued, pointing to the left, "On your left, first that man and child. That girl is my only daughter, her power is still unknown. She is afraid of people as you can see. That butler is our most trusted person. His name is Trono. Next to him, she is neither a human nor we."

"What do you mean? What is that?" asked Sakichi, curious.

Budoshi explained, "She is a life particle because of some power resonance, she was born and now she can take any form. Presently she has taken the form of a maidservant of mine. Her power is very rare."

Eiji had a question, "If we're human, what do you call yourself?"

His Majesty replied, "Oh! That, we're Flawns."

Sakichi commented, "Oh! That is a good name."

After the introductions, Budoshi instructed everyone to go to their respective work. He then ordered Trono to take the group to a room to refresh, as it would take some time to go back to their world.

Trono led them to a room and Budoshi's fellow scientists soon joined them with a machine. Budoshi placed it on the table and Trono served them tea.

Once they finished the tea, Sakichi asked, "By the way, sir. Have you used the powers for transportation as well?"

"Yes! Exactly. But because of our scientific help, we were able to build some transportation facilities," replied His Majesty.

Sakichi, who was the chairman of the East Japan Railway Company, offered to help them build a proper transportation system. "I can help you with this. If you want, I can help you build a rail line and a train."

"Thank you for your offer,"His Majesty said, smiling. "We'll consider it."

His Majesty's eyes widened with surprise upon hearing Sakichi's offer to build a railway system for them. "Oh! That would be the biggest help," exclaimed His Majesty. "Our scientists and engineers were actually trying to build this but were always failing."

Budoshi nodded in agreement. "Of course! Your help would be nice."

Eiji interrupted, "Well, what about your plan, Sakichi?"

Sakichi smiled, "First, we can't remove the well. Second, getting a chance to see such a scenario is once in a lifetime."

Eiji laughed, "I can't say anything about that."

Suddenly, Budoshi mentioned a deal he had made with His Excellency - Beryuu. He revealed that if they didn't let people play the game, Beryuu threatened to release a dragon to destroy the earth. The staff in his hand sealed the terrifying power.

Despite the fear, they knew that if they acted properly, Beryuu would not execute his threat. He thanked them and they headed to the place where they could return to Earth.

The trip back was not long, but Sakichi had fun. He felt grateful for the chance to build rail lines and trains in another world. As soon as they returned to Earth, he canceled the project which was working on the shortest route to preserve that Well.

After their adventure in the other world, Sakichi and Eiji returned to Earth and got the map of Etsuchi along with the machine. As they set out again, Sakichi managed to convince a few people, including Tsukasa, to join their project of building rail lines in another world. However, he kept this plan a secret from Rongi.

Everyone was shocked but eventually accepted the proposal. They started their ambitious project of building rail lines in an alternate world. However, back to the present, Chairman Ryochi noticed that there were no more pages left in the journal. He was confused and wondered where the rest of the pages might be.

Upon checking the time, he realized it was already seven o'clock in the morning. So he quickly wrote a letter for Rasya and left it on the table before heading home. The project was left unfinished, but the memory of their adventure in the other world lingered in Sakichi's mind which needed to be known by Ryochi.