Chapter 128 Into The Phoenix Chamber Part 8

U-ri was sitting on a chair in the cubicle, applying medicine to Abrafo's arms and chest. 

"Old man, uh... don't rub too hard," Abrafo groaned. 

Hajime asked, "I thought you were going to throw up. So, what happened? Why did you end up fighting with someone?" 

Abrafo frowned in pain and said: "I don't know. The lovely girl kindly gave me some medicine, and then suddenly the madman suddenly attacked me. I don't even know why I was attacked. " 

U-ri said, "Well, it seems that man really hates you. Have you offended anyone recently?" 

Abrafo said, "Um... the last person I offended was not with us." 

Yul said, "Well, that doesn't mean he can't pay someone to hurt you on his behalf." 

"You're right," Abrafo said. "But the man seemed to think that I would molest the girl, so he attacked me." 

Hajime smiled and said, "Michio advised you not to talk too much to strangers, but you never listened. I think this time that man help us teach you a lesson." 

Abrafo said, "Next time if I see that guy again, I'm going to pull him aside and ask him what his problem is." 

Yul said, "Stop making trouble. Since we are entering Scattered Forest and there are dangers everywhere, it is best to have a good relationship with other participants." 

U-ri said, "Yul is right. Remember Lady Lai told us that if the poison does not kill us, one of the participants will. By maintaining our good relationship, we will be less vulnerable to getting attacked by others." 

Abrafo said, "I won't fight him again. Next time I will use my mouth not my fist." 

Michio asked, "Is there a next time? Are you sure you are not trying to irritate him?" 

Abrafo said, "I'm not." 

Michio asked, "Then don't provoke him, why are you still looking for him?" 

The floor inside Bong's compartment was small and narrow, so he and the other four members sat on the ground. 

"I heard you got into a fight with another participant?" 

"Yeah, tell us about it." 

Bong said madly, "If I don't get close and take action, that man will molest that young girl."

"What a loser?" One of the men said. 

"I can't believe we have someone like that on our ship. If I were around you, I would give you my fullest aid against that loser." 

Hai said, "Don't worry about it. Once we get inside Scattered Forest there are no rules." 

"We'll help you kill him." 

"Yeah... we will help you kill him." 

"As long as you promise to help us get the pure phoenix egg, we will help you kill him." 

Hai said, "I've seen you fight that guy, and your skills are impressive. I'm glad you're on our team. What's your name?" 

Bong said, "Ban." 

Hai said, "We should continue to call you Han, so as not to call you by the wrong name and arouse others' suspicion." 

Bong said, "I don't mind." 

Hajime walked out onto the deck and let the night breeze blow by. He saw Abrafo lying on top of the box, his legs dangling over the side. "Hey Abrafo," Hajime said, sitting in another box next to Abrafo. "Here is your supper." He placed three slices of bread and one corn next to Abrafo. 

"Thank you, but I don't want to eat," Abrafo replied, and continued to close his eyes. 

Hajime looked at Abrafo and said, "I heard that if have motion sickness, you should open your eyes instead of closing them." 

"Why?" 

"Keeping your eyes open helps you focus on other things," Hajime said. 

"Hahaha... you sound just like Michio," Abrafo said, slowly standing up and grabbing the corn. "Oh, where's my meat." 

Hajime said, "U-ri said that since everything that enters your stomach will soon be throw up, it's best to leave it to someone who will actually use it." 

Abrafo shook his head and said, "What a greedy old man. Hajime..." he turned to look at Hajime. 

"Mmm..." 

"Have you ever met someone you couldn't let go of?" Abrafo asked. "I mean someone that you try to forget but can't forget." 

"Yes." 

Abrafo asked, "How do you learn to forget them?" 

Hajime lay down and stared at the stars in the dark sky. "I don't forget that person, I just learned how to live without thinking about that person," Hajime said. "I no longer waste energy thinking about the past but learn to live for the future." Hajime took a deep breath. "What I learned from our encounter in Magior City is that no matter how much we love or hate the past, we cannot undo it. The only thing we can do is move on and learn how to live with the past. We just have to slowly replace old memories with new ones, and eventually the old footprints we've left behind will disappear over time." 

Listening to Hajime's words, Abrafo could tell that Hajime was much more mature than when they first met. Abrafo lay next to Hajime and asked, "So, who is that person? Yul? Or someone else? Huh?" 

Hajime smiled and said, "I can't remember their faces anymore? Maybe as time goes by, I may not be able to remember their names." 

Abrafo turned his head and looked at Hajime. "They? You mean more than one person?" 

"Mmm..." 

Abrafo sighed, "Haah... I'm sorry for reminding you of them." 

Hajime said, "I don't mind. It's good to think about them sometimes because it reminds me that it's better to be with the four of you now than with the four of them in the past. With that thought, that's why I told you I cannot forget them but learn how to live for the future." 

Abrafo said, "You know talking to you makes me feel better. You can go back now." 

Hajime said, "I will stay here with you tonight. I told the others, if that person comes back to trouble you, I will be your witness. You go to sleep first." 

Hajime stared at the starry night, and what Abrafo asked Hajime really made Hajime think about his past. The four people in his previous life who were the most important to him, but they were also the four people who hurt him the most. He doesn't know how to forget them, but as he continues to create new memories with those around him, he learns how to forgive them. Sometimes, he wanted to thank God for giving him the opportunity to experience love and friendship that he had never had before. 

Almost every night before falling asleep, Hajime would doubt whether his current life was real or fake. Sometimes Hajime did wonder if he was still in a coma, and everything that happened here was happening in his mind as he lay dying on that lonely hospital bed. Hajime sighed and whispered, "If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up." 

The next morning, Hajime was awakened by the sound of Abrafo vomiting. He opened his eyes, but the morning sun burned them. He quickly rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. He yawned, stretched out his arms, and watched Abrafo vomiting over the railing with a smile on his face. 

"I didn't know the sound of someone vomiting could actually be set as an alarm to wake people up," Hajime quipped before jumping off the wooden box. "How are you feeling?" 

"Hajime... I have never felt so sick before. I have been on boats before, but I don't know why I feel so sick this time," Abrafo said breathlessly. 

Hajime said, "Well, maybe it's not seasickness, maybe it's food poisoning." 

"Food poisoning? Who wants to poison me?" Abrafo was at a loss when he learned that someone might want to kill him. 

Hajime said, "It's not that kind of poison. Sometimes you can get sick even if you eat unclean or undercooked food. That's called food poisoning." 

Yul, Michio, and U-ri walked towards Hajime and Abrafo. Yul said, "Team leader, I heard that we would disembark in two hours." He looked at Abrafo's pale face. "Can you make it?" 

"I have to," Abrafo answered weakly. "I can't believe I'm actually sick." 

"Abrafo, hold on," Michio said. "We will be off this ship soon." 

Abrafo said, "Hajime just told me that I am not sick because of seasickness, but I may get sick from eating unclean food." 

U-ri said, "We'll give you something good to eat before we enter Scattered Forest." 

Yul said, "I have received news that Lord Lai and Lady Lai will meet us on the outskirts of Stone Valley on the fifteenth of this month." 

"Stone Valley?" Abrafo looked at Yul. 

Yul said, "Stone Valley is the entrance to Scattered Forest. Before going to Stone Valley, we need to prepare food and necessary things. Jin told me that especially water. We will need to bring a lot of water." 

Hajime asked, "Why not buy our stuff in Stone Valley?" 

U-ri said, "We heard that Stone Valley is uninhabited. Stone Valley is only a day's walk from here." 

"But walking into Scattered Forest is like walking next to a burning fire pit," Michio added, chuckling. "Hehe. Hehe... This is what Jin told us too." 

Abrafo said pitifully, "Then can we have something to eat and rest? I want to feel better before walking to the forest." 

U-ri said, "I'll take you to the doctor because I need to prepare some medicine." 

Yul said, "Hajime, Michio, and I will make sure we have enough food and water." 

U-ri said, "They only allowed us two hours to rest, so we wanted to make sure our time was not wasted."