As far as their burning eyes could see, meadows of buttercup gold stretched for agonizing miles. The flowers, impossibly numerous, tried to offer a gentle, faint sweetness to the air, but the fragrance was choked by the suffocating heat. Hundreds of monarch butterflies flitted about—bright, enviable specks of freedom—searching for landing spots to greedily sip nectar.
Though summer proper hadn't fully clamped down, it was late spring, and the wind whipping past their faces was a miserable, thick, humid blast. The more the five Tanzanies sweated, the more their throats cracked with desperate thirst. They scanned the horizon, finding nothing but endless, mocking blooms. With no shade, the sun's savage glare and the consuming thirst took a heavy toll on them, perched precariously on the backs of three great, sweating grey wolves, trudging along a dirt road streaked with the angry hues of yellow and orange earth.
"Does anyone have water?" U-ri rasped, wiping a weary arm across his brow, leaving a streak of grime.
Hajime's voice was dry, flat. "You drank the last drop of our water half an hour ago."
U-ri gently nudged Michio's hand. He tried to inject a hopeful note into his question, "What about you?"
Michio just shook his head, a gesture heavy with defeat. "Mine's empty, too," he muttered, gazing longingly at a hovering monarch. "Right now, I wish I were one of them."
"Why?" U-ri asked, puzzled.
Michio's reply was simple, almost mournful. "I want to drink some nectar."
Abrafo scoffed, his exhaustion giving way to irritation. "We should be flying over this wasteland, not riding these furnace-backed wolves and baking like biscuits! Why is it so damn hot? It's not even summer!"
Hajime offered a pragmatic, weary guess. "Maybe it's because we're heading south."
"Let's find somewhere to rest first," Yul said, his tone one of quiet authority. He twisted back to look at Hajime. "How are your injuries?"
Hajime shifted, his face momentarily clouded with pain and resignation. "It's better now. I think my arm is almost normal. I can't see the wound on my back, but U-ri said it's starting to heal."
Yul narrowed his eyes. "I remember your injuries never took this long to mend. Has something changed?"
Hajime let out a heavy, shattered sigh. "I don't know. Maybe the wound was too big, or perhaps the one who inflicted it was… stronger." He paused, his voice dropping to a fragile whisper. "Or maybe it's just because I'm broken."
U-ri suddenly pointed ahead, his voice regaining a spark of urgency. "Hey, I think I saw someone in front of us!"
Abrafo spurred his wolf past Hajime and Yul toward U-ri. He peered forward and indeed saw a small group of figures not far off. He looked at Michio and U-ri, a new determination setting his jaw. "I'm going to ask if there is a village nearby."
U-ri's eyes followed the distant figures. "Be careful."
Abrafo charged his wolf toward the people. As he drew closer, he feared the enormous grey wolf would terrify them, so he abruptly pulled to a halt. He jumped down, landing lightly on the dusty road. "Wait for me here."
He quickly rushed forward, reaching the group. He immediately noticed their diverse and expensive clothing, suggesting a higher social standing. Catching up with a well-dressed young man, he asked, "Do you know how far it is from here to Misnix Kingdom?"
The young man glanced at Abrafo, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Sir, you are walking on Misnix Kingdom's soil."
Abrafo stopped dead. "I am?" he asked, doubt thickening his voice. "I thought we hadn't reached it yet."
The young man chuckled softly. "Dear sir, you are most certainly in Misnix Kingdom. You are not from here, are you?"
"Oh no," Abrafo replied quickly. "I'm a traveler, so I wasn't sure if I'd crossed the border."
"You are in Misnix Kingdom," the young man confirmed again, his smile widening.
Abrafo looked at the assembled group; they all appeared to be young people. "Are you all from the same kingdom?"
"No," the young man explained. "My master and I are from Hargione Kingdom. The three ahead of us are from Naramunz Kingdom. I believe the rest are from the four major cities of Misnix."
Abrafo processed this, a flash of interest in his eyes. "So, everyone here is from a different city and kingdom?"
The young man countered with a question of his own. "Do you have a place to stay?"
"Not yet," Abrafo said, shaking his head. "What are the cities again?"
"There are five large cities in Misnix Kingdom," the young man recited. "Shanyi in the north, Xingyi in the east, Hanyi in the west, and Chanyi in the south. The central part, of course, is the capital city, Menyi."
Abrafo nodded. "So, where does this road take us?"
"This road leads straight to Menyi, the capital of Misnix."
"Why do you all want to go there?" Abrafo asked, his curiosity piqued.
The young man leaned in conspiratorially. "Didn't you hear?"
"Hear what?" Abrafo prompted.
The young man approached Abrafo, lowering his voice to an eager whisper. "Lai Manor announced that if anyone can make their daughter speak, they will let that person marry her."
Abrafo's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, is that why there are so many young people here?"
The young man nodded vigorously. "My master is here to try and cure Lady Lai and win her hand."
Abrafo thanked the young man and began slowly walking back to his friends. The young man suddenly called out, "Sir! Don't you want to go to Menyi and try to treat Lady Lai?"
"No, thank you," Abrafo called back, a wry smile on his lips.
When he reached the grey wolf, his friends had ridden up to wait for him. Abrafo vaulted onto his wolf's back, a little exhilaration in his voice. "We have arrived! We are in Misnix Kingdom. Those people are heading to Menyi, the capital, for a chance to win Lady Lai's hand in marriage."
U-ri looked intrigued. "That sounds interesting," he said, turning to Abrafo. "Don't you want to try?"
Abrafo waved a dismissive hand. "No, I'm not interested."
Michio playfully jabbed him. "You always show interest in things like this. What changed this time?"
Abrafo's face hardened, his focus returning to their greater purpose. "The difference is that we are here for the next key. Oh, and Misnix Kingdom has five cities: Shanyi, Xingyi, Hanyi, Chanyi, and the capital, Menyi."
Yul immediately pulled out their tattered, old map, his eyes scanning the faded ink. "The map shows the city name Chanyi, but it looks like we have to go through Menyi."
U-ri's voice was firm, though infused with weariness. "I know saving Tangzang is important, but our fighting spirit is equally crucial. Let's rest until everyone recovers, and then continue."
"I agree with U-ri," Michio quickly added.
Hajime looked to Yul, his eyes pleading. "I..."
"We'll take a break until everyone is healed and strong enough to move forward," Yul interrupted, making the final decision. He looked at them all. "Is a month enough?"
"A month is more than enough!" Abrafo cried, his previous irritation replaced by a surge of pure, desperate relief. "Finally, I can eat something delicious!"
U-ri reached into his bag for their money pouch, his fingers frantically searching... but finding nothing. He kept searching, his face growing paler with every passing second. He looked up at Abrafo, his throat tight. "You might want to hold your thoughts."
Abrafo turned, confused. "What do you mean?"
U-ri let out a heavy, heart-crushing sigh. "Boys... we're broke."
Michio's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean, broke?"
"I mean we are now penniless," U-ri said, his voice laced with absolute misery. "I lost the money bag. The bag full of gold leaves. When we escaped that deadly forest, the chest full of gold leaves was left behind with the other items."
Abrafo shot to his feet on the wolf's back, his face a mask of shock and rage. "Why didn't you gather that money chest onto the eagle's back?! You were on guard!"
U-ri maddeningly pointed a trembling finger at Abrafo. "Well, at that time, it was better to escape alive than to be eaten by those hungry wolves!"
Abrafo looked around desperately. "Who else has money?"
Michio immediately held up empty hands. "I gave all my money to U-ri."
Abrafo turned to Yul. "What about you?"
Yul pulled out a worn pouch, his face grim. "Since we left Magior, I have been using my money for our food and necessities. I only have two gold leaves left."
Abrafo slumped. "I think I lost my money bag while we were in the palace."
All eyes, heavy with shared despair, turned slowly to Hajime. "What about you?" they asked in strained unison.
Hajime merely gave a weak, ironic smile. "I walked into the palace of Tangzang Kingdom as a penniless mage and walked out of Tangzang Kingdom as a penniless mage. Did any of you ever see me paying for anything?"
Yul, the rock, spoke up, cutting through the sudden panic. "Let's continue down this road and find a place to stay first."
The five Tanzanies continued their slow, defeated walk along the dirt road, arriving at the outskirts of Menyi around noon. The noise of the street was a jarring symphony of happy, lively citizens—a stark contrast to the five travelers who could now afford nothing.
As the sound of the street rang in their ears, they spotted a well-dressed, middle-aged woman walking toward them. U-ri, summoning his last reserves of energy, rushed after her.
"My lady," U-ri asked politely, "we are travelers, and our friend is injured. Do you know of any temple here where we might stay for a few days?"
The woman eyed U-ri coolly. "There is no temple here. The only one is in the palace."
U-ri's surprise was evident. "Then, if travelers lost their money bags, where would they stay?" he pressed, his voice strained.
"They usually work for money. There are many jobs here," she said matter-of-factly. "If their money bags were stolen, they need to report the crime to the court in the city center." The woman looked at U-ri and his companions again, her eyes lingering. "Or, they could go and stay in the haunted house at the foot of the mountain."
She pointed a thin finger to the left.
U-ri saw a mountain, its peak lost in the clouds. "How haunted do you mean?"
The woman lowered her voice, a thrill of local dread entering her tone. "The locals say that many years ago, a woman lived there with her husband. When he went to war, she became pregnant. Seven months later, she died during childbirth. Since her death, people have seen the mother and child wandering, still waiting for her husband to return. Hunters claim they sometimes see the woman and her child when they walk through the area." She looked away, shrugging slightly. "For this reason, people who lived near the haunted house slowly moved away."
"So no one is there?" U-ri asked, a terrible idea forming.
"No one goes close to that place now, not even hunters. It was abandoned many years ago." The woman gave him a scrutinizing look. "You don't want to go there, do you?"
U-ri quickly shook his head. "Why would you think I would go there?"
"You seem to be very interested in this story."
"The story was interesting, so I showed interest," U-ri insisted, forcing a light tone. "But I'm not young anymore, and I certainly don't have the energy for this kind of thrill-seeking adventure."
"Good," she said simply.
U-ri thanked the woman and walked slowly back to his friends, a nervous energy surrounding him. "Well, I found a place to stay, but..." he trailed off, bracing himself.
Abrafo's head snapped up. "But what?"
U-ri let the word hang in the hot air, an unwanted, chilling prospect. "But it is haunted."