بداية الفصل
بعد أن استقر أعضاء الفريق على قناعاتهم، جلسوا في صمت يتأملون واقعهم، وكان الهواء مليئا بالغموض.
كوروياما رينجي، عيناه مغمضتان، وضع يدًا واحدة على الأخرى، وأراحها على صدره كما لو كان يحمل ثقل أفكار العالم، حابسًا أنفاسه في صمت عميق.
فجأة، قطع صوت تاكادا جينزو الحديث، ممزوجًا بالسخرية مثل السهام الثاقبة:
لا تظنوا أننا قديسون الفضيلة. نحن هنا فقط لردّ دين لتامي... لا أكثر.
انطلقت ضحكة خفيفة من شفتي تامي، مثل نسيم لطيف يحمل حلاوة وعمقًا مخفيين:
لا تكن قاسيًا. الكلمات قد تجرح أكثر مما تشفي.
ثم ارتفع صوت أوشيدا غورو العميق القاسي، حاملاً لمحة من الحزن المدفون:
> "قد يأتي اليوم الذي نختلف فيه، ويسلك كل منا طريقه الخاص... في هذه الحياة، لا سبيل للبقاء متحدين إلى الأبد."
ضحك سودو هاروتو بنبرة ساخرة وهو مستلقٍ على الأرض، ودفن يديه في التراب خلف ظهره، كما لو كان يتحدى الواقع نفسه:
"لم أكن أعلم أن الطريق الذي تسير فيه هو مجرد طريق مستعار."
تحدث أوشيدا غورو، وعيناه مغمضتان ورأسه منحني كما لو كان ثقل الحياة يضغط عليه، بصوت بدا وكأنه يرتفع من أعماق روحه:
كل إنسان في هذا العالم يحمل عبئًا. لا يوجد عقل صافٍ خالٍ من الظلام...
رفع سودو هاروتو رأسه، وكانت عيناه تتألقان بالوقار عندما تقبل حقيقة الألم والأعباء:
أنت محق. كلٌّ منا يحمل حزنًا يلازمه، ويحتضنه حتى في أحلك اللحظات.
أشار كازوما نحو كوروياما رينجي، وكان فضوله واضحًا:
> "لقد تكلم الجميع. لماذا أنت صامت؟"
رين، وجهها ملطخ بالقلق والإحراج الخفيف، كما لو كانت تحمل سرًا لا ترغب في مشاركته:
> "اتركه. ربما لا يحب الكلام..."
عادت ضحكة تامي مرة أخرى، مثل نسيم معطر بالذكريات القديمة:
> "إنه لا يحب التحدث عن ماضيه أبدًا... دعونا نتركه في عزلته."
ثم تحول نظره بحذر نحو تن، وكانت عيناه ثابتتين وعميقتين، ومليئتين بالعزم:
>"الآن، لدي هدف جديد."
ارتفعت حواجب تن من المفاجأة، وكأن القدر واجهه فجأة:
>"ما هو؟"
أجابت تامي بنبرة هادئة وجادة:
عمك ما زال حيًا. سأبحث عنه بكل ما أملك.
ساد صمت ثقيل قبل أن ينفجر صوت تين في صرخة مصدومة، وعيناه تتسعان:
هل أنت جاد؟ وكيف ستعرف؟
أجاب تامي بكلمات ثابتة، وثقته متجذرة في الخبرة:
> لقد أخبرني عمك ذات مرة أنه إذا مات يومًا ما، فسوف يرسل لي رسالة يخبرني فيها بذلك.
أخذ تين نفسًا عميقًا، ونظر إلى الأفق البعيد وكأنه يكتسب القوة:
>أين تعتقد أنه هو؟
أجابت تامي بغموض هادئ:
لا أعرف. ربما في مكانٍ خفي. لكن لا تقلق، سأبحث حتى النهاية.
تحدث هاري، وكانت عيناه حادتين بما يكفي لاختراق الظلام:
> "من ما تقوله، فإن عائلة نيلسون هي الشر المخفي في القرية..."
حدق تامي في جنوده بنظرة ثاقبة، وكأنه يزرع شرارة من اليقظة في قلوبهم:
نعم، يجب أن نوقفهم قبل فوات الأوان.
أخرج تين شفرة قديمة من جيبه الأيسر، آخر بقايا عمه. رفع رأسه بعزم لا يتزعزع، وقال:
"هذا كل ما تبقى من عمي... عندما أعود إلى القرية، سأفتح الصندوق."
ثم، بلهجة حازمة:
لكنني لن أدع نيلسون يحصل عليه. سأكذب، سأقول أي شيء، لكن الصندوق لن يصل إليه أبدًا.
قالت تامي وهي تودعهم جميعًا بابتسامة حزينة تتحدث عن اللحظات العزيزة التي تقاسموها:
> "لقد قضينا أوقاتًا طيبة، ووقفنا معًا من أجل القرية."
انتقلت الكاميرا ببطء بين وجوه الأعضاء، الهادئة ولكن المثقلة بالأفكار والهموم، وكأنها تتتبع شوارع الزمن التي سارت عليها أرواحهم.
واختتمت تامي حديثها بقناعة راسخة:
سنلتقي مجددًا. لكن الآن... ستتفكك عصابة العقرب، وسيسلك كلٌّ منا طريقه الخاص.
ثم التفت إلى تن، وكانت نظراته تحمل ثقة عميقة:
> "الآن، القرية بين يديك... أنت الحامي. أنت الأمل."
---
المشهد السينمائي والمؤثرات
السماء مُثقلة بالغيوم الرمادية، وريح خفيفة تحمل رائحة المطر القادم. الإضاءة خافتة، تعكس توتر اللحظة وعمق الحديث، بينما تتلاشى الوجوه بين ظلال متغيرة بين وهج غروب الشمس وسكون الغابة المحيطة.
تقترب الكاميرا ببطء من كوروياما رينجي، وعيناه مغمضتان، مُركزةً على تفاصيل يدٍ فوق الأخرى. يرتفع صوت الريح، كهمسات الماضي.
عندما يتحدث تاكادا جينزو بسخرية، تصبح اللقطة أكثر وضوحًا في تعبيره، وتتحرك الكاميرا بشكل ديناميكي للسماح لثقل كلماته بالغرق.
عندما يضحك تامي، تحيط به ومضات خافتة من الإضاءة، معبرة عن الدفء في قلبه على الرغم من الظلام المحيط بهم.
في اللحظة التي يعلن فيها تامي عن هدفه الجديد، تتجمد الكاميرا على وجه تين المذهول، مع نبض الموسيقى في الخلفية بشكل أسرع لتتناسب مع الصدمة.
عندما يسحب تين الشفرة من جيبه، تركز اللقطة ببطء على اللمعان المعدني، مع تأثيرات الضوء الخافتة التي تجعله يبدو وكأنه نبض قلب متجمد في الوقت المناسب.
يرافق الوداع بين تامي والمجموعة نعيق الغراب البعيد، الذي يرمز إلى النهاية
من فصل وبداية فصل آخر.
تدفع الموسيقى الصاخبة المشاهد إلى حالة من الترقب، مما يشير إلى أن النهايات تؤدي دائمًا إلى بدايات جديدة.
With calm seriousness, Ushida Goro pressed his lips together slightly, suppressing a feeling of embarrassment yet unable to hide the longing laced between his words.
Ushida Goro (low voice, warm with yearning):
> "I didn't realize how much I missed you until now."
Sudo Haruto shrugged lightly, a sad smile curling on his lips before he spoke.
Sudo Haruto (hopeful tone with a touch of playful teasing):
> "Same here. But don't worry, guys… maybe you'll see each other again."
At that moment, the cave door creaked open slowly. Take Aki Kuruma stepped in with steady, confident strides, his eyes filled with seriousness and focus.
Take Aki Kuruma (firm voice, words carrying the weight of commands):
> "I've brought you the horses."
Kuroyama Renji's calm eyes, carrying his usual coldness, turned toward him in silent inquiry.
Kuroyama Renji (quiet and dry voice, gaze sharp enough to catch the smallest detail):
> "How many horses did you bring?"
Kuruma replied without hesitation, his tone reflecting readiness.
Take Aki Kuruma:
> "Five horses."
Kuroyama Renji stepped out of the cave at a measured pace, his eyes still locked on Kuruma as if reading between the lines.
Kuroyama Renji (slowly, with a subtle shift of his pupils toward Kuruma):
> "Prepare the sixth horse."
At that moment, Toji raised his eyebrows with a sly smile, pressing his lips together in half-jest, half-seriousness.
Toji (mocking tone):
> "Are you taking us with you?"
The trace of humor vanished from Kuroyama's face, replaced by an expression tinged with worry and suspicion.
Kuroyama Renji (sharp, almost threatening, eyes narrowing):
> "The rooster forbids it."
A bead of sweat slid down Toji's right cheek in the midst of a hushed silence and faces filled with unhidden surprise.
Toji (soft, almost to himself):
> "I only asked a question…"
The camera slowly tilts upward, revealing the sky above them like glowing embers, burning with the blaze of a scorching noon. The heat intensifies as shades of blue and orange intertwine in a striking blend.
Then the shot gradually tilts downward, revealing the entire scene: the five companions astride their horses, each dressed for the journey and carrying an air of resolve.
At the head rides Ten, serious and calm, his gaze fixed on the far horizon. Toji stands to his left, watching every movement with caution and shrewdness. Behind him rides Harry, and to Ten's right is Ren, with Kazuma steady behind her. Kuroyama Renji takes the rear, his eyes scanning every detail of the road like a shield guarding them from any potential danger.
The hot breeze slips through their breaths, gently brushing their hair, while the scent of dry earth mingles with that of scorched grass— as if the land itself senses the greatness of the journey ahead. In that
moment, emotions quake, hearts beat faster, and the doors to fate swing open.
The camera slowly moves toward Kazuma's injured ankle. The wound is closing at an agonizingly slow pace, faint steam rising from it, as if the heat of his soul is trying to mend his body.
Kazuma, gritting his teeth, shouts in a broken voice:
Kazuma: "Aaah… Ya-hooo!"
Ren's features tense, and she speaks with a trace of unease in her tone:
Ren: "Master…"
Ten turns toward her, a calm smile forming on his face, as if he knows what she's about to say before she even speaks:
Ten: "I know what you're going to say."
Ren's eyes widen in startled disbelief:
Ren: "Really?"
Ten (with a confident smile): "Yes… You were going to say the driver didn't wait for us, and that the solution is for me to give the box to Nelson."
Her face freezes in astonishment:
Ren: "It's like you're inside my head…"
Ten leans his neck forward, his voice calm but sharp as a blade:
Ten: "Don't worry. Even if he takes it, we'll get it back… no matter the cost."
Harry steps in, his voice carrying clear firmness:
Harry: "So when do we start the revolt?"
Ten (in a measured tone): "When we finish planning. Any mistake now could drag the village into ruin."
From the side, Toji raises his voice with childlike innocence:
Toji: "Kuroyama… what will you do now?"
Kuroyama turns with cold detachment:
Kuroyama: "Don't talk to me like you know me…"
Toji: "I was just asking…"
The camera slowly tilts upward toward the gray sky, while Harry's sarcastic voice echoes:
Harry: "Come on, Renji… loosen up a bit. Stop pretending to be calm. We'll show you how stupid you are."
Laughter rises, only to be cut by Kuroyama's quiet voice:
Kuroyama Renji: "Mind your own business."
The camera continues to rise until it's swallowed by the clouds, and bold text appears on screen:
"Two hours later…"
The scene shifts to Nelson's office.
He stands before a wide window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the horizon as if surveying the world from a height befitting a dictator.
On his desk sits a black box, roughly the size of a book, with a distinct engraving of a metal blade — the very same blade Ten possesses.
A sharp knock breaks the silence.
Nelson (with a slow, sinister laugh): "Come in…"
The door opens, and Ten, Ren, Kazuma, Harry, and Toji step inside. Their footsteps are heavy, as if the ground itself bears the weight of the coming confrontation.
Nelson eyes them with cold mockery:
Nelson: "I thought the gang had caught you."
Ten takes a step forward, his eyes gleaming sharply, his voice angry yet controlled:
Ten: "Don't worry… the gang didn't catch us. You're the one who made things complicated."
Nelson's expression shifts, his tone now calm and serious:
Nelson: "The box is here… so, did you bring the blade?"
Ten hesitates for a moment, his voice now carrying deep unease:
Ten: "I'll give you the blade… but promise me you'll give it back."
Nelson replies with unwavering confidence, as if holding all the string
s of the game:
Nelson: "To earn your trust… I'll open the box in front of you."
Tien's hand trembled as he drew the blade from its sheath, gripping it with his left hand, his thumb and index finger pressing down hard, as if trying to steady the frantic beat of his heart. His lips quivered, beads of sweat sliding slowly down his forehead to fall onto the cold ground, every thump in his chest colliding with the wall of silence surrounding the place.
Nelson extended his hand with excruciating slowness, his fingers moving forward as though piercing the thick air. His eyes gleamed with greedy light, a mocking smile cutting across his face. He took the blade from Tien as if it were the prize of his life, then studied it for long moments… running his thumb along its shining edge, bringing it closer to the carved mark on the surface of the box, aligning it with lethal precision.
A suffocating pause.
No one breathed.
Even the clock's hands seemed to stop.
Nelson pressed down—slowly, lethally—until the blade pierced the metal engraving. Then… a deep metallic sound echoed, followed by a crimson flash from the heart of the mark.
Glowing red lines, like fiery veins, began to crawl slowly across the surface of the box, branching right and left as if searching for a pulse within its body.
Nelson laughed… first faintly, then louder and louder, until it became the laughter of a man about to touch his dream.
The eyes of Tien, Rin, Harry, Kazuma, and Toji were fixed wide open, every blink delayed as though their eyelids had grown heavy with tension. Even the air felt sharp in their lungs.
The box's side cover began to separate, unbearably slow, accompanied by the grating sound of ancient metal. Thick white vapor burst from the gap, curling around Nelson like a living curtain, swallowing his figure until he vanished entirely from sight.
Everyone stood frozen in place, as though the vapor had stopped time itself.
Then… the white shroud began to fade.
And when it cleared completely…
Nelson's smile froze.
The box… was empty.
Faces tightened in disbelief. Kazuma's mouth fell slightly open, his eyes glinting with a mix of shock and restrained rage, sweat streaming down his cheeks. Even Nelson's eyes widened in cold astonishment, before catching sight of a blue sheet of paper lying at the bottom of the box.
He reached for it slowly, as if it carried the weight of truth itself, then unfolded it and read aloud:
> "Hahaha… Nelson, you fool.
Did you think the box would come to you so easily? No… only in your dreams.
I've replaced the box with another, and the blade in your hand is nothing but a fake copy of the original.
Heh… now enjoy your time, Nelson.
This message is from… Jin."
The scene froze for a moment, the word "Jin" echoing in everyone's minds.
Kazuma's eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched, his body heat rising like a volcano about to erupt.
The camera rose toward the sky, where the sunset bathed the horizon in the colors of blood and gold. Then it rushed forward, shifting the view to a sprawling desert between the borders of the Fire Village and the Thunder Village.
There… atop a mountain, stood Jin—the same figure glimpsed at the start of the mission. A black scarf wrapped around his neck, his black hair falling on either side of his face, its strands fine as though damp, his eyes gazing into the distance with cold depth.
The camera shifted to reveal a wheelchair behind him, occupied by a mysterious man, only his polished black shoes visible.
Jin spoke in a calm, deep voice, his eyes still fixed on the sky:
> "I didn't know the box was hiding all of this…"
Then came the rasping, yet certain voice of an old man behind him:
> "You're right, boy… and that's why I never let Nelson touch it."
The camera slowly pulled away until the sky swallowed the entire s
cene, the sunset ruling the moment… and the chapter ended.