No matter how desperately Arin tried, he was unable to think straight after knowing that so many people had died concurrently.
Arin felt queasy as a noisome stench blanketed the entire area, which was most likely the malodor of death hovering in the air, and due to that, he began to wheeze as he struggled to breathe. He also felt a gut-churning tension, as if he would spew at any moment, but fought down the impulse to do so.
Over time, deep down, Arin began to perceive himself as a useless, good-for-nothing bastard, just like Lilia had mentioned, since he couldn't stop it from happening. He lacked the power to prevent numerous lights of life from being blown out all at once, so all he could do was smile apologetically at his pathetic self.
As time ticked by, the feeling of nothingness slowly but surely drove Arin to go nuts, which caused him to clench his fist and begin battering his hands against the bark of a spiky tree till they bled to bent out his frustration while screaming "Sh*t!" over and over again. It was as if the scourge he felt for being unable to do anything dulled the sting of every punch he landed on the spiky tree.
"Wait a minute, stop pummeling your hand against the tree like this and listen to me," the fox's serene voice boomed.
As Arin came to a halt, he inquired, "What is it?."
"Do you recall what I said to you?," questioned the fox in a calm voice.
"Yes, I do, but I don't see why someone would go to such lengths to make me detest him so badly," uttered Arin, lamenting about his situation.
"As I already indicated, I am clueless, but if you want answers, you must seek the attention of God's."
"How can I accomplish that?" Arin wondered, bewildered.
"I'll tell you how, but firstly the world you are familiar with does not finish where you are right now; it is only a small fraction of the entire world."
"So you're saying that there are many more places spread throughout the world where humans inhabit?."
"Of course, there are an infinite number of multifarious fantastical realms in this world awaiting your exploration; the realm in which you are currently dwelling is known as the Thunder realm, and this realm is under the sovereignty of almighty thunder gods who have been venerated throughout the history of your kind."
"You mean humans, right?" Despite knowing the obvious answer, Arin questioned either way to ensure that he was right.
"Yup, but not every human believes in God's existence, which I believe you are also aware of, aren't you?" Raiju replied, pointing out the rational fact.
"Yeah, that's a valid point, some of the people I grew up knowing never believed in God, which is why some people, including my mother, always used to advise me to avoid their company. But what I find onerous to comprehend is that so many people were killed mercilessly in order to make me harbour hatred, and the hapless fact is that I have no idea how it all happened in a flash," said Arin while trying to keep his emotions in check.
"I know that it's heart-rending for you to accept the truth, but what's done is done, and it can't be undone no matter what you do, so you can either accept it and move on by starting a new life in a new place forgetting the past or grit your teeth and seek revenge by responding with tit for tat as payback," the fox replied.
"How come the nonbelievers are dead, given that they never truly believed in God's existence in the first place?" questioned Arin as soon as the reasonable thought occurred to him.
"A very fantastic query, but the clear-cut answer is: they died because God exists, even if they didn't believe it," Raiju replied succinctly, dispelling Arin's skepticism.
Following a brief pause with a determined tone, Arin inquired, "What's the best approach to get the attention of any god?"
"There are a total of three ways to get God's attention: the first is to revere them, the second is to anger them, and the third is by despising them."
"If I were you, I'd go with the first option because you're dealing with the gods nevertheless", Raiju advised.
"I don't know why so many lives were taken in order to make me despise him, but I've decided that I'm going to hunt that bastard down, aka the mastermind behind the atrocity, even if it means going to the depths of hell," Arin grumbled, gnashing his bared teeth while his sky blue eyes were bloodshot with revulsion.
"I can easily tell that you'll seek revenge based on the terrifying expression in your eyes and the gnashing of your bared teeth, but that's not my beef, so I'll stay out of it. In any case, good luck with your determination, but without God's power, how are you going to beat him?" questioned the fox, his gaze fixed on Arin.
"I'll strive hard to earn the attention of the gods and get their acknowledgement to fight back using their power. I'd really love your assistance in doing so to expedite my path of vengeance," Arin replied pertinaciously.
"If that's the case, I believe you should begin by obtaining the benison of my master, Raijin, the Thunder God."
"Can you converse with him about how to earn his acknowledgement?," asked Arin.
"I'll try my best, but don't get your hopes up," the fox said, and later became silent.
In order to empty his mind and determine whether the God's had manifested themselves in his medication, Arin decided to cogitate while the fox was as silent as a mouse.
The fox spoke up a few hours later and disclosed a divine riddle posed by its master, Raijin, to Arin, which was: "Clapping takes two hands, and your shadow is your closest friend."
Arin was flummoxed when he heard the riddle and began to wonder what it meant.
After a brief period of reflection, Arin cognized that he had forgotten to ask the fox its name after they first met, which was an extremely crucial question to ask when getting to know someone new.
"What is your name, my friend?" Arin enquired looking lost.
"It took you a long time to ask that question but it's wonderful that you finally twigged to do so in the end. Well, whatever the case is, I'm Raiju, the divine companion of thunder God Raijin," the fox replied in an elegant voice.
"I'd want to ask you a question if it's okay with you?," asked Arin earnestly.
"Well, go ahead and ask me," Raiju replied with a wise-sounding voice.
"So my question is, if I am successful in attracting the attention of the gods, what kind of power will I get?."
"That depends; each god has their own unique strength that distinguishes them from one another, but if I recall correctly, I believe you will gain some of their power by drinking their blood once you find it by solving their riddles."
Arin replied with a puking face, "their blood eww... gross."
"It's God's blood, it's divine, I don't think you should say eww to that."
"Even if it's divine, I'm afraid I'll be grossed out by drinking it."
"Well, if that's how you feel, I doubt I'll be able to change your mind."
"Are there any conditions that I must meet before I drink the blood of any God?."
"The thing is, if one is not worthy, he or she will perish after drinking even a droplet of God's blood."
"Raiju, why didn't you say that sooner? I would have died being left in the dark without realizing why if you hadn't."
"Don't worry about it. I believe you'll live from the bottom of my heart because, as far as I can tell, you're a sui generic which implies that you are one unique human."
Arin blushed and responded, "Aww that's so sweet of you, quit making me shy, you dolt."
"No, I genuinely believe what I said," Raiju replied nonchalantly.
"I understand; thank you for having faith in me, buddy. To be honest, do you have any idea what the riddle meant?" In a hopeful tone, Arin inquired.
"Unfortunately, I didn't understand what my master meant by the riddle."
"Oh, please! How come you don't know the answer? You are his divine companion, aren't you?" questioned Arin in disbelief.
"I get your point of view, but every God's actions including my master can be difficult to comprehend at times."
"So I'm stuck with no idea or whatever, which means I'll have to figure it out on my own," said Arin with a down hearted voice.
"It's fantastic that you're picking things up so quickly, and don't worry—you'll find a solution eventually," replied Raiju in an encouraging tone to instill confidence in Arin.
However, Arin let out a deep sigh and sat on the ground, crossing his legs, trying to think of something that would help him solve the riddle.
An idea then flashed into Arin's mind while the wind was blowing fast, causing his hair to sway like the waves of the ocean.
"Did you figure out what it meant?" Raiju inquired, astonished.
"Of course not; how could I figure it out so quickly?. I simply decided that as a first step, I'd start my voyage by riding the waves of the ocean, and I believe that anything pertinent to the riddle will ultimately come to my mind along the journey," replied Arin, sounding confident.
"Do you have a watercraft that you'll use to travel?".
"No, I don't, however, I do know of a skiff docked that I can use to travel riding the storm-tossed sea."
"I don't reckon a skiff can handle the rough sea."
"Don't be concerned! She should be sufficient, and she is a whole lot tougher than she looks."
"I hope she is cause it's the stormy seas we're talking about.Well whatever, since it's your first step, I'm not going to budge much", replied Raiju casually.
Later, Arin went to the dock where the boat was docked and gently touched it, admiring it's beauty.
"Isn't she a beauty?" Arin questioned as he rubbed his hands across the smooth surface of the boat.
"I suppose she is, I'm sorry but I'm not very knowledgeable about skiffs and watercraft."
"Don't worry, you'll get it eventually," Arin assured Raiju, making sure he didn't feel out of place.
"I hope so, but I'm truly surprised about the fact that you're finally able to remain calm after witnessing so many deaths. Did my talking do the trick?,"questioned Raiju, who was proud of himself thinking that he managed to completely calm down Arin to the point where he was no longer thinking about plotting his retribution.
"I'm also baffled as to why, despite witnessing so many close people die, I don't feel fury or hatred; instead, I feel cool as a cucumber. I believe that meeting with you and embarking on this journey was bound to be my fate, and besides, deep down in my heart, I have a gut feeling that I will most certainly exact their revenge no matter what, as death is my only limit."
"You're one peculiar person, I knew it as soon as I saw you, but never forget that forgiveness is the father of vengeance," said Raiju while looking at Arin with a profound sense of interest.
"I know, but he killed far too many people to be forgiven; anyway, let's drop this subject for the time being because, all in all, I want to thank you for sticking with me when I had no one else to turn to," said Arin, closing his eyes with a benign smile of gratitude that spread all over his visage.
"Stop it, you idiot, do you want to make me cry?".
Arin's eyes welled up with tears as he spoke with a near-crying voice, "I really mean it."
"I'm also glad I met you because I was honestly getting tired of being alone in the forest for such a long time."
"Then let's be friends for life. Raiju," said Arin, wiping away tears from his cheeks.
"Of course, I will, and don't make me say it aloud, you moron!"
Arin, unsure of what lay ahead, first patched up his wounded hands after removing the stuck prickles. Then, he gathered whatever food and water he could find by scrounging the nearby dwellings and set out on a voyage, embarking on the skiff, after praying to the gods for the dead so that they may find peace and salvation in the afterlife, as he alone wasn't capable of burying so many people all at once.
In his mind, he was hell-bent on obtaining God's blood and confronting the mastermind behind the heinous massacre of the Thunder Realm's people in order to mercilessly kill him like he had done.
After a few hours of paddling, Arin became knackered and ended up somewhere far away in the sea from the Thunder Realm's shore.
"We merely travelled a short distance. Are you already exhausted?" asked Raiju, his voice tinged with letdown.
"Yeah! Please accept my apologies for being so frail and pathetic," Arin replied, taking deep breaths to relieve his enervation.
"Don't say it like that and belittle yourself, since you're the first person I've met after a long, long time, and I think you're good just the way you are. Besides, I've been alone for as long as I can remember, so meeting you has been something special to me."
"That's tragic to hear, and whatever you say, my friend," replied Arin, sounding chipper as Raiju mentioned that he accepts him just the way he is.
"Arin, my buddy, I've been wondering for some time; can you tell me about what happened to the ship your folks used to arrive on the lands of this realm because I didn't notice any big ships docked?" Raiju asked in a casual voice.
"As far as I recall, I once heard from my mother that after one hellacious stormy day, the enormous ship that was berthed on the shore was mysteriously gone and nowhere to be seen," Arin informed Raiju.
"I see! That's why there wasn't any big ship docked, and thanks to you, I now know why," Raiju stated, having been enlightened by Arin's explanation.
Being done with talking, Arin laid down on the boat as he continued to drift on the sea. The sky was a clear periwinkle blue, providing panoramic views, yet he felt it was a nugatory and pointless observation.
The sun glistened like a gleaming gem, and he was preoccupied admiring the shape of the surrounding drifting clouds, which in his eyes resembled a certain animal, such as a rabbit.
After several days of travel on the sea, there was still no sign of land in sight, and Arin's food supply was nearly depleted.
"Any luck on figuring out what the riddle meant in these past few days?"
"Sadly, my mind seems to be empty, with no idea what the riddle meant or what its answer might be."
"That's unfortunate...wait a sec..., do you hear that?"questioned Raiju.
"What exactly did you hear all of a sudden?" Arin inquired as he observed and tried to hearken the sound with his lughole.
"Watch out; a storm is brewing because the winds are howling," warned Raiju, who for some reason sounded tad bit agitated.
As Arin sat on the boat, crossing his legs, he noticed a dark, baleful sky, portending a horrendous storm that was imminent.
"You're correct, my foxy pal Raiju, the sea is about to go berserk, and is it just me, or did you sound somewhat agitated?" Arin questioned shyly.
"I'm sorry, it was just an instinctive reaction," Raiju made clear.
"Oh, that's why; I thought otherwise, like you were mad at me for not being able to detect the looming storm," Arin replied with relief.
"No, that's not the case; since, as a human, you can't really predict when a storm is coming as it is beyond human capability, so it's nothing like that," Raiju clarified, trying to put Arin's mind at ease.
"True, what you said is logical, so I guess everything is perfect between us!" Arin rejoiced.
In the meantime, while Arin was talking with Raiju to clear up the misunderstanding, he didn't notice that his boat was slowly but surely nearing the stormy site of the deep.
Arin noted that the shroud of overcast blackness that hovered above the skies grew denser, ridden with storm clouds that sparkled with dazzling lightning. Amidst the atmospheric vagaries of the weather, as the boat got closer to the storm site, a line of pure white flashed across the heavens every second or so, moving from one cloud to the next before disappearing in a rumble of thunder.
Arin clung to the boat with his teeth gritted and said, "Bring it on, Gods of the World."
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but only sea and storm gods such as Susano, Poseidon, and some other deities, including my master Raijin, are responsible for this stormy moana."
"Oh! Come on, read the room, buddy. I was attempting to sound cool!" said Arin to express his disappointment.
"You humans are truly strange. I'm not sure what to make of you at times," Raiju sighed.
A few seconds later, as the tempest began to deteriorate, Arin changed his mind and shrieked, "I take back what I said, so please don't kill me in this storm, gracious and merciful thunder and storm gods of the world!"
"Ha ha ha!, did your pants get wet buddy?," questioned Raiju with a jocular mood and chortled out in a rambunctious way as he found Arin's actions rib-tickling.
"Laugh as much as you want, but unfortunately for you, my pants are not wet, so keep on dreaming!" replied Arin with a tee-hee.
"Go on, pray to my master Thunder God Raijin, and maybe he'll spare your life," said Raiju, trying to regain his composure by holding back his laughter.
"O magnificent Thunder and Storm God Raijin, I believe you are indeed very powerful and forgiving as a God of Thunder and Storms; so please calm the storm down a bit so that I don't die without avenging those who perished in your realm by that god-hater," spoke Arin in a panicky manner, shutting his eyes and praying with folded hands.
The storm began to calm down little by little after a while. Arin's face brightened with a contented smile as the storm began to subside after he said his prayers.
"I believe my master heard you out loud and clear, kiddo," Raiju said in jest, intending to enrage Arin.
"It's not funny!" shouted Arin, and he resumed rowing the boat, eager for the adventure that lay ahead.