Journal entry #1
Everything in this world has a beginning and an end; nothing will ever last forever, but what if we could prolong it? What if there was a way to extend the natural life of a single human being to hundreds… even thousands of years? Well this expedition is a way to find the answer to those very questions. There has to be a way, there has to be something that can do just that, and if we find it, there is no telling what we can accomplish. We might even reach immortality.
-S.K.-
Journal entry #34
It has been a month since this expedition has started and there are a lot of times where we thought of just going home since we couldn't find a single conclusive lead; that is until we heard about a man in a small village by the mountain that was said to be 200 years old. It was a good thing we had Hiyachi who could act as the translator, we arrived at the village and asked if we could speak with the 200 year old man. He told us the story of when he found mysterious sacred stone in one of the mountain ridges' caves. He was out with the others to hunt for food but he got separated and had gotten lost. He knew he would not survive in the forest alone, especially at night; and so he had taken shelter in a cave. That night he had heard strange sounds deep within and decided to explore and find out what it was, that is when he stumbled upon a huge slab of stone that seemed to be glowing. He touched the stone and felt something flow through him, like a mysterious power of some sort. He did not know what it was until he had reached the age of 130. No one asked him how he reached that age, all they thought was that he was gifted with godlike immortality.
-S.K.-
Journal entry #54
The man from the village had told us the way to the cave where he had found the stone, he said that it would take one month to get to the cave and it was a treacherous path; rockslides and landslides can happen at every turn on the mountain paths and venomous snakes and hungry predators in the forest paths. Right now we're ten days into the path and we're almost halfway there. I just hope this lead is worth it.
-S.K.-
Journal entry #70
Four days away to the cave and we got separated or rather I'm the only one who got through the path before it gave in and slid down the mountain. My colleagues suggested I wait until they get back with help and continue the long way around, but I told them I couldn't wait not when it's so close. I had the map with me so I told them I'd continue, I will radio them my location when they come for me. All of them were a little skeptical about letting me go alone, but agreed to it.
-S.K.-
Journal entry #75
I've finally reached the cave, but I'm dead tired and so I've decided to rest for today and go look for the stone tomorrow morning, when I'll have the energy to look. But this is it, this stone might just be human kind's ticket to a longer life… to immortality.
-S.K.-
=0=
"That's enough writing for today, time to get some well-earned rest" a woman with dark midnight blue hair said with a yawn as she laid her sleeping bag down unto the cold rocks. She put her journal back into her pack and laid down. She yawned yet again and finally drifted to sleep.
A loud groaning had woken the woman up with a fright. She grabbed her glasses from beside her and her flashlight on the other. She started looking around but there was no one there, then the groan sounded again louder this time. The woman now fully awake followed the sounds just like the man he had spoken to. A few minutes later she saw something glowing in the distance, she carefully approached it and saw that it was a huge slab of stone, it was the one that was glowing.
"This looks like a huge lime stone… or maybe it's marble… c-could this be it?" she wondered in confusion and amazement. She raised her hand up and touched it gently. That's when she felt it. A huge shock of electricity shooting from the stone to her fingertips throughout her entire body. She collapsed to her knees gasping for air, touching every part of her body. Everything seemed okay… so what was that just now?
She was still trying to get her bearings straight when she heard a faint whisper.
"Please…"
She froze when she heard it, and looked around her trying to figure out where it had come from.
"I could have sworn I heard something" she whispered to herself.
"Please…" there it was again, but louder. She stayed quiet and tried to listen.
"Please… I… I… d-didn't mean to do it… let me out… Please… I won't do it again… Onegai" then she heard faint sobs. She listened carefully for the origin and what she found surprised her… the voice… the cries… it was coming from inside the stone!
"I-Is someone in here!?" she touched the stone again ignoring the heavy feeling she felt on her body trying to pull her down.
"Please… I'll behave from now on… so please let me out" there was the voice again. Can someone actually be trapped in here?!
"Hold on I'll get you out!" She searched her pockets and found what she was looking for… her hunting knife. She then grabbed a medium sized stone from the floor and weighed it a little finding it a little heavy… perfect.
"Please… I don't want to be alone in this dark place anymore…"
"Hang on, alright? You'll be out in no time… I promise" she then positioned the tip of the knife in the center of the stone and with a huge bang, she had hit the hilt of the knife with the stone jamming the knife into the marble creating a crack. She did the same thing again and again until the crack had become bigger. She dropped the knife and stone and looked at her right hand, it was stained with blood from cutting herself with the rock; it stung but she couldn't stop now. She ripped a piece of her shirt and wrapped it around her hand, once that was done she grabbed a bigger piece of rock and with both hands she hit the marble over and over.
"Just a little more…" She said through gritted teeth as she slammed the huge rock onto the marble. The crack slowly becoming bigger.
"Onegai…" a faint cry was heard. With one final blow the stone cracked open with it was a strong gust of wind from within it was strong enough to push the woman backwards onto her back.
A flash of bright light engulfed the darkened cave and the woman had to cover her eyes. A couple of second pass she slowly removed her hands deeming it safe to open her eyes. She blinked a few times trying to adjust in the low lit cave, once her eyes had adjusted, she gasped loudly and froze, there in front of her was a little girl no more than 7 or 8 years old with small beautiful white wings fit for her small stature; her hair was relatively similar to the woman's own midnight tresses.
"T-Tenshi…" She whispered and slowly got to her feet and bent down. She gulped a little wary of the girl.
"H-Hey, are you alright?" she called out approaching slowly. The little girl flinched back her wings folding behind her back quickly and looked at the woman with fear.
"Hey… Hey… I'm not going to hurt you" she tried to show her she wouldn't harm her in anyway.
"P-Promise?" the small girl said, her voice was hoarse and scratchy. She looked up at the woman with sad eyes threatening to cry.
"I promise" the woman said and smiled as she raised her right hand up in a pledge like manner and the other making a cross gesture on her left chest. "Cross my heart" she continued, and hold out her right hand for the girl to take.
The small girl was terrified, but felt that she could trust the woman's words. She shyly steps forward, her wings fluttered slightly, but stayed folded behind her. She reached out her tiny hand and touched the woman's hand; all of a sudden she screams loudly, knees buckling she fell forward; the woman catching her as she did. The little girl felt like her head was being smashed into the wall a couple of times. She looked up into the woman's eyes and said one thing before she fell into darkness.
"O-Okaa-san…" and she was out, the woman cradling her in her arms. She could not help but feel her heart get heavier. She felt like she was supposed to care for the girl… no she HAD to care for the girl.
"H-How long had she been in there…" he woman asked herself, her mind drifted to the man from the village.
"But if this is the same stone then that meant… that this girl is…" She gasped and looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms.
"C-Could it be?!" She looked in disbelief at small child.
"C-Could I have finally found…" she was frozen deep in thought, then sighed shaking her head.
"Don't get your hopes up again, Saeko" she told herself and stood up carrying the girl in her arms careful not to drop her. She looked back at the stone where the little girl was trapped for a few seconds; then walked off to the entrance of the cave. Once she got there she laid the sleeping girl on her sleeping bag and went back inside retrieving her flashlight and knife, she walked over to the side of the stone and found a small engraving on the side.
"E-X… Containment Unit…" she whispered silently, the expression on her face unreadable. She stepped back and returned to the girl, she found the child still sleeping on the bag; but her wings were gone.
"There's no doubt about it now…" she mumbled under her breath. She sat beside the little girl and smiled at her, brushing a stray hair from her sleeping face. She looked at the horizon and saw the sun peeking up from behind it. She looked down at her bandaged hand and sighed, and removed the bloodied piece of cloth; dropping in on the ground she looked at her hand again… nothing.
"Of course there'll be nothing…" she sighed again looking at the girl a smile tugged at her lips.
"Okaa-san…" she smiled wider. "I guess you could say that…" she continued and looked back up into the brightening sky; hearing the whirring of helicopter blades in the distance.
