Long time ago, there was a young man. He made his living as a merchant. The man always treated his customers with smile, and whole-heartedly served them with utmost care. Even though the young man was a very sincere person, his methods tells otherwise. Countless untold stories were hidden under his sleeves, all to make his customers happy.
Lies, deceptions, manipulations, trickeries, frauds, and forgeries...were all the young man's doing, right behind his smile and politeness. He became so accustomed to lying through his teeth, that he couldn't distinguish the truth and the lies anymore. The young merchant continued to run his business with his deceptive methods, until his success reached a lord's ears.
The lord was curious of the merchant's goods─they were of exotic and unique origins, also with highest and finest quality that befits kings and queens. They were also quite hefty priced, as people would say.
And so, the lord wanted to test the merchant's goods. He bought a plume said was plucked from a phoenix of the eastern countries, worth of ten pots of gold; Also a jar of honey called Ambrosia which was said to grant immortality for those who eat it, worth of three boxes of gold.
The lord ordered his men to set flames upon the plume. He also ordered to feed his dog with the honey, only to be shot by an arrow to kill it. What happened next was unthinkable for the merchant─right in front of his other customers, the lord pointed his finger to him and yelled loudly: "You are but a liar."
The lord pointed at the plume, which was burned to ashes. "You are but a liar─a phoenix's plume would not be consumed by the heat of the flames."
The lord pointed at the dog, which was lying motionless on the ground. "You are but a liar─the dog still dies even though it ate the honey that grants immortality."
Hearing the commotion, people flocked and sneered. They all chanted in unison, cursing and insulting the man with harsh words.
"Liar! Fraud! Liar! Crook and liar!"
Shamed, humiliated, and dishonored, the young man was forced to halt his business. Every day, people would throw insults at him, and to smear even more mud onto his already stained reputation.
The young man then left his hometown, attempting to seek a fresh start for himself, and his way of living. However, his tongue was too accustomed for lying, and he began to scam more and more people. He doesn't learn from his mistakes at all. To avoid suspicion, he would leave every town and country he visited in a week or two. Before leaving, he would took several of the current town's specialty as payment. He then sold the merchandise to another country, all to keep his business running. As the time flies, he already traveled for three years.
One day, he arrived at a secluded, almost mystical country. The country itself was not drawn on his map, landlocked inside four high and mighty mountains, with rivers flowing from the direction of four winds. Nature blessed said region, for being pure and untouched by humans' greed.
The young merchant stepped his foot to a small village, right at the middle of the country. He was welcomed warmly by the village's people, who were intrigued and took great interest in him. At first, he planned to run another business with the villagers, but they were too poor to afford his merchandise with gold coins and gems. The young merchant sighed in disappointment, but not for long, the four winds blew his sigh away. The villagers took him to enjoy their crops and farm produces, as well as the country's specialty─the nature's breathtaking view.
"Thanks for the food!"
A fair-haired man smiled, bowing politely. A farmer and his wife smiled back, serving a cup of warm drink after the lunch. The farmer, intrigued by the young man's peculiar clothing and appearance, asked.
"Young traveler, may I ask where do you come from? And what is your job?"
The man took a sip from his cup. "Me? Oh, nothing much. I'm just a traveling merchant from a faraway country. I sell various things from town to town."
"Oh, that sounds lovely!" The farmer's wife giggled. "How did you get here? It's been a while since people from another country came to this village."
"I just...by chance, I guess?"
The young merchant smiled. He was too embarassed to admit that he was lost on his way to another city. Even so, he was deeply pleased with the villagers' hospitality and the nature's beauty that surrounds it. He decided to spend the night at said village, before departing to his true destination the next morning.
The merchant listened to the farmer and his wife's conversation behind the kitchen's walls. He doesn't have an intention for eavesdropping, but the spouse's speeches were too loud for his bored ears.
"That reminds me...the Second Priest came to our store this morning, asking about the High Priest's whereabouts. It seems like The High Priest's been missing since last night," The wife spoke, her voice somewhat worried.
The farmer sighed. "Again? Come on, it's not the first time this thing happened! I'm sure he'll be back by noon. You worry too much."
"But...the High Priest is the gods' envoy. He is our village's protector. What if he went missing? Don't you think we should search for him?"
"Shush. Not too loud. I think it's best for you not to meddle on that thing. I know, High Priests are special, and all that kind of stuff...but don't forget, he's different. You shouldn't get involved with him too much."
"...yes, dear."
The merchant jumped a little from the farmer's sudden cheerful greetings─the latter was coming out of the kitchen, bringing a basket of fruits with him.
"Sorry for the wait, traveler! Try these fruits! They are freshly picked from our own garden!"
"Y─yeah, thanks," The merchant smiled, reaching out for a small red apple. "By the way...I wasn't eavesdropping or anything...but I heard you've been talking about 'High Priest' with your wife quite loudly. If you don't mind, may I ask what is it all about?"
The farmer's face stiffened. Nevertheless, he answered the merchant's question. "Oh, that. I guess I should tell you a bit about our village's rather...unusual culture."
"Why, my dear! In fact, the priests are helpful to us villagers!" The farmer's wife entered the room, carrying a flask of wine. "I'm sorry, my husband doesn't really like Priests. He hates them."
"It's not that I hate them so much. I just don't feel interacting with them is right. Especially with the High Priest."
The farmer took the wine from his wife and served it to their guest, then he began to tell the story about the Priests.
"There are a group of people who possesses strange powers, they can be either genders. They usually have it since their birth. By our village's tradition, it is believed that people who possesses such powers are blessed by the gods from heaven. Thus, 'blessed' infants and children are trained to become Priests since their childhood."
"Of course, those who are 'blessed' are free to choose whether they want to become a Priest or not. The Priests' job is to use the 'powers of gods' for the village's good─for example, to help farmers grow their crops, to heal wounds and sickness of people, and to protect the village from evil spirits. They were also given an authority to some extent."
"Among the Priests, there's also some strict hierarchy they have. Their head or leader─usually the strongest among them all─is called the High Priest. The High Priest's responsibility is the highest of their peers. They serve as a symbol of gods' powers made flesh to the world, given to our village from the heavens."
"Then, there's also the Second Priest. They are usually the second strongest, serving right under the High Priest's commands. Their job is to help the High Priest in the latter's duties, and also taking over the High Priest's position if the latter is out of commission or deceased."
The farmer's wife showed up from the kitchen, bringing along another flask of wine.
"My husband dislikes the current High Priest. I don't understand him, even though the current High Priest is a very cute young man."
"Cuteness doesn't determine their worth! I just can't trust our village's safety to that unstable kid." The farmer frowned, making the merchant felt uncomfortable.
"Unstable? What do you mean?" The merchant asked, intrigued by the farmer's bitterness towards said High Priest.
"You see, traveler...three years ago, a sudden explosion happened." The farmer's face darkened. "No one died from it, but several was badly hurt. It was caused by the High Priest's emotional outburst, or whatever the villagers said to me that time. Just imagine, he's just a brat! Yet he possesses such powerful gift from the gods! What will our village become, if he become our High Priest? He can't even control his own powers!"
"He's a good kid, I'm sure of it! He doesn't want to hurt anyone! Just give him some time to learn about his own power, I'm sure he'll be the best High Priest ever!" The wife shook the flask on her hands, accidentally splashing the contents onto her husband's face.
"Alright, alright, I get it." The merchant stopped the spouses' quarrel with his business smile. "Even so, it's an interesting story I've ever heard. Thank you for entertaining me with the story, Sir, Ma'am."
"Ohoho, the pleasure is mine, Mr. Merchant," The wife flashed a flirty smile. "Say, do you have exotic or unusual foreign goods for a hearty price? I would like to have them!"
Seeing the business opportunity right under his nose, the merchant quickly opened his suitcase, showing the merchandises within.
"Certainly, Ma'am! If I may suggest to you, this pair of ladies' shoes! 100% eastern silk, and leathers from northeast kingdom! Durable and soft, only ten gold coins! Ah, since you've treated me with delicious lunch, I'll give you a price of eight coins! How about it?"
The farmer's wife exchanged her glance with her husband, before smiling widely to the merchant.
"We're really sorry, young man. We don't have any gold coins. Would you like to accept the payment with our vegetables instead?"
With his eyebrows raised in curiosity, the farmer asked─
"But what is exactly 'a pair of shoes'? Would you please enlighten me, traveler?"
"Darn, they can't afford anything! Not even a pair of shoes!" The merchant grumbled, "Now that I think about it, they aren't wearing shoes at all. They don't even know what shoes are! What the heck?"
After his meal, the young merchant walked through a forest nearby the village. The farmer have told him about unique fruits and nuts from the forest, and needless to say, it piqued his interest a little.
"Maybe if I can get my hands on those fruits and nuts and sell them to the next town...that'll be great."
He walked through the forests─the branches and the grass were green as emeralds and precious jades. Earthly dirt and fresh greens' aroma filled the air. Faintly, he smelled the scent of flowers danced through his nose. He followed the trail of the sweet smell, until he found a pond within the forest.
At the pond's surroundings, white flowers were grown in abundance. The sweet scent of flowers lingered softly, as light as the cotton and linen. The young merchant was mesmerized by the sight. He felt the sensation of fluffy white clouds brushing against all of his five senses.
His eyes caught a movement. It was gentle, almost like the faeries flying through the flowers. He thought it was the breeze, but it wasn't one.
It was a young man clad in pure white, sitting on the ground, admist the field of flowers. His presence was thin and fragile, swaying slowly like a wind sprite.
"An angel? No, a fairy? What is that? Am I hallucinating?" The merchant thought to himself. He rubbed his eyes, unsure of what he was seeing with his own eyes.
A mysterious land. A mysterious existence. A mysterious presence, hypnotically enchanting, slowly alluring the merchant to walk even closer. One step, two steps, three steps.
The young man raised his head, half of his face was covered with a white cowl. He shifted his sight, until his gaze met with the merchant's. The sweet, powdery smell of the flowers lingered through the air. The merchant could feel his heartbeat drummed even faster. His mind went blank, just by staring into the young man's deep onyx eyes.
The petals─as white as snow, fragrant and delicate─danced in the air as the gust blowing from the sky. A mysterious land. A mysterious existence. A mysterious presence, drawing the merchant even closer, and closer.
"Who are you?" The young man asked. His face was fully basked in the sunlight, illuminating his pale skin and raven hair.
"Ah...I'm so sorry for staring," The merchant quickly replied, his face went red. "I'm just a travelling merchant. I was looking for the forest's wildberries and nuts, but then I got stranded here."
"I see." The white-clad man nodded. His expression was almost void of emotion. It was like he had no interest or attraction towards anything else, but the swaying flowers surrounding him.
"May I ask, who you may be?" The merchant carefully spoke. He flashed another of his business smile, hoping it would soften the cold attitude of the young man.
In a sudden, a strong wind blew. The young man slowly stood. The petals of the flowers were scattered, creating a small snowstorm around the young man. The colors of pure white burned vividly into the merchant's eyes, right before the young man opened his mouth to speak.
"I am the High Priest of Choumi Village. My name is Shigeo."
Memories were swirling swiftly inside the merchant's mind. The farmer and his wife's conversations were played once again, within his head.
"Oh, it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from the villagers before." The merchant smiled, but said young priest hung his head low.
"Is that so..." Shigeo, the priest gazed at the flowers, swaying gently from the breeze. "You're not afraid of me? Even though you've heard everything from them..."
"No, no. Truth to be told, I haven't heard that lot about you from them. You're such a delicate and gentle person, so why do I have to be afraid of you?" The merchant asked, unaware of the priest's gritting teeth.
"You don't understand, then..." Shigeo clenched his fists, his face showed a pained expression. "I was born with the gods' power, yet I can't control it. I've hurt many people with this power, including my own brother."
A heavy silence sang throughout the pond and the field of flowers. Whispers of wind softly caressed the young priest's ears. A pitiful chuckle escaped his dry lips.
"I never asked for this power. I never asked to be born this way. I didn't mean to hurt others...but..."
"If it's just about that, then there's no problem for you, right?" The merchant calmly spoke. "Listen, your power is like an animal. A beast. All that matters for you is to tame it. Tame the wild beast."
The young priest's eyes widened. A ray of sunlight shined through the field and the pond, painting the scenery with dazzling colors.
"At the same time, it's like having a blade in your hands. A sharp, unrivaled blade. Use your blade to protect the village, and nurture them with your kindness."
"Why are you telling me this? I'm just an incompetent priest, yet you─"
"Listen here, young man!" The merchant suddenly yelled. "I am the great merchant of Tokido Town! I know good stuff when I see one! I can see right away, that you're a fine guy! You have great powers, that's cool and all! However, you only lack two points: control, and confidence!"
Overwhelmed by the merchant's speech, Shigeo could only stare in silence.
"I'm sure, you'll be a great priest someday! Just learn to control your powers better, and try to believe in yourself."
"But I'm not sure I can control this power all by myself─"
A scream roared from within the forest. Quite loud one, at that. The merchant's heart skipped a beat. The scream was shrill, sounded like a girl's. The young priest's eyes were widened in horror. He was sweating bullets, while gazing intensely at the forest.
"This is bad, I have to help her..." Shigeo mumbled, his body shivered. In a flash, the merchant grabbed his hand and dashed, dragging him to the forest.
"What are you waiting for!? If we have to hurry, then go already!" The merchant yelled, rushing deeper into the forest.
"But...! But...what if my power..."
Shigeo felt the merchant's hands slapped against his cheeks, and then his eyes met with the determined gaze of the latter.
"No buts! I'll try to cook something up, while you go! Now, tell us where the voice came from, and we'll rescue them!" The merchant spoke, still holding Shigeo's face. "Remember, it's your duty to protect the people, as the village's High Priest!"
The words pierced through Shigeo's mind like an arrow, cutting loose all of his worries away. He gained a little bit of confidence, as the merchant reminded him of his sense of duty. Slowly, he pointed towards a direction.
"That way. We have to hurry!"
The two young men ran deeper, and what happened next was terrifying to watch. A young girl was sobbing helplessly, while a giant bear menacingly bared its teeth towards her. The girl's shoulder was severely injured.
"Hey, we have to help her! What are you waiting for? Use your power!" The merchant pointed at the bear, while the priest was shaking and sweating a lot. His face was ghostly pale.
"I...I can't...I..."
Much to Shigeo's surprise, the merchant grabbed his hand and smiled.
"Focus. Try to gather up your feelings─your will to protect others. Imagine them as glowing orbs of light inside your mind, and gather them into a ray of light...when the time is right, release them to the bear. Got it?"
Shigeo nodded nervously. The merchant took off his hand and rushed to the bear, yelling loudly.
"HEY! FUGLY BEAR! OVER HERE!"
It worked. The bear changed the direction of its claws to the merchant, who was quickly reaching to a nearest tree's branches and climbed fast.
The young priest took a deep breath, focusing all of his energy to his hands. He closed his eyes, concentrating his mind to calm himself. A rush of anxiety and uneasiness filled his chest, but he tried hard to gather his feelings of wanting to protect the girl and the merchant.
I have to protect them. I want to protect them. Please...
"NOW! RELEASE YOUR POWER!"
His eyes were wide open. At that time, a surge of power poured out wildly from the palms of his hands. The air burns hot, and an unseen force threw the bear away. The ground was shaking from the bear's weight, slammed down in a loud thud. The bear was knocked out in an instant.
Utterly stunned from shock, the merchant's mouth were gaped. The whole situation was hard to be believed. "So that's the 'gods' power' everyone's been talking about. How can a slender, delicate person possesses such destructive power?" He thought to himself.
Freed from his surprise, the merchant approached the girl. "Are you okay?" He asked. The girl nodded, brimming with tears.
Shigeo wanted to get close to the girl, but he hesitated. The merchant waved his hand, telling the priest to get over it and approach them.
"O─oh, High Priest!" The girl kneeled at the sight of the notorious priest, but her injury made her legs weak. She stumbled to the ground.
"Please, do not force yourself." Shigeo spoke to her, worriedly. "Let me see your wound."
The priest carefully placed his hands on the girl's injury. Upon touching her warm blood, Shigeo's face went even paler. His heart was racing uncontrollably. Painful memories were flowing inside his head, reopening his old scars. Images of wounded people flashed within his mind.
"It's okay. Focus yourself to help her."
Shigeo looked up. The merchant's bright smile was there─as radiant as the sun above.
"Everything's gonna be okay."
Once again, the warm feelings within Shigeo's chest was channeled through his hands. The girl's wounds were healed perfectly. Pleasantly surprised, the little girl groveled on the ground.
"Thank you very much, High Priest! Thank you very much!" She said, overjoyed of the miracle performed by the High Priest.
When they went back to the village, the girl's mother was horrified. However, her worry soon turned into relief and joy upon finding that her daughter was unharmed, despite the girl's dress was stained by so much blood. Seeing that the High Priest─who was previously feared for his uncontrollable powers─had rescued her daughter, the mother kneeled to the ground.
"Thank you very much, High Priest! I cannot convey to you how much I owe you for saving my daughter's life!" The mother said, in tears of joy and relief.
"Please, raise your head...I am not worthy for such praise..." Shigeo bashfully replied, taking a glance at the merchant. "This travelling merchant here is the one who saved your daughter from a bear attack."
"Nonsense, he was the one who did it, with his 'god powers', no less."
"No, you helped me to control my power, earlier at the forest." The young priest stared at his own hands. "This is the first time...this is the first time I can control my power..."
Brimming with excitement, the young priest asked the merchant. "Brave merchant, may I have your name?"
"It's Reigen. Reigen Arataka." The merchant rubbed his nose in a rather proud manner.
Shigeo bowed deeply to the merchant, who was standing dumbfounded. The priest took off the white cowl that covered his head, revealing his face─now filled with determination.
"Master Reigen," He said, "Please, make me your disciple. Teach me how to use my power."
After being silent for an entire minute, the merchant yelled a loud outburst of disbelief and shock.
"HUH!? WHAAAAT!?"
A mysterious land. A mysterious existence. A mysterious presence, drawing the merchant to come even closer, and closer. A quiet voice, compelling him to walk even closer.
It was a young man clad in pure white, sitting on the ground, admist the blooming flowers. His presence was thin and fragile, swaying slowly like a wind sprite. The merchant thought he was an angel, but he wasn't one.
It wasn't an angel. It wasn't a fairy. It was just a young man. An ordinary young man, with peculiar powers believed were given by the gods of heaven since his birth.
A mysterious country. A mysterious encounter. A mysterious destiny.
An unseen force called red strings of fate, has bound the two people together.