Chapter 9 Cold Steel

Popuri looked up at Kai in amazement.

"You've, you've found a religion?"

"Yes," Kai said quietly. "But more than that. I have found a man who will listen to me, and who loves me more than anyone else can. And this person is not the Harvest Goddess."

Popuri opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"Please don't hate me for this Popuri," Kai said. "I still love you, even though I know that you worship a being who is against the one I worship. Can you still love me?"

Popuri hugged Kai again, and then reached up to whisper in his ear.

"Of course," she said. "I'll always love you."

I watched Kai hugging Popuri, and saw how her tears fell. This man only came in the summer. Popuri loved him, it was obvious. And after every summer he left the town leaving Popuri depressed and sad for the remainder of the year. In a way, it was beautiful. In another way, it seemed cruel. I felt pity for Popuri, for she only saw her true love in the summer. I also felt pity for the man. He traveled the world, and obviously loved moving from place to place. But now he had found his true love, and was torn between her and his desire to travel. What a sad predicament.

I was glad that I did not desire to spend most of my life traveling. Sure, I loved traveling, but I preferred to travel for short vacations. I did not want to spend my whole life traveling from place to place. I would have to meet this man. Maybe as an atheist, he would be able to better understand my faith. Many people in the town pretended to, but I could see that they did not understand at all. Others made no move to try and understand me. People like Won. From here, I could see him glaring at me from the beach. I walked over to him. It was time for round two.

"What did you do that night I met you?" I asked him coldly, for I was not about to be friendly to the man who had almost caused my death.

He just sneered back at me.

"I saw what that smoke did," I said. "You were trying to kill me, weren't you?"

"If you can't survive a night outside in this town, then you are unworthy to remain here. For the spirits hate you."

"So you set me up to be killed," I replied. "Don't you know that your efforts that night almost caused the deaths of not only me, but Doug and Ann as well?"

"They got in the way," Won said. "They tried to stop the will of the Spirits from being completed. At that time they deserved to die."

Doug was among the crowd, and this statement caught his attention. He turned and listened to our conversation.

"Never do that again," I said through clenched teeth.

"You can't deny what your faith means here heathen," Won replied, unscathed by my threats. "The spirits will kill you. They will not allow you to live here on this sacred island."

I just turned and began walked away. Suddenly something sharp sliced through my shoulder. I cried out, and fell to the ground. Then, I leaped back to my feet, and drew my sword. I turned and faced Won. In his hands, he held a Japanese Katana. I drew my sword and pointed it back at him.

"My weapons will be used only for defense," I said to myself. "Right now is one of those moments."

The crowd's attention was suddenly turned from Kai to Won and Zach. Won had just slashed Zach across the shoulder with his Katana. Zach had responded by drawing a sword of his own. Kai frowned when he saw this. His house was right next to Won's, and now he was afraid of what Won might do to him when he learned of Kai's change.

"You are not safe anywhere," Won said to me.

"You wish to fight me?" I asked as I pointed my blade at his eyes.

Doug suddenly walked from the crowd to my side, and stared Won down.

"Put your sword away Won," Doug said. "I will not let you hurt Zach."

Won glared at Doug.

"How dare you join his side!" Won shouted. "He is a heathen. He cannot remain on this island... alive. The Harvest Goddess demands his death."

"I don't give a crap what the Harvest Goddess demands," Doug said.

"This is blasphemy!" Won shouted as he pointed his blade at Doug.

"Through the Goddess' power," Doug replied, "my daughter was almost killed a couple of nights ago. And both of us regularly sacrificed to the Goddess, and even worshiped her."

"She interfered with the work of the spirits," Won said heatedly. "Of course she was almost killed. You and your daughter are not turning against the Goddess, are you?"

Doug closed his eyes.

"No," he said. "But I will not allow bloodshed to result from your prejudice against people of different faiths. Kai there, he is an atheist, and you do not hate him."

"I am not an atheist!" Kai said, and all attention was centered on him again.

The crowd looked up at him in disbelief, for that was what he was known by in the town. As being an atheist.

"What do you mean Kai?" Won asked. "Have you finally decided to submit to the power of the Harvest Goddess?"

"No," Kai said. "During my travels I met someone who showed me the greater meaning of life, and the greater truth. His name is Jesus. He loves all of you people, and wants you to believe in him. But none of you do. I have come back early to deliver the message. Anyone who wants to learn about Him, and why He is the true God, and how the Harvest Goddess is not, come visit me in my restaurant."

I gasped in amazement. My prayers had been answered. A man had come who could help me reach out to the town's people.

"You are just like this... this heathen!" Won shouted as he gestured at me with his Katana.

"Leave him alone Won," Kai shouted. "The farmer is entitled to his own beliefs. Did you know Won? In some parts of the world you could be persecuted for your belief in the Harvest Goddess, just as you persecute this man for his beliefs. I don't know about you, but I think that we should all try and get along, regardless of our beliefs."

"Put your sword away Won," Doug said.

Many of the town's people nodded there heads in agreement. None of them wanted a murder to occur. Not that they all cared that I would die. Some probably wanted to wait and let the Spirits finish me off, so that the murder wouldn't be on the hands of any of the town's people.

Won glared at every person who nodded in the crowd. He growled under his breath, and then elevated the volume so that all could here his anger. Then, without warning Won rushed towards me with his Katana held outwards. He leaped, and swung his blade down at me. I held my sword up to deflect the blow.

Steel clashed against steel as a cascade of sparks flew down to the ground. Won wasted no time, and brought his Katana back around, and slashed at my chest. I brought my sword down, and parried the blow as best I could. I struggled to hold his blade back with mine as he struggled to push through my parry. I wasn't what you called experienced in the ways of real sword fighting.

Won suddenly tore the blade back again, and brought it around towards the other side of my body. I swung my blade back, to parry this blow. But as my arm moved, Won suddenly disengaged his blade, and swung it up, knocking my blade out of my hand. It clattered across the floor. I now had no weapon to fight Won with. I dove for my blade, but Won was too quick for me. He rushed forward, and stepped on my sword, preventing me from retrieving it. Won then placed the tip of his blade against my throat. I leaned back, for now I was lying on the ground, to avoid the blade. Won looked down at me with hatred in his eyes. I knew there was no reason why he shouldn't kill me right now. I closed my eyes, and prepared for the inevitable.

"No!" I heard someone shout.

My eyes opened again, and I saw Ann running up to me. Won turned and looked at her with his cold eyes. He did not want any more interference, but Ann ignored his cold stare, and ran over to me.

"Stay back from him!" Won shouted at her.

But Ann ignored him, and instead put her arms around my neck, and shielded me from the sharp Katana with her own body.

"I won't let you kill Zach," Ann said almost in a whisper.

"Don't you see it?" Won asked Ann. "Zach is a heathen. He is a threat to all of us."

"But he is a good man," Ann said as she held me.

"Why would the Harvest Goddess turn her wrath away from all of us if we refuse to help her deal with this heathen?" Won yelled at Ann. "If we allow people like Zach to live on Mineral Town, then what will become of the island? The Spirits will not stay quiet about this. They will pour out their wrath upon us, for we did nothing to stop this, this heathen from living here. Now, move away and let me do what is necessary."

But Ann did not move away. She cuddled closer to me, and let a few tears fall down onto my face. The tears of an Angel here to save me from a demon.

"The Goddess gives death to all who oppose her. Even those who do not oppose her, but interfere with her work. Ann, you have interfered."

With that, Won held his blade above his head as he prepared to strike. Ann closed her eyes, and hugged me tighter.

"No!" I shouted. "Kill me! But leave Ann alive."

"She interfered," Won said as he swung the blade down.

I desperately tried to push Ann off of me, to save her from the blade, but she would not be moved. I closed my eyes as I prepared to for the death of either me, or Ann. I desperately hoped it would be me. But no death came. Instead, I heard a loud clang.

I opened my eyes to see that the Katana had stopped about a foot away from Ann's neck. Kai stood to my left with my sword held under Won's blade, keeping it from reaching either me or Ann.

Won turned and faced Kai. "Stay out of this Kai! I will kill you too if you interfere."

I then heard someone cocking a gun. I then heard another one. I looked up, and saw Doug standing with his shotgun pointed at Won's head. Beside him stood the town policeman, who went by the name of Harris. Harris had a pistol aimed at Won.

"Put your Katana away Won," Harris said. "As a policeman I am afraid I must prevent you from harming a member of our town. Even if she is protecting a heathen."

"Give up Won," Doug said angrily, for once again his daughter was put in danger because of the power of the Goddess. "Do not harm either of them."

Won suddenly realized that he was outnumbered, and out gunned. He gave me one more cold stare, before sheathing the Katana. Won turned around, and walked away quietly towards Zach's house. He then turned around.

"You will pay for this you heathen!" he shouted at me. "And you!" as he said this, Won pointed towards Kai. "You are as bad as Zach. You will be destroyed by the wrath of the Goddess as well!"

Ann got back up to her feet, and held a hand out to me. I grasped it, and squeezed it lightly. I then got to my feet, and hugged Ann tightly.

"Now we are even," I said to her. "I saved your life, you saved mine. Thank you."

Ann kissed my cheek as we embraced each other.

"I don't know what I would do without you," I whispered so quietly that only Ann could hear me.

Kai then put a hand on my shoulder. I turned and smiled at the man before me.

"Thank you for your support back there," I said to Kai. "I am now not the only Christian in the Town."

"Thank God," Kai said. "I prayed that God would bring someone to the Town who would help the town's people understand. My prayer was answered."

"As did I pray that God would send another disciple of Christ to help me spread the Good news."

Kai smiled. "Glory to God." He then held out a hand to shake.

I grabbed it, and shook it warmly.

"But how are you going to live? I mean, I was told you live right next to Won. Is that true?"

"Yes," Kai said. "My restaurant is right next to Zach the shipper's house. But I don't live there. I sleep in the Inn."

"Good," I said smiling at Ann, who was holding my hand tightly. "The Inn Keeper is a very nice man. His daughter is also a wonderful person."

I suddenly noticed Cliff looking over at me from the crowd of people. I looked back at him, and he turned away. I could still feel the dark aurora around him. But why? Why not around Won? Cliff wasn't out to kill me, and he didn't seem deeply involved with the town's religion. Won on the other hand was the opposite.

"You'd better come with me to my house Kai," I said. "I have some things I need to tell you about."

Of course, what I was referring to was the warnings my Grandfather had left behind for me. I showed him this, and also told him of all that had happened to me with the Goddess, with Won, and with the Spirit that hunted me at night. Heck, I told him my entire story from when I arrived in town until now. Kai was disturbed by this, because he obviously had not believed that being a Christian in Mineral Town would be this dangerous. But he seemed to understand all of it.

"This is why I am worried about you living next to Won," I said. "He is dangerous when it comes to people of other faiths. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he has a body count. If he has already killed people for their faiths. You saw how skilled he was with the Katana. I used to take fencing lessons, but fencing is a sprot. It is just for fun and exercise. But Won wields that blade as if he already knows how to kill people. That is not good at all."

"Yeah," Kai replied.

"But that is not all," I said.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

Then I told him of the dark aurora which I felt around both Cliff and Karen, and how I struggled to understand why it was around them, but not say Won. Kai didn't seem to understand this either.

"Hopefully we will understand all of this in the future," Kai said.