Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 120

“What happened?” he asked. His mouth was dry, and his head felt heavy with exhaustion.
The old woman smiled gently. Chusuke felt slightly foolish that he had mistaken the kindly old lady for the God of
Death.
“I am Kun, youngling. You’ve been severely injured with a dislocated shoulder.”
Chusuke managed a grin, “Thank you for saving my life!”
He didn’t add that if she hadn’t discovered him, the guards would have thrown him in the dungeons.
Kun looked at him severely, “Who are you?”
Chusuke smiled, aware that only his Chinese heritage had kept Kun’s suspicions at bay. “Oh, I am just a visitor from
a nearby city. May I go out?”
She chuckled, and shook her head.
“You’re not well enough. You need to rest.”
The words stung, and failure
settled over him like a horrible stench. He grimaced.
“Now, don’t look so glum.” Kun chided him, relenting, “I will
take you out tomorrow. You’ll love it!” Chusuke nodded like a marionette. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to love the
city that he would destroy. “It’ll be fine,” he thought to himself, “after all, I’ll only be familiarising myself with the
place.”
The outside world was completely different. Japan had straw cottages and fertile grounds. Shanghai was colorful,
with walls rising up and majestic temples in the background. People chattered and laughed, and the marketplaces
were cheery. Chusuke’s mouth watered as he smelled cooking rice.
“Is that a ravine over there?” Chusuke asked incredulously. He had never seen a gorge in the middle of a city before.
Kun laughed again, “Oh no. That’s the Senshui hall. It’s called the Grand Rockery, created with yellow stone.”
Chusuke could only gape at the dark, mysterious caves. Moss grew between the cracks of rocks, and beautiful statues
were delicately carved with exquisite detail.
“I’m going for the mountain peak!” he screamed, arms straining. Kun hurriedly ran to his rescue as his shoulder
failed him yet again.
After that, they went to more peaceful sections. Each section was separated by intimidating dragon walls, with gray
ridges depicting a terrifying dragon head.
Chusuke avoided the eyes of the menacing dragons. He felt guilty that the shimmering coast view was dwarfed by
the stone walls encircling the town, constricting the free bird inside an invisible cage.
“The only reason they built the wall was because of the Wokou. It’s all our fault.”
He closed his eyes, and wished that he was not a pirate. He glanced at the sky, remembering the threats the Pirate
Lord had laid. His mother’s time was ticking, and his hourglass was running out fast.
“Come, child, you need to visit the City God Temple!” Kun beamed, startling him out of his reverie.
A massive temple stood in the center. More fearsome dragons were perched upon the curving rooftops. Chusuke