by Jeremy Finn
“Ok,” James stammered. “Thank you.” Although nothing but natural caution signaled any reason for James to decline such a generous offer, there was something about the man that seemed to put James on guard. He attributed this to the awkwardness of finding himself in such an alien environment, though, and followed the man into his house.
After James was seated at a rustic wooden table low to the floor, his host left for the kitchen and gathered a pot and some bowls, which he brought back with him. The pot contained a brown soup with chunks of vegetables like squash, onion, and bean curd cake immersed in a light broth. As Jaeil ladled the soup into James’ bowl, he was hit by the pungent odor it emitted, but was too hungry to decline the sustenance. To his surprise, the meal was satisfactory and could even be called delicious in a rustic, homey fashion.
After a bit of small talk, James began to explain the reason for his journey to the man in broad terms, being careful not to reveal too many details for fear of seeming like a lunatic on a self-concocted mission.
“There is no need to try to mince words with me,” Jaeil cut him off with a smile that touched only his lips. “It is time that you understand the reality of things, James, and stop allowing your mind to be clouded by those who are weak.”
“I’m sorry,” James said as his stomach leaped uncomfortably, “I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m just a guy on a religious pilgrimage and…”
The old man shook his head violently, “James Huener, you are no ordinary man. It is a shame the Light reached you before I could. They have obviously confused you with their lies and sent you on a journey to your own death.”
“Do you know the Light?” James exclaimed. “Do you know the Intercessor?”
“Of course I do, young one!” Jaeil spat and then regained his composure. “I know you have been to Hanasan Hold, and I know you somehow escaped the attack. I know because I ordered the attack.”
James pushed back from the table, hitting it with his knees and causing bowls to fall to the floor. “You…you’re a dark guardian, a nefarin? What do you want with me?”
“Sit down!” Jaeil said forcefully, than continued in a gentler voice, “I am no mere nefarin, James, I am the Dark Guardian, the one betrayed by man so long ago.” The old man gazed at James with his penetrating golden eyes and continued, “As you now likely know, the Light and the Dark wage an endless war for humanity. The Light seeks to deceive men for its own purposes, and the Darkness seeks to bring humans into a shared relationship of power over both worlds.
“Look, everything I have experienced so far seems to have provided me a pretty clear warning to stay away from the Darkness, so I would appreciate it if you would just get to your point.” James pressed nervously.
“My point is,” the old man said with warning in his voice, “I want you to join me, James, and learn by my side. Everything you have seen so far was fed to you by the servants who wish to use you as a tool and discard you. Join me and you will be my student. I will elevate you above all the weak fools of the Servants of Light.”
“If you are so intent on fostering my development, why did you try to have me killed on the subway?” James demanded.
“Ahhhh,” Jaeil sighed, and leaned back on his extended arms, “of course you think I am at fault for that senseless action.”
“Who else would be?” James challenged. “The attacker was obviously a nefarin.”
“You are correct,” Jaeil said calmly, “but he was not sent by me. There is a deviant in the Darkness. One of my servants has turned on me and foolishly believes he can wrest power from my hands. “
“Then what about the attack at the restaurant, was that from your unfaithful servant as well?” James asked skeptically.
“No, that was on my orders,” Jaeil admitted, “But it was not an assassination attempt. I was trying to have you brought to me so I could enlighten you and make you this offer. You were becoming indoctrinated by the lies of the Light, and I needed to take drastic action. I hope you understand.”
James paused, cautiously considering his words, and spoke, “Well, the Light seems to me to be on the side favoring humans. Besides, as I heard it, the Dark Guardians seek to destroy humans out of hatred for them that stems from your own betrayal at the hands of a human.”
Jaeil’s eyes flared at these words, and the outline of his body actually seemed to blur for a moment. “It is true that I bear no love for that human and wished to destroy his race, but time changes things. I have come to realize together we can accomplish much more against the Light and gain unlimited power in this universe. Men like you are different, James, and I have no grudge against you. So I ask you to very carefully consider my words. I am asking you to join me as my student and reach levels of power you could never hope to come close to if joined to the Light. Think of the influence you could have over this world to order things the way you see most beneficial to your race.”
“While all the while under your hand and subject to your destructive desires,” James returned boldly. “I don’t think so. I don’t believe you have my interests or my race’s interests in mind.”
“Very well,” Jaeil returned abruptly. “Let us drop this foolishness and I will ask you directly. Why are you after my servant? I will not stop you if you mean to kill him, but I must hear all you know about him and his actions.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” James replied honestly, “I told you I am on my mission because I just pledged to join the Servants of the Light. The last thing I want to be doing is tracking down some nefarin.”
“You know,” Jaeil said with regret, “I actually believe you.” He paused for a moment gazing into James’ eyes then finished, “If you will do me no good, then neither shall you do any good to the Light.”
As James watched, frozen to the spot, the old man’s face lost its look of wisdom and dignity, and began to fade into a disgusting mask of scaled skin with slit, pale golden eyes and dark lips that oozed a black blood-like substance. “James, have you heard of the Baem Adder? It is indigenous to this region. Its poison is unique in the world as it works very slowly, causing its victim to suffer excruciating pain for hours before death. I will leave you now,” he hissed, “and bid you a farewell from this plane of existence.”
With these words, the man vanished, and at the same time every light in the house and in the village outside went out, leaving James in a cold, dark room illuminated only by the pale moonlight creeping in through the windows.
For a moment, he sat in the room listening to the silence and trying to convince himself what he just experienced was real, and not an illusion brought on by his tired mind. Soon, he decided he better get as far away from this place as he could regardless of how tired he felt.
Just as James was getting to his feet to leave the house, he heard something hit the floor behind him with a soft thud. He turned his head quickly and caught a twisting movement in the shadows on the floor where the noise originated. As he was trying to make out the shape in the darkness, he heard several more thuds and realized they were the sound of snakes hitting the floor as they dropped from cracks in the joints between the walls and ceiling. Suddenly the old man’s remark about the deadly snakes flashed into his mind, and James rushed to the door and threw it open.
By the dim light of the moon overhead, James could see the pale dirt road in front of the house. It appeared to be shifting in a strange wave-like motion. This, of course, was due to the fact that it was crawling with arm-length adders.
James turned back to the room behind him and saw the floor covered with the same snakes moving toward him. Desperate, and without any idea what to do, he leaped into the street and began running toward the village limits with bounding steps. Although he attempted to place his feet in-between the writhing masses of snakes, he soon felt bolts of pain hit his lower legs with every step he took.
Once he reached the edge of the town, he was surprised to find the road leading to the village no longer exist
ed. Instead, a vast expanse of dark fields lay before him. Without pausing to consider his actions, he jumped into the field before him. His feet crashed through a paper-thin layer of ice that formed on the shin deep water in the field, and he tripped and fell into the crops. This occurred several more times as James slogged through the endless fields. He was soon exhausted by the mud clinging to his feet, which made each step a challenge. He was chilled to the core by his soaked clothes. Blood oozed slowly from the stinging bites on his legs, and from cuts he received from the tough stalks and blades of the crops he fell into.
As he crawled over an earthen bank separating two fields, he realized the pain from his legs was spreading throughout his body and he could not feel the coarse dirt with his hands quite as well as he could before. It’s probably just the cold numbing my hands, he thought hopefully. But after a few more minutes, it was obvious that more than the cold was affecting his body. He grew sluggish and found it hard to continue in a straight line. His vision was starting to blur and he felt dizzy. Worst of all, pain had spread throughout his body, and he felt like someone was rubbing a cheese grater against all his bones.
After barely managing to trudge through another field in vain desperation, James struggled over another dirt embankment only to dimly realize this was not another bank. It was wider and flat on top. A bright light to the left caught his attention as he lay sprawled on the flat surface. He saw a glowing, hazy round ball floating in the distance, and heard a steadily increasing hum as he finally blacked out and lost consciousness.
THE CASTAWAY OF KA-PYUN
In the fields of our fathers
Where the kongi grows tall and the sky reaches forever
Let us harvest, let us harvest, let us harvest
Until the final harvest takes us, let us harvest
-traditional folk song
James woke to bright sunlight beaming through a window on his left. He blinked his dry eyes repeatedly and then scanned his surroundings. He appeared to be in a hospital, but certainly not a modern one. The walls were covered in tile that was not exactly dirty, but showed the yellow tint and chipped corners of age and wear. There was very little furniture in the room, just the simple metal bed he was laying in, a shabby looking chair in the corner, and a small wooden table to his right where several bottles of medical supplies rested.
He hastily looked himself over and saw that everything seemed normal. There were scars on his legs that appeared to be double-puncture bite wounds and every muscle in his body ached, but otherwise he seemed to be quite alive and well.
Just then, a middle-aged native man entered the room. He was wearing a white coat and his eyes were fixed on a chart he held before him. He looked up and smiled broadly.
“Well, it seems you have recovered fully,” he remarked with a strong accent. “Perhaps now you could shed some light on the mystery of your presence.”
“I’m sorry,” James apologized, “I’m not even sure myself where I am.”
“Of course,” the man said. “You were in quite a state when the farmer brought you to us last night. This is the Andongni Hospital and I am Dr. Chaek.”
“Someone brought me in here?” James replied in surprise. “I don’t remember that. The last thing I can remember is running from those snakes and collapsing from exhaustion. I saw a bright light and then that’s it.”
“It figures,” Dr. Chaek sighed as he stuck a thermometer in James’ mouth and pulled up his pajama legs to look at his wounds. “Everyone in the hospital is dying to find out what your story is, and you don’t even remember yourself. You don’t even know who the man is who brought you here.”
“No,” James replied. “I don’t have a clue. Didn’t you ask him yourself?”
“Yes, of course we did,” the doctor replied, “but once he dropped you off he just got back on his crop tractor and took off into the fields without a word. That’s probably the light you saw, come to think of it. Those crop tractors only have one headlight, and you probably saw that as he happened upon you while driving through his fields last night. I still don’t understand how you survived so many bites, though. What were you doing, dancing in a nest of Baem Adders?”
“Well, I just found myself in the middle of a bunch of them…” James said slowly as he tried to think of a believable way of explaining his condition. “Anyways, I guess you had anti-venom or something, right?”
“Yes,” Dr. Chaek confirmed, “but with as many bites as you suffered, I really didn’t think you were going to make it. While it is true the Baem Adder’s venom works slowly, you were under its influence for a while, and had more bites on one leg than I’ve seen on all the patients we’ve had here over the last five years. You were foaming at the mouth and unconscious when you arrived. The only reason I even treated you was out of respect for protocol. I really didn’t think there was much use in administering the anti-venom at that point. We were very surprised to see your condition stabilize early this morning.”
“Well I’m certainly glad you decided to follow protocol,” James said with a smirk. “How much longer will I need to stay in the hospital?”
“Actually, I don’t see any reason for you to stay any longer. Once a victim regains consciousness, it is a sure sign the venom has worked its course and your body has recovered. You probably feel a bit of muscle tenderness and your limbs will probably tingle now and then for several days, but you will be fine otherwise.”
“That’s good to hear,” James said with relief.
Dr. Chaek began to walk toward the door as he continued, “You don’t need to worry about payment. Yours was an emergency case and this is a small country hospital. We don’t deal much with insurance and such, especially not foreign insurance. The nurse should be bringing up your clothes soon, which she took the care to have washed and dried. Do you mind if I ask where you plan to go?”
“I don’t know yet,” James replied honestly. “But I would appreciate it if you could direct me to the nearest bus station.”
“Well, the bus stops in front of the hospital three times a day. The next one should be coming in about two hours. It will take you into the nearest town big enough to have a bus station – about an hour away.”
“Thank you so much,” James said as the doctor turned to leave the room. “I am really grateful for all the help you’ve given me.”
“No problem,” Dr. Chaek said from outside the doorway. “But your real thanks should go to that farmer, whoever he was.”
After Dr. Chaek disappeared down the hallway, James sat in silence digesting the meager information he learned concerning the last twelve or so hours of his life. After some time, the nurse came in and returned James’ clothes along with the few items he had in his pockets. James attempted to convey his thanks, although it was obvious the woman did not understand his language at all. He took his time dressing and straightened up the room as best he could before walking down stairs and out to the bus stop, which consisted of a small brick enclosure open to the street with a hard wooden bench inside. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was shining in a clear sky, but the air was still cold and little was visible from his vantage point but the open fields of the same crop he recently became so accustomed to seeing. In the distance, he could make out some sort of vehicles and men working on the horizon. They appeared to be harvesting the crop, which James was not surprised to see since the weather was coming quite close to winter conditions.
After about an hour and a half of gazing across the fields and trying to keep his mind off the cold, he noticed a dust plume in the distance and knew his bus would soon arrive. To his relief and simultaneous dread, he recently began to feel the pull once again. He was being urged in a direction behind the hospital, which appeared to be southeast judging by the position of the setting sun, but he had not even considered following the pull on foot. Too much ill had come of that on this vast plain that might as well be a wasteland, for all his experience. No, he would take the bus to the bus station and perhaps
follow the pull from there, wherever that might be. Or maybe it was time to give up on this crazy journey. It did not seem to be doing him anything but harm, and James was beginning to wonder if there might be some kernel of truth in the old man’s warnings about the deceptions of the Light. At any rate, the man tried to kill him, and maybe he should put more faith in those who at least demonstrated a desire to help him. But then again, he would not have wandered into his near death experience if it were not for the Intercessor’s urging to take up this ill-fated journey of blind faith. James boarded the bus and continued to mull these thoughts over as the antique vehicle sped through endless fields of purple grain and the sun fell slowly below the horizon, casting a golden tint on the scene outside his dusty bus window.
At least I don’t need to hurry this time, James thought as he sensed several days lay ahead of him before he needed to arrive at his next destination.
The time passed quickly while James’ mind raced with thoughts and questions concerning his present situation. Eventually, the bus pulled into the closest thing to civilization James had seen since he left the outskirts of the capital nearly two days ago. Still, though, it was nothing more than a bunch of square storefronts crammed together on both sides of the street with a single Y-intersection, where another small road branched off into a residential area and disappeared among an unorganized jumble of little brick houses with cluttered courtyards.
The bus station was just past the intersection, and James stepped out of the bus and into the quiet surroundings of the little country town bathed in the dying glow of a late fall twilight. He made his way over to the ticket station and tried to interpret a map of national bus routes pasted on the wall. He appeared to be nearly a third of the way down the little country in an obscure, but large for this region, town named Ka-pyun. He still felt a vague pull southeast, but if he was going to stick with the buses, he would have to travel east first and then south because there were no routes heading directly south from where he was.
