And I saw him in the distance, waving at us from afar.
He wore a friendly smile as he was walking towards us; seemingly happy to see us as if we were old friends of his.
Yet deep down I knew.
It was a mere façade to hide his true monstrous nature.
-----
A lone boat was sailing towards a secluded island, and on board there are two people. One was a masked merchant and the other was a pudgy man - his assistant.
The masked merchant was a fairly mysterious man, due to his rather "detached" attitude and more obviously - his mask with "天" symbol. According to him, he has a rather unflattering injury that he would rather not show to the public. He was fairly tall and wore a dark robe, with backpack where he kept all of the supplies in, either for use or for sale.
His assistant on the other hand served as his spokesman. He was way more outgoing than his superior and likes to crack a joke or two. He met the masked man in times of desperation, that's why he feels deeply indebted to him. Overall he seems more human than the masked merchant.
"Is this the island you were looking for?" The man pointed towards a silhouette of the island that is concealed in the thick fog.
"Yes. Yes it is." The merchant nodded
This island isn't marked on maps and is not even widely known in the public - this island is merely an urban legend shared by boatsmen. They say that this island is covered in thick fog and such, no one, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE visit it or come close to it. For it bears a deadly curse. The masked merchant didn't care for it, in fact, he was here before and returned alive, so these rumors are nothing but a sham. His assistant on the other hand was skeptical, but he couldn't resist the merchant's unnatural charm, so despite all the risks the travel entailed, he agreed to come along with him.
So far it was a smooth sail, perhaps almost too smooth of a sail - yet it didn't worry two gentlemen on the boat. After all, they were looking for something - or rather someone.
"Are you sure your relative is still alive out there somewhere? You did say that the last time you had seen them was a long time ago."
"... I just need to confirm their status. If they're dead, I'll give my respects; if they're alive however, I'll take them with me. They're... The only family I have remaining."
"Oh... Well, family is important, so let's keep our spirits high. I am a family man after all, so I can relate."
Soon they approach the said island. Landing on a shore, two men notice an unconscious figure lying down on the beach with saggy clothes and with a bag, scattered papers were scattered around them. They hastily approach it and check its pulse - still beating, albeit weakly. "Thank goodness that person is alive, they're in a tough shape though... Let's look for a nearby settlement... If we can find it, that is" Masked man nods and lifts the figure in his arms and throws them on his shoulder.
"I wonder how they ended up like this... This looks like a university uniform. Were they dropped overboard or something?"
"I can't say for sure. Regardless, that person definitely needs medical treatment." The masked man replied as they both continued to venture into the forest that seemingly spanned for eternity.
I don't remember the forest being this way...
Is this some kind of a joke?
Just how has this place changed since I visited it?
"Gentei! Look!" The assistant snapped his superior out and they saw a clearance that led to a small village "Hallelujah! Hopefully they have inns for us to stay. If not, then HOPEFULLY some kind villager would let us stay for the night." The masked man nodded once again and they entered the village.
However, instead of curious glances, villagers had been struck with fear, quickly retreating into their homes and taking their clueless children inside.
The assistant was confused, but the merchant couldn't care less. As they continued their walk, soon they were confronted by the chieftain and presumably his daughter of this tiny village.
"Stop right there, you prayer scum! You won't be settling in our village! I won't allow my village to be targeted by the Tatarigami!"
"H-Huh? Prayer scum? Tatarigami? What are you talking about, mister?" Assistant asked and the chieftain became even more bitter
"Obviously you guys don't know anything, you disgusting "tourists" that decided to play with your fate. Oh to be in your gullible shoes, back to the time where I didn't have to sleep with one eye open; where I didn't have to worry about THEM."
"Just please explain our predicament, sir." Merchant sternly asked
"... This island is under a curse of Tatarigami, who takes a form of a pale shrine priest. It wanders around the island, killing anyone who dares to stand in their way; and if a prayer enters the island, it will start chasing them relentlessly until it manages to kill them as they have a sort of sense of them. Prayers are people who got stranded on this island and no one can leave this island, lest they want to get killed by Tatarigami. Having a prayer in a village is equivalent to suicide, as they would like to kill as many people as possible..." The daughter explained "... We suggest that you should leave."
"But we arrived on a boat! Shouldn't we be spared from this predicament?" Assistant asked
"Even if Tatarigami would ignore you, you can't leave this island. And it's better to be safe than sorry."
"... Can we at least stay for one day? After that, we'll find a place better suited for us. I myself am looking for someone, so we're not here to stay anyway." Merchant explained "Plus... We have a bit of an emergency here."
The woman looked over the chieftain, who was fuming at this point. While these people don't know the tragedy they had suffered when they took in one of the prayers, that person stayed in the village for a prolonged time. It was already close to the evening, so it wouldn't hurt right?...
"Father, can we let them stay for the night at least? They're probably really exhausted from their trip, plus look at that person... Their condition is not good..."
"I don't care! I don't want that! Just leave us alone! LEAVE!!--"
The merchant unceremoniously grabbed the chieftain and glared at him.