Ep.43: The Mysterious Woman with the Shamisen, Part 3

“Huh? …Death?” I respond, wondering what she means.

The mysterious woman stops playing and looks at me with her piercing clear-white eyes. “Tell me, young one, what is your name?”

“I’m Fukai!” I answer brightly.

She smiles, seeming to find my response amusing. “I’m Reaper la Cluse.” Reaper looks back at Coatlicue and resumes playing. “I can sense something inside of you, young Fukai… You have the Gift.”

“A gift? I’m sorry, Reaper, but I’m not falling for that. I’m not an idiot,” I say, still on guard. This mysterious woman that I don’t understand just seems to rub me the wrong way.

Reaper continues to play her simple melody. “A long, long time ago, before this planet even had a name, before the twin moon; this planet was dying.”

“Hey! Are you ignoring me?!” I shout. “And what the damn hell are you talking about?!”

Just then, Reaper’s mood changes; her serene countenance morphing to one of apparent displeasure, completely at odds with the calm music. “Then all of a sudden, The Great Wisdom Tree was born, and once again life began to spring forth onto this planet.” Reaper takes a deep breath. “The planet was soon named Tiesa, and was given twin moons. …And with that a new age was born. An age of savagery. Little is known about this time, except for its name: the Dark Void Age.”

“The Dark Void Age?” I repeat, unsure.

“Yes, a complete void of history. The Dark Void Age. But one thing that was set in stone at the birth of the next age, the Age Of Wisdom, was the twelve tribes gathering together under one banner. With the creation of B…” Reaper smiles. “With the creation of this mystical art as the catalyst driving the Age Of Wisdom to thrive.”

“Huh? Mystical arts?! Twelve kingdoms under one banner? The Age Of Wisdom? …And what is this… gift?!” I ask, more confused than ever.

“I see… they chose to forget, rather than to remember.” Reaper appears like she’s talking to herself rather than addressing me. “This mystical art sprang from The Great Wisdom Tree, giving life to this planet.”

I walk past Reaper, looking at Coatlicue, the jungle, the creatures flying around. “How…?”

“Compound. Mood Melody.” As Reaper says this, she briefly stops playing as her hands move in a quick blur, the soft resonance of her instrument still ringing out. As she resumes playing, she begins changing how she’s playing from softly to a more energetic sound. “You have a great disbelief in this dark history… but at the same time, you know something isn’t right.”

“Huh?” I look at her, confused and wondering how she seems to know what’s in my heart.

“I can sense your confusion,” Reaper observes of me as she smiles. “You see, this is just one of many things one can do with this mystical art: the ability to read someone’s emotions through the vibrations of music.”

I perk up with excitement. “Wow! Awesome! Are you saying I can learn something like that, too?!” I exclaim, jumping up and down with excitement.

“Yes, with enough discipline you can do anything you can imagine,” she states.

“Alright! It seems like hard work, but I’m up for it!” I announce while pumping my fist.

“Listen carefully, young Fukai.” Reaper stops playing her shamisen. “This history is forbidden and has been kept from young generations for a reason… because this mystical art is powerful and can help people when in the right hands, or destroy them when in the wrong hands.”

I nod my head obediently. “Hmmm… you seem to know a lot about what’s going on. I was wondering if-”

“I’m sorry, young Fukai, I’m an outsider to your planet, and as such, cannot intervene with your people’s conflicts.” Reaper looks at me and smiles. “But I can offer you a helpful hint to what you need to do. Listen carefully.” She leans in and starts whispering into my ear.

“Huh?” I nod my head, a little hesitant and uncertain.

“Remember what I told you, young Fukai. If the Deep Jungle has any hope to survive, one must be willing to go the distance,” Reaper says with a smile.

I look towards the ground while smirking. “‘To go the distance,’ you say?” I look at Reaper with a big smirk and put my fists on my hips. “There’s one thing I’m known for and that’s going the distance! Kekekeke!” I declare, laughing.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Reaper smiles.

I look towards the starry night and put my hands behind my head. “Why are you helping me, Reaper?” I ask casually with a smile plastered on my face.

She closes her eyes, smiling. There is now something calming about her that I didn’t see before. “I guess you remind me of someone I know. Someone with great ambition. Someone who follows their dreams, who knows what needs to be done.”

“Sounds like someone I can relate to!” I respond exuberantly.

“Yes, The Boss is something else…” Reaper glances over at Coatlicue. “Until we meet again, young Fukai.” Reaper la Cluse smiles as she changes back to her original style of playing the shamisen and sings,

“Seek out the hidden truth young warriors,

you must not wait until all is lost.

This evil seeks to destroy all it consumes.

Be afraid there might be nothing left:

save thy kingdom before it’s gone.”

I turn back towards the kingdom of Coatlicue. “Wow, I could never get tired of this sight! This is amazing!” I shout from the top of the hill.

Reaper smirks as she plays one last note, disappearing with the tree and its soft champagne pink petals that dance with the wind. “Young Fukai, you must fight on.”

“Alright!” I turn around and look at the place where the tree was. “Huh? Did I…?” I shake my head. “I’m too tired to think… I-- I’m going to bed.” I yawn and begin the long trek home.