Mugen

 Mugen

This is a tale of two brothers: Mugen, the younger, and Taro, the eldest. These two brothers have come far in life since their parents disappeared ten years ago. As we begin this tale, the morning was just like every other morning. The two were sleeping peacefully in their beds inside the shelter they had built out of bamboo and driftwood. Just then, Taro was awoken by the blood-curdling scream of his brother.

“NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!” Mugen screamed.

At least three times a week, Mugen had nightmares that were so horrifying they would wake him from his slumber crying. The thing was, once he woke up, he couldn't remember what they were about. As soon as he woke, the memories faded, though the fear lingered for hours. Taro did his weekly ritual of calming his brother down by keeping his mind off of his feelings.

“Mugen,” he calmly asked, “do you want me to warm some miso soup for you?”

“No, I don’t feel like eating right now,” Mugen said while looking down at the ground.

“Well then, let’s get our poles ready. We need to catch some lunch.”

Mugen quickly snapped out of his sadness, as he loved going fishing with his brother. The fish they pulled from the river were their main food supply. Alas, young Mugen didn’t realize the trials and tribulations they were about to embark upon. Their journey begins along the banks of the Oyabe River. The banks of the river are a mixture of green and red, covered in what is called blood grass. The trees cascaded over the water, creating a canopy of shade over the peaceful and serene waterway. Each tree housed creatures of all shapes and sizes. While walking the riverbank searching for a good place to fish, they stumbled upon a fork in the river they had never been to before. They had traveled this river for many years, but for some reason, they did not recall this area.

“Has this always been here?” Mugen asked.

“I’ve never seen it before,” responded Taro.

Just then, a pale black mist came up out of the water and started to engulf the two brothers.

“Aniki!!!! WHAT "COUGH COUGH" IS THIS!!???”

“I don’t know!” Taro yelled. “Whatever it is, we should get out of it. Cover your face and let’s hurry.”

They grabbed their fishing gear, held their breath, and began to run as fast as they could through the mist. As they exited, they dropped their poles and drew the only weapons they had. Mugen took out his sai with one broken yoku that he used for digging up wild roots and mushrooms to eat. Taro had a sword that belonged to their father. These weapons were the only protection they had against bandits and wild animals along the riverbanks.

Taro turned to his brother and said, “We should hide our gear out of sight until we figure out what’s going on here.”

Just then, the ground started to crackle beneath their feet. They looked up and all the bright green trees they were so accustomed to seeing had quickly turned brown and dry, and the blood grass just blew away.

“Uh, Aniki… how did that just happen?” Mugen asked with a puzzled look on his face.

“Your guess is as good as mine, little brother,” Taro said with the same bewildered look.

“Do you hear that?” Mugen said.

“Hear what? I don’t hear anything,” Taro whispered.

“That’s what I mean. There are no birds singing, no animals in the trees, nothing.”

“What’s going on here?” Taro asked with a look of confusion on his face.

“I’m not sure, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

As they looked around in the distance, they saw what appeared to be a city. “Maybe we can find some answers there, little brother.”

As the two approached the city, there was an old broken sign on the ground which read: Gojoseon.

Gojoseon? Why does that sound familiar? Taro thought to himself.

The city was mostly covered with vegetation, dried grass, and vines. “Where are we, big brother?” Mugen asked. As they gazed at their newly discovered anomaly, Mugen noticed something in the distance. He slowly pointed through the trees and stuttered, “T-T-Taro, wh-what is that?”

“It appears to be some sort of palace, Mugen,” Taro said. Neither had seen a palace of this size before. It towered over the treetops and into the clouds.

“I bet that belongs to Emperor Jimmu. He should know what’s going on here,” Mugen said.

“You’re probably right, Mugen. By the look of it, it appears to be at least a two-day walk away. Are you up for the journey?”

“I am if you are, brother,” Mugen said.

Since curiosity filled them both, they looked at each other at the same time and said in synchronicity, “Maybe we should check it out.” They both nodded yes and then continued on their quest—but not before Mugen ran over to a nearby tree and hid their poles and gear under some debris. He then took his sai and cut a small notch out of the trunk.

Taro looked at his brother with pride and said, “Good idea, Mugen. Now our things will be easier for us to find upon our return.”

After what had to be hours of traveling, nightfall was closing in on the two. They decided to set up camp and continue their quest in the morning. They found a clearing not far off the main road they were traveling on. They gathered some branches from a paperbark maple tree that was nearby. They used the bark as kindling to start a fire, as well as to lie on instead of the hard ground. As they lay in their makeshift beds trying to get some sleep, Taro’s mind started wandering to a time when his parents were still alive and Mugen was just a toddler.

Taro’s mother had just laid young Mugen in his bed. “Taro… come over here,” his father said in a stern tone. “I need to speak to you, my son.”

“Yes, otou-san,” Taro said with confusion.

“Should there come a time that your mother and I are no longer able to care for you and your brother, you must promise me just one thing: no matter what, protect your brother with your life. He has a journey far greater than we will ever know—a journey that was first foretold thousands of years ago.”

With a puzzled look on his face, Taro looked at his father and asked him what he was talking about. As his father was about to tell him, their grass-walled house was riddled with thousands of ya, some of which were even on fire. Their mother came running into the room just as a ya struck her throat. She died instantly in front of Mugen’s bed, and their father suffered irreparable injuries.

With his last breath, their father told Taro, “Get your brother and run. Don’t look back, just run!”

“But father!!” Taro said.

”RUN, DAMN IT!!!!!” cried his father.

“Aniki?” Mugen said. With no answer, he called his name even louder. “Taro!!”

Taro was staring blankly with a single tear rolling down his face as he came out of his trance-like state.

“Big brother, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mugen. I was just thinking of when we were younger, having dinner with Mom and Dad.”

“I wish wherever they are, they would come back,” said Mugen.

“I know, Mugen,” Taro said. “I feel the same way.”

Even after all the years since their parents’ slaughter, Taro had kept the details of their death from his brother.

“Let’s try to get some sleep, Mugen. Who knows what tomorrow shall bring.” So, the two cautiously lay down to sleep for the night.

As morning approached, Taro awoke first from his slumber. Damn it, Taro thought to himself. It wasn’t a dream.

“Mugen... Mugen... wake up. We have to go.”

The two gathered their things and proceeded down the main thoroughfare.

“Wait a minute, Aniki. Let’s get rid of our campsite so if anyone does come through here, they don’t know we were here.”

“Good idea, Mugen,” Taro said.

Mugen ran back to their site and swept the ground where they were sleeping with a branch from the tree. While Mugen was taking care of that, Taro made sure the fire was completely out. Once they knew the fire was out, they covered the spot with dirt and leaves and then continued on their journey. While walking through the streets of the city, it appeared deserted. It was as if everyone had just disappeared. There were dried-up gardens, the bones of dead koi in empty ponds, and remnants of clothes hanging on the clotheslines. Not one person was to be seen. They cautiously decided to explore the city to find out what was going on. They first came upon an old Shinto shrine. They almost walked right by without even noticing it, as it was almost totally covered by kudzu. With his sword, Taro cut a path through the entrance of the torii. They proceeded, walking cautiously between the komainu, and approached the shrine's entrance. As they were approaching the dried-up tsukubai, something caught Mugen’s eye just outside of the shrine's doors. Mugen ran as fast as he could to the doors.

Nothing was there.

“What are you doing, Mugen?”

“I saw something run by,” Mugen said while gasping for air. “Right outside the door—it looked like a person.”

“Are you sure? It appears nothing or no one has lived here for years. I’m sure it was just your eyes playing tricks on you,” said Taro. “This is a strange place, so you never know what lies around each corner. Just stay close to me, just in case.”

As the two continued to search the shrine, Taro tripped on a loose floorboard and fell to his knees. He quickly grabbed his knee from the pain.

“Taro!!” Mugen screamed as he raced to his brother’s side. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Mugen, I’m fine,” Taro said, obviously keeping his true emotions to himself. “What did I trip over?”

Mugen pointed to the floorboard. Taro hobbled back to the scene of his accident and attempted to stomp the board back into place with his uninjured leg. It wouldn’t stay. He’d stomp, and it would come right back up. So, Taro tried to pull it up so he could start fresh.

“Give me one of your sai, Mugen. I’m going to attempt to pull this up.”

“Okay, please be careful with it,” Mugen pleaded. “It’s the only thing I have left from otou-san.”

Taro successfully lifted the board apart from the floor. As he was about to put it back into place, he noticed something hidden under where the floorboard had been. He lifted a few more of the boards and found an old wooden box. Inside the box, according to the inscription on the seal, were the thirteen scrolls of the Dragon Clan.

The Dragon Clan, according to the tales, was nothing more than a myth. There wasn’t any evidence of their existence except for the ramblings of an old man who lived near the river. Taro remembered the stories the old man would tell the local children to scare them from going into the forest, with the hope that they would be too frightened to go near his home. That’s all they were, though—stories. At least, until now.

Taro began to read the scrolls one at a time. The scrolls told a highly detailed depiction of the Dragon Clan: how they swept the land like a plague, taking what they wanted when they wanted, and killing anything and anyone who crossed their paths. A genocidal entity by the name of General Amatsu led the clan. His hell-bent mission was to dominate the river province, Buyeo, and then the world. He gathered every cutthroat, maniacal madman in the land and recruited them for his army. They were nothing but the blackest of evil. No one knew exactly where he came from; the stories said he came from an order of demons millions of years ago. Stories are all they’ve ever been. No one over the age of ten had ever believed them. Though according to these scrolls, he and his army were as real as you and I.

As Taro continued to read through the scrolls, young Mugen made an inexplicable discovery. He was looking through the box and something just didn’t seem right. There were three scrolls missing from the box. The box wasn’t damaged, and there was no sign of it being broken into.

“They’re not all here,” Mugen said to his brother.

“What are you talking about, Mugen?” said Taro.

“The scrolls—there are three missing,” Mugen said.

“Maybe someone took them. They’re probably around here somewhere. As soon as I’m finished looking through these, we’ll look around,” Taro told his brother.

As Taro continued to read the scrolls, they told how there was an uprising of the villages along the banks of the river. The villagers were no more than mere farmers. The only weapons they had were the tools they used to cultivate their crops. It said they grew tired of the centuries of tyranny the Dragon Clan had placed upon them. The villagers finally stood up to General Amatsu and the rest of the Dragon Clan. They took what weapons they had and stormed the clan's fortress.

Then, Taro unrolled the scroll a little more to finish reading it, and to his surprise, the bottom of the scroll was torn off. Mugen looked at his puzzled brother and asked, “What’s wrong, Aniki?”

“The bottom half of this scroll is gone,” said Taro.

“Maybe if we find the missing three, we’ll find the torn piece, too.”

“I think you might be right, little brother. Let’s put these somewhere safe just in case someone comes looking for them. I’ll go ahead and keep the torn one in case we find the missing piece. That way, if it matches up, we’ll know it’s the right one,” said Taro.

The two searched within the temple for a safe place to hide the scrolls. They searched and searched, but couldn't find a place that they thought would hold them safely. As Taro was walking around the shrine, he looked out a window.

“I think I’ve found a spot,” Taro said. Mugen walked to the window to see what he was looking at and shook his head in agreement.

What they were looking at was the safest place they could find. They decided it would be safest under one of the komainu. It was obvious that they couldn’t move the komainu, as it was too heavy, so they decided to dig next to it. They found a hoe and a shovel and started digging. After the hole was big enough, they placed the box in it and covered it up with dirt. They also proceeded to do what they had done with their campsite. They took some tree branches, leaves, and sticks, and made it look like no one had ever been there.

“They should be safe in here, Mugen.” They securely hid the scrolls and then continued with their quest.

“You don’t think anyone will find them, do you, Aniki?” Mugen asked his brother as they were walking out of the shrine.

“By the look of this town, I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” Taro assured him.

The two left the shrine and proceeded to cautiously walk down the street.

“I get a very strange feeling about this place, little brother.”

“I know what you mean,” Mugen said. “I feel the same way.”

As the two proceeded down the street, Mugen noticed some writing carved into a wall. He stopped dead in his tracks with a ghostly look on his face.

“What is it, Mugen?” Taro said.

Mugen pointed to the wall but could not speak. “Wh-wh-what does it mean, Taro?”

The wall read: LEAVE NOW OR YOU WILL PERISH.

“I think they’re trying to keep people out,” Taro advised his brother.

“Then maybe we should leave.”

Taro turned and looked at his brother with concern and said, “We can’t, little brother. We have absolutely no idea where we are, and we need to find out what is going on here.”

“Well, who do you think did that to the wall? Do you think it was someone from the town?”

“I don’t know,” said Taro. “Maybe we should keep looking; something is bound to come up.”

So, the two cautiously proceeded down the street looking for some sign of what happened here.

“What about this place?” Mugen proceeded to read the name on the sign. “Boa J. Cain’s Jade Emporium,” he read. Taro approached the front door; it was locked. “Let’s try around back.”

As they walked around the back of the emporium, they came to an alley—a very dark alley. Though it was the middle of the day, it was still pitch black.

Mugen turned to his brother and said, “I’m not so sure about this, I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry, little brother. I wouldn’t ever let anything happen to you,” Taro said sternly.

The two proceeded down the alley looking for a back entrance to the emporium, when suddenly, the dark passage lit up brilliantly, accompanied by the sound of approaching horses. The pair quickly dove into an open window of the abandoned business, narrowly avoiding a group of shadowy figures on horseback. As they caught their breath in the safety of the dark building, they waited to see what would happen next.

The light was gone. Just total darkness, exactly like before. As quickly as the figures had appeared, they left just as fast. It was as if nothing had happened.

While attempting to find a way out of the business they were hiding in, they found a candle. They used the sparks made from Mugen’s sai and Taro’s sharpening stone to create a fire for the candle. Once the candle was lit, they heard a sound. They quickly extinguished the fire.

“Put the fire out!” said Taro. “We don’t want to attract those horsemen back, whoever they were.”

Before leaving the building, they decided to take a look around. They also wanted to find a safe place to rest. While walking from the bedroom and down the hallway, Mugen tripped over something, banging his leg against it and falling to the ground.

“Are you okay, Mugen?”

“Yeah, I hurt my leg a little, but I’ll be alright. What was that?” Mugen asked.

Taro walked over to where the object was to see what it was. He leaned down to feel it in the dark. It seemed the owner of the business had put a large bowl full of water on a pedestal in the hallway. The two found it odd that it still held water, simply because everything else in the town that would have held water was either broken or had dried up. The water from the bowl that Mugen had inadvertently knocked over was streaming down the hall and draining into the floor. The two could hear it falling through the gaps.

They walked over to where it was trickling down.

“It sounds like it’s going into another room, Aniki. But how can that be?”

Taro paused for a minute, then turned to his brother and said, “I bet there is a room down there. Since there is no obvious entrance to it, there might be a hidden room. Look around for a way to get in.”

“It's so dark in here, how are we supposed to find anything?” Mugen asked.

“Just feel around. There’s bound to be something.”

Just then, Mugen found a knothole in one of the floorboards. He stuck his finger in and felt a thin piece of rope inside it.

“Taro! I found something!” Mugen said excitedly.

Taro walked through the darkness to find his brother. He reached down into the hole and tugged on the rope. It stopped as if something was preventing it from going through the hole. He pulled as hard as he could and felt the floor move a little under his feet.

“Mugen, follow my voice this way.”

He pulled again, and a trap door opened in the floor. Still not being able to see, Taro felt around and found a staircase leading down. He turned to his brother and said, “Come on, Mugen. Hold on to the rail and stay close to me. I’m not leaving you alone.”

The two slowly proceeded down into the unknown.

As they cautiously crept down the creaking and half-rotted staircase, there was an awful odor in the air.

“Ugh, what’s that smell?” Mugen asked. "I think I'm going to be sick."

“I’m not sure I want to know, little brother,” Taro answered.

Once they reached the bottom, Taro stumbled over what seemed to be a box. He reached down to see what it was. It feels like more candles, Taro thought to himself.

“Mugen,” he said. “I think there are candles in this box. Start a fire so we can light the one we brought from upstairs.”

Again, Mugen used one of his sai and the sharpening stone to strike a spark to light the candle. He lit his and then lit another one for his brother before putting out the small fire he had started so it wouldn’t spread. The candles brightened the room well.

“WOW!” Taro said. “I’ve never seen so much jade.”

As they were walking around, they found a pile of hay in the corner.

“Good thing you put that fire out,” Taro said. “This would have gone up in flames so fast.”

There was something odd about it, though. There appeared to be a rope coming out of it and tied to the ground. Taro walked over to it and found it wasn’t a pile of hay at all; it was a tent that someone had covered with hay. It was as if someone was trying to keep it out of sight.

As Taro slowly walked closer to it, the horrid stench got worse with each step. He covered his nose and mouth and peered inside. As Taro looked, his eyes widened and his skin turned pale. He turned and said to Mugen with disgust, “Ugh, I think I found the odor.”

“What is it?” Mugen asked.

“I don’t think you want to see, little brother.”

“Oh come on, I can take it.”

“Okay, only if you’re sure,” Taro responded. Mugen nodded in approval.

Taro slowly pulled back the cover and revealed five decomposed bodies. It appeared to have been a family. There was a male, a female, and three smaller people—obviously children, as one of the kids was still holding a small doll in her arms. From the look of it, they had been there for quite a while. They looked like they had been hiding from something or someone, as they were all huddled together to keep each other warm.

Taro untied the tent, placed it over them, and then covered them back up with the hay.

“Let’s go. We’ve seen enough,” Taro said to his brother.

So, they went back up the stairs and cautiously headed out the back door. They walked around to the front of the house and proceeded to walk down the main thoroughfare in search of some answers.

“I have a little hoshizakana in my satchel. I don’t know about you, but after what we've just seen, I’m not hungry,” Taro said.

“Yeah, me neither,” Mugen added in disgust. “What do you think happened to them, Taro? Do you think they were hiding from those riders?”

“I’m not sure, Mugen. But whatever or whomever they were hiding from had to be pretty bad for them not to come out, even for food. It makes me leery of us going any further.”

Despite their reservations about the unknown, they proceeded on. Every house, building, and business they passed was just as empty and abandoned as the previous one.

“This is so strange. How can an entire town just disappear?”

“I wish I knew,” Taro replied. “Maybe we should stay off the main road for a while. You know, in case those riders come back.”

“We’re going to hide? Like that family?” Mugen asked.

“No, Mugen. It’s like Father used to say when I was a boy: Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old; seek what they sought. How I think that applies to right now is that the men of old traveled this road and most likely confronted those riders before. They don’t seem to be here any longer to tell their tale, and I don’t want their fate. Don’t just follow those who have come before you; make your own path. Do you understand, Mugen?”

“Yes, I do. I understand completely.”

They approached the tree line in the distance.

As they were walking through the forest, their stomach's started rumbling Just then. a very familiar aroma drifted through the air.

“Do you smell that, Taro? That smells exactly like… Come on!!!” At that moment, Mugen took off running as fast as he could to find the source of the smell.

“Mugen, stop!” Taro yelled. “Wait for me!”

Taro caught up with Mugen and they both stopped instantaneously. It was a village—a village full of people. They slowly walked through the town, looking in every direction. The villagers were staring holes through them.

Then Mugen stopped and said, "This must be where that great smell is coming from.”

Taro looked up and read the sign: Sy Dine’s Suiji, Dumplings, & Ramen.

“Suiji,” Mugen whispered. “Do you think they really have suiji?”

“Well, it’s on the sign, so I would think so.”

“That does sound good. We haven’t had it in so long.”

So, the two entered the establishment with the hope of eating something they hadn’t had in a long time. As they entered, they looked around to make sure it was safe and to find a place to sit down. Once inside, they noticed it was fairly empty. Only a few people were actually eating. There was one old man asleep in the corner. They found a place to sit and were approached by a young lady.

“Konbanwa, gentlemen. Would you like something—”

Mugen interrupted with a very excited, “Yes, I want—!”

Before he could finish his sentence, his brother slammed his hand on the table. “I apologize for my brother's behavior. He really loves suiji.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?” asked the young woman.

“No, we are not.”

“Well then, let me be the first to welcome you to Sy Dine’s Suiji, Dumplings, & Ramen.”

“Is this your restaurant?” Taro asked.

“Yes, it is. I am Sy Dine,” replied the woman. “What would you like today?”

Taro turned to his brother and noticed he was on the verge of biting his tongue. “Go ahead,” Taro told his very excited brother.

“Five usagi dumplings and a large bowl of suiji, please!” Mugen told her.

“Wow. Five, and a bowl of Suiji? Are you sure you can eat all that?” she asked as she turned to Taro and whispered, “And are you able to pay for this? We don’t give out any damn handouts here. If you’re expecting a freebie, you can just walk right out the door you came in.”

“No,” Taro replied. “We have a little money. How much is it?”

“250 mon,” she said.

“Mon? What is mon?” Taro asked.

“Mon is… money. I thought you said you had a little money. What do you have?”

Taro looked in his purse and said, “About… I’d say… 500 Wadōkaichin.”

“Wadōkaichin?” the woman asked with a puzzled look on her face. “What did you say your names were?”

“We didn’t. But since you’re asking, I’m Taro and this is my little brother Mugen.”

A surprised look came over her face. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Mugen noticed the old man in the corner moving. As quickly as Mugen noticed him, the old man drew his sword and lunged at him!

Sy Dine kicked a chair toward the old man, striking him in the head and knocking him unconscious.

“Ng!!” shouted Sy Dine. “Ng Lea! Get in here!”

Just then, a young woman came running from the back.

“Get some rope, Ng, and tie this trash up,” demanded Sy. She then pointed at the brothers. “You two. Come with me.”

As the two followed her through the kitchen, she stopped abruptly in front of the counter. She looked behind her and proceeded to pull the counter away from the wall. Behind the counter, there was a hole in the wall that appeared to be some sort of passageway.

“Quickly,” she said. “In here.”

She then guided the very confused brothers through the passageway.

“Ng!! Let’s go!”

Just then, Ng came running through the kitchen and into the passageway, pulling the counter back into place behind her. As the two were crouching through the tunnel, Mugen stopped, turned to his brother, and whispered, “Where are we going?”

Before Taro could say a word, Sy Dine replied very sternly, “Quiet… just keep moving.” She could only imagine the fear going through young Mugen’s mind. With that, she added very calmly, “I’ll explain everything when we reach the end where it’s safe.”

As time went on, it seemed as though they had been traveling for an hour. They finally reached the end and emerged out of a hollowed-out tree trunk.

As they all stepped out of the tunnel, Mugen said, “Finally! We’re out and we can see.”

“Don’t get too comfortable, little one,” Sy Dine said.

As soon as she came out of the tree trunk, Ng Lea appeared to be looking for something. “It’s over here,” she said.

They pulled back a pile of debris and uncovered a hidden door.

“Another one?” complained Mugen. "Are you kidding me?"

“Come on, little one,” Sy Dine said. “This one isn't as long as the other.”

So, they all entered the passage and closed the door behind them. The door had branches, leaves, and other debris attached to it. That way, as soon as it was closed, it looked exactly the way it had beforehand. Once again, they started traveling through the tunnel.

After about forty-five minutes, Taro stopped and demanded to know where they were taking them.

“We’re saving your lives,” Sy Dine said. “It’s not that much farther. I told you, once we’re there, everything will be explained.”

“How do you know where we are? It’s so dark in here,” Mugen asked.

“Believe me, little one, we’re almost there.”

Just then, Taro saw a sliver of light up ahead.

“I see it!” Taro claimed. “It’s right up here.”

Once they reached it, Ng Lea told Taro to push it open from the bottom. He pushed it open and was immediately welcomed by four swords pointed directly at his face.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, it’s us!” Sy Dine shouted.

The swords immediately lowered.

As the group exited, they found themselves in the middle of a small gathering of people.

“Where are we, Aniki?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied.

Sy Dine extended her right arm with her hand open and her palm facing up. “This is all that’s left of those who refuse to bow down to that monster of a General.”

Taro and Mugen looked around at the crowd and noticed about fifty, maybe sixty people staring back at them. Taro swallowed, took a deep breath, and said in a stern tone to Sy Dine, “You told us that once we were safe, you would tell us what’s going on here.”

“Yes, I did, brave one. Yes, I did. But first, we must relieve some of the tension.” Sy Dine turned to Ng Lea and asked her to go make sure everyone was there.

Ng came back with a small handful of people who had been tending their gardens not that far away.

“Is this everyone, Ng?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied Ng.

Sy Dine jumped up on a table and addressed the crowd. “My friends… my family… can I have your attention, please? I know you are confused about who these strangers are that I have brought with me.”

“You know we have a strict no-unapproved-people policy, Sy!” a voice shouted from the back. “You do remember what happened the last time, don’t you?”

“Of course I remember,” she replied. “I was the one who made the rule. Let me introduce our visitors before you cast judgment. To my right, this is Taro.”

Just then, the crowd started to whisper inaudibly to one another.

“And this young man here is Taro’s younger brother, Mugen.”

The whispers burst into full conversation.

“Could it be?” “How could this be?” “Are you sure?” “They can’t be!” were just a few of the many things the crowd was saying.

“Just calm down, my friends. Just calm down. In time, all of your questions will be answered,” she said, attempting to quiet them. “Before any questions are answered, let’s offer our new guests something to eat. They have been through a lot, and I’m sure they are famished.”

The brothers walked over to a nearby table with Sy Dine and sat down. Just then Kyoko, one of the cooks, offered the two some miso soup.

Mugen whispered to his brother, “I really want some usagi dumplings.”

Kyoko overheard him and smiled. “If it's usagi you want, then usagi you will have.”

Off to the side, not too far away, Ng Lea was standing and looking on. Just then, a man approached her.

“Ng, what are you over here by yourself for?” he asked.

“Just keeping an eye out, Boa,” she replied. “Just keeping an eye out.”

“If these boys are who they claim, we have long roads ahead of us”

"Do you think it's really them? Boa J. Cain asked.

"I have a feeling they are," she replied. "But we need to make sure." 

"Will you take over keeping an out for me Boa? 

"Of course" Boa responded

Just then Ng got up from the table and walked over to the boys. She places her hand on Mugen's shoulder and asks "How's the usagi, young one?"

"It's really good," Mugen said with a smile. He turned to Taro grinning "It's better than yours, Aniki".

Taro smirked at his brother. "I'll remember that, ha-ha-ha" He says jokingly.

As Mugen took the final bite of his last dumpling, he turns to his brother and said "Phew, I don't think I could eat another bite" "Those were so good Aniki."

"Taro, did you get enough to eat?" Ng asked

"Yes" Taro replied. "Thank you- thank you so much"

From across the room, Boa cleared his throat at Ng. Ng looked in his direction and he gave her a look that indicated he needed to talk to the boys about who they were. She sighed and shook her head slightly.

"Okay, boys, now that you've got something to eat, we need to talk and figure things out," she said to them. 

"I'm going to tell you a story about a local legend," she stated. " A young man, a little older than you, Taro, was traveling along the riverbanks on his way to Gojoseon. This was right after Hwanung's descent back into the heavens. But back then, it was known as Sinsi. After Hwanung left, his son Tan'gun took over as king, ruling the people and changing the name to Gojoseon."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Taro said. "But what exactly does this have to do with us?"

"Patience is a bitter plant, young one, but its fruit is sweet." Ng replied. "May I continue?"

"Yes," replied Taro, turning his head in shame.

Ng continued her story. "As Tan'gun was ruling, he found some texts about a sword that belonged to his grandfather, Hwanin. According to the texts, this sword was no ordinary sword. It was a blade named Singeom or Divine Sword, if you will. According to legend, this sword was one of the three heavenly seals. While its original purpose was to bridge the gap between the divine realm and the human world, it also empowered its owner to vanquish evil. The sword was never passed down to Hwanung from the Lord of Heaven; because of that, it was not to be passed onto Tan'gun. It was said that a thousand years later, it was in the possession of a man and his younger brother who had been traveling the lands."