Chapter 14- The Crying River
Chapter 14: The Crying River
It all began early in the morning when Chimera and Time Shifter set out together on their own route, since Kuroshima had shown no new signs of a shard, Chimera suggested they try a different town altogether, after going through a few options, they settled on Gujo Hachiman, another small town, quiet and humble, but Chimera insisted that, "small towns always hide the biggest secrets", Time Shifter didn't argue.
Walking there would've taken forever, so they hopped on a public bus, the ride wasn't too long, but long enough for Chimera to chew gum loudly and Time Shifter to pretend it didn't annoy him.
When they finally arrived, they stepped off the bus and continued on foot into Gujo Hachiman, the town was glowing with color, lanterns hanging from balconies, music drifting in the air, and families moving excitedly between stalls.
Chimera's eyes widened instantly,
"Woah!! I didn't know they were having some celebration!", she said, nearly spinning around to take it all in. She glanced back at the compass in her hand, "By the way, do you think we might end up searching far beyond Kuroshima after here?",
Time Shifter kept his expression firm, staring ahead,
"Maybe, but I don't care as long as we can complete the Orbuculum sooner",
She shot him a look, "Jeez, okay dude…you sound really desperate, you know we're all doing this so we can get our desires granted, you must want something pretty bad, right?"
The question hit him harder than she expected.
Suddenly, a sharp flash of memory cut through him: A little girl, her small hand slipping away, water rising around them, his own voice calling out, his legs were struggling as he tried to reach her…
He blinked hard, shaking it off.
"Whatever, let's just go", he muttered and picked up his pace,
"Dude! Wait up! I wasn't expecting you to answer the question anyways", Chimera called, jogging to catch up,
Side by side, they continued deeper into Gujo Hachiman.
The festival was still in full swing as they wandered deeper into town. Everything looked bright and lively paper lanterns glowing, colorful banners swinging in the breeze, children running around with treats, and the delicious scent of grilled food drifting everywhere.
Chimera sniffed the air dramatically,
"Okay, I'm starving, we definitely need energy if we're gonna keep searching",
They stopped at a small local ramen stall and each grabbed a steaming bowl, it felt warm and comforting after the long walk, Gujo Hachiman almost looked like an Edo-era painting brought to life, with its wooden houses, narrow paths, and old-style rooftops.
When they were done eating, they continued exploring but Chimera's face slowly dropped,
"Ugh…everything looks too normal here," she muttered. "I'm starting to think we picked the wrong town",
But then she pulled out her aura compass,
Immediately, it flickered hard, not toward the town, but out of it.
She blinked, "Look! It's flickering but it's not pointing at anything here, it's aiming toward the forest, let's go check it out",
Time Shifter didn't argue, with a silent nod, he followed as she trailed the compass.
They marched through the forest expecting something dramatic and action packed, but instead…
The compass led them to a huge deep river, wide and calm, reflecting the sky like a mirror,
And the compass was going wild.
Chimera's jaw dropped, "Seriously!? A river? That's it? No way, this has to be wrong, but… it can't be wrong, its directions are always right, right dude?",
She turned, Time Shifter didn't answer.
He stepped forward, slowly,
The sight of the river hit him like a punch, a sudden flash of memory surged through him:
A little girl.
Her hand slipped away.
Water swallowing everything.
Her scream echoed in his skull.....
He stood frozen, breathing shallowly,
"Dude…are you okay?", Chimera asked, noticing his expression.
He blinked out of it quickly, "Yeah, yeah, I'm… I'm good", He swallowed,
"The compass can't be wrong, if it brought us here, then the shard must be… here",
Chimera stared at the massive river, rubbing her chin, "What kind of energy could be coming from a place like this…?"
They both thought hard.
Then Chimera snapped her fingers,
"That's it! It's so obvious! The shard must be in the river, that explains everything!",
She slipped off her jacket and stretched her neck and knuckles, ready to dive in until she noticed Time Shifter's face again,
It was Fear, clear as day.
She couldn't hold it in, she laughed out, "Wait wait wait!! Bro...don't tell me you're scared of this tiny river", she teased,
He flinched, "What? I'm not afraid of anything, let alone a… river",
Chimera folded her arms, "Dude, stop pretending, you've been paranoid since we got here or maybe…you can't swim",
He straightened immediately, "Of course I can swim, I'm an excellent swimmer",
"Then prove it", she smirked,
Time Shifter's pride snapped into place, "If you think the shard is at the bottom of the river, then fine, let's go get it",
He took off his jacket too, trying to look fearless even though Chimera could clearly see through him,
She rolled her eyes.
And together, the two stood at the edge of the huge river, ready to dive in and search for the shard that might be hidden beneath its surface.
Chimera and Time Shifter did a small countdown before diving in, not caring about getting wet as long as they found the shard.
At first, everything went smoothly, the water was calm, the swim was clean, and Chimera rose for a breath before diving deeper, she swam for a while, scanning the underwater darkness.
Meanwhile, Time Shifter swam too trying hard not to think about the memories he always avoided, being near huge bodies of water triggered them, and now he was right in the middle of one.
Still, he followed Chimera's lead and dove deeper.
It felt like a normal search, and they almost gave up when Chimera finally spotted it, a faint glowing light deep at the bottom of the river, it was definitely the shard.
But just as she swam down to grab it, something strange happened.
The river, which had been calm only moments ago, suddenly erupted into violent currents, waves crashed around them, strong enough to knock Chimera off balance, swimming became nearly impossible, she immediately retreated to the surface, gasping for air, the current only worsened,
"This can't be the weather…the shard must be doing this",she thought, deciding they needed to get out for now.
Time Shifter was struggling too, barely managing to keep himself afloat, he tried to swim toward land when suddenly,
A memory he tried so hard to bury ripped itself open,
A loud sob echoed behind him,
He turned and froze.
A silhouette floated on the water, the faint shape of a little girl, she had yellow-blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes that matched his, she looked exactly like...
His little sister.
She sobbed, tears spilling down her ghostly cheeks, her soaked clothes clung to her small frame,
"Why, big brother… why did you let go…why did you leave me to drown… WHY!?" her voice cracked, echoing across the water.
Time Shifter's eyes filled immediately, she looked so real, as real as the day it happened,
"Yui!!! Yui! No, no...I didn't! Please don't say that!" he cried, reaching out desperately, "I'm your big brother! I'll never leave you! Come to me, Yui, please!!",
This was a side of him Chimera or anyone had never seen.
Chimera shouted his name from above, but he didn't respond, he kept swimming toward nothing, reaching for someone only he could see. Chimera squinted, she couldn't see what or who he was seeing at all,
And the current kept getting worse and worse,
"DUDE, LET'S GO!!! The pressure is getting worse!!", she yelled over the roaring water.
But he didn't hear her, or maybe he refused to, Yui held her hand out toward him with a soft, heartbreaking smile as her wet blonde hair covered almost half of her face, and he reached toward her with trembling fingers,
He was inches away from touching her when...
SPLASH!!!!
A massive wave slammed into him, tossing him like a pebble, his body hit a rock near the riverbank with a sickening thud,
He blacked out instantly.
Chimera stared in shock, frozen for a moment but as if the river itself understood, the current eased just a little, it gave her the opening she needed.
She dove forward, grabbed Time Shifter's limp body, and dragged him through the water, slowly, carefully, she pulled him out of the river and onto land.
Heavy breaths echoed in the air.
Chimera knelt beside Time Shifter,
his clothes drenched, his face pale, his body lying unconscious near the edge of the massive river.
"Dude!! Wake up! Wake up!! You can't do this, not now!!" she cried, shaking him desperately,
But Time Shifter didn't move.
The river roared violently behind them.
She shook him harder, panic rising in her chest, his forehead was bleeding from the impact with the rock. Chimera's hands trembled, she didn't, know what to do.
Just then, a passerby noticed them, a young man who had been strolling nearby rushed over, dropping beside Time Shifter,
"Oh my goodness! What happened?" he asked quickly,
"The river… it's the damn river!!!" Chimera yelled, still panicking.
"Oh no!!! you shouldn't have gone in there. That river is cursed, everyone in Gujo Hachiman knows that!" he said, already positioning himself to give CPR,
"What??", Chimera exclaimed.
"Look, I'll explain later, first let me help him. I also have a first aid kit back at my place, I can treat his wound, he's bleeding badly",
Chimera didn't argue, she nodded immediately.
The young man performed CPR, and Time Shifter soon coughed out mouthfuls of water, barely regaining consciousness, Chimera and the man helped him to his feet, and the man led them toward his home as they held up Time Shifter's weakened body.
The celebration in town continued brightly, no one noticing the three of them slipping away.
They brought him to the young man's house just in time, Time Shifter was laid down gently and their rescuer opened a first aid kit and began cleaning the wound with surprising skill, he wrapped a bandage neatly around Time Shifter's head, and Chimera finally allowed herself to breathe,
It felt strange, this tightness in her chest, she wasn't used to caring so deeply about someone, it was rare for her. But today…she had felt it clearly.
Time Shifter sat weakly, dizzy and unable to speak, the young man handed him some medicine and helped him drink it.
Chimera looked at him with genuine relief before asking, "Thank you so much, but why did you help us?"
"Come on", he said softly, "I saw someone hurt and in danger, I had to help however I could and I'm glad I did",
Chimera nodded, then asked the question that had been stuck in her mind since the river, "By the way… you said something earlier about the river",
The man's expression changed immediately, his eyes widened, and he leaned closer,
"That river is totally cursed, people who go there say they see their haunting past face-to-face, it calls out to them in strange ways, but it's a trap, once it draws you in, it hurts you. People named it, The Crying River, because of the strange things it shows…no one knows how or why, but it happens",
He sighed heavily.
Chimera remained silent, she knew it wasn't the river doing these things.
It was the shard beneath it, a shard strong enough to trigger haunting memories.
And she knew she had to get it especially now that Time Shifter was injured… and clearly haunted by something from his past.
As she thought, Time Shifter let out a pained hiss as he fully regained consciousness, he opened his eyes and looked at the two of them, trying to sit up,
"Hey, hey! You're not recovered yet, lie back down," the young man warned,
"No, no… I'm fine, I want to sit up, Thank you… so much", Time Shifter murmured,
He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position with their help, then stared down at the floor, shame filling his voice,
"Dude… are you okay?" Chimera asked quietly.
"Yeah… I'm fine, I'm sorry for ruining everything", he said, still avoiding her eyes,
"Hey, it's okay, it wasn't your fault", She hesitated, then asked gently, "But… tell me, do you have a haunting past?",
Time Shifter exhaled deeply, shoulders trembling slightly.
"I… do. In fact, this past has haunted me for so long…"
He took another shaky breath, ready to continue, but suddenly, a young girl ran into the house and spoke quickly to the young man, clearly an emergency,
He apologized and excused himself,
"You can continue", he said kindly. "I'll be back soon",
Then he hurried out with the girl, leaving the room.
Time Shifter looked at Chimera and she sat beside him, waiting silently, ready to hear the truth he had kept hidden from everyone.
🕯️ FLASHBACK 🕯️
It was a sunny day, brighter than it had been in a long time. Souta (Time Shifter) had taken his little sister, Yui, out to have fun, things at home were terrible, not just bad it was terrible.
Their parents had gotten into a huge fight, their father was abusive, and after that fight their mother left them. She abandoned her children completely, their father didn't take it well, his anger grew darker every day, and he vented it on his kids, mostly Souta, but Souta always made sure Yui never got hurt, he took every bruise for her.
Depression and frustration swallowed their father whole, and one day, he snapped, he left the house, saying nothing,
He never came back.
Yui cried for days, she was too young to understand.
Souta had to work small jobs just to get small money for food, it was hard, painfully hard, but no matter what, he always tried to make his sister smile, she was all he had left.
That very day, they were pretending to be normal siblings, laughing, walking, enjoying the sun, soon, they reached an ocean shore, one of their father's old fisherman friends was there, he asked about their parents, and Souta lied that they were "busy".
The fisherman invited them to join him on the mini boat, they agreed.
On the water, Yui stood at the edge of the boat enjoying the breeze while Souta talked to the fishermen, laughing as he learned how to catch fish. For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Then suddenly, the ocean current changed, the sky darkened, rain slammed down like a hammer,
The boat rocked viciously.
Yui tried to hold on, but-
SPLASH!!!
She slipped, she fell overboard.
"YUI!!!", Souta screamed, dropping everything.
Without even telling the fishermen, he jumped into the raging water, the ocean was no longer calm, it was wild, violent, roaring, Souta swam as deep as he could, Yui was sinking, her small body drifting lower, her hand reaching out.
For a moment, luck was on his side, he reached her fingertips,
But the ocean ripped them apart.
The current slammed between them, and she slipped from his grasp, she sank deeper, her bubbles rising weakly, her small lips trembling.
Souta's eyes widened in horror, he swam down harder but a strong arm grabbed him from behind,
One of the fishermen.
Souta screamed, kicked and punched, "Let me go!! She's still in there!!! I HAVE TO GET HER!!!", but the fisherman was stronger,
They dragged him upward, back to the surface, back to the shore,
He fought them the entire way.
They called for help immediately, Souta stood there like a ghost, drenched, shaking, waiting for news that felt like it would never come.
Finally, news arrived, but it wasn't good.
They found Yui, but she wasn't breathing,
She was lifeless.
Souta screamed, he shook violently as he held her, crying her name, begging her to wake up, but she didn't.
They had to pull him away from her, he fought, yelled, cried until he had no voice left, a white sheet was placed over her small body.
That moment destroyed him, his entire world collapsed, he lost the only light he had and he blamed himself,
Every single day.
🕯️ END OF FLASHBACK 🕯️
Tears rolled down Time Shifter's cheek as he finished the story, he wiped them quickly.
"I lost my sister that day…and every time I regret ever agreeing to go with the fishermen, I was so dumb…" he whispered, lifting his hand to hit his own head,
Chimera grabbed his arm instantly,
"Listen… I'm so sorry about your sister, but it's not your fault, you had no idea the storm would get wild that day", she paused, then asked, "But wait...is that the reason you joined the search? To bring her back?",
"Yes," he said quietly, "It's the only reason I joined, my desire is to bring my sister back",
"But…you have time powers, couldn't you-",
"Believe me, I've tried," he cut her off, "I studied my Time book front to back, No matter what I did… it didn't work and I'm scared to alter time too much, so I stopped, I decided to live with the shame forever",
He exhaled shakily.
"But then he came and offered this chance, I couldn't refuse, I'll do whatever I can to help complete the orb",
Chimera was silent, stunned, his reason hit deeper than she expected.
She stood, her hands balled into fists.
"What's wrong?", Time Shifter asked.
"I'll go get the shard myself", she said firmly", I don't have memories that can trigger it",
"Are you crazy? You can't go alone", Time Shifter snapped,
"You can't go either, you're hurt, so let me do this, okay? I'm the only one who can, if you go, your sad memory will trigger again",
That shut him up completely.
She gave one last instruction, "If he comes back, tell him I went to finish some business",
Before he could stop her, she walked out the door, Time Shifter reached a hand out but froze, questioning if he should have forced her to stay.
Chimera's steps cracked over dried tree bark, her clothes were soaked, her expression sharp and focused,
She reached the river.
"Alright, huge water… it's you and me now", she muttered, stretching her arms before diving in,
SPLASH!
The first trial was a failure,
Again-SPLASH!!
It was another failure.
Her breathing grew heavy, but she refused to give up,
Again, and again, and again.
Meanwhile, Time Shifter was pacing at the young man's house, the young man came in with dry clothes, confused,
"Where's the young lady?",
Time Shifter didn't answer directly, he grabbed the young guy's shoulders instead,
"Look, there's no time to explain. I need to go help her",
The young guy swallowed, "Okay… I'll come with you",
They hurried so they can reach the river on time.
Chimera was swept away again, but she was determined, she dove deeper and deeper than before, the shard glowed fiercely, fighting her, almost refusing to leave the river.
Her limbs burned, her lungs, tightened, but she pushed harder and finally, she grabbed it.
She swam upward with everything she had,
"I GOT IT!!!", she yelled as she broke through the surface,
Time Shifter and the young guy were already there, feeling relieved,
Until the shard glowed again,
Then, SPLASH!!!
A violent force of waves slammed into Chimera, the river tried to drag her under again, attacking her like a living beast, she clung to the shard but struggled to stay afloat,
The young guy froze.
Time Shifter stepped forward to jump then he heard it,
His sister's sobbing.
It was louder than ever, echoing inside his skull, he dropped to his knees, covering his ears, teeth gritted as the memory replayed,
The young guy shook him, "Are you okay?!",
He gave him no response,
Chimera was moments from drowning.
The young guy started removing his jacket, "I'll go in and save her!",
But Time Shifter grabbed his arm,
He forced himself up, trembling, and stared at Chimera fighting for her life,
He wouldn't let it happen again,
He couldn't.
He thought fast, water waves move in time and motion, maybe he could control the motion with time,
He inhaled sharply, lifted both hands,
And focused on everything he had,
The waves shifted, redirected, curved away from Chimera,
He couldn't stop them but he could give her space to swim.
Chimera understood instantly, she fought through the redirected waves and reached land, still clutching the shard.
Time Shifter exhaled heavily and dropped his hands, he saw just for a second, Yui's spirit smiling at him before fading away, he smiled back cause he knew soon she would be with him again, hopefully.
Chimera collapsed onto her knees, exhausted, Time Shifter rushed to help her,
"You did it, you got the shard", he said,
"No, dumbass…we did it", she muttered, patting his shoulder, "Thanks for saving my butt",
"I'm just glad you're okay…unlike me", he said weakly,
The young guy ran up to them, his jaw hanging open,
"First of all, I'm glad you're alive! Second, HOW did you do that?! Are you a wizard?! Third, what is that glowing thing?! Is that why the river went crazy?!",
Chimera turned to him,
"Listen, dude, thanks for helping earlier and yeah, this thing was the reason, we saved everyone from it, I wish we could explain more, but it'd take too long, just know me and him are in a team and our mission is to stop stuff like this, I can't tell you more than this...",
The young guy was still confused but respected her words,
"Oh where are our manners, let's introduce ourselves, I'm Souta, a.k.a. Time Shifter",
Chimera folded her arms, "Just call me Chimera", she was clearly still embarrassed with her name,
"I'm Reiji and…thank you both for getting rid of this cursed glowing thing and by the way...your secret is safe with me",
Reiji insisted they both change into the dry clothes he brought earlier so they won't catch a cold, they didn't argue, they accepted.
After changing into dry clothes, they collected their wet ones in sacks,
"Thank you again", Reiji said, "I hope to see you both soon",
"Of course, It'll be our pleasure", Time Shifter replied,
"Yeah, yeah, see ya, Reiji-dude, you're cool", Chimera added with a finger snap,
They waved goodbye and left with the shard and some festival snacks.
As they walked, Chimera glanced at Time Shifter again and again, her thoughts heavy, she thought about his reason for joining this search, his sister, 'Yui',
He noticed,
"What?! Why are you staring?",he asked, raising a brow,
Chimera's eyes widened—
then she rolled them dramatically, not wanting to cause any emotional tension, "Nothing, dork face! Whatever!",
She walked faster,
"I wasn't expecting you to answer my question!" he yelled, chasing after her,
The two walked into the evening.
Meanwhile, later that night in a different town,
Tall Boy stood with his hands in his pockets, staring down at a gang leader who pointed a gun at his head,
Behind him, Mae was held by the gang boss goons.
The tension was real,
And it was about to get very real…..