Sun from the Moon

07. Hyphen

- Senku -

"I needed to think about the journey, so I asked Kinro to take a break... I told him I would look after the boat while he was away. When he'd gone to the village, I entered the Perseus. Nothing was strange... I walked around the deck... I went into every room... Then I stopped where the goats were and lost myself in my thoughts. I don't know how long... I thought about what decision to make... I wasn't sure if I had the courage to follow you... even though it was hard to leave my brother... Then I heard footsteps..."

Ginro's words went back and forth in Senku's mind.

"I... I should have gone and looked right away... If I had, things might have been different, but I was afraid... That's when I felt something strange... The goats started to behave oddly... as if they were afraid of something, and I panicked... I hid myself behind some food crates when I saw Secret come into the room. He looked around as if he was looking for something... but when he saw the goats panic and start screaming as if they wanted to run away, he looked worried and quickly left the room..."

As he entered the forest, he could only think about it.

"I followed him discreetly... I went up on deck and saw the sea, so dark... the moon's reflections on the water seemed distorted... It was like the waves had stopped, and I was terribly afraid... I could hardly move... I don't know... there was something terrible in the air, like near the sulphuric acid lake... I went around the boat and saw Secret, motionless... then, he dropped his oil lamp and began to writhe in pain... He put his hands on his head and took a step backwards before falling down the steps leading to the control room... That's when everything changed..."

Every detail made sense, despite the strange atmosphere described by the blond.

"I could hear the goats howling... There were creaking noises when I saw his oil lamp so close to the board instruments... I should have gone to get it, but I was too scared... Next moment, his lamp shattered like other glass things in the boat before the board instruments exploded... I ran to Secret as the fire started to spread... he was semi-conscious, then fainted, and I panicked... I took him and jumped into the water... I swam with him to the woods... he spat water, but he was speechless and I saw the Perseus burning... I couldn't react... I'm so sorry..."

Everything urged him to find Secret, to comfort him and this search, wandering, this uncertainty was unbearable.

Where the hell were they?!

—

When the scientist realized Gen and Secret weren't in the village, the forest became obvious. He hadn't asked anyone for help, not even Ukyo whose hearing could have been useful. He hadn't even thought about it, so much he was in a hurry to find them as soon as possible.

In the forest, on this September afternoon, glowing leaves fell gently from the trees. Dead leaves crunched under his footsteps, the sound mingling with the autumn breeze blowing through the bare branches, creating a strange atmosphere, as if time had stood still.

Even though he was attentive to the slightest sound, Senku could only hear his footsteps echoing between the trees as he trod on the thick carpet of leaves that crunched beneath his feet. The landscape was a mix of shimmering autumn colors and almost eerie shadows. Low branches occasionally scratched the air as he passed. Old, gnarled tree trunks stared at him with their wooden eyes. The breeze stirred the treetops, showering golden, red and black leaves around him as he realized how crazy his situation was.

Used to walk this route several times a week, he wondered if nature wasn't trying to test him, as he seemed to lose his bearings as he progressed through the forest. It was like his anxiety was robbing his direction sense, even his most basic reflexes, although he knew these woods like the back of his hand.