Contents
Chapter 4: The Warrior
Overview
After surviving a fall, Mamoru treats Kwang’s injuries and discovers the legendary black plane is a Yammanka jet with a pilot’s skeleton and a patriotic inscription. This irrefutable evidence collapses Mamoru’s trust in village history. He recenters through meditation, then engineers a daring descent and escape across the lake.
Summary
Mamoru and Kwang plummet from the temple roof. Mamoru gathers mist into water, cushions their impact with snow, and they crash onto a ledge. Kwang suffers a broken forearm and a deep calf gash. Mamoru cleans the wound and forms a temporary scab using rare blood manipulation, asking Kwang to keep it secret.
Exploring their perch, they realize they have landed on a long-rumored “black plane” embedded in the mountainside. Kwang identifies its material as Yammanka Zilazen glass—impossibly hard—contradicting the village tale of a Kaigenese unmanned craft. Mamoru tries to prove him wrong, but the jet’s flawless surface and unfamiliar shape hold. He climbs to the cockpit and finds a pilot’s skeleton and an inscription meaning, “My nyama for my country. My nyama for my king,” shattering his trust in local history.
Overwhelmed, Mamoru briefly loses control of his jiya, tugging at Kwang’s blood before regaining composure. He withdraws to meditate, tracing the mountain’s waters to the lake, ocean, and moonlit tides until he recenters himself.
With the moon high, Mamoru carries Kwang on his back and descends the sheer cliff using ice handholds taught by his mother. Reaching the lake, he forms an ice boat and ferries them across through thick mist, unsettled by thoughts of forgotten warriors and false narratives.
They land safely on the far shore. Mamoru steadies Kwang along the steep, familiar path, intent on getting him to safety despite his own shaken faith.
Who Appears
- Mamoru MatsudaProtagonist; saves both in the fall, reveals blood manipulation, discovers the Yammanka jet, suffers a crisis of faith, then leads their escape.
- KwangTransfer student; breaks his forearm, identifies the jet’s Zilazen glass, challenges official history, and relies on Mamoru to descend and cross the lake.
- Unknown Yammanka pilotDeceased pilot found in the cockpit; inscription reveals loyalty, providing undeniable proof that upends the village narrative.