The next morning at dawn, after having made love again with Dus'eno' long enough until they both reached the pinnacle of pleasure again, Masu gave him some more coins, so the young man could buy the slave he had told him about. After a light meal, he decided to leave.
"Can't you stay here for another night, Su Masu-Yari?" the young man asked, looking with an expression of hope in his eyes, when the warrior was about to leave.
"I'm afraid not," Masu said, thinking about the curse of the witch. He did not want put it to the test, fearing that something bad might happen to the hospitable farmer.
He resumed his way, skirting the high cordillera of mountains, which formed the edge of the desert of the central territory. He went more or less toward the north, to the warmer lands. The weather was good and the only sign of human presence was the road that Masu was following; the rest of the landscape seemed intact, one could not see any artifacts nor any houses or buildings. Masu thought that probably many generations of travelers had traced that road by walking where the ground was easier - they must have enjoyed the same untouched nature.
He stopped to eat some of the food the friendly farmer had given to him. Sitting down beside a stream, he cupped his hands to drink some water. He walked all day without meeting a soul. At night he found a sheltered spot, gathered some leaves and lay down to sleep. Before sleep would make his eyelids heavy, he looked at the starry sky, completely devoid of clouds. He knew that, according to some, in the multitude of stars there were groups of stars where one traditionally could see figures. But he did not know any of the constellations, so he could not read anything into that beautiful starry sky; in part he regretted that.
In the morning the first rays of the sun awakened him. The air was fresh and pleasantly perfumed. He felt well rested and, after summarily washing in a small stream that ran along the road, he resumed his journey at a good pace. He arrived at a crossroads, where one road went straight ahead and another branched off to the right.
He paused for a moment, wondering whether to continue to the north, or turn to the east. Not knowing where each road led, he thought that one way was worth the other. From the road that went east he saw coming a handful of people. So he decided to wait to ask them where the various roads led.
Apparently they were three families, walking close but in three distinctly divided groups. They were carrying bulky packages, bags, bundles and baskets. From their clothing he understood they were Merchants, the lowest social class, superior only to the slaves.
When they were within earshot, Masu greeted them. A faint chorus of voices replied to his greeting.
"Tell me, where does lead the way you came by?" Masu asked, when they were closer.
"To the capital, but before there are several cities, towns and villages," said one of the travelers.
"And this other way?" the warrior asked, indicating the direction in which he had hitherto walked.
"That one leads to the border with the territory of Makhi-Kimigasu', the Land of the Thousand Islands."
"And you, where are you going?" Masu asked.
"We're going in the other direction, to the territory of Machi-Sanisu', for the fair that is held there in a few days."
"Oh, that is where I come from," Masu said.
"Are you then a So of Machi-Sanisu'?" another member of the tiny caravan asked curiously. "What makes a warrior of Sanisu' come here to our lands? Are you possibly on a mission for your Shiti?"
"No, I'm not on a mission. I became a wandering warrior," Masu said without explaining why.
"A wandering warrior? I did not know they existed," one of the women said, watching him from head to toe with a look that clearly showed appreciation.
"It is unusual for someone to become a wandering warrior, but apparently it has happened before, at least according to the stories of the bards," one of the men remarked.
"Are there houses or villages before the border, if I continue in this direction?" Masu asked.
"No, no village, but there are some Producers' homes here and there. From the road you cannot see them, but you can find them by following the paths that depart from the main road. Usually, if the paths go eastward, they lead to farmer's houses, but if they go westward, that is up the mountain, you'll find homes of breeders. "
"Thanks. Safe journey to you all," Masu said. He decided to continue straight ahead, on the road leading to the border.
They all greeted and resumed their way.
Masu followed the path that now began to climb up the mountain. The slope was still gentle, and the bends were broad. To save time, Masu decided to short cut through the meadows and the trees, avoiding following the bends of the road. The slope was a little more accentuated, but the strong muscled legs of the young man felt almost no fatigue.
Masu was crossing a clump of trees in a meadow on a slope, when he heard a faint melody coming from his left. Intrigued, instead of continuing straight, he decided to divert westward to look and find out where that music came from.
Shortly after he saw two boys sitting on a rock. Around them were some animals grazing placidly, chewing the abundant grass of the meadow. One boy was playing a transverse reeds flute, the other an eight pipes flute.
As the boys saw the strong warrior coming, they stopped playing and looked at him with an attentive and slightly surprised expression.
"Keep playing, boys. I liked your music, so I came to see whoever was playing," Masu said, smiling broadly at them.
One continued to observe him with a serious expression, but the other responded instinctively to his smile.
"What do you want us to play?" the smiling boy asked.
"I don't know... what you want. I do not know your music," Masu replied, stopping in front of the rock and looking up at the boys.
"Can we play 'When I Wait You' for him, Revae?" one boy asked his companion.
"No, that song is only ours, I do not want to play it for a stranger," the other boy said with a firm, but not rude voice.
"Then what do you want to play for him, Revae?"
"Any other song, Soryuu'. It's you that composed the songs, so is you who must choose."
"Could you not resume to play what I have interrupted with my arrival? I liked it," the warrior said.
"That one? Why not?" the boy whose name was Soryuu' said, once again smiling at the handsome warrior.
The two boys began to play. It was evident how they were perfectly tuned to each other, and that they were used to playing together. Masu listened to them with pleasure. When they had finished, Soryuu' smiled again.
He asked: "Did you like it, warrior?"
"Yes, very. What title did you give it?"
"It's called 'Go Where The Wind Brings You'," Revae said.
"Just right for me, then," the handsome warrior noticed, adding: "Also I am going where the wind takes me... Or to put it according to a saying in my country, I walk following the tip of my nose..."
Soryuu' chuckled and said: "I too would love to follow the tip of my nose, as you say. But Revae cannot leave his family, so I'm staying here with him."
Masu noticed that the other boy gave a slight kick to the foot of his friend, and the latter was slightly flushed. So he thought he understood what tied the two boys.
"Unfortunately I had to leave my friend, because I had to go and he could not come with me."
"And why did not you stay with him?" Soryuu' asked.
"If it were up to me, certainly I would have stayed with him... but I could not."
"Neither did he come with you. So you two were not lovers," Soryuu' remarked.
Again Revae gave him a slight kick to tell him to shut up.
"No, we were not really in love, even though we were very close friends. If we were in love I'm sure Jule-Dee, my friend, would have come with me, even if it meant disobeying orders. Therefore I understand you, boys. Evidently you guys love each other..."
Revae blushed again and looked away. Soryuu' instead smiled and asked with a pleased voice: "Can it be noticed? Yes, Revae and I love each other. We realized we love each other at least eight years ago."
"Eight years ago? But how old are you, boys?" Masu asked, a little surprised.
"He is eighteen and I am sixteen," Soryuu' answered.
"But at eight and ten years... you could not have sex," the handsome warrior remarked.
"No, sex has come just two years ago, but that does not mean we were not already in love before," Soryuu' explained. "But you, you never fell in love, warrior?"
"Not really. Maybe one day it will happen to me. But answer to my curiosity, if you want to tell me, why can Revae not leave his family?"
"Because he is the eldest. His father died, and he must support his family. Therefore he can't leave, at least until his brothers will be old enough to fend for themselves and their mother."
Masu nodded, then took a handful of coins from his pouch and, holding out his hand towards the boys, told them: "Take these. Maybe they can allow you to follow your dreams, or your nose, a little earlier..."
Revae looked at him and asked: "Why do you offer us this money, stranger?"
"Because I feel sympathy for you, for your love."
"Are you rich?" Revae asked, continuing to look at the coins.
"Yes, I'm rich," Masu lied, still thinking that because of the curse he would lose the money anyway, so it might as well be useful to someone other than him.
"Can we take it?" Soryuu' asked his friend.
Revae shrugged. Quickly Soryuu' came down from the rock, took the coins, and said: "Thanks. You are kind and generous. So maybe we can move sooner than we thought."
He nimbly climbed back on the rock and showed the coins to his lover. Then he gave him the elbow and whispered: "Also say thank you…"
Masu made a gesture with his hand as if to say that it was not important, smiled at the two guys and turned to resume his way. Behind him he heard the voice of the oldest, Revae, shouting a 'thank you'. Masu, without turning, waved a goodbye with his hand. As he walked away, he heard again the sweet melody of the flutes.
He walked for four days, climbing more and more up the mountains. Finally he reached a place where two large stones on either side of the road marked the border with the neighboring territory. From there the road descended again.
He had gone a little way, no more than a couple of hairpin bends, when he saw an old man sitting on a stump at the side of the road. He had long hair, as white as his beard, a big and sharp nose sticking out from his wrinkled cheeks, that looked like the bark of an old tree. He wore very poor clothes, full of patches, from which one could not understand what social class he belonged to.
When Masu came near, the old man held out his bony hand. "Give me a little alms, handsome young man," said a trembling voice.
Taking the bag of coins from his belt, Masu took out several of them and put them in the hand of the old man.
The man looked at them, counted them, and then looked at Masu: "You are generous, handsome young man!"
"I do not need them and it is clear that you are in much more need than me."
"Yes, you are generous... Maybe I want to ask you something else..."
"Do you need more money?" Masu asked, ready to give him more.
"No, what I want from you is something more valuable than a handful of coins."
Masu's hand touched the ruby dangling around his neck; it was cold and sparkling.
"I can not give you this..." he said, thinking how he owed his salvation from the arms of the witch to this magic talisman.
"No, my handsome warrior, something far more precious..."
"I have nothing more precious, except maybe my sword and my armor. But what would you do with those? You could not even lift my sword."
"No, you're right, what would I do with that? No, it's something else I would like to ask you for..."
"Well then, tell me that you would like. If I can, I will give it willingly."
"See... I'm old, very old... I do not count any longer the years since the last time... oh, it's been so long, you know? The last time I was able..."
The old man seemed to turn around his request, not finding the words to express it. Masu looked into his eyes and read in them a silent plea, a faint light of hope, the flicker of a prayer.
"Come on, old man, what is the risk? A 'no', at worst."
"I would not provoke your anger, contempt, or even just your..." the old man said softly.
"A good warrior is not easily angered, because it blunts the ability to use his brains. Nor am I accustomed to despise, because it blunts the ability to listen to the heart..."
The old man nodded: "In addition to generous, you are also wise. Then, if you promise not to take it badly... I'll tell you what I would like to ask you..."
"Come on old man. Ask," Masu repeated, smiling.
"Well, you see... you are very beautiful and I remember the boy who was my sweetheart when I was young, and... I would like to... if you were willing to... I would like to have sex once more... with you."
Masu certainly did not expect such a request. For a moment he looked at him open-mouthed. He was not attracted to this crumbling old body... instinctively within him he felt a "no"... but again he saw the light of prayer in the tired eyes.
In an uncertain tone Masu said: "I was not expecting such a request..."
"Here, you are angry with me..." the old man said with a querulous voice.
"No, old man, no. Indeed, I understand how you can feel the desire... especially if you, seeing me, are reminded of your lover of old times..."
"But..." the old man said, almost to encourage him to express his rejection.
Masu took pity on the old man and told himself that, after all, it did not cost too much make him happy for once, to give him the pleasure that he yearned for after so many years. Only he wondered if he would be able to get aroused, to please the old man. If he could not succeed, as he feared, it would be worse than a rejection. Therefore he did not really know what to answer.
Then he wondered if he was not going to fall again into the trap of witchcraft. He touched the ruby dangling around his neck. It felt cold... No, it was really just an old man whose fire was still burning in the loins, who still felt a strong desire for a handsome young man, as Masu knew he was.
"But… nothing. If it is just this what you want from me, I do not see why I should deny it..." Masu said, almost in a hurry, as if to force himself to overcome the last hesitation that he felt inside.
The old man smiled a little, opening his toothless mouth. He stood up, leaning heavily on his staff, and said to the handsome warrior: "Then come with me to my hut... we can make it more comfortable and without risk of being seen by some passer-by..."
"Whatever you say, old man, though it looks like no one ever came here," Masu said, following him, feeling ready to make the sacrifice to give a little pleasure to the old man.
They went into a crumbling old hut, which was looking even shabbier than the old man who lived there. Inside there was only a table, a few baskets, and in a corner an irregular and worn straw mattress with rips from which flowed out tufts of dried grass.
"Can you undress?" the old man asked in a tone of prayer. "I'd like to see your beautiful naked body..."
"Yes, if you will also," Masu said.
He touched the ruby, to remove it from his neck, and again he felt that it was cold; therefore he did not run any danger. The beautiful warrior stripped, then looked at the old man: his body was crumbling, skinny, awkward for the infirmities of old age, not at all pleasant to see. Masu sighed quietly.
The old man approached and touched, almost reverent, the warrior's skin. "Oh yes, how beautiful you are... Even more handsome than my lover was... I have never seen a man so beautiful in all my life..." he whispered with a trembling and dreamy voice.
"What was the name of your lover?" Masu asked politely.
"His name was Chi Lodo..."
"Chi? Was he a Craftsman?"
"Yes, like me... I was his Zuchi"
"A High Craftsman, then... What was your specialty? And anyway, what's your name?"
"We were both weavers... And my name is See. Why don't you lie on my mattress, warrior?"
"As you wish, old man," Masu replied and he lay down, regretting that he could not get quite excited. His penis was still soft between his strong thighs.
The old man stretched beside him. "Turn around, please... It was always me who took my Lodo, and I would like, perhaps for the last time..."
Masu stiffened for a moment. Instinctively once again a "no" came to his lips. Then he thought that, after all, this solved his problem of not being able to get aroused... and the member of the old man, although it was slowly getting hard, was not too big... he could well bear then this last request.
Without saying anything he turned on his stomach. He felt the old man lying on top of him, making him spread the legs with his legs... and soon he felt the hard member of the other start rummaging in the crease between his small, firm buttocks. Masu relaxed, slightly amazed that, in the short time that it had taken to turn around, the old man did succeed in having such a rapid and strong erection.
The old man leaned against him more and pushed. Masu relaxed and felt it enter in his channel with a thrust of unexpected force. The old man was breathing on his neck, while his hands were holding him by the shoulders and he continued to penetrate him. It seemed that the slow invasion into him would never end. Masu was still not at all excited; however, he noted with some surprise that he was not bothered either.
The old man began to move up and down inside him, and again Masu wondered with surprise where the old man could find all that energy. He also began to get excited, because the old man certainly knew how to do it.
Gradually the body that weighed on him seemed to be less edgy, less skinny, the old man's skin now seemed soft, even warm. With some astonishment the beautiful warrior realized he was slowly getting aroused.
"Go on, See, go on..." he encouraged him.
The old man, above him, began to give strokes with unexpected force. The pleasure was slowly but surely taking over Masu's body. The handsome warrior thought that he would not have believed it could be enjoyable, and anything but a sacrifice, giving himself to the old man.
Even the old man's hands now seemed agreeable, no more skinny and bony, but soft and pleasantly warm on his skin. Moreover, contrary to what he had expected, and perhaps even hoped, the old man seemed to never tire, but rather to find new energy with every thrust he gave inside his hot, tight channel.
"Are you enjoying it?" the old man asked him in a whisper, continuing to hammer inside him.
"Yes..." Masu said earnestly, almost surprised.
"Do you want me to... come soon?"
"No... the way you want..." the young warrior replied.
"Not yet, then..." See whispered, giving greater force to his blows.
He did not come soon, indeed, he seemed to never come, and not to tire at all. Te breathing of the old man was regular, strong, and not at all heavy.
Instead it was Masu who at one point reached a strong orgasm, discharging against the rough fabric of the mat with force, in a series of vigorous volleys. Soon after, the old man unloaded into him, holding him firmly in his arms.
For a while they remained still, the hard member of the old man still deeply embedded in him. Masu then felt the warm flesh pole retract slowly, until See completely slipped out of him. Masu then turned and looked at See and...
Lying next to him was a strong young man of great beauty, who was looking at him with an indefinable smile on his full lips. His hair was thick and soft, of a beautiful brown color, as was his beard that was short and well cared for.
For a moment he thought that perhaps the young man had taken the place of the old man... but he had not pulled out of him, even for a moment, so it was not possible. Then he thought that the replacement had occurred while he was turning on his belly...
"Who are you?" he asked, feeling confused.
"I am See, I told you," said the other, looking at him and smiling slightly.
"But no, See was an old man... not you..."
"It is me, I assure you."
"But then... are you a Magician or a Mask, or what else?" Masu asked him sitting up on the mattress, alarmed. Then he added: "However, I touched the ruby many times and..."
"No, I'm a Magician. But you see, your ruby, I know it well, it's what we call a 'Kaoka Tear', and it heats only in the presence of black magic, dangerous magic. It does not react to white magic. You have nothing to fear from me, I assure you."
"A magician... but why..."
"Why have I presented myself to you in the guise of an old man, a beggar?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because I know... I saw what happened to you, and I know about the curse the witch has cast upon you. And I wanted to help, but I had to find out if you'd earn it. Whether your generosity was limited to your money, or that it also involved your heart. "
"You know... can you undo the curse?"
"No, this unfortunately is not in my power, but I can limit its effectiveness by invoking on you my blessings."
"And will you?"
"Yes, of course. For you, with your behavior, have greatly deserved it. Put on your clothes now, and come with me out here..."
Wearing their clothes again, they went out of the hut. See was now dressed in a soft white robe with a green band at the hips.
"Kneel, warrior," he said when they were outdoors. He laid his hands on Masu's head, crossed his fingers, and began to sing his blessings.
"Blessed be thou, when thou findst the four ages to persuade. Blessed will thou be, when thou meet the four elements to win from. Blessed be thou, when thou hast the four colors that harmonize. Blessed be thou, when the four points will meet. Blessed be thou, when the four problems you solvest. Then the curse will no longer have any effect on you, and your life will change profoundly, as you will know who you really are..."
"Who I really am? I know who I am: Su Masu-Yari, a wandering warrior..." Masu said straightening up.
"Yes, for now..." the magician said enigmatically.
"And who would I be then?"
"This you will have to discover by yourself."
"And... I did not understand what they consist of, those five blessings you have given me to counter the four curses of the witch... Those were very clear, instead."
"The five blessings will become clear when you will be ready to understand them. It would be useless if I reveal their meaning now. But the curses, you see, would not be effective if the recipient does not know what they refer to. This is always the difference between good and evil. Good is cloaked in silence; evil instead must be loud. One who has done good, rarely talks about it. Instead those who have done evil, often glory themselves. Men love in silence, and hate while yelling. Men forgive with a smile, and take their revenge with dramatic gestures."
"And tell me, wizard, where do you advise me to go now? What do you recommend I do?"
The magician smiled: "You know it very well, Masu-Yari. Follow the tip of your nose and do every day what life invites you to do. Do not try to tie yourself to the past, as it no longer exists; you would only tie yourself to nothing. Do not try to chase the future, as it does not yet exist; you would chase nothing."
"One last thing I would like to ask you..."
"Yes?"
"See is your real name?"
"What is a 'real name'? Only a sound with which to call someone who responds to that sound."
"But the theosophists and anthroposophists teach that the name embodies the essence of things. Who owns the name, also owns the essence of the thing or person to which that name corresponds..."
"If it was so... continue to utter the word 'gold, gold, gold...' and you will find your purse full of gold, don't you think? The real name that matches the essence of things or people, that would make you master of those things or people, is only known by the Kaoka, the God of Gods. Even the Great Gods don't have this intimate knowledge. But no created or procreated being can probe the knowledge of the infinite and omnipotent Kaoka, so a name is nothing but a conventional sound we use to communicate, nothing else."
"But then the theosophists and anthroposophists are lying?"
"No, they delude themselves, very often in good faith, to have a knowledge that they do not really have. But they are like the blind man who shows the way to the deaf man."
"And these things which you're telling me?" Masu asked with a slightly mischievous smile.
See laughed: "Your intelligence is ready and lively, young warrior! The things I am saying to you are just the fruit of my thoughts. Things I 'believe' are right... but who knows? Maybe tomorrow I will find arguments that will make me change my mind. For now, they are what my skills and my experience made me accept as the most likely, the least wrong. These are just my personal beliefs."
"You'd be a good teacher, See," the warrior said with open admiration.
"There are no good teachers, only good students... A bad teacher can give a great lesson, but a poor student cannot understand a good lesson..."
"But a good teacher can also make a good lesson and..."
"It can happen, of course. But even from a bad lesson, a good student can learn a great deal."
"But then, what are teachers needed for?"
"To ensure that good students have something to reflect about and make their own choices."
"See, you're dismantling a large part of my beliefs..."
"Very well, try to get some new ones... and you will be an excellent student."
"May I stay with you, at least for a while? I feel that I could learn many things, if you take me as your pupil."
"I can't, and you do not really need me.... Now I have to go... Goodbye!"
"Wait..." Masu said almost urgently.
But he had not yet finished pronouncing that word, when the image of the wizard vanished in the air. Masu saw the landscape through it, and See was gone.
Masu turned towards the hut and saw that it too was gone. Nothing in the grass betrayed that there had been that wretched dwelling.
Yet Masu knew it was real, very real... all his senses had perceived and enjoyed the intercourse he and the wizard had.
Masu set off, taking his own path again, thinking he had learned a new lesson: the senses, that we trust blindly, are not one hundred percent reliable.